Chapter 128: The banquet (part two)
A relative of Song Zhen's mother, Tao Qing, had met Tang's mother during another study and exchange visit to the United States. Once they mentioned it, they turned out to have acquaintances in common, which made things more congenial.
At the start of the meal, most of them did not immediately strike up lively, laughing conversations. Tao Qing picked up her antique porcelain teacup several times, took a sip, and set it down, urging everyone to eat. When she put down her cup for the last time, she seemed finally to have decided something. She said to Su Can, "Since we're all in Shanghai at the moment and happen to have some time, I thought we could have a meal together without involving too many people. Su Can, I owe you my thanks for what happened at Nanjing University. There are plenty of shady dealings and unfair competition in this society. When you build a business and pursue a career, you have friends as well as enemies. I just never imagined these people would be deranged enough to attack Song Zhen onstage. At the end of the day, she's still only a child. Why ruin her reputation..."
Then Tao Qing turned to Song Zhen's second uncle. "After something this serious happened, the media immediately followed up. Given how fast they moved, they must have planned it in advance. Yet our public relations department failed to give us any advance warning or guard against these little maneuvers at Nanjing University. It seems those teams we pay such high salaries couldn't match Su Can speaking up for what was right in the auditorium without bowing to power. We wouldn't lose anything by firing the lot of them. Su Can, I owe you my thanks for this."