Chapter 271: Publicly Condemn Shi Yuhan
These were people who made a living covering news about her and ripping apart her company's reputation when they got a chance.
Now, she had to talk to them to make the situation better.
Qian Meng found the situation ironic.
The reporters sitting in the front had to praise Qian Meng for her calm demeanor and aloofness. Be it the scandal with Bai Ye Qing or this explosion of hatred from the customers, she remained aloof from the consequences. She never made too hard a move or showed weakness in front of the camera. But they could also guess that her calm and collected demeanor was an act to conceal her true intentions.
Even in the face of the tarrying power of public opinion, she could act like nothing was wrong. She could come in front of the camera herself and not send out an executive to speak on the matter. How courageous was she?
In reality, this was Qian Meng taking responsibility. If something was wrong in the company, it had to do with the chain of command. No small employee could make such a big thing happen. It was indeed an internal problem that had led to such a blow-up. There could be a number of other reasons for it. She didn't need someone else to act as a scapegoat. This was her baby and people were attacking it without regard.
With how big the controversy had become, people wouldn't be appeased by anything less than the CEO coming in front of them and giving an explanation personally. Qian Meng understood that completely.
"Thank you to everyone who came to the press conference despite how rushed the announcement of it was. As you may know, a few days ago allegations regarding the conduct of Venus staff were made. I have personally looked into the matter and have appeared in front of you to appeal to the public and explain the issues."
She looked around the room for reactions.
Most of the reporters had notebooks in their hands. They scribbled furiously as the questions popped into their mind. They were tempted to shout their questions at Qian Meng but knew not to disrupt the conference and get kicked out of the hall.
Wouldn't they miss out on the inside scoop then?
"In lieu of the complaints, we did a thorough internal investigation and have come to the conclusion that our customer service is, indeed, at fault for making our customers feel like they do not belong in the outlet." She stepped out from behind the podium and into the clear view of the cameras. "I give my heartfelt apologies to each and every customer who suffered discrimination or bias because of what they wore or how they looked in any of our stores."
She moved back behind the podium and smiled once again. "But my responsibility does not end with an apology to them. True to the founding principles of our company, the company will shut all physical outlets of Venus for the duration of five days."
There was a collective gasp in the room. The typing on the laptops and scribbling on notebooks continued, permeating the air and making it stifling.
"All client service-facing staff members will undergo a rigorous corporate training regime so that the underlying issues with bias can be eradicated. We are putting great emphasis on better training and development of our staff and I would encourage those who brought these concerns to light to re-evaluate their opinion upon experiences the new regime."
She paused. "Having said this, I would like to make another statement."
The room quietened down. With the CEO bowing in front of the crowd and saying that there was indeed bias against customers, there was nothing else to be explained, right? This clearly stated that the celebrity had been treated ill.
The reporters sucked in a breath in anticipation.
"I would like to publicly condemn Miss Shi Yuhan for manipulating the truth and slandering the company. Though other customers have been treated unkindly, that was not the case with Miss Shi Yuhan."
The reporters could no longer hold in their questions.
"Miss Yun, could you explain what really happened for you to make such a statement?" a female reporter asked.
She was aware that Qian Meng could dance around questions better than most people could. She had learned from experience and this was the only question that could make Qian Meng explain everything in one go.
Qian Meng's eyes flashed to the reporter. There was no anger in them but she did give a look of reprimand.
"It's not time for questions yet," she interjected politely. "But as I was already going to explain the incident in detail, I will not hold you in contempt for your question."
Qian Meng tapped her finger on the podium before continuing.
"Upon investigation, we found that Miss Shi Yuhan had come to the store to buy a ring. The employees stated that they saw Miss Shi Yuhan try to steal one of the rings that had been shown to her and therefore took her aside for questioning."
The crowd erupted once again.
"She spoke aggressively to the staff members and was promptly escorted out of the store premises. The video of the same can be found freely on social media and the internet. You will see that Miss Shi Yuhan is the one who created a scene and our security staff treated her with the utmost respect," Qian Meng stated firmly.
"Miss Yun, are you saying that Miss Shi Yuhan created a controversy so that she could go scot-free from the charges of shoplifting?" a reporter shouted. "Or are you lying about this to save your reputation?"
Faced with the sharp and distasteful question of the reporter, Qian Meng couldn't help but smile sarcastically. "I have already mentioned that all of you will get a chance to ask questions after I am done with the statement. Can the security team please escort this reporter out?" She looked around and Xiong Fen nodded at her from the side.
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