Duan Yiheng gently guided Lin Xi to a seat, half-embracing her as he whispered words of comfort: "Grandpa will be fine." Lin Xi's mind was consumed by the image of the old man—eyes tightly shut, utterly motionless and silent. Yet, outside these walls, a storm of chaos and scandal was brewing—a situation Duan Yiheng was duty-bound to handle. She turned to him and said, "I'll stay here and keep watch; I won't let anyone see Grandpa. You go and deal with the Chen Liangyi situation." Duan Yiheng's brow furrowed slightly; surely, he ought to wait until the old man regained consciousness. Sensing his hesitation, Lin Xi turned her gaze toward Uncle Deng. Uncle Deng stepped forward and addressed Duan Yiheng:
"From this moment on, you are the master of both the Duan family and Silver Sail. It is your responsibility and obligation to address every factor detrimental to the Group and to salvage our public image." Duan Yiheng rose to his feet and looked at Uncle Deng:
"Grandpa and Lin Xi are equally important to me. I ask that you, Uncle Deng, help me hold the fort here at the hospital." Uncle Deng gave a slight nod: "Rest assured." Lin Xi stood up as well: "Please be careful." "Follow Uncle Deng's instructions."
Duan Yiheng pulled her into a brief embrace. "From this moment on, the bodyguards assigned to you are not to leave your side for a single second—twenty-four hours a day. Even if you go to the restroom, they are to stand guard right outside the door." "I understand," Lin Xi said, gently pushing him away. "I wouldn't take any chances with my own safety. Now go—hurry."
Duan Yiheng hesitated no longer; he turned and left the hospital. Downstairs, Qin Yang was already waiting. The moment Duan Yiheng stepped into the car, Qin Yang spoke up:
"We've already contacted security and the police. The entrance to the company building is currently cordoned off by officers. The HR Manager, the Head of Security, and Director Xu from the Sales Department have all arrived on the scene." Duan Yiheng gave a low hum of acknowledgment. Qin Yang asked with a hint of hesitation:
"Secretary Lin was also present at the time; the police will likely want to question her as well." Duan Yiheng replied, "Grandpa needs someone by his side right now. Hand the surveillance footage from that day over to the police, or have them dispatch officers to the hospital to question Lin Xi there instead."
That particular detail didn't worry him; with Uncle Deng holding the fort at the hospital, he knew that the identities of any visiting police officers would be thoroughly verified. Qin Yang replied:
"The PR department is already in position, and internal memos have been issued to steady the morale of the general staff. However, the external statement—specifically regarding your relationship with Secretary Lin—still requires your personal explanation." "I understand."
Duan Yiheng placed great trust in Qin Yang's capabilities. "Since this matter involves 'mental illness,' Chen Liangyi's side cannot afford to take an aggressive stance before the media. They are limited to offering 'humanitarian concern' and simply clarifying the full sequence of events." Qin Yang added:
"The Chen Liangyi situation shouldn't be too difficult to handle. We have full surveillance footage of the incident, and we ensured she was taken to the hospital immediately; we have documentation to prove all of this." The two discussed their response strategy throughout the drive. However, as they reached the road opposite the company headquarters, Duan Yiheng was still taken aback by the sheer mass of media personnel blocking their path.
Ke Yu and Duan Zheng certainly hadn't been stingy with their money. From somewhere within the crowd, a voice called out, "The person in charge is here!"—and instantly, every head swiveled in their direction. The Lexus glided slowly across the road before finally coming to a halt directly in front of the main entrance to the Silver Sail Technology Park.
Qin Yang exchanged a look with the bodyguards seated in the front. The two men in the front seats were the first to exit, positioning themselves to shield the car doors. Qin Yang followed them out; only after confirming that all four bodyguards were securely in place did he proceed to open the door for Duan Yiheng. The moment Duan Yiheng set foot on the ground, a dense throng of reporters—armed with a forest of cameras and microphones—swarmed toward him:
"Mr. Duan, what is your response to the allegations that your company unjustly terminated an employee, thereby driving her to suffer a mental breakdown?" "Does your company intend to settle this matter privately, or do you plan to resolve it through legal channels?"
"Mr. Duan, before you dismissed the employee in question, were you aware of her mental state?" "Regarding the rumors circulating online about your relationship with your secretary—do you have any explanation to offer, Mr. Duan?"
"Mr. Duan, we've heard that your secretary is the adopted daughter of the Duan family, and that she was previously engaged to your half-brother. Now, rumors suggest that your relationship with her runs deeper than mere professional ties; could you please clarify this? Are you romantically involved?"
"Does the existence of such a personal dynamic between a superior and a subordinate compromise your professional judgment within the company?" "Now that this relationship has been exposed, Mr. Duan, do you anticipate it eroding investor confidence in the company?"
"Mr. Duan..." Duan Yiheng came to a halt, and amidst his stern, sharp features, a faint trace of tenderness unexpectedly surfaced. He faced the cameras openly and squarely: "Regarding the nature of my relationship with Lin Xi, our company's PR department will issue a detailed statement shortly. For now, I must ask you all to please step aside."
Since he had arrived at the company first, he naturally had to address the matter involving Chen Liangyi before anything else. Duan Yiheng cut a tall, composed figure, a gentle smile playing upon his lips; yet, he exuded an aura so powerful that few dared to meet his gaze directly. The reporters holding up their microphones fell silent instantly, parting to make way for him.
Duan Yiheng walked straight up to the police officer in charge of the scene and extended his hand: "Thank you for your hard work, Officer." The officer gave a slight nod in return: "We have sorted out the facts of the case. How would you like to proceed, Mr. Duan?" Duan Yiheng replied:
"Thank you. I have already dispatched someone to negotiate. If the other party remains obstinate, I shall have no choice but to handle this strictly according to the law. I certainly cannot allow my employees to be traumatized simply because the other party suffers from a mental illness—and as for my own losses..." Duan Yiheng smiled, leaving the sentence unfinished.
The police officer understood the implication and made a polite "this way" gesture. The Director of Public Relations stepped forward to greet them, stating: "The other party has only one demand: compensation." Duan Yiheng's smile did not reach his eyes: "How much?" The PR Director replied:
"Between compensation for emotional distress, lost wages, medical expenses, and various other miscellaneous costs, they are demanding 2.09 million." Duan Yiheng let out a scoff:
"Summon the finance department immediately and have them run the numbers: the medical and emergency treatment costs incurred when my grandfather was rushed to the hospital because of this incident; the damages for the loss of my own personal reputation—Duan Yiheng's reputation; the damages for the loss of Silver Sail Technology's corporate reputation; and the compensation for lost wages for every single person whose work was disrupted today... Go ask them: could their entire family, even if they toiled for three lifetimes, ever hope to afford that?"
The PR Director, thinking Duan Yiheng was merely joking, hesitated for a split second. "Go," Duan Yiheng commanded, his gaze turning cold. The PR Director immediately acknowledged the order and hurried off to execute it.
Duan Yiheng gave a cold sneer; were he to actually pay out that 2.09 million, wouldn't that effectively validate the claim that he had fired Chen Liangyi without just cause? Upon hearing this, Chen Liangyi's mother immediately began clamoring about "blood-sucking capitalists." Chen Liangyi, too, wore a look of intense agitation as she addressed the reporters:
"I worked diligently and conscientiously for this company, yet simply because I didn't get along with Secretary Lin, I ended up suffering this fate. The company owes me an explanation." Xu Yu's face remained cold and stern as she retorted: "What kind of explanation do you expect the company to give you?
Everything was handled strictly according to protocol. It was your mother who caused a scene first, followed by your own lack of cooperation. Furthermore, the moment you reported feeling unwell, the company immediately rushed you to the hospital. All of this is substantiated by both surveillance footage and eyewitness testimony; it is not a matter that can be settled merely by the wagging of your tongue."
"This was all orchestrated by Lin Xi; she had met my adoptive mother before," Chen Liangyi said, her eyes darkening with malice. "It was *she* who wanted me out of the company, which is why she paid my adoptive mother a sum of money. I've brought that cash with me right here—it serves as physical evidence. So, where is Lin Xi?
I demand to see her; I want to confront her face-to-face." "I'm afraid that won't be possible," Duan Yiheng stated calmly. "Because you and your adoptive mother caused such a disturbance here, my grandfather—the Chairman of the Silver Sail Group—was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Lin Xi is currently at the hospital. If anything were to happen to my grandfather... just imagine what the consequences would be for you."
Chen Liangyi froze. Reflected in the calm depths of Duan Yiheng's eyes, she saw an expression of absolute, chillingly ruthless intent.