Unifying the Entire Cosmetics Industry

The press conference concluded successfully.

Shortly after, discussions began flooding the internet.

Young Master Cao's Weibo and Miracle Cosmetics' official Weibo saw a sudden surge in followers, with numbers climbing rapidly.

The comment sections were uniformly filled with inquiries about the cosmetics, with fans affectionately addressing Xu Qing as "Sister Qing."

Others left messages on Little Pony's page, urging him to roll out the image-posting feature quickly so they could participate in giveaways.

The buzz instantly skyrocketed to trending status.

Sina Weibo also reached out to Young Master Cao with a sincere offer—they could launch their own image feature, as it was already in internal testing and ready for release anytime.

Soon after,

Young Master Cao posted an update: "Sina will also support image uploads soon. We'll hold ten giveaways here and ten on Sina—fair’s fair, since I have stakes in both."

In short,

Young Master Cao was determined to make the giveaways happen.

This marketing wave was quickly copied by competitors, but little did they know—this was just the surface.

Young Master Cao’s true intentions remained hidden beneath the waves.

The depth of his schemes might only shock the world when the final reveal came.

...

Still.

Even this superficial promotion caused quite a stir overnight.

At the press conference itself, four diamond sets and twenty-seven gold sets were sold.

That same evening,

the online official store listed silver and gold sets.

Never underestimate domestic spending power.

In just one night,

the 1,000-unit stock of gold sets sold out across major e-commerce platforms.

Out of 20,000 silver sets, fewer than 1,000 remained.

Bronze sets also saw explosive growth.

In other words,

over a hundred million in sales—in a single night. Absolute madness.

Customer service was overwhelmed.

Questions poured in—about refunds if the products didn’t work, why diamond sets weren’t available online, and guarantees against counterfeits.

Clearly, many shoppers still had doubts despite making purchases.

Most notably,

one buyer snapped up nearly twenty gold sets and a hundred silver sets.

Clearly a wealthy scalper,

spotting a golden opportunity in Miracle Cosmetics and betting big.

If the gamble paid off, they’d rake in millions this year.

A resale could mean instant profits in the six figures.

...

"Young Master, sales crossed a hundred million..."

"One night. Just one night, and we’ve hit a hundred million."

The next morning, as Young Master Cao was having breakfast, Xu Qing’s call came through.

He put her on speaker,

chewing his fried dough stick while listening to her exhilarated voice.

A hundred million.

What did that mean?

To put it in perspective—even Ren Shitang, at its peak, never hit that annual figure.

Inflation played a role, but this proved one thing: Miracle Cosmetics was officially a sensation.

And this was with limited stock.

If gold sets had been sold freely, two hundred million in a night might’ve been possible.

The scariest part? The cosmetics’ reputation wasn’t even established yet. Buyers were trusting the press conference—and Young Master Cao’s status as the wealthiest man.

Once word-of-mouth spread, the results would only get better.

Even Xu Qing herself had become an industry celebrity overnight.

Her tone was practically giddy.

"Calm down, calm down~~~" Young Master Cao took a sip of soy milk. A greasy breakfast hit the spot.

Xu Qing hesitated. "Young Master, should we still proceed with... the plan? This momentum alone is incredible. If we play it safe, we could dominate domestically—even globally. Our products are that strong."

"..."

Young Master Cao slurped his tofu pudding, chewing thoughtfully. "Sister Qing, they say women are fickle, but you’re a grown woman. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"It’s not that, Young Master. I just think this explosive start and recognition might not need... underhanded tactics. Steady growth could win the race."

"Nonsense. This isn’t ‘underhanded’—it’s business warfare. Schemes, strategies, annihilation plays... I don’t just want recognition. I don’t just want money. I want them all dead." Young Master Cao’s voice turned icy.

"..." Xu Qing fell silent.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that Young Master Cao harbored some deep-seated grudge against international cosmetic brands.

But where it came from, she couldn’t tell.

He didn’t seem like someone who’d suffered at their hands—so why the hatred?

Xu Qing didn’t understand.

And she didn’t dare ask.

The last thing she wanted was to end up on Young Master Cao’s radar—and out of a job.

She had a car, a mortgage, kids to feed...

The more she worked with him, the more she realized how calculating he was.

Always smiling, yet never saying a straight word. Every move was a piece on his chessboard.

Even now, she didn’t know the full extent of his plans—only that he was scheming, laying traps.

"Sister Qing, focus on quality control. I promised you’d be the queen of cosmetics, and you will be. But patience is key."

"Understood, Young Master."

Xu Qing’s excitement cooled under the cold splash of reality.

...

Unlike Xu Qing’s euphoria,

competitors were losing sleep.

The top three brands had all purchased diamond sets after the press conference. The cost was trivial for them.

That same night, they tested some samples and sent others to labs in neighboring cities for ingredient analysis.

By the next morning,

the competitors witnessed a miracle.

The effects weren’t as dramatic as Xu Qing’s—after all, it had only been one night.

But the changes were undeniable.

Each brand tested on five to ten women—not a single case of allergies or side effects.

Whether their skin was dry, oily, or balanced, the product worked.

The results were...

unfair.

Goddammit, how are we supposed to compete with this?

38,000 yuan.

An astronomical price.

But the results were just as insane.

Like Young Master Cao had said at the press conference, introducing a new term: cost-performance ratio.

At this price? It was worth every penny.

...

Day Three.

L'Oréal China’s headquarters.

Paul clenched the report his secretary had just handed him.

The lab results.

"Analysis indicates..."

"Formula contains unidentified active compounds. Unable to reverse-engineer."

"Diamond sets consist of herbal extracts, with chemical content less than 1% of ours—negligible. No detectable side effects."

"Bullshit—!"

"Are the lab rats incompetent?!"

"Three days, and this is all they give me?!"

Paul was furious.

The situation was worse than when he’d first arrived in China.

At this rate, he’d be packing his bags soon.

Back in South America, he’d never faced anything like this.

Having been in China for ten years, some things were admittedly tricky to navigate—especially policy-related matters—but none had been as dire as this situation.

Downright perilous, even.

It was a threat to their livelihood.

The secretary reported, "Aside from the herbal extract X, which remains unbreakable, we can replicate the other new ingredients like 'glabridin,' 'nicotinamide mononucleotide,' and 'phenylethyl resorcinol.' It’ll just take some time."

"Those are irrelevant. This is the key." Paul pointed at the report on component X. "Do you realize what zero side effects means?"

The secretary gave a bitter smile. "I do. But the research institute can’t crack it—they can’t even identify the composition. Neither you nor I are researchers, so panicking won’t help. Instead of stressing, we should focus on finding a way to collaborate with Miracle."

Paul recalled the conversation from a few nights prior.

His face twisted in frustration as he rubbed his balding head. "Of course I proposed cooperation. But the other night, he told me to name a price—he wants to acquire L'Oréal."

"..." The secretary was speechless. That was one hell of a power move.

Paul let out a humorless laugh. "Does he even know how much L'Oréal is worth?"

The secretary muttered, "He could leverage bank loans, and he’s got both public and private funds at his disposal."

"Shut up!"

Paul jabbed a finger at him. "You’d better purge those thoughts from your head right now, or I’ll purge you from this company."

The secretary sighed. "Sir, my point is—he clearly has no intention of cooperating with us."

"I know that," Paul said wearily. "Aren’t people from your country supposed to be humble? Why does he lack that trait?"

The secretary shrugged. "It varies, sir. From what I’ve heard, ever since his rise from obscurity, he’s been defiant—whether in finance, entertainment, or now the cosmetics industry. He doesn’t bow to experts or corporate giants. So I doubt he cares about L'Oréal’s global standing, even if we’re number one."

"Are you praising him?"

"No, sir. I’m stating facts. What I mean is, if we want cooperation, we might need… alternative methods."

"Such as?"

"Cross-shareholding."

"Get out… Do you think the Asia-Pacific CEO would agree?"

"No."

"Then why suggest it?"

The secretary explained, "My idea is to use shareholding talks as a smokescreen—keep them distracted. Meanwhile, we investigate the source of component X. It can’t have materialized out of thin air, right?"

"We operate in the light and the shadows. Once we track down the raw material supplier, we’ll have access to X. Then, with L'Oréal’s distribution and brand power, we’ll crush any competitor. Hell, you might even clinch the CEO position at headquarters and dominate the entire cosmetics industry."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "The best decision I ever made was hiring you as my secretary."

"You flatter me, sir."

"People from your country… sometimes, you’re truly brilliant." Paul mused, "The Corsican Monster once said your nation was a sleeping lion—once awakened, it would astonish the world. I have to agree."

Just then, the phone rang.

Paul answered. It was a call from several other cosmetics companies.

Paul smiled. "Of course. I’d love to host a gathering, just us few… I’ve already thought through our strategy regarding Miracle. We’ll collaborate."

The secretary rolled his eyes. Oh, you’ve thought it through, have you? That was my damn idea.

Taking credit right to my face, huh?

You absolute bastard.