The Crosshairs Shift

At 2 PM, the atmosphere in the small conference room on the 17th floor of Dongbei's headquarters was even more oppressive than yesterday.

The curtains were half-drawn, and the projector beam cast a pale rectangle in the dim air. Several data charts were displayed on the screen, their colors vibrant, but no one paid them any attention.

Li Li stood beside the projector, her fingers stiffly pressing the page-turning pen. Her report had been going on for ten minutes, mainly covering the follow-up to yesterday's video: the blogger deleting the post and apologizing, Dongbei's official response via repost, and relevant public opinion monitoring data...

"As of 11:00 AM today, the original video has been basically removed from the entire internet." She tried to keep her voice steady. "Platforms such as Douyin, Bilibili, Weibo, and Xiaohongshu have all removed the relevant videos after our complaints and communication. The blogger ' Taste Detective Xiao Yang ' posted an apology video at 11:07 AM, and the current view count is..."

Have you seen the comments section of the apology video?

Zheng Dong's voice came from the end of the conference table, not loud, but it made Li Li's heart tighten.

She operated the computer, switched pages, and the screen displayed a screenshot of the comments section for the apology video. The most liked comment was:

"??? The blogger has been kidnapped, so blink twice?"

The following few:

"You were so assertive yesterday, and you've already chickened out today? I've unfollowed you."

"So, is Dongbei really just a pre-prepared food restaurant? Is an apology all they're going to do?"

"Isn't the main point the two people in the video? Did they apologize?"

Li Li zoomed in on the last comment. "Currently... some netizens have indeed shifted their focus to the two individuals involved in the video. They believe the blogger apologized because of pressure, while the real 'source'—the two customers who posted the comments—has not yet made a statement."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Operations Director Old Chen cleared his throat. "Chairman Zheng, I think... since the blogger has already apologized, this matter can be considered closed. Netizens only have a short attention span; they'll forget about it in a couple of days. Why don't we post some positive publicity, such as real-life photos of the kitchen or supplier visits, to steer the conversation away from the topic?"

"Is this the end?" Zheng Dong leaned forward, elbows on the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "You think this is all there is to it?"

No one answered.

"I'm telling you, this isn't over." Zheng Dong's voice turned serious. "The blogger's apology has only made more people think: Dongbei guilty, we're using underhanded tactics to intimidate people. Look at these comments—'we've been kidnapped,' 'we paid them money,' 'we chickened out.' In their eyes, the blogger's apology wasn't a genuine admission of wrongdoing, it was something we forced them to do."

He paused, then tapped his fingers on the table.

"So what will they ask next? They'll ask: Since Dongbei is so self-righteous, why doesn't he confront the two people in the video? Why does he only dare to pick on the weak and not dare to confront the person who spoke out?"

Brand PR Director Zhao Bin adjusted his Glasses: "Chairman Zheng, you mean...?"

"What I mean is," Zheng Dong said, emphasizing each word, "We've only fought half the battle. Pressuring the blogger was to cut our losses. But the real victory is getting those two involved—especially the one who spoke—to issue a public apology."

Someone in the conference room took a soft breath.

Vice President Sun of the supply chain hesitated before speaking, "Chairman Zheng, finding bloggers is easy, but finding ordinary customers... is much more difficult and could easily provoke a backlash. What if they don't cooperate and things escalate..."

"Not cooperating?" Zheng Dong sneered. "If he doesn't cooperate, have our legal department talk to him. Have you forgotten? That guy is a legal assistant. He knowingly breaks the law, and we need to teach him a lesson."

Li Li couldn't help but say, "Chairman Zheng, the legal department contacted their lawyer yesterday. They... are very adamant, refusing to communicate and even threatening to countersue us for infringing on personal information."

"Tough?" Zheng Dong looked at her. "How so?"

Li Li recounted Wang Qian's report, emphasizing Zhou Wenyuan's statement. "A restaurant's reputation depends on its food and service, not on intimidating customers and lawyers."

Zheng Dong's face darkened further after hearing this.

"Intimidation?" he spat out the word through gritted teeth. "We are protecting our rights through legal means, safeguarding the reputation our brand has built over twenty years. A mere legal assistant, with a casual remark, could cause thousands of customers to doubt us. Isn't that harmful to us, to all our employees, and to our suppliers?"

He stood up and slowly paced around the conference table.

"I know you think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. It's just a customer saying 'it's normal for the quality to be a little lower,' right? There are so many bad reviews online every day, why take it so seriously?"

He stopped in front of the projection screen and turned to look at everyone.

"But let me tell you, this is no longer a matter of evaluation. Someone is challenging Dongbei's bottom line—we advertise 'freshly made,' and someone jumps out and says 'it's all pre-made.' If we back down and acquiesce this time, what about in the future? In the future, will anyone be able to stand up and say that our meat is synthetic, our vegetables are spoiled, and our soup is made from diluted ingredients?"

His voice echoed in the conference room.

"In the restaurant business, reputation is everything. If you lose your reputation, you lose everything."

No one spoke again. Only the low hum of the air conditioner vents continued to blow air.

Zheng Dong walked back to his seat, sat down, crossed his hands on the table, and resumed his usual calm tone.

"The legal department contacted the opposing lawyer yesterday. Their firm stance is normal. A lawyer's duty is to protect their client, even if the client is wrong, they must stand firm."

He looked at Zhao Bin: "But what if we send a letter directly to the person in question? A formal lawyer's letter, outlining the potential legal consequences of his remarks and demanding a public apology within a specified period. At the same time, we should send a copy of this letter to his law firm."

Zhao Bin's eyes lit up slightly. "You mean... apply double pressure?"

"Yes." Zheng Dong nodded. "The lawyer can be tough, but what about the client himself? He's just an assistant, young and new to the industry. If he receives a formal lawyer's letter and knows the company might find out about this, what will he think? Will he still dare to let the lawyer continue to hold firm?"

He paused, then added, "Also, continue investigating the identities of those two people. If you can't find the license plate, use facial recognition. Facial recognition technology is very mature now. Find a reliable third-party company, pay extra, and get results as soon as possible. I need to know the name of the person in the jacket, where he works, where he lives, all his information."

Li Li and Zhao Bin nodded simultaneously. "Understood."

"Furthermore," Zheng Dong concluded, "The official accounts will remain silent for now, refraining from responding to any comments regarding this matter. Once we receive an apology from the person involved, we will issue a summary statement to completely resolve this issue."

The meeting ended in a somber atmosphere. People left the meeting room one after another, their steps hurried, and no one spoke.

Zheng Dong remained seated, staring at the screenshot of the comments section frozen on the projection screen. The comment, "Isn't the focus on those two people in the video?" was highlighted in red.

He picked up his phone and dialed Wang Qian's number in the legal department.

"Commissioner Wang, this is me. Send a lawyer's letter to the person in the jacket in the video. Send it today. Make sure the wording is formal and clearly state the possible legal consequences. Also, send a copy to his law firm— Zhou Wenyuan Law Firm, right? Copy to the firm's director or managing partner."

On the other end of the phone, Wang Qian seemed to want to say something, but ultimately replied, "Okay, Chairman Zheng, I'll prepare it right away."

"Furthermore," Zheng Dong added, "We told Lawyer Zhou that if his client continues to ignore this, we will not rule out taking further legal action, including but not limited to filing a complaint with the Bar Association regarding his professional misconduct."

"... clear."

The call ended.

Zheng Dong leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting a narrow patch of light on his face. Tiny dust particles danced endlessly within the patch of light.

4 PM, Zhou Wenyuan Law Firm.

The receptionist signed for a local package, opened it, and glanced at it. It was a lawyer's letter, addressed to Lin Feng, sent by the legal department of Dongbei Catering Group. Without thinking much of it, she took the document and walked to Zhou Wenyuan's office door, knocking on it.

"Enter."

"Lawyer Zhou, there's a package from Lin Feng; it looks like a lawyer's letter."

Zhou Wenyuan looked up from the case file. "Put it on the table."

The receptionist left the documents, closed the door, and left.

Zhou Wenyuan picked up the package. It was a white envelope with a printed label, very formal. He opened the seal and took out the documents inside.

The letter is three pages long. The first page contains the main body of the lawyer's letter, which is carefully worded and cites legal provisions. It points out that Lin Feng's false statements in public have damaged Dongbei's reputation and demands that he issue a public apology on his personal social media platform within three days of receiving the letter, and guarantee that he will not make similar statements again. Otherwise, Dongbei will file a lawsuit in accordance with the law and pursue his legal responsibility.

The second page contains attachments, including video screenshots, screenshots of some netizens' comments, and promotional materials for Dongbei's "freshly made" service.

Page three contains the instructions for copying: This letter is also copied to the Management Committee of Zhou Wenyuan Law Firm.

After reading the document, Zhou Wenyuan put it aside, picked up his phone, and sent Lin Feng a WeChat:

"Dongbei's lawyer's letter has arrived. They demand a public apology within three days."

Five minutes later, Lin Feng replied:

"I saw it."

"Do you need me to handle this?"

"No need. Throw it away."

"A copy was sent to the institute's management committee."

"Casual."

Zhou Wenyuan looked at the brief conversation on the screen, a slight smile playing on his lips. He put down his phone, picked up the lawyer's letter again, and walked to the shredder.

The machine started up with a low hum. Three sheets of paper were swallowed, cut into small pieces, and fell into the collection box below.

The shredder stopped working. Zhou Wenyuan walked back to his desk and continued reviewing the case files.

It was as if nothing had happened.

At the same time, in Lin Feng's apartment.

Lü Yi was squatting on the sofa scrolling through Douyin). He scrolled to the post where Dongbei's official account had reposted an apology video, opened the comments section, and read it with great interest.

"Boss, look," he handed over the phone, "A lot of people are tagging you, asking you to come out and walk around."

Lin Feng was looking at the latest report sent by K—regarding the progress of the infiltration of the fund pool in the Northern Myanmar industrial park. He glanced at Lü Yi's phone screen but didn't say anything.

"They said you chickened out and didn't dare to say a word." Lü Yi read the comments, "'The real culprit is hiding,' 'Bullying the weak and fearing the strong,' ' Dongbei, if you're so capable, go find the real culprit!'... Boss, they're insulting you."

"Um."

Aren't you angry?

Why get angry?

Lü Yi tilted her head and thought for a moment, "That's true. If a dog barks at you twice, are you supposed to bark back?"

He continued scrolling down, when suddenly his eyes lit up. "Hey! Boss, someone's figured out your identity!"

Lin Feng raised his head.

Lü Yi turned the phone around. It was a newly posted comment by a user named "Industry Insider," with no profile picture and an empty activity feed. The comment read:

[The guy in the jacket in the video is Lin Feng, an assistant at Zhou Wenyuan Law Firm. The license plate was checked; the car is registered under the firm's name. No wonder he's so arrogant; he has powerful connections.]

There are already dozens of replies to this comment:

"A legal assistant breaking the law?"

"Zhou Wenyuan? He seems to be quite famous; he handles economic cases."

"No wonder Dongbei only dares to tease the blogger, but not him."

"Waiting for updates, let's see if Dongbei dares to sue a lawyer."

Lü Yi looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Boss, you've been exposed. Should I go find the person who posted the comments?"

Lin Feng withdrew his gaze and looked back at the computer screen.

"Need not."

"But they say you have powerful connections..."

"They're right." Lin Feng tapped a few keys on the keyboard, bringing up another document. "I do have powerful backers."

Lü Yi was taken aback for a moment, then grinned. "That's right. You have a very powerful backer."

He looked down and continued scrolling through his phone, then said a few seconds later, "Boss, what do we do now? Just wait for them to come knocking?"

"They've already contacted them," Lin Feng said. "The lawyer's letter was just sent to the firm, and Lawyer Zhou tore it up."

"Wow," Lü Yi whistled, "And then?"

"That's all." Lin Feng closed his laptop and stood up. "It's time to eat. What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Meat!" Lü Yi jumped up from the sofa, "Lots and lots of meat!"

Let's go.

The two went out. As the elevator descended, Lü Yi was still scrolling through her phone, muttering, "These people are so boring, they keep repeating the same few sentences. If it were me, I'd just go to the Dongbei store, take a picture of their freezer in the kitchen, and post it online. That would be so much more satisfying."

"And then?" Lin Feng watched the elevator floor numbers change.

"And then... and then they blew it up."

What happens after it explodes?

Lü Yi hesitated. He scratched his head. "Later... we'll talk about it later."

The elevator reached the first floor, and the doors opened. Lin Feng stepped out, followed by Lü Yi.

The evening breeze was still a bit chilly, refreshing my face. Cars streamed along the streets, and scattered lights shone from distant high-rise buildings.

Lin Feng opened the car door and got into the driver's seat. Lü Yi climbed into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and was still looking at her phone.

"Boss," he suddenly said, "I don't think this is over yet. Dongbei definitely won't let this go."

"Um."

"What if they actually sue you?"

Let them sue.

What if they send someone to harass you?

Lin Feng started the car, the engine emitting a deep roar. He turned the steering wheel, and the car merged into the traffic.

In the rearview mirror, the city lights lit up one after another in the twilight, like a flowing river of stars.

"Then let them come," he said.

The voice was calm, as if stating a simple fact.