chapter 25 Storm is coming===

Jason Li spoke indifferently, "William Xu and his wife's affection for Evelyn Yang is well-known, which is why I dared to set a ransom of one billion. With Evelyn kidnapped by my men, they were bound to get involved!" He had anticipated the Xu family's interference, but previously, he hadn't taken them seriously. Speaking of the kidnapping, Brian Li asked, "Why did you let Evelyn Yang get rescued?" When he learned of her rescue, Brian had already erupted in fury, but no rage was greater than this moment! Jason's face grew colder as he replied, "The failure of this mission lies entirely on me. I suspect the Xu family must have concealed a powerful force, which they used to rescue Evelyn. This force is so well hidden that we've never noticed it. I even suspect that the person who leaked those things in the newspaper is also part of Xu's hidden strength." Most people agreed with Jason's assessment; it was the only explanation for such hidden matters being exposed. Furious, Brian clenched his fists and said, "Since the Xu family wants to support Andrew Yang, they can't blame me for being ruthless. Notify our men to encircle the Xu family immediately! I want to see how capable they really are!" Neither Jason nor Brian had ever taken the Xu family seriously. Although Xu's financial power far exceeded the Li family, Li's controlled forces were powerful enough to contend with them. "No, we can't!" Jason quickly intervened, "Grandfather, we know nothing about Xu's hidden force. Acting rashly is unwise. Moreover, if we attack now, the Xu family will be prepared, and we might end up both heavily damaged, leaving the Chen family to reap the benefits." The Chen family was undoubtedly the Li family's biggest obstacle in Tianhai City, and Jason did not want them to profit from their conflict. Hearing Jason's analysis, Brian nodded slightly, appreciating his insight, and asked, "What do you propose then?" A sinister smile crept across Jason's face, "For now, we hold back. We'll strike unexpectedly when the Xu family lets their guard down, quickly annihilating their power to prevent the Chen family from benefiting. Meanwhile, we can hire people to probe the Xu family's strength." Those familiar with Jason knew that when he smiled like this, someone was about to have bad luck. "Good!" Brian nodded, looking at Jason and then at Eric Li, berating Eric, "Useless! Look at your son, then look at yourself. I'm ashamed of you!" Humiliated, Eric hung his head, then suddenly looked up, exclaiming, "Dad, Jason is on good terms with the Chen family. Could they also get involved?" Proud of his quick thinking, Eric was suddenly slapped across the face by Brian, who scolded, "Is your head filled with excrement? If the Chen family wanted to intervene, would they need such a roundabout approach? Do you think they would intervene for someone like Alexander Xu?" In Brian's eyes, Anthony Chen and Alexander Xu were nothing but good-for-nothings. Even if they were close, the Chen family would not aid the Xu family in such a relationship. At their level, it was all about interests, not friendships. As Eric was scolded by Brian, other Li family members wanted to laugh but dared not due to Jason's presence, holding back to the point of turning purple. ... Alexander Xu's strategy successfully diverted public attention. Yesterday, everyone discussed the warehouse shooting, but today, the talk was all about the sensational news online. Compared to the shooting, the public was more interested in the scandalous news. Bowen Group's stock plummeted within ten minutes of opening, dealing an unprecedented blow to the Li family. Moreover, calls for boycotting all Bowen products began. It was expected that when the stock market opened the next day, Bowen's fate would remain the same. Products endorsed by Sofia Li also faced boycotts, causing countless businesses to regret and redirect their anger at the Li family, hiring online armies to denounce them. The impact of this event was far-reaching. Alexander had to admire the internet users' investigative prowess. Just hours after the scandal broke, they unearthed many old scandals, with evidence of numerous celebrities being kept by wealthy individuals. The entire entertainment industry was in peril, with even male celebrities implicated. Ironically, Alexander, Joseph You, and Joshua Xiao were also mentioned for previously keeping female stars. Fortunately, Prosperous World Group was not publicly traded; otherwise, its stock would have plummeted. However, Kangcheng Group and Green Island Group were not so lucky, with their stocks falling by 2 and 17, respectively, leaving Alexander feeling like he had shot himself in the foot. Thankfully, the focus remained on the Li family and those female celebrities, sparing them significant attention. While Alexander ruefully smiled at his computer, his phone rang with an unknown number. He usually ignored such calls. Just after hanging up, the phone rang again, it was still the same number. Alexander answered the call in confusion, and then an angry female voice erupted, "Alexander Xu, you damn bastard, why did you hang up on me?" "Who are you? Crazy!" Alexander was startled, knowing only a few people had his number. This woman clearly knew him and seemed quite upset, insulting him so vehemently. Without hesitation, he retorted. "Who am I?" The woman on the other end of the phone obviously didn't expect Alexander to ask this, and said angrily, "I'm Chloe Song!" "Ah, Chloe, how did you get my number?" Alexander was surprised, not expecting a call from her. He glanced outside; the sun hadn't risen from the west, had it? What was she up to? Chloe demanded, "Did you already know about Sofia Li's situation, and that's why you suggested collaborating with Victoria Qin?" Since Sofia's drug arrest, Chloe felt humiliated. Now with this scandal, and her previous recommendation to work with Sofia, she felt like she had lost face. If not for Hannah Lin's insistence on working with Victoria Qin, Prosperous World Group would have been in deep trouble. Feeling slapped in the face, she became suspicious that Alexander knew all along, which was why he had absurdly excluded Sofia. Once she had this idea, she couldn't stop thinking about it, so she asked Hannah for Alexander's phone number and called him to verify her guess! "I just said it on a whim; I had no idea this would happen," Alexander replied, "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. Bye!" After hanging up, Chloe in her office was stunned. How could he just end the call? Was this the same Alexander who used to pester her? Just recently, he was aggressive towards her, and now he seemed so indifferent? "Damn bastard, what are you up to?" Chloe fumed, increasingly curious about what had changed in Alexander. Since leaving the hospital, he seemed like a different person, not only avoiding her but also suddenly emerging as a skilled player, saving Prosperous World Group with a ridiculous reason. What she didn't know was that when a woman becomes curious about a man, that is when she begins to sink! Over the next few days, the scandal continued to ferment, drawing in more people. Many female celebrities were exposed, and the entire Huaxia Country was captivated by the unfolding events. Publishing houses rejoiced; amidst severe industry impacts, their business boomed. With Prosperous World Group involved in electronics, clothing, hotels, tourism, and more, any image damage would impact all related industries. After three consecutive days of Bowen's stock plummeting, the weekend provided a brief respite. The higher-ups decided enough was enough. The continued scandal would impact the economy. A televised address by top officials urged people to return to reason, reminded celebrities to behave, and instructed relevant departments to crack down on privacy breaches online. They began drafting internet security laws and regulations. The address worked. After the weekend, when the stock market reopened on Monday, Bowen's stock finally stabilized, falling slightly but within a normal range. Kangcheng and Green Island stocks began to rise slowly. The explicit photos were removed from major websites, and the scandalous storm finally calmed. In just a few days, many industries suffered heavy losses, especially the entertainment industry. Many completed movies were trashed, as actors involved in scandals made release unprofitable. It was better to discard them than face losses. The direct economic loss from this turmoil exceeded one hundred billion, with indirect losses hard to estimate. After the storm, Tianhai City seemingly returned to calm, but undercurrents swirled. Both the Li family and Alexander Xu chose to bide their time, each with their own calculations.