The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 278 Tough
A new day begins differently for everyone.

Her new day was a direct continuation of her sleepless night.

As the person in charge of "Easy Slow Travel", she had to personally coordinate everything from the acquisition plan of the textile industry chain to the response strategy of Jinling Capital. She didn't sleep a wink all night.

Despite not having slept all night, fatigue and drowsiness were naturally present—after all, physiological needs were there, and my eyelids were incredibly heavy.

However, thanks to Zhao Xiaochui's meticulous care, the discomfort that an ordinary old lady would experience after staying up all night—such as aches, weakness, or even dull pain—miraculously did not occur.

Even with the sun shining brightly outside the window, the office remains a hive of activity.

My colleagues all looked grave, phones were ringing incessantly, and the sound of keyboards clicking filled the air; they were all overwhelmed by this sudden crisis.

Indeed, it all came out of nowhere for them. Whether it was the cyberbullying or the acquisition, no one knew that their boss had gone to two places yesterday, met with many people, and rejected all sorts of temptations.

If everyone knew the full story, it's uncertain whether they would be willing and fully committed to working overtime.

That capricious and young massage therapist and boss did something that left Zhou Yaqin feeling helpless and troubled—he took all the support staff with him.

Only then did she truly realize how important those seemingly insignificant logistics staff were.

Without them, she had to pour her own tea, leave the scattered documents and trash unattended, figure out how to have breakfast herself, and even open the company door herself.

Not wanting to disturb her colleagues, Zhou Yaqin had to step away from her busy work and press the access control.

The heavy glass door slid open slowly, and a wave of noise washed over us...

The massive crowds still completely blocked the leisurely stroll, and the air was filled not only with noise but also with a burning curiosity and enthusiasm for watching.

Countless mobile phones were held high, flashes went off one after another, and the lenses greedily aimed at the once understated yet luxurious "Relax and Stroll" sign. When the door slid open, those lenses were shoved into Zhou Yaqin's old face.

Aren't you hot?

For some reason, Zhou Yaqin muttered this sentence, clearly indicating that she had anticipated it.

"Pfft~"

Laughter came from behind.

Qian Tu, carrying a coffee cup, strolled over and stood side by side with the old lady, facing the cameras together.

"In some people's eyes, they are the so-called 'core supporters,' a group that I often use in my industry. Never overestimate their culture, and never underestimate their malice!"

Qian Tu spoke softly, glaring at a streamer trying to grab attention. The streamer was indignant in front of the camera, yet with a hint of theatrical excitement, attempting to create the image of a "messenger of justice."

Then, he looked at the old lady and said, "President Zhou, the boss asked me to confirm several times whether everyone is ready."

Zhou Yaqin raised an eyebrow, her face showing a hint of disdain and a touch of schadenfreude.

She glanced at the coffee cup in Qian Tu's hand and curled her lip. "Prepare? Prepare what? I've seen it all in my life! And what are you doing here with a coffee cup? I asked you to help carry breakfast." Seeing the old lady's outburst, Qian Tu quickly put the coffee cup aside and said seriously, "President Zhou, you've weathered many storms, but what about your colleagues? The terrifying thing about cyberbullying is that it can make it impossible for a person to move an inch in the real world. It can dig up your past, present, and future, examine them with a magnifying glass, and interpret them with malice."

The lawyer's lengthy explanation did not move Zhou Yaqin; the old lady sneered throughout: "Malicious interpretation, is it? You want to break our mental state, is it? You want to cause social death, is it?"

After a series of questions, the old lady darted out, her movements so agile that she didn't seem like someone her age, leaving the junior legal counsel speechless.

She bypassed the police officers on duty and rushed straight to the most conspicuous person in the crowd—a young man holding a selfie stick, spitting as he spoke into his phone screen, with rousing background music playing in the background and comments scrolling rapidly across the screen. He was clearly live-streaming and stirring up emotions.

"Hey! You! I'm talking to you!" Zhou Yaqin pointed at him, her voice not loud, but with a penetrating force that instantly drowned out the background noise of his live stream.

The young man was beaming at the camera when he was suddenly called out. He paused for a moment, then instinctively pointed the camera at Zhou Yaqin.

The old woman ignored everything and shoved her face directly into the camera, her weathered face instantly filling the entire screen, even the wrinkles around her eyes were clearly visible: "Expert interpretation? Searching for the truth? What truth are you looking for? Did you bring the victim? Why don't you bring the person out here!"

The old woman's self-righteous manner left the young man speechless, and the live stream chat was instantly filled with question marks and "Who is this old woman?".

Zhou Yaqin glanced at the rapidly changing number of viewers on her phone screen, raised an eyebrow, and quickly pulled out her phone, snapping a picture of the young man's live stream. Then, she grabbed his collar with such force that he stumbled and nearly fell.

"5038 people, that's enough!" Zhou Yaqin shouted to the police officers on duty, her voice booming, "I want to report a case! Article 246 of the Criminal Law, online defamation! This kid spread rumors and incited emotions during his live stream, which constitutes the crime of defamation!"

The police officers on duty had a bad feeling as soon as they saw Zhou Yaqin, the elderly woman. She was a notorious troublemaker who disliked excitement and was always looking for trouble. Now, hearing her directly report the case and even accurately quote the relevant articles of the criminal law, the two officers exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

One of them, steeling himself, stepped forward and said to the young man, "Sir, please come with us."

"........."

The scene was deathly silent. All the onlookers, social media users, bloggers, livestreamers, and even the police officers who had just arrived to provide support were all staring at the scene in utter bewilderment.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, the young man was half-pushed away by the police. His phone, which was still live-streaming, was left on the ground with the camera angled, yet it still faithfully recorded the scene.

The old lady strode forward again, kicked aside the obstructing selfie stick, straightened the phone that was still broadcasting live, and said to the viewers in the live stream with a forced smile:
"The boss donated money and ran away?"

She scoffed, "Please tell me which of your payments you received. If you have any, please post proof and I'll transfer it to you right away! Huh? Why aren't you saying anything? Weren't you so capable? A bunch of rabble!"

She then pointed to the store behind her, "See this building? That's our own property. Why would we want to take your money? We don't care about your little bit of money!"

"Expert? What kind of expert? What achievements have they made? What's so outstanding about their work? They have nothing to offer but they come out here to point fingers?"

"So what if I'm an orphan? Do I need your approval to learn a skill on my own? You disagree? Who do you think you are?"

"Remember, before the official conclusion is reached, all criticisms must be supported by evidence! Evidence! Remember, kids, spewing nonsense online only proves that you are a worthless piece of trash in real life!"

"Everything depends on evidence, otherwise..."

The old lady pointed her finger at the camera with an arrogant expression:
What can you do to me?!

(End of this chapter)