Second Sister Pleads for Help, Young Master Cao Demands Limited Edition Attire

This is what Young Master Cao could think of.

Once this thing becomes widespread, the global population is bound to explode in growth.

Fewer people dying, more people being born.

That’s just the first issue.

On top of that, aging will intensify—how many countries’ social security systems can withstand that? And for how many years?

Think about it.

If someone is still collecting social security at 360 years old, how terrifying would that debt be?

One 360-year-old might not be a big deal.

But what if there are a hundred? A thousand? Ten thousand?

Bankruptcy would be instant.

And that’s just the surface level.

There are deeper implications.

It could lead to severe resource allocation imbalances.

The wealthy and powerful would occupy the top of the pyramid, becoming "immortal,"

while social stratification would solidify completely.

Only bloodshed could break the hierarchy, and by then, everything would descend into chaos.

...

The global population is growing at an alarming rate.

In 2004, it was just over 6 billion.

Now, it’s already close to 7 billion.

From what Young Master Cao knows, by 2024—just ten years later—the population will have skyrocketed to 8.2 billion.

And that’s without any life-extending products entering the picture.

Not to mention, many regions are still embroiled in wars.

Additionally,

as the global population grows, the demand for resources will reach astronomical levels.

Young Master Cao recalls that by 2024, over 2 billion people worldwide will still face moderate to severe food insecurity—

meaning they’ll starve.

...

Even if we ignore the global situation,

just look at our own country.

It wasn’t until after 2020 that the government officially declared victory in the fight against poverty.

Yet here in 2012, there are still people who don’t have enough to eat.

So,

whether for the sake of other nations or our own, it’s truly not the right time to introduce these things.

Cosmetics are one thing—they just make you look younger and slow aging.

But if X-99 were released, it would trigger a cascade of societal problems.

Some issues might not even be foreseeable until they erupt.

Young Master Cao couldn’t help but admire Old Deng.

His considerations were truly far-sighted, taking the big picture into account.

Unlike Young Master Cao himself.

Not that Young Master Cao was stupid—he just wasn’t in that position of responsibility. His focus was on making money and harvesting emotional value.

Emotional value came first.

So he hadn’t considered the broader societal structure.

As for when these things could be introduced…

Maybe after the available land doubles.

Otherwise, how could we feed so many people?

Hmm…

Cao Cheng fell into thought.

His existence might genuinely alter the future.

...

...

However,

Old Deng only said X-99 couldn’t be commercialized.

He didn’t say anything about cancer treatments.

Fair enough.

Future medical advancements aren’t exactly slow—many diseases can already be cured.

Even head and heart transplants are possible.

After all, disease treatments and life-extending drugs belong to two different systems.

Life extension can’t be released yet,

but that doesn’t mean treatments can’t.

Right.

He’d have to think it over carefully once he got back.

Just as he stepped out of the compound, he ran into a group of foreign devils approaching.

They were accompanied by some officials.

Young Master Cao recognized them at a glance—representatives from Europe.

Back when tariffs were imposed on cosmetics, one of these men had gone to Zhonghai to negotiate with Miracle Cosmetics.

But at the time, he’d been too arrogant, and Young Master Cao had kicked him out.

Negotiate? Seriously?

You raise tariffs, I raise prices.

You impose sanctions, I pull out.

When you hold a monopoly, who needs to bow to anyone?

That’s not how this works.

He wasn’t even afraid of fines.

You fine me? I’ll just charge more. Miracle Cosmetics will always make the profit it wants.

And with cosmetics—especially the premium gift sets—demand far outstrips supply.

If you don’t want them, others will snatch them up in a heartbeat.

In fact, your own wealthy elites will fly to other countries to buy them.

There’s no stopping that.

At one point, prices soared to 1.1 million euros per set. Guess what? Three hundred sets sold out instantly.

"President Cao, hello."

The foreign devils seemed surprised to see Young Master Cao here.

But considering the capital he now commanded, it made sense that he’d be involved in these discussions.

Especially since they were the ones asking for favors this time. Their attitudes were obsequious, smiles stretched wide.

See?

Who said foreign devils don’t know how to smile?

They’re pretty good at it.

"Mr. Charlie?" Young Master Cao feigned surprise.

They shook hands.

Young Master Cao glanced around. "You guys here for a group tour?"

Charlie chuckled. "Mr. Cao, we’re here regarding the satellite matter."

"Ah…"

Young Master Cao nodded. "I don’t understand much about that, but I wish you success. If you ever visit Zhonghai, I’ll have someone treat you to West Lake vinegar fish."

"Of course, of course. We’ll make time for Zhonghai."

After a few pleasantries, Young Master Cao learned the identities of the others—all high-ranking, yet their smiles were as sweet as a Shiba Inu begging for treats.

Soon, they passed each other by.

Young Master Cao shook his head with a smirk.

Still talking satellites?

Yeah, right.

If you pull this off, I’ll write my name backward.

He knew exactly how this would go.

With the explosion of future technology and information, who doesn’t know the history of satellites?

To put it bluntly, a few years ago, that big war started by Old Leng scared everyone, so they all decided to develop their own satellite navigation systems.

The Eastern Village and the European Village collaborated on one.

But within a few years, those Western guys changed leadership and, following Old Leng’s advice, embraced the "spirit of tearing up agreements," breaking their promises without hesitation.

Damn, the Eastern Village got screwed over hard.

So, the Eastern Village went solo, and in just a few years, the Beidou network was successfully deployed.

They had their own navigation system.

The European Village was left dumbfounded.

They had no chance left.

No matter how much money they poured in, it was useless.

Simply put, there were no satellite frequencies left for them—even if they launched satellites, there was nowhere to put them. So, they turned to their "Daddy" Old Leng, hoping he’d step in, but Daddy Old Leng couldn’t care less.

In the end, they had no choice but to come crawling to the Eastern Village’s "Grandpa," begging for some frequencies so they could launch a few satellites of their own.

No wonder they were laughing so hard—their faces were practically splitting from the grin.

Of course, Cao Cheng didn’t pay much attention to this.

But Young Master Cao knew these next few years were critical.

Since they needed us, they’d be begging for at least a few more years.

So, during this time, we could go all out over there.

Unless they suddenly decided they didn’t want to play the satellite game anymore.

Otherwise, they’d have to cough up a lot of benefits.

For Young Master Cao, this was great news.

He’d have to look into satellites himself later.

As everyone knows, in space, it’s first come, first served—and the deterrent power is immense.

Let’s put it this way:

Decades ago, during the Second Global Brawl, if you wanted to bomb a target the size of a soccer field from a distance, you’d need an average of 1,500 sorties and an insane amount of bombs.

But with satellite navigation and precision targeting? Just one plane, one flight, two bombs—done.

The difference is that huge.

No wonder the European Village was panicking.

As Young Master Cao walked, his mind raced—how could he maximize the benefits from this situation?

Old Deng wouldn’t let him work on life extension.

Fine, then he’d make up for the losses by squeezing the European Village.

No way was he taking a loss.

Served them right for running into Young Master Cao at this moment, giving him all these ideas.

Even though Young Master Cao had a photographic memory, he couldn’t possibly think of everything.

Sometimes, it really was just luck.

They were doomed!

...

The next day, the plane returned to Zhonghai.

On the way, he ran into a fan.

A flight attendant.

Young, decent-looking, slightly above average.

Young Master Cao was clearly wearing a mask, but as soon as she saw him, she greeted him politely—

Before she could finish, she gasped: "Husband!"

Young Master Cao was stunned.

In front of all these people—who was trying to ruin his reputation?

Could it be that bastard Wang Haodong?

Very likely.

After all, Wang Haodong had been jealous last time, his tone sour. That guy was sneaky.

Then he realized—oh, just a fan.

No big deal.

The flight attendant blushed after blurting it out.

Though not drop-dead gorgeous, she was still pretty enough.

Hearing a girl like that call him "husband"—a title of respect—was still pretty satisfying.

"Keep it down, keep it down!" Young Master Cao quickly said.

The other girls nearby caught on.

Young Master Cao then headed to first class.

Normally, one attendant served one section, but with Young Master Cao here, everyone wanted a turn, so they took shifts attending to him.

It got to the point where even Young Master Cao felt a little embarrassed.

He started wondering—should he get his own private jet?

A private plane with a private flight crew.

Wouldn’t that be the life?

But then…

Young Master Cao shook his head. Probably unnecessary. He didn’t travel much, mostly just domestic trips.

He really had no intention of going abroad. No point.

Besides, in his dreams, he’d already been out there—back when the Eastern Village had risen, and the neighbors had all fallen in line.

Traveling around back then was amazing.

A few bucks could buy you a ton of stuff locally.

Pure bliss.

Finding girls was easy too.

Compared to that, the current situation around here was nothing.

So, Young Master Cao wasn’t keen on leaving.

He’d wait for the future.

As for business deals? If they wanted to collaborate, they could come to China. Why should he go to them? Made it seem like he was the one begging.

...

Back in Zhonghai.

Young Master Cao took off his mask and posed for a group photo with the flight attendants—no peace signs, just a thumbs-up to show they were all great.

Then he left through the VIP passage.

Got into his bodyguard’s car.

Opened his phone to a flood of notifications.

A quick glance—all calls from his second sister, Ren Fanxing.

Young Master Cao frowned.

Second Sister never called him during work hours unless it was urgent.

His chest tightened.

Could something have happened?

Was life really this dramatic?

He quickly called back: "Yo."

"You landed?" Second Sister’s voice came through.

Hearing her tone, Young Master Cao relaxed. Calm, unhurried—probably nothing serious.

"Right, just got off the plane. When I saw all those missed call notifications, I thought something had happened to you."

"Something happen to me? You—are you heading to the office or home now?"

"Home."

"Can you stop by my workplace first?"

"So something did happen?"

"Not to me, but I need your help with something."

"Sure, but... those limited-edition dresses—I want to buy two more sets." Cao Cheng grinned.

Ren Fanxing scoffed. "Fine."

"Deal. Wait for me."

He hung up.

Cao Cheng was delighted.

The second-in-command had always been fiercely independent, handling every major case and financial matter on their own.

Only once before had they ever asked Young Master Cao for help.

This was the second time.

Naturally, Young Master Cao wouldn’t pass up the chance to demand those exclusive dresses in return.

The second-in-command was prideful—they’d never willingly wear such things under normal circumstances.

This was a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Cao Cheng ordered his driver and bodyguard, "Step on it. To the municipal bureau, quick, quick, quick..."

"Right away, boss."