Is This Correct Is This Serious Is This Solemn

As Cohen had suspected, commercial collaborations were supposed to be top-secret affairs. Everyone preferred to discuss the details in hushed tones—who in their right mind would invite journalists and broadcast it live?

Is this… appropriate?

Is this serious?

Is this dignified?

This feels more like a childish performance than a proper negotiation.

If Young Master Cao knew what Cohen was thinking, he’d probably laugh at him for being so naive.

What’s the big deal?

Just wait a few years—you’ll see all sorts of absurdities. Even international negotiations get broadcast live for the whole world to see.

And sometimes they even devolve into shouting matches.

Thankfully, it’s live—otherwise, they might actually come to blows.

Everyone’s just winging it, including Young Master Cao, so there’s no point pretending to be high and mighty.

Alright then—let’s put on a show!

……

The large conference room wasn’t just filled with the negotiation teams.

Reputable media outlets had also been invited, setting up their equipment on-site.

The agenda was simple: negotiate first, then take questions from the press.

Though it was just a small conference room, many knew that today would shape the future of the global cosmetics industry.

Cohen arrived first.

Shortly after, Cao Cheng made his entrance.

Click, click, click—

Camera flashes erupted.

Not only did Xu Qing and his team rise to their feet, but even Cohen and his delegation stood up as a courtesy.

The live chat exploded.

“Hubby’s so handsome.”

“Has he gotten even hotter since the last time we saw him?”

“Wait, why doesn’t Young Master Cao age? He’s almost thirty, right? But he looks like he’s in his early twenties—aside from having better poise than a college student, what’s the difference?”

“Nonsense! My hubby is forever twenty.”

“College student? Please. I’m a sophomore, and I look way older than him. One of my dormmates looks like he’s forty.”

“Dude, I feel for you—but only for a second, because I also look forty.”

“Pfft…”

Soon, the live chat in every stream derailed.

The problem was the obsessive fangirls leading the charge—gushing about how handsome, alluring, and domineering he was.

Their relentless adoration quickly grated on the male viewers.

Some even found it irritating.

It’s understandable—imagine watching a show or a live broadcast, only to see the chat flooded with women fawning over the male lead. Ordinary viewers might turn into haters out of sheer annoyance.

As a result, shortly after the stream started, the chat became a battleground.

Fangirls gushed, but soon, a wave of backlash followed.

These commenters had no beef with Young Master Cao—they just couldn’t stand the fangirls.

The insults were designed to rile them up:

“Calling him ‘hubby’? Know your place. If you don’t own a mirror, at least check your reflection in a puddle. Even his secretary outclasses you.”

“You’ll never have a shot. With his status, he could have a new girl every day—he wouldn’t even want you if you threw yourself at him.”

“Delusional women, tsk.”

In short, the chat erupted into chaos.

The hostility even drew in neutral bystanders, who joined in just to fit in.

And once again, Young Master Cao reaped the emotional dividends.

……

Young Master Cao didn’t pay much attention to this sudden influx of emotional energy.

These days, emotions poured in from all directions—games, TV shows, movies—there was no end to it.

He couldn’t possibly monitor every system notification in real time.

All Cao Cheng needed to do was keep stirring the pot—the emotional energy would flow in naturally.

No need to scrutinize it now; he’d tally it up later.

Back in the conference room, the negotiations had technically begun.

Except…

No one was speaking.

Apparently, none of them were comfortable discussing business in front of a crowd of journalists and live cameras.

Young Master Cao smirked.

Pathetic.

Never seen the world before?

A real estate tycoon and an actor once held live-streamed negotiations—why can’t you handle it?

Fine.

Let me show you how it’s done.

After all, Young Master Cao is nothing if not generous.

Tap, tap, tap—

Cao Cheng sat at the center of the left side, flanked by Xu Qing and an interpreter.

He rapped his knuckles on the table, drawing everyone’s attention.

Then, locking eyes with Cohen across the table, he said:

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? You were yapping so loudly before—acting all high and mighty across the Pacific, like you were ready to stage a rebellion. Now that we’re face to face, you’re all shrinking back like cowards?”

The interpreter froze for several seconds, staring at Young Master Cao before reluctantly translating.

Cohen’s face visibly darkened.

Well, damn.

First, they got hit with a power move at the entrance—figured it was just underlings being difficult.

But now, even after stepping inside, they were getting roasted.

So the big boss was just as ruthless?

Cohen’s team glared furiously.

Cao Cheng continued:

“Relax, I’m not here to throw hands. Since I invited you, I’m giving you a chance to explain yourselves. Don’t say I didn’t offer you an out.”

“Your so-called ‘Star Element’ cosmetics? You know exactly what kind of garbage that is. Don’t even think about piggybacking on my X-Serum’s success—you’re not worthy.”

“So, if you thought you could rebel using Star Element, you’re sorely mistaken. You’ve got nothing in your hand, yet you’re jumping around like clowns?”

“Here’s the deal. You’ve got two choices:

1. Keep cooperating—but you’ll have to compensate me for emotional damages.

2. Walk away, and we’ll settle this in the market. If I don’t beat you so badly you crap yourselves, it’ll only be because you’ve got nothing left to crap.”

“……”

Everyone in the room—journalists, live viewers—was stunned.

Is this how business negotiations work?

No.

We might not be worldly, and we’ve never seen a real negotiation before.

But surely… it’s not supposed to be like this?

……

But in reality, many business negotiations boil down to exactly what Young Master Cao just did.

The only difference is that most people phrase it more diplomatically.

They don’t casually threaten to beat the crap out of their opponents.

But at their core, the message is the same.

When you hold the upper hand, you can squeeze the other side for all they’re worth.

Cohen finally understood.

The journalists, the live broadcast—it was all arranged to humiliate them.

He locked eyes with Cao Cheng and unleashed a torrent of words.

The gist, once translated:

“We came here in good faith to negotiate. But since Young Master Cao insists on humiliating us, there’s no point continuing.”

“However—”

“Young Master Cao seems to overestimate the X-Serum and underestimate Star Element.”

“More importantly, he underestimates the power of the capital behind us.”

“If Young Master Cao believes he can dominate the market single-handedly, we’d be happy to show him what real market force looks like.”

That was the essence of it.

He also mentioned the name of the capital backing him—

Abe Capital.

The interpreter didn’t vocalize it, but Young Master Cao, fluent in English, caught it immediately.

And he knew—this was a true heavyweight.

As someone who’d lived through the future, Cao Cheng knew exactly what this capital represented.

To put it simply:

Of the Fortune 500, 80%—that’s 400 companies—have Abe Capital as a major shareholder, if not the controlling one.

That’s how tightly woven this financial web was.

If this capital decided to come after you, it was practically the entire Fortune 500 standing against you.

"What are the odds of you winning this?"

Of course,

This is a vision of the future.

At present, Cao Cheng's capital investment isn’t any smaller than theirs—it’s just that time hasn’t allowed it to grow to such a massive scale yet.

Without a strong hand or superior products, Cao Cheng would indeed be no match for them.

Because finding a similar product to compete for market share would be all too easy.

But the problem now is…

They can’t find a comparable product.

Over the past few years, only Star Element has emerged, and even that hasn’t made much of a dent in the high-end market dominated by X-Serum.

At most, they’ve resorted to underhanded tactics to suppress Miracle Cosmetics.

That’s all.

……

"Underestimating Star Element?"

Cao Cheng smirked.

Xu Qing had previously obtained a sample, and their research institute only needed a quick analysis to figure out what it was.

So now, Cao Cheng scoffed, "I’ve seen our institute’s evaluation report on Star Element. It was rated a C—barely passable, nothing more."

"You think you can stage a rebellion with this? Seems a bit lacking."

"Using Star Element to go up against our Miracle Cosmetics? That’s naive."

"If Star Element were truly effective, you wouldn’t even need to come here and negotiate—you’d just launch an all-out war, wouldn’t you?"

"Besides,"

"All of you here have been relying on Miracle Cosmetics these past years to line your pockets, haven’t you?"

"Had your fill? Fed well enough to bite the hand that feeds you now?"

"Ungrateful wretches."

Cao Cheng snorted coldly.

BANG—

Translated, one of the hot-tempered bosses slammed his fist on the table, jabbing a finger at Young Master Cao while shouting furiously.

Xu Qing also shot to her feet, pointing at the man. "Shut your mouth! Who gave you the right to speak? What the hell are you?"

"All these years, you’ve feasted on Miracle Cosmetics’ success—have any of you ever even said thank you?"

"Huh? I’m asking you—every single one of you here—have you ever thanked our CEO Cao?"

"If it weren’t for CEO Cao’s X-Serum, half your companies wouldn’t even be alive today."

"But not once have we heard a word of gratitude. Instead, you gang up to threaten Miracle Cosmetics."

"What kind of trash are you?"

"Do you even realize where you are? Who gave you the right to bark like this?"

"You’ve got no cards to play, so what’s all the noise for? Shut the hell up, you fat pig."

Xu Qing’s sudden outburst even took Cao Cheng by surprise.

She was usually even-tempered, a moderate who believed in harmony for prosperity.

Back when Cao Cheng was targeting competitors, she’d even advised against it.

Turns out, beneath that calm exterior, she was a firebrand.

Young Master Cao was impressed.

Seems his character wasn’t so bad after all—he’d earned genuine loyalty.

This fat pig insults him, and Xu Qing immediately explodes.

Good.

He’d give her a raise later.

……

The livestream froze for a second.

Then the comments flooded in.

Some even speculated—was this all staged?

Is this how business negotiations really go?

This kind of spectacle was a shock to the average viewer’s sensibilities.

This… wasn’t the polished, high-stakes drama they expected.

It was even cruder than haggling in a marketplace.