Although he had guessed it roughly, hearing the truth firsthand still struck him as quite absurd.
After listening to the entire story, Qi Xuan said, "This isn't a perfect scam, but it was deliberately targeted at Ou Minghan."
"Yes," Ye Zhi agreed, nodding. "Any part of this scam could have gone wrong, but Jia Cheng focused on just one thing from beginning to end: he didn't need to deceive everyone, he only needed to deceive Ou Minghan.
He knew what Ou Minghan wanted, and he crafted a comprehensive 'Qianbai Revival' dream for him. This dream was so enticing that even if the self-willed Ou Minghan sensed something was amiss, he would overlook it.
It's just a pity he's so flamboyant. He took the money, ran, and even managed to taunt them. I imagine Ou Minghan must hate him to death right now."
"If you had to say, on Ou Minghan's list of enemies," Qi Xuan asked with a hint of jest, "who would rank higher, you or Jia Cheng?"
Ye Zhi paused for a moment, then thought carefully. "Mine is a long-term hatred, while Jia Cheng's is explosive. But if you really compare, my ability to incite hatred is far inferior to his. After all, he made Ou Minghan himself a laughingstock in front of everyone."
Before arriving, Ye Zhi had already glanced at the online comments about the incident.
No one expected that such a large company as Qianbai would experience an employee absconding with funds. Moreover, the perpetrator had specifically named and mocked Ou Minghan, making him a direct target.
Ou Minghan was proud and arrogant, and he often secretly paid for positive publicity. How could he not see the criticisms directed at him?
Ye Zhi wouldn't be surprised if he even hired trolls to argue with those criticizing him. Of course, the more people criticized him, the more Ou Minghan would hate Jia Cheng.
Jia Cheng was not only a master of deception but also first-class at inciting hatred.
"Indeed, but this is also a good thing. Ou Minghan's primary target for revenge is now Jia Cheng, which makes you relatively safer," Qi Xuan analyzed. "Besides Jia Cheng, Qianbai is also in dire straits. He won't have the energy to bother with you."
Just as Ye Zhi was about to speak, a small figure swaggered past them.
Ye Zhi's face darkened. This Zhaocai really didn't treat itself as an outsider… no, as an outsider cat! Why was it visiting more frequently than her?
"Come here, you!" Ye Zhi stretched out her arm, scooped up Zhaocai, and held it in her arms.
Zhaocai meowed in displeasure, then looked at Qi Xuan with a pleading expression.
Ye Zhi lightly poked its nose with her finger. "You forgetful little thing, have you forgotten who it was that caused you to lose your most precious possession?"
Qi Xuan: ...
He was tired. Wasn't it because of Ye Zhi? It couldn't possibly be because of him, right?
Zhaocai failed to escape twice, and since Qi Xuan showed no intention of saving it, it decided to lie down obediently.
Ye Zhi scratched its chin with satisfaction before continuing, "Where were we? Oh right, actually, Qianbai isn't quite beyond saving."
"You have a way?" Qi Xuan looked at her in surprise.
"Although the problem this time lies with Qianbai's internal management, strictly speaking, Qianbai is also a victim.
It's right to take responsibility, and while a billion is a considerable amount, it's not insurmountable. If it were me, I would leverage the victim status, take on the debt, publish a list, and with public oversight, slowly repay the money.
This way, they would gain attention and public favor. They could even use this opportunity to create a channel for feedback, and address any areas where Qianbai is not performing well, making gradual improvements.
The public is generally very forgiving, and they tend to trust companies that are willing to reform and repay their debts, and actively demonstrate it. This approach also gives the public a sense of involvement in the company's development, fostering a natural affinity for Qianbai in the long run, known as 'passerby緣' (goodwill)."
Qi Xuan was momentarily silent. "...You better not let Ou Minghan hear these words."
"It doesn't matter if he hears them," Ye Zhi smiled faintly. "This is a disaster for Qianbai, but also an opportunity. If utilized properly, it could turn the tide and bring it back from the brink. However...
Ou Minghan would certainly not be willing to do that, after all, he's the kind of person who can turn even a simple opportunity into a disaster. He's unwilling to even spend money on promotional events, so how could he bear to help a swindler repay money? Still, I'm genuinely curious about how he will respond..."
Before Ye Zhi could finish speaking, her phone rang.
She got up to answer it, and after finishing the call, returned with a peculiar expression.
"What's wrong?" Qi Xuan asked.
Ye Zhi spoke with an expression of disbelief. "Just now, Ruo Qing happily complained to me that Ou Minghan had Qianbai's official Weibo post a new announcement, which caused Zhiwei's servers to briefly crash. She had to call the programmers back for overtime."
"What kind of announcement had such a powerful effect?" Qi Xuan was curious.
"Qianbai is suing Company A, accusing them of abandoning their partnership, and claiming that their employee, Foster, bribed Qianbai employees to collude in a large-scale fraud. Qianbai has already reported the matter to the police."
Qi Xuan: ...
The situation was already absurd enough, but no one could have predicted that Qianbai would choose such a bizarre way to respond.
"It's something he would do," Qi Xuan mused after a moment's thought. "By doing this, he's essentially trying to position Qianbai as the victim and evade responsibility."
Ye Zhi nodded. "It's just that his choice of opponent... even though Company A is a foreign company, he shouldn't think they're pushovers who would let him twist the truth, should he? No wonder even Zhiwei crashed because of him. This drama is really getting more and more exciting."
"Alright, let's eat first," Qi Xuan said with a gentle smile.
After they finished eating, Ye Zhi picked up Zhaocai and went home.
Online, Qianbai's lawsuit against Company A was escalating.
In response, Company A specifically replied to Qianbai's official Weibo, "No such person exists."
This reply caused an uproar online, and the entire incident entered a fever pitch.
[Wait, so does this mean Qianbai really isn't shipping those Company A phones anymore? I'm terrified. Glad I couldn't afford them, otherwise I would have been scammed!]
[Let me get this straight. So, there were two scammers, one impersonating an employee of Company A, and another who infiltrated Qianbai's management, and the two conspired to scam Qianbai?]
[Not a conspiracy, the one from Qianbai was the mastermind! Apparently, he managed to fool the 'national heartthrob' Ou Minghan. He's already achieved financial freedom and is living in a mansion in Country L! Someone saw his selfie on his overseas blog, and he's living quite comfortably!]