In the entertainment industry, terms like sending lawyer's letters and pursuing legal responsibility are no longer novelties. They have become as common and unremarkable as eating, because everyone knows that such methods, while cloaked in legal seriousness, are merely farcical acts meant for amusement and devoid of any real deterrence.
Therefore, when Xin Culture issued such a statement, those who were actively engaged immediately erupted in mockery.
However, what they didn't expect was that the police would soon issue an announcement declaring that a case had been accepted for investigation. This caused public opinion to splinter once again. Some believed it was all an act, while others thought it was genuine protection of rights. But sympathy for the underdog is a common human trait, and a "pitiful person" whose family was torn apart and who hadn't even graduated was clearly more convincing than a corporation.
More and more curious netizens began to follow the matter, urging the police to provide an explanation.
Wang Xiao also quickly took notice of the situation, but he had his own considerations. So, when Chang Chao called to ask for his superior's instructions, Wang Xiao made the arrangements. As a competent personal secretary, one must understand that not every matter needs to be brought to the boss.
"For now, Tianyu will only be responsible for guiding positive public opinion. The 'victim' incident has already been accepted by the police for investigation, so there's no need to interfere further. Once the investigation results are out, we can guide another wave of public opinion."
With that said, Chang Chao was no longer worried.
...
Li Zhen was still the one responsible for the police response. Driven by public pressure, he immediately launched an investigation, starting with basic identity checks on the people in the video. He then discovered something quite interesting: the parents of the person involved had just been arrested for usury.
Furthermore, although the person involved was indeed studying abroad, they had been held back for two years due to failing to meet the required GPA.
In addition, the person's spending records were also extravagant. The largest expense in the past half-month was spending twelve thousand yuan on a bag.
Upon reaching this point, Li Zhen was almost certain that most of what the person in the livestream had said was a lie.
However, he didn't rush to apprehend or interrogate them. Instead, he continued to trace the background owner of Xin Culture through online information and the convenience of their own system.
To his surprise, he recognized the owner of Xin Culture. The familiar residential address – hadn't he just been there a few days ago?
That seemingly very young and beautiful woman was actually the owner of Xin Culture who was being widely discussed online? But then again, it wasn't surprising for the young mistress of the Chu Group to own a company.
After obtaining the identity information, Li Zhen personally led the police to investigate, arriving at Quan Xingfa's home.
At that moment, Quan Xiaotang was diligently reading the product manual for her livestream. Suddenly, she heard a doorbell ring. She assumed it was Quan Zhiwei and ignored it. However, the doorbell rang again and again. Even the viewers in the livestream heard it, urging her to open the door and reminding her to be careful.
Quan Xiaotang guessed that Quan Zhiwei had forgotten his keys and hurried to open the door.
When the door opened, it wasn't Quan Zhiwei, but several middle-aged people with stern expressions.
Quan Xiaotang, confused and somewhat frightened, asked, "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"
Li Zhen took out his identification and asked, "Are you Quan Xiaotang? Is 'Xiaotang is Very Sweet' you?"
Seeing that they were government officials, Quan Xiaotang became uncertain and tentatively asked, "What are you here for?"
Li Zhen had already confirmed Quan Xiaotang's photo at the station, so asking was just a formality. Seeing that Quan Xiaotang didn't answer, he walked directly into the house and searched every room.
Fearing that these people would alert her online fans, Quan Xiaotang instinctively ran towards her room.
As soon as she entered the room, Li Zhen and the others followed.
The livestream equipment was very basic: a mirror with surrounding lights served as a light board, and a mobile phone with a phone stand was all that was needed for a livestream.
Yet, even with such rudimentary equipment, it had stirred up considerable public opinion online.
Li Zhen approached the phone screen, saw the various bullet comments, and checked the donation records. He found that there were quite a few donors, with the total amount reaching nearly two hundred thousand.
With a stern face, he said to Quan Xiaotang, "You are suspected of fabricating false statements, creating public opinion, and guiding donations. You are now being investigated administratively according to the law. Please come back to the station with us. If you have a lawyer, you can contact your lawyer."
Two police officers stepped forward and apprehended Quan Xiaotang, one on each side.
Quan Xiaotang was shocked and scared. She struggled and said, "What fabrication? I'm telling the truth. You were sent by Quan Jiu. You're not police officers. Let me go, I want to call the police, let me go."
The fans in the livestream immediately caused a commotion, like water splashing into hot oil. They argued, cursed, and suggested calling the police, all believing that this was Xin Culture's tactic to silence the victim.
Li Zhen looked at the "kind" fans in the livestream and found it utterly ridiculous.
He didn't turn off the livestream. Instead, he directly took the phone and said to the camera, "Now I'll show you who I am and where I'm taking her."
Without further ado, the group took Quan Xiaotang, went out, and went downstairs. The speculation in the livestream grew louder. Some even suggested dragging her away and burying her alive, while others seemed excited, anticipating some explosive event.
However, to their disappointment or speechlessness, they ultimately saw Quan Xiaotang get into a police car.
At that moment, the entire livestream fell silent, and the number of viewers rapidly decreased, disappearing without a sound.
Of course, there were still some stubborn individuals who refused to believe it, insisting on conspiracy theories, claiming the car was fake, and so on. But when the car entered the Public Security Sub-bureau half an hour later, they dared not speak further and quickly retreated.
Just then, the livestream platform clearly noticed the seriousness of the situation and immediately operated from the backend, cutting off the livestream and forcibly blocking it.
Quan Xiaotang became dejected as soon as she got into the police car and didn't dare to say a word. After entering the sub-bureau, she repeatedly clarified that she had only done a livestream to complain.
Li Zhen chuckled, "You're twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. I won't lecture you on legal knowledge. In short, you just need to remember one thing: in the face of the law, you must be responsible for your actions."
Quan Xiaotang's face turned pale, and she was so terrified that she could barely speak coherently. Li Zhen's stern shouts made her confess everything truthfully.
In less than two hours, the public security department released the results.
"After investigation, Quan Xiaotang's livestream statements are untrue, deliberately fabricated false statements, and distorted facts. Her father, Quan Moufa, and her mother, Tong Mouqiong, were convicted of usury, and their assets were frozen by the bank. Quan Xiaotang is a student who has been held back for two years at Meinan School and has not yet obtained a graduation certificate due to failing to meet the GPA requirements. In view of the significant social impact caused by Quan Xiaotang's false statements, our sub-bureau has made the following disposition regarding Quan Xiaotang..."
An official announcement, stamped with approval, exposed Quan Xiaotang's lies. Some people even conducted a witch hunt on Quan Xiaotang, uncovering the entire Quan Xingfa family, including the judgment documents for Quan Xingfa and Tong Xiuqiong.
No one expected that the trending searches would contain such dramatic plot twists. Just when public opinion believed Quan Xiaotang was the victim, the situation abruptly reversed. Those who had supported Quan Xiaotang deeply understood what it meant to be slapped in the face, and they all deleted their comments, fearing the condemnation of righteous individuals.
At this point, Quan Xiaotang had nothing more to say. The money she earned from the livestream was confiscated and turned over to the state. The livestream platform also compensated Xin Culture fifty thousand yuan as a result. As for the marketing accounts that guided negative public opinion, some were blocked, and others were silenced. In short, those who caused a significant stir generally did not escape consequences.
Finally, the fans who had visited Quan Xiaotang's livestream began to express regret online, and even united to demand refunds for their donations from Quan Xiaotang and the livestream platform, causing a great deal of trouble.
Quan Jiu felt relieved as the online sentiment returned to normal.
At this moment, Wei Tao called her.