Impossible, absolutely impossible

In the blink of an eye,

November arrived.

The quarterly reports of major enterprises in the secondary market were released.

This year marked the dawn of the mobile internet era, with the tech sector and smartphones seeing impressive gains, washing away the gloom of the previous global crisis.

But,

whether it was the tech sector, healthcare, new energy, or non-ferrous metals—none could hold a candle to the cosmetics industry.

The cosmetics industry was on an absolute tear this year.

Even before the earnings reports dropped, expectations were sky-high.

And once the reports came out? Another explosive rally.

This also proved that Young Master Cao’s open strategy had altered history—nothing this wild had happened in his dreams.

Year-over-year growth of 25.8%!

That figure alone was mind-blowing.

This was the top beauty conglomerate, and it was still posting gains like this—what did that tell you?

It told you to buy now.

Before it’s too late.

Charge!

A closer look at the sales figures showed a 3.5% increase in Western Europe, 5.8% in North America, and a staggering 15.5% in Asia-Pacific!

Asians really do have money to burn.

Stocks soared relentlessly.

Cao Cheng made a killing too…

Yep.

He’d positioned himself in the cosmetics industry, feasting on the rally, planning to offload his holdings slowly next year when prices peaked.

Then he’d pull the rug out and go short.

...

Online, though, many were taking jabs at Young Master Cao.

Posts on Weibo were mostly along these lines:

“Young Master Cao, when are you going public? We want in on your cosmetics stock too! International brands are flying—if you IPO, you’d take off, even if your output’s low (lol).”

“Young Master Cao, the global cosmetics boom? Yeah, I helped with that (lol).”

“Young Master Cao, the cosmetics industry’s raking it in—time to ramp up production! My wife couldn’t snag your products, so she had to buy L’Oréal instead. Not that we don’t support you—you’re just not delivering (lol).”

“Young Master Cao… hang in there, you’re our only hope for domestic cosmetics. Anyway, I bought Lancôme (lol).”

“Young Master Cao… I went with Estée Lauder (lol).”

“Young Master Cao, Unilever for me (lol).”

“Young Master Cao, Chanel all the way (lol).”

“LMAO, you guys are brutal. Savage.”

Some were mocking, others just memeing—all in good fun, it seemed.

Mixed in were a few veteran investors: “Stock god, stock god, when’s the next forum update? These so-called ‘experts’ can’t hold a candle to you.”

In response, Young Master Cao didn’t hold back, posting:

“Don’t care what cosmetics you bought—I bought their stocks instead. Life’s good (lol).”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Netizens were stunned.

Are you even human?

Buying shares of your competitors?

Holy crap.

What kind of galaxy-brain move is this?

But on second thought, it made sense—if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.

Plus, with Young Master Cao’s rep as the “Stock God” and “Financial Bandit,” missing this opportunity would’ve been out of character.

The same crowd that had been mocking him moments ago now felt utterly deflated.

Yet,

something about this felt… off.

Hard to put a finger on it.

Young Master Cao’s words sent cosmetics stocks surging again the next day, as latecomers piled in, driving prices even higher.

By December,

cosmetics stocks had cooled off slightly—just a technical pullback as some took profits.

Everyone who’d gotten in early had bagged at least a 20% gain.

But it wasn’t over.

In December, as global beauty stocks stabilized, another bombshell hit the internet.

TC, the company behind the coveted “X Essence” formula, dropped a bombshell.

General Manager Li took to the web with this announcement:

“Last night, our X Essence formula was stolen by corporate spies. We’ve alerted the authorities, and evidence points to Western competitors. We’re offering a $100M reward for leads. Anyone or any organization that helps recover the formula will receive 20% equity in our company!”

The reaction was immediate.

Corporate espionage like this usually stays under wraps.

Even if it leaks, companies typically handle it quietly—never with this level of fanfare and a sky-high bounty.

Clearly, there was more to this story.

TC’s announcement went viral almost instantly, spreading across domestic and international platforms, even making headlines in major outlets.

Anyone following cosmetics or stocks would’ve seen it.

Stocks, which had been stabilizing, reversed course and surged again.

TC had pointed fingers at Western giants, and none of them denied it.

Their silence spoke volumes.

No denial? Might as well be an admission.

The market’s imagination ran wild.

If these giants got their hands on the formula, they’d control both production and profits.

And with a story like that, stocks had only one direction to go: up.

...

“WTF, I just took profits and now this news drops? I’m gonna miss the rally… feels like losing $100M, fml.”

“FOMO buying—this isn’t stopping anytime soon.”

“Damn pirates, stealing like it’s the 18th century. Poor TC… poor Young Master Cao.”

After two days of frenzy,

Young Master Cao finally weighed in:

“Market risks abound—invest with caution… As ‘Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of the Money-Makers’ says: ‘When prices peak, they reverse; when they bottom, they rise.’ You’ve been warned—don’t say I didn’t tell you!”

“??”

“What’s Young Master Cao getting at?”

“I think I get it… or do I?”

“Liberal arts grad here—this basically means ‘what goes up must come down, and vice versa.’ Think ‘reversion to the mean.’”

“Got it.”

“Got what?”

“The quote’s meaning. Duh.”

“Ohhh, now I see. But why’s he saying this now?”

“Reading between the lines—he’s warning against FOMO. Prices could crash hard. And he’s covering his ass so no one can claim he didn’t warn them.”

“Crystal clear.”

“Classic Stock God move—always cryptic on the forums. I’m out. Good luck, y’all.”

“Seriously? This rally’s just getting started!”

“I’m cashing out. His calls have never steered me wrong.”

“Doubt it. Sure, he’s a beast in domestic markets, but this is global. Is he really that clued in?”

Some believed him.

Others didn’t.

But at least half couldn’t resist the greed—they’d hold, convinced the peak was still ahead.

And they weren’t wrong—it would keep rising.

But could the average investor time the top?

Not a chance.

The last copper coin isn’t earned by ordinary people.

When the market peaks and starts crashing, few can escape in time.

Even if some manage to flee early, most won’t—they’ll mistake it for a minor correction.

And in the end, it’s these people who get buried.

Of course,

Young Master Cao doesn’t pay much attention to secondary market affairs. The traps have already been laid.

General Manager Li’s intel is "real"—there really was a corporate spy who stole the formula, but the formula itself was fake.

It’s just a way to swindle them out of their money.

And make another killing in the secondary market.

Now, it’s just a matter of waiting till next year.

...

December arrives, and the movie is set to premiere.

The premiere ceremony is held in Beijing.

Young Master Cao doesn’t attend.

But judging by the follow-up news coverage, the event was a success, at least in terms of generating buzz and hype.

Especially with Ge You, who stars in both films.

Coincidentally, the two movies are released around the same time.

One is Let the Bullets Fly, the other is If You Are the One 2.

The fact that they’re competing head-to-head is already a hot topic, and with Ge You as the lead in both, the hype only grows.

Then there’s the ongoing feud between Young Master Cao and Director Feng.

The war of words has been raging nonstop.

As the release dates draw closer, the verbal sparring becomes even more frequent.

By now, who hasn’t heard of these two films?

Even those who don’t follow the industry know their release dates.

...

At the premiere, a reporter asks a pointed question.

"Ge You, since you’re the lead in both films, which one do you think will win at the box office this holiday season?"

Ge You replies, "Whichever one wins, I come out on top either way."

The crowd laughs.

A smooth, humorous deflection.

But the reporter presses further: "Ge You, are you aware of the bet between Young Master Cao and Director Feng?"

"The naked run one?" Ge You blinks, feigning surprise.

The audience erupts in laughter.

Ge You chuckles too: "Of course I know about such an amusing wager. But the bet isn’t about If You Are the One 2—it’s between Director Jiang’s film and Aftershock. So there’s no need to dwell on it here. Let’s just wait and see."

A seasoned veteran.

With a few words, he effortlessly sidesteps the question.

Next, the reporter turns to Director Jiang.

Director Jiang also delivers some quotable lines.

He even drops a few mentions of Young Master Cao.

After all, the online frenzy is impossible to ignore, and even though Young Master Cao isn’t the biggest investor, he’s still an unavoidable topic of discussion.

...

In the blink of an eye,

Let the Bullets Fly officially hits theaters, and the cinemas under Young Master Cao’s investment ramp up their screenings.

Add to that the explosive marketing campaign—everyone’s talking about it, and ticket sales skyrocket.

The midnight premiere alone rakes in over a million at the box office, setting a new record for midnight screenings.

By the end of opening day, the film surpasses 37 million.

Overtaking Aftershock’s opening-day record of 36 million.

Cao Cheng immediately tags Director Feng online:

"Feng, it’s getting cold out. Maybe pick a warmer day for your run? At your age, if certain parts freeze and stop working, that’d be a real shame."

Fans chime in:

"I hate that I understood that immediately, LOL…"

"Director Feng, your good days are numbered."

"It’s only the first day, Young Master Cao, you’re ruthless."

"The first day says it all, honestly."

...

"Damn it!"

Director Feng is furious.

He smashes two cups.

"How is this possible?" he roars.

"Absolutely impossible!"

"That little cheat must’ve rigged it—padding screenings, even stealing box office numbers. Damn it, he’s cheating!"

Old Xu, his wife, shakes her head silently.

She knows the industry’s tricks.

Whether it’s cheating… is pretty obvious.

But there’s nothing she can say right now. They’ll have to wait.

It’s only the first day—no need to panic.

Truthfully,

the bet isn’t even the main issue. So what if Director Feng has to run naked? He can always weasel out of it if he really wants to.

The real problem is If You Are the One 2, set to release soon.

With Let the Bullets Fly gaining this much momentum, If You Are the One 2 might get crushed on impact.

Haven’t you noticed how many studios are already rescheduling their releases?

Everyone’s pushing theirs back.

Otherwise,

with this kind of momentum, theaters won’t give much screen time to other films—they’re here to make money.

This industry runs on momentum: the stronger it is, the more screenings you get, and the more screenings you get, the stronger the momentum.

Who cares about small films getting squeezed out?

Not that Director Feng is a small-time director, and If You Are the One 2 isn’t a small film… but it’ll still take a hit.

Especially now that the ratings are out.

Nine out of ten!

A critical and commercial smash.

A monster has arrived.

Better steer clear.

Old Xu speaks up: "Maybe we should delay."

"Delay my ass—"

[Ding~ Negative emotions +10,000!]