"Boss, why don't you check it online? The whole internet is buzzing about it. If you don't come forward to clarify, this rumor will only be confirmed," the assistant said.
"This is utter nonsense! With the Lin family's status, do I need to resort to plagiarism for publicity?" Lin Qian roared, then belatedly realized that before the Lin family's troubles, her paintings had always been flawless and were even highly praised by business tycoons. Yet, now that the Lin family had encountered problems, why were those people accusing her of plagiarism?
Fu Yan Ting's image flashed in Lin Qian's mind.
But Fu Yan Ting was now lying in the hospital, barely alive, so how could he accuse her?
Lin Qian fell into deep thought. For years, the Lin family had worked diligently in the business world and hadn't offended anyone. Who was it that disliked her and wanted to ruin her this way?
Mu Qing, this alias, was one Lin Qian had maintained for years. Lin Qian herself enjoyed painting, and with the Lin family's backing, she had encountered few obstacles in the art world.
But now, with this sudden turn of events, Lin Qian felt completely helpless.
The Lin family, in their current predicament, could barely protect themselves, let alone come to her rescue.
Lin Qian clenched her fists tightly, thinking that the current state of the Lin family was all Fu Yan Ting's doing.
Lin Qian's hatred for Fu Yan Ting deepened.
Lin Qian spoke indifferently, "Go and investigate who is slandering me. We must sue them to the fullest extent of the law."
After speaking, as if remembering something, Lin Qian added, "Also, hire some internet trolls to suppress this issue."
"Boss, this matter might be very difficult."
"What do you mean by that?"
Lin Qian was too anxious, and her tone involuntarily grew louder.
The assistant carefully reported, "The other party is a skilled hacker. All the IP addresses have been specially processed, so we can't find them. As for hiring internet trolls, your paintings have always targeted business magnates and followed a commercial path. Therefore, very few people online know your alias, making it difficult to find them to testify on your behalf."
"Haven't you heard the saying, money makes the world go round? Handle this for me."
The assistant knew that money could indeed make the world go round.
But how much money could the Lin family, in their current situation, truly spare to resolve this matter?
Although the assistant felt a sense of disdain internally, he dared not show it to Lin Qian.
He could only explain softly, "Boss, this will require a substantial amount of funds. Our current financial situation likely won't allow for it."
"Isn't there Fu Yan Ting? Is the Fu family's financial strength sufficient?"
The assistant had been with Lin Qian for many years and was naturally aware of the grudges between Lin Qian and Fu Yan Ting.
The assistant couldn't help but frown. Given Lin Qian's attitude towards Fu Yan Ting, would Fu Yan Ting be willing to part with money to salvage her reputation?
After the assistant hung up, Lin Qian clenched her fists tightly. It was all Fu Yan Ting's doing. Even if he wasn't directly responsible, he was undeniably linked to it.
If Fu Yan Ting hadn't caused the Lin family's downfall, the Lin family wouldn't be in such a financial state that they couldn't help Lin Qian.
Therefore, when traced back to the root, it was all Fu Yan Ting's fault.
Fu Yan Ting must compensate her, and even their Lin family.
However, Lin Qian was also acutely aware of Fu Yan Ting's attitude, recalling his words and actions at the hotel.
Fu Yan Ting would rather die than have anything to do with her again.
If she were to bring this up with Fu Yan Ting after he woke up, he would likely refuse.
Moreover, in his current state, it was still uncertain when he would wake up.
With this thought, Lin Qian shifted her target to Yan Zi Tong.
That little boy looked easily deceived. As long as she said a few sweet words, she was sure she could trick him.
With a hostage, she didn't believe Fu Yan Ting wouldn't help them.
Unless, that child had a poor relationship with Fu Yan Ting.
But that child had a good relationship with Yan Xi, and Lin Qian knew that Fu Yan Ting cared a great deal about Yan Xi.
He had even been willing to endure an unfair treaty and sign it for Yan Xi's sake. Therefore, Fu Yan Ting would definitely not abandon this child.
With this realization, Lin Qian's lips curved slightly, as if her previous bad mood had been entirely dispelled.
Yan Zi Tong was home alone and bored, so he posted all of Lin Qian's plagiarized paintings online.
Of course, even though Lin Qian had pursued a commercial path over the years, most of her paintings were bought by business magnates. Nevertheless, some people still staunchly supported Lin Qian.
After all, Lin Qian had engaged in numerous charitable activities over the years, which had accumulated a certain popularity for her.
Now that Lin Qian was in trouble, a portion of her fans still jumped out to defend her.
"What makes you say Mu Qing's paintings are plagiarized? If I asked you to paint something like that, you couldn't even do it. You're just sour grapes."
"Exactly! I've met Master Mu Qing in person. She's very amiable and gentle, not someone who would do such things."
People chimed in one after another, making Yan Zi Tong's lips twitch.
Were these people blindfolded by their inner thoughts?
How could they say such things so casually?
Yan Zi Tong wouldn't be intimidated or back down from their attacks.
Having initiated such a significant move online, Yan Zi Tong had undoubtedly prepared himself to clash with these people.
Yan Zi Tong calmly and methodically posted Lin Qian's plagiarized paintings one by one online.
Despite this, some people remained incredulous and continued to defend Lin Qian.
"What does this prove? Master Mu Qing is internationally renowned. I've never even heard of the painter you're referring to; they're clearly trying to ride Master Mu Qing's fame for attention."
"Yes, I heard that too. Master Mu Qing is holding an exhibition next month on the third, and all the proceeds will be donated to a welfare home. Someone must be maliciously targeting Master Mu Qing, intentionally damaging her reputation here, and using her exhibition to promote themselves."
The internet was an environment where public opinion could easily shift.
Initially, only a few people spoke up for Lin Qian.
But gradually, everyone began to suspect that this person was maliciously slandering Lin Qian, perhaps using her to gain publicity.
Everyone started to look down on Yan Zi Tong.
The internet then saw a sudden shift in public opinion, with everyone overwhelmingly siding with Lin Qian and verbally tearing Yan Zi Tong to shreds.
Seeing this, Yan Zi Tong was furious.
In this situation, as an experienced internet surfer, Yan Zi Tong knew that this was the work of Lin Qian's hired internet trolls maliciously manipulating public opinion.
However, since Lin Qian wanted to play this game, Yan Zi Tong decided he would play along.
Even if Lin Qian had hired so many internet trolls, Yan Zi Tong was not afraid.