Catch Upstairs, Footsie Under the Table

Young Master Cao's physique was nearly top-tier.

His current physical strength was more than enough to bring happiness to the girls around him.

That was also his confidence.

However,

all four of his core attributes were stuck at 100 points.

They had been stuck for a long time.

To this day, he still didn’t know how to break through.

At first, he had given some thought to how to overcome this bottleneck, but now he had gradually stopped caring. After all, he wasn’t going to die anytime soon.

He couldn’t even be killed.

He was just half a step away from immortality.

If he could just draw a longevity pill one day, Cao Cheng’s life would be considered complete.

Then, his goal would be the stars and the cosmos—just keep advancing technology until he reached the far ends of the universe.

Of course,

there was still some way to go before that.

...

In the blink of an eye, the day passed.

The sisters returned home one after another, and the first thing they did was look for Young Master Cao—after all, he held a "get-out-of-jail-free card" in his hands.

The little "gas tank" was cradled in Young Master Cao’s arms.

The older sisters came over to give the little one a kiss, as was their usual routine.

The little gas tank, despite not yet knowing how to speak or even roll over, was already quite assertive—she would push away anyone who tried to kiss her with both hands, protecting her tiny face with all her might.

And she pushed hard.

The more she resisted, the more the sisters wanted to tease her. For a while, the room was filled with laughter and cheerful banter.

Until the second sister returned.

Perhaps because both Young Master Cao and Ren Fanxing were feeling something different, the entire house seemed to fall into a brief, sudden silence the moment she stepped in.

Their eyes met.

Ren Fanxing, usually cold and domineering, instantly averted her gaze.

Shyness?

Maybe.

In any case, Young Master Cao found this version of Ren Fanxing quite amusing.

After changing her shoes,

Ren Fanxing didn’t even step into the living room. She kept her head down and hurried upstairs.

Deliberately avoiding Young Master Cao’s gaze.

The eldest sister watched her retreating figure thoughtfully.

The third and fourth sisters stayed silent.

The cheerful atmosphere from earlier came to an abrupt halt.

After all, the second sister had returned without greeting anyone, rushing upstairs with quickened steps—clearly not her usual self.

Even Ren's mother noticed.

She glanced at Young Master Cao, her eyes seeming to ask, What’s going on?

What else could it be? Just shyness.

Perfectly normal!

As someone who had been through it all—and as the person involved—Young Master Cao understood exactly what was going through the second sister’s mind.

Not knowing how to face it was one thing, but another part of it was pure bashfulness.

"Maybe she ran into some tough case at work," Cao Cheng muttered.

Ren's mother nodded, accepting the explanation without further comment.

Young Master Cao casually handed the little gas tank to the third sister.

"I’ll go check on her. Solving cases is child’s play for me," he said as he headed upstairs.

The family was aware of how Young Master Cao had helped the second sister crack cases before, so no one thought much of it.

Except for the eldest sister, whose gaze grew increasingly profound.

Ren's mother was sharp, but pregnancy had dulled her wits a bit—her mind was still a little foggy.

The third and fourth sisters didn’t overthink it.

Only the eldest sister, who had regained her full faculties, had seen her overall attributes rise by several levels.

From Young Master Cao’s words alone, she could tell something was off.

And the second sister’s demeanor didn’t seem like someone struggling with a difficult case.

If it were a major case, the second sister wouldn’t have come home at all.

If there were a real investigation, where would she find the time to clock out normally?

So,

something was definitely up.

The eldest sister sensed a situation brewing—she just couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was wrong yet.

...

Knock knock.

Upstairs.

The sound of knocking was followed by Young Master Cao pushing the door open.

"Ah—!"

"What are you doing here? I’m changing!!"

Not that there was anything scandalous to see.

She had only taken off her jacket and pants.

She was still decent underneath.

It was the same as wearing a swimsuit.

She hadn’t expected anyone to come upstairs, so she hadn’t locked the door.

And she certainly hadn’t imagined that Young Master Cao would dare to follow her up here in front of everyone.

Was he insane?

If they got caught, it would be over.

"Get out, get out—"

The second sister pushed at Young Master Cao, flustered and exasperated.

But Young Master Cao wasn’t about to be deterred. He simply pulled her close.

"..."

"You."

"What are you doing?"

"Stop messing around. We’re going down for dinner soon."

"And today, I had to deal with Tang Xin... Mmph—!"

Why bring up Tang Xin?

Young Master Cao cut her off before she could finish.

In his past life—or rather, in his dreams—Young Master Cao had married at thirty-four after a shotgun wedding. Before that, he had been quite the playboy.

He knew all too well that in front of one woman, you never talked about another.

Whether good or bad, it was a no-go.

Praising another woman? How would the one in front of you feel?

Badmouthing another woman? Same problem—what would she think?

So,

silence was the greatest kindness.

...

About fifteen minutes later.

Young Master Cao came back downstairs.

Dinner was already being served.

"Wash your hands and come eat," Ren's mother called out.

"Got it," Cao Cheng replied.

The eldest sister probed, "How’s Fanxing?"

Young Master Cao kept a straight face. "Nothing serious. Just ran into some idiot boss. Apparently, there’s a new deputy commissioner who just got parachuted in—the type who loves making a show of authority. You know how the second sister is—she’s not the type to bow and scrape for anyone, so of course she’s in a mood."

The eldest sister nodded.

This was a real issue, and Young Master Cao knew about it, so the excuse held water.

Soon after,

the second sister came downstairs as well.

She had changed into loungewear—long pants and a long-sleeved top.

The weather was getting colder, so everyone was in full-length loungewear. It wasn’t yet time to turn on the heating.

Still,

all four sisters were exceptionally gifted. Even in these modest, covering outfits, their proportions were unmistakable—especially their waist-to-hip ratios.

The second sister in particular.

At a full 175 cm tall, those legs of hers... could do a full split behind her head.

How many people had ever seen that?

Though no one noticed, her hair had been freshly tied, and her lip gloss reapplied.

She was wearing Miracle Cosmetics’ lip stain.

...

Gathered around the table,

Ren's mother and Old Cao ate a few bites before excusing themselves to tend to the children.

Soon, only the five siblings remained.

Third sister Ren Yushang served Young Master Cao a small bowl of soup and casually asked, "Isn’t tonight the finale of Heart’s Shock?"

"I think so!"

The eldest sister chimed in, "Is it a happy ending?"

The fourth sister shook her head. "Nope. It’s brutal. Everyone dies."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The table fell silent.

Then, all eyes turned to Young Master Cao.

Cao Cheng chuckled. "What? Why look at me? I didn’t write it. I just invested. And it’s not everyone—it’s actually a happy ending. The protagonist returns to the modern era and sees the Fourth Prince again."

The second sister cut in sharply, "No spoilers."

Young Master Cao raised an eyebrow. "You watch it too?"

She nodded. "What’s that supposed to mean? Why wouldn’t I?"

"Didn’t say you couldn’t. Just surprised a busy detective like you has time to follow dramas," he remarked.

The second sister explained, "There’s a girl in the squad who watches it religiously. She chatters about it nonstop at work, so I picked up bits and pieces."

With that,

the sisters launched into a discussion about the show, just like any other group of girls.

Young Master Cao stayed quiet, eating while listening to their chatter.

Until—

someone stepped on his foot under the table.

He was sitting next to the third sister.

The sensation underfoot wasn’t coming from beside me.

It could only be from across the long table.

Seated directly opposite was the second sister, flanked by the eldest sister and the fourth.

Heh—

So it’s you again.

Playing this game, are we?

Cao Cheng casually glanced down to find a bare foot pressing down on his own, grinding against it in an attempt to inflict pain.

Who else could it be but the fourth sister?

That bare foot… I’d recognize it even if it were clad in stockings.

Keeping his expression neutral, Cao Cheng countered by trapping her foot under his, locking it in place.

The fourth sister shot him a fierce glare, as if to say: How dare you fight back?

Hah!

Cao Cheng smirked.

Undeterred, she sent her other foot into the fray, stacking it on top.

As their under-the-table foot battle raged on, the eldest sister suddenly spoke up: "Thirty-five episodes and it’s already over? Fourth, what new projects does your company have lined up?"

"Huh? What?" The fourth sister froze, her feet momentarily ceasing their struggle.

Seizing the opportunity, Cao Cheng pinned both her feet beneath his and began applying pressure.

"..."

The eldest sister tilted her head. "After this drama wraps up, what’s next?"

"Oh, right. There’s a period drama set to air in November, taking over the slot after Heart’s Shock."

"So soon?" The eldest sister was taken aback.

It was already mid-October.

Heart’s Shock had just concluded today, and a replacement was already lined up—this efficiency was anything but ordinary.

The fourth sister’s face twisted slightly in pain, though she couldn’t show it.

Her feet were trapped, unable to break free.

How was this brat so strong?

Just you wait.

You’re gonna pay for this.

Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "All because of someone who insists on churning out drama after drama, leaving no room for competitors. ‘Crush them all,’ he says. Such arrogance."

By the time she spat out the words "such arrogance," they were practically squeezed through clenched teeth.

The other sisters assumed she was just teasing Young Master Cao again—a habit of hers they’d grown used to.

But in truth,

none of them realized she was in actual pain.

The eldest sister pressed on, "What’s this period drama in November about?"

Bearing the discomfort, the fourth sister replied, "Another Qing-era palace drama. Empresses in the Palace."

"Empress what?" The eldest sister blinked.

The second and third sisters were equally confused.

Perhaps her gritted teeth had muffled the words.

"Empresses… in… the Palace."

"Empress who? What’s the story?"

"It’s adapted from a novel, about scheming in the imperial harem. The protagonist is based on the historical figure Niohuru."

"..."

In this day and age, especially here in Zhonghai, these references sounded utterly foreign.

Nio-what?

Empress who?

What palace?

The third sister, ever the pragmatist, asked softly, "With such a convoluted title, will it even draw an audience?"

As an investor, she knew little about novels or TV dramas, but she understood the importance of first impressions.

Looking at recent hit shows—even if she hadn’t watched them, their titles were unmistakable.

None were this cryptic.

Take Latent, Meteor Shower, Schemes of a Beauty, or Chinese Paladin—each name gave a clear sense of its content.

But Empresses in the Palace?

The fourth sister’s explanations only muddled things further. The only faint connection was a line from a Song Dynasty poem: "Graceful as the waist of a Chu palace beauty."

But that was a stretch.

"Is the show any good?" The third sister occasionally indulged in dramas and felt obliged to support her brother’s ventures.

"Decent. It’ll probably stay popular for over a decade," Cao Cheng remarked.

"Then I’ll have to see it for myself."