She slept until 10 a.m.
When she went downstairs for breakfast, only Lu Shuo was in the dining room; everyone else had clearly already eaten.
“If you have time, go fishing with great-grandfather. You can play games anywhere; going outdoors lets you breathe fresh air.”
She pulled out a chair and sat.
Lu Shuo chewed his sandwich, looking at her.
“What do you mean by ‘playing games’? Don’t they understand? Don’t you? I’m hands-on testing, you know? Lin Yan wants to join as a partner. I’m planning to sell him ten percent of the shares. More partners means sharing the risks. Right?”
Bai Xia sipped her soy milk.
“Why did he suddenly want to join? Didn’t you think about that? Or does he have more money to burn?”
“That’s just your way of saying he sees potential in our company!”
Lu Shuo frowned, looking around before leaning in.
“I think he has great foresight. How much should I sell it for?”
Nowadays, middle-aged and young people all love gaming.
Gaming is definitely a big trend in the future.
As long as this sector is done well, it’s profitable — clearly a forward-looking investment.
“There are so many gaming companies. Why cooperate with you? The game isn’t even launched yet. Where does he see your potential?”
Bai Xia asked calmly.
She didn’t want to discourage anyone.
The gaming market was real; otherwise, she wouldn’t have invested.
But Lin Yan always seemed a very contradictory and complex person.
He gave off a reserved aura, yet yesterday his words and gaze were so resolute, as if he truly saw his social responsibility.
Still, she trusted no one but herself.
Ordinary friendships were fine, but once money got involved, trouble was easy to stir up.
“So you want me to reject him? Aren’t you friends? Don’t you even trust your own friend?” Lu Shuo frowned deeply.
Bai Xia glanced at him.
“I don’t trust anyone. I only trust myself.”
“Alright, alright, your call,” Lu Shuo said helplessly, biting into his sandwich.
After breakfast, Bai Xia returned to the study to handle trivial matters.
She had long ago set up a self-media company, managing many marketing accounts.
Recently, she had accepted a lot of aggressive orders from a competitor company.
She even knew exactly which part of their drone had issues, and it had been posted online.
Netizens were easily swayed by public opinion, now thinking her company used cheap parts just to make money.
Only the company’s top executives knew the real product problems.
How did the competitor know so much?
By afternoon, she even saw an industry exposé post, quickly trending.
Entertainment Insider: Recently, the after-sales of a certain brand has been a hot topic, even causing a marketing uproar.
Actually, the PR department recently hired a ‘royal family’ figure.
No one dares to speak about this new management because their background is special.
Because her mother’s romantic relationships were complicated, she secured many benefits and smoothly entered her stepfather’s company, even wanting to push out the company’s veterans. No one dared to object.
The so-called sky-high after-sales costs weren’t her idea, but her stepfather’s heavy investment to build her image.
Unsurprisingly, the victims all kept quiet, and public opinion reversed.
Think about it — which company would really spend so much just to appease victims? The ‘royal family’ is really different.
Those few victims got lucky, otherwise how could they get huge compensation?
Now, the ‘royal family’ is untouchable in the stepfather’s company.
Even former management was fired to make room for her.
Just shows having a good mom matters.
As for the ‘royal family’s’ real father, that’s a secret.
He’s a business tycoon. No surprise if a young female billionaire appears in a few years.
This ‘royal family’ must be wealthy, backed by two clans.
But the most exciting part is her mom’s story — a real high-society soap opera.
Those who’ve heard it were shocked, but the main storyline isn’t public.
Treasure it while you can.
Heard it?
I think the marketing was overdone.
After-sales is just damage control, not something to boast about.
Ohhhh: Instead of spending on marketing, just make good products. I’ve already dodged that bullet [smile].
Slight Smile: Curious about the high-society drama [eating melon].
Momomo: Someone exposed it before. It’s explosive, even dramas wouldn’t dare script it [laughing and crying].
Heartfelt Watermelon: I heard from a coworker her mom was unmarried when she had her, then married current husband. But the ex never moved on and never remarried. The current husband refuses to have kids for her mom’s sake. Both are rich. When I heard it, I was shocked too [laughing and crying].
Heeheehee: That’s a good mom for sure [laughing and crying].
Wink: Family business or not, making good products is key. Don’t ruin your reputation [smile].
Self-aware: I want some gossip too [crying].
The trending topic lasted only minutes before being taken down.
Bai Xia knew without thinking that the male lead had intervened.
But despite that, the rumors continued to ferment.
The public was always curious about wealthy family gossip.
This was clearly aimed at her — openly and covertly accusing her of using family connections to push out old employees.
Even though it wasn’t a secret, no one had dared post such things before, because no one wanted to offend the male lead, who had a reputation for cutting ties coldly.
Now these comments appeared, obviously trying to discourage her.
Even if she stayed in the company, people would think she rose through connections.
If her presence damaged the company’s reputation, shareholders had the right to remove her.
Everyone knew who was behind this.
Sure enough, she soon received a call from Song Xun, who seemed worried she’d be upset by the rumors.
But Bai Xia comforted him, saying she didn’t care and would handle whatever came.
She wanted to see if her adversaries had more tricks.
After hanging up, she messaged the male lead, telling him not to intervene in any online discussions.
She would manage it herself.
If the male lead interfered, it would disrupt her plans.
She wasn’t worried about the attacks, but rather about those people remaining calm and collected — only when someone made a move would they show weakness.
When she arrived at the company on Monday, she noticed the department’s staff looked at her differently.
They had obviously caught wind of the scandal online and knew she wasn’t Song Xun’s biological daughter.
At 10 a.m., she went to the ninth floor for the shareholders’ meeting.
Song Yuehua was also there.
The others acted as if unaware of the online rumors, still smiling warmly and behaving like kindly elders.
“You must find it strange why Xia Xia is sitting here,” Song Yuehua said thoughtfully.
Everyone exchanged glances, silent.
“Xia Xia is my granddaughter. I plan to transfer ten percent of my shares to her. I assume you have no objections?”
His gaze swept the room.
Suddenly, everyone showed different expressions.
Even though they had expected this day, they hadn’t thought it would come so soon.
Share transfers required other shareholders’ consent, but the chairman wasn’t asking — he was informing.
“This is big brother’s own share. How you transfer it is none of our business,” Song Qiming frowned.
“But recent online rumors are unfavorable to Xia Xia. We’re worried this will affect the company’s image. Maybe it’s better to delay for now. There’s no rush.”
“Yes, the internet atmosphere is too hostile. If we confront them, it might hurt product profits. We already have issues with the new product. If the reputation drops further, the second half of the year won’t look good,” another shareholder agreed.
Song Xun’s expression darkened. “The new product problems are Song Qi’s fault. Xia Xia saved the company’s image in time. Outsiders just follow the crowd. Uncle, don’t you have independent thinking?”
For the first time, Song Qiming was retorted by his nephew but wasn’t angry.
He sat calmly.
“I fully support Xia Xia continuing, but we must face reality. Xia Xia is right — this is the internet era. We can’t bury our heads in the sand.”
Bai Xia tossed a file on the table.
“Recently, Zheng Yuan bought many negative articles attacking the company. I found a marketing account that even knew exactly which part of our new product was problematic. This should be an internal secret. How could Zheng Yuan know?”
“But I found out the account was purchased by former director Song. His attacks on the company are understandable, but why did he do this? Does this constitute leaking business secrets? Of course, that’s up to the courts. What’s more curious is, after leaving the company, director Song shouldn’t know the testing report details. Who told him? That’s the gravest issue.”
Her clear voice echoed through the spacious meeting room.
Everyone looked at Song Qiming, whose face changed.
He instinctively took a sip of water.
Song Yuehua stared at Song Qiming coldly, never expecting him to tolerate his son’s actions.
Old age must be clouding his mind, ignoring company interests.
“What does this prove? Just because you say so doesn’t make it true. Maybe Zheng Yuan wants to divide us internally. You’re young and don’t understand these market tricks.”
Song Qiming shrugged until his phone vibrated.
Seeing the caller ID, a bad premonition crept in.
Answering in front of everyone, his expression instantly changed upon hearing the news.
After hanging up, he stared sharply at Bai Xia.
“You reported to the police??”
Bai Xia remained calm.
“If someone leaks company secrets, we must report it. I believe everyone prioritizes company interests. Including those online rumors — I have reported them too. We live in a society governed by law. We must use legal means to protect ourselves. The internet is unstoppable, but it’s not lawless. Any unfair competition should be punished.”
Their eyes locked. Song Qiming’s face darkened, and with a sharp movement, he stood and left without a word.
Everyone exchanged looks, surprised that a young woman could report the police so decisively.
Truly the daughter of Lu Lin — same style of handling matters.
“Xia Xia did the right thing. Anyone harming the company should be dealt with, or it only encourages bad practices. Whether Song Qi is guilty or not, that’s for the law to decide.”
Song Yuehua’s expression also soured. He guessed who was behind it all and stared at everyone.
“Xia Xia has become a new shareholder. I wonder if any of you have other thoughts?”
No one dared object.
They sat silently.
Bai Xia spoke seriously.
“If any of you have objections, I accept them all. But using internet rumors as a basis is childish. If management not having children affects company image, then what about those having extramarital children? Are we advocating for a third child policy?”