Mr. Chang froze. Ji Shileng simply refused to follow the expected script.
He didn’t know how Ji Shileng had fallen thousands of meters without suffering a scratch.
But he had assumed Ji Shileng must hate Shang Jianli.
“Mr. Ji, this isn’t a question of whether we apologize…”
Ji Shileng was thoroughly exasperated.
“Then what is it a question of? You’re already begging me. What pride do you have left to protect?”
“It’s just an apology. Imperial Capital News is in this state, yet you still dare confront Shang Jianli. But you don’t dare apologize?”
Qin Si pushed the teacup toward him, his gaze gentle.
“Don’t get angry with someone you’ve already defeated. He isn’t worth it”
“You should hate him. I’m helping you,” Mr. Chang murmured.
Ji Shileng nearly choked on his water.
He couldn’t help wondering how people in the Empire could be so shameless.
Afraid he might actually choke, Qin Si gently patted his back.
Beside them, Ji Shifeng laughed coldly.
Su Ke’s refusal to speak to him had already put him in a poor mood.
Now Mr. Chang had come charging in with words like “hate,” “helping you,” and “Shang Jianli.” He couldn’t be blamed for being sharp.
Ji Shifeng offered him a way forward.
“If you ask me, a crisis is an opportunity. Write a devastating article. Take down Shang Jianli, the imperial government, and yourself all at once. You’ll be famous for all the wrong reasons”
At present, Imperial Capital News had the disgrace without the corresponding popularity.
“Your media industry tears itself apart every day anyway. Why not make things interesting by profiting from your former partners’ suffering?”
“Everyone online gets to take a shot at you. Why not take a shot at yourself? Do it better than anyone else, and notoriety is still fame. Once you’re famous, why worry about survival?”
Ji Shifeng delivered the entire speech without pausing for breath.
Ji Shileng and Su Ke listened in astonishment.
When it came to the art of speaking, Ji Shifeng was unmatched.
His barrage left Mr. Chang completely stunned.
He wasn’t wrong. Notoriety was still fame, and fame offered possibilities.
But what would those possibilities accomplish?
Without powerful backing, they still couldn’t defeat capital.
With a clear clink, Ji Shileng set down his cup.
“Mr. Chang, I thought you were a reasonable man”
“Why should I waste my emotions on someone who has nothing to do with me?”
Then he asked, “Do you really think you’re that important?”
Afraid Mr. Chang might misunderstand, he kindly explained:
“Does the Ji family really need your evidence of uncertain authenticity to bring down Shang Jianli?”
Faint amusement surfaced in the depths of Qin Si’s dark eyes.
Ji Shileng’s words shook Xiao Ai.
The young man across the conference table had a strikingly beautiful face. At first glance, he seemed easy to bully.
Yet after spending time with him, she realized that his innate pride ran through every word he spoke.
She understood clearly: he looked down on her grandfather. He looked down on Imperial Capital News.
She had read the old reports about the admiral’s spouse. But she couldn’t reconcile the cool, proud young man before her with the timid, vulnerable person those reports described.
The color drained from Mr. Chang’s lips. His hand trembled stiffly as he looked toward Xiao Ai.
Pushing her confused thoughts aside, she took his fast-acting heart medication from her bag.
The Ji family remained uninvolved. Even as he suffered an episode before them, they showed little reaction.
Fortunately, they still had patience for an elderly man. Once he caught his breath, Ji Shiyun kindly asked:
“Perhaps we should leave things here for today, Mr. Chang?”
He waved a hand, signaling for Xiao Ai not to worry.
“I swear on the rest of my life that the evidence I hold is completely genuine”
Impatience touched Ji Shileng’s expression. Qin Si soothed him before speaking.
“Mr. Chang, is its authenticity yours to decide?”
That was the advantage of speaking with intelligent people. Qin Si didn’t need to explain; everyone present understood his meaning.
Even if the evidence was real, what difference would it make?
With the situation outside in such turmoil, who would believe Imperial Capital News?
Add some maneuvering by the imperial government, and there wouldn’t be so much as ashes left of the outlet.
Mr. Chang sagged, his eyes bewildered.
“Must the Ji family be so ruthless? At my age, I’m not afraid to take everyone down with me”
The Ji family had no intention of sparing them.
He wanted to survive—not for himself, but for the employees who had followed him for so many years.
After this, who would dare hire anyone from Imperial Capital News?
Working there would become a permanent stain on their lives.
Ji Shiyun raised her eyes as though she had heard a joke.
“Ruthless? Take everyone down with you?”
Ji Shifeng continued:
“Stop using your age as a shield, old man. Pack up your junk and shut down. What is Imperial Capital News even worth?”
It wasn’t that Ji Shifeng was being dismissive. The outlet genuinely wasn’t worth his attention.
Ji Shileng’s little studio had a market valuation of 383 billion star credits. According to their investigation, Imperial Capital News was worth only 150 billion.
Not even half of Joker Studio.
Now Imperial Capital News and Mr. Chang really were jokers.
And losers, too.
Ji Shileng asked Su Ke, “So how much is Imperial Capital News worth?”
Su Ke shook his head.
“I’ll look it up”
Qin Si told them, “Before the scandal, it was worth 150 billion star credits. Now its valuation has probably plummeted”
Pinching his nose, Su Ke said:
“They really might as well pack up their junk and close. They aren’t even worth half our studio”
Mr. Chang clenched his fists.
“Miss Ji, you’re determined to destroy Imperial Capital News”
It was a statement.
Ji Shiyun hummed in agreement, offering no denial.
“Then why did you agree to meet?”
The Ji family had never intended to give them a way out.
Ji Shiyun’s expression remained calm.
“On second thought, I had nothing else to do, so I brought Xiaoshi over to vent his anger”
There was no one behind Imperial Capital News.
Behind Ji Shileng stood a sea of people.
Ji Shileng blinked. He knew his eldest sister loved him most.
Mr. Chang looked at him and sighed deeply.
He had misjudged him. He had misjudged him…
Then he laughed aloud. Tears slipped from his wrinkled eyes and disappeared into his graying hair.
Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one who had been wrong.
Shang Jianli, the Shang family, the imperial government—they had all misjudged him.
The Ji family would never stop.
Even if he fell, he believed others would soon join him.
“I’ll apologize”
When he finally stopped laughing, his eyes were red.
“I look forward to their company”
“Ji Shileng, I misjudged you back then. I admit it. You’d better not turn back”
Ji Shileng gave a faint, bemused laugh, then nodded toward him.
“Then you’d better stay alive. Watch me closely. Watch how I move forward, one step at a time”
Now that he had seen things clearly, he had no interest in turning back to pick through the trash.
He had already shown all the kindness and loyalty he owed them. Whatever he did next, he could be merciless without a guilty conscience.
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