Chapter 46: Crisis Concealed

Not long after, Ma Chengkun arrived at the meeting room. Seeing that everyone was present, he nodded in satisfaction and took his seat at the front.

"Alright, let's start the meeting!" Ma Chengkun's deep voice resonated in the meeting room. Everyone immediately straightened up and avoided looking sideways.

"I'm sure you are all aware of the newspaper sales figures from yesterday. Our newspaper office is facing a crisis, and I've held several meetings already. This is the third meeting. Since you haven't come up with any good solutions, I've given you ample time. Now, let each of you share your opinions. Qin Peng, you start."

As Ma Chengkun spoke, his sharp gaze swept over everyone's faces and finally landed on a subordinate.

Qin Peng, who was called upon, twitched his face, then respectfully nodded at Ma Chengkun and took a deep breath before speaking: "Alright, boss!"

"I believe that the reason for the impact of the 'Jiuding Daily' on our 'Oriental Daily' is…"

"Next!"

"Boss, the main reason for the severe impact on our 'Oriental Daily' is…"

"Next!"

…

After a round of discussions, over an hour had passed unnoticed. Ma Chengkun listened quietly, without interrupting their analyses and opinions. Finally, he looked at Li Nan, the head of the news department, and said: "Li Nan, you should have noted down the various analyses and opinions. Summarize the situation."

"Alright, boss." Li Nan nodded to Ma Chengkun and then began: 

"Based on the opinions of the colleagues, I summarize the situation as follows:

"First, the impact of the 'Jiuding Daily' on our 'Oriental Daily' is due to the homogenization of various livelihood and current affairs news. Our novel section is not up to the standard of the 'Jiuding Daily,' which has caused a significant impact.

"Second, the biggest impact comes from the financial industry section led by Xia Yu. The content is the most significant blow to our newspaper. Our content quality in this area is not as good as that of the 'Jiuding Daily.' More importantly, Xia Yu often recommends stocks to guide investors in making money. Buying our newspaper does not help users make money, but buying the 'Jiuding Daily' can. The disparity is evident, and many investors simply stop buying our newspaper.

"We've tried solutions, including hiring financial industry experts to write articles, but the results were not significant. One reason is the low output of these experts, who couldn't produce valuable articles in a few days. Moreover, the stocks recommended by these experts are not accurate, failing to attract investors' attention.

"Furthermore, after consulting stock market professionals, their opinion is that investors have become superstitious about the 'Jiuding Daily' due to its consistent accuracy. As a result, stocks recommended by the 'Jiuding Daily' are purchased without much thought. Investors don't have time to consider because if they hesitate, they miss out on the stocks. This forces other investors to buy stocks without proper consideration, leading to artificially inflated stock prices. Many stocks that shouldn't have risen significantly have seen extraordinary increases, which is illogical.

"However, as long as the 'Jiuding Daily' continues to recommend stocks accurately or at least causes no significant losses to some investors, their trust in the 'Jiuding Daily' will not waver. This situation will become increasingly severe, even to the point where stocks recommended by the 'Jiuding Daily' could be hyped up to absurd levels.

"The only viable solution, and the best method, is to cause the 'Jiuding Daily's stock recommendations to fail, leading to substantial losses for some investors. This will shatter the myth of the 'Jiuding Daily' and Xia Yu. When this happens, the 'Jiuding Daily' will face difficulties. The more severe the losses for investors, the harsher the criticism the 'Jiuding Daily' will face. This will naturally resolve the crisis for the 'Oriental Daily.'"

"Boss, that's the summary based on all the colleagues' opinions." Li Nan concluded.

"Hmm!" Ma Chengkun nodded in acknowledgment and signaled Li Nan to sit down. He then closed his eyes and began to ponder.

Seeing that the boss was deep in thought, the employees in the room kept quiet, not daring to disturb Ma Chengkun.

After a long while, Ma Chengkun finally opened his eyes.

"Alright, I've heard all your opinions. The meeting is adjourned!" Ma Chengkun said, then stood up and walked out, leaving a group of bewildered subordinates behind.

They were prepared for a scolding from the boss, but this time, after listening to the opinions, the boss simply left, which relieved them but also left them puzzled about what the boss was really thinking.

…

After leaving the meeting room, Ma Chengkun returned to his office, sat in his chair, and began to contemplate while stroking his chin.

"Since there are still commercial means to solve this problem, there's no need to force me to take drastic measures. After all, the final step involves too much risk."

"Shattering the myth of the 'Jiuding Daily's stock recommendations and breaking Xia Yu's reputation is indeed the best way. This can be considered the 'Jiuding Daily's Achilles' heel, but it's not easy to hit that Achilles' heel."

"Every time the 'Jiuding Daily' recommends new stocks, it leads to a frenzy among investors. Trying to forcefully bring down the stock prices would be extremely difficult. It's like charging at a large force, which is unwise and may result in failure. Although this method is the best, it involves too much risk and requires a huge amount of capital, which is impractical!"

"Since the main goal is to make investors lose money, once investors lose money, they will act like mad dogs. With some guidance in public opinion, it will definitely lead to blaming the 'Jiuding Daily.' When that happens, the 'Jiuding Daily' will be in turmoil. Other affected newspapers won't be lenient and will join forces to attack the 'Jiuding Daily,' not caring about adding insult to injury."

"In that case, let's start with the stocks previously recommended by the 'Jiuding Daily.' Xia Yu said that they wouldn't drop in the short term, so let's make them drop severely and slap his face!"

"But the stock market is in the financial sector, and to succeed, we must find professionals. However, the Ma family doesn't have any industry in this area, which is a problem!"

Thinking about this, Ma Chengkun felt a bit overwhelmed, and his brow furrowed unconsciously.

He had found a method but was now struggling with how to execute it effectively.

"It would be best to cooperate with someone who holds a grudge against the 'Jiuding Daily' or Xia Yu, as they would definitely cooperate with me wholeheartedly and achieve the maximum effect. Who could that be? Let me think…"

"Mingheng Industries?"

"Yes! The Wu family from Mingheng Industries was severely affected by the 'Jiuding Daily,' and they also have a financial sector. I remember they have a securities company."

"I heard they were in chaos after being deceived, but it's been a while, so they should have sorted out their situation."

"Moreover, the Wu family is also part of the Chaozhou-Shantou Chamber of Commerce, which has some connection with my Ma family. It's perfect for a partnership."

That's it!

The more Ma Chengkun thought about it, the more suitable it seemed. He made up his mind and found a number in his phone book. After dialing, he said: "Hello, Mr. Wu, this is Ma Chengkun. I'm not sure if you're available later. I have some urgent matters to discuss with you regarding Mingheng Industries…"

After talking for a while, Ma Chengkun hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and his eyes flashed with a cold light. A cruel smile curved at the corners of his mouth.