"Did you find any reporters? If not, just offer them some money. Even if they don't speak for us, as long as they don't slander us, that's fine."

Fatty kept sighing, "Boss, I've contacted everyone I could, and there's really nothing more I can do. You should come back and think of something. To be blunt, the reputation of Xishan Manor is already ruined, and even if we resolve this smoothly, it won't be affected."

Fatty's words had, of course, crossed Ling Zhenfei's mind, but he was just unwilling to admit it. He had worked so hard to build the brand of Xishan Manor—was it really going to be destroyed by someone else's slander? He couldn't accept it.

After hanging up the phone, Ling Zhenfei felt extremely heavy-hearted, and the world seemed much darker. At that moment, his phone rang again. He looked and saw it was an unfamiliar number. Although he didn't know who it was, he still answered the call.

"Hello, is this Boss Ling?"

An icy voice came through the phone—somehow familiar but mostly foreign—but just from the tone, one could sense the chill emanating from the person.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"How could Boss Ling forget me so quickly? We met just two days ago, and we even discussed a big business deal. Surely, you must remember me now!"

With that, Ling Zhenfei understood instantly—who else could it be if not Huo Tian? This cunning old fox had sought him out before Ling Zhenfei had even approached him.

"Oh, it's Boss Huo. If you hadn't mentioned it, I really might have forgotten. Didn't you say for me to call you? Why didn't I call you, and yet you've taken the initiative to call me? How could such a busy person find the time?"

Although filled with anger, he couldn't show it at this moment. He had to act as if nothing was wrong, as if he was completely unaware of the problems at Xishan Manor.

"Boss Ling indeed has great composure! Xishan Manor is about to go under, and yet you act as if nothing's wrong. Honestly, I couldn't do that. I originally wanted to discuss a business deal with you, but since Xishan Manor doesn't matter to Boss Ling, let's forget it."

Huo Tian was cunning and sly; his words were watertight.

"Boss Huo came to discuss business with me two days ago, but we didn't reach an agreement. What kind of business are you prepared to discuss with me this time?"

Ling Zhenfei really wanted to know what scheme this cunning old fox, Huo Tian, was planning next. Logically speaking, since Huo Tian had already succeeded in sabotaging his vegetable sales, he should have been waiting for Ling Zhenfei to approach him.

"Two days ago, I approached Boss Ling with full sincerity, wanting to buy the vegetables from Xishan Manor at twice the market rate, but you refused. Unexpectedly, just two days later, there's a problem with the vegetables from Xishan Manor. Now, no one dares to buy them. Boss Ling must be suffering heavy losses!"

This situation was clearly orchestrated by this cunning old fox, Huo Tian, but now he was pretending to be completely ignorant; truly, you can't judge a book by its cover.

"I really like the vegetables grown at your Xishan Manor; I have eaten them myself. How could they possibly be mutant vegetables? That's absolutely ridiculous. Although there's currently a problem with your vegetables, I'm still interested in buying them at twice the market price. What do you think?"

There's an old Chinese saying, 'Being a harlot and still setting up a monument of chastity,' which perfectly describes someone like Huo Tian—first, ruining the reputation of Xishan Manor and then trying to buy it cheaply. This isn't doing business; it's outright robbery.

Previously, the produce from Xishan Manor was five times the market price. Huo Tian's company purchased it for double the market price, and without doing anything, they sold it for triple the profit. Where else could you find such a good deal?

"I really appreciate Boss Huo's kindness, although the produce from Xishan Manor is under some scrutiny right now, I believe that the truth will come to light soon. If I can't sell the produce, I'll just eat it myself. What's a little loss to me, right? I can still bear this loss," he said.

"Good! Boss Ling has guts. Even in this situation, you still won't bow down. Okay then, let's see how long you can hold on," Boss Huo said before he hung up the phone. From the last thing Huo Tian said, it was clear that the old guy definitely had some more damaging plans up his sleeve.

"Tianhe Group, this immoral company, just don't let me find an opportunity, or I swear I'll erase you from the face of the Earth!"

Zhenfei continued to browse local forums from Binyang online, and the situation with Xishan Manor had already blown up on the forums. The discussions were very heated, and suddenly, an article pinned at the top claimed that someone had uncontrollable diarrhea after dining at a high-end restaurant in Binyang and had been sent to the intensive care unit. It was verified that the vegetables used in the restaurant had come from Xishan Manor.

This post, whose authenticity and source were unknown, gained attention the moment it appeared; it was wildly clicked and forwarded by netizens, and some media even slightly modified it before posting it online as news.

Under the pen of media editors, even the smallest incident could be embellished dramatically. After their edits, the person who had diarrhea not only entered a critical condition but soon died as a result.

The article was detailed, making it seem like verifiable real news.

After reading it, Ling Zhenfei felt a pang in his heart. He had been away from Provincial City for too long, and now the online discourse was completely out of control. Even if he returned now, he wasn't sure if he could reverse the damage.

Thinking of the news, he suddenly remembered Zhuo Yue, that girl. Although sometimes unreliable, she was, after all, a reporter at the provincial TV station. He wondered if it was possible to pull some strings through her.

He called Zhuo Yue, only to find that her phone was switched off. It made sense; she worked as an undercover journalist, and typically didn't keep her personal cellphone on during work. He didn't know her work number either, so he had to give up.

"It seems I can only wait and see how things unfold!"

"Doctor! Doctor! Is there a doctor on the train? My grandfather is in a bad way; is there a doctor who can save my grandfather?"

Just as Ling Zhenfei was about to take a nap, a loud cry suddenly awakened him. He looked toward the source of the noise and saw a young man shouting anxiously.

"I am a doctor; I'll take a look!" As soon as he spoke, a kind-hearted individual stood up.

There were also those who liked to crowd around, and naturally, the train's crew members followed as well.

Although Ling Zhenfei was very tired, his instincts as a doctor made him follow the group.

The old man who had fallen ill was in another compartment. The area around the old man had been cleared to allow him to lie down on the seats. By now, the old man could no longer move and lay rigidly on the seat as if he were already dead.

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