It Started With a Kiss: Leng Shao's Beloved Wife

Chapter 185 Art Exhibition Undercurrent: Danger Arrives Again

Wu Xinyan held the photo in the package, her fingertips trembling slightly.

There is nothing wrong with the photos themselves. They are just some tidbits from the exhibition preparation process. However, the shooting angle is extremely tricky, and coupled with malicious editing and exaggerated text descriptions, they have become "ironclad evidence" of serious violations of regulations in the exhibition.

Luo Yichen took the photo, his face solemn and his eyes as deep as a cold pond.

"Someone is deliberately targeting you and this exhibition." He said with a firm tone, with a barely perceptible chill.

Before she finished her words, Wu Xinyan's phone began to vibrate wildly, and the name "Curator Liu" flashed on the screen.

She took a deep breath and answered the phone. Curator Liu's anxious voice came from the receiver: "Ms. Wu, this is terrible! Negative photos of the exhibition are everywhere online. Public opinion is in an uproar, and many media outlets are contacting us, demanding an explanation!"

Wu Xinyan felt a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and her face turned pale in an instant.

She hung up the phone, leaned back in her chair weakly, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself down.

Luo Yichen gently put his arm around her shoulders and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

The situation quickly escalated, and those carefully edited photos spread like a virus on the Internet, pushing the exhibition to the forefront of public opinion.

The company's top management was furious and held an emergency meeting. Wu Xinyan stood in the center of the conference room, bearing pressure from all sides.

"Wu Xinyan, you must give us a reasonable explanation! This exhibition is vital to the company, and this is how you take responsibility?" an executive asked sternly.

Wu Xinyan took a deep breath, tried to stay calm, explained the whole story in detail, and emphasized that the photo was edited maliciously.

She retrieved the original photos and videos to prove that the preparation process of the exhibition was legal and compliant.

However, those executives did not seem to buy it, and doubts continued to arise.

“Who knows if these photos and videos were fabricated by you?”

"Now that public opinion has fermented online, even if you explain it clearly, it will cause irreparable damage to the company's reputation!"

"Wu Xinyan, you must take full responsibility for this incident!"

Luo Yichen sat aside, remaining silent, his deep gaze fixed on Wu Xinyan.

After the meeting, Luo Yichen walked to Wu Xinyan, gently held her hand, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Wu Xinyan raised her head and looked into his determined eyes, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

However, this warmth was soon replaced by a new crisis.

Curator Liu ran over in a panic, saying rapidly, "Ms. Wu, Mr. Luo, something bad has happened! Critic Chen... Critic Chen..."

He paused, as if he was having trouble speaking. "He... he withdrew his positive review of the exhibition..."

Luo Yichen's eyes glared, "Withdraw?"

Critic Chen is known for his sharpness and fairness, and his positive comments are crucial to this exhibition.

Now, his withdrawal has undoubtedly made matters worse and given malicious attackers more excuses.

Curator Liu, sweating and trembling, took out his mobile phone and showed the two people the latest statement released by critic Chen.

In the statement, critic Chen vaguely stated that due to "personal reasons", he needed to re-evaluate the value of the exhibition and temporarily retracted his previous positive comments.

Wu Xinyan felt dizzy and almost lost her balance.

She suppressed her panic and tried to remain calm. "Contact Critic Chen. I want to talk to him in person."

However, critic Chen declined her request for a meeting.

On the phone, his tone was cold, as if he had become a different person.

"Ms. Wu, I'm not available to accept any interviews right now. Please understand." After saying that, he hung up the phone in a hurry.

Wu Xinyan felt like she was trapped in an invisible giant net. The more she struggled, the tighter she became.

Some people in the art world who originally supported the exhibition have also begun to wait and see, and are no longer speaking out easily, for fear of getting into trouble.

Wu Xinyan felt isolated and helpless, like a small boat in a storm, which could be swallowed by the huge waves at any time.

Luo Yichen looked at Wu Xinyan's pale face and held her in his arms with heartache, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." His tone was firm, as if it contained endless power.

Luo Yichen quickly mobilized his media resources and began to investigate the source of the photo.

His team was highly skilled and quickly identified the publisher of the photo. They then followed the clues and found the mastermind behind the incident - it turned out to be Hengyuan Group, the biggest competitor of the Luo Group!

It turned out that Hengyuan Group had been eyeing the Luo Group's position in the art market, and this exhibition was a perfect opportunity for them to strike a blow against Luo.

They carefully planned this public opinion storm with the aim of completely destroying the exhibition and thus damaging Luo's reputation.

Luo Yichen's eyes were cold, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Hengyuan, since you want to play, I will play with you to the end!"

He immediately arranged for people to collect evidence of Hengyuan Group's involvement in the incident and contacted several authoritative media outlets, preparing to make the truth public.

At the same time, he also secretly contacted critic Chen, hoping to talk to him in person.

Just then, Wu Xinyan's cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

She hesitated for a moment, but still answered the phone.

"Ms. Wu, I know who's behind this..." A mysterious voice came from the other end of the line, "Meet me at the usual place at 10 o'clock tonight. I'll tell you everything."

Wu Xinyan glanced at Luo Yichen, her eyes full of doubt.

Luo Yichen nodded slightly, indicating that she should go to the appointment.

At ten o'clock in the evening, Wu Xinyan arrived at the agreed location on time - a hidden cafe.

She looked around but didn't see anyone suspicious.

Just as she was puzzled, a figure walked out from the corner. Under the dim light, the face gradually became clear...

"It's you?!" Wu Xinyan exclaimed.

The person coming is...

Lin Artist!

He looked at Wu Xinyan with complicated eyes and said slowly: "I know you have a lot of questions, but now is not the time to explain. I can only tell you that all this is..."

Artist Lin lowered his voice and spoke rapidly, "This is all a conspiracy by the Hengyuan Group! They bribed me to deliberately cause trouble and provide them with those photos. Critic Chen was also threatened by them and had to withdraw his review. My conscience is uneasy, so I want to tell you the truth."

Wu Xinyan was shocked, but she quickly calmed down and asked, "Why did they do this?"

"Hengyuan wants to take over Luo's share of the art market. This exhibition is their best opportunity to strike back," Artist Lin said gravely. "I know I was wrong. I'm willing to cooperate with you in exposing Hengyuan's conspiracy."

With Artist Lin's testimony, Wu Xinyan and Luo Yichen had the key evidence.

Luo Yichen acted quickly, contacted critic Chen, and promised to protect his safety.

Critic Chen finally decided to stand up and expose Hengyuan's evil deeds.

The next day, Wu Xinyan, together with critic Chen and other influential figures in the art world, held a press conference.

At the press conference, Wu Xinyan made all the evidence public and exposed the conspiracy of Hengyuan Group.

Artist Lin also spoke out, admitted his mistakes, and pointed out the crimes of Hengyuan Group.

Public opinion was in an uproar and Hengyuan Group fell into a huge crisis.

Their stock plummeted and their reputation plummeted.

The Luo Group took the opportunity to fight back and further consolidate its position in the art market.

The company's top management was very satisfied with Wu Xinyan's performance. Not only did they cancel the punishment against her, they also appointed her to be in charge of a new important project - the "Starlight Project".

Wu Xinyan was ready to take over the new project with great confidence, but when she was looking through the project documents, she found a signature on one of the cooperation agreements, which shocked her heart.

"How could it be him..." Wu Xinyan muttered to herself, her face turning pale in an instant.

At this moment, the office door was gently pushed open and a familiar figure walked in.

"Long time no see, Miss Wu." The visitor gave a meaningful smile.