Chapter 108: Absolute Zero Compromise

Hearing Zhou Xuan's words, Maituor asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhou Xuan sneered, "Doesn't Sister Yu have plenty of people in the imperial capital who are angry yet dare not speak out? Then we will make this incident common knowledge, and you should also make a grand display of selling your factory later. By then, not only will those who have been bullied by Sister Yu be able to empathize with you, but those who haven't yet been targeted by her will also develop a negative view of her, because they never know when they might cross paths with her. In this way, everyone will launch a joint boycott against Sister Yu, putting immense pressure on her.

The outcome will be that so many families' children have suffered wrongs yet cannot even seek an apology from Sister Yu. The adults will think the Zhai family is being too overbearing, which in turn will generate harsh public criticism against the Zhai family and Sister Yu's maternal grandfather's family. Let's see how the Zhai family handles this afterward. If they don't change this atmosphere, how will their family maintain their footing in the imperial capital in the future?"

"You mean you want me to turn this incident into a fuse for boycotting Sister Yu, and then prompt everyone to attack her en masse so that the Zhai family feels the pressure?" Maituor asked uncertainly.

Zhou Xuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Think about it, once the Zhai family feels the pressure, they will naturally rein Sister Yu in. Without her superiors spoiling her like this, could she possibly remain as arrogant as before?"

What Zhou Xuan had in mind was naturally a strategy commonly seen on the internet: build up the momentum first, and then leverage collective pressure to force the Zhai family to restrain Sister Yu. Sister Yu's demeanor was clearly not born of her own accord, but rather bestowed upon her by her family.

Moreover, because of past traumas, her family members had showered her with pity, indulging her in everything. Yet this had produced the exact opposite effect, cultivating Sister Yu's willful, unreasonable, and arrogant personality.

After listening to Zhou Xuan, Maituor said, "We can certainly give this a try. Sister Yu has made plenty of enemies over the past few years; they might not necessarily be willing to swallow their grievances forever."

"However, you must not personally step forward to say anything, nor should you try to prove anything. Just follow my arrangements and go about your business as usual. As for the rest, you only need to whisper it privately to some reliable people. If anyone asks you to verify anything, do not admit to anything—let them imagine it on their own. In short, this matter needs someone to lead the charge, but it certainly shouldn't be you."

Zhou Xuan's intention was to let these accusations circulate in private, while on the surface, Maituor would maintain the expression of a victim. He wanted everyone to believe that Maituor was leaving the imperial capital because of Sister Yu, and that she had to claim she was leaving on her own accord purely out of fear.

Maituor suddenly felt as though she wasn't facing a sixteen-year-old high school student, but rather a shrewd and cunning adult. She fully agreed with Zhou Xuan's scheme; after all, Sister Yu had caused enough harm to people, and it was time for it to end.

Just then, Zhou Xuan's phone rang. Pulling it out to check, he saw that the call was actually from Jiang Yun.

"No way, the incident just happened—does Brother Jiang already know about it?" Zhou Xuan muttered with a hint of speculation.

Barely an hour had passed since Zhou Xuan walked out of the bar and drove back to the hotel with Maituor. If Jiang Yun already knew that Zhou Xuan had rejected Sister Yu, didn't that mean the news had already spread throughout the entire imperial capital?

"Surely not, right? Only a few of us knew about what happened just now. Sister Yu shouldn't have spread it, should she?" Maituor said.

Zhou Xuan answered the call and immediately said, "I certainly hope this isn't about that."

"Hello, is this Zhou Xuan?"

"Hello, is that Brother Jiang? I am Zhou Xuan."

"Zhou Xuan, I heard you had a conflict with Sister Yu from the imperial capital tonight. What on earth is going on?"

Zhou Xuan hadn't expected Jiang Yun to actually know about the matter, so he had no choice but to recount everything that had happened that day.

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Jiang Yun said, "Zhou Xuan, this isn't your fault either. Sister Yu has indeed gone way too far in the imperial capital over the past two years. I didn't expect you to run into her the very first time you visited. Rest assured, I am standing on your side in this matter. I am going to call Sister Yu right now and hope she can give me some face."

"Thank you, Brother Jiang. If it's too much trouble, forget it. Anyway, I don't have any business in the imperial capital right now, so no matter what Sister Yu tries to do, there's nothing she can do to me," Zhou Xuan said, touched.

"Hehe, it's fine. Even if I can't persuade her, the worst she can do is give you a hard time. Just don't go to the imperial capital to do business for the next two years. As for Rongcheng, Sister Yu's reach doesn't extend that far."

Jiang Yun reassured Zhou Xuan, explaining that Sister Yu simply had a somewhat unstable mental state and frequently looked for trouble with people.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xuan said to Maituor, "That woman Sister Yu is truly capricious."

Maituor nodded deeply; she had witnessed it herself many times.

Far away in Rongcheng, Jiang Yun hung up the phone and gave a wry smile. Zhou Xuan, his younger brother figure, had managed to run into Sister Yu simply by taking a trip to the imperial capital—that luck was truly wretched to the extreme. Knowing how tangled and troublesome Sister Yu could be, Jiang Yun couldn't help but be extremely cautious.

Next, Jiang Yun dialed Sister Yu's number. "Is this Sister Yu? I am Jiang Yun."

"Heh, Jiang Yun, your call came quite early. Are you calling on behalf of Zhou Xuan?" Sister Yu laughed on the other end, seemingly unsurprised by Jiang Yun's call.

"Hearing Sister Yu laughing so happily sets my mind at ease. You must have received some information already. Zhou Xuan is my savior. Regarding what happened tonight, I hope Sister Yu can do me a favor and let it go. The next time I return to the imperial capital, I will definitely treat Sister Yu to a proper gathering." Jiang Yun was not surprised that Sister Yu could find out about his relationship with Zhou Xuan so quickly.

Presumably, ever since stepping off the plane, Sister Yu had already ordered people to investigate Zhou Xuan's background. Yet Jiang Yun still felt a lingering sense of worry; presumably, because of this incident, Zhou Xuan would now catch the eye of certain individuals.

Eventually, this might even attract the attention of some ill-intentioned figures, making the situation difficult to handle.

"Fine. You can have Zhou Xuan personally come and offer me an apology, and I'll drop the matter."

"Alright, I'll give him a call. As for what he ultimately decides to do, that's up to him."

"I think he will make the right choice."

After hanging up, Jiang Yun thought about Zhou Xuan's temperament and figured he would certainly refuse to apologize to Sister Yu. Still, he placed a call to Zhou Xuan and naturally brought up his recent conversation with her.

"Absolutely impossible!" Zhou Xuan said decisively over the phone.

Jiang Yun slapped his own forehead and bitterly smiled inwardly: I knew that would be the result.

"No matter what decision you make, I, Jiang Yun, stand firmly on your side."

At a critical moment, Jiang Yun showed unwavering support. To him, Zhou Xuan was not only his savior but also a man with a boundless future. Even if his parents were to find out about this now, they would surely support his decision.