Chapter 204: Manipulating Public Opinion Again

"Boss, something's wrong! It's a big deal!"

As Huang Yulang was deep in thought, the door to the creative studio was suddenly flung open, and an employee burst in, sweating profusely and looking utterly panicked.

Huang Yulang was startled, his face darkening as he snapped, "What's with the panic? Has someone died or something? How bad can it be?"

"Boss, it's really a big deal. Just look!"

The employee, feeling frustrated by the scolding, had hurried to the company with all his might upon seeing the news, trying to make sure the boss got the information as soon as possible. His loyalty earned him a reprimand instead, which left him feeling quite disheartened.

However, knowing the gravity of the situation and its impact on the entire company—and his own interests—he swallowed his frustration and continued, handing the newspaper to Huang Yulang.

Frowning, Huang Yulang took the newspaper and opened it immediately.

Upon seeing it, his face changed dramatically. He spread the newspaper wide, focusing all his attention.

"How could this happen? He actually did this? He dared to do this? This is definitely revenge! It's over… it's over…"

As he read, Huang Yulang's face turned increasingly pale, and beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

Huang Yulang was completely stunned. This situation was entirely beyond his expectations. He had never imagined that Xia Yu could use such a method against him!

At this moment, Huang Yulang felt a chill running through his body. He hadn't expected Xia Yu to employ such insidious tactics. This was a masterful manipulation of public opinion, placing him on the edge of a cliff with no way out.

If he didn't handle this well, he would definitely fall—fall in the most disastrous way possible.

"Boss, what should we do?"

Seeing the boss's pale face and his own rising panic, the employee was also infected with fear. He nervously asked.

"What to do… what to do… How should I know? You ask me, and I'll ask who?"

Growing more terrified, Huang Yulang seemed to find an outlet for his frustration. His eyes widened as he shouted at the questioning employee.

Other employees, noticing the commotion, couldn't help but glance over. But seeing Huang Yulang's obviously disturbed state, they quickly looked away, not wanting to get involved and risk being used as a punching bag.

After berating the employee, Huang Yulang seemed to feel a bit better. He wiped his cold sweat, took a few deep breaths, and forced himself to calm down.

He couldn't resist looking at the newspaper again. Swallowing hard, his mind raced as he tried to think of a solution.

He knew Xia Yu would definitely retaliate. After all, if he were in Xia Yu's position and his company had an internal traitor, he would not be able to swallow his anger without retaliating.

But Xia Yu's method of retaliation was entirely unexpected. Huang Yulang had never anticipated such a treacherous move, and it was particularly lethal.

The news reported by *Fengyun Daily*, with images of a group of youths fighting inspired by the manga *Dragon Tiger Gate*, made Huang Yulang's first thought that this was either fabricated or deliberately designed to get back at him.

It couldn't be this coincidental!

*Fengyun Daily* was Xia Yu's, and just after offending him, this paper made such a bold report targeting him. The goal was clear: to deal with him, leaving no room for leniency, directly pointing the blame at *Dragon Tiger Gate*.

The intention was extremely malicious, with methods that were outright vicious!

It was a complete setup to ruin him!

As someone in the print media industry, Huang Yulang knew that once public opinion formed a dominant trend, those on the opposite side rarely fared well, unless a dramatic turnaround occurred.

But with the influence of *Fengyun Daily*, was it even possible to break such a powerful wave of public opinion?

If he could align *Sing Tao Daily*, *Ming Pao*, *Cheng Pao*, *Sun Pao*, and a few other major newspapers with him, there might be a chance to counter *Fengyun Daily*'s onslaught.

But thinking about Jiu Ding's even more formidable *Jiu Ding Daily*, Huang Yulang felt a deep sense of despair.

This was a dead end with almost no escape!

How could Xia Yu come up with such a devious plan?!

It could only be said that Huang Yulang was still inexperienced. In later times, such deliberate manipulation of public opinion, pushing someone into opposition with public sentiment, was a tactic many mastered skillfully.

Especially with the presence of internet trolls, such tactics occurred dozens of times a year.

So, Xia Yu's use of this tactic was perfectly normal.

And if Huang Yulang thought this was the end of Xia Yu's methods, he was gravely mistaken!

Since Xia Yu had resorted to such a reputation-damaging underhanded trick, he would not stop until he had maximized the damage, hitting Huang Yulang hard. Xia Yu wanted him to regret ever crossing him, to realize that he was no match for Xia Yu in the game of dirty tricks!

...

As Huang Yulang was at a loss, Shangguan Xiaobao also received the news.

Upon seeing the article in *Fengyun Daily*, he couldn't help but swallow hard, surprised at how quickly and severely Huang Yulang's retribution had come. The trend was clearly aimed at leaving Huang Yulang with no way out.

"Huang Yulang is in deep trouble. I wonder if he can make it through. If it were me, I wouldn't know how to handle it."

"They say you can't mess with a tiger's butt. Huang Yulang is no match for Xia Yu, and yet he dared to provoke him, even sending a traitor. He really had the guts to try!"

"Competing fairly, losing is just losing. It's no big deal. But he chose to play dirty, with no limits. Before, I couldn't do anything about him. This time, he's bumped into a solid obstacle!"

Shangguan Xiaobao muttered to himself, speculating about the plight of his old rival, and shook his head with a sigh.

Then, as if struck by a thought, he read the news again more carefully, feeling a pang of worry and muttering to himself.

"I hope this doesn't affect me. *Fengyun Daily* is clearly targeting *Dragon Tiger Gate*, but other newspapers might cross the line…"

Thinking of those unscrupulous, attention-seeking tabloids that might even fabricate news, Shangguan Xiaobao grew increasingly anxious.

He knew his own manga, *Bruce Lee*, also contained violent scenes, though not as much as Huang Yulang's *Dragon Tiger Gate*.

After the last crackdown by the Hong Kong government, he knew he had to take it seriously. So, he made significant revisions, even more than Huang Yulang's *Dragon Tiger Gate*, but the fact remained undeniable.

"Ugh, I hope it doesn't come to me…"

After a long while, Shangguan Xiaobao sighed deeply, troubled and worried.