Chapter 35

Zhou Wenbin slapped his thigh as he listened: "Absolutely right! Why didn't you say this yesterday, kid? You understand things much better than Zeng Hongwen. If she had half your awareness, things wouldn't have escalated to this point." He had no idea that Xu Chunliang's words were entirely plagiarized from Zhao Feiyang.

Xu Chunliang said, "Boss, I think you're being too enthusiastic about this. Can't we just avoid the trouble if we can't handle it?"

Zhou Wenbin smiled bitterly, "We can't avoid it."

Xu Chunliang had also seen the videos circulating online, which included information about the black幕 (black curtain) behind the beauty center's contract. Zhou Wenbin's helplessness suggested that the online rumors were mostly true. If Zeng Hongwen was the nephew of the hospital director, the situation would be very difficult to handle. If she were just an ordinary contractor, they would definitely have to distance themselves from the situation.

Zhou Wenbin took out his phone and refreshed the page, only to find that the number of videos online had not decreased but increased. The likes on the videos he had saved were also climbing, indicating that the internet regulators had not yet intervened.

Zhou Wenbin inwardly called it a bad omen. If public opinion could not be controlled in time, the impact would only grow with time. This time, it would not only affect the beauty center and Changxing Hospital but also point directly at the hospital director, Gu Houyi.

He could already feel Gu Houyi's anger. If the situation continued to escalate, Gu Houyi's anger might be directed at him.

Xu Chunliang also noticed his unease: "Boss, why don't you find some connections to get these videos taken down?"

Zhou Wenbin admitted that he couldn't find any direct connections. He was puzzled; with Gu Houyi's network, it shouldn't be this difficult to resolve the issue. The fire had already spread to him; would Gu Houyi just let it continue to burn?

Xu Chunliang understood a bit: "Don't you deal with the police all the time? Shouldn't you find the cyber police?"

Zhou Wenbin said, "The police I know are from the local police station. Do you know anyone in the cyber monitoring department?" He was grasping at straws, asking a new employee who had just started working, and immediately regretted it.

Xu Chunliang, however, took it seriously. He thought of Lu Qi and called him.

Xu Chunliang asked tentatively, "Brother Lu, do you know anyone in the cyber monitoring department?"

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news spreads quickly. Even Lu Qi knew about the dispute at Changxing Hospital. He immediately understood what it was about: "Is it about the dispute at your hospital's beauty center?"

"You know too?"

"Of course, half of Dongzhou City knows about it."

Xu Chunliang said, "The truth isn't like that. These two are scoundrels, deliberately spreading lies to defame our hospital."

"Didn't your hospital do anything? After the incident, you should have controlled public opinion immediately, sealed the accounts of the rumor-mongers, and taken down the related videos."

Xu Chunliang said, "I just found out about it today when I came to the meeting."

Lu Qi laughed, "You act like you're so important. This isn't your responsibility, is it?"

"How can it not be? I'm in the medical affairs department. When something like this happens, we are the first to be held accountable."

Lu Qi said, "Why did you think of me? You're pretty shrewd, aren't you? You knew my brother was in charge of this, right?"

"My brother?... Your brother is in charge?"

Zhou Wenbin didn't expect Xu Chunliang to be of any help, but he was startled by this. What was going on?

Lu Qi said on the phone, "Alright, stop pretending. I'll help you with this. I'll call my brother and ask him to do this favor. I'll get back to you later."

Xu Chunliang hung up and told Zhou Wenbin, "I found someone!"

Zhou Wenbin looked at him skeptically. You can't just talk big like that. Even Director Gu hasn't resolved this issue; how can you?

Xu Chunliang saw that he didn't believe him: "A police friend of mine agreed to help. His brother is in charge of the cyber monitoring department."

"What's his brother's name?"

Xu Chunliang shook his head; he didn't know.

"Then what's his surname?"

"He's surnamed Lu. What's the matter?"

Zhou Wenbin's heart raced. The head of Dongzhou City's cyber monitoring department was named Lu Ming. Could Xu Chunliang have found him? If this was the case, the problem might not be too difficult to solve. Zhou Wenbin hoped it was true, but he didn't dare to believe it. From what he knew of Xu Chunliang, the kid was just the young master of Huichuntang and didn't have deep connections.

Lu Qi's call came back quickly, telling Xu Chunliang that the matter was taken care of. They would start handling it immediately, and within an hour, the accounts and related videos would be removed.

Xu Chunliang relayed the message to Zhou Wenbin.

Zhou Wenbin still didn't believe it, but he needed to inform Gu Houyi. If the matter was resolved smoothly, they would have done a great service. If not, Gu Houyi would definitely blame him.

But thinking about it, Gu Houyi had already blamed him for the issue. How much worse could it get?

Zhou Wenbin mustered his courage and went to the director's office. It was already after work hours, but the lights in the office were still on. Liu Dengke didn't dare to leave, and the director's office was also lit.

Liu Dengke saw him coming and thought, "This guy really has no sense. The boss is in a bad mood; coming now is just asking for trouble." They were from the same hometown, so he kindly warned him, "Old Zhou, our boss hasn't left yet. He's in a bad mood."

Zhou Wenbin said, "About the videos?"

Liu Dengke nodded. Zhou Wenbin gathered his courage and walked towards the director's office. Liu Dengke wanted to stop him but decided against it. "You're on your own if you want to die."

When Zhou Wenbin reached the door, he could hear Gu Houyi's angry voice inside: "What's the situation? Why do we have to wait until tomorrow?"

Even Gu Houyi had his limits. He had contacted many people today, but he still couldn't resolve the issue. The cyber monitoring department said they would review the matter and temporarily seal the accounts of Shi Zhiwei and his wife, but they couldn't do a large-scale takedown. They had to consider the impact and make a decision after a review.

Gu Houyi suggested contacting their head, but was told that Lu Ming was in a meeting in Beijing. The person Gu Houyi contacted was the deputy director, who said he had done his best.

Although Gu Houyi had Lu Ming's contact information, he couldn't reach him. In sensitive departments, it was common to turn off phones during meetings. Of course, they could be contacted, but Gu Houyi didn't have the right connections.

When Zhou Wenbin entered, Gu Houyi was at his most frustrated. Zhou Wenbin was startled by his expression.

"What are you here for? Do you think it's not chaotic enough?"

Zhou Wenbin said, "Director Gu, I have something important to report."

"I don't have time for your nonsense."

"I've contacted Director Lu Ming."

Gu Houyi was taken aback and looked at Zhou Wenbin in surprise.

Zhou Wenbin felt he had no choice. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to report something he wasn't sure about: "Director Lu Ming has agreed to block and delete all accounts and videos that harm the reputation of Changxing Hospital within an hour."

This time, it was Gu Houyi's turn to be incredulous. He couldn't resolve the issue, but Zhou Wenbin could? He had never noticed this ability in him before.

Words were not enough. Gu Houyi immediately picked up his phone and opened the videos. He had been following Shi Zhiwei and his wife and was pleasantly surprised to find their accounts had been sealed. Without the accounts, the videos were gone. He checked a few other accounts with high views, and some were already sealed, while the videos on the unsealed accounts had been taken down.

Gu Houyi had spent the afternoon trying to resolve the issue, using countless connections, and the best he could get was a promise to review and make a decision the next morning. He never expected Zhou Wenbin to resolve it.

Gu Houyi looked at his phone for a while, and Zhou Wenbin also secretly checked his phone. He realized he had won this bet and breathed a sigh of relief.

Gu Houyi also breathed a sigh of relief. The negative impact of the incident was finally under control. Public opinion could be devastating, and although he had not profited from the beauty center, his relationship with Zeng Hongwen could not be denied.

Seeing Gu Houyi's expression gradually ease, Zhou Wenbin knew the boss's anger was subsiding.

Gu Houyi said, "Sit down!"

Zhou Wenbin wanted to sit on the sofa, but Gu Houyi pointed to the chair opposite him. Zhou Wenbin sat down, feeling honored: "Director Gu, do you have any work assignments?"

Gu Houyi opened a drawer, took out a cigarette, and Zhou Wenbin quickly took out a lighter to help him light it.

Gu Houyi took a puff of the cigarette, feeling his chest ease after a day of frustration: "Wenbin, do you know Director Lu?"

Zhou Wenbin knew Lu Ming, but Lu Ming didn't know him. He thought for a moment and decided not to reveal the full details: "Not directly. I managed to contact him through a friend."

Gu Houyi nodded: "I had the public relations department make a video to clarify the situation."