Li Xiaozhong quickly dialed Xia Qingyu's number: "Qingyu, did you see it?"
"I saw it." Xia Qingyu's expression was even more grim than Li Xiaozhong's.
"Do you know what's going on?" Li Xiaozhong, usually very steady, asked, "What's the situation?"
He excelled at information gathering, while Xia Qingyu was skilled at strategic analysis. Their collaboration always ensured risk hedging at the most opportune moments, maintaining profits within acceptable risk zones.
Such a situation had never occurred before.
"What else could it be?" Xia Qingyu said, her gaze dark as she looked at the computer screen, "Someone is deliberately slandering my sister!"
"Huh? What?" Li Xiaozhong was taken aback. "Qing Tian jie? What happened to her?"
"Someone is saying my sister is a spoiled diva, a school bully, who deliberately skips classes and exams, gets awards based on her looks, and is corrupting the school's atmosphere. They're collecting signatures online to pressure Z University into expelling my sister!" Xia Qingyu trembled with anger. "What a bunch of lunatics! My sister suffered such a severe injury, nearly lost her life! How is she supposed to come back and take exams? Fly back?"
"Qing Tian jie is also in trouble?" Li Xiaozhong's brow furrowed. "This matter... something's not right."
"What?" Xia Qingyu's brows knitted. "Did something happen on your end?"
"Actually, it's..." Before Li Xiaozhong could finish, he saw an incoming call on his phone: "I'll talk later, my sister is calling me."
Temporarily ending the call with Xia Qingyu, Li Xiaozhong answered Li Xiaoxiao's. As soon as he picked up, he heard Li Xiaoxiao's hushed apology from the other end: "Xiaozhong! Sister apologizes to you!"
"What's wrong?" Li Xiaozhong pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, "What did you do now?"
"I didn't do anything, it's just..." Li Xiaoxiao switched the phone to her other hand and said, "The company has some issues, it seems like there are people injured, and several projects have gone wrong. I can't go into specifics, but it seems quite serious. Mr. Gu called a meeting with many people shortly after he returned, and the entire company atmosphere is very tense."
"Gu's Entertainment is also in trouble?" Li Xiaozhong's eyes sharpened. As he had predicted, something big had indeed happened.
"Yes, I originally wanted to go back earlier today to spend time with you, especially since we haven't seen each other for so long..." Li Xiaoxiao lowered her voice. "But with the current situation, I really can't get away. And we have a meeting soon, so I don't know how late we'll be working tonight. I'm sorry, Xiaozhong..."
"It's alright." Hearing Li Xiaoxiao's concern for him, Li Xiaozhong's lips curved upwards, and his tense nerves relaxed a little. "Take care of yourself."
"Don't worry, I'm fine~" Li Xiaoxiao chuckled, said a few more comforting words, and then hung up to continue her work.
Li Xiaoxiao had long since moved past her rookie days. Her department's work was becoming increasingly smooth, several excellent proposals had been adopted, and she had even received praise from her superiors, doubling her performance bonus. Although she couldn't sign a formal employee contract due to her studies, she received all her due rights and salary.
Li Xiaoxiao was very satisfied with her current life and cherished her job.
Therefore, when she learned about the problems at Gu's, she was genuinely anxious.
It was just that her capabilities were limited. All she could do was complete the tasks assigned by her superiors and not cause trouble for the department.
After hanging up Li Xiaoxiao's call, Li Xiaozhong dialed Xia Qingyu's number again.
By this time, Xia Qingyu had also seen the changes in her account. Her brow was tightly furrowed. "The funds shouldn't have changed so drastically in such a short period."
"I think so too. Someone must be maliciously targeting us," Li Xiaozhong said in a deep voice. "It's not just someone wanting to slander Qing Tian jie; Gu's Entertainment is also having problems. From what my sister said, it seems very serious."
"Hoo..." Xia Qingyu let out a long breath. "Let's deal with our own situation first."
"Okay," Li Xiaozhong said, while simultaneously putting his phone on speaker and placing it aside. Then, his hands flew across the keyboard, opening a series of data analyses. "You talk, I'll listen."
"Alright." Xia Qingyu spoke before starting to compare the data on her computer screen and instructing Li Xiaozhong on the specific operations.
Although they were pained by their current actions of cutting losses, they knew that if they didn't take the necessary risk-avoidance measures now, it would be far more than just cutting losses later.
The opponent was aggressive. They had to avoid their sharpest thrust and preserve their strength to have a chance of survival in the end.
"Alright." For the final closing, Li Xiaozhong let out a sigh of relief. "Next week will be the crucial period."
"Mm," Xia Qingyu responded. "I'll have to trouble you then."
"It's my duty," Li Xiaozhong replied, then asked, "Do you have any leads on this matter?"
"Me?" Xia Qingyu's gaze flickered at the question. She couldn't think of anyone other than Xiang Xueyuan who could accomplish so much in such a short period.
She had once thought that as long as she left that place, as long as she and her sister could return to this home, everything she disliked and refused to face would disappear.
But now, it seemed all her wishes were in vain.
"We will be enemies the next time we meet."
That sentence echoed in her ears. Xia Qingyu gazed at the computer screen, her expression complex.
There weren't many people with such ability in the financial field, and she happened to know one.
How ironic.
Xia Qingyu gave a self-deprecating laugh, then replied calmly, "No."
"Is that so?" Li Xiaozhong didn't think much of it. He just advised Xia Qingyu to rest well now that she was home and they could discuss any issues next week.
Xia Qingyu acknowledged with a sound before hanging up. She then switched the computer screen back to the webpage. The search terms targeting Xia Qing Tian were still being repeatedly edited with various unpleasant words.
No one would believe this wasn't the result of a deliberate organization.
"A bunch of bored people," Xia Qingyu tutted, then her brow furrowed.
They had all encountered some trouble, but what about the Xia Corporation?
Had Xia Honglang also encountered problems?
If only she had stopped him this afternoon and told him to rest at home.
Compared to Xiang Xueyuan, Xia Qingyu felt that Xia Honglang was more like her father, more like the pillar of strength that could shield their family from the storm.
She didn't want anything to happen to the family she cherished.
Xiang Xueyuan...
Even though she had escaped back, he still wouldn't let her go, would he?
Perhaps, only if she died, could all of this come to an end?