The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Eric replied, "That won't be a problem. Mr. Huxham is quite well-known in our city. There are many characters based on him. If this fictional plot could affect the stock price, then the people would really be foolish."

I smiled and said, "Since it won't have any impact, let's not bother about clarifying it."

Zane looked puzzled. "Aren't you worried about being criticized?"

I answered seriously, "When I hadn't experienced this kind of thing before, being suddenly criticized felt unfair. I hadn't done anything wrong, so why should I be blamed? But then I realized they weren't my real friends and didn't know me at all. It's completely normal for them to be swayed by public opinion."

I continued calmly, "In situations like this, what matters is that I know who I am, what I want, and whether what others say is true. If it's not true, I don't need to take it to heart."

Eric gave me a thumbs-up. "Impressive."

I replied, "Thanks. Right now, people are criticizing me because of this comic. But if they want to understand what kind of person I really am, they'll likely pay attention to me and check out my work.

"What if they end up enjoying my comics? I can guide them to buy my merchandise! Even those who just want to criticize will still come to my comment section. Most importantly, I've already addressed these issues in the comments before. Some readers know that I haven't done anything wrong in this situation.

"If they clarify things for me, maybe those who criticized me will feel guilty and buy some of my merchandise."

I laughed and said, "No matter how you look at it, I'm in a win-win situation."

Eric stared at me in disbelief. "You can turn criticism into an advantage? You're so optimistic."

"At this point, there's no use crying over spilled milk. Isn't that right?"

Eric nodded. "True."

Then, since Eric worked for Zane, he decided to seek his opinion. "Mr. Huxham, should I inform the PR department not to respond?"

Zane replied calmly, "Yes."

I lowered my gaze to hide the amusement in my eyes.

If I wasn't mistaken, the author of the comic that was tarnishing my reputation had to be Jessica. If I chose not to respond now, everyone would likely believe that Jessica was as genuine and kind as portrayed in the comic.

People would grow fond of Jessica.

And when the day came that her misdeeds were exposed, she would face public backlash, and everyone would come to dislike her. At that point, I could just sit back and watch the drama unfold.

After all, Jessica seemed to think she could manipulate public opinion against me without facing any consequences. Little did she know that I had already planned everything behind the scenes hoped she could handle it when the time came.

I felt my mood instantly lift. After Eric finished briefing the PR department who had initially planned to respond but decided to wait and see-he hung up the phone and remembered something important he hadn't mentioned yet. novelbin

"Yvonne has applied to create merchandise for this comic."

Zane raised an eyebrow. Eric continued, "The comic is drawn by Jessica."