Finally.
After half a month.
The Lantern Festival came to an end.
Officially entering the year 2014!
Who is Cao Cheng?
A true gentleman.
He places great emphasis on promises and the spirit of contracts.
So,
On the very day the Lantern Festival ended, Cao Cheng sent out invitations to everyone, asking them to come discuss collaboration.
This, however, raised suspicions in many people’s minds.
Such is human nature.
At first, he dragged his feet, clearly unwilling to negotiate.
Now he’s taking the initiative?
Obviously, he’s up to no good.
And sure enough!
The moment everyone gathered, it became clear—Cao Cheng was downright despicable.
Not only was he scheming,
But his conscience was utterly rotten.
On the Hart family’s side, aside from the Harts themselves, the heirs of the Worth and Sterling families had come in person. Meanwhile, the Carrington, Blackley, Kenk, and Whitaker families, among others, had sent their high-ranking representatives.
These representatives were no small figures—on the surface, they were CEOs of major corporations.
And that wasn’t all.
From the British side, the old-money families—Blakeson, Effingham, Pennington, Lansdale, and others—either sent core family members or highly ranked agents. Many of these aristocratic families had deep ties with the Hart faction.
The lowest-ranking agents still held noble titles.
Their public identities were equally impressive—for instance, the CEO of HSBC.
Meanwhile,
From the French side, families like Rochefort, Monge, Saint-Aubin, and Chambord also sent their core members or top-tier representatives.
The Russians were no exception.
The room was packed.
At a glance, it was obvious—every single person here had wealth and backing far beyond any ordinary business owner.
What a ruthless move.
Many knew competitors would show up.
But no one expected this many.
Some families even sent multiple heirs—some under orders, others sneaking in on their own.
……
……
It’s no surprise they all came rushing in.
After all, who could resist the promise of extended life?
People make money to enjoy it.
Getting decades more to indulge? That’s an offer no one could easily refuse.
Most importantly,
This wasn’t some empty fantasy.
Everyone in this room owned stakes in major pharmaceutical companies.
They’d been conducting their own research.
And they’d seen results.
But…
Compared to what Cao Cheng had? Their efforts fell short.
Their pharmaceutical and tech divisions had similar products.
In the future, you’d see business titans still dominating well into their nineties, even nearing a hundred.
Without Cao Cheng, that age might’ve been acceptable.
But with him in the picture? Things changed.
The deeper they investigated, the clearer it became—what Cao Cheng held was revolutionary.
This technology could truly alter human biology.
Reverse aging.
Not just slow it down, like their own research.
……
After preliminary investigations and surface-level analysis,
Combining Cao Cheng’s current tech with theirs?
They could easily add fifty more years to their lifespans.
This first wave alone would push the limit past 120.
And that was just the beginning.
If research advanced further? The possibilities were unimaginable.
That’s why they’d swallowed their pride and come begging for collaboration.
No one here was a fool.
……
Before Cao Cheng even arrived, many had already started mingling.
They were far from strangers.
Some of them even had prior collaborations.
The atmosphere quickly became lively, with past grievances temporarily set aside.
The buffet was open for all, with red wine and cigars flowing freely.
The cost of such hospitality was no small sum.
Until...
Cao Cheng made his appearance.
This time, there was no live broadcast, nor even the slightest hint of news leaking to the outside world.
When Cao Cheng arrived with the mixed-race woman by his side, the room fell silent.
What followed were handshakes, polite greetings, and self-introductions.
...
Finally,
Young Master Hart cut straight to the point, asking whether there was any possibility of cooperation regarding the life-extending product.
At his words,
All eyes turned to Cao Cheng.
Yet Cao Cheng wore an expression of bewilderment. "Life-extending product? What product? Weren’t you all here to discuss the cancer treatment drug?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Talk about a mood killer.
Everyone present was stunned.
What did he mean?
Was he denying it?
But upon reflection,
Cao Cheng had indeed never explicitly mentioned a life-extending product.
Earlier, when they had contacted Miracle Bio-Pharmaceutical—handled by the mixed-race woman—the discussions had solely revolved around the export of cancer treatment drugs.
Life extension?
They knew nothing about it.
If asked, the answer was simple: it didn’t exist.
The only topic on the table was the cancer drug.
And judging by Cao Cheng’s demeanor all along, he had never claimed to possess anything related to life extension—at least not through official channels or private conversations.
This whole assumption had been conjured up by the attendees themselves.
They had simply taken for granted that Cao Cheng would negotiate a partnership for a life-extending product.
...
The room fell into silence.
Cao Cheng glanced around at the crowd in surprise before turning to the mixed-race woman beside him.
With a stern tone, he asked, "What exactly have you been discussing with them? Wasn’t it the cancer drug? Since when did we have a life-extending product?"
Su Yue hurriedly clarified, "I never mentioned any life-extending product. I’ve always maintained that we don’t have one—only the cancer drug. Every discussion I’ve had with them has been about the export of the cancer treatment."
Cao Cheng’s expression softened slightly as he addressed the group again. "Gentlemen, could there have been some misunderstanding? Where did you hear such baseless rumors?"
Watching the two of them play off each other, the attendees were dumbfounded.
One slightly plump young master even pointed at Cao Cheng and began ranting in rapid-fire speech.
Cao Cheng understood him perfectly.
But spoken that fast, there was no doubt a few insults slipped in.
Without hesitation, Cao Cheng lashed out with a kick.
Bang—
The chubby young man went flying.
Cao Cheng had held back—given his physical prowess, a full-force kick could have killed a bull.
"Enough of your nonsense!"
Cao Cheng sneered, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room. "This is my turf. I suggest everyone keeps their temper in check—unless you’d like to test whether you’ll make it home in one piece."
"Of course,"
"We’re all businessmen here. Harmony breeds wealth, and I personally detest resorting to violence."
"So, if we can cooperate, let’s keep talking. If not, then we can settle things another way."
...
No one had anticipated such a turn of events.
Initially, they had assumed the negotiation might face some hurdles—nothing too drastic.
But who could have guessed
That this guy would outright deny the product’s existence?
This was absolute nonsense.
Could the intelligence they’d gathered be false?
All those senior researchers who had seemingly "reversed aging," looking decades younger—
Was that fake too?
It couldn’t possibly be.
Which meant either Cao Cheng was lying, or their investigation had flaws.
Still,
Regardless of the reason,
There were clever people on the scene as well.
One of the agents laughed heartily and stepped forward, saying, "Of course, I’m here to discuss the treatment for cancer. As for life extension, that’s still under research."
As soon as the agent spoke, the others quickly caught on.
Now wasn’t the time to burn bridges.
Whether Cao Cheng was lying or there had been an error in the investigation, the priority was to stabilize the situation. Discussing cancer treatment wasn’t a bad idea—after all, it was still profitable.
They could always investigate the truth later.
Better than ruining the relationship now and making future cooperation impossible.
Soon enough,
a young master was dragged out, vomiting bile and too weak to even curse—proof of just how hard Cao Cheng’s kick had been.
...
Before long,
the negotiation wrapped up hastily, leaving everyone somewhat disheartened.
It was all over in just half an hour.
Everyone went their separate ways.
And the investigation began.
Could it be that Miracle Biopharma really didn’t have a life-extending product?
The product couldn’t be fake.
The age reversal in so many researchers, observed over half a year, was undeniable—there was no way it was fabricated.
But...
"Who first claimed that Miracle Biopharma had a life-extending product? Who was the earliest source of this investigation?"
This question suddenly became the doubt lingering in everyone’s minds.
So they started tracing it back.
And the result?
There wasn’t a single piece of direct evidence supporting the claim.
The closest thing to proof was that Miracle Biopharma’s capabilities were impressive—they had developed a cancer treatment, and the timing roughly coincided with when the researchers supposedly used the life-extending product.
This led many to assume, almost subconsciously, that if Miracle Biopharma could cure cancer, they must have also created a life-extending product.
They just chose to keep it hidden.
This narrative spread quickly and was widely accepted.
Gradually, it became ingrained in everyone’s minds that Miracle Biopharma was indeed the source of the life-extending product.
And they believed it wholeheartedly.
This was the deceptive power of collective belief—repeat a lie enough, and it becomes truth.
Later, when people heard the rumor, they didn’t even bother verifying it before accepting that Miracle Biopharma had developed the product.
Over time, no one questioned it.
Until now...
Cao Cheng denied it outright, even escalating to violence.
Only after reviewing the facts did everyone realize—
There was no issue here.
From the very beginning, when dealing with Miracle Biopharma, it was the mixed-race Su Yue handling communications. She never once mentioned a life-extending product, only the cancer treatment.
Later, when they reached out to Cao Cheng, still no one brought up life extension.
Especially Cohen—he only apologized and offered to concede the cosmetics market.
But from start to finish, who had ever mentioned life extension?
...
Damn it.
A massive misunderstanding.
After just a few days of review and investigation, most concluded they’d acted rashly—this was all a farce.
Only a small handful still suspected that, even without evidence,
Cao Cheng might still have the life-extending product, no?
Could a single word from that man be trusted?
Everyone knew he was a financial thief. Everyone remembered how, during the cosmetics war, he’d crippled most of the industry with a single masterstroke.
Even after another battle, Star Element still couldn’t suppress X-Serum’s market share.
At best, they split it fifty-fifty.
That was the foundation Cao Cheng had secured with his ruthless strategy.
No one could deny his cunning.
So,
A few people believed that Cao Cheng must have been involved, but for some reason, he refused to admit it.
However...
Soon.
An investigation revealed that the incident might truly have no connection to Miracle Biopharma, but rather to another company.
Its registered address was in Hong Kong.
The owner was Gong Changyuan.
A long-established Hong Kong-based capital.
He also held British nationality.
His holdings spanned healthcare, real estate, and ports.
Though not a major player, it was an old-money enterprise.
...
Once this news broke.
The attention of all investors instantly shifted from Cao Cheng in Zhonghai to Hong Kong.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
