If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 54
Chapter 54: The Nineteenth Day
Five minutes before the press conference, He Bai stood backstage, repeatedly checking his watch.
According to the plan, while he was being held up by the media at the main entrance, Cheng Liu should have already entered the venue through a side door. But he had been inside for a while now, and she still hadn't arrived.
Just as He Bai was about to call Cheng Liu and walk towards the side entrance, she walked in.
“The press conference is about to start,” He Bai said, relieved, walking over to her.
“I know,” Cheng Liu said, her expression relaxed. Not only was she wearing the watch Ji Chaozhou had personally put on her wrist, but the moment had also been captured on camera, and she had even found a skilled photographer.
Most importantly, he had also taken photos of their first encounter!
CEO Cheng firmly believed that the entertainment reporter had been heaven-sent!
“I’ve spoken to a few friendly media outlets. They won’t ask any difficult questions,” He Bai said, leading her onto the stage. The room was filled with reporters from major media outlets, more standing in the back. A blue carpet covered the stage, a single microphone stand in the center, a screen behind it playing Shenyin Technology’s promotional animation. Nothing else.
The atmosphere in the venue was serious. The media were waiting to hear what Shenyin Technology’s founder had to say. The impact of this incident on Shenyin Technology depended on this one-hour press conference.
Cheng Liu walked up the steps, He Bai following closely behind.
A flurry of camera flashes greeted them.
Cheng Liu walked to the center of the stage, He Bai beside her. He adjusted the microphone, then tapped it lightly, the sound amplified throughout the venue.
“Equipment check. All good,” He Bai said, covering the microphone and turning to Cheng Liu.
Compared to other companies, the two people on stage were strikingly young and attractive, giving the media the impression of being at a celebrity event, their presence together creating a sense of harmony.
“Is there something going on between Shenyin’s founder and her assistant?” one reporter asked another.
“I don’t know,” the other replied, shaking his head. “We’re not here for gossip.”
Murmurs rippled through the audience. Cheng Liu nodded at He Bai, signaling that she was ready.
He Bai walked to the side, took another microphone, and returned to the center of the stage, standing behind Cheng Liu.
Cheng Liu stepped forward and adjusted the microphone.
There was nothing wrong with the microphone; CEO Cheng simply wanted to subtly show off the watch on her wrist.
It was a bit loose, but not a problem.
Unfortunately, no one noticed, except for He Bai, standing behind her.
Seeing the watch, He Bai frowned. Cheng Liu hadn’t been wearing anything on her wrist when they left the hotel. As far as he knew, she never wore watches.
He Bai, a watch enthusiast, often changed his watches, each worth at least a million. He could tell at a glance that the watch on Cheng Liu's wrist was expensive, and…it was a man’s watch.
They had arrived separately, only meeting briefly before entering the venue. Cheng Liu hadn’t been inside at all.
There were no stores nearby. She couldn't have bought it here, especially not a man's watch.
He Bai's face darkened. Who had given Cheng Liu their watch?
Cheng Liu, having subtly displayed her watch, finally began: “Good evening.”
A flurry of camera flashes erupted, and several reporters raised their hands.
“It seems everyone is eager to ask questions,” Cheng Liu said, her hand on the microphone. “Let’s get straight to the point.”
She turned slightly, and He Bai said, “The third reporter on the left, second row.”
The reporter stood up: “Shenyin Technology’s official statement claims that your collaboration with Mingtai Automobile had already ended before they released their new system. Where did they get the technology? Is the recording circulating online authentic? Did Mingtai steal your technology while still collaborating with Shenyin?”
Cheng Liu raised an eyebrow. This reporter must have been briefed by He Bai; the question was clearly leading.
“Shenyin’s current understanding is that there was an internal issue at Mingtai that led to the leak of our technology,” Cheng Liu said with a smile, her tone magnanimous. “Although it unfortunately remained undetected for six months, when we visited Mingtai yesterday morning, their executive director had already dealt with the individuals responsible and agreed to issue an urgent notification to their customers.”
Her words confirmed the authenticity of the recording, subtly highlighting that it had been made yesterday morning, while Mingtai’s notification had been issued in the afternoon, after the accident, shifting all blame for the system flaw to Shenyin Technology.
Another barrage of camera flashes.
He Bai called on a few more reporters, their questions carefully chosen and not overly critical, even offering Cheng Liu opportunities to explain the situation with Mingtai, guiding the narrative.
These were the media outlets He Bai had contacted, ensuring the press conference proceeded smoothly, clarifying the system issue and shifting the blame to Mingtai.
But He Bai wasn’t the only one who could influence the media. Those targeting Shenyin Technology could do the same.
Soon, a reporter, ignoring the protocol, stood up and shouted, “Regardless of whether your collaboration had ended, the system was developed by Shenyin Technology. The flaw was yours. Shouldn't Shenyin be held responsible for the deaths of that family?”
He Bai’s face darkened, and he quickly signaled for security to remove the reporter.
“What? Can’t answer the question, so you’re resorting to silencing the press?” the reporter shouted, struggling between the two security guards. “Shenyin’s flawed technology led to the deaths of three people! Aren't you ashamed? Those were lives! Are you building your technology on a foundation of human lives?!”
The press conference erupted in chaos, cameras flashing, reporters recording the scene, capturing the reactions of the two people on stage.
“Let him go,” Cheng Liu said, taking the microphone off the stand and addressing the security guards.
The guards hesitated, then released the reporter.
Cheng Liu, holding the microphone, said gently, “Don’t strain your voice. Someone get this reporter a glass of water.”
“I don’t need your fake concern! Answer my question! You, Cheng Liu, the founder of Shenyin Technology!” the reporter shouted, straightening his clothes.
“Alright, I’ll answer your questions,” Cheng Liu said, her expression unchanged. “First, Shenyin Technology’s technology does have flaws, which is why we didn’t provide the final version to Mingtai. In the end, due to the high R&D costs, Mingtai decided to end our collaboration, and Shenyin continued development independently.”
“So you admit that Shenyin Technology’s technology is flawed?” the reporter pressed.
Cheng Liu looked at him, not directly answering, instead addressing his earlier question: “Shenyin Technology offers its deepest condolences to the family who lost their lives in the accident. But there’s something I want everyone to know.”
She turned slightly and nodded. The employee controlling the screen behind her stopped the promotional animation.
“I received a call a few hours ago,” Cheng Liu said, turning back to the audience. “The H City police have recovered the car from the cliff and conducted a preliminary investigation.”
Murmurs erupted from the audience.
The widely circulated dashcam video showed the car plunging down a cliff. The terrain was complex; even professional rescue teams would have difficulty reaching it. A medical helicopter had been dispatched, but the family had already died by the time they arrived, taking considerable time to retrieve their bodies.
No one had expected the car to be recovered so quickly.
Cheng Liu turned to the screen behind her, everyone following her gaze: “This is the footage from the scene.”
The video showed an aerial view of the cliff, two helicopters hovering above, people rappelling down to attach cables to the wreckage, then returning to the helicopters.
Following a series of hand signals, the two helicopters ascended simultaneously, lifting the car, carrying it away.
A third helicopter, presumably, was filming the scene.
The helicopters arrived at a junkyard in the suburbs, piles of wrecked cars surrounding a clear central area where the helicopters slowly lowered the car. As it landed, the footage became clearer, showing a crowd of people standing around the perimeter – police officers, investigators, and others.
The video paused as the car touched the ground, showing the faces of the crowd looking up.
“Let me explain,” Cheng Liu said, turning back to the audience. “The people standing on the outer perimeter are H City police officers. The others are from reputable accident investigation teams across the country. They’ll be conducting a thorough investigation of the vehicle.”
The reporters: “…”
How had Shenyin Technology managed to assemble a national team of investigators and transport them to the scene in such a short time?
The video resumed, showing the helicopters detaching the cables and flying away. The footage then switched to a shaky camera, a police officer’s bodycam footage, released to Shenyin Technology with the police department’s permission.
Two people were shown approaching the car with the police officers.
“These two are technical experts, tasked with examining the system flaw that caused the crash,” Cheng Liu said, as the video paused, switching to show the experts’ credentials, clearly identifying them as members of the police investigation team.
The bodycam footage followed the two experts as they examined the wreckage, including the damaged screen inside the car.
Cheng Liu stopped the video: “Due to time constraints, we won’t be showing the entire bodycam footage here. However, with the permission of the police department, we’ve posted the full video on Shenyin Technology’s official website and Weibo. You can watch it after the press conference.”
The reporters quickly checked their phones, logging onto Weibo, where Shenyin Technology’s official account had indeed just posted several hours of bodycam footage, even helpfully indicating the key timestamps in their post.
Cheng Liu turned back to the center of the stage, her expression serious: “According to the preliminary report from the police, the car involved in the accident had not updated to Mingtai’s new system.”
A wave of murmurs rippled through the audience. If that was true, the accident had nothing to do with Shenyin Technology.
“What does that prove? Even if this accident wasn't your fault, Shenyin Technology’s autonomous driving technology is flawed. That’s a fact!” the reporter who had been almost removed earlier shouted. “Your technology is immature! Sooner or later, the same thing will happen again!”
He Bai, standing on stage, gripped the microphone tightly. This reporter was clearly being prompted by someone, not genuinely concerned about the victims, but trying to damage Shenyin Technology's standing in the autonomous driving field.
Cheng Liu’s expression remained unchanged. She looked at her watch: “I have ten minutes left. Tonight’s press conference will conclude with an announcement from Shenyin Technology.”
The reporters exchanged glances. They hadn't heard anything about an announcement.
Cheng Liu placed the microphone back on the stand, picked up her phone, tapped a few times, then looked up at the cameras and said, “Domestic autonomous driving technology has always lagged behind international standards. Shenyin Technology has dedicated almost a third of its profits to this field, but technological barriers remain, not easily overcome. Therefore, Shenyin Technology has decided to open-source our current core system, inviting our peers and experts from other industries to collaborate on its development.”
Several reporters immediately stood up, shouting questions.
Cheng Liu didn’t answer, simply raising an eyebrow, looking at the camera, and adding with a smile, “Of course, I believe Shenyin Technology will ultimately be the first to perfect and define the standards for autonomous driving technology.”
The press conference was being live-streamed.
Countless people, watching from their homes and offices, saw Cheng Liu’s confident smile, her challenging gaze.
“That’s Cheng Liu for you,” Ji Mushan said, watching the live stream from his office, shaking his head in admiration. Only she would have the audacity to open-source their technology, such confidence.
He finally understood why, since last night, the online attacks had intensified, urging Shenyin to withdraw from the autonomous driving field, yet Shenyin hadn’t made any attempts to suppress the negative publicity.
He suspected Shenyin had even fueled the flames.
From the moment Cheng Liu had made her announcement, public opinion had begun to shift, the negative news about Shenyin Technology disappearing.
Because now, Shenyin’s opponents were international tech companies. Anyone attacking Shenyin now would face public backlash.
No, Cheng Liu must have done more than that.
Ji Mushan stood in his office for a long time, then suddenly remembered a few mainstream media outlets that had remained silent. She had contacted the government.
In such a short time, every step perfectly calculated. He couldn’t help but admire the younger generation…they were truly formidable.
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