Young Master Cao Wins Big

It must be said, this Little Pao guy...

Aside from being ugly, having a terrible figure, awful character, rotten teeth, and other flaws... he’s actually not a bad person.

Hmm!

At least on New Year’s Eve, he had a long chat with Cao Cheng.

But something big also happened that day.

Namely, Hunan TV’s "23-minute" disaster.

Last year’s national champion of that male singing competition, Little Chensheng, was supposed to be the grand finale of Hunan TV’s New Year’s Eve gala.

But suddenly, he vanished—reportedly "left without a word."

This led to a major mishap for Hunan TV. The two main hosts were left scrambling, forced to lead the crowd in singing Come Home Often.

The scene was... heartwarming, to say the least.

...

But the story didn’t end there.

After the New Year, audiences feasted on the drama.

First, Little Pao became the subject of gossip—small but tantalizing—turning him into a laughingstock in industry circles.

Then came the fallout from Hunan TV’s debacle, with all kinds of exposés surfacing.

Rumors even spread that the CEO of Little Chensheng’s label, EE Media, had flown into a rage, demanding the singer pay 22.7 billion in damages.

This also left Hunan TV humiliated, even more so than when Cao Cheng had taken veiled shots at them in an interview.

Some fans sided with Little Chensheng, believing EE Media was exploiting him, leaving him no freedom.

But the majority hurled abuse at him.

Regardless, it was a juicy scandal.

Soon after, Little Chensheng filed for arbitration, unilaterally seeking to terminate his contract with EE Media.

EE Media retaliated with a heavy hand, teaming up with Hunan TV to declare they’d "blacklist him for life."

The result? Little Chensheng effectively lost all opportunities in the music industry.

No one in the business would risk offending two major powerhouses for one singer.

And then...

Just at this moment...

A savior descended from the heavens.

A post appeared on Entertainment Bar.

Young Master Cao wrote:

"EE Media is still as domineering as ever. Do you really think you’re the king of the entertainment industry? Do you even know how much 22.7 billion is? Demanding that kind of money? Why don’t you just rob him? Are you that desperate?"

"And as for a certain TV station—it’s just a New Year’s Eve show! What does this have to do with Little Chensheng? He notified EE Media beforehand, but they couldn’t be bothered to coordinate the broadcast time with you. The 23-minute disaster is entirely EE Media’s fault."

"Besides, Little Chensheng came from your station—he’s practically your own son. And instead of protecting him, you let your subsidiary EE Media bully him? Pathetic."

"Then you have the nerve to manipulate fans into attacking him."

"What did he even do wrong?"

"He just wants to sing—his own songs, songs his fans love... But you force him to collaborate with others and perform that ear-splitting garbage..."

"Anyway, I stand with Little Chensheng. This is the spirit a young musician should have. What’s his crime?"

"Other stations and companies are too scared of you to take him in, but I don’t care."

"‘Blacklist him for life’? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"You think you run the entertainment industry? If you’re so tough, why don’t you blacklist Little Steel Cannon?"

Little Pao: ???

"Let me make this clear: The Voice welcomes Little Chensheng—whether as a singer, behind the scenes, a lyricist, composer, or even just an audience member. It’s up to him."

"Because The Voice embraces all good voices."

"As for your petty squabbles? The Voice couldn’t care less."

"We at The Voice..."

"And about EE Media’s damages—Little Chensheng, don’t worry. They’re legally illiterate. If you need help, come to Miracle Media. I’ll get you a good lawyer. At worst, it’ll cost a few million. If you’re short, I’ll lend it to you."

"Musicians should stand tall!"

"..."

This post was pure provocation.

But the words "The Voice" appeared at least ten times, branding themselves into everyone’s memory.

Especially the line: "The Voice embraces all good voices."

Little Chensheng’s fans wept with joy—finally, someone with clout was standing up for him.

Cao Cheng’s ego swelled.

He’d never be a star himself.

But he deserved fans too.

Especially those young... female fans!

But...

He also made enemies.

Did he really think he could poach a national champion for "a few million at worst"?

That crossed a line.

A show spends years nurturing its golden child.

EE Media fired back immediately.

EE Media: "You don’t know the full story. Stay out of it."

Young Master Cao replied: "I know more than you think. A little cash, and your company’s secrets come to me."

"..." EE Media fumed: "You hired corporate spies? That’s illegal!"

"Are you legally illiterate? I just bought information. Spies? Big words for you. But right now, Little Chensheng’s suing you. Focus on finding a lawyer to twist the truth. Hurry up—I’ve got a spot for him on The Voice. If you don’t want talent, I’ll take it!"

EE Media: "You’ve gone too far, Cao. We’ve stayed out of each other’s way... This breaks the rules."

"Rules my ass. Remember when you sabotaged my search for mentors? This isn’t over."

Cao Cheng then posted another statement: "To anyone at EE Media facing injustice—reach out privately. I’ll keep it confidential. If we work together, I’ll cover your legal fees and penalties. EE Media is trash, but even trash can hide gold."

"Gold should shine."

"What EE Media won’t give you, I will."

"What EE Media suppresses, I won’t."

"EE Media bleeds you dry—I don’t need your money."

"Miracle just wants to do good—to stand for what’s right."

"The Voice embraces all good voices."

"Come."

"Miracle’s doors are open to all EE Media artists who seek the light."

"And to anyone else facing injustice in this industry—my offer stands."

"We’re not the entertainment police. But we’ll be a lighthouse—guiding your way forward."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The industry was in chaos.

Little Pao’s spotlight hadn’t fully faded, and now this dragged him back in.

All because Young Master Cao said, "Why don’t you blacklist Little Pao?"

Leaving Little Pao fuming.

Damn it...

Do you have to drag me into everything?

...

Time flew.

March arrived.

The overseas financial crisis had stabilized, but its impact lingered.

Not that Cao Cheng cared about finance—or how much Tang Xin was making.

His focus was the entertainment world.

It was too much fun here.

Every day brought new battles.

Don’t even mention wasting public resources?

There aren’t any public resources to speak of right now.

Everyone just wants to enjoy the drama.

And right now, Young Master Cao is the resource.

Without him, this industry would be so dull.

Silent and lifeless, devoid of any buzz.

Honestly,

everyone should be thanking Young Master Cao. From the start of the year till now, his antics have drawn the attention of many big entrepreneurs who otherwise wouldn’t care about the entertainment industry.

No choice,

after all, Young Master Cao is currently the richest man.

Can anyone who becomes the richest be simple?

You can call the wealthy evil,

but you can’t call them incompetent.

They’re all sharp.

At least in their own industries, they’re anything but weak.

Maybe they don’t understand showbiz, but they understand what it takes to be the richest.

No one gets to that position by accident.

Since Young Master Cao has personally stepped into the entertainment scene, stirring things up left and right, it must mean there’s something worth investing in here.

Otherwise, why would he bother?

The wealthy don’t buy that.

They think deeper and react faster than some small-time players in the industry.

So now their eyes are turning toward entertainment.

And that’s brought a flood of capital and endorsements into the scene.

No wonder people in the industry should be grateful to Young Master Cao—this is why.

……

March.

After over two months of back-and-forth between Tianyu Entertainment and Young Master Cao,

Tianyu finally demanded 26 million from Little Chensheng as a termination fee by month’s end.

Cao Cheng immediately fired back: “26 million? Do you even know how much that is? How dare you throw out that number? Fine, I’ll give you 26 million—but would you even dare take it?”

Tianyu was stunned.

What the hell does this have to do with you?

Are you just never going to let it go?

Meanwhile, Hunan TV (locally nicknamed "Toilet TV") reached out to Cao Cheng through local connections,

hoping to sit down and resolve things peacefully.

They sent a deputy general manager.

Cao Cheng? He sent Sister Ali—didn’t even bother showing up himself.

“What kind of level is this?”

“You think you’re worthy of sharing a table with me?”

“Sending Sister Ali to deal with you is already me being generous. Pathetic!”

These weren’t just private thoughts—he blasted them publicly at the company level. By afternoon, Hunan TV got wind of it, leaving the deputy manager flushed with embarrassment (or maybe rage). They retaliated by returning three golden treasure chests.

……

And honestly, you can’t blame Young Master Cao for being arrogant.

They fired the first shot, right?

The incident with the detained mentor.

The behind-the-scenes manipulation with the local TV station.

Those two were the masterminds.

Cao Cheng hasn’t forgotten.

Plus,

the show hasn’t even aired yet—it needs hype.

Getting the whole country talking without spending a dime? No business deal is more cost-effective than that.

And the endless stream of outrage?

Young Master Cao feeding Qin Shi Huang chili peppers… absolute victory!

……

That day.

Miracle Media’s office.

Cao Cheng had commandeered The Fourth’s office.

There, he met two young people.

A guy and a girl.

The guy? None other than Little Chensheng!

The girl? The third-place winner of the 2004 Super Girl contest—Little Hanyun!

At first glance,

Cao Cheng felt like a savior.

“Relax, take a seat!” he said with a smile.

Young Master Cao has always been ruthless to outsiders

but gentle to his own.

And,

power changes a person.

Beyond his natural skills, Young Master Cao now carries an aura that comes with status and influence.

Most people can’t handle it.