Chapter 370: Investment Involves Risks

Cheng Ye closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a deep, icy gloom had settled in his gaze.

“Where’s the surveillance footage? Check his whereabouts over the past few days.”

“I checked. The last time he appeared at the company was three days ago. He left very late that day, taking several documents and a laptop with him. He hasn’t been seen since.”

Cheng Ye stood rooted to the spot, feeling a chill shoot up from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He had been set up. From beginning to end, Xiao Shijun had deliberately lured him into a trap. Xiao Shijun was a blade—one that someone else had sharpened and handed over, just so Cheng Ye would stab it into his own heart.

BANG!

The office door was violently shoved open from the outside as Chen Junhao stormed in.

His face was flushed red, his hair disheveled, and his shirt collar askew. He looked as wretched as if he had just crawled out of a car crash.

“Cheng Ye! You’d better fucking explain this to me! What the hell is going on?!”

He marched up to the desk and slammed his palm onto the surface, making the documents and water glass jump.

“I invested a hundred million! A hundred million! Now that something’s happened with Jade Skin Cream, tell me, what are we going to do?”

Cheng Ye looked up at him, his voice laced with suppressed coldness. “Young Master Chen, when this product was first launched, you also gave the final approval.”

“You’re fucking telling me this now?!”

Chen Junhao’s voice rose a few pitches, the veins on his neck bulging.

“You told me this product was a guaranteed win, that it would crush the Xu Family! That’s why I invested my money! And now? The Xu Family is perfectly fine, and I’m about to lose everything down to my last pair of underwear!”

“Investments inherently carry risks. It’s not your first day doing business; you should understand this logic.”

Cheng Ye’s voice was even, but that very calmness made it all the more infuriating.

“Now that a problem has arisen, we should be figuring out a solution instead of you shouting at me in here. You have zero spirit of cooperation.”

Chen Junhao choked on those words, his face turning pale and green by turns. Finally, he squeezed a sentence through gritted teeth. “Fine, you’re real good, Cheng Ye. Just you wait. This isn’t over!”

With that, he turned on his heel and left, his heavy footsteps stomping the floor as if trying to shatter it.

After the office door slammed shut, Cheng Ye stood in place, silent for a long time.

The secretary stood by the door, not even daring to breathe too loudly. After quite a while, he spoke up softly. “President Cheng… what should we do about those people downstairs?”

“Call the police.”

Cheng Ye’s voice was unsettlingly calm. “Have the security guards hold the entrance. Forward all media calls to the PR department and tell them to unify their statements. Just say the company is investigating the matter and will give consumers a proper explanation.”

The secretary acknowledged the order and quickly turned to leave.

Cheng Ye walked back to the window, looking down at the crowd that still hadn’t dispersed. The chill in his heart grew denser.

Who exactly was Xiao Shijun working for? The Xu Family? Or someone else? He wasn’t sure, but there was one thing he knew for certain—someone was trying to destroy him. However, he couldn’t admit defeat so easily. He hadn’t reached a dead end yet; there had to be a turning point.

Meanwhile, in the office building of Xu’s Beauty Industry, the atmosphere was completely different.

Xu Yue sat in her office, an inspection report spread out before her. Next to it sat a bottle of Jade Skin Cream purchased from the market. She looked down at the data on the report. Her Liu Mei furrowed slightly, then slowly smoothed out again.

“It’s exactly as you said.”

She looked up at Yang Xun, who was sitting across from her, a tone of deep admiration in her voice.

“A very strange ingredient was added to Jade Skin Cream. In the short term, it can rapidly exfoliate the skin, making it look fair and tender. But once the skin barrier is compromised, it triggers severe allergic reactions and inflammation.”

Yang Xun leaned back in his chair and nodded. “If nothing unexpected happens, the complaints against Meiyan Biotechnology will start erupting en masse today.”

Just as he finished speaking, a knock sounded at the office door.

Zhou Miao walked in briskly, an irrepressible excitement on her face. “President Xu! Mr. Yang! A massive number of complaints have suddenly appeared online about Jade Skin Cream ruining people’s faces. It’s already hit the top of the trending searches. Several review bloggers have posted videos saying consumers experienced facial redness, rashes, and peeling after using it. Some even went to the hospital and were diagnosed with contact dermatitis!”

Xu Yue glanced at Yang Xun, a knowing light shining in her beautiful eyes. “It’s finally here.”

“Now is the perfect time for us to launch our new product.”

Yang Xun sat up straight, his tone turning serious. “I’ve already handed the Repair Cream formula over to the R&D department. The first batch of finished products has been tested as well, and there are no issues with its efficacy or safety.”

Xu Yue nodded. She picked up the intercom on her desk and dialed the R&D department. “Move up the production schedule for the Repair Cream. The first batch of goods must hit the distribution channels within three days.”

The next day.

The negative public opinion surrounding Jade Skin Cream continued to ferment. The crowd of protesters gathering at the entrance of Meiyan Biotechnology Company grew larger and larger, while related topics on social media remained consistently at the top of the charts.

Consumers who had purchased Jade Skin Cream banded together to demand refunds and compensation. The beauty bloggers and review accounts who had once advertised the product hurriedly deleted their posts, and some even switched sides to criticize it.

In the midst of this chaotic storm of public opinion, Xu’s Beauty Industry quietly launched its Repair Cream.

The commercial was shot very simply. An ordinary girl whose face had been damaged by Jade Skin Cream sat in front of the camera. With no filters and no beauty effects, she clearly displayed the redness, swelling, and peeling on her cheeks.

Then the scene shifted, and she began using the Repair Cream. One day, two days, five days—the condition of her skin visibly improved. The redness and swelling faded, the peeling healed, and her complexion gradually regained its even tone.

The final message of the video consisted of only six words: “Repair the damage, regain your health.”

The day this advertisement was released, it instantly caused a sensation. The comment section was packed with people, mostly consumers whose faces had been damaged by Jade Skin Cream:

“Finally, a company has stepped up to solve this problem!”

“My face was ruined for a week after using Jade Skin Cream, but it improved so much after using Repair Cream for just two days!”

“This is what a truly responsible enterprise looks like!”

Even though the Repair Cream hadn’t officially gone on sale yet, the victims already saw hope, backed by the solid reputation of Ninghua Cream.

Meanwhile, in the headquarters building of Meiyan Biotechnology Company, Cheng Ye sat in his now-desolate office. He stared at the screen showing the sales data of Xu’s Beauty Industry’s Repair Cream, his gaze as dark and stagnant as a pool of dead water.

Seven or eight cigarette butts were piled up in the ashtray before him. A thick stench of smoke permeated the room, blending with the occasional sound of traffic from outside the window, making the silence feel especially profound.

Only now did Cheng Ye realize in hindsight: the moment something went wrong with Jade Skin Cream, Xu’s Beauty Industry began marketing Repair Cream. It was an obvious move to steal Meiyan Biotechnology’s original customer base.

Meiyan Biotechnology sold a product that ruined faces, while Xu’s Beauty Industry sold Repair Cream. They were using this opportunity to build their reputation while raking in a fortune.

They were truly pushing him too far!