Major Capital Players Being Played Like Puppets by Young Master Cao

Not just Cohen.

Many agents, even heirs of financial conglomerates, found themselves staying here for the New Year due to a single remark from Young Master Cao.

Regarding the matter of life extension, a little more patience was required.

...

Old Tai Shan approved of Young Master Cao's approach.

It seemed the young man had matured overnight.

There had been concerns about a repeat of the previous livestream feud, but surprisingly, he had kept his composure.

That evening,

Old Tai Shan, who was away on a business trip, made time for a private call with Cao Cheng. The father-in-law and son-in-law spoke for nearly half an hour.

No one knew the details of their conversation.

But the next day,

a middle-aged man sought out Young Master Cao.

Sent by Old Tai Shan.

A so-called "white glove."

Previously, General Manager Li had also served as the Tang family's white glove, and Young Master Cao had found him quite useful.

These homegrown talents, nurtured by the family, far surpassed ordinary managers in both knowledge and capability.

Above all, they were loyal.

"Young Master!"

The man addressed him respectfully the moment they met.

Cao Cheng sized him up and asked, "You just returned from Hong Kong?"

This man met Young Master Cao's requirement of holding foreign citizenship—Hong Kong and British.

"Yes, Young Master."

"Do you know what you're here for?"

"Not entirely."

The middle-aged man shook his head. "The Old Master only instructed me to follow your orders without question or curiosity."

See?

This was where the Cao family fell short in heritage.

Without their own nurtured talents, they often relied on the Tang family for assistance.

From General Manager Li to other business proxies,

without the Tangs, many tasks would have been far less convenient—or secure—for Young Master Cao.

"Good."

"Spend the New Year with your family first. After the holidays, return to Hong Kong and handle a few matters."

Cao Cheng began delegating tasks.

The tasks were straightforward.

First, establish a club in Hong Kong—something akin to a "Longevity Club"—as a front.

Then head to Singapore.

Funds could flow more freely and swiftly there, especially for gray-area operations.

After all, the financial war would begin next year.

Thus,

Cao Cheng's plan was to create another strategic foothold, broadening their defensive depth.

After a lengthy discussion,

the middle-aged man, surnamed Gong, noted everything down.

Finally, Cao Cheng instructed, "Remember, the purpose of the 'Eternal Life Society' is to turn those families into obedient lapdogs."

"Reward the obedient with immortality. Crush the disobedient together."

Old Gong nodded. "Understood, Young Master."

He left without another word.

Cao Cheng trusted his loyalty.

After all, the "Parent-Child Lock" ensured discernment between loyalty and treachery.

The man's credentials were solid too—a self-made figure in Hong Kong's local capital scene.

With the Tang family's covert support, he had thrived for years.

...

It wasn’t just the capital that saw an influx of agents and heirs.

Plenty of foreign devils had also appeared in Zhonghai.

Some were tourists.

Others were technicians on business trips.

And then there were the exchange students...

In short,

they came under all sorts of plausible pretexts.

The Miracle Eco-Park was under scrutiny.

But Cao Cheng wasn’t worried. The security there was far tighter than anyone imagined.

Most importantly,

even if someone miraculously stole the technology, they’d still lack the raw materials.

Like the X-Serum—

several key ingredients came from unboxing rewards and didn’t even exist in this world.

Cao Cheng had never considered cultivating those materials here.

So,

no matter what these people tried, it would be futile.

Besides, most were still lying low, likely waiting to negotiate with Young Master Cao first.

If talks went well, everyone would benefit, entering a honeymoon phase of cooperation.

If not...

then they’d act.

Still,

while Cao Cheng wasn’t concerned, he wasn’t idle either.

Those who kept to their cover were left alone.

But anyone who ventured too close to the eco-park—whether scouting or trying to infiltrate—would regret it.

...

On New Year’s Eve,

while families gathered for reunion dinners and watched the Spring Festival Gala,

some foreign devils in the capital received grim news.

"Young Master Hart, we’ve just received word from Zhonghai—three of our men have gone missing," the butler reported urgently.

"Missing?" The thirty-something heir paused mid-sip, his wineglass freezing in hand.

But the liquid inside still swirled.

"Correct. They were surveying the Miracle Eco-Park, just observing the perimeter, when... they vanished."

"At first..."

The butler explained.

One operative had gone silent.

The other two reported it and went to investigate—after all, they hadn’t even breached the eco-park yet.

Can't even observe from the perimeter?

Shortly after.

Two more people went missing.

After hearing the report, Hart's expression darkened slightly. "Is this Cao Cheng declaring war on us?"

The butler also looked grim. "I believe so, Young Master. But before we came, the Old Master instructed that no matter what, we must obtain the longevity-enhancing item. You know how crucial this is for you."

The butler's implication was clear: They're provoking you, Young Master, but you have no choice but to endure it.

There was no way around it.

Though this young master was the heir, heirs were a dime a dozen.

If he could secure what the Old Master desired this time, his standing would rise significantly.

At the very least, compared to his brothers in the family, he would gain far more favor.

If he could build a good relationship with Cao Cheng, his future ascension would be all but guaranteed.

As long as Cao Cheng could continuously supply the Old Master with life-extending items, his position would remain unshakable.

After a long silence, Hart finally spoke. "So, I just have to take it?"

"Yes, Young Master. This is likely Cao's warning to us," the butler said with a shrug.

Crash.

A wine glass shattered.

Hart's face was icy. "Who does he think he is?"

The butler could only sigh helplessly, offering no reply.

They weren’t the only ones who had come.

In fact, other heirs had secretly sent their agents as well.

Other families from Loren were also involved.

From what the butler knew, the Worths and the Sterlings had already arrived.

And that was just from Loren.

Even factions from the European Union had sent representatives.

Though the butler didn’t understand concepts like "monopoly" or "exclusive goods," he knew one thing:

This was a seller’s market. Since Cao Cheng was the sole provider, no matter what he did, they had no choice but to endure it.

......

The same went for the Blakesons from Britain.

They had just received news of their men disappearing in Zhonghai—all linked to the Miracle Eco Park.

After much deliberation, there was only one path forward: swallow their pride and act as if nothing happened.

What else could they do? Confront Cao Cheng?

Losing a few subordinates was nothing compared to the prize of extended life.

Meanwhile,

The Rocheforts and the Monges from France also lost two men.

Even Ivanov from the Bear Nation suffered casualties.

At least Cao Cheng was being fair—no favoritism here.

......

Though the disappearances happened at different times, the outcome was the same: all went missing while surveilling the area.

It made the Miracle Eco Park seem like a forbidden, man-eating territory.

Anyone with ill intentions would be detected the moment they got close.

But.

These losses weren’t entirely in vain.

At the very least, they confirmed one thing: the Miracle Eco Park housed something extremely confidential. Otherwise, security wouldn’t be this tight.

Without a doubt,

The X Serum and the longevity-enhancing items were developed here.

If they could infiltrate the place, it would be a dream come true.

However,

This required careful planning. They’d have to wait until after the New Year celebrations and the negotiations concluded.

......

But to everyone’s surprise,

Right after the New Year,

Cao Cheng vanished.

He left the capital without a word, as if he’d forgotten his earlier promise—showing no intention of negotiating.

Cao Cheng returned to Zhonghai with Lingling.

He made no effort to hide his movements. Upon arrival, he even gave an interview to reporters instead of using the secure exit.

He praised the Spring Festival Gala, saying many performances were outstanding—as if his trip to the capital was just to be an audience member.

Meanwhile, Tang Xin quietly slipped away through the secure exit, holding her child.

......

......

When the wealthy families got wind of this, they were dumbfounded.

Did he just forget about us?

Or did he never plan to negotiate in the first place?

This was outrageous.

The local factions—no, the local families—had no manners at all!

Many were furious.

They tried reaching out to Young Master Cao through backchannels, ready to demand answers.

But instead, they got an earful from him.

"I said we’d talk after the New Year. Is it over yet?"

"Don’t you understand local customs?"

"If you don’t, then learn. Watch and observe. Ever heard of ‘when in Rome’? You play by my rules here."

"Where I’m from, the New Year isn’t over until after the Lantern Festival."

"And,"

"I never said we’d talk in the capital. If you’ve got something to say, come to Zhonghai. Keep yapping, and there’ll be no discussion at all."

Cao Cheng’s words earned him a hefty amount of emotional energy.

This round nearly netted him a divine-tier treasure chest.

A testament to the high status and fiery tempers of these people.

......

In the end,

They had no choice but to endure it.

They needed him.

And Cao Cheng wasn’t wrong—a quick inquiry confirmed that the New Year truly lasted until the Lantern Festival.

It was tradition.

Meaning…

They had to wait another half month.

Fuming but helpless, they could only pack up and head to Zhonghai like obedient dogs.

All the while, fueling Cao Cheng’s emotional energy reserves.