The beauty blogger posted the inspection reports for Silan.
Zhao Dong knew that Silan was about to face endless lawsuits. It was not just the one beauty blogger seeking rights protection; there were other consumers too.
When a medical beauty brand became entangled in relentless litigation, with consumers swarming to claim their rights, the brand was finished.
At this moment, competitors were watching closely from the sidelines.
Zhao Dong believed that only Xie Jinghu could save Silan.
As for how, the Xie family had power and influence. If Xie Jinghu was willing, there would always be a way.
The person who wanted Silan to collapse was Xie Qian, Xie Jinghu’s own son. To get Xie Jinghu to intervene and help, it would require effort from Xie Jinghu’s other son, Zhuo Chen.
That was why Zhao Dong was willing to transfer Silan shares to Zhuo Chen.
As long as they could survive this crisis, Zhao Dong was prepared to give up being the largest shareholder. Not only would he transfer his own shares, but he also planned to pressure Dai Chenglan to do the same. If Silan collapsed completely, the He family would suffer heavy losses too. Dai Chenglan had to recognise this.
The shares could be transferred to Zhuo Chen, in exchange for Xie Jinghu stepping in to help.
Would Xie Jinghu act?
If he truly valued Zhuo Chen, he certainly would.
Expectation filled Zhao Dong’s eyes. Zhuo Chen could only reply bitterly, “I will try.”
Xie Jinghu had promised Zhuo Chen he would help. Now was the moment for him to act.
When Zhuo Chen stepped out of the office to contact Xie Jinghu, the voice on the other end showed no hesitation.
“I will help you. I will speak to Xie Qian. No matter what method I use, I will resolve this. Wait two days for me.”
Xie Jinghu kept his word, yet Zhuo Chen felt little joy.
If Xie Jinghu intervened personally and persuaded Xie Qian to spare Silan, it would not be Zhuo Chen’s victory, but Xie Qian’s.
Zhuo Chen comforted himself: I am not inferior to Xie Qian. I simply started later.
If he had had two hundred million to buy land back then, Zhuo Chen believed he would now have built a far larger enterprise than Xie Qian. He would not be in this position, constantly on the back foot.
This was what Xie Jinghu owed him.
“Thank you.”
When Zhuo Chen returned to the office, his expression had lightened considerably.
Zhao Dong was overjoyed. “Mr Xie has agreed to intervene?”
Zhuo Chen nodded. “He will handle it. We just need to wait patiently.”
“Mr Xie truly has the heart of a loving father!”
Zhao Dong offered a few words of flattery, then raised the matter of transferring Silan shares. Offering too many would pain him; offering too few might make Xie Jinghu less committed. Finding the right balance was not easy.
Instead of naming a figure outright, Zhao Dong summoned Dai Chenglan to the company for discussions.
Dai Chenglan laughed in anger. “You excluded me from company matters before and kept me at arm’s length. Now, when you need shares, you remember me? If you want shares, pay for them!”
Zhao Dong remained calm and explained that this was the way to turn the tide.
“Mr Xie has promised to step in.”
Dai Chenglan was sceptical. “Let me think about it.”
…
Dai Chenglan felt that Silan probably had little salvage value left.
Silan had been funded jointly by Zhao Dong and the He family. Because of Xie Jinghu, Zhuo Chen held a 20% stake without contributing a single penny.
If Silan collapsed, the He family would also lose a substantial sum.
Dai Chenglan was reluctant to accept it. What if Xie Jinghu truly committed fully? Silan might still have a chance of recovery.
He Zhinian, however, took a broader view.
Though Silan was a loss, their son He Zhen’s company was thriving. Without Silan, they could redirect the family’s distribution channels to He Zhen and help his company reach new heights.
He Zhinian urged Dai Chenglan to stay calm. “A person’s wealth is probably fixed to some extent. Our family survived difficult times thanks to Mr Xie’s investment. Even after he fell out with that side, he never cut off support for us. That was already heaven’s gift of fortune. We gained here, and we lose with Silan. One gain, one loss; it balances out.”
The He family’s core business lay in medical devices, not medical beauty.
Had Xie Jinghu not taken the lead, the He family would never have invested with Zhao Dong to found Silan.
Thanks to Xie Jinghu, the He family had preserved their core business. In He Zhinian’s view, Silan’s losses were acceptable. Throughout Silan’s troubles, He Zhinian had remained detached and offered no help. Deep down, he even quietly hoped the Silan venture would end.
Without Silan tying them in the middle, the He family would finally have no further connection to Sara Zhuo.
“But what about Zhuo Chen’s side?”
“There are no buts.”
He Zhinian cut her off. “I cannot see the future, but looking at things now, Xie Qian is far superior to Zhuo Chen in every way. If I were Mr Xie, I would choose Xie Qian as heir too!”
A woman’s pillow talk could indeed be powerful.
In the past, under Sara Zhuo’s influence, Xie Jinghu had probably considered leaving the company to his illegitimate son Zhuo Chen.
Now that he had broken with Sara Zhuo, her influence was gone. Only then could Xie Jinghu judge his two sons’ abilities fairly.
A man who had worked hard for years to build a vast enterprise naturally wanted to pass it on. One son was an outstanding legitimate heir; the other was an illegitimate son whose potential remained unproven. Anyone would choose the former.
Dai Chenglan murmured, “If he chooses Xie Qian…”
He Zhinian was utterly certain. “If he chooses Xie Qian, Mr Xie will absolutely not intervene to save Silan this time.”
After years of marriage, He Zhinian knew his wife Dai Chenglan’s many strengths and also her shortcomings. He was not skilled at socialising, but he was conscientious in business and, though seemingly mild, never hesitated when a decision was needed. Dai Chenglan was the opposite: adept at navigating social circles, yet impatient with business details and prone to indecision on major choices.
The couple complemented each other well.
No boss who built a large enterprise, regardless of personal character or private morals, was ever indecisive.
He Zhinian cited Pang Zhigang as an example. How well Pang had treated his mistress and illegitimate child in the past. Yet after divorcing his original wife Zhang Liqun, Pang regretted it and now constantly sought to re-establish presence with Pang Jinglong.
In the past he had been stingy even with living expenses and unwilling to send Pang Jinglong abroad to study.
Now he bought houses for Pang Jinglong, two properties in Shanghai at one go.
“If Mr Xie wants to repair the father-son relationship, he will go even further than Pang Zhigang!”
…
Zhuo Chen and Zhao Dong both firmly believed Xie Jinghu would intervene. He Zhinian was equally certain he would not.
Xie Qian did not care in the slightest whether Xie Jinghu acted or not.
Xie Qian had tolerated Zhao Dong for so long before striking. How could he give Zhao Dong any breathing room now?
After the beauty blogger posted the inspection reports, Hunan Provincial TV immediately followed up with coverage. Other media outlets naturally would not miss such a hot topic and piled on with their own reports.
Under the relentless digging of the media, Zhao Qian, who had taken leave from school, was secretly photographed with her face covered in acne scars.
A few hours later, Zhao Qian’s photo appeared in newspapers.
Silan’s products truly ruined faces. Even the boss’s own sister could not escape.
Wen Ying had won her bet with Zhao Qian.
Zhao Qian tried to explain that it was just teenage acne, but who would believe her?
Wen Ying listened to the discussions around her and set down the newspaper in her hand.
Silan was truly finished. Not even the gods could save it now.
