Miracle Biomedicine, Holding Long-Life Products

Overall speaking,

there really wasn’t much of an issue. In fact, they even put in some extra investment—better lighting, improved audience seating, and so on.

But,

from the overall ratings perspective, it felt like a classic case of a strong start followed by a gradual decline.

Over the course of a whole month, several episodes aired, and the later ratings and market share dropped by about 40% compared to the very first episode at the beginning of the month.

It slipped from number one in the ratings to number two.

Number one was taken by a family-oriented show.

Still, even so, the ratings were decent. At least the first and second place shows were far ahead of any other programs airing at the same time slot.

Yet, the loyal fans still tore it apart mercilessly.

Especially when it came to the contestants.

Those with a keen eye quickly noticed that this season’s contestants were all very balanced.

How to put it?

They could all sing, but none were particularly stunning.

Completely ordinary.

It seemed like every one of them had some formal training in singing, unlike the “Voice” contestants who were usually picked from the grassroots.

It felt more like they had spent money to bring in some professional trainees.

These contestants were all competent, but very few stood out or dazzled.

Cao Cheng knew the show was doomed.

It was definitely going downhill.

But this was normal. The reason Cao Cheng wanted to sell was precisely because people were getting tired of it. When the audience grows bored, they start nitpicking. Selling would not only make money but also preserve his reputation.

Let someone else have the last sip of that bitter tea.

Anyway, every future season would inevitably have the same topic: “Cao Cheng, come back soon.”

People were already starting to say that this season.

And it was definitely not some paid online army hired by Cao Cheng.

……

August came in a flash.

A youthful idol group debuted—Three Little Ones.

Their haters called them the “Ass-kissing Boys”!

Meanwhile, some international affairs were happening… minor stuff, unrelated to Cao Cheng.

……

September arrived.

Apple launched the 5S, the first phone with a fingerprint sensor.

……

October.

Big news.

Huge news.

Tang Xin gave birth.

The legitimate eldest son of the Cao Family!

The eldest grandson of the Tang Family!

Unfortunately, Old Taishan wasn’t home. Only the eldest sister quietly came to visit, but she stayed just two days before leaving—she was genuinely busy.

Setting the stage.

The Silk Road initiative began.

……

November.

The baby’s name was decided, and a new family genealogy book was opened, starting with the generation name “De.”

“De” stands for virtue.

“Virtue is profound, benevolence spreads far; respect for the wise, reverence for kindness and the Way.”

The name: Cao Decheng.

“Cheng” means to inherit, emphasizing the responsibility and mission passed down.

After all, this child was the very first of the “De” generation, the eldest among the eldest brothers, so the name naturally had to be meaningful.

……

December!

Everything calmed down, and the New Year was fast approaching.

Looking back over the year, the market had undergone many changes, and many tech companies had begun their money-burning wars.

No need to mention e-commerce.

There was also the ride-hailing battle, with several companies continuously burning cash to attract customers.

This was just the beginning of the money-burning wars. Next year would bring subsidies in the sharing economy, ending in a complete mess…

But none of this had much to do with Cao Cheng; all of it was Third Sister’s responsibility—she handled the investments and the burning of money.

……

Early January.

One month before New Year’s Eve, Cao Cheng made a trip to the capital.

Mainly to bring his eldest son back to visit his maternal grandfather.

Grandpa had been worn out over the past year, busier than ever.

If not for some good things Cao Cheng gave him, he would have aged at least ten years.

Even now, there’s hardly any time to play with the grandson—just a fleeting glance now and then, and he’s rarely home.

After the New Year, things will only get busier; there’s even an overseas trip on the horizon.

Cao Cheng doesn’t quite understand it.

All he knows is that over the past year or two, the old Tai Shan just hasn’t stopped moving.

……

But then.

In January.

A piece of news accidentally leaked out.

“Miracle Biomedicine holds the key to longevity products!”

Once this information spread, it wasn’t anywhere on the internet.

Yet, in all the right places, everyone found out immediately.

This world is crawling with insiders.

However, the leak didn’t come from Cao Cheng’s side. Holding the mysterious “Zi Mu Lock,” though not something he used on everyone, Cao Cheng would occasionally scan through the top researchers to ensure no secrets slipped out.

Almost no secrets escaped from his side—unless he deliberately leaked them or a hacker got through.

That was the only possible source of leaks.

But Cao’s camp had a fully intelligent AI system named Nuwa—a genuine piece of cutting-edge black tech, freshly unboxed. Its security level was so high that not even a typical hacker, let alone a nation-state’s cyber team, could breach it.

……

Soon enough.

The source of the leak was traced.

A certain research institute.

A unit connected to naval vessels.

Many of the senior professors here were national treasures, guarded with the highest security.

Yet, no matter how tight the security, no place is truly airtight. Some information always slips out—whether intentionally or by accident.

And then there was the injection of X-99.

After being injected or ingested, these treasured veteran scientists could effortlessly climb five flights of stairs in one breath, their bodies visibly rejuvenated.

The effects surpassed even Cao Cheng’s earlier expectations.

Not quite a fountain of youth, but looking ten to twenty years younger was undeniable.

Especially for these old scholars, who used X-99 almost monthly—the results were absolutely stunning.

The research institute could only play a supporting role.

They couldn’t access classified projects, but they had direct contact with these veteran scholars.

Suddenly, the question arose: how did they all get so young, so fast?

Something was off.

Something very serious.

After nearly half a year of investigation, they finally pinpointed X-99 and understood that this product extended lifespan—by at least fifty years.

With proper maintenance, it might even last longer.

Then the news spread.

Originally, the institute was unaware, but once the information leaked and circulated globally, with insiders abroad feeding intelligence back, everyone knew.

In other words,

now the world’s special departments and top officials all knew that Miracle Biomedicine possessed a product capable of extending life by fifty years.

It was likely developed last year but kept under wraps, only used privately by veteran scientists.

As for verifying the truth of this claim—it was surprisingly easy.

Almost every major research institution had numerous small informants on the fringes. All they needed was to capture recent photos of these senior scientists and compare them with older ones, analyzing subtle details, complexion, and skin tone with intelligent software.

Within half a month, the news was confirmed.

All the veteran scientists had undergone a uniform rejuvenation, appearing at least twenty years younger in photos from the past year or two—and that was just the surface.

It all depends on whether the body’s functions are still youthful.

But there’s no way to verify that—at least, not for now.

Meanwhile, on another front.

There was an investigation into Miracle Biomedicine. Coupled with the earlier news about breakthroughs in cancer treatment, everything suddenly became clear.

Miracle Biomedicine has made a major medical breakthrough.

But they only revealed the cancer treatment method—there was no sign of the mysterious longevity drug.

...

That was when things got unsettled.

You have to understand, ten years from now, the so-called "Happy Island" was rumored to be all about extending life.

Who wouldn’t want to live a long life—wealthy, powerful, and influential people alike?

No one can resist such temptation.

...

January.

Without any coordination, many capital groups simultaneously took the same action: sending their white gloves and agents.

Even the capitalists who had been at odds with Cao Cheng before no longer cared about the cosmetic market tug-of-war.

Though the battle for the cosmetics market was still ongoing, still fierce.

But...

Is there anything that can’t be negotiated?

Right?

The cosmetics market—you want it? Fine, take it. We’ll still keep things like before: you feast on the big profits, we nibble on the scraps. Everyone stays happy, right?

Money is endless, and even if you make it, you can’t spend it all.

Now, everyone just wants one simple thing:

To live a little longer.

For this wish, they’re willing to pay far more than you can imagine.

...

For this matter, Old Taishan even personally took half a day off to call Cao Cheng into the courtyard.

Old Taishan’s greatest fears had come true.

His face was clouded with worry.

Cao Cheng, however, strolled in cheerfully, carrying some fruit.

See?

I don’t want this secret to leak out either, but you guys just can’t keep it quiet.

Hehe~~

Seeing Cao Cheng’s smug expression, Old Taishan’s face darkened. “Funny, is it?”

“Funny what?” Cao Cheng replied seriously. “Who’s laughing?”

Old Taishan clenched his fist. “Do you realize that if this isn’t handled properly, it will affect the entire development of society?”

“I know, but it’s not my fault—it wasn’t me who leaked it,” Cao Cheng shrugged, refusing to take the blame.

Avoiding mental burnout.

Even though this was Cao’s own research, his intentions were good.

And Old Taishan’s worries weren’t exaggerated.

This really could impact society on a massive scale.

The previous ban on Cao Cheng commercializing the discovery was precisely because of this.

It wasn’t just about population issues, but also global wealth and resource distribution.

If you let today’s capitalists live a hundred years longer...

Then...

The class system would be completely cemented.

The poor get poorer, the miserable get more miserable.

By then, only fire and sword could tear open any path to upward mobility.

You can already imagine what the future would look like.

...

Taking a sip of tea,

Cao Cheng smiled: “Lord Taishan, you don’t have to assume the worst.”

“Throughout history, every dynasty fell because resources started concentrating in the hands of a few—basically, population and food issues.”

“But that was ancient times.”

“Food’s screwed now, Lord Taishan.”

“Modern times aren’t like that. Take ancient times, for example—if our ancestors had kept expanding outward, then issues like population and food wouldn’t have been problems. The real bottleneck was just land. Otherwise, no matter what disasters came—whether natural calamities or ice ages, small or great—it wouldn’t have mattered.”

“Exactly.”

“With longer lifespans, we could set our sights even higher, aiming for the vast universe—the stars and the seas beyond.”

“What you’re worried about is nothing more than this tiny patch of land called Blue Planet. It’s too small, your perspective is too narrow, Lord Taishan.”

“But if we look further, beyond our borders, wouldn’t all these problems just solve themselves?”

Cao Cheng slowly raised his teacup.

“??”

Old Taishan was momentarily stunned.

This kid…

Whether he was right or not, let’s not get into that.

But was this really the time to secretly curse me under his breath?