Chương 65: Chapter 65: A Turn for the Better, but Difficulties Remain
In the noisy environment of the cafe that seemed to be isolated by a thin film, Dai Shiya's voice trembled slightly, her eyes full of disbelief, she said: "It's you..." Sun Hao, who was sitting opposite her, rubbed his hands awkwardly, his eyes flickering, not daring to look directly at Dai Shiya, and responded: "Dai... Miss Dai, long time no see..." He didn't expect to meet his former student here, let alone that she would be the center of this public opinion storm.
Wei Qing keenly noticed Dai Shiya's strangeness and asked in a low voice: "Do you know him?"
Dai Shiya took a deep breath, tried to calm her inner waves, and said: "He was my former student." She paused and continued: "I didn't expect to meet you here, Haozi." She deliberately used the nickname she used to call him, trying to get closer to them.
Sun Hao was even more uneasy. He came here for money, to raise medical expenses for his sick mother. He knew that what he was involved in was not glorious, and he was even more afraid of being found out by his former teacher. "I...I..." He hesitated and couldn't say a complete sentence for a long time.
"Haozi, I know you participated in those things on the Internet," Dai Shiya said softly, but with a hint of unquestionable firmness, "Why did you do this?"
Sun Hao lowered his head even lower, his face flushed red, and replied: "I... I need money..." He stammered, his voice as thin as a mosquito.
Wei Qing handed over a cup of coffee at the right time and said, "Tell me slowly, what happened?"
In the warm aroma of coffee, Sun Hao slowly told his dilemma. His mother suddenly fell seriously ill, and the huge medical expenses made him breathless. At this time, someone contacted him and asked him to post some comments that were unfavorable to Dai Shiya on the Internet, and the reward was generous. For his mother, he chose this path.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing looked at each other and saw hope in each other's eyes. This might be the breakthrough they have been looking for. Wei Qing had learned through some channels that Sun Hao was very filial and his family's health was his biggest weakness.
"Haozi," Dai Shiya said sincerely, "I know you have no choice. But have you ever thought that by doing this, you are hurting an innocent person? Does your mother know about this? Would she want you to make money in this way?"
Sun Hao's body trembled violently, he bit his lips tightly, and his eyes were red. Of course he knew that his mother would not want him to do this, but he had no choice.
"I can help you," Dai Shiya's voice was firm and powerful. "I can help you pay for your mother's medical expenses, but you need to stand up and tell the truth."
Sun Hao raised his head suddenly, his eyes full of struggle. On one hand was his mother's illness, on the other hand was the condemnation of his conscience, he was caught in a dilemma.
Wei Qing patted his shoulder gently and said, "Haozi, it's not too late to stop."
The coffee shop was filled with a tense atmosphere, and Sun Hao's heart was like a turmoil. After a long time, he took a deep breath, as if he had made an important decision. He raised his head and looked at Dai Shiya, his lips trembling, but in the end he said nothing. He picked up his phone, quickly edited a text message, and pressed the send button... "I..."
Sun Hao's text message was like a stone thrown into the center of a lake, stirring up ripples in Dai Shiya's heart. The flame of hope jumped in her eyes, but she didn't show it. Years of ups and downs in the business world taught her not to show her emotions. "Okay, I believe you, and I hope you won't let me down."
Wei Qing also suppressed her excitement and observed Sun Hao's reaction calmly. She knew that things would not be so simple. Since the other party's mastermind could set up such a big plan, he must have thought of various countermeasures.
Sun Hao clenched his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He seemed to have used up all his strength before he squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Give me some time, I will handle it." After that, he took a big gulp of coffee, stood up and left in a hurry, leaving Dai Shiya and Wei Qing there, lost in thought.
"Do you really believe him?" Wei Qing broke the silence, "Could this be a trap set by Mr. Wu?"
Dai Shiya looked out the window with an unpredictable expression and replied, "Whether it's a trap or not, we have to give it a try. We have no way out now."
At the same time, in Mr. Wu's office, the atmosphere was completely different. He slammed the pen in his hand on the table and angrily roared at the person on the other end of the phone: "Useless! All of you are useless! You can't even handle a small thing!"
A timid voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Wu, we have tried our best, but the public opinion on Dai Shiya seems to have improved recently..."
"Improved? Bullshit!" Mr. Wu was furious. "I don't care what method you use, you must muddy the waters for me! You must not let Dai Shiya turn over!"
After hanging up the phone, Mr. Wu's face was terribly gloomy. He vaguely felt that Dai Shiya seemed to have found a way to deal with it, but he would never let her succeed easily. He picked up the phone and dialed another number, "Keep an eye on Sun Shuijun. If you find anything unusual, report to me immediately!"
After Sun Hao left the cafe, he went straight back to his rental house. He locked the door and drew the curtains, and the room suddenly fell into darkness. He turned on his computer, and the flickering light on the screen reflected his anxious face. After hesitating for a moment, he clicked on an encrypted folder, which stored all the evidence of his participation in the online water army.
"Beep, beep—" the phone's notification sound broke the silence in the room. Sun Hao picked up the phone and saw a text message from an unknown number on the screen: "I know what you want to do. Don't act rashly, or you will bear the consequences."
Sun Hao's heart suddenly sank, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head... He suddenly realized that his every move was under the surveillance of the other party. He was like a prey trapped in a spider web, no matter how hard he struggled, he could not escape the control of fate.
In the distance, a black car slowly drove by, the window slowly lowered, revealing a stern face. Editor-in-Chief Zhang held a cigarette in his mouth, looked deeply at the apartment building where Sun Hao was, and a meaningful sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth...
Sun Hao slumped in his chair, fear overwhelming him like a tide. He knew that he had been completely controlled.
At the same time, Dai Shiya and Wei Qing were carefully sorting out the clues provided by Sun Hao. Although these clues were fragmented and vague, the two relied on their keen intuition to gradually piece together a shocking truth: In order to compete for commercial interests, Mr. Wu did not hesitate to hire a group of Internet trolls to maliciously discredit Dai Shiya, and even bribed some media to make false reports.
"It seems that Editor-in-Chief Zhang is also involved." Wei Qing pointed to a document on the computer screen and said, "This document shows that Mr. Wu has transferred huge amounts of money to Editor-in-Chief Zhang's account many times."
Dai Shiya frowned, thinking back to the several times she had tried to contact Chief Editor Zhang, hoping that he would uphold the conscience of a media worker and report the truth of the incident, but she was repeatedly rejected and even ridiculed by him. Now it seems that all this is not accidental.
"We must find solid evidence." Dai Shiya said firmly, "Only in this way can we completely expose Mr. Wu's conspiracy and clear my name."
According to the clues provided by Sun Hao, they learned that among the members of the online water army operation, there was a person codenamed "Woodpecker" who held the key evidence. This person was once an intern at Mr. Wu's company, and because he was dissatisfied with Mr. Wu's despicable behavior, he secretly kept some evidence.
Dai Shiya immediately tried to contact "Woodpecker" through the contact information provided by Sun Hao, but the other party did not respond. She called again, and a timid voice came from the other end of the phone: "Who... who are you?"
"My name is Dai Shiya," Dai Shiya tried to make her voice sound gentle and sincere, "I know you have some important information, and I hope you can help me."
There was silence for a moment on the other end of the phone, and then there was a burst of rapid breathing: "I... I can't say it, I'm afraid..."
"I know you are scared," Dai Shiya said firmly, "but you must understand that only by standing up can the truth be revealed and justice be served. Don't worry, I will protect your safety."
The other end of the phone fell silent again. After a long while, only a busy tone was heard.
At the same time, Chief Editor Zhang was keenly aware of Dai Shiya's signs of counterattack. He realized that if Dai Shiya really had solid evidence, he would be at risk of being ruined. In order to protect himself, he decided to go all out and intensify his efforts to discredit Dai Shiya in an attempt to divert public attention.
He contacted many media outlets and published a series of reports that were unfavorable to Dai Shiya, and even fabricated some unfounded charges in an attempt to completely defeat her. For a time, a storm of public opinion against Dai Shiya was once again set off on the Internet.
Dai Shiya looked at the overwhelming negative news on the computer screen, her heart filled with anger and helplessness. She knew that this was Editor-in-Chief Zhang's last-ditch struggle, but she couldn't give up.
"We must find Woodpecker as soon as possible," Dai Shiya said to Wei Qing, "He is our only hope."
Wei Qing nodded, with a determined light in her eyes: "I will try my best."
As night fell, the city was shrouded in a blur of lights. Dai Shiya stood in front of the window, looking at the flashing neon lights in the distance, her heart filled with anxiety and uneasiness.
Suddenly, the phone vibrated and a new text message popped up: "I know you want to see me, see you at ten o'clock tomorrow night, at the usual place."
Dai Shiya's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately replied, "You are... Woodpecker?"
The other party did not reply, but Dai Shiya knew that this might be her last chance... She took a deep breath, turned to Wei Qing and said, "Tomorrow, we will go..."
Dai Shiya held her phone tightly. The "old place" on the text message made her heart tremble. It was a cafe she and her college classmate, "Woodpecker", often went to. It was full of memories of her college days. She took a deep breath, turned around and said to Wei Qing: "Tomorrow, we will go to Blue Mountain Cafe."
The next day, Dai Shiya and Wei Qing came to the Blue Mountain Cafe early, chose a seat in a corner, and waited nervously. Time passed by, and the aroma of coffee filled the air, but it did not relieve their inner anxiety at all. At 9:50, the door of the cafe was pushed open, and a thin young man wearing a baseball cap and a mask walked in. He looked around, his eyes full of vigilance. Dai Shiya recognized him at a glance. It was her junior in college, Li Ming, also known as "Woodpecker".
Li Ming walked up to them and took off his mask hesitantly, revealing his slightly pale face. "Senior... is it really you?" His voice was trembling.
"Xiao Ming, long time no see." Dai Shiya tried to speak in a relaxed tone and handed him a cup of coffee. "Don't be nervous, we just want to chat with you."
Li Ming took the coffee, but his hands couldn't stop shaking. "Senior, I know what you want to ask, but I really can't say it..." His eyes were full of fear, "Mr. Wu... he is very scary..."
"I know you're scared," Wei Qing said, her tone gentle but firm, "but you also have to understand that the evidence you have is related to the innocence of the senior sister and whether justice can be served. Think about it, if it was you who was victimized today, would you want someone to stand up and speak for you?"
Li Ming was silent. He lowered his head, holding the coffee cup tightly with his fingers, as if he was in a fierce ideological struggle. Seeing this, Dai Shiya continued, "Xiao Ming, I know you are an upright and kind person. You chose to keep the evidence because you could not tolerate Mr. Wu's despicable behavior. Now is the time for you to stand up. Don't worry, we will protect your safety and will never let you get hurt."
"But..." Li Ming raised his head, his eyes full of hesitation, "Boss Wu...he has great influence, I..."
"I know," Dai Shiya held his hand, her tone firm and sincere, "but good cannot prevail over evil. As long as we unite as one, we will definitely be able to defeat him. Think about your family, they definitely don't want you to choose silence out of fear, right?"
Dai Shiya's words were like a bolt of lightning, striking the softest part of Li Ming's heart. He thought of his elderly parents and his sister who was in school. What would they do if something really happened to him? Thinking of this, his eyes gradually became firm.
"Okay, I'm willing to stand up and testify!" Although Li Ming's voice was still trembling, it was full of strength.
Dai Shiya and Wei Qing looked at each other and saw the joy in each other's eyes. They knew that in this battle, they finally saw the dawn of victory.
Li Ming took out a USB flash drive from his bag and handed it to Dai Shiya. "It contains all the evidence that Mr. Wu hired the Internet trolls to discredit you, including transfer records, chat records, etc."
Dai Shiya took the USB drive and nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Xiao Ming, you made the right choice."
At this moment, the door of the cafe was pushed open again, and a burly man in a suit and leather shoes walked in, followed by several black-clad bodyguards. The man walked straight to Dai Shiya's table and said in a cold tone: "Miss Dai, our General Manager Wu wants to talk to you."
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