At first, netizens didn't believe it. In this day and age, how could such a horrifying thing happen?
Some even thought that those women were just actors deliberately hired by Li Mao to gain attention and generate buzz.
Li Mao seemed to have anticipated such a reaction. He then posted a list on his account. Like Sherlock Holmes, netizens randomly dug into a few names on the list and were shocked to find that it was all true!
Without exception, these people were all lured away from their hometowns under the pretext of job offers and then vanished from the world without a trace.
It wasn't until a social influencer reposted Li Mao's tweet, saying that there was a long - lost friend of theirs on the list, that the matter truly caught people's attention!
More and more social influencers reposted the tweet one after another. Some netizens even called newspapers and media outlets, demanding that they speak up for these poor girls! The overwhelming attention catapulted this incident to the top of the trending topics list that day!
The public outcry swept over the Zhao family like a storm, catching them off guard!
Large crowds gathered at the various scenic spots operated by the Zhao family, demanding that the Zhao family come forward and give an explanation. All the scenic spots were forced to close and turn away tourists.
There was also a large crowd in front of the burned - down nightclub. They pointed at the once - magnificent building, spat, and threw rotten vegetables at it.
The entrance of the Zhao Group was swarming with reporters, both from Haicheng and those who had rushed in from other places, all eager to get the first - hand information.
Inside the company, the phones of everyone, from ordinary employees to the high - level executives of the Zhao family, were ringing off the hook.
"I've said it before. I had no idea about this. We're just a tourism - focused company. What does a nightclub have to do with us?"
"Don't believe the online rumors. They're all lies!"
"If it's true, the police will surely investigate. We can't jump to conclusions until the police reach a verdict!"
...
In the chairman's office, high - level executives including Zhao Quanjing, the public relations department, the marketing department, along with the two behind - the - scenes bosses of the nightclub, had been sitting there for almost two hours.
Zhao Quanjing's phone had been ringing non - stop the whole time. They were all calls from those "allies" in the nightclub's network, interrogating him.
At first, he answered the calls, repeatedly assuring the callers that he could resolve the issue. But as the calls piled up, he gradually grew tired of dealing with them and just let the phone ring.
However, when he saw that one of the incoming calls was from "Yan", his heart skipped a beat.
Just as the call was about to end, he finally pressed the answer button.
"Chairman Zhao, you didn't tell me during our previous meeting that you were involved in such a business," Yan Yincheng's cold voice came through the receiver.
"We just signed the cooperation agreement yesterday, and today your company has been exposed with such a scandal. Chairman Zhao, I'm very disappointed."
"Mr. Yan..." Zhao Quanjing tried to say something.
But Yan Yincheng coldly interrupted him, "Double the liquidated damages, a total of 10 billion. I hope you can prepare it as soon as possible. Otherwise, you'll receive my lawyer's letter. And it won't be just 10 billion then."
Listening to the dial tone, Zhao Quanjing looked down at the reporters below with microphones and cameras. He felt dizzy and had to hold on to the edge of the window to steady himself.
How could this happen? Just overnight, the situation had exploded, and in such a high - profile way that there was no chance to cover it up!
But he couldn't figure it out. How did those women manage to escape? They had sent people to search for them in Haicheng all night yesterday but couldn't find a single trace of them. It was as if they had vanished into thin air!
General Manager Ran said that a security guard named "Wang Feng" had left with the eight women. Presumably, this "Wang Feng" was the reporter Li Mao. He never thought that Li Mao could sneak into the nightclub and lead the women out safely.
Who was their backup? The Pei family? Or Rick? And where were they hiding now?
Suddenly, the manager of the public relations department looked up, his face full of distress. "Chairman Zhao, this incident has had a very bad impact. The trolls we hired can't suppress the heat at all. Instead, the netizens have seen that we're trying to whitewash the situation. This is really difficult to handle."
Zhao Quanjing's face grew even darker. After thinking for a while, he said,
"Contact the director of Renkang Hospital immediately. Ask the hospital to issue mental illness appraisal reports, so that the public will think that those women are all mentally ill and their words can't be taken seriously. Maybe this way, the impact of the public opinion can be reduced a little."
He didn't want to expose the relationship between the Zhao family and Renkang Hospital so soon, but it was an extraordinary time, and he had no other choice.
The door of the office was pushed open, and Zhao Quanjing's most trusted subordinate rushed in. "Boss Zhao, we've traced the IP address of that reporter. It's in Country F."
"Impossible! They couldn't have escaped from here to Country F in such a short time. They must still be in the country, maybe even hiding in Haicheng!" Zhao Quanjing immediately dismissed this possibility.
He said coldly, "Keep investigating! No matter how much it costs, no matter how many hackers you hire, dig them out even if you have to turn the whole place upside down!"
...
At around 4 p.m., Renkang Hospital posted on the social platform the mental illness appraisal reports and medical records of the eight victims, including Du Li.
Then the trolls hired by the Zhao family immediately jumped on the bandwagon, leading the narrative that those women were all mentally ill, that Li Mao had maliciously fabricated lies to gain fame, and had slandered the Zhao family's reputation. The Zhao family decided to sue Li Mao to protect their reputation!
It had to be admitted that the tactic of using mental illness, although despicable, was effective. For a while, the online sentiment was indeed under control.
But how could Xu Zixi and Yan Yincheng, who had been planning for so long, not be prepared?
Thanks to Alex's convenient identity and Xu Zixi's elusive hacking skills, they had already obtained the crucial evidence of Renkang Hospital. The Zhao family's white - washing tactic was also within Xu Zixi's prediction.
Just when the online community was speculating whether Li Mao had made a blunder, the second reverse came.
Li Mao exposed the hidden connection between Renkang Hospital and Zhao Quanjing, as well as the evidence that the hospital charged exorbitant fees and made profits by issuing false pathological reports.
Most importantly, Renkang Hospital had the medical records of most of the victims on the nightclub's list. From the medical records, one could even tell what inhumane treatment those victims had endured.
Renkang Hospital was an asset under the Zhao family, and the mental appraisal reports they issued were unreliable!
This was a white - washing attempt by them to cover up the truth!
Suddenly, a more intense outcry and pressure swept over the Zhao family!