Meeting a noble man like me, these girls have really hit the jackpot.

"I never expected her to rise to the rank of a second-tier variety show star in such a short time..."

"If nothing goes wrong, Lin Zhi will be able to break into the A-list after the next season of 'Great Detective.'"

"At least she’ll have the chance."

In response to his second sister’s words,

Cao Cheng shook his head with a smile: "This is just the beginning. Just wait and see—Lin Zhi is only the start. I plan to elevate all twelve of the 'Cao’s Twelve Beauties' to A-list status. The 'Twelve Golden Flowers' will dominate the domestic entertainment industry."

"The 'Twelve Golden Flowers'?" The Fourth was stunned.

It was the first time he’d heard such a term.

Cao Cheng explained, "Lin Zhi, Wang Yue... there are exactly twelve of these girls."

"..."

The Fourth was speechless before blurting out, "Are you out of your mind?"

Before Cao Cheng could respond,

The Fourth continued, "Do you have any idea how many resources it would take to forcefully push all of them? Our company already has plenty of artists, some with decent recognition. Pushing Lin Zhi alone is one thing, but the others too? Can you even handle that?"

"And you plan to make them all A-listers?"

"It’s not just about having the resources."

No wonder The Fourth was shocked.

No wonder he refused to agree.

As the saying goes in the industry: "Small fame depends on promotion, big fame depends on fate—force it, and you’ll crash and burn!"

Not everyone can be pushed to stardom just because you want it.

Some people simply don’t have the destiny for it.

Take the "Sweet Princess," for example.

Did she lack resources?

Which woman in the industry had better backing than her?

Yet did she ever reach A-list status?

If not for that one web drama, she might not have even touched the threshold of the A-list.

That’s the consequence of forced promotion.

And among the so-called "Cao’s Twelve Beauties," only one holds the center position—Lin Zhi.

Pushing Lin Zhi makes sense; at least she has the talent and luck for it.

But the others...

Can they even make it?

Can you handle promoting all of them?

...

The entertainment industry places great emphasis on status.

Whether in variety shows or acting, there’s a hierarchy.

While there’s no strictly fixed ranking system, there’s a general distinction.

For example:

Top-tier.

A-list.

Second-tier.

The difference lies in fame and influence.

Take Teacher He, or later, Teacher Sa, Yang Di, Shen Teng, Huang Bo, and others.

These can all be considered A-list variety stars.

But, let’s be honest—are they really just variety stars?

Not all of them.

Some of them are already A-listers in film and TV, so transitioning to variety shows is like a higher-dimensional player stepping into a lower-tier game.

Their fame and influence are already established; with just a little effort, they can easily rise to A-list variety status.

On the other hand, someone like Yang Di, though he’s appeared in some dramas, can’t compare to these heavyweights in terms of influence.

His rise to A-list variety status in the domestic entertainment scene was entirely due to his own skills.

And even then, when Yang Di was on the verge of breaking into the A-list, he nearly got taken down by a smear campaign.

Every artist aiming for the A-list must face their trial by fire.

This isn’t just true for variety shows.

The same goes for film and TV.

Take Jia Ling, for instance. When she was making her push for the "billion-yuan box office" milestone, aiming to become an A-list actress and director, she suddenly faced an onslaught of trolls and coordinated attacks.

Keep in mind, she had no solid scandals.

Yet even so, the relentless waves of negativity, the bots, the snide remarks—it almost destroyed her.

Another example is the "One-Finger Zen" actress who was trying to break into A-list film status. She did have a scandal, and even after explaining it, she was left half-dead in the industry.

So,

Whether it's variety shows, movies, or singers, breaking into the top tier of China's entertainment industry always involves what’s called a "trial by fire."

Remember back in the day how much hate Jay Chou got?

...

And these are just domestic A-listers.

Compared to true international superstars like Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, De Hua, or Guo Rong, there’s still a huge gap.

These icons are at least Asia-level A-listers.

A much harder tier to reach.

So when Cao Cheng boldly declared he’d groom twelve A-listers, he meant domestically. But even that—just shy of Asia-level fame—still made The Fourth skeptical.

The deeper you understand the entertainment industry,

the more Cao Cheng’s ambition seems like wishful thinking.

Pushing Lin Zhi to stardom might not be too hard.

But lifting an entire twelve-member dance group?

That’s a whole different ballgame.

The time and effort required aren’t just twelve times the work—it’s exponentially harder.

"You think my 'Cao’s Twelve Jewels' can’t make it?" Cao Cheng shot back.

"What do you think?" The Fourth retorted, unimpressed.

Cao Cheng smirked.

The Fourth found that grin irritating, almost annoyingly smug.

"Wanna bet?" Cao Cheng tilted his head.

"..."

The Fourth scoffed. "If it were anything else, I might hesitate. But this? Bring it on. What’s the wager?"

Cao Cheng crooked a finger.

The Fourth leaned in.

He whispered something in her ear.

Her face flushed, and she punched his arm.

It wasn’t anything outrageous—just that if she lost, she’d have to call him "Big Bro" or "Darling Bro" in private... and plant a kiss on him.

Not that they hadn’t kissed before.

But saying it out loud was a first.

Cheeks burning, The Fourth gritted her teeth. "And if I win?"

"I’ll call you 'Sis'—'Sweet Sis'!"

She shook her head. "No deal. You call me that already. If I win, you owe me three favors. No-refusal terms—as long as it’s legal, you can’t say no."

Cao Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Pulling a Zhao Min, huh? Think I’m Zhang Wuji?"

Please.

Zhang Wuji had to pick one.

He’s more like Wei Xiaobao—taking all seven fairies, thanks.

The Fourth smirked, not denying it. "So? Bet or not?"

Cao Cheng chuckled. "Deal."

"Sealed."

She raised her hand.

They high-fived.

Smack.

The pact was set.

After the handshake, The Fourth turned serious. "Now, spill. What’s your plan? Twelve people—Lin Zhi aside, since she’s a variety show natural and might hit A-list that way (I’ll give you that), but the other eleven? No way you’re turning them all into variety stars."

"Also, we need a deadline. This can’t drag on forever."

"Five years," Cao Cheng said.

"Five years to A-list?"

"What, too long for you?" he countered.

The Fourth laughed. "Oh, you’re unbelievable. I meant you’re the one who’ll regret it. Five years to A-list? You think top-tier fame grows on trees?"

Cao Cheng shrugged. "Then sit back and watch your 'Darling Bro' work his magic."

The bet was mostly for fun.

Even without it, a stolen kiss was always on the table.

Just adding some spice.

Last time they kissed, the "Mother-Child Lock" score ticked from 93 back to 94.

As for Cao Cheng’s actual strategy?

He kept that to himself.

No matter how much The Fourth asked, he always looked mysterious and insisted on keeping it a secret.

It really pissed The Fourth off.

Cao Cheng quickly returned to his room and rested alone.

Since Tang Xin's belly had been getting bigger and bigger, the two had been sleeping in separate rooms. Young Master Cao was restless in his sleep, and they were worried about any accidents.

This was also Young Master Cao's idea.

Normally, Cao Cheng could control his muscles and strength well and wouldn't cause any problems.

But when sleeping, if he accidentally pressed or hit Tang Xin's belly, it would really be a big trouble.

So.

He'd just endure it for a few months.

After all, there was still the Second. He could secretly go to her in the middle of the night.

The only pity was that sometimes Tang Xin and the Second were in the same room, and Cao Cheng could only be left alone and forlorn.

...

...

In a blink of an eye, three days had passed.

The introductions of the Twelve Beauties were all written.

There was no need to write about their dance skills as they were all professionals.

They only needed to write about what they had learned best in the past six months. It wasn't just what they thought was good, but also needed to be confirmed by their teachers.

Some were good at singing, some at acting, and some at having a sense of variety shows...

Most of the girls were good at singing. Maybe it was the easiest. As long as they weren't born tone - deaf, they could perform after a little practice.

Moreover, the girls were naturally lively and had a bit of an entertainment sense.

The only area where there were fewer talented girls was acting.

Only Wang Yue, An Ya, and Jiang Mengqi were the ones.

Among the three, Wang Yue was more suitable for TV dramas, while the other two had a chance to shine in movies.

...

Soon.

Cao Cheng called Wang Yue and the other two over.

They were all about the same height, with different charming figures and refined temperaments.

They were really a feast for the eyes.

"If you want to become actresses, you'll have to learn a lot more in the following days."

"It won't be like here in the ecological park, where you learn for three days and play around for two days."

"So, I'll ask you one more time. Those who want to keep dancing and not leave their comfort zones can just say so directly. I'll let you continue dancing. In the future, you can become dance and figure teachers for the artists under our media company, and you can also be the behind - the - scenes dance teachers for some variety talent shows. You probably won't have a hard life, but you won't become well - known either."

"Of course."

"You can also choose to become actresses."

"But... let me put it bluntly. If you want to become actresses and become famous, you'll have to endure a lot of hardships and sufferings. But if you give up halfway, don't blame me for getting angry."

"Giving up now, I won't say anything. I understand and support it."

"But giving up halfway won't be so easy."

"..."

The three girls glanced at each other.

They all knew Young Master Cao's temper. He was always straightforward.

So, if they gave up now, they could still dance peacefully in the future and tease Young Master Cao from time to time.

But if they didn't give up now, they wouldn't have the chance to give up later.

Wang Yue stepped forward, her chest heaving.

"I've made my choice. I want to be famous, really famous." Wang Yue said directly.

Cao Cheng hooked his finger.

Wang Yue was puzzled but still walked up to him.

Cao Cheng immediately pinched her cheek.

"Ouch."

Wang Yue let out a pained cry.

Cao Cheng snorted: "If you want to be famous and become a good actress, slim your face down properly."

The other two girls also laughed.

The atmosphere suddenly relaxed a lot.

Wang Yue mumbled something in a low voice and stepped back to stand beside her sisters.

Then An Ya and Jiang Mengqi also chose the path of becoming actresses.

"Okay, since that's the case, I'll have someone send you to another company..."

"What?" Wang Yue exclaimed in surprise.

An Ya and Jiang Mengqi were also taken aback.

Immediately, they tensed up.

They didn't want to leave.

After graduating, they came to realize how hard it was to find a good company with a good boss.

They also had their own group chat and knew the current situations of the students in their batch.

Let's not even talk about good bosses.

Those who were a bit luckier still had dance performances.

Those who were less fortunate... could barely make ends meet and were even considering changing careers.

There were even some who were still relying on their parents.

Some opened dance classes in their local counties.

There were even those who became kindergarten teachers...

Cao Cheng said, "Don't think too much. This is also one of the companies I've invested in. It specializes in drama. There's a saying in the industry: A good drama actor must be a good performer."

"In the drama company, you'll learn a lot more things, including but not limited to line delivery skills, body movements, facial expressions, and psychological qualities..."

"I'll give you at least a year. If your performance can satisfy me, you'll get to star as the leading actress in a TV series or a movie as a start."

"But if I'm not satisfied, don't blame me for keeping you in the drama club for a few more years. Do you understand?"

Only then did the three girls understand.

Immediately, they promised, "Understood, Young Master."

After that,

Cao Cheng also assigned the other people and planned to spend a year building a foundation for them.

A year is neither too long nor too short.

But Young Master Cao believed that they would undergo a complete transformation after a year.

Being a first - tier star?

That's nothing.

Cao Cheng planned to make at least half of them Asian first - tier stars.

Especially with the future cultural exports, these girls were in the right place at the right time.

The Fourth?

He's bound to lose!