The Essence of X Is Not for You, Not Even God Can Change It, I Said

The family had a new addition.

With the arrival of a little life, the warmth in the home instantly multiplied.

The little one was even more well-behaved than expected, hardly ever crying, to the point where Young Master Cao began to suspect if she might be a transmigrator.

He tested the waters.

Nope!

No emotional feedback.

Alright then.

Young Master Cao admitted he might have been overthinking it. Having one transmigrator in this world was already rare enough—what were the odds of another?

Would the world even have room for two?

Besides,

he wasn’t exactly a conventional transmigrator himself.

...

By the end of July,

"The Voice" was gaining higher and higher ratings, matching the popularity of its first season, its momentum unstoppable.

With the variety show past its halfway mark, buzz around it broke new records daily, and the drama produced by Miracle Media was also gearing up for release.

"Scarlet Heart"!

This was bound to be a hit—emotional feedback wouldn’t be lacking.

Young Master Cao casually posted a still from the series, partly as a promotional move.

The moment the still dropped,

fans were floored.

"Wait, what’s going on?"

"When did Young Master Cao invest in a drama? There wasn’t even a whisper of this before!"

"Great, no more drama drought for me!"

"Say what you will about Young Master Cao’s sharp tongue, but his taste is solid. Everything he backs turns out decent."

"Can’t wait!"

"Can’t wait +10086..."

"Hold up, is that even the point? Did you guys check which network this is airing on?"

"What’s the big deal... Holy crap??"

"Holy crap, Hunan TV?"

"Holy crap, didn’t they have beef before?"

"Holy crap... So the deputy head got axed for nothing? Couldn’t they have just worked together from the start?"

"Game over. No point getting hyped now. Hunan TV’s about to get scammed—this has to be a trash drama if they’re letting it air there."

"Remember how the First Lady of L'Oréal was smothered in the hospital just days ago? Have you all forgotten? The Forbidden City... pfft—"

"L'Oréal’s drowning in internal and external crises now, a century-old empire with its stock frozen thanks to Young Master Cao... Remember that?"

"It’s only been a year since L'Oréal sponsored 'The Voice.'"

"Some people never learn."

"Hunan TV, pull the plug! With L'Oréal as the cautionary tale, wake the hell up!"

"..."

Young Master Cao’s casual post of a "Scarlet Heart" still had sparked an uproar.

The topic rocketed to the top of trending searches,

leaving many industry insiders stunned.

What was happening?

Was Young Master Cao pioneering some next-level marketing strategy?

The industry couldn’t make sense of it.

Regardless, the hype exploded overnight.

Countless people tuned in, eager to see just how badly Young Master Cao would screw this up.

...

In reality... Beef?

Nonexistent.

The old guard had fallen, and the new regime owed Young Master Cao their thanks.

If not for him clearing the way, they’d never have risen so quickly.

With gratitude in their hearts,

they were more than happy to collaborate.

And Young Master Cao was never one to hold grudges. If you bowed low enough, he wouldn’t drive you to ruin—unlike those foreign devils, no need to go nuclear, right?

Besides, reconciliation meant mutual profit.

This drama marked their first joint venture post-truce, with Hunan TV showing sincerity by securing a prime-time slot and paying top dollar per episode.

Promotions were solid too.

After Young Master Cao’s post, Hunan TV swiftly rolled out follow-up campaigns, including variety show appearances.

Every Hunan TV variety show would feature the cast, squeezing in some drama promotion.

As for public explanations? None. Let the fans speculate.

The more they argued, the wilder the theories, the hotter the buzz.

...

Meanwhile,

Young Master Cao had moved on after posting the still.

He was busy.

Seriously busy.

A flood of foreign investors and tycoons had descended on the country, drawing attention from local authorities.

Even if Young Master Cao wanted to stay out of it, he couldn’t dodge the city officials knocking on his door every other day.

At some point, you had to show face.

Even with his golden son-in-law status shielding him from pressure... enthusiasm could be exhausting.

Xu Qing wasn’t cut out for handling these high-stakes meetings.

That afternoon,

Young Master Cao received the delegation at the eco-park.

Asia-Pacific heads of major cosmetics brands, plus negotiation teams sent from headquarters.

Two factions sat across the round table, a clear divide.

Click—

The conference room door opened.

Young Master Cao entered.

Though the youngest in the room, his presence commanded immediate respect. Everyone rose.

An Asian representative hurried forward, hand extended, greeting in awkward Mandarin: "CEO Cao, hello! Pleasure to meet you!"

Young Master Cao glanced over. Small eyes—ah, a Korean.

He walked right past without a word.

The Korean’s face fell. The others exchanged glances. The room froze in awkward silence.

Negative emotions spiked.

Young Master Cao took the head seat.

Xu Qing personally poured him a cup of green tea.

Scanning the room with a faint smirk, Young Master Cao said, "Apologies. Nothing pisses me off more than being strong-armed."

"Don’t blame me for speaking harshly, but pressuring the investment department and local officials to force a meeting with me directly has crossed a line."

"Do you not realize how busy I am? Do I look like I have time for people like you?"

"Let’s get one thing straight—this isn’t me begging you. It’s you begging me."

"If you’re asking for a favor, you’d better act like it."

"If you want cooperation, show some damn sincerity."

"The fact that I even let Xu Qing deal with you was me doing you a favor."

"But clearly, you don’t know how to take a hint."

"So, sorry—not a single drop of X-Essence Serum will go to you. Not even God can change that. My word is final."

The moment these words left his mouth,

the room erupted in shock.

Those who understood Chinese looked like they’d just bitten into something vile, their faces twisting in outrage.

Those who didn’t, after hearing the translation, turned equally grim.

Everyone had heard Young Master Cao was blunt.

But…

this was next-level.

Where was the basic courtesy?

Wasn’t the Eastern region all about social etiquette?

How was there not a shred of humility in this guy?

What the hell?

Foreigners who’d worked in the Eastern region knew a thing or two about Young Master Cao—a man who couldn’t be bullied but might bend for respect.

But the delegates sent from headquarters clearly hadn’t done their homework.

Especially the ones from Lennox.

Full of themselves.

One of them slammed the table, jabbing a finger at Cao Cheng while spewing a torrent of English threats—sanctions, market retaliation, the usual.

Young Master Cao let him finish, then smirked. "Done? Good. Now get out."

"I’d love to see you try and sanction me."

The group stormed off, cursing under their breath.

Cao Cheng glanced around, amused. "Anyone else here wanna try that? If so, speak up now. Otherwise—show me some sincerity."

"Our country believes in leaving room for compromise, but don’t push me."

"So here’s the deal: if you’re willing to kneel and play second fiddle, stay. If you’re just here for ‘cooperation,’ leave. I don’t need partners. I only want subordinates."

Once translated, a few more groups stood and left, leaving behind nothing but resentment.

Not that Young Master Cao cared.

First, they’d annoyed him by strong-arming officials into this meeting.

Second, these weren’t good people—stealing formulas, boycotting Miracle Cosmetics, and now crawling back for a deal?

Where was this energy before?

If they had no shame, he wouldn’t spare them any face.

Some people only take kindness for weakness.

So,

Young Master Cao gave them one path: stay and obey, or get crushed.

In the end,

the meeting ended in disaster.

Some left in a huff, others silently fumed, a few muttered about "considering their options."

But Young Master Cao was sure—at least half would come crawling back. They just couldn’t admit it in front of others.

Never overestimate a merchant’s backbone.

Principles and pride? Worth less than a stack of greenbacks.

……

"Why wasn’t L’Oréal here today?" Cao Cheng asked once the room cleared.

Today, Lennox, Japs, Kimchis…

Nearly every top-10 global beauty brand had shown up, plus some smaller names.

Only L’Oréal was missing.

Weird.

Xu Qing explained, "I heard Vincent was recalled to the France headquarters."

"Oh—"

Cao Cheng grinned. "Guess he’s getting fired."

Xu Qing frowned. "Doubt it. Given how bad relations are now, and Vincent being their anti-us poster boy, unless L’Oréal plans to surrender, they wouldn’t replace him. Plus, their internal chaos makes a leadership change risky—could tank their Eastern market share."

Young Master Cao smirked. "Wanna bet?"

Before Xu Qing could answer,

he waved her off. "Never mind. I quit gambling."

"……"

Xu Qing was lost.

What was that about?

Young Master Cao didn’t bother explaining. She wasn’t his type—win or lose, betting with her was a lose-lose.

Massaging her? Boring.

Her massaging him? He’d rather hire a professional.

So,

no bets.

Mostly, it was habit. These days, Cao Cheng loved making playful wagers with his close circle—a form of flirtation outsiders wouldn’t get.

Just then,

his phone rang.

An international call.

He glanced at Xu Qing and sighed. Ugh, no fun.

If he had a pretty girl beside him, showing off might’ve been worth it.

But Xu Qing? This auntie… Couldn’t she at least be decent-looking?

Why so plain?

"Hello—"

Mentally grumbling, he answered.

No need to hide things from Xu Qing now. Soon, she’d handle some of his affairs.

Today's meeting was essentially held to back Xu Qing up.

Both international investors and cosmetics giants wanted to negotiate directly with Young Master Cao.

Not only did this exhaust Young Master Cao, but it also inadvertently disrespected executives like Xu Qing.

But after today, things are about to change.

From now on, Cao Cheng won’t even entertain anyone who refuses to deal with Xu Qing.

Do they not understand the concept of hierarchical reporting?

"My dear Lord, good morning!" came Paul's voice.