Among all the private organizations in Hong Kong, the Little Pet Protection Association boasted one of the largest memberships. Besides its two top leaders, the President and the Chairperson, it also maintained a roster of more than twenty vice chairpersons and council members.
Don't think those positions were meaningless just because there were so many of them. Anyone who could become a council member of the Little Pet Protection Association was usually a prominent public figure or a relative of a high-ranking official in Hong Kong.
There was no need to explain Feng Zhenyun's status; she was more than influential enough to command the room.
The reporters present knew exactly who they were dealing with. None of them dared ask provocative or sensitive questions. They politely finished interviewing Feng Zhenyun, and even so, they knew they'd have plenty to write about afterward.
After saying everything she wanted to say, Feng Zhenyun handed the microphone back to Lu Chen.
Lu Chen took it and said, "First, I'd like to thank Ms. Feng Zhenyun. I believe protecting animals and pets is everyone's responsibility. Tragedies like this should never happen again. So, on behalf of the 'A Chinese Ghost Story' film crew, I've decided..."
He paused.
The reporters instantly perked up. Their professional instincts told them another massive scoop was coming.
Lu Chen continued, "The two dogs that sadly lost their lives will be entrusted to the Little Pet Protection Association for burial. In addition, on behalf of Lu Chen Workshop, I will personally donate five million Hong Kong dollars to the Association in support of animal welfare."
'Five million!'
The announcement stunned the room.
Hong Kong was one of the world's wealthiest cities, home to countless tycoons. It wasn't unusual for rich people to donate tens or even hundreds of millions to charity. Compared to those staggering sums, five million wasn't especially large.
But considering everything that had just happened, and the fact that the donation was going specifically to the Little Pet Protection Association, Lu Chen's move was incredibly bold.
It was obvious he was using this five million to declare that he intended to fight Honghua to the bitter end.
In Hong Kong, everyone knew better than to pick a fight with people who had money. With this donation alone, Lu Chen had secured the Little Pet Protection Association as a powerful ally. At the very least, he wasn't going to be the one taking the loss.
His opponents were in deep trouble.
Quite a few reporters secretly took pleasure in Honghua's predicament, feeling the gang had chosen the wrong target. They'd gone looking for an easy catch and ended up hooking a great white shark instead.
Someone who could casually throw around five million dollars was obviously not to be underestimated.
The reporters hurried to write everything down. This was exactly the kind of material that made for sensational front-page news.
Even more reporters scrambled to their feet to ask questions. "Mr. Lu Chen..."
Lu Chen noticed the reporters' sudden shift in attitude. He knew this move had been entirely correct.
The five-million-dollar donation might have seemed unexpected, but the results were template-perfect.
First, it secured the unyielding support of the Little Pet Protection Association, giving him a much better lever to crush Honghua, and even the Jiang family behind them. Second, he could treat the donation as part of the marketing budget for 'A Chinese Ghost Story'.
A film with a 30-million-dollar budget typically spent another ten to twenty million on promotion. By comparison, five million for this level of explosive publicity was a bargain.
As long as the media kept the story alive and the ordinary citizens of Hong Kong heard about it, the money would be brilliantly spent.
The media briefing, which had begun at 9:30 a.m., wrapped up at 10:45 a.m.
As the reporters left, each of them received a red envelope, a customary courtesy at entertainment events. The reporters no longer even cared how much money was inside; they were all in a desperate rush to get back to their offices and publish the story as quickly as possible.
Every media outlet also received a copy of the evidence package, including the surveillance footage and the high-resolution photos shown during the presentation. With both pictures and video in hand, the story was backed by airtight proof.
Lu Chen and Zhou Yi saw Feng Zhenyun off together.
As they watched her car disappear into the distance, Zhou Yi's emotions were deeply complicated.
He had never imagined that Lu Chen would pull off such a brilliant counterattack, turning Honghua's crude intimidation tactics into a devastating weapon against them. If Honghua found out how badly this had backfired, they'd probably die of regret.
The five-million-dollar donation impressed Zhou Yi even more. He suddenly realized that he had seriously underestimated Lu Chen. His earlier hesitation had clearly been a mistake. Fortunately, he had chosen to come in person that morning.
After a brief moment of thought, Zhou Yi said decisively, "I'll have people keep an eye on the media. You don't have to worry about the costs. I'll make sure this story lands on the front page of several major newspapers."
Getting onto the front page meant spending serious capital. Lu Chen understood that Zhou Yi was making his final, absolute allegiance clear.
Smiling, he replied, "Then I'll leave it to you, Boss Zhou."
Although Zhou Yi's earlier fence-sitting had left Lu Chen dissatisfied, the man had ultimately chosen to stand with him when the chips were down, so their partnership could continue. After all, Lu Chen Workshop still needed the localized resources of a Hong Kong film company to execute this movie smoothly.
The impact of the five-million-dollar donation, combined with the Little Pet Protection Association's backing and the shocking photos, quickly rippled through the media ecosystem.
Several online news outlets broke the story first. Soon afterward, the photos and videos appeared on the Hong Kong Island Forum and various high-traffic blogs, attracting widespread attention from netizens.
The gruesome photos of the dead dogs, in particular, outraged the public. Countless users left blistering comments online condemning such heartless cruelty.
And that was only the beginning.
That evening, ATV's current affairs news program became the first television station to report on the incident. The next day, major newspapers such as 'Ming Pao', 'Hong Kong Daily', and 'Bolo Daily' all ran prominent coverage of the dog abuse case. Many smaller papers even made it their massive front-page headline.
Public opinion exploded into a full-blown storm.
A massive percentage of Hong Kong's residents kept pets, especially among the upper class. Celebrities, socialites, and wealthy housewives all adored raising purebred cats and dogs.
The annual pet beauty competitions offered massive prize money, making the pet industry in Hong Kong an extremely profitable, beloved business.
The Little Pet Protection Association had an immense base of public support and deep societal influence. So when another brutal animal abuse case surfaced, amplified by overwhelming media coverage, it naturally ignited a wave of ferocious public outrage.
The larger newspapers at least maintained some professional ethics and pixelated or censored the bloodiest photos. The tabloids, however, had no such scruples. They printed the uncensored images alongside giant, sensational headlines to maximize the shock value.
Honghua Catering had truly kicked a massive hornet's nest.
That very afternoon, an angry crowd of protesters completely surrounded the company's headquarters. Several of the company's thugs couldn't stand the torrent of abuse being hurled at them and grabbed baseball bats to drive the protesters away.
But before they even made it out the front door, they were met with a relentless barrage of rotten tomatoes and eggs, forcing them to retreat in total embarrassment.
Left with no other choice, the person in charge of the company desperately called the police for help.
Instead of protection, they received a formal notice from the police station ordering management to come in immediately and give a statement.
The dog abuse incident had blown up completely.
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(End of Chapter)
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