Chapter 607 - Unlogical retaliation
The press conference was held in Three Flavour International's conference room. None of the reporters were shocked by this action since they already knew that the Three Flavour International and Qihuang Charity Funds were one family with Su Tao as the boss. However, the Three Flavour International was just an enterprise that prioritised profits, while the Qihuang Charity Funds was a public organisation.
The advertisement video that Qihuang Charity Funds recently took was played, showing the innocent smiles of children playing games. But all of a sudden, the scene changed, displaying the scenery in Baihe City's orphanage. Ever since Qihuang Charity Funds came in, the entire foundation of the orphanage has changed. Not only did the size increase, but they even took in more orphans, upgrading their software and hardware in the process. Furthermore, they increased their employees and even renovated the children's resting area, dining area, and playing area.
All of a sudden, the scenery changed with Lu Shimiao showing up on the screen. She wore gold-framed spectacles and spoke in a feminine tone, "There are many orphans in China, and they're scattered around. Life is difficult for them to the point that some of them beg for a living. Undoubtedly, their life is constantly in danger, and if it wasn't for us, there would be another mask of darkness in the world. The Dawn Project by the Qihuang Charity Funds is to scatter light in every corner, bringing warmth to those orphans. Hence, we need your help!"
The melody in the advertisement video was soft and touching, which left all the reporters looking at it with serious expressions.
When the second video started, it was a completely different style. There were mountains, flowers, forests, and mist.
A slightly plump young man appeared in the video, Wang Peng, one of Su Tao's disciples. He wore black-framed spectacles with an oval face. He used a dead tree branch as a walking cane. He was covered in mud, wearing a pair of green shoes and wiped his sweat before he smiled. "Many people might envy me for living in the city instead of nature to avoid the haze, but I'm not happy at all."
The scene changed as it showed a lake, filled with rubbish and large patches of forest leveled to the ground…
At the same time, Wang Peng's regretful voice resounded, "Actually, nature is no longer as pure as we imagined. Human activity has seriously disrupted the balance of nature. In the past, the land beneath my feet once nurtured miraculous herbs that were effective in combating cancer, the Cloud Grass. However, it has already gone extinct. I would like to take the initiative for modern civilisation to hold our ground. The Qihuang Charity Funds' Mountain Herbs Project is to protect the last home for TCM herbs!"
There weren't any special effects in the two videos but they left everyone shocked since the videos utilised the most practical method to resonate with everyone's hearts.
At 3 p.m., the management of the Qihuang Charity Funds finally showed up, with Su Tao walking in last. The moment he appeared, the shutters started flashing. The reason for it was simple, Su Tao was the main representative in this press conference. Not only did he have a massive amount of fans, but he's also recently involved in a murder case.
Aside from being here for traveling expenses, the reporters also hoped to find some highlights for their articles.
Qin Meimei took charge of the press conference's sequence by making a simple description on the issue before she started attacking those rumors. Lastly, she reaffirmed the main topic for this press conference, "As the saying goes, the innocence will eventually come to light. This press conference isn't meant to make any stance against those rumors. After all, those rumors are groundless, so they will eventually fall as time passes. Putting it in another manner, if those rumors about our Qihuang Charity Funds are true, the government would have already taken legal measures against us by now. The objective of our press conference is to call out to the entire industry. We will start with ourselves by making the charity industry clean and try our best to change everyone's view of us. Henceforth, we have distributed the Charity Industry Proposal, and everyone can take a look at it."
Thereafter, the Qihuang Charity Funds' employees started to distribute documents to the reporters. When the reports looked through the document, all of them went into an uproar since they never expected that the Qihuang Charity Funds would take such an illogical retaliation against their crisis.
According to typical public relations routes, they should explain this matter. However, the Qihuang Charity Funds did not bother explaining those rumors on the internet and distributed the Charity Industry Proposal to standardise the conduct of the entire industry. Hence, everyone was taken by surprise.
Sweeping a glance at the reporters, Qin Meimei inwardly sighed. Judging from the reporters' response, she knew that Su Tao's bold idea had successfully redirected their focus.
"Our next segment will be questions and answers. Our President, Mr. Su, will be answering all your questions." Qin Meimei gave a deep glance at Su Tao. At this moment, she was a little worried within her heart. After all, Su Tao had a phobia for cameras. With so many cameras directed at him, she was worried if he could withstand the pressure and deal with the reporters.
For the question and answer segment, there wasn't any undercover reporter as per Su Tao's request. He requested a fully open exchange. Hence, the reporters all felt a little curious since they never expected that the Qihuang Charity Funds would make such a move. There were many reporters here who were sent by Jiang Mingxuan. Seeing this situation, they naturally weren't willing to fall behind and raised their hands.
"Hello, I am a reporter from Nanyue's City News. A few days ago, we knew that information about you being involved in a murder case was spread online with a photo, and I would like to ask if you have any explanation on this matter?" The reporter pushed his spectacles and asked in a heavy Nanyue accent.
"Firstly, the photo is real. Secondly, I was indeed the one who discovered the deceased and called the police. Lastly, Hanzhou City's police are currently investigating the matter, and they already have a suspect." As Su Tao pointed his finger at the screen, a video played, showing a woman boarding a black vehicle and continued, "I went to meet with the deceased because he called me and claimed that he possessed evidence of someone trying to maliciously put Qihuang Charity Funds in a scandal. But naturally, the culprit was a step ahead of me."
"How much of your words are trustable?" The reporter swiftly reacted and asked, "Is there a possibility of you trying to fabricate something to fool us?"
"Friend, this is a press conference. All of my words hold responsibility for the future of Qihuang Charity Funds. With so many media friends here, how can I possibly do something like that?" Su Tao wryly smiled.
The reporter was left speechless before he looked at Su Tao in apology. "Thank you. I'm finished with my question."
After that, the one that stood out was a reporter from Qiongjin Morning News. Just an hour ago, he received the call from Li Yede's secretary and was paid ¥10,000 to cause havoc in this press conference.
"I have two questions. Firstly, saying that innocence will eventually come to light won't change the current controversy around you. Are you able to provide any evidence to prove your innocence? Secondly, I have simply flipped through the document, and according to the Qihuang Charity Funds' intention, are you saying that there are also issues with other charity organisations?" The reporter asked.
Upon hearing those words, Qin Meimei turned to look at Su Tao. The reporter's words were intrusive. Generally speaking, the best method was to avoid the question.
Seated amongst the reporters, Asaka Ochi wore a grave expression since she never expected that this press conference would be so explosive. Su Tao was being targeted, and if he responded wrongly, it would cause all the reporters to relentlessly pursue him. If that's the case, the news tomorrow would be tough to handle.
This was the occupational disease of reporters in China. They weren't lenient, and they were subjective. Hence, they only sought for popularity while neglecting the truth.
"In law, those who claim guilty are responsible for providing the evidence. You claim that the Qihuang Charity Funds violated the law, so please do provide evidence on that. As for those views on the internet, they're groundless without evidence." Su Tao retaliated and continued, "Furthermore, are you trying to direct the hatred at us? We're only taking an initiative to point out the current problem in the industry, and we did not call everyone in the industry to do the same. At the same time, we did not say that everyone in the same industry has the same issue. As a reporter, if you don't even have a basic comprehension and judgment capability, I suggest that you should go back to school. It's China's sorrow to have a scumbag reporter like you around."
Su Tao retaliated without any hesitation, leaving all the reporters shocked. They never expected that Su Tao would retaliate so blatantly.
That reporter from Qiongjin Morning News instantly suffered the sympathetic and ridiculing gazes from his fellow reporters. His complexion turned red and he made up his mind to criticise the Qihuang Charity Funds tomorrow. At the same time, he also intended to give a ruthless judgment on Su Tao.
Thereafter, a few more reporters stood out. Although most of their questions were intrusive, they were all handled appropriately.
Qin Meimei sighed since she was worried. Although she felt pleasurable for Su Tao to retaliate against the reporters' questions in this manner, he lacked the technique. Hence, it caused the image of their Qihuang Charity Funds to fall. It now had an impulsive impression akin to a young man.
The press conference lasted for half an hour. When Qin Meimei announced the end of the press conference, all the reporters left with all sorts of expressions on their faces. For most of the reporters, they felt that this kind of press conference was pretty interesting. It wasn't plain like others, and from the start to the end, all of them felt a rise and fall in their emotions.
Su Tao's replies were direct and straightforward, so most of the reporters had a pretty good impression of Su Tao.
Walking down the stage, Su Tao smiled when he saw Qin Meimei's grave expression. "Don't worry about it. We have successfully baited our fishes. They must be under someone's orders to be here to cause havoc, so we will know after some investigation. This is a golden opportunity for us to turn the tables around!"