Chapter 9 True Friendship Shines Through Adversity

Yan Feng strode forward and said to Ling Xuan, "Where is the troublemaker?"

Ling Xuan replied, "He's inside."

Without saying a word, Yan Feng rushed forward with a few quick steps. When the man saw the police coming, he panicked and said, "I... I'm protecting my girlfriend's legitimate rights and interests..."

"I'm maintaining social order. Sorry, you're under arrest. If you have anything to say, come back to the police station with me," Yan Feng said as he stepped forward, took out a pair of handcuffs, pinned the man down, and cuffed him.

There was no way for the man to resist, so he had to surrender obediently.

Yan Feng pushed the man into the car and said to Ling Xuan, "Is there anyone here who knows the whole truth of what happened? Come back to the police station with me to give a statement."

Ling Xuan said to Ye Feng, "General Manager Ye, do you think you could go back to the police station with the police?"

Ye Feng hesitated for a moment and said, "The store manager on duty today knows the situation best. Let Xiaolan go." The Xiaolan she mentioned was Rao Xiaolan, the store manager of Qianying Flagship Store. She was 27 years old, a typical southern girl, and a charming beauty with a hint of a young married woman's allure. Usually, she tied her hair up in a bun and wore a hairnet, looking neat and tidy. She had an oval face, her eyes were not large, but they were very charming. When she smiled, her eyes would narrow into slits. She was only 160 centimeters tall. She wasn't the type of big - breasted beauty, but her breasts were not small either; they could only be considered of medium size. What was really prominent was her plump buttocks. Wearing the company's uniform, her beautiful buttocks were even more accentuated. The well - tailored one - piece narrow skirt and the nearly three - inch high - heeled shoes of the same color as the uniform, which were also uniformly distributed by the company, made her look especially capable, concise, and full of the allure of the uniform.

Hearing Ye Feng's words, Rao Xiaolan quickly came out of the store and said a bit nervously and unnaturally, "General Manager Ye, I... I've never been to the police station!"

Ye Feng put on a stern face and said coldly, "Do you think I have? You're the store manager here. Who else could know the situation here better than you?"

"Me?!" Rao Xiaolan was left speechless.

Ye Feng continued, "If you can't handle such a small matter, then Qianying Flagship Store will have to consider changing the store manager."

Rao Xiaolan hung her head, looking extremely aggrieved, on the verge of crying. In fact, they were all young girls, many of them were graduates from health schools or nursing departments. Their hearts were not much stronger than others'; instead, they were more vulnerable.

At this time, Ling Xuan stepped forward, patted Rao Xiaolan on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "It's okay. This policeman is my friend. You just need to tell the truth about what happened today. He won't make things difficult for you."

Rao Xiaolan looked at Ling Xuan. Seeing how certain he was, her eyes were filled with excitement as she said, "Can... can I ask Xiaowei to go with me?"

Xiaowei was an employee in the store, a very clever beautician, and also Rao Xiaolan's capable assistant.

Ling Xuan smiled and said, "Of course you can." With that, he walked towards Yan Feng and said, "These are all young girls here. Don't scare them later."

Yan Feng raised his voice and deliberately said loudly, "Do you think the police are tigers? Even if we are tigers, we're tigers protecting the safety of people's property. We only eat bad guys!" His words drew a burst of laughter from the onlookers.

Hearing what Yan Feng said, Rao Xiaolan felt much calmer. She took Xiaowei and got into the police car with Yan Feng, heading for the police station.

"What shall we do now?" Ye Feng stepped forward and said softly.

Ling Xuan looked at Wen Tianmei, who was still being interviewed by the TV reporter, and said, "Of course, we need to deal with the reporters. No matter what, we can't let the reporters publish today's news, or we'll be in trouble. I'll deal with the reporter from the morning newspaper. You ask Manager Wen to handle the TV reporter."

Ye Feng nodded in understanding.

At this time, because the police had taken the person away, the onlookers gradually dispersed. The morning - newspaper reporter took the opportunity to take a few photos. Ling Xuan stepped forward and grabbed him, saying, "Friend, let's talk over here."

The reporter, wearing a pair of glasses and with a sharp - mouthed and monkey - cheeked appearance, glared at Ling Xuan and said, "What's there to talk about? I've finished my interview."

Ling Xuan smiled and said, "It's not easy for you reporters, running around outside all day in the wind and sun. How about this? I'll invite you to a meal at the restaurant in front. Consider it a token of appreciation..."

The reporter pushed his glasses and said disdainfully, "Cut it out. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You want me not to publish the story, right?"

Seeing that the other party seemed to be well - prepared, Ling Xuan was startled, but he quickly calmed down and said, "Since you're so clear - minded, brother, let's be straightforward. How much do you want?"

"Humph! Just because you have money doesn't mean you can do anything. Reporters also have their own integrity and professional ethics," the reporter said without even looking at Ling Xuan, and turned to leave.

Ling Xuan felt extremely frustrated. Seeing that the reporter didn't respond to his soft approach, he took a few steps forward and whispered in the reporter's ear, "Since you want to be an upright reporter, I won't stop you. But we're also running an upright business. If someone deliberately makes things difficult for us, we won't take it lightly."

The reporter was taken aback. He looked at Ling Xuan and said, "What's this? A threat? I'll have you know..." He suddenly raised his voice.

"I'll have you know!!" Ling Xuan raised his voice even louder, drowning out the reporter before he could finish. He said coldly, "Brother, those who play around in the world will eventually have to pay the price. It's better to keep a low profile in life!!"

The reporter looked at Ling Xuan's imposing face, seemed a bit flustered, and didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly left.

At this time, Ye Feng came over from the side and asked, "Xiao Ling, how did it go?"

Ling Xuan said, "Things may not be as simple as we thought. This reporter clearly came prepared."

"What... what do you mean? I don't quite understand," Ye Feng asked, looking a bit confused.

Instead, Ling Xuan asked, "How about the TV station side?"

Ye Feng said, "Manager Wen said that since she called the people, she can naturally handle it. They'll only do a positive report."

As soon as Ling Xuan heard this, he got angry and said, "Positive report? What do you mean by a positive report? Whether it's positive or negative, as long as this kind of thing is reported, it's a disaster..."

Ye Feng said, "Then I'll go talk to her again and ask Manager Wen to try not to let them report it."

Watching Ye Feng turn around gracefully, Ling Xuan couldn't help but shake his head. He thought to himself that Ye Feng, who usually seemed so wise and capable, became so muddled and unaware of the seriousness of the situation when faced with a problem. It seemed that women were emotional beings and would inevitably get flustered when faced with major events.

Ling Xuan thought of the newspaper reporter and immediately took out his phone to make a call.

"Hello, President Ling. What can I do for you?" came the voice of Chen Haisen, the advertising department manager of the morning newspaper, from the other end of the phone.

Chen Haisen was someone Ling Xuan got to know after joining the company. Since the morning newspaper had a huge influence throughout the province, especially in City N, its advertisements were in high demand every day. As a large chain organization like Qianying, it was necessary to carry out some advertising promotions. Since Ling Xuan led the planning team into Qianying, they had placed more than two advertisements every week. Because Chen Haisen offered the lowest advertising prices, their relationship had grown deeper over time.

Normally, whenever Ling Xuan called Chen Haisen, it was either to place an advertisement or to ask him to come and get the money. Under such circumstances, Chen Haisen naturally treated Ling Xuan like a god of wealth.

Ling Xuan obviously wasn't as relaxed as usual. He said, "I need a favor."

"President Ling, since when did you become so polite? I can't stand it. Just tell me what you need," Chen Haisen replied readily.

Ling Xuan said, "Something happened here today, and I need your help."

Chen Haisen was startled and flattered. He said, "President Ling, just say it straight. If I can help, I, Xiao Chen, would go through fire and water for you."

Ling Xuan briefly explained the situation on the phone.

Chen Haisen said calmly, "You want me to stop him from publishing the story?"

Ling Xuan said, "If this gets out, it'll be like poking a hole in the sky for Qianying. Money is not a problem. The key is to stop the manuscript from being published."

Chen Haisen said, "Do you know the name of that reporter?"

Ling Xuan said, "No, I don't."

Chen Haisen said, "Then I'll keep an eye on it at the newspaper's editorial department. I'll let you know as soon as I get any news."

Ling Xuan said gratefully, "I really appreciate it."

Chen Haisen smiled and said, "As long as President Ling takes care of me in the future."

Ling Xuan smiled and said, "Of course."

When Ling Xuan hung up the phone, he felt a slight sense of relief. Although he usually didn't interact much with people, when he was in trouble, there were always kind - hearted people willing to help, which gave him a bit of comfort.