Chapter 23: Number One in the World [23] Part 2

Li Jianwei frowned and closed the video to avoid polluting her mind further.

“Have legal preserve the evidence and file a police report for immediate investigation.” She handed the phone back to the assistant.

“President Li, shouldn’t we issue a clarification statement?” the assistant asked.

“This reeks of Wang Yuanfei. Clarifying would just amplify it.” Li Jianwei tapped her fingertips on the desk. “Can we reach his half-brothers at Photon Dynamics HQ?”

The assistant flipped through her notebook. “Two who joined HQ, but they’re low-level, just department managers.”

“Send them the evidence of Wang Yuanfei’s patent infringement involvement, plus videos of him messing around with… certain male streamers. Anonymously.”

Li Jianwei paused, then remembered something else. “If I recall right, the patent infringement case with Glory Technology goes to court the day after tomorrow?”

The assistant nodded. “Yes, set for 9:30 a.m. the day after. Glory requested a closed hearing citing trade secrets.”

“They’re trying to bury the patent buzz and needle me while at it.” Li Jianwei stopped tapping. “Greet other platforms—let the outrage ferment only on Rhythmic Short Video. Don’t let them target Shu Heng; keep the focus on me.”

“President Li, what if the backlash escalates?” The assistant worried. “Rhythmic Short Video has tens of millions of active users. Unchecked, the impact could be huge.”

“No worries. In at most three days, Wang Yuanfei will delete it all himself.” Li Jianwei was calm, a hint of disdain in her eyes. “Let Wang Yuanfei enjoy it for a bit. His good days are numbered.”

Responding to such absurd rumors could trap her in self-proof quicksand. If it sparked gender wars, it’d spiral out of control.

Given the current online situation, a large portion of male netizens did not bother to learn the details of the incident. They only saw a stain appear on a high-positioned woman they could never reach.

In the end, they latched onto this unverifiable stain, belittling her to satisfy their own sense of superiority.

Li Jianwei had seen this tactic of trying to destroy a high-status woman through public opinion many times before and had even experienced it firsthand a few times. She had long since learned to take it in stride.

The best way to handle such things was to ignore them entirely and let them fester and rot in the shadows.

–

Li Jianwei remained utterly calm in the face of the negative press since she already had a plan in mind, but Shu Heng—who held her sister in such high regard and couldn’t fathom why they would spread such lies—could not stay so composed.

Shu Heng, who had already organized a rumor-refutation campaign once before, moved with practiced efficiency. Even as she prepared to post her message, many others in the group chat were already discussing the matter.

How could they let someone as wonderful as President Li be slandered like this? And it even dragged their school through the mud!

Looking at the super-useful speakers and eye massager on the desk, the students rubbed their fists eagerly, waiting only for the word to go. They would immediately issue statements, upload videos, and deliver a head-on blow to the rumor-mongering influencer accounts.

As one of the people targeted by the rumors, it was only natural for Shu Heng to step up and take the lead, which fit everyone’s expectations perfectly. The students, bolstered by their previous victory, acted swiftly and confidently launched their counterattack that very evening.

Initially, there had been over thirty rumor-starting influencer accounts, with subsequent reposts and citations reaching thousands. Many attention-seeking accounts had jumped on the bandwagon.

As hundreds of students spoke out in unison, the related topic quickly climbed the platform’s hot search rankings within half an hour, drawing widespread attention.

【Who’s even believing this kind of rumor? There’s no way President Li would do something like that. With just a crook of her finger, anyone willing to be with her could be whisked off to France!】

【Hua University’s official account already debunked this ages ago, but it didn’t get much traction. I reasonably suspect the platform deliberately throttled it.】

【Have you all forgotten? The head of Rhythmic Short Video is Wang Yuanfei. He probably couldn’t have President Li, so he wants to ruin her. Barely any influencer accounts on other platforms spread this idiotic rumor—it’s blowing up the most here.】

The rapidly climbing likes and views delighted Shu Heng, who thought this round of rumors would be cleared up just like the last time.

But just as the topic’s heat was about to hit the top, Shu Heng discovered her account had been muted. Not only could she not post any videos for thirty days, but her previous debunking video had also been taken down for violating rules.

This wasn’t right—how could her debunking video violate rules when the rumor videos hadn’t even been muted?

After checking the group chat, Shu Heng realized she wasn’t the only one; the vast majority of debunking accounts had been muted as well.

【This is clearly the platform pulling strings behind the scenes! Wang Yuanfei must hold a grudge against President Li, that’s why he’s doing this!】

【We don’t have to stick to this platform—we can debunk on others.】

【But the rumors haven’t really spread on other platforms. We should focus on how Rhythmic Short Video is arbitrarily banning accounts and disrespecting free speech.】

【Agreed. There are plenty of influential short-video platforms out there. Let’s go condemn them on other social media!】

Strength in numbers—as one path closed off, the students pivoted to others, heading to alternative platforms to call out and question Rhythmic Short Video.

Gazing at her muted account, Shu Heng sensed the full malice directed at her from Wang Yuanfei. She couldn’t hold back and complained to Li Jianwei after she finished work.

“Sister, Wang Yuanfei is so despicable. This is clearly an attempt to smear you!” Shu Heng fumed indignantly. “Sister, this has already reached the level where we can file a case for investigation! We have to hold him accountable this time—make him issue a public apology!”

“I know. I’ve already had the PR department handle it.” Li Jianwei pulled her into her arms and had her sit on her lap. “As for those rumors on Rhythmic Short Video, they’ll be cleared up within three days at most.”

“Thank you for doing so much for me, but don’t worry—the company’s stock price hasn’t been affected. In fact, it’s even risen slightly.”

Li Jianwei held her little girlfriend close and whispered in her ear.

Shu Heng relaxed into her embrace and tilted her head up to look at Li Jianwei. “But those people are so over the line. A lot of my classmates got banned too.”

“Those Red Scarf folks?” Li Jianwei asked in return.

Shu Heng nodded. She had also received one of the custom thank-you gifts, but she hadn’t used her real name. Instead, she had registered as a netizen called Sister’s Red Scarf.

Li Jianwei thought for a moment. “I’ll send you an email address shortly. Have your classmates send over relevant screenshots. Lawyers will represent you in suing the platform for compensation.”

Shu Heng gripped Li Jianwei’s hand, still feeling indignant. “What about you, Sister? Three days is plenty of time for the rumors to spread far and wide. More than helping us with our rights, we’d love to see you stand up for yourself.”

“We spoke out because you were slandered, and because our alma mater was smeared,” Shu Heng emphasized.

Li Jianwei lightly patted her shoulder to soothe her. “Do you know what day it is the day after tomorrow?”

“The day after tomorrow? Wednesday?” Shu Heng blinked, not immediately grasping what her sister meant.

Li Jianwei prompted, “What date?”

Shu Heng answered promptly, “March 4th.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Shu Heng realized. “Sister, you’re going to the meeting?”

“Yeah, early morning flight tomorrow. I’ll still be bringing the proposal with me.” Li Jianwei smiled. “Now do you understand why I’m not worried about the public opinion spiraling out of control?”

To be frank, Wang Yuanfei’s method of trying to disgust her was utterly brainless, but in terms of sheer nastiness, it was way over the line.

He had simply been too hasty and overlooked that the first hearing was scheduled the day before a certain meeting—a clear stepping stone to advancing patent protection laws.

Photon Dynamics, as a company focused on the entertainment market, couldn’t possibly lack such basic political awareness among its headquarters’ top brass. Yet no one seemed to have warned Wang Yuanfei; they all stayed silent, watching him dig his own grave.

“You can check other platforms. Outside of those controlled by Photon Dynamics, almost no one mentioned the incident. Even if some irrational netizens posted extreme comments, they were deleted at lightspeed.”

Li Jianwei spoke unhurriedly. “People without political awareness are in for a rude awakening soon enough.”

After Li Jianwei’s explanation, all of Shu Heng’s doubts vanished.

No wonder her sister wasn’t rushing to clarify things. She had a plan all along. Once the meeting began, Rhythmic Short Video—having smeared a national committee member—would be in deep trouble.

By then, the most panicked person would be Wang Yuanfei.

“Thank the Red Scarfs for me, and while you’re at it, ask if they have any special ideas. If they’re suitable, I’ll compile them into a proposal to submit.”

“Okay, I’ll ask them and put it together into a document for you later, Sister,” Shu Heng agreed with a nod.

As she picked up her phone, Shu Heng remembered something else. “Sister, if you’re leaving tomorrow, do you have to wait until the meeting ends to come back?”

“Yeah, round trip will take about eight or nine days. You’ll wait for me at home?” Li Jianwei kissed the side of her face. “If you miss me, we can video call at night.”

The thought of being apart for eight or nine days made Shu Heng’s mood sink.

She wanted to go with Li Jianwei, but she knew her status made it inappropriate. Her sister would be extremely busy those days anyway, and tagging along would only burden her.

“Sister, remember to miss me.” Shu Heng turned and hugged Li Jianwei, starting to feel sentimental about the upcoming separation in advance. “I’ll miss you too while you’re away.”

Li Jianwei said nothing, opting instead to kiss her directly.

“Not my neck this time—somewhere else?” Li Jianwei murmured softly by Shu Heng’s ear, her nimble fingers simultaneously undoing the last barrier on her body.

Shu Heng mumbled her agreement and gradually surrendered to the sensation.