I will really beat you to death (smiling)

The Fourth was just worrying over nothing.

If Young Master Cao really wanted to strike back, all it would take was one phone call.

Was it fake that he held so many shares and investments?

He even had dividends from Weibo.

One call, and those so-called "big Vs" could have their accounts banned.

That’s how domineering he was.

But could he actually do it?

Of course… he could.

But there was no need.

Fishing, after all, was all about patience.

"This doesn’t seem like you."

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean? You’re usually sly and cunning…"

The Fourth trailed off, then suddenly realized something and snorted. "Tell me, are you scheming again?"

"Nonsense," Cao Cheng retorted irritably. "I’m busy taking care of the baby. When would I have time to scheme?"

"Really? I don’t believe you." The Fourth scoffed, her head practically spinning.

Cao Cheng couldn’t be bothered to argue. "How’s the variety show going? The feedback, the reputation, and the trainees I asked you to sign—are they all settled?"

The Fourth shook her head. "Because of your reputation, most of the comments and bullet chats on the show are just people cursing you."

Cao Cheng chuckled.

No wonder he’d been getting so much emotional energy lately.

Smack!

The Fourth hit him, gritting her teeth. "Laughing? What’s so funny? They’re all insulting you. Are you a masochist or something?"

"You don’t get it."

"Again with that?"

The Fourth was so angry she laughed, reaching out to pinch Young Master Cao’s ear.

"Oww—"

Their roughhousing was careful, though, so as not to wake the baby.

They chatted a bit more about the show.

Lately, the backlash against Young Master Cao had indeed affected the program, but not too much.

On the other hand, the previously promoted drama Scarlet Heart was facing some resistance.

"Resistance is good. Haters are still fans, right?" Cao Cheng grinned.

"…"

The Fourth rolled her eyes. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was actually backing down.

Soon, the baby woke up.

Since the little one was still so small, she usually only slept for half an hour at a time.

The Fourth stopped questioning him and carried the baby off to Ren’s mother for feeding.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The situation remained the same.

The drama only grew, with all sorts of shady characters crawling out of the woodwork.

Strangely, the ones who actually had grudges—like L'Oréal, Blue Moon, and Japan’s Shiseido Group—stayed quiet.

They sure knew how to bide their time.

Ahem—

Cao Cheng posted on Weibo, just three words: "Ahem… May I ask…"

"???"

"Ask what?"

"What’s the question?"

"Damn it, you absolute troll, can’t you just finish your sentence?"

First, his fans replied. Then the haters showed up, leaving particularly nasty comments.

"Thought you were dead, you coward."

"Oh, you’re back? Hahaha."

"Care to explain yourself?"

"…"

The post quickly trended, drawing a lot of attention.

Half an hour later, Cao Cheng updated again—this time with an image.

"Ahem… May I ask, did anyone lose something? I found a USB drive at my doorstep. When I opened it, wow—it was full of evidence about people getting paid to slander and smear me online."

"There’s so-called ‘expert’ Big Shi Has Something to Say, who took ¥50,000 from a Japanese cosmetics group. There are transfer records and chat logs. Who knew you guys were so cheap? If I’d known, I would’ve paid you myself."

"And then there’s…"

"And also…"

Cao Cheng listed them one by one. "Public insults and fabricated defamation—I’m no legal expert, so I handed everything over to the police. As for how they’ll handle it, we’ll see the official announcement. I trust the authorities will clear my name."

"As for the people hurling abuse online, their info is in there too…"

Ahem!

"So, I’d really like to know—who lost this USB drive? How did it end up at my doorstep?"

"…"

"…"

His words sent shockwaves through the internet.

You call this ‘not understanding the law’?

You know damn well hacking and doxxing are wrong!

And you’re pretending it was just a random USB you found?

You’re really covering all your bases, huh?

The fans were thrilled.

"Where are the haters now? Scared silent? Weren’t you all so bold earlier?"

"Yeah, keep going! You’re just small fry. The most the cops will do is give you a warning—nothing serious."

"Unless you took money. Then you might get a record. Could even affect your family, you know?"

"LMAO, Young Master Cao is savage."

"What does he have to do with it? Whoever compiled the data and ‘lost’ the USB is the savage one."

"Right, right. Whose USB is it, anyway?"

"Who knows? Definitely not Young Master Cao’s, that’s for sure."

"Exactly."

"These international corporations are something else, bribing people so openly. Straight-up bank transfers?"

"Probably never thought they’d get exposed. A few grand to buy a few dogs—why bother with secret meetings?"

"True. Some only got a couple thousand. Not even worth the plane tickets for an in-person deal."

"These people are so cheap—just a few thousand bucks and they’ll help foreign capital suppress domestic companies?"

"Dogs, really. Throw them a bone and they’ll do anything. Not even purebreds, just mutts."

"..."

...

Young Master Cao’s message struck right at the heart of the matter.

For experts and influencers, the fallout wasn’t too severe.

But some smaller media outlets—and even a few well-known ones caught up in the trend—were exposed for taking bribes.

This wasn’t a capital offense, but for media oversight, it was a serious violation.

Their licenses could be revoked outright.

...

"Oh no!"

In a rented apartment in a coastal city, a balding, overweight man saw the news online and broke into a cold sweat, trembling like a startled bird.

Had the bribes been exposed?

This was bad.

If it were just about spreading rumors or hurling insults, he’d only face a few days in detention, maybe an apology online.

But some things couldn’t withstand scrutiny.

If they dug deeper, he’d be in real trouble.

"No."

"I have to run..."

The man scrambled to his feet, his flabby body wobbling as he threw on a shirt and grabbed his phone, wallet, and laptop.

No time to pack anything else.

He had to get out—fast.

Southeast Asia first, then...

Knock, knock, knock—

A sudden rapping at the door.

"..." His heart lurched. Already?

Damn it.

When had Young Master Cao tipped off the police?

It couldn’t have been recent—they wouldn’t move this fast.

Unless... it wasn’t the police?

Stammering, he called out, "W-who is it?"

"Water meter inspection. Open up, please."

"Water meter?"

He relaxed for a second—then tensed again. "But the meter’s outside."

"..."

Silence from the other side of the door.

He knew he was done for.

Then came the shout: "Team One, breach ready."

In seconds, he was pinned to the floor.

A young officer pulled out the laptop, typed furiously, and soon grinned. "Captain, we’ve got it—direct ties to foreign entities. And evidence he leaked photos, including warship images."

"Didn’t see that coming," the captain sneered, staring down at the man, now limp as a dead fish. "A little spy, huh?"

"N-no, it’s a misunderstanding! I just took money—I was forced!"

"Take him away."

Soon after, all of "Big History’s Ramblings" social media accounts were banned.

...

Young Master Cao had gotten his revenge.

But this was only the beginning.

The next day,

Cao Cheng fired off another round, tagging every "international friend" with a Weibo account.

"Ready, everyone? You struck first. Now... it’s my turn to hit back. Hope you can take it."

"If you can’t, I really will end you. (Smile) @InternationalFriends!"

#CosmeticsWarHeatsUp

#IWillEndYou

...

The online frenzy reignited.

Young Master Cao’s declaration wasn’t subtle, but it was direct.

His fans loved that.

Who wouldn’t fight back after being attacked?

And now, he had the moral high ground—no one could argue otherwise.

...

Next, Cao Cheng called Xu Qing, instructing her to summon all domestic cosmetics CEOs in the "club" to a meeting in Zhonghai.

At the same time, he spread the word:

Halt all negotiations with foreign cosmetics companies.

Any brand caught dealing with international players would be kicked out of the club.

Of course,

those outside the club were beyond his reach.

He was just leveraging his role as the club’s leader to issue the order.

This ensured the "X Serum" formula stayed secure.

When the CEOs arrived, Cao Cheng personally chaired a closed-door meeting.

No outsiders knew what was discussed, but afterward, every brand returned with renewed vigor, adjusting strategies overnight.

Reporters tried to pry details, but got nothing.

Two weeks later,

ship after ship of cosmetics left Chinese ports, flooding global markets.

This time, Young Master Cao sacrificed profit.

Previously, he’d taken 90%.

Now, for overseas sales, he settled for 50%.

That meant 40% more for the others—plus, foreign exchange earnings were even juicier.

No one could refuse.

Who wouldn’t want their brand to go global?

Before, they’d lacked the means to expand.

Now, with this golden opportunity, only a fool would say no.

Even without the extra 40%, they’d have jumped at the chance.

Time to compete!

By now, X Serum’s reputation was solid.

Most domestic brands had been obscure, barely known even at home.

But with X Serum, they rapidly captured markets wherever their products landed—

eroding market share from the likes of Little Jap, Little Seoul, Old Eagle, Gaul Rooster, and John Bull.

The products from Chinese companies going global are also priced incredibly low—a bronze-tier gift set costs just over a hundred dollars, an almost unbelievably cheap price.

To put it in perspective, internationally, scalpers are still making a profit on D-grade raw cosmetic serums of the same tier, with prices soaring past a thousand in minutes...

This near-crushing price advantage instantly shattered market barriers, allowing rapid expansion across multiple regions.