There are no outsiders at home, so speak plainly... Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up

The buzz around Miracle Cosmetics continues to grow.

Since its debut during the Spring Festival Gala's midnight countdown, the brand has captured public attention and skyrocketed in popularity.

Then came the product launch.

The company precisely targeted its marketing to reach the most interested demographics.

A Miracle Cosmetics forum has already emerged.

Every day, countless users flood the discussion threads, with some women who've tried the products becoming outright "devotees."

Take, for example, a post with over a thousand comments titled: "Two Weeks with the Bronze Set—AMA!"

Of course,

Where there are devotees, there are also hired trolls and haters. These anonymous accounts spew baseless smear campaigns, muddying public perception.

Unsurprisingly, these trolls are paid by rival cosmetic companies.

The corporate warfare

has quietly begun.

...

The commotion has also caught the attention of international beauty conglomerates.

However,

when regional executives in China submitted their reports and lab analyses to headquarters, the responses were dripping with disdain.

Most of these beauty giants dismissed the idea outright.

They refused to believe a brand like Miracle Cosmetics could develop top-tier products.

"Since when do the Chinese know how to make cosmetics?"

Heh.

Headquarters even mocked their own China-based executives—these so-called "frontier lords" getting spooked by a local upstart?

Pathetic.

This included L'Oréal's global HQ.

But their arrogance wasn’t unfounded. The industry’s hierarchy is rigid.

Ever since Europe’s luxury revival, even American brands were seen as provincial—backwater labels. And that ancient empire across the ocean? Please.

As for L'Oréal Group,

nearly fifty years as a publicly traded titan, wielding its financial might to swallow competitors whole.

Acquisitions like Lancôme, Biotherm, and Lauren—countless brands absorbed under its empire.

Its portfolio spans every category: skincare, cosmetics, fragrances, luxury goods... you name it.

Did anyone really expect a behemoth like this to tremble at some no-name company?

Even if they had a breakthrough product,

so what?

Just buy them out.

After half a century of takeovers, L'Oréal had forgotten all other forms of corporate combat.

With the Group’s "First Lady" aging and embroiled in scandals, she remained blissfully unaware of the situation.

The CEO’s order was succinct:

"Acquire."

...

Reading HQ’s response,

Paul scratched his thinning scalp, cursing under his breath.

Clearly, no one had bothered with his detailed report.

He’d spelled it out—this wasn’t some cash-strapped startup.

Sure, they were new and their lineup limited.

But their products? Unmatched.

Hadn’t they seen the sales frenzy? And that was with purchase limits in place!

Plus, Cao Cheng owned an entertainment agency. Half the industry’s actresses were promoting his brand for free—imagine the fan-driven sales.

"Acquire"?

Try it, you idiots.

Hell, he might try acquiring us.

Damn it!

Knock knock knock—

"Come in."

"Sir," the secretary rushed in, "good news!"

"Better be."

"It is," she said. "We’ve tracked down their raw material supplier."

Bang—

Paul shot up, his plump frame sending his executive chair rolling backward.

He hurried around the desk. "The herbal extract X?"

"Exactly." She nodded.

Paul snatched the report, muttering as he scanned it. "You’ve done it. A house, a car—hell, we’ll even get you a new wife."

"..."

The report laid it out plainly.

They’d bribed an insider at Miracle Cosmetics, locating their newly relocated R&D center.

Then, another payoff—a young researcher, tempted with a million-yuan offer.

Money and a future: valuable intel would secure him a position at L'Oréal’s labs.

After days of negotiation, they’d coughed up 1.5 million for the jackpot.

A newly established herbal research institute in Yunnan-Guizhou.

The X essence? Extracted from traditional Chinese herbs.

Each 100ml vial cost ¥80,000.

Steep, but investigations showed one vial could supply ten Diamond Sets, with leftovers even usable in the Bronze line.

"Hah!"

Paul erupted in laughter, clutching the documents.

"That bastard Cao Cheng. Eighty grand for the essence, then sells it for 3.8 million?"

"Born to be a businessman."

"But those formulas belong to us now."

"Get the car ready. I’m visiting this supplier myself—we’re buying them out."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Meanwhile.

Cao Cheng set down the phone.

He took a leisurely sip of tea.

"Slower than I expected. Took them five extra days to find the supplier. These foreign clowns move like snails—no wonder I’m eating their market share."

Beside him, Eldest Sister spoke up. "I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it feels reckless."

She was on leave today.

Yes.

You heard right.

Eldest Sister—on leave.

Since her recovery, she’d not only developed a quiet authority but also mastered the art of slacking off.

Cao Cheng almost regretted curing her.

This household didn’t tolerate idlers.

Why not pull some overtime?

Who takes vacations here?

The Third, The Fourth—even Second Brother—all swamped with work.

And she lounges around?

Eldest Sister adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her tone cool, devoid of the maternal warmth she once had.

Her own sharp edges were emerging.

"L'Oréal is a global top-three cosmetics giant," she said. "I can’t fathom how you plan to swallow a whale. Don’t choke on it."

"You don’t get it." Cao Cheng smirked.

He reached for his teacup—empty.

With a sigh, he set it down and pointed.

Eldest Sister shot him a look but refilled it anyway.

Leaning back, Cao Cheng radiated righteousness. "You know me—I don’t care about money."

"Everything I do is for human progress. For ordinary people to access better products."

"Take The Voice. I created it to elevate entertainment standards, to give the masses a feast for eyes and ears. The profits? Just a happy accident."

"This is no different."

"Know what ‘international poverty alleviation’ is?"

"This is it."

"Our global friends—consumers and competitors alike—are slathering chemical concoctions on their faces. Tsk. What a tragedy."

"So I couldn't stand it anymore and had to develop my own all-natural herbal essence. Luckily, I know a bit of traditional Chinese medicine, or else I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it."

"Do you understand my good intentions now?"

"..."

If Eldest Sister didn’t know Fifth Brother well, she might have actually believed him.

She didn’t feel any "good intentions."

But his bragging was top-notch.

Classic Fifth Brother.

Eldest Sister snorted. "There’s no one else here. Can you speak like a normal person?"

"I can’t even imagine how you schemed this—deliberately splitting off the essence formula into a separate small company and then leaking it to those big brands on purpose."

"Those formulas are worth billions. Don’t end up losing both the battle and the war, or The Fourth will laugh you to death."

"..."

Cao Cheng smiled. "You really want to know?"

Eldest Sister nodded. "Curious."

Cao Cheng pointed to his shoulder.

Eldest Sister chuckled but didn’t refuse. She got up and stood behind him, massaging his shoulders.

...

Cao Cheng began speaking slowly, holding nothing back.

Some schemes sound worthless once revealed.

This one was no exception.

Earlier,

Young Master Cao had specifically asked his mother-in-law for help.

He found a trusted subordinate—or rather, a frontman—from the Tang family and had him set up a cosmetics raw material supply company in Yunnan-Guizhou.

Then, he handed over his self-developed essence to the man—without the formula.

After that, the frontman would "sell" it to Miracle Cosmetics.

This process was necessary—otherwise, how would anyone trace it back?

Now, giants like L'Oréal had already taken the bait.

If they had any sense, they’d definitely buy the essence and incorporate it into their own products. With their massive sales networks and global reach, they could easily push these essence-infused products into every high-end market worldwide.

And that was exactly what Young Master Cao wanted.

To put it bluntly,

the industry’s elitism was too severe.

No matter how good your product was,

the moment they heard it came from an Eastern country, they’d instinctively dismiss it as tacky.

They might even suppress your progress and block your channels.

Cao Cheng wasn’t afraid of a boycott—he just didn’t want the hassle.

Better to scheme first than be schemed against.

"I’d rather betray the world than let the world betray me..."

No wonder my surname is Cao.

In any case,

exporting products would inevitably face hurdles.

Meanwhile, these industry giants had close ties with high-ranking officials worldwide and were adored by the elite.

With nearly a century of reputation, entering any market was a thousand times easier for them than for Cao Cheng.

So...

Once their products took the world by storm, and they thought they were raking in fortunes,

Cao Cheng would pull the rug out from under them.

He’d reclaim the essence exclusively for Miracle Cosmetics.

After the elite women, the high-society ladies, tried the X Essence, could they ever go back to anything else?

Highly unlikely.

The only place left to buy it would be Miracle Cosmetics.

In other words,

Cao Cheng’s plan was a masterstroke.

Use their money, their channels, their reputation, their brands—to serve his purpose!

The only "loss"

was a small batch of essence at the start.

And even that wasn’t really a loss, since they paid for it.

Then, cutting off their supply later would generate endless frustration.

All in all,

Young Master Cao was winning on every front.

"..."

After hearing his explanation,

Eldest Sister was stunned.

Her hands had stopped massaging long ago.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice dry: "You..."

"You..."

"You really aren’t afraid of getting beaten to death, are you?"