Don't you know your own limitations

Three days.

Hundreds of thousands of emotional value points… completely wiped out.

After more than a year, Young Master Cao Cheng found himself once again in the embarrassing predicament of having zero emotional value.

It had to be noted that ever since Cao Cheng rose to fame, he never lacked emotional feedback. He could spend freely, always maintaining a "savings" of at least six digits in his account—at its peak, it even reached eight digits.

He hadn’t been short on emotional value for a long time.

But now,

His wallet was empty.

Cao Cheng couldn’t help but entertain some wicked thoughts… scheming up all sorts of unscrupulous ways to earn more emotional value.

As the saying goes: Poverty breeds deceit, while wealth nurtures virtue.

Right now, Young Master Cao was broke as hell!

Damn it.

This loot box addiction was too much.

Three days had drained his emotional value, but his inventory was now packed—all top-tier items.

Primary artificial intelligence!

Primary semiconductor technology.

Primary chips…

These things made Cao Cheng’s eyes gleam as countless strategic plans unfolded in his mind.

He knew all too well the changes the next decade would bring.

Ten years later, many domestic industries would surpass so-called cutting-edge technology, except for a few sectors still lagging behind.

Areas like biopharmaceuticals, high-end chips, film and entertainment, artificial intelligence, software systems, and medical equipment… were still just one step short.

Now, with these items—even if they were just primary-tier—Cao Cheng had a starting point.

If he could fuse more loot boxes and open them at the divine tier, even if a single divine-tier box cost hundreds of thousands of emotional value, it would be worth it.

As long as his strategy was solid enough,

He could make countless foreign companies bleed.

And then, wouldn’t his emotional value be maxed out?

With more emotional value, he could unlock even better items.

A virtuous cycle.

Harnessing the emotions of billions worldwide to fuel his rise, he felt like he’d soon be soaring beyond the stars.

Take the cosmetics industry, for example… the finale was approaching, and it wasn’t just one or two companies that would suffer.

Hell, entire nations might be left reeling.

Cao Cheng’s cosmetics scheme had the potential to cripple some countries’ pillar industries.

Annual fiscal losses in the tens of billions of euros? Easy.

……

In the blink of an eye,

April arrived!

A major event—a joyous one—unfolded in Europe: the so-called "Wedding of the Century."

A certain princess’s nuptials became a global spectacle.

At Westminster Abbey, the celebratory atmosphere carried a hint of so-called "divine sanctity"…

The wedding was a rare live broadcast, watched by 2 billion people worldwide.

A historic moment.

The pinnacle of prestige.

Naturally, British beauty giants like Boots and Jo Malone wouldn’t miss this exposure.

Especially since some of these brands had American capital behind them—they knew the power of marketing.

Besides,

With the X Essence Serum in hand, there was no better time to advertise.

Nobility? Please. For the right price, even the princess would happily pose with a bottle of skincare in her wedding photos.

The wedding was extravagant and ostentatious.

Every major brand was there—wedding dresses, jewelry, perfumes, cosmetics, shoes, hats…

And naturally, global attention skyrocketed, boosting their prestige.

……

Back in Zhonghai, China,

Cao Cheng was also watching the livestream.

Today was the day he’d been waiting for.

Let them run their ads—he’d be the one reaping the rewards.

A smirk curled on Cao Cheng’s lips, giving him the aura of a protagonist—though his mouth wasn’t quite as dramatically twisted.

Let them enjoy today.

He’d ignore them now, but tomorrow? He’d make them seethe.

Beside him, The Fourth stared intently at the screen, her eyes shimmering with envy.

What girl didn’t dream of a wedding dress?

"It’s so beautiful," The Fourth murmured.

"Beautiful my ass," Cao Cheng scoffed. "I’ll arrange a full traditional Chinese wedding for you someday. Then you’ll see what real elegance is—the kind of breathtaking beauty the West could never match."

The Fourth’s heart skipped a beat.

She glanced at him. "You… you mean with me?"

Cao Cheng ignored the question, shaking his head at the screen. "Tsk tsk, Europeans really don’t age well, huh? Already looking like that in their thirties? And that’s with X Essence Serum. Without it, they’d look even worse."

"And flat as a board."

"Wearing a V-neck wedding dress? What’s she trying to show off? Doesn’t she know her own limits?"

"……"

The Fourth rolled her eyes. "Answer the question."

"Huh?" Cao Cheng turned, confused.

"You just said you’d arrange a traditional Chinese wedding."

"Damn right. Three Letters and Six Etiquettes… but modernized. No point clinging to outdated traditions—gotta keep up with the times."

"With who?" The Fourth pressed.

"What do you mean ‘with who’?"

"Don’t play dumb. The wedding—who am I marrying?"

"Who do you want to marry?" Cao Cheng shot back.

Their eyes locked.

Both sensed something unspoken.

It had started as casual banter, but now… the tension was palpable.

A spark flickered between them.

Until—an untimely door creak shattered the moment.

The Fourth quickly looked away, flustered.

……

Time zones differed.

The wedding was at noon there,

Which meant the livestream aired at 8:30 PM in China.

It had only just begun.

The intruder was The Third.

After changing her shoes, she immediately picked up on the odd atmosphere.

"Did you two fight again?" The Third asked softly.

"……" Cao Cheng sighed. "What do you mean ‘again’? The Fourth and I get along great. We never fight, right?"

He nudged The Fourth with his elbow.

She nodded reflexively. "Right. Wait—no! Who’s your ‘Fourth’? I’m your elder, you little brat…"

The Third chuckled, dismissing the thought, then turned to the screen. "The wedding’s started? Nice, looks lovely."

Before Cao Cheng could retort, The Fourth cut in, "Pfft. What’s so nice about Western weddings? Mine’s gonna be traditional Chinese—Three Letters and Six Etiquettes. Grand and dignified."

Cao Cheng side-eyed her. Really? Stealing his lines now?

No shame at all.

The Third blinked, then nodded. "That sounds lovely too. Our traditional weddings are majestic in their own way. But first, you’d need a boyfriend, no?"

The Fourth stiffened, sneaking another glance at Cao Cheng. "I-I’m in no rush. I’m still young."

"Not that young," The Third said with a smile, heading to the kitchen. "What’ll you two drink?"

"Juice, thanks, Third Sis," Cao Cheng called.

"Same!" The Fourth added.

Soon,

The rest of the household trickled in.

All five of them sat in a row, watching the livestream.

But the mood was… off.

On the surface, they were all engrossed in the wedding. Yet beneath, each seemed lost in thought, speaking little.

The ceremony lasted over an hour.

Then came the archbishop’s sermon.

Followed by a horse-drawn carriage parade—practically a rolling billboard.

Finally, the royal balcony wave to the crowds.

Cao Cheng's face was a picture of utter disdain.

Is this it?

To be fair, it wasn’t Cao Cheng’s fault for looking down on it.

Knowing the future trends, he was well aware that in two or three decades, many weddings in the country would adopt traditional Chinese styles. As more people chose them, the prices would drop.

The full ceremonial process, from start to finish, exuded a profound sense of solemnity.

Even small-scale weddings costing around a hundred thousand would appear more dignified than this royal wedding.

It wasn’t about the money.

It was about culture.

Sure, the royal bride’s wedding gown might cost millions of dollars, and her diamond ring another fortune…

Every detail screamed superficial extravagance.

By today’s standards, it might seem impressive.

But in the future? Utterly insignificant!

...

This was Cao Cheng’s mindset.

Those who hadn’t seen the future would struggle to understand, so he kept his thoughts to himself, merely shaking his head inwardly.

The livestream ended.

Everyone returned to their rooms.

Whether anyone lost sleep that night was unclear, but Cao Cheng slept… decently enough.

The next morning arrived in a blink.

Cao Cheng woke up past ten, stretched lazily, and stared at the ceiling, beginning his daily self-reflection.

The system had upgraded—today wasn’t his fault.

So,

this time, the system wasn’t to blame.

Blame The Fourth instead.

Last night, The Fourth had barged in late, pestering him about the details of a traditional Chinese wedding.

As if she didn’t already know.

Reluctantly, Cao Cheng walked her through the entire process—the rituals, the décor, the setup, even the vows exchanged between the bride and groom.

Just describing it had filled The Fourth with longing.

But she’d robbed Cao Cheng of his sleep.

He’d gone to bed over an hour later than usual, yet woke up at the same time.

Now he was tempted to crawl back under the covers.

All because of The Fourth!

With his self-reflection complete, he got up.

While brushing his teeth, Cao Cheng sent a message:

"Begin."

The reply came swiftly: "Understood."

...

At 11 a.m., TC’s official blog dropped a bombshell: "Due to mismanagement and stolen formulas, we are declaring bankruptcy effective immediately. We’re shutting down!!"

"??"

"What does this mean?"

"TC is going under? Seriously?"

"Countless cosmetic companies rely on your raw materials—how can you just fold?"

"What’s this about 'stolen formulas'?"

"Didn’t they just offer a 100-million-yuan bounty? Out of money now?"

"..."

...

Most of the public hadn’t grasped the severity yet.

But other cosmetics companies had.

At L’Oréal’s China headquarters,

an assistant rushed into the office of the new CEO, Vincent.

"Boss, disaster—absolute disaster~~~"

"Speak French," Vincent snapped, still struggling with Mandarin.

Unlike his predecessor Paul, his heart wasn’t in China, nor did he care for the culture—except the food.

The assistant repeated the news in French.

Then the Chinese-American VP arrived.

In rapid-fire speech, he laid out the situation.

Only then did Vincent understand the gravity.

He shot to his feet. "So you’re saying we’ll never get X Essence again?"

"Correct, sir. TC announced bankruptcy and is liquidating. Legally, contracts remain valid, but if they can’t deliver, we’ll have to file claims for compensation..."

"However!"

The assistant hesitated. "Such claims are usually classified as general debts, low-priority in repayment… Even if we eventually get compensated, it’ll take ages. The real issue is—we lose access to X Essence."

"..."