Chapter 66 Press Conference

was serving in the Beijing Military District, he would at least be a colonel now. Such talented people being buried is indeed indicative of problems with our system.At this moment, an old man said wi...Chapter 66 Press Conference

Shishi Shangguan clenched her fists: "They won't succeed."

Wen Tao Wei raised his eyebrows: "Acting Director, do you have any suspects at this moment"

"Suspects" Shishi Shangguan's smile seemed somewhat enigmatic and hard to fathom: "Even if I suspect someone, Jingrong has offended so many people over the years that it’s like having oceans of enemies. What good would my suspicions do without concrete evidence"

Wen Tao Wei fell silent as he doodled on a sheet of paper, lost in thought.

"Have Risk Management come up with a detailed risk assessment report within three hours, predicting every possible scenario and all the relevant aspects involved. Include even the worst-case scenarios."

Pausing for a moment, Shishi Shangguan continued: "The report should also cover the extent of this crisis’ impact in terms of both depth and breadth as well as related evaluations. I believe that within these two hours, Jingrong’s product sales have already started to suffer minor effects. Tell Risk Management to work fast and be thorough—I need it within three hours."

"Understood. I’ll go arrange it right now." A middle-aged man with black-framed glasses calmly answered her, stood up, nodded at Shishi Shangguan, and quickly left with a folder.

His name was Xinwei Liu, the Risk Management Director of Jingrong International’s headquarters. He had returned from Harvard in America as a Ph.D., his main research direction having been risk economics. This matter fell within his expertise.

Shishi Shangguan's father, Zheng Shangguan, had given her a list that designated who to promote, who to appoint with caution, and those whose affiliations were unclear, etc. She was well aware of her father’s teachings.

To lead such an enormous corporate warship to this height relied not only on Zheng Shangguan's exceptional business acumen but also his ability to manage people effectively, recognizing talent, distinguishing among them, and utilizing it appropriately. As for the idea that one should neither distrust nor fully trust someone—such rhetoric was always despised by Zheng Shangguan.

"The official website and corporate Weibo must immediately address this situation with updates on those affected by poisoning. There can be no language shirking responsibility. Of course, we must emphasize that the cause of the incident is under investigation and call for a rational public response."

Even in such an urgent moment, Shishi Shangguan calmly issued her orders. Aside from slightly furrowing her brows, there was not a trace of panic on her pretty face; there wasn’t even a hint of last-ditch desperation like dark clouds closing in before the fall of a city. It seemed unbelievable that this was merely a college senior.

Wang Zheng watched as Shishi Shangguan’s ponytail gently swayed and silently nodded.

"Shall we hire internet trolls to post on various forums and clarify the facts" A slightly overweight bald man suggested. "Also, shall we contact the heads of major portals and newspapers and ask them to be more considerate in their reporting."

Song Shishi spoke solemnly: "Not yet." She said firmly, "We haven't even clarified all the facts yet, so any explanations from Jirong would just be futile. At this moment, if we misstep on how we approach this matter, it could backfire."

"Assistant Wei, you will accompany me to the press conference; everyone else should stay at their posts." Song Shishi paused and looked around at all the senior executives present, her voice slightly lowered: "I believe everyone can recognize the severity of this situation. The fate of Jirong's rise or fall, its glory or decline, rests on all of you. I thank you."

Song Shishi placed both hands over her abdomen and bowed deeply, taking three seconds before she stood up.

"Interim Chairman, what are you doing We can't bear such treatment!"

A senior executive obviously hadn't anticipated Song Shishi's action and looked surprised.

"No, the seniors here deserve it," Song Shishi said firmly.

As a direct descendant of the Song family, Song Shishi knew that every person present was among Jirong International’s founding members who had followed her father in his battles. However, after her father's sudden illness, many started to become restless, and these subtle changes did not escape Song Shishi's notice. After all, she was merely an interim chairman still at university, with no experience or academic qualifications that could impress the others aside from having a powerful father.

Nonetheless, today Song Shishi remained calm under pressure, issuing orders in an orderly manner despite the severe circumstances, which earned her respect even from the high-and-mighty senior executives. Especially after her deep bow at the meeting, she demonstrated humility and won over quite a few of them.

"Meeting dismissed," said Song Shishi with a smile before leading the way out of the conference room, followed closely by Wang Zheng and Wei Wentao.

Meanwhile, hundreds of media reporters had already gathered at the press conference venue, eager to get the scoop.

Jirong was one of China's major business giants; no one could shake its firm position over the years. However, as they say, a fortress is often breached from within. When many competitors struggled in vain to break through Jirong’s monopolistic structure, it turned out that Jirong International itself had encountered an issue.

This was undoubtedly headline news for China and extremely explosive!

The news of Mr. Song Zheng's mysterious illness was kept under wraps; most people outside of Jirong didn't know that Song Shishi had taken over as interim chairman temporarily, so when the youthful-looking woman with a ponytail in a gray business suit appeared at the press conference venue, countless flashes went off. Song Shishi’s first appearance took up an enormous amount of film footage for reporters.

Certainly, in this critical moment, Shishi Shangguan's appearance on behalf of Jirong International無疑會讓這些嗅覺敏銳的記者們從中咀嚼出很多資訊。

The genius少女 from the low-key Shangguan family has finally stepped onto the stage at this moment.

As Shishi Shangguan sat down with a confident smile, Wang Zheng standing in the corner revealed a look of relief.

"Good afternoon everyone."

Shishi Shangguan's polite and graceful smile, paired with her stunning appearance, would undoubtedly win over the journalists.

"I am Shishi Shangguan, the daughter of Mr. Zheng from the Shangguan family. Since my father is overseas at the moment, he has instructed me to represent Jirong International Group for today's press conference."

"But what does it mean when the head of the Shangguan family sends his daughter as a representative and goes missing himself"

"Why didn't they have the chairman of Jirong come forward to explain Can anyone believe in words from a little girl"

A few troublemakers started shouting.

Shishi Shangguan's smile remained undiminished, and she paid no attention to these clowns' antics. She continued steadily: "The Meimiao water purifier was launched twelve years ago and has been constantly improving since then. It has received overwhelming praise for many years. I can say without false modesty that Meimiao is the top brand of water purifiers in China, and undoubtedly everyone's first choice."

"But given today’s incident, how will you explain it as a spokesperson for Jirong Do you want to shirk responsibility" One reporter interjected loudly.

"Jirong International never intended to shirk responsibility. If the Meimiao water purifier has an issue, then it is indeed our company's responsibility."

Shishi Shangguan’s smile was neither humble nor arrogant: "Preliminary investigation results show that the resin filter core of the water purifiers broke down, leading to consumer poisoning. However, since the Meimiao water purifier’s filter core is consumable material with a fixed lifespan of around five years, it's impossible for them to break down. The resin isn't chemically synthesized and contains no heavy metal ions, making it impossible to cause heavy metal poisoning in humans. Over twelve years, this has never happened before."

Another reporter stood up: "So are you saying that someone is framing Jirong Group You want to sweep the matter under the rug like nothing happened and claim it's got no connection with your company at all And whether there was poison or not is just one side of the story. The facts lie right before our eyes, do we believe in what you say or what we see"

"No, I have already contacted the filter supplier. Tonight, I will lead my technical team to Zhangjiagang for on-site inspection. Additionally, law enforcement has initiated an investigation, and I believe this matter will be thoroughly addressed."

"In the end, you are still trying to evade responsibility!" said a visibly agitated reporter: "Shishi Shang, if your loved ones were poisoned, if your child's intelligence was severely affected due to poisoning, would you remain so calm Is such official language and evasion of responsibility what an enterprise with conscience should do"

The reporter's face turned red, his voice loud. After listening to him, many reporters started whispering among themselves, discussing something. Seeing the atmosphere stirred up by his series of questions, a barely noticeable smug expression appeared on his face as he sat down and joined the rest with an indignant look.

Seeing this reporter’s face, Wang Zheng's eyes narrowed in an inconspicuous corner.

A smile still lingered on Shishi Shang's face but became more sincere: "Here, I would like to sincerely apologize on behalf of Jirong International Group to the twenty-four poisoned consumers and their families. The poisoning was caused by using our water purifiers; we will not evade responsibility where it lies with us. We will invite both domestic and foreign experts for consultation to try our best to avoid any long-term effects, especially in cases involving children. If Jirong's products truly cause irreversible damage to a child’s brain development, then Jirong International will cover all expenses for their entire life and provide additional compensation."

"What use is money Do you think you can solve everything with RMB or USD The mindset of capitalists is truly simplistic!" said the trouble-seeking reporter again, his face flushed: "If it were my child, I wouldn't swap his healthy growth for one billion yuan! What do you all think"

"Agreed!"

"Well said!"

"Exactly, why resort to money when problems arise"

"No amount of money can buy health back!"

After the indignant reporter's speech, the murmurs below became more unrestrained.

Wang Zheng’s eyes narrowed further.

Note: These past few days, I've been suffering from eye problems. As soon as sunlight hits my eyes, they can't open and tears stream down uncontrollably. Looking at a computer or phone screen makes me extremely uncomfortable; after typing for a while, I have to put in eye drops. Today’s update is nearing its limit, sweat-inducing. My eyes are truly not up to the task; off to put more eye drops now.here, no one in this hall could leave on their feet....In another part of the same entertainment venue's dance hall, colored lights flickered wildly and loud music filled the air as countless people d...