Chapter 28: Gasping for breath with lingering fear

"These madmen! How dare they fabricate such vile rumors!" He stood up abruptly and kicked the chair beside him over.

"Investigate! I want a thorough investigation! Which bastard is pulling strings behind the scenes?"

Although he was annoyed with that disobedient woman, he would never allow anyone to slander or bully her. This matter could not possibly be true.

Qian Duo looked troubled. "Mr. Qin, if we act rashly, won't it cause unnecessary trouble? After all, this is an internal matter for the Dake Group, and Miss Song—"

Qin Ze glared at him. "Trouble? If you're afraid of trouble, then get lost! As for the Dake Group, hmph, if they can't even protect their own business partners, what right do they have to talk to me about trouble?"

He sneered, his eyes filled with ruthlessness. "No matter who it is, I will make them regret ever being born!"

Qian Duo nodded helplessly. "Understood, Mr. Qin. I'll get right on it."

With that, he hurried out of the office.

Qin Ze's chest heaved violently; he wished he could drag the mastermind out immediately and tear them to pieces.

"Daring to touch someone of mine—you are courting death!"

...

Song Xixi stepped into the conference room right on time, and the noisy chatter died down instantly. She acutely sensed that the gazes directed at her were full of contempt and disdain. However, she remained composed and walked straight to the head of the table.

"Everyone, let's begin the meeting. Today, we will focus on the technical details of the project."

Engineer Zhang from the technical department was the first to provoke her. He leaned back in his chair and said sarcastically, "Director Song, the internet is going crazy right now, and you still have the heart to hold a meeting? How do we know if you can even properly push this project forward?"

Others chimed in, casting suspicious looks her way.

Faced with this sudden hostility, Song Xixi did not panic in the slightest. Her gaze swept over them calmly. "Engineer Zhang, I don't want to explain the rumors online; the innocent will eventually be cleared. We are in a professional setting now, and I hope everyone can focus on the project."

Zhang remained relentless. "That's easy for you to say, but those stories are being told with such vivid detail, how can we work in peace?"

Song Xixi suppressed her inner anger and explained patiently, "I understand everyone's concerns, and the company will handle this matter. This project is vital to the company, and we cannot afford to stagnate because of some baseless comments."

"That's enough. If you don't want to attend the meeting, you can walk out right now," Supervisor Zhang said coldly.

He suspected that today's trending topic was likely a malicious smear campaign by a competitor of Dake. Although he had questioned this young woman yesterday, he had verified that she was actually a world-renowned hacker from the previous year. Despite being a rising star, she had won the respect of technicians like them through her sheer ability.

With Supervisor Zhang’s reprimand, the others fell silent.

Although Song Xixi tried her best to maintain order in the meeting, some people remained uncooperative during the subsequent discussion. Some intentionally delayed progress and brushed off the questions posed to them. Others made barbed remarks, insinuating things about her "scandal" in every sentence.

But Song Xixi remained focused on the meeting content, carefully noting down every issue. Those harsh words were just noise to her. Now was not the time to get angry; the priority was launching the project. Once she was done, she would track down the IP address of the person responsible.

...

Qian Duo was highly efficient and soon tracked down the address of the "Whistleblower Pioneer." He reported it to Mr. Qin immediately.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ze didn't say a word; he personally selected a few agile and capable bodyguards. The group climbed into a car, radiating murderous intent, and sped toward the target location.

They arrived at a somewhat dilapidated apartment building. Qin Ze led his men straight to the floor where the "Whistleblower Pioneer" lived.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The thunderous knocking echoed through the narrow hallway. The person inside seemed frightened by the commotion and did not respond for a long time.

Qin Ze's eyes turned cold, and he signaled his bodyguards to break down the door.

With a crash, the door flew open. A man inside stood up in a panic. This was the "Whistleblower Pioneer." Seeing Qin Ze and his men storming in with such menacing expressions, his face turned paper-white instantly.

Qin Ze strode over, grabbed the man by his collar, and hoisted him up. With wide, burning eyes and gritted teeth, he roared, "Are you the one spreading rumors and slandering Song Xixi online?"

The man kicked his legs in terror, looking at him helplessly, unable to say a word, only nodding frantically.

Qin Ze was furious; he swung his hand and delivered a heavy punch to the man's face. The man shrieked as blood gushed from his nose. Qin Ze tossed him to the floor like a ragdoll.

The bodyguards swarmed him, raining down punches and kicks. The man curled up on the ground in agony, begging for mercy.

"Speak! Who told you to do this?" Qin Ze looked down at him, his eyes as cold as ice.

Bruised and battered, the man lay on the floor and wheezed, "It... it was someone who paid me to expose it. I... I really don't know who they are, I just took the money to do the job..."

Qin Ze sneered. "Now, you will immediately announce the truth to the public, apologize to Song Xixi, and admit that you were bribed to fabricate these rumors."

Upon hearing this, the man looked troubled, hesitating to agree. Seeing this, Qin Ze gave a signal, and the bodyguards resumed their assault.

This beating was even more brutal than the last. Crying and screaming, the man finally couldn't take it anymore and begged repeatedly, "Stop, please stop! I’ll do it, I’ll do it..."

Only then did Qin Ze tell his bodyguards to stop. He stared at him coldly. "Post it now, word for word as I say. If you dare to play any tricks, you know the consequences."

Trembling, the man picked up his phone and followed the instructions, publishing a long post on his social media account. He detailed how he had accepted bribes to fabricate the rumors about Song Xixi and issued a public apology.

After posting, the man looked cautiously at the formidable Qin Ze. "Mr... Mr. Qin, I've posted it. See..."

Qin Ze glanced at the phone screen and sneered, "It had better not happen again, or I will make you disappear from this world."

With that, he led his men away.

The man collapsed to the ground, panting with lingering fear. Damn it, that woman hadn't mentioned that Song Xixi was connected to Qin Ze! If he had known she had such powerful backing, he wouldn't have dared to touch this job even for ten million.

...

Finally, the long meeting concluded. Song Xixi let out a long sigh. Before she could stand up, her phone screen lit up. The name Ye Chunxi flashed on it, accompanied by a frantic ringtone. She quickly picked up the phone.