Conflict of interest?
Murong Feng carefully thought back, but his personality was calm and he was always kind to others, generally having good relationships with people. He was usually busy with work, looking at projects, and attending various meetings, he couldn't think of any incidents where he had made enemies. As for interests, Murong Feng smiled and shook his head - with his wealth in the millions, what conflicts of interest could he possibly have with others?
Unable to come up with anything after racking his brains, Murong Feng smiled and used Ye Zi's words to reassure Tang Qing: "Forget it, Janney. I can't think of any conflicts of interest I might have with anyone. An upright person need not fear a crooked shadow. I believe this kind of mudslinging won't be able to do much to me. Once we hold the press conference tomorrow, it'll be fine."
Hearing him say this, Tang Qing could only agree, though a hint of unease lingered in her heart.
By this point, Murong Feng had calmed down. He calmly asked Ding Jun to continue explaining the company's situation, determined to deal with the rumors tomorrow. When Liu Xin and the others heard that the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation would hold a press conference tomorrow to explain Murong Feng's innocence, they also set aside their worries.
Originally, Murong Feng had planned to merge the two companies together to form a new company. But after discussion, everyone felt this approach would involve too many complicated processes and personnel issues. After all, Fengxing's headquarters was currently in Shenzhen, with a large branch office in Beijing, while Ayu was an established gaming company of several years based in Hangzhou. Merging the two would be very troublesome.
In the end, they decided to take the approach of establishing a new company. Murong Feng and the original shareholders of the two companies would contribute capital to form a new joint-stock company based on their equity ratios in the net assets of the two companies. This new joint-stock company would then acquire all the equity of Murong Feng and the original shareholders of the two companies at face value, thereby making the two companies wholly-owned subsidiaries of the new joint-stock company.
Everyone agreed with this method, as it would facilitate the consolidation of financial statements and integration of the two companies' businesses in the future. Most importantly, it would be beneficial for a future IPO of the company. Of course, as the controlling shareholder of both companies, Murong Feng could have made the decision entirely on his own. The fact that he was willing to involve everyone made Ding Jun and the others feel grateful.
After reaching this preliminary agreement, everyone was very pleased. Although one shareholder, Bao Zixian, was absent from the meeting, they believed that with his years of experience in capital markets, he would surely agree to this new merger model. Seeing how Murong Feng had quickly regained his composure and calmly continued to discuss the company's development plans with them despite suddenly facing a PR crisis, everyone admired his unflappable demeanor in the face of danger, which showed the bearing of a great general.
As everyone walked out of the conference room chatting and laughing, Murong Feng keenly noticed that many of the young employees in the company were looking at him with something extra in their eyes. He sighed inwardly, realizing the power of rumors was indeed formidable.
After having dinner with everyone to celebrate in the evening, Murong Feng returned home. He found himself quite interested in browsing various online posts about the negative rumors surrounding him. Seeing many netizens angrily condemning him as a hypocritical tycoon in their replies, with some even resorting to vulgar insults, Murong Feng didn't feel angry. Instead, he felt these people were pitiful for having their sympathy manipulated.
The most amusing was a post accusing Murong Feng of a hit-and-run accident. Some netizens who were familiar with the incident mentioned by the rumormonger had started to reply, explaining in detail who the real wealthy culprit in that accident was, as well as how the incident was resolved afterwards. Both sides were arguing fiercely, with some even posting on-site photos and media reports. Murong Feng was surprised at first, then delighted. While there were many troublemakers on the internet, there were also people with a sense of justice. Indeed, as people say, the internet is like a mirror, reflecting people's true inner selves in reality.
In fact, when he first saw these rumors, he was very angry, but after a while, he became quite calm about it. There was too much unfairness and darkness in society, and ordinary people, suppressed and tormented in reality, were willing to vent on the internet. Murong Feng had experienced negative abuse before; there were often posts cursing him on his Tieba forum. When he occasionally saw them, he just laughed it off. He decided to leave that virtual world to those with dreams, as he had too many things to do in the real world to bother with these matters.
But the appearance of these rumors this time was too bizarre!
He recalled Tang Qing's words again. Now, sitting alone at home in the dead of night, looking at the countless headlines on the computer screen and the hundreds of thousands of search results on Baidu, he couldn't help but be startled, suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat! Indeed, as Tang Qing said, this matter was not simple!
Murong Feng began to carefully ponder the intentions behind these rumors.
False charity - this was understandable. Although it was slander that could be exposed with one act, it still struck at the core of Murong Feng's good social reputation. It was worth noting that there are many people richer than Murong Feng, and even more who are more successful in business. The reason he had suddenly gained such high social status and fame was due to his enthusiasm for charitable causes. Even if this rumor was later truly clarified, it would still have a very negative impact on Murong Feng's reputation.
As for his first bucket of gold and his relationship with the underworld, these were not suitable for public disclosure. A young tycoon who made his fortune through the lottery would naturally be looked down upon by the business world, unlike those who started from scratch. On the contrary, his current reticence about his past made people feel he was mysterious, leading to countless speculations about his background. In comparison, the so-called underworld forces could be set aside. In today's society, the intertwining of the underworld and the mainstream was something everyone knew but didn't speak about openly about.
Thinking carefully about these two rumors, the implications behind them were very profound, seemingly targeting Murong Feng's vital points. This couldn't be casual rumors spread by ordinary netizens, but rather a very premeditated and planned attack against Murong Feng!
In contrast, Murong Feng believed that the so-called hit-and-run rumor was just some netizens' resentment of the rich. It just happened to coincide with the other rumors being hotly discussed online, so someone posted this to join in the commotion. It wasn't worth mentioning.
Murong Feng stood on the terrace, slowly finishing a cigar, his mind settling on how to handle tomorrow's press conference. Only then did he return to his room to rest. In the meantime, he also called Ye Zi and Tang Qing to reassure them and ease their worries.
.....
The next day, at 10 am sharp.
There were actually more than 80 media outlets, big and small, from Beijing that came to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation's press conference. Murong Feng almost fainted at the sight. Among them were not only traditional media like Beijing Daily and Beijing Times, new internet media like Sina and Sohu, business media like Financial Times and 21st Century Business Herald, but also surprisingly Beijing TV's finance channel and some entertainment media outlets!
Murong Feng thought to himself, "I'm not from the entertainment circle, why are there so many entertainment reporters here?!" He walked into the venue with Mao Yufang, the deputy director of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, immediately causing a commotion. The media reporters were all eager to rush forward to ask questions.
After the efforts of the foundation's on-site staff, the media finally quieted down, waiting for the foundation's representative and Murong Feng to speak.
The first to speak was Mao Yufang, a woman nearing 50, an old comrade who had devoted herself to charity work. She had always appeared at the foundation's fundraising and charity events in various places, and the media was very familiar with her. They believed that the words from her mouth would surely be the most authoritative statement from the foundation.
"Friends from the media, thank you very much for taking your valuable time to attend this press conference. On behalf of the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, I thank you all for this!...The main purpose of today's press conference is to use this method to clarify to the media the recent rumors about Mr. Murong Feng's donation to the 'TOM Charity Foundation' jointly established by the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and the TOM Beijing Company for the Mother and Infant Safety 120 Action Project."
She paused, looked seriously at the media reporters below, and said in a clear, loud voice: "In addition to the funds generated from the charity auction, Mr. Murong Feng personally donated 20 million yuan. These funds were transferred to the foundation's account on the second day after the auction! I am also very happy to announce here that this donation has been used by the foundation for maternal and child social work in remote areas of western provinces! On behalf of the many mothers and children who have received help, I would like to thank Mr. Murong Feng for his kind act and to strongly condemn those who maliciously spread rumors online!"
She became a bit emotional, paused in her speech, adjusted her mood, and then continued: "This press conference, on the one hand, hopes to clarify the unfair rumors Mr. Murong Feng has received, and on the other hand, hopes to take this opportunity to call on more friends in society to contribute more love and pay attention to the survival and development of vulnerable groups. I think kind acts like Mr. Murong Feng's should be widely publicized, and he should not be disrespected and slandered but instead praised and respected. This way, more friends and elites will be willing to reach out to help vulnerable groups, our society should praise charity, not slander it. Thank you all."
Mao Yufang was a person full of emotion, and her speech deeply moved the media below. But as Murong Feng walked up to the stage, all the media reporters excitedly stood up, hoping to rush forward to interview him. The staff hurried over to maintain order.
Murong Feng smiled and said into the microphone: "Friends from the media, thank you all, please take a seat, no need to be in a hurry, I'll answer your questions. But before that, I would like to say a few words."
Hearing his words, the media quieted down again.
"I am very grateful that the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation could hold such a press conference to clarify this rumor. Regarding this matter, I want to express my attitude. Doing charity is not for fame. I just hope that whilst I have the ability, I can help more people in need, but if people think I'm doing this for fame, I don't mind, because I'll still continue to do it."
Saying this, he took out a check from his pocket and smiled: "I'll take this opportunity to announce that I'll be donating another 30 million yuan to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation's Mother and Infant 120 Action Project. I hope it can help more mothers and children." He smiled and continued: "Of course, those who spread rumors can continue to question the arrival of this donation. But I don't think I'll hold another press conference!"
Saying this, he walked down from the stage and respectfully handed the check to Mao Yufang with both hands. He said respectfully: "Director Mao, I am young and rash, but my feelings towards charity are sincere. Please accept this donation on behalf of the foundation." Mao Yufang looked at his sincere eyes, not knowing what to feel, but eventually nodded and smiled, taking the check and saying: "Alright, on behalf of the foundation and those mothers and children who will receive help, thank you!"
The media at the scene were all stunned by Murong Feng's words and this scene, with a phrase rising in their hearts: "Money is really powerful!" Casually taking out 30 million for donation, that face full of pride and disdain for the rumormongers was deeply imprinted in the reporters' minds.
After a brief moment of silence, the atmosphere immediately became as noisy as a pot boiling over.
Murong Feng, however, confidently walked back to the podium, smiling and saying he was now willing to answer reporters' questions.
The first reporter he pointed to was Xiao Qiang from Financial Weekly, a familiar face. She had called Murong Feng's mobile phone the day she saw the news, but was casually brushed off by Murong Feng. Now given the opportunity, she immediately stood up and asked: "Mr. Murong Feng, there are also some rumors online saying that your first bucket of gold and the kidnapping case are related to underworld forces, involving money laundering. How do you respond to this rumor!" As a financial reporter who had interviewed Murong Feng in-depth and tried to dig into his background, she still had no information about the initial source of his wealth, feeling his mysteriousness deeply. Now that this rumor had come out, she was half-believing, half-doubting, so she put the question to Murong Feng.
Murong Feng was well-prepared. He smiled and said: "I've seen the rumor you mentioned, and my evaluation of it, is that it's nonsense. I believe all the media present saw the police's case report about my kidnapping case at the time. I don't need to repeat the specifics, but if it's not the rumormongers lying, then it's the police lying. As for which is true and which is false, I believe you should all have a conclusion."
He answered this question by avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial, but skirted around the question of his first bucket of gold. Xiao Qiang cursed him for being cunning in her heart, but looking at his calm and carefree smile, she knew that asking further would not yield any content, and would only offend him, so she had to give up reluctantly.
Another reporter asked about the hit-and-run rumor, and Murong Feng laughed and said: "There's already a correct answer online now, including the cause of this accident, the person responsible, and the police station that handled the case, all of which can be verified. I can only say that it wasn't something I did, you shouldn't be asking me about it."
...
This press conference left a deep impression on various Beijing media outlets.
Murong Feng had previously been quite mysterious in the eyes of the Beijing media, and it's worth noting that he was now also the owner of an influential Beijing media company, giving the media a somewhat sympathetic feeling. Now seeing his graceful demeanor, resolving this crisis with a light touch, as if sweeping away rumors with a wave of his hand, they all admired him greatly.
Xiao Qiang, hearing other female reporters excitedly discussing how handsome and charming Murong Feng was as they left the venue after the press conference, couldn't help but smile bitterly. This Murong Feng was too formidable!