Inside Chairman's Office, the atmosphere was solemn.
Chen Xi, Zhang Qingxue, and Su Wantang received the public opinion alert almost at the same time, and rushed into Zhao Chen's office.
The faces of the three of them all had solemn expressions and a hint of shock and anger.
"How shameless!" Chen Xi turned pale with anger,
"This is definitely the work of Lin Wanqing! In order to stop Rights Issue, she even used this trick that could hurt the enemy a thousand times and damage herself eight hundred!
Isn't she afraid of completely angering Zhao Jianguo or dragging Henglong's reputation into ruins?"
Zhang Qingxue looked solemn as he quickly browsed several of the most inflammatory articles and analyzed them calmly:
"She is a typical attempt to pull the trigger. She uses extremely negative social news to coerce public opinion and create pressure from public opinion, trying to force us to suspend or even cancel Rights Issue.
She knows very well that Rights Issue needs a relatively stable market environment and investor confidence.
Now that this pot of dirty water has been poured out, the willingness to subscribe will be greatly reduced, and the underwriters may also have concerns."
With worry in his eyes, Su Wantang looked at Zhao Chen, who was always standing by the window, silently looking at the street downstairs:
"She is more ruthless and more anxious than we expected. It seems that Board of Directors's decision really hit her mark and made her do whatever it takes, even... maybe she didn't fully consult with Zhao Jianguo."
Zhao Chen turned around slowly. There was no anger or anxiety on his face as Three Women expected. Instead, there was a deep calmness. It was just the light in his eyes that was so sharp that it seemed to pierce through the fog.
"It's definitely beyond my expectation."
Zhao Chen walked behind the desk and sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the smooth tabletop.
"I thought she would be more concerned about Zhao Jianguo's reaction, and would at least try to use this incident as a bargaining chip instead of throwing it out as a bomb.
It seems that our Subscription Plan put more pressure on her than imagined, so much so that she would rather risk annoying my father than drag me into the quagmire first."
"What now?"
Chen Xi said urgently,
"Public opinion is coming fiercely, and many investors who do not know the truth may be scared away, affecting the subscription of Rights Issue.
Should we issue a more detailed clarification or take some PR action?"
Zhao Chen shook his head and said calmly:
"For my Father Zhao Jianguo case, our best response is 'no response'.
As for Liu Mingyu, I have asked him to send Soothing Announcement in the name of the company. The core message is 'respect the justice, it is inconvenient to comment, and the company is operating normally'.
If you say too much and make too many mistakes, you will easily be caught and trapped in endless public opinion disputes."
"What about Rights Issue?" Zhang Qingxue asked, "Public opinion has been maliciously related."
"Rights Issue is a resolution legally passed by Board of Directors. The procedure is legitimate and the purpose is clear. It is for the survival and development of the company."
Zhao Chen's tone was decisive,
"No matter how wind blows, I will remain unmoved. As long as we are compliant, no one can stop us. Liu Mingyu's reply strategy is right:
'Everything will be carried out in an orderly manner in accordance with the law and regulations'. Use the most official, calmest and most unquestionable attitude to deal with the most Euphoria public opinions."
Soon, the official statement of Henglong Group appeared on the official website and HKEX Announcement Board.
There is not a single superfluous word in the whole article, no excuses, no emotions, only cold procedural justice.
This statement, which is so "calm" as to be almost "indifferent", is like a hard rock in the public opinion field of Euphoria.
Despite the company's official statement being cold and tough, attacks on Zhao Chen individuals on the Internet have intensified.
Many comments tied him to his father, presuming guilt and derogating his personality.
"Dragon begets dragon, phoenix begets phoenix, the mouse's son can make holes! How clean can Zhao Chen be?"
"You were so cold-blooded at a young age, and immediately seized power when something happened to me. Now you have to make money despite a scandal, and your conscience has been eaten by a dog?"
"I heard that he is still in college? What good students can be taught with this kind of character? The school should expel him!"
These malicious speculations and personal attacks made Su Wantang, who pays close attention to public opinion, frown.
She looked at Zhao Chen, who was still focusing on the disk and data, as if those dirty words didn't exist.
But she couldn't ignore it.
She pondered for a moment, and after obtaining Zhao Chen's tacit consent, she picked up her phone and logged in to the group's official Weibo account that had been certified and represented the identity of "Chairman's Special Assistant" (this account also has a certain authority).
She did not choose to argue fiercely, but issued a targeted explanation in clear, restrained but warm words:
[Explanation on some recent online comments]
Recently, the personal case of the company's former Mr. Chairman Zhao Jianguo has attracted widespread attention, and part of the discussion involves the company's current Mr. Chairman Mr. Zhao Chen.
This assistant hereby represents Mr. Zhao Chen personally and based on the facts known to him, explains as follows:
1. Mr. Zhao Chen is still a second-year undergraduate student of XX Zhengfa University.
Before the case of Mr. Zhao Jianguo, he was an ordinary college student who focused on his studies and had no knowledge of his father's suspected illegal behavior.
2. After the case occurred, Mr. Zhao Chen himself became one of the victims of this family tragedy.