The management of the Yuannan Group held a regular meeting every morning at 9:00 AM sharp.
Originally, the agenda for the meeting on the 5th was to confirm and emphasize the group's new strategic direction for its real estate investment sector under the unfavorable policy environment of 2020.
However, as soon as the news of the pedestrian street murder broke, the meeting's discussion was immediately adjusted to address how the group should respond to the negative impact brought by the Jiangning Pedestrian Street body-dumping case.
The Public Relations Department, which originally didn't even need to speak at the meeting, temporarily became the focal point of the entire session.
The PR manager was Guan Hongfen, who had worked at Yuannan Group for over a decade.
After receiving the news in the early hours of the morning, she had spent the entire night preparing her speech for today.
Standing at the front, Guan Hongfen, who was highly adept at drawing connections between events, wore a heavy expression as she reviewed the indiscriminate murder case that occurred on the same pedestrian street fifteen years ago—a case strikingly similar to the current situation.
"The murder case back then was an absolute black swan event. It caused Yuannan's stock to hit its lower limit for consecutive days. It took the entire group over three years to gradually shake off the negative impact of that incident..."
Sitting at the innermost end of the conference room, Chu Huainan looked as composed as ever, flipping through the various PR proposals submitted by his subordinates.
As he lowered his head to read intently, his profile and jawline tensed into a smooth yet sharp arc.
Wang Xiaojun, sitting very close to his left, hardly dared to look at his calm face.
The other murder case Guan Hongfen mentioned had occurred fifteen years ago.
This case, which on the surface only had one police officer as its victim, had heavily crippled Yuannan at the time.
Within just a few days, Yuannan's stock market value had evaporated by 38.36%. According to subsequent statistics, the direct financial losses alone amounted to tens of billions.
And Chu Huainan knew all of this.
Even though he was only fourteen years old fifteen years ago.
Naturally, many memories from when he was fourteen had blurred by today, but regarding this specific case, it was impossible for Chu Huainan not to be profoundly impacted.
Because in that murder case, aside from the direct financial losses, the Yuannan Group also lost its Chief Financial Officer, Ji Jiangning—who was Chu Huainan's mother.
It was like a third-rate satirical play. Chu Huainan's mother died in the pedestrian street funded and built by their own company, yet she wasn't there for work.
It was simply because she happened to have some free time that day, and it was on her way home. Thus, she planned to make a trip to the pedestrian street.
In a little over three months, her son Huainan would be celebrating his fourteenth birthday.
This time, Ji Jiangning didn't want to have a tailor come to the house for measurements; she already knew her son's sizes by heart anyway. She wanted to secretly pick out a suit for Chu Huainan herself as a surprise.
Although Ji Jiangning came from a prestigious family and married a man of astonishing wealth, her personality was not at all domineering or spoiled. She never liked making a big fuss over things.
She considered herself to be running a clean, honest business, so she deeply despised the practice of keeping bodyguards around at all times—a lifestyle many wealthy wives adhered to.
Yet Ji Jiangning—someone so gentle, considerate, and altogether wonderful—died on the very pedestrian street named after her.
What was even more ironic was that she wasn't killed by the murderer, but died in the chaotic commotion that followed the murder—due to a stampede.
According to media reports from that time, apart from the panic caused by the murder, a design flaw at the pedestrian street's exit was also one of the main causes of the stampede.
The accident resulted in a total of one death, six severe injuries, and thirteen minor injuries.
And the pedestrian street project was an attempt made by Chu Zhentang back then to help Yuannan Group, which originated in pharmaceuticals, transition into a diversified conglomerate.
It was also Jianghu City's first real estate project that featured fully integrated commercial facilities alongside residential housing. Undoubtedly, it was Yuannan Group's most highly valued key project that year.
However, to make matters worse, Ji Jiangning's death not only severely crippled the group's market value but also dealt a devastating blow to her husband, Chu Zhentang—the man who had fallen in love with her in their youth, been married to her for years, and always shared a deep mutual devotion with her.
As the Chairman of Yuannan Group's Board of Directors, Chu Zhentang suffered an asthma attack induced by excessive grief upon receiving the news of his wife's tragic death and was rushed to the hospital.
Ji Jiangning's sudden passing was also widely recognized by the public as the primary reason for Chu Zhentang's own premature death.
A key project suffered a massive setback, the group's stock plummeted, the CFO died, and the Chairman was hospitalized...
In February 2005, the Yuannan Group was plagued by misfortune, as if cursed.
Yet, even within such a black swan event, there was someone who managed to escape unscathed relying purely on spectacular luck.
That man favored by the Goddess of Luck was currently sitting to Chu Huainan's right—it was Chu Huainan's uncle, Chu Zhensheng.
Chu Zhensheng was Chu Zhentang's cousin. In his youth, due to his mediocre business acumen and heavy gambling habits, he was not highly regarded by the family elders.
Just about a month before the incident occurred that year, Chu Zhensheng had gambled heavily in Macau for several days, losing a massive sum of money and racking up a mountain of debt. Left with no choice, he had to sell off most of his Yuannan stock.
Unexpectedly, the tides turned. By early February, just after his gambling luck rebounded and he recouped a large sum of funds, Yuannan's stock suddenly plummeted due to the murder case.
Consequently, Chu Zhensheng was lucky enough to buy back in at the dip right on time, preserving his shareholding percentage. He became the sole lucky individual among Yuannan Group's shareholders that year who didn't suffer massive losses.
Guan Hongfen's speech was nearing its end, and Chu Huainan finally lifted his head from the thick stack of documents.
With decades in the industry, Guan Hongfen had handled countless crisis PR situations.
In the early hours of this morning, she and her colleagues had held several consecutive meetings. After their analysis, they were firmly convinced that while this case would bring some negative impact, it would absolutely not repeat the disastrous history and force the entire group to relive the perils of fifteen years ago.
"In light of the above, aside from routine maintenance of local media relations, I propose that once the case gradually becomes clearer, Yuannan should proactively release a statement on our official social media platforms..."
Feeling Chu Huainan's gaze, Guan Hongfen pushed up the glasses that had slipped slightly down her nose. "Of course, once the police conclude their investigation, if the business involved is proven to be innocently implicated, we can issue a new message demonstrating our stance of treating the involved business fairly and equally..."
After Guan Hongfen finished her speech, enthusiastic applause immediately erupted in the conference room.
Genuine admiration and hypocritical flattery mixed together boisterously in the spacious hall, making them as difficult to distinguish and separate as criminal motives.
As Guan Hongfen returned to her seat, she couldn't help but steal a glance at her young boss's expression out of the corner of her eye.
The highly efficient brainstorming session concluded quickly.
The senior management of Yuannan Group had undergone a major reshuffle four years ago, during the second year of Chu Huainan's tenure.
Employees within Yuannan Group privately referred to that personnel adjustment as "The Purge."
Most of the stubborn old-timers in upper management who held positions without doing any real work were "retired to their hometowns" by The Purge. As for the younger generation of deadweights who were shoved in through connections, they were mostly "exiled to the frontiers."
Those who managed to stay and express their opinions in today's meeting were all genuinely elite and formidable veterans.
Therefore, Chu Huainan didn't believe this sudden crisis would pose a threatening challenge to the Yuannan Group.
However, his sixth sense had always been very accurate. Moreover, the location of the incident wasn't the only thing this case shared with the one from fifteen years ago.
Today, the day the dismembered body parts suddenly appeared before the public eye, was also the anniversary of Chu Huainan's mother's death.
In other words, fifteen years later, on the exact same day, in the exact same location, another murder had occurred! Aside from these two points, there was actually one more subtle overlap between the two cases.
The victim of the murder fifteen years ago was a police officer, and this time, the killer had also left a note regarding the police while dumping the body.
Were these unnerving similarities merely a coincidence?
But why would these coincidences occur? Why Jiangning Pedestrian Street again?
Was it simply because the foot traffic was heavy, meaning there was also a higher concentration of scum?
Then what did that note mean?
Police? Why the police again?
After the meeting ended, Chu Huainan kept Guan Hongfen and her secretary behind privately, wanting to hear the detailed PR plan and any further information about the case that the PR department had learned from the police or the media.
Guan Hongfen was an absolute workaholic. She had received the news of the incident at Jiangning Pedestrian Street around 3:00 AM.
Ten minutes after receiving the news, the PR department she led split into two teams. One team was responsible for gathering more information about the case to prepare statements at a moment's notice, while the other team worked overnight to analyze the known facts and finalize the PR proposal used in today's presentation.
Therefore, during her private report to Chu Huainan, both the information and the plan were already prepared.
Guan Hongfen's secretary was a young woman in her late twenties, yet she already possessed the demeanor of a strong corporate businesswoman. She worked nimbly and was highly perceptive, able to draw inferences from a single instance.
Before her boss even asked, a PowerPoint presentation detailing the plan and information was already opened on the projector screen.
The female secretary of the PR department logically and methodically analyzed the situation:
"The case information we currently possess indicates that the group's pedestrian street was merely the location chosen by the killer to dump the body.
"Based on our analysis of the feedback from the police, the probability of our pedestrian street being the primary crime scene is extremely low."
During her school days, the female secretary had been a gifted orator who never felt nervous, even when giving speeches to thousands of people. Yet at this moment, a rare, casual glance from Chu Huainan suddenly made her heart race.
She thought secretly to herself: It seems the rumors from the Board Secretary's office aren't exaggerated at all. Our boss really is a male fox spirit✦ translator's noteMale Fox Spirit (公狐狸精 · gōng húli jīng): Traditionally, "fox spirits" refer to beautiful, seductive female demons in Chinese mythology who bewitch men. Here, the male equivalent describes Chu Huainan's dangerously seductive charm. with built-in lethal charm!
As she thought this, she couldn't help but cast an admiring glance at Secretary Wang Xiaojun, who was wearing a highly professional expression while taking the meeting minutes.
This slight, unnatural pause did not affect the secretary's concise and comprehensive introduction and analysis of the entire case.
Chu Huainan propped his chin on his hand, looking thoughtful from start to finish.
Guan Hongfen didn't notice anything amiss either. Assuming her capable assistant was just a bit nervous being stared at by the boss, she gave her an affirming look, signaling her to continue.
The female secretary cleared her throat, quickly adjusted herself, and continued where she left off: "As of now, the media reports are primarily focused on the note and the killer's sheer audacity in dumping the body on a public street.
"Furthermore, the 'corrupt cops' mentioned in the note is a topic tied to the interests of the general public, somewhat politically sensitive, and an inherent societal pain point. Coupled with the media's deliberate amplification, it is bound to trigger massive amounts of discussion in the near future..."
Having finished outlining the case, the female secretary paused as if breathing a sigh of relief.
She was now completely convinced in her heart that working with Chu Huainan required one to be blind to faces and master the "Golden Bell and Iron Shirt✦ translator's noteGolden Bell and Iron Shirt (金钟罩铁布衫): Two legendary Chinese martial arts techniques from Wuxia novels representing the ultimate physical conditioning — rendering the body impervious to attacks, or in this case, hormonal strikes." martial arts technique to defend against his critical hormonal strikes.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but silently despise herself for acting just like the young fresh graduates in the office who only knew how to fantasize over idols and the boss—feeling her heart race and her breath shorten just from the boss looking at her.
Granted, having a boss with god-tier looks was quite a pleasant treat for the eyes on a daily basis. But in a moment like this, where she needed to stare straight into that god-like face for an extended period while calmly delivering an analytical report, it was absolutely lethal.
The female secretary sincerely admired Wang Xiaojun, who, like her, was an Ivy League graduate. To be able to work right beside Chu Huainan and not get distracted or make mistakes because of his face... She truly was a badass among badasses.
Guan Hongfen had no idea that the secretary she had personally trained had just mentally penned a short thesis titled On the Damages Caused to Humanity by Male Fox Spirits✦ translator's noteMale Fox Spirit (公狐狸精 · gōng húli jīng): Traditionally, "fox spirits" refer to beautiful, seductive female demons in Chinese mythology who bewitch men. Here, the male equivalent describes Chu Huainan's dangerously seductive charm.. She was actually quite satisfied with her subordinate's analytical report.
It was not easy for professional women to stand in high heels for a long time. Having been through it herself, Guan Hongfen considerately gestured for her secretary to find a nearby seat.
The female secretary deliberately chose a seat further away from Chu Huainan, lest she suffer another chemical attack from the male fox spirit✦ translator's noteMale Fox Spirit (公狐狸精 · gōng húli jīng): Traditionally, "fox spirits" refer to beautiful, seductive female demons in Chinese mythology who bewitch men. Here, the male equivalent describes Chu Huainan's dangerously seductive charm..
Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the tsunami he had triggered in his female subordinate's heart, Chu Huainan was currently reviewing the details of the case over and over in his mind.
The index finger of his slender left hand pressed against the slight indentation in the center of his lower lip, while his thumb rested against his chin. His elbow leaned on the table, forming an elegant acute angle.
This was his habitual posture when deep in thought.
In silence, Chu Huainan read over the third-to-last slide of the PowerPoint a few extra times.
That slide contained all the known evidence related to the case, which Guan Hongfen's team had spent a massive amount of time and connections to obtain through various channels. It was virtually identical to what the police currently possessed.
"The information gathering and response plan are both very well done. Indeed, this case involves multiple societal hot-button issues and will definitely attract widespread attention."
Chu Huainan gently placed his metal signature pen onto the highly polished, mirror-like glass surface of the conference table.
The faint, almost inaudible clink caused the listeners' nerves to instantly pull taut.
"Managing local media is undoubtedly important, but do not neglect public sentiment monitoring on the internet.
"The location, time, and keywords of this case all overlap with the one from fifteen years ago. If I were the media, I wouldn't be able to resist bringing up the old case again.
"The entire group must make comprehensive preparations to respond to this. And one more thing..." Chu Huainan's voice paused. "This point is out of my own personal selfishness."
Hearing this, the two from the PR department felt their hearts tighten for no apparent reason.
Secretary Wang Xiaojun also lifted her head from the meeting minutes.
"I do not wish to see a single media outlet release photos of the scene from that year." His voice was very soft, yet completely indisputable, tinged with an indifferent ruthlessness. "This is my bottom line, and the bottom line of the Yuannan Group."
The three people present nodded in unison without prior consultation. Chu Huainan's unspoken implication was abundantly clear—
If the media needed to do a necessary review of the old case, fine.
But any media outlet attempting to sensationalize the murder and resulting stampede from back then by releasing the bloody, tragic photos of the scene to farm engagement would need to be dealt with cleanly.
There will be another update tomorrow at 9:00 AM. Based on my experience with being flagged for review multiple times, if you all come back after 11:00 AM, you should be able to see it!
See you in the comments, my little angels!
Male Fox Spirit (公狐狸精 · gōng húli jīng): Traditionally, "fox spirits" (húli jīng) refer to beautiful, seductive female demons in Chinese mythology who bewitch men. Here, the secretary uses the male equivalent to describe Chu Huainan's dangerously seductive and captivating charm.
Golden Bell and Iron Shirt (金钟罩铁布衫): Two legendary Chinese martial arts techniques often mentioned together in Wuxia novels. They represent the ultimate physical conditioning that renders the practitioner's body as hard as iron, impervious to attacks—or in this case, hormonal strikes.