Cao Gongzi: A Great Man Knows How to Ride the Tide of His Times

As the clock neared eight in the evening, the invited guests began to arrive one after another.

First came a large group of local entrepreneurs, all heads of companies related to the cosmetics industry.

Hosts from various live streaming platforms started introducing the guests one by one. They had already received the guest list beforehand.

So, the hosts not only announced the names but also shared details about when their companies were founded, highlighting those who had collaborated with Miracle Cosmetics, and mentioning how much international market share and sales revenue they had captured in recent months.

This round of introductions was a shining moment for domestic entrepreneurs.

Next came the international peers and competitors.

From Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific...

Various foreigners appeared at the entrance of the Peace Hotel, and the live hosts introduced each of them in turn. Every one of them carried significant weight, all top executives from internationally renowned brands.

People might not recognize the faces.

But once the brand names were mentioned, fans instantly understood.

Wow, almost every major brand was here.

Moreover,

the ranks of these visitors were impressive—many were their home country’s vice presidents, and the lowest rank was regional president for Asia.

What was originally just an industry gathering had, thanks to the live streaming, turned into something like an international awards ceremony with a red carpet.

The atmosphere was buzzing.

Xu Qing wore a sky-blue cheongsam tonight, welcoming everyone in the banquet hall.

She shook hands and greeted each guest personally.

She didn’t care whether they understood her words or not; once greeted, she made a polite gesture to invite them inside.

On the live stream, Xu Qing appeared gracious and composed, prompting fans to flood the chat with praises: “Sister Qing is beautiful!”

...

The chat rooms kept buzzing nonstop.

“Where’s Young Master Cao?”

“Where’s the little brother-in-law?”

“If the big brother-in-law doesn’t show up, is Sister Qing going to handle this alone?”

“Sorry, just joined the stream. Can anyone explain what’s going on? What’s this live event about?”

“It’s the Global Cosmetics Industry Conference, hosted by Miracle Cosmetics.”

“What does the live stream mean?”

“Just watching the drama. Miracle Cosmetics has been feuding with foreign competitors lately, no reconciliation yet. Suddenly inviting them over must mean something’s up.”

“Wow, this is pretty official.”

“Anyone with insider info on what Young Master Cao is planning tonight?”

“Why ask us insiders? Figure it out yourselves…”

“LOL…”

...

Soon, over a hundred people had gathered in the banquet hall, creating a lively, crowded scene.

Yet the live stream camera remained perfectly steady, sweeping across the room, capturing subtle expressions on everyone’s faces.

The social circles were clearly divided.

Many domestic entrepreneurs clustered together, chatting happily, clearly doing well lately.

Their faces were flushed with health and success.

In contrast, the international guests, though all maintaining gentlemanly smiles, looked less at ease.

Xiao Xi Ba and Xiao Ba Ga, as usual, bowed repeatedly to everyone with ingratiating smiles, making it hard for anyone to take them seriously.

After the camera panned around,

it also conveyed a lot of unspoken messages.

Some fans picked up on it.

“These foreigners are all distracted, their eyes darting around, like they’re looking for someone.”

“Many of them are like that—restless.”

“Could it be they’re looking for Young Master Cao?”

“Who else could it be?”

“Young Master Cao is now holding the X serum, helping domestic companies seize half of the foreign market. Those foreign bigwigs must be freaking out.”

“Exactly. I’m over here in the European region, and my girlfriend keeps pestering me to get her some of A’s cosmetics. The prices are a bit steep, but these women are genuinely hooked on Miracle Beauty’s products.”

“Your girlfriend’s not so bad. Mine’s kinda dumb — damn it, whenever she sees anything with X serum, she just buys it without caring if it’s fake or not. Last time she got a counterfeit set, and she blew over a month’s living expenses. Damn!”

“Feel sorry for you.”

It was almost eight o’clock.

All the live streaming cameras were set up inside the banquet hall.

These streams were all professional.

And all coordinated with Young Master Cao.

The moment the clock struck eight,

all the live feeds seemed to share a silent understanding, instantly focusing on the hall’s clock.

Eight o’clock.

Click~~

Then, the banquet hall doors slowly swung open.

The cameras immediately zeroed in on the entrance.

Young Master Cao had arrived.

Clear the way!

Today, Young Master Cao was dressed very formally, wearing a traditional Chinese outfit, sharp and upright.

As the doors opened,

the entire venue fell completely silent.

For a moment, you could hear a pin drop.

Even the live streams seemed to pause in unison.

“Whoa~~”

“Is that the domineering CEO?”

“So that’s why my brother-in-law never smiles — he’s this cold and aloof?”

“Husband! Husband! That’s my husband, Young Master Cao!”

“Look at those foreigners’ faces… I’m dying laughing…”

The cameras caught Young Master Cao’s entrance, then began scanning the attendees one by one.

Some wore serious expressions, straightening their attire.

Others craned their necks, eyes full of anticipation.

Some were nervous, swallowing hard.

A mix of emotions ran wild.

But it was clear that with Young Master Cao’s arrival, the atmosphere instantly shifted, his presence dominating the crowd of over a hundred guests.

As Young Master Cao moved through the crowd,

people instinctively parted to make way, stepping back respectfully.

This contrast only made his fierce and commanding aura stand out even more.

Especially when he passed by Xiao Baga and Xiao Xiba — they bowed in greeting, but Young Master Cao merely glanced at them and gave a slight nod in return.

That photo later went viral online.

He ascended the podium.

Only then did the hall settle into silence.

……

Far away in a mansion, Eldest Sister and her sisters were watching the live stream on a laptop.

Only now did Eldest Sister understand what Young Master Cao meant yesterday.

Those foreigners caught in the camera’s gaze looked like quail — nervous and out of place.

Though they tried to play it cool,

there was no denying that Young Master Cao’s superhuman physique and magnetic aura completely overshadowed everyone else.

Only those who have attended large gatherings know just how intense it feels when the eyes of over a hundred people are locked on you.

But Young Master Cao didn’t even seem to care about the pressure of being the center of attention. Instead, the moment he entered, he crushed everyone else’s presence beneath him.

Something’s wrong.

Suddenly,

Eldest Sister glanced at a few of her sisters nearby — their expressions were off.

Especially The Fourth — uh~~~ and The Second too.

As for The Third, she was always a bit strange.

There was no denying it; tonight, Young Master Cao’s aura was fully unleashed, nothing like the lazy image he showed at home.

How could a person change so drastically?

Eldest Sister’s heart was racing.

……

Eldest Sister was convinced that tonight, Young Master Cao’s fanbase was about to explode again.

He was handsome to begin with.

Today was unusually formal, complete with various cinematic techniques setting the scene.

It was like watching a movie.

There was a whole mix of emotional tension woven in.

First, the identities of the invitees were introduced—various CEOs and business magnates.

Viewed individually, each one exuded an extraordinary aura.

Together, they radiated elegance.

Then Young Master Cao made his entrance—no special effects, no background music—yet his presence alone stirred waves of emotion.

This was clearly orchestrated by Young Master Cao himself.

You could tell just by looking at the live stream comments. Besides the excited female fans, there were plenty of men watching too.

For example:

“My brother-in-law is way too handsome.”

“Damn, is that really the usual Young Master Cao?”

“He’s especially commanding today.”

“Where did he get that outfit? I want a set too…”

…

Inside the live stream.

Young Master Cao was already on stage, his eagle eyes scanning the room, his aura surging as he began to speak.

He had no script, speaking as if in casual conversation.

But the content was strikingly data-driven.

He talked about recent domestic export shares, detailing how much market share Chinese companies had captured in various countries, how much money they’d earned, and the benefits generated.

All figures precise down to the decimal.

He started by congratulating domestic companies, then naturally turned to foreign competitors.

Cao Cheng spoke bluntly.

He said they hadn’t yet struck at the core of their international rivals—but it was coming soon.

This market battle had reached a boiling point. Next, it would either be a bloodbath or a truce.

Cao Cheng didn’t say much.

But his meaning was crystal clear.

In simple terms, it boiled down to one sentence:

“We at Miracle Beauty have integrity—you need to believe in us.”

“To those of you bowing your heads in submission, surrendering is the only chance and way out.”

“If you invest, I guarantee you won’t lose your current CEO position, you’ll keep making money, and continue enjoying your comfortable lifestyle.”

“But… you’ll have to hand over half your shares for safety.”

“Otherwise, you’re free to walk out that door today—but I can’t promise that if you step out with your left foot first, or your right foot first, I won’t target you personally!”

…

Of course,

He couldn’t say it so bluntly.

The message just had to be clear.

After he finished speaking, a faint smile appeared on Cao Cheng’s face. The previously domineering, cold atmosphere instantly dissolved.

It turned warm and refreshing, like a spring breeze.

Not just the people present, even those watching the live stream could clearly feel the shift in the atmosphere.

“Damn, you can feel that pressure through the screen. Has the Cao family ever killed anyone?”

“Pfft—what kind of killing aura? That’s the presence of a top dog, a boss’s vibe.”

“Exactly. I once met our province’s richest man with my boss. Just one look when he sat down, and I didn’t dare move a muscle.”

“Isn’t that a bit exaggerated?”

“Not at all. Forget the richest man in the province—even think about your teachers. When you were a student, weren’t you scared of your teachers?”

“I wasn’t scared. When I graduated, I put a sack over my teacher’s head and gave him a good beating.”

“Legendary, bro.”

“No, doesn’t anyone else feel that Young Master Cao’s words carried a hidden meaning? Especially when he was speaking, the camera caught a few foreigners. After hearing the translation, their expressions darkened, as if they understood the metaphor behind Young Master Cao’s words.”

“Young Master Cao’s way of speaking is a bit pretentious, but what he meant was clear: either you kneel and beg me for cooperation and serve me like dogs from now on, or get out of this door—I’ll kill you, and you won’t even be worthy of being dogs.”

“No, no way? Did he really mean that? How did I not catch that?”

“Damn, so that’s what he meant…”

Gradually,

Every single word of Young Master Cao’s speech was transcribed and posted online.

Cao Cheng said, “Today, with so many honored guests gathered here, it is truly a blessing. However, to all our international peers and business partners, you need to understand that in our country, there’s a saying: ‘Those who understand the times are the true heroes.’ We all strive to secure our daily bread in these turbulent times—it’s not easy. If we want lasting peace and stability, we must move forward hand in hand…”