Competitor: Go and Invite Miracle Makeup Quickly

The next day!

Paul's home.

He owned a luxurious mansion in the country.

After all, he had lived here for ten years, and when he left in a hurry back then, he hadn’t even had time to deal with the property.

Fortunately, he hadn’t—otherwise, he wouldn’t have a place to stay now.

"My Lord~~~"

Paul was in high spirits.

Waking up to daylight, he realized it had been ages since he’d slept so soundly through the night.

Even after drinking.

Quite a lot, actually.

Yet, this morning, he felt better than ever.

"Thank you so much for the medicine. I feel like I could live another thirty years."

Cao Cheng gestured casually.

The two sat on the sofa as Paul’s wife brought coffee for her husband and tea for Young Master Cao.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Beyond compare. It’s been so, so long since I’ve had such a deep sleep. Waking up this morning, I felt like I was reborn," Paul praised.

Then he asked in return, "And you, my most respected boss? Did you rest well?"

"Of course, very satisfied."

Cao Cheng smiled. "Your wife prepared the room for me—it felt like home."

"That’s wonderful."

Paul didn’t think much of it. His wife was much older, and Young Master Cao?

Young, handsome, wealthy, and downright extraordinary.

Even if his wife had any ideas, Cao Cheng probably wouldn’t entertain them.

So,

Paul was at ease.

And rightfully so.

Cao Cheng had standards.

Paul’s wife was decent-looking, but age was a factor.

Even with a century’s worth of experience under his belt, Cao Cheng wasn’t one to dismiss older women—sixty was still just "little sister" to him…

But why bother?

He wasn’t some reckless fool—why would he sleep with a subordinate’s woman?

That’d be pure idiocy.

Paul’s mixed-race daughter, however, was a different story.

…

Over morning tea, they resumed last night’s unfinished conversation.

The topic turned to acquiring small companies in the European region.

Cao Cheng shook his head. "Why bother with small companies? If we’re acquiring anything, it should be L'Oréal."

"……" Paul was stunned.

Cao Cheng smiled. "That’s where your skills come into play. The battlefield is set, and ammunition—unlimited funding—is yours without question. All I want is results."

Paul understood.

The "battlefield" referred to the current chaos over the X essence, where Paul could profit.

And "ammunition"? Money.

Cao Cheng had no shortage of that.

Hearing "acquire L'Oréal" had shocked Paul at first. Deep-rooted instincts told him how difficult that would be.

Even France had once tried to nationalize L'Oréal—and failed.

But then,

on second thought…

Times had changed, my lord.

It wasn’t impossible!

Forget "century-old legacy" or "heritage." Some companies, no matter how long they’d lasted, could collapse overnight.

Take the Hunt brothers of the U.S., for example.

Once ranked among America’s top eight wealthiest families, their empire spanned generations, amassing fortunes rivaling later dynasties. With their silver empire, they controlled nearly all the world’s circulating silver.

And what happened?

Bankrupt in just a few years. Now? No one even knew if they were still alive.

Who cared?

Didn’t matter.

Coincidentally,

the Hunts’ downfall began when the elder Hunt passed, leaving the empire to his sons.

L'Oréal’s situation was similar—the old matriarch was nearing her end, and the company would pass to her daughter.

History repeated itself.

The older generation dies, the younger squanders the fortune.

"I understand. I’ll… do everything in my power to acquire L'Oréal," Paul vowed.

Cao Cheng raised his teacup. "Then let’s toast to a victorious start."

"To victory!" Paul lifted his coffee.

Acquisition was the way to go.

Building a new company from scratch would mean struggling with distribution channels.

Far easier to take over L'Oréal directly.

After all, L'Oréal had swallowed countless smaller brands, its reach spanning the globe.

Owning L'Oréal meant owning half the cosmetics industry.

…

Young Master Cao spent half the day at Paul’s place.

Paul was stunned by the ruthlessness of Cao Cheng’s plans—far more aggressive than he’d imagined.

This was murder.

Paul felt he needed bodyguards now.

Otherwise…

things could get dangerous.

By lunchtime,

Paul grew curious and asked his wife, "Why hasn’t Abre gotten up yet? Call her down for lunch—where are her manners?"

"Of course." His wife headed upstairs.

Soon after, Su Yue—the mixed-race girl with a Chinese name—came downstairs reluctantly.

When she spotted Cao Cheng, her expression shifted slightly, her demeanor instantly more subdued.

She’d thought he’d left already.

Last night…

Paul spoke up. "My most respected boss, I believe I’ll be returning to Europe soon—within the next couple of days. My wife will accompany me, but my daughter…"

Paul was no fool.

A hostage was necessary.

His wife was his support system, his backbone—he relied on her for both household and emotional stability.

But his daughter?

She was old enough. She’d already graduated from a university here and was now interning.

Cao Cheng arched a brow. "I’ll arrange for her to join a company for training, depending on her interests."

Paul added, "Abre graduated from Zhonghai University of Finance and Economics, School of Business!"

Truthfully, they’d already… discussed things in depth the night before.

So Cao Cheng already had plans in mind.

But outwardly,

he hesitated briefly before saying, "I’m establishing a new company. Su Yue can join and learn the ropes. Eventually, she’ll manage it for me."

Paul was delighted. "That’s perfect."

He believed his daughter would gain invaluable experience under Cao Cheng’s guidance.

And so it was settled.

As for what the new company did, Paul didn’t ask.

…

…

Two days later,

Paul and his wife departed.

Cao Cheng and Su Yue drove them to the airport before leaving without even stepping out of the car.

Their partnership wasn’t public yet—better to keep a low profile.

Back at Paul’s mansion, Cao Cheng headed upstairs to admire Su Yue’s room.

That night had been a blur of alcohol and poor judgment.

But what was done was done.

Since she wasn’t his to begin with, he felt no guilt.

Even if Su Yue had been… untouched before, they weren’t particularly close. Cao Cheng wasn’t one to rush into emotional attachments.

As they say, familiarity breeds affection.

They hadn’t known each other long—there was plenty of time.

That said,

Su Yue had a unique personality—a blend of Eastern reserve and Western wildness.

To put it plainly,

in private, she was untamed, sometimes even overwhelming Cao Cheng.

But once dressed and out in public, she became the picture of restraint, her mixed-race beauty exuding an icy, aristocratic aura.

An absolute gem.

…

For several days in a row,

Cao Cheng had been meticulously explaining the details of the new company to her.

He barely stepped out of the house during that time.

Young Master Cao was putting in the effort.

Unfortunately, the girl's learning ability was lacking. After several days, all she knew was that she was joining a pharmaceutical company—everything else remained a mystery to her.

Her learning ability was truly poor.

With no other choice, Cao Cheng patiently went over the management model of the pharmaceutical company with her again.

It wasn’t until the third day that Su Yue finally understood what her role would be.

Only then did Young Master Cao feel reassured enough to leave.

……

"Wahhhh~~~~ I'm ruined! The cosmetics industry just crashed. All the 20% gains I made earlier vanished in an instant, and now I'm down over 10%... Stock god, save me!"

"Chill, bro, just hold on. Anyway, I bailed ages ago, hahahaha... I made a solid 30% profit overall."

"You damn bastard."

"Who’s the bastard here? I was just messing with you, and you took it seriously? If I were serious, I could’ve crushed you... Didn’t the stock god say, 'When prices peak, they reverse; when they bottom out, they rebound'? You think you’re smarter than the stock god? He told you to sell, but you didn’t listen. Now you’re crying for help? Who the hell are you whining to? Serves you right, you dumbass!"

"..."

That was some vicious trash talk.

And then there were the clueless ones.

"The cosmetics industry crashed? What happened?"

"Did you just get internet access?"

"Where are you guys trading?"

"Longon stocks."

"How do I open an account?"

"Go to Hong Kong..."

"That sounds like such a hassle."

"..."

The secondary market never runs short of newcomers.

Even twenty years later, after countless ups and downs in global markets, there are still "complete newbies" throwing their money in without understanding a thing.

Some don’t even know what dividends are.

Their fate is pretty much sealed—most end up losing money, getting trapped, while those stock-trading streamers cash in on the hype.

……

From early May onward, for an entire month, the global cosmetics industry faced an unprecedented crisis.

The emergence of X-serum had turned the industry upside down.

And now, the disappearance of X-serum was "disrupting" the industry all over again.

This wasn’t just an industry problem—it affected countless consumers. Women who had used high-grade X-serum cosmetics could no longer tolerate any other products.

Just as everyone was at a loss,

a piece of news blazed through like a holy flame in the darkness, illuminating the entire world.

#June 22nd: Miracle Cosmetics to Host X-Serum Product Launch at Miracle Eco-Park!#

Boom.

Many people’s minds exploded on the spot.

The smart ones seemed to grasp what was happening.

The not-so-smart ones also understood one thing—Miracle Cosmetics has X-serum! Buy, buy, buy!

……

"Miracle Cosmetics has X-serum? And they’re holding a product launch?"

"Where did they get X-serum from?"

"Get me in touch with Miracle Cosmetics—what? The line’s busy? Can’t get through?"

"Get the car ready. We’re heading to Miracle Cosmetics now."

"Headquarters just called. They want us to secure a long-term strategic partnership with Miracle Cosmetics, no matter what."

"Let’s move, now!"

"Who’s got an invite to Miracle Cosmetics’ product launch?"