Chapter 1416: Chapter 1417: The Chang Family’s Factory was Sealed Off

“Ziru’s idea isn’t bad. Dashang Group may be weak, but it’s still a local enterprise here in Tonghua!

Xinmeng Group, no matter how strong, is still an outsider.

Even if it’s a dragon, when it comes to Tonghua, it has to coil up.”

“Dad, why not let me help Ziru out? Xinmeng Group’s a juicy piece of meat; so many people are eyeing it.”

Chang Zifa sneered.

“Don’t be careless!”

Chang Baishan shook his head and said, “Words like that—don’t spread them outside. Xinmeng Group has deep connections. If something goes wrong, our family will be finished.

Getting to where we are today wasn’t easy.

As an Aristocratic Clan, sure, we may look dazzling on the surface, but every step is fraught with caution!”

“Understood!”

Chang Zifa nodded.

“By the way, isn’t Lin Meng, manager of Xinmeng Group, a college mate of yours? Find an opportunity to make contact with her. You might gain something unexpected.”

Chang Baishan said.

He actually had quite an affection for Chang Zifa.

The eldest son, Chang Zifa, reminded him of himself in his youth—ambitious and capable.

While Chang Ziru wasn’t bad, he had plenty of bad habits—nothing like Chang Zifa, who dedicated himself wholly to work.

“I will.”

Chang Zifa nodded and said, “Lin Meng was the campus beauty during our university days, and many pursued her. I didn’t expect her to still be single.

Perhaps I can work something out!”

Saying so, a sly smirk curved on his lips.

“That’s good! But it’s odd—shouldn’t Ziru be back by now? Could Shang Qingcheng, that minor player, have caused him trouble?”

Chang Baishan frowned.

After all, Chang Ziru was the current Family Head of the Chang Family. If something really happened to him, the entire family would be thrown into chaos.

As he spoke, suddenly Chang Baishan’s phone rang.

The abrupt sound startled him.

He looked at the screen; it was Chang Ziru calling. He answered, “Ziru, when you’ve wrapped up your matters, come back home.

Staying out all night is worrying your family.”

“Old Family Head, something’s happened!”

On the other end of the line, it was the manager of the club.

He had taken Chang Ziru to the hospital and waited until Chang Ziru had passed the critical period before daring to contact Chang Baishan.

On the phone, he briefly explained what had happened.

“What did you say!?”

Chang Baishan shot up from his seat, knocking over the glass of milk on the table.

“Dad? Something’s happened to Ziru?”

Chang Zifa, seeing Chang Baishan’s expression, guessed that something must have gone wrong with Chang Ziru.

Because no other matter could stir up such agitation and loss of composure in Chang Baishan.

“Your brother is in the hospital right now. I heard he barely made it.”

Chang Baishan’s face grew dark as ink.

Someone had dared touch his son, dared harm someone from the Chang Family—this was simply playing with fire!

“Let’s go! Come with me to the hospital!”

He no longer had the mood to glance at the newspaper or finish his meal, eager to rush to the hospital and find out what exactly had happened.

But before he could leave, another call came in.

“What! Our factories were raided for inspection? And now they’ve been shut down?”

“Damned fools! Do your jobs properly—it’s critical to launch our crisis PR efforts immediately and suppress the news!”

“Can’t suppress it? It’s already spread everywhere?”

“Bunch of useless idiots! What’s the point of keeping you around!”

“Who, exactly—who’s targeting our Chang Family!?”

After hanging up, Chang Baishan’s face grew even darker. He didn’t even have time to worry about the injured Chang Ziru.

The Chang Family had been Tonghua City’s food production giant for years.

All these years, issues with their problematic products had never been unearthed.

Why did problems suddenly arise now? And such massive problems at that.

Their food was found to contain banned substances, with severe heavy metal contamination.

This even tied to cases of children’s deformities and delayed cognitive development in Tonghua City that had been exposed as well.

In just a single day and night, the Chang Family had become the target of criticism from all of Tonghua.

After understanding the situation, even Chang Zifa was stunned.

This matter could either be immense or minor; if it couldn’t be contained, it could ultimately lead to the closure of the factories.

They could even end up in prison.

Chang Zifa, usually brimming with confidence, suddenly found himself at a loss for what to do.

He pondered for a moment and pulled out his phone, dialing a number: “Old Song, you’re really no friend. After taking so much money from us, at such a critical time, you’ve got nothing to say? Not even a heads-up?”

“Shut up! I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. If you drag me into this, you won’t end up any better.

This operation was orchestrated directly by those above. Dammit, I was still asleep when they yanked me out of bed.

What the hell did you put in the food? That cursed crap—if I’m caught, I’ll make sure you go down with me!”

Just as he spoke, a voice came through on the other end: “Director Song, come with us!”

Terrified, Chang Zifa quickly hung up.

“This is bad, Dad. Someone’s targeting us, and it’s a sudden attack. Clearly, someone in our family has offended someone powerful.”

Chang Zifa turned to Chang Baishan.

“Convene a family clan meeting immediately!”

Chang Baishan said coldly, “This is the critical moment—we cannot afford loose talk. Call all senior family members to the ancestral hall at once. This is a matter of life and death!

If we’re going down, I at least want to go down knowing why!”

Being taken down in disorder and ignorance would never sit well with Chang Baishan.

He wanted answers: who did it, why they did it, and whether there was room for maneuvering.

Since the matter concerned the family’s survival, its members quickly gathered together.

Inside the ancestral hall, Chang Baishan coldly swept his eyes over everyone below.

“In the past two days, have any of you offended anyone—whether a big figure or a small one? Tell me now!”

His voice carried an icy chill.

“I just disciplined a small business boss. His background is clear—just a minor character.”

“I toyed with a woman recently—just an ordinary college student. No way she’s any kind of big shot; we always investigate backgrounds thoroughly!”

“Big Brother, stop being so cryptic—what exactly happened? We haven’t even had breakfast yet!”

“Exactly, Family Head—what’s going on?”

…

The family only knew the meeting concerned survival but didn’t know the specifics of what had occurred.

“What happened? None of you read the news? Multiple factories of ours have been shut down! If the factories fail, our primary sources of income are essentially cut off.

So, I don’t want to hear any lies.

If we’ve truly offended a heavyweight, we must find a way to fix this!”

Chang Baishan said icily.

Upon hearing this, the group collectively sucked in a breath of cold air.

No one dared to hide anything.

Yet even wracking their brains, they couldn’t think of anyone significant they had provoked.

“Where’s the Family Head? Why is Big Brother leading this meeting—shouldn’t he be the one presiding?”

Chang Baifeng, Chang Baishan’s younger brother, frowned.

“Ziru!”

Chang Baifeng’s reminder suddenly made Chang Baishan think of his son.

“Could it be that Ziru offended someone?”

Chang Zifa was equally stunned and guessed, “Could it be Xinmeng Group? After all, Ziru’s gravely injured—almost crippled!”

“Damn it! If it really is him, I’ll kill him myself!”

Chang Baishan’s face darkened further. “Zifa, head to the hospital—carry him back if you must—I need the full story behind this!”