Chapter 75.2

The meeting lasted until well past five in the morning. Li Xiao did not return home but instead took a brief rest in the office before resuming work.

The situation was dire. Although the company clarified the issue promptly, the foreign snack brand, which had been struggling to make an impact in the mainland market, seized the opportunity to intensify its claims—the plagiarism incident became a significant blow to the company’s reputation.

Despite the clarification, the foreign snack brand continued to publicize the plagiarism, unwilling to let go of the opportunity.

Faced with this challenge, Li Xiao decided to hold a press conference.

He began by apologizing for the incident, acknowledging that the company had failed to properly vet its employees, which led to this unfortunate situation. He then publicly exposed Yao Shiling’s actions of framing the company, stating, “The Twelve Zodiac has always been a reputable brand. We have operated for many years without any issues. Our formulas and raw materials are always high-quality and healthy. Our goal has always been to serve the public with healthy and delicious snacks. We strive to uphold our standards and hope for less malicious competition in the industry. Instead of focusing on undermining others, we encourage everyone to concentrate on improving their own products.”

Li Xiao made it clear that the incident was a result of malicious competition within the industry. The foreign snack brand continued to attack, but Li Xiao accused them of their self-centered actions.

With the video evidence supporting Li Xiao’s claims, his statements gained credibility. Problems in the food industry were not uncommon, but the Twelve Zodiac had maintained a clean record, enhancing the credibility of Li Xiao’s defense.

The press conference helped restore the company’s reputation.

Subsequently, the Twelve Zodiac filed a lawsuit against Yao Shiling.

She was arrested while bragging about her actions at a bar, claiming she had deliberately orchestrated the scheme to get close to Li Xiao. She had even given the interns foreign snacks, boasting that these snacks were not available in China and that no one had ever tasted them. Her plan involved either plagiarizing directly or using someone else to do so, but she preferred to use an outsider’s hand.

After submitting the draft, Yao Shiling approached Li Xiao under the pretense of reporting the draft. Unfortunately for her, Li Xiao had already persuaded Zhou Jian to reassign her to a marginal position before she could meet him.

Realizing she had no opportunity to advance, Yao Shiling was disheartened by her fall from grace. Unwilling to accept her fate, she resigned and left, secretly placing the draft into the finalized bag of the male employee. She then contacted the foreign snack company, alleging that their product had been plagiarized.

However, Yao Shiling had underestimated the surveillance capabilities at Li Xiao’s company—she assumed that such technology was exclusive to developed countries abroad.

With the evidence presented, Yao Shiling was directly convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.

Regarding the compensation for the infringement claimed by the foreign company, Yao Shiling had signed a contract upon joining the company that clearly outlined the compensation liabilities for employees. If the loss resulted from the employee’s negligence, the company would cover part of it; however, if the loss was due to intentional misconduct, the employee would be responsible for the full amount.

Consequently, the company filed a lawsuit demanding that Yao Shiling cover the damages and compensate for the damage to the company’s reputation.

The trial was long. Yao Shiling’s father invested heavily in hiring a top lawyer for her defense. Li Xiao, through Madame Song’s connections, also secured a highly renowned domestic lawyer, yet the compensation was still required to be paid.

In the end, Yao Shiling broke down in tears in court, while her father repeatedly pleaded with Li Xiao for leniency.

Zhuang Qing also made several attempts to approach Li Xiao.

Li Xiao remained unyielding.

Due to the substantial financial loss, Yao Shiling’s father was forced to sell the family restaurant and liquidate all family assets to cover the enormous sum of money. Although her family was wealthy, it was still significantly outmatched by the major corporations, whose daily revenues were equivalent to her family’s annual income.

The matter was not resolved until August. While the negative impact on the Twelve Zodiac products was minimal, the entire company had been under strain for several months, leaving Li Xiao exhausted and having lost weight.

An An expressed her longing for her father, missing him daily.

With half a month remaining before the September school term, Li Xiao recognized that he had been neglecting his children and Jiang Rou. After resolving the matter, he planned to take them out for a vacation to relax before school resumed.

When An An learned about the trip, she eagerly raised her hand and said, “I want to go to Beijing.”

Li Xiao hesitated: “It’s too far.”

Jiang Rou considered it a good idea, saying, “Let’s go. It will be a great opportunity to drop Li Xin off at school and visit her and Dayou’s campus.”

Li Xiao agreed immediately: “Okay, then let’s go to the capital.”

An An pouted slightly, clearly displeased.

Seeing this, Jiang Rou extended her hand to gently scratch An An’s cheek and asked with a smile, “Daddy has agreed, so why are you still unhappy?”

An An huffed with a bit of temper, “At first Daddt didn’t agree, but as soon as Mommy spoke, Daddy immediately agreed. Daddy is so biased.”

Li Xiao glanced at her and raised his eyebrows. “Your mom is my wife. If I don’t favor her, who should I favor?”

An An raised her little fist and waved it in front of him, then she lifted her chin rebelliously. “Be careful or I’ll beat you up.”

Li Xiao was momentarily speechless.

Her expression was exactly like Jiang Rou’s.

Despite the lighthearted moment, the trip was still an exciting prospect. After dinner, the family of three began packing. Li Xin, aware of their plans to visit the capital, also prepared her things and thought of several attractions to visit.

However, the following afternoon, as Li Xiao was returning from handling company matters and driving the family to the airport, he unexpectedly received a call from Zhu Qiang.

Li Xiao didn’t pay much attention and asked Jiang Rou to answer the phone for him.

Jiang Rou put the call on speaker, and Li Xiao heard Zhu Qiang’s somber voice on the other end. “Brother, Wang Tao is gone. Can you and Zhou Jian come back?”

Li Xiao was momentarily stunned and turned his head to look at the phone in Jiang Rou’s hand. Seeing her expression shift, he slowly began to grasp the meaning of Zhu Qiang’s words.

His mind raced, and he gradually pulled over to the side of the road. His voice trembled slightly as he asked, “Say that again. What do you mean, Wang Tao is gone?”

He wondered if he had misheard.

Zhu Qiang sobbed softly on the phone, then blew his nose and repeated in a hoarse voice, “Brother, Wang Tao is dead. That grandson never apologized to me, and now he’s suddenly gone…”

Li Xiao’s face changed immediately; he opened his mouth but was momentarily unable to speak.

Jiang Rou also looked at the phone in disbelief. If she recalled correctly, Wang Tao had not been in trouble in her previous life.

Zhu Qiang continued, “That grandson had been out with someone and made a lot of money recently. I thought he was doing well, but I didn’t expect that his wife had actually pushed him into dangerous work like coal mining. Is that something anyone would do? He was risking his life… The body was brought back this afternoon, and it was all black…”

Li Xiao’s hands gripping the steering wheel were trembling. He remained silent, while Jiang Rou asked on his behalf, “What’s the situation at his home now?”

Zhu Qiang replied hoarsely, “His mother fainted from crying, and I’m taking care of her. His wife went straight back to her parents’ home after getting the compensation and hasn’t returned yet.”

Zhu Qiang nearly gritted his teeth as he spoke.

Jiang Rou glanced at Li Xiao, who pursed his lips and took the phone from her hand. “You hold on over there. I’ll be back soon.”

Li Xiao hung up and immediately called Zhou Jian, informing him of the situation.

Zhou Jian, upon hearing the news, dropped a cup, but quickly asked, “Brother, are you sure?”

Li Xiao replied, “Yes, Zhu Qiang told me. I’m heading back now. What about you?”

Zhou Jian responded, “I’ll be there soon. You head back first.”

“Okay.”

Li Xiao put away his phone and tried to restart the car, but he struggled twice, clearly shaken by the news.

Finally, Jiang Rou suggested that he get out and let her drive.

Li Xiao didn’t insist and switched places with Jiang Rou.