Let me explain the scene to you tonight

Afterwards,

Fat Fairy dropped a few names.

Some were from dreams, others only existed on Blue Star.

After she finished, Cao Cheng asked, "What's your beef with them? I don’t recall you ever working with them. Did you feud from afar?"

Fat Fairy snorted. "It’s not me who has a problem with them—they’re the ones putting out hit pieces to drag me for clout. Now that we’re in the business of stepping on people, it’s only fair to return the favor. Did they really think I’d just take it lying down?"

Cao Cheng finally understood.

He then told her to fetch the laptop from the bar counter, and Fat Fairy scurried over obediently.

Cao Cheng took the computer and lit another cigarette for himself.

But this time, as soon as he brought the cigarette to his lips, Fat Fairy, ever perceptive, picked up the lighter and held it with both hands to light it for him.

Cao Cheng shot her a sidelong glance. "Keep up this attentiveness. Though, I heard you hate the smell of smoke?"

"I also hate being slandered," Fat Fairy shot back.

Damn.

She must’ve had a few drinks tonight—her temper was flaring, and she was snapping at everything.

Cao Cheng chuckled and shook his head, choosing not to take it personally.

With the cigarette dangling from his lips, he started searching online for the names she’d mentioned earlier.

He zeroed in on a rising starlet named Baby.

This girl was hot right now.

And as luck would have it, the moment he saw her, fragments of memory surfaced in Cao Cheng’s mind.

Perfect timing to ride the wave.

She was just unlucky.

"Let’s step on her," Cao Cheng pointed at the screen.

Fat Fairy nodded emphatically. "Good. But her backers—"

Cao Cheng waved her off. "No matter how powerful they are, can they top me? So it doesn’t matter who’s behind her. Step on her first. If her backers dare show their faces, we’ll step on them too."

"…" Fat Fairy rolled her eyes, a hint of flirtation in the gesture.

This guy could be pretty domineering when he wanted to be.

Cao Cheng picked up his phone, dialed a number, and said once it connected, "Track down Baby for me. I need her ugly photos—the more the better, the skinnier the better. If there’s any dirt, dig that up too."

He hung up.

Fat Fairy asked curiously, "Who’d you call?"

"Zhuo Gou."

"…"

Fat Fairy shut her mouth.

Zhuo Gou had been unstoppable these past two years—the top dog in the entertainment industry.

And behind him was Wang Haodong, the self-proclaimed "disciplinary inspector" of the circle.

People said Wang Haodong had his own "Wang Wang Squad," and Zhuo Gou was the alpha dog of the pack.

Others whispered that they were actually Cao Cheng’s men.

But it was just speculation.

Just because Cao Cheng and Wang Haodong had some connection didn’t mean Zhuo Gou was Cao Cheng’s lapdog.

Now, though…

Turns out, it was true!

"Perfect timing. Before we wrap filming, I’ll get some people over to shoot a few promo sets for you these next few days."

"No problem." Fat Fairy snapped out of her thoughts. "Anything else you need me to do?"

Cao Cheng pinched his chin, eyeing her sideways.

Honestly, she had filled out a bit recently.

But sometimes, that frame was ideal.

Too skinny just wasn’t as appealing.

"Alright, I’ll give you some acting tips tonight!"

"…"

Fat Fairy laughed. "Couldn’t resist making a move on me, huh?"

Truth be told, she’d braced herself for this when she signed the contract.

But to her surprise, after the ink dried, Young Master Cao had vanished—no calls, no summons, no pressure tactics or contract leverage.

After working on this project for so long, her impression of him was genuinely positive.

So when Cao Cheng said this, whether it was a joke or not, she wasn’t offended.

Just as she’d said when she walked in—it wasn’t like she’d be losing out.

Whether it turned into a relationship or just a fling, she’d come out ahead.

Plenty of people would kill to have ties to Young Master Cao.

Forget ordinary folks—even A-list actresses were practically drooling. But over the years, there’d never been a whisper of Cao Cheng leveraging his power for favors.

Mostly, he was the one releasing photos of himself.

Dining with beauties, hanging out—that kind of thing.

The more he posted, the more desensitized people became. Nobody cared anymore; they just memed it every time.

"Never mind."

Cao Cheng shook his head. "I’m on a diet lately. Not in the mood for fatty cuts."

"Hmph." Fat Fairy stood abruptly and turned to leave.

"Hey, hey—just messing with you."

"Well, I’m genuinely pissed now. Want to ‘give me acting tips’? Dream on."

In the end, Fat Fairy still left.

Cao Cheng smiled wryly. He hadn’t planned on doing anything anyway—he had plans with Third Sister later.

This was part of his… marital duties.

Honestly,

growing up with four elder sisters had refined Cao Cheng’s tastes to a razor’s edge.

Ordinary people barely registered on his radar.

Was Fat Fairy pretty?

Absolutely.

But was she stunning? Not compared to his four sisters.

Yet calling her plain would be downright dishonest.

Especially that aura of hers.

She had a presence—something even his sisters hadn’t matched a few years back.

Only now, with each of them dominating their respective fields, could they overshadow her.

If he did give her acting tips, Cao Cheng wouldn’t mind.

But bringing her into the family? That required serious deliberation.

To earn a place in Cao Cheng’s inner circle, you either had to be drop-dead gorgeous or have history.

Whatever.

No point dwelling on it. Time to meet Third Sister.

…

The next day.

Location: Zhonghai.

Since Global One’s explosive success, Eldest Sister had barely had a moment to breathe.

Every player in the upstream and downstream industries wanted a piece of the pie.

Roundtables.

Banquets.

Networking events.

Plus, real estate firms from home and abroad had sent delegations to study the project.

Global One only had a handful of model units.

Every day, they were swarmed with visitors eager to experience the so-called "full smart home" concept.

With fewer people, the tech could shine.

But crowds? Total chaos. No room to move, let alone for the smart lighting or robotic vacuums to function.

Still,

no matter what,

Ren’s·Miracle Group!

Full name: In the East, There Exists a Group of Dreamers Who Believe That Under the Leadership of Young Master Cao and His Eldest Sister, Life’s Miracles Will Be Achieved Co., Ltd.!

Had made its mark.

And Eldest Sister had amassed a following.

Even as a pure businesswoman, her beauty alone had broken out of the industry bubble.

Only Second Sister remained shrouded in mystery.

Today,

after a morning of meetings, an old friend showed up just before noon.

Shen Xinran.

Shen Xinran followed the secretary into the CEO’s office.

Eldest Sister’s eyes flickered with surprise before she smiled and rose. "Long time no see, Xinran. What’ll you have to drink?"

"Just water, thanks," Shen Xinran said softly.

The secretary nodded discreetly and withdrew.

Eldest Sister took Shen Xinran’s hands, giving her a once-over. "Where’ve you been lately? You look like you’ve lost weight."

"I went abroad."

Shen Xinran sighed faintly. "Visited the world’s top psychology programs, consulted professors, pored over archives…"

"I just returned to the country at the beginning of the year and have been traveling around domestically since then."

The eldest sister could tell that Shen Xinran had indeed been very busy this past year.

Was she furthering her studies?

Curious, the eldest sister asked, "What kind of academic research are you working on?"

Shen Xinran gave her a resentful look. "I’ve been studying your younger brother’s hypnosis techniques."

"My brother?" The eldest sister paused. "You mean the fifth one?"

"Well, who else? How many brothers do you have?"

"Huh?"

Hearing the bitterness in Shen Xinran’s tone, the eldest sister was momentarily speechless. It was rare to see her best friend so emotionally expressive.

After all, Shen Xinran was trained in psychology. Whether it was during the times the eldest sister sought therapy for her own illness or in other situations, Shen Xinran had always carried herself with an air of calm detachment.

It seemed like nothing ever fazed her.

Of course,

this temperament wasn’t just due to her psychology background—it also stemmed from her privileged upbringing.

She lacked neither money nor influence, never had to humble herself for survival, had been a top student since childhood, and had never faced significant setbacks, hardships, or challenges she couldn’t overcome.

This had shaped her into someone as pure and peaceful as a dove—uncontentious and serene.

Over time, it cultivated that unshakable composure.

But today,

for the first time, she was wearing the resentful expression of a wronged wife.

The eldest sister pulled her aside to sit down and asked for details.

Only then did she learn that the fifth brother and Shen Xinran had such a history.

It all started with the second sister, Ren Fanxing’s case. There had been a suspect involved in a high-IQ crime, and hypnosis was used during interrogation.

Shen Xinran had been the hypnotist at the time.

Unfortunately, the suspect’s psychological defenses were too strong, leaving Shen Xinran at a loss.

Failure wasn’t the issue—what stunned her was how the suspect, Guo Yi, had been effortlessly hypnotized by Cao Cheng within just a few words, confessing to the murder.

Shen Xinran had rewatched the interrogation video of Cao Cheng and Guo Yi countless times.

To this day, she still hadn’t cracked the mystery.

Or rather,

she still couldn’t comprehend Cao Cheng’s hypnosis methodology.

She had spent this time abroad, scouring books and consulting experts, then traveled all over the country—yet she remained empty-handed.

……

After hearing Shen Xinran’s story,

the eldest sister finally understood.

But on second thought, it made sense. Her best friend might seem indifferent to worldly matters, but deep down, she was stubborn.

Otherwise, with so many prestigious career options—even a smooth path into the system—why would she insist on pursuing psychology?

No one could talk her out of it.

The eldest sister asked curiously, "I have a question."

Shen Xinran nodded. "What is it?"

"Why not just go straight to my fifth brother with your doubts? Instead of running around domestically and abroad, why not ask the person who holds the answers?"

The eldest sister had hit the nail on the head.

But Shen Xinran’s face darkened with frustration. "I’d love to, but he refuses to see me. I even asked your second sister to mediate, but she dragged her feet and eventually said your fifth brother wouldn’t meet me."

"……"

The eldest sister was speechless.

It suddenly made sense why Shen Xinran was so resentful.

With a chuckle, the eldest sister asked, "Why won’t he see you?"

"Who knows?"

Shen Xinran frowned. "I’m just as confused. But you know how your second sister is—cold as ice, impossible to get a word out of. I couldn’t exactly pester her forever, could I?"

The eldest sister pressed, "Then why didn’t you come to me earlier?"

Shen Xinran shot her a pointed look.

Some things were better left unsaid.

Did she, Shen Xinran, have no pride?

If she had already been rejected, coming to the eldest sister to arrange a meeting would make her seem desperate.

She had never stooped to begging for a meeting at the cost of her dignity.

In the past, she was always the one rejecting others—never the other way around.

So she wrestled with her pride.

In the end, she decided:

Rather than pleading for a meeting, she’d rely on her own efforts, reading more books in hopes of uncovering the truth.

But alas, after a year or two of relentless searching, she still hadn’t found what she was looking for.

Now, with no other options left, she had finally turned to the eldest sister.

Unaware of her friend’s internal struggle, the eldest sister mistook her hesitation for some unspeakable difficulty.

With a smile, she said, "The fifth one isn’t home lately, but I can call and ask for you. Whether he agrees to meet or not is up to him—I can’t force it."

Shen Xinran sighed softly. "Thank you."

"Since when do we stand on ceremony? Have we grown distant after just a short time apart?" The eldest sister laughed.

Shen Xinran looked at her. "After not seeing you for a while, you’ve fully recovered. Then again, with your fifth brother around, even if your depression relapsed, he could probably fix it with a flick of his wrist."