Young Master Cao: I'm face-blind—I can't tell the difference between ugly and beautiful.

Cao Cheng's appearance helped Old Su out of a tight spot.

With just one sentence, the tense and jostling atmosphere at the scene returned to normal.

No one dared to shove Cao Cheng's bodyguards.

No matter what ulterior motives these reporters had, they at least had to save face.

They weren’t afraid of offending celebrities.

But they were terrified of crossing the wealthy.

Moreover, Cao Cheng had decent relationships with most media outlets.

...

Some reporters also brought up the issue of the last-minute cast changes in the drama Heart Shock.

Cao Cheng's response was straightforward:

"Let me make one thing clear—our Miracle Media embraces talent from all backgrounds. We’re open to collaborating with anyone, even those with so-called 'grudges.' For example, Heart Shock was a deep collaboration with Fujian TV, and the results were excellent. So don’t try to pin any 'regional discrimination' labels on me."

"I don’t buy into that nonsense."

"As for why we replaced certain actors, I think those who got axed shouldn’t be asking me. They should ask themselves—have their acting skills improved over the years? Have they been putting in the work?"

"This industry is cutthroat. You either have talent or connections."

"But from what I see, you lot have neither. It’s my money on the line—why shouldn’t I replace you?"

"Thankfully, some paparazzi exposed the truth, or else you’d have successfully spun the narrative."

...

After fielding a few more questions, Cao Cheng wrapped up the interview, citing the need to avoid blocking the road.

Before leaving, he patted Old Su’s arm and said, "Think it over and get in touch. Sister Ali can also handle it."

"Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Cao."

"You’ve got talent," Cao Cheng replied with a smile.

Old Su chuckled in response.

Like he’d said earlier—you either had talent or connections.

The exchange and interview quickly spread through media channels, sparking widespread discussion.

"Exactly! Mr. Cao is the lead investor—why shouldn’t he replace those with no talent?"

"Honestly, I think Old Wu had some acting chops."

"Some, sure. He could shine in specific roles, like Eleven Lang in that earlier show. Plus, with age, he’s got that mature vibe now—good for playing authority figures. But he relied entirely on dubbing, or else his scenes would’ve been unbearable."

"Real actors with skill all use their own voices. Acting includes mastering dialogue delivery."

"But didn’t Zhong Hanliang also use dubbing?"

"Yeah, but Zhong’s acting is way more nuanced than Old Wu’s. This drama is female-led anyway—the male lead needs subtlety..."

"Why even debate this? Three minutes of disappointment—not even a dog would stick around. No amount of excuses can cover up a lack of skill!"

"Pffft—"

"Damn, that’s brutal, bro."

"Mic drop right there."

"HAHAHA… I’m dead. Even his fans can’t argue with that. 'Lifetime love for 576!' Three minutes is enough—who needs a lifetime?"

Discussions like these exploded across comment sections.

Of course, a few self-righteous types chimed in, calling the banter vulgar and crude.

But that was none of Cao Cheng’s concern.

After leaving in his car, he didn’t head home immediately. Instead, he visited an electronics factory.

The factory was state-owned.

Cao Cheng was there to meet the factory director—after all, they specialized in lithography machine R&D.

The road ahead was thorny.

Bringing this team under his wing would benefit both his personal and professional future.

First, he could facilitate collaborations between this team and other state-owned enterprises, using "maintenance of domestic low-end lithography machines" as a pretext to accumulate and refine their tech.

Second, Cao Cheng could use "smuggling" as an excuse to introduce more advanced technology for their research.

Third, when the time was right, he could continue unlocking high-tech diamond treasure chests—who’s to say he wouldn’t stumble upon even more cutting-edge quantum tech?

There was still time. Securing the team came first.

...

Meanwhile.

Old Wu slunk back to Taiwan in disgrace.

There was no staying in the mainland—not a chance.

Forget outsiders—even his own manager now looked at him with barely concealed amusement.

Even though the manager was also implicated.

Before, the manager used to hype him up, saying he was "impressive"...

At least his hands were.

But the shift in perception made Old Wu hypersensitive. Besides the manager, there were assistants, drivers, bodyguards—all unavoidable.

Even if he stayed indoors, he’d have to face them eventually.

And he still had a few mainland commitments to fulfill.

In the past, people would respectfully call him "Teacher Wu," and some female fans would get starstruck.

Now?

Old Wu felt like everyone’s eyes were mocking him.

They hid it well, but the glint of amusement, the scrutinizing glances, the occasional downward looks—it was unbearable.

...

Before, Old Wu hadn’t cared much.

After all, he was getting older—past forty.

Plus, he’d suffered an injury years ago during filming—a fall from the second floor damaged his spine and nearly killed him.

Ever since then, things had been... declining.

It was a plausible excuse, at least for self-delusion.

But after the exposure, Old Wu couldn’t take it anymore.

So he left, tail between his legs.

I saw Cao Cheng's interview again, his face was a bit cold, but he quickly sighed in resignation.

What could he do?

Fighting might not even be an option.

And he had no real means of retaliation.

So, he could only back down.

However,

after leaving the mainland, Old Wu inexplicably felt like he had lost something. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was or fully grasp the feeling.

But he just had this sense that once he left this time, he might never have another chance to return to the mainland for opportunities.

And everything that belonged to him there would no longer be his.

……

After being away for over a month,

Cao Cheng finally returned.

The little "gas tank" was still as adorable as ever—she could lift her head now.

Mwah, mwah, mwah~

He held her close, showering her with affection. The little one wasn’t even five months old yet, so she couldn’t giggle just yet.

Cao Cheng was already looking forward to her growing up. Once she got a bit older and could run around, the whole house would be filled with her voice.

Now, that’s what you call the warmth of life.

And what’s "generational doting"?

Well, this is…

Hmm!

Okay.

Not exactly.

Though there was a hint of that generational affection in his heart—older souls always adore babies, with their cuteness, cluelessness, and vibrant energy.

But let’s be real, Cao Cheng was only in his twenties.

Dreams don’t count.

Otherwise, what would that make Ren's mother?

A niece?

That would just mess everything up.

……

None of the four sisters were home yet.

Only Ren's mother and Old Cao were there.

After playing with the little "gas tank" for a while and lulling her to sleep,

Cao Cheng gently placed her in the cradle.

Ren's mother said softly, "You should rest too. You’ve been running around outside for so long."

"I’m not tired." Cao Cheng smiled. "Here, let me check your pulse and see how your recovery is going."

"Mmm~" Ren's mother didn’t refuse.

Soon confirming she was fine, he also checked Old Cao’s pulse.

But as he did, Cao Cheng’s brows furrowed deeply.

After a long pause: "Tsk~~ Tsk, tsk, tsk~~~"

"……"

Old Cao yanked his hand back, grumbling, "Stop with the tsking. Let me tell you, my body’s in better shape than most young folks these days."

And it was true—after all his training, Old Cao’s physique was sturdier than the average young person’s.

Not to mention all the top-tier health supplements Cao Cheng had given them, all premium items from treasure chests.

Cao Cheng was just trying to mess with him, but Old Cao was sharp—he wasn’t buying it.

……

After chatting a bit more,

Ren's mother mysteriously pulled Cao Cheng aside.

Old Cao didn’t follow. He stayed by the cradle, gently rocking it, but his eyes kept darting toward Ren's mother and Cao Cheng, clearly curious about what they were discussing.

But Old Cao was used to it.

He was always the outsider, with no say in anything.

"Son, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course!" Cao Cheng didn’t hesitate.

Their bond spoke for itself.

Aside from his birth mother, Ren's mother was the closest to him.

Though,

his birth mother had passed early, and aside from visiting her grave annually, most of Cao Cheng’s affection was directed at Ren's mother.

It was only natural.

He had long since accepted her in his heart.

"I think your second sister might’ve gone through a breakup."

"Wait, what?!"

Cao Cheng nearly jumped out of his skin.

No way.

He’d only been gone a month—who the hell dared to make a move on his turf?

Seeing Cao Cheng’s shock, Ren's mother realized he didn’t know either. "Your second sister hasn’t been herself lately."

"At first, I thought it might be work-related—maybe some big, difficult case was weighing on her."

"But then I called her supervisor and found out there haven’t been any major cases recently. Even the smaller ones were pretty routine."

"Plus, your sister hasn’t been working overtime. She comes home every day."

"So…"

"I started suspecting it might be something else."

"You know how she is—introverted, always keeping a cold face while drowning her sorrows in silence. But deep down, she’s softhearted. She just bottles everything up."

"Except this time, she couldn’t hide it. It’s written all over her face."

"I think it might be a relationship problem."

"……"

Damn.

So this was just a guess?

She scared the hell out of him.

Cao Cheng had thought someone had snuck into his home while he was away.

"Mom, tell me what you need me to do," Cao Cheng said.

Ren's mother took his hand and lowered her voice. "I don’t want your sister to know about this. She’s a grown woman—if she finds out, she’ll think I’m spying on her. So…"

"What I’m asking is for you to probe a little, maybe investigate discreetly, and see what’s really going on."

"If it’s just a relationship issue and nothing serious, I don’t mind. Your sister’s old enough to live her own life."

"But I’m worried she might’ve been tricked."

"You know how your sisters are—they all seem independent, but deep down, they’re still kids at heart!"

Ren's mother was deeply concerned.

Cao Cheng sighed.

To parents, their children are always children, no matter how old they get.

But,

she wasn’t wrong about one thing—none of the four sisters were particularly cunning.

Calling them naive might be a stretch, but "kind-hearted" definitely fit.

Having been overly sheltered since childhood, they truly knew nothing about the darker sides of society.

Take the eldest sister, for instance. Though she managed the company and had dealt with all the scheming and power plays of the board, that was just one aspect—it didn’t mean she had much real-life experience.

The second sister was no different. Being accustomed to dealing with wicked people and evil deeds didn’t necessarily mean she understood the common sense of everyday life.

Well, as they say, nobody’s perfect.

Take Mr. Cao, for example.

He was a bit face-blind—unable to distinguish between a woman’s beauty and plainness. All he could see was a girl’s kindness and inner qualities.