My Father-in-Law Is Invincible

At eleven in the morning, Cao Cheng finally got out of bed. After this long sleep, he felt his cultivation had advanced yet another level.

As for his exact strength, even Cao Cheng himself wasn’t sure.

He had never fought anyone before, so naturally, he couldn’t gauge his own power.

But one thing he knew for certain—he was incredibly hard to kill.

With all his life-saving and substitute-death skills, even if a "Little Boy" landed right on his head, he could still walk away unscathed.

That said,

he was still flesh and blood, not yet an immortal or a deity, so caution was necessary.

After all, if a "Little Boy" hit him, his first line of defense would be a protective energy shield, nullifying the attack and saving his life.

But if another "Little Boy" followed, he’d have to use a resurrection card.

That would save him again.

Then, if yet another "Little Boy" came, what else did he have up his sleeve?

Hmm… a hidden sanctuary. He could duck inside and survive once more.

But then another "Little Boy"…

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

This wasn’t foolproof at all—it was practically suicide!

Clearly, staying low-key was the way to go.

Alright.

Self-reflection complete.

Lately, his "System" had been treating him well, so he wouldn’t complain.

Time to get up!

Wash up!

Turn on his phone.

Almost immediately, a call came in from Sister Li.

"Yo~~" Cao Cheng answered, brewing himself a cup of tea while tossing the phone onto the coffee table on speakerphone.

Sister Li’s voice came through: "Did you just wake up?"

"Impossible!" Cao Cheng replied solemnly. "I never sleep in. I was up at six, did a full set of Baduanjin, then Wubuquan, followed by Wuqinxi, and even the 24-form Tai Chi… After a shower, I sat down to rest. Now I’m making tea. What’s up, Sister Li?"

"……"

If Sister Li didn’t know him so well, she might’ve believed his nonsense.

Up at six?

More like he hadn’t even gone to bed by then.

Though she kept the thought to herself, her guess wasn’t far off.

Cao Cheng had stayed up late last night.

The Third Sister was probably still asleep.

Sister Li didn’t press the issue and cut to the chase: "I need to ask you something."

"What’s up?"

"……" She could tell he was in a good mood today. "Do you know Shen Xinran?"

"Huh? Sounds familiar." Cao Cheng feigned ignorance.

"The Shen family!" Sister Li added.

"Ohhhh—right! Your former therapist, right?"

"Exactly."

Cao Cheng was curious. "Why bring her up? Feeling depressed again?"

"You’re the depressed one! Stop messing around. Did you turn her down when she tried to visit you before?"

"Visit? Did she?"

After a brief pause, Cao Cheng pretended to recall. "Ohhh, yeah, I think that happened. I was busy at the time, so I declined. Why?"

He wasn’t being entirely honest.

His memory was sharp.

He remembered the beauty—especially since she traveled with a "D-certificate."

Unforgettable at a glance.

He’d seen her a few times before—while tailing Sister Li, hearing about her at the Second Sister’s workplace, and spotting her once while passing by. He’d even used a "Mother-Child Lock" to observe her.

Her favorability toward him was above 60.

But after that, he never saw her again.

As for the visit, the Second Sister had mentioned it, but she didn’t want Cao Cheng meeting her—probably out of jealousy.

The Second Sister was fiercely protective. She must’ve sensed something.

Was Shen Xinran after him?

Most likely!

The Second Sister had probably noticed the girl’s interest and acted possessive.

At the time, Cao Cheng wasn’t about to defy the Second Sister’s wishes—he’d just won her over and needed to keep her happy.

Even now, he kept the truth vague to avoid exposing the Second Sister’s involvement.

Besides,

Cao Cheng’s hearing was just as sharp as his memory. He could hear faint voices near Sister Li.

Combined with her sudden mention of Shen Xinran, he guessed the woman was right there with her.

His hunch was spot-on.

Sure enough, Sister Li soon brought up Shen Xinran directly, discussing hypnosis.

Cao Cheng said, "Since you’re asking, of course I’ll oblige. Once I’m back in Zhonghai, I’ll treat her to a meal."

And so it was settled.

Cao Cheng’s status had risen dramatically. For him to agree to a meal—and even host it—was already a significant gesture.

Even if the Shen family held high standing,

how could they compare to the Tang family?

His father-in-law was practically invincible!

……

Meanwhile,

on set, the "Plump Fairy’s" scenes wrapped up today.

In two days, it’d be Brother Hu and the others’ turn.

After the director announced the completion of the "Nihuang Princess" arc, everyone applauded, and the Plump Fairy thanked them one by one.

She didn’t leave immediately—there was a wrap party that evening.

For major characters, the core team would gather for a small celebration. The full cast and crew would join later for the grand finale.

Around the same time,

a photography team approached the Plump Fairy, explaining they’d been sent by Cao Cheng to shoot promotional material.

They needed to borrow some of the set locations, which the director had no issue with—in fact, he insisted on full cooperation.

Promoting the Plump Fairy also meant promoting the entire production, riding the wave of her hype.

……

Over the next two days, Cao Cheng kept busy. Aside from visiting the set and arranging roles for the younger actors, he drove around scenic spots, soaking in the views and unwinding.

Three days later, filming officially concluded.

At the wrap party, Cao Cheng made an appearance. Group photos were taken and posted, serving as another promotional push.

With Cao Cheng’s golden touch,

any production he attended couldn’t possibly be trash.

So even before the party ended, the official "Liang Xie Bang" Weibo tagged all the key players—including "Mr. Cao"—and fans took notice.

"Finally, a new drama! Can’t wait!"

"Hype!"

"Brother Hu and Liu Yifei as leads? A 'Chinese Paladin' reunion?!"

"Nostalgia overload!"

"Wait… when did this reunion happen? Zero leaks?!"

"Damn, y’all running an underground operation here? Kept this under wraps tight."

"Regardless, this is a must-watch. Period drama too… hitting me right in the nostalgia."

"Is this a Sino-foreign co-production? They even got a foreign lead."

"……"

The hype train had left the station before marketing even began.

With Cao Cheng’s investment, his presence at the party, and the "Chinese Paladin" fanbase rallying, trending was inevitable—no extra effort needed.

Of course,

the party also brought together familiar faces, each with their own fanbases.

From Lin Zhi, the top-ranked of the "Twelve Golden Hairpins,"

to the Fourth Sister’s supporters,

and veteran actors like Bai Baoshan…

In short,

the buzz was unstoppable, and with the studio’s planned promotions, they’d save a fortune on advertising.

……

But with hype came haters.

Some targeted Cao Cheng.

Others went after Lin Zhi.

The Plump Fairy, however, bore the brunt.

No idea why she had so many antis, but they came out in full force that very night.

Some fans of other celebrities also came to spread hate.

Of course, there were also self-media accounts engaging in their usual tactics of pitting people against each other—using glamorous photos of female stars to contrast with unflattering shots of "Fat Fairy."

This seemed like the standard playbook.

It even made Cao Cheng shake his head in disbelief.

Back when he wasn’t part of this industry, he’d just watch the drama for entertainment.

But now that he was in the thick of it, he saw things much more clearly—especially the role of capital behind the scenes.

That’s right.

Every major celebrity had their own backers. Whether it was hype, smear campaigns, dating rumors, or breakup news—if you looked closely, you’d see capital pulling the strings.

But still…

Cao Cheng couldn’t quite figure out what some of these PR, publicity, and trending teams were trying to achieve.

Back when "Fat Fairy" had a lousy agent and a trashy company, maybe stepping on her was fair game.

But now? You still dare to mess with her?

Damn.

Don’t you know who’s in charge now?

Do you not realize "Fat Fairy" has already joined Miracle Media?

Attacking her now means attacking Miracle Media itself.

Seems like some people are just too used to bullying her, thinking they’d always come out on top.

They don’t even see it as a big deal.

Is that how it is?

It wasn’t just Cao Cheng who looked displeased—The Fourth also caught on quickly.

Even Sister Li called to ask about the situation and whether they should respond.

The hate from random fans wasn’t a big deal.

Most of it was just individual behavior, like harping on her nationality—and honestly, some of those criticisms weren’t entirely wrong.

But when it came to media outlets and smear campaigns orchestrated by other celebrities?

That was an act of war.

In the industry, that counted as striking first.

Naturally, Sister Li wouldn’t just sit back and take it.

If they let this slide, everyone would start thinking Miracle Media was an easy target.

...

On the surface, some of these conflicts might just look like petty squabbles.

But beneath the water, the undercurrents were far more turbulent than ordinary people could see.

Take endorsements, for example.

Or magazine covers.

After the smear campaigns came the fierce competition for these lucrative deals.

Female celebrities, especially, played this game ruthlessly—it was all about personal branding and profits.

You couldn’t just back down when you wanted to. With so many people relying on you, plus the company’s reputation and interests at stake, the only option was to fight first.

Only if neither side could crush the other would they finally sit down and negotiate profit-sharing.

That’s why Cao Cheng always said "Fat Fairy" had an insane amount of resilience.

She rarely fought back, yet she still landed plenty of endorsements and magazine covers—most people couldn’t even compete.

If it were any other female star getting dragged by half the industry like this, they’d probably have quit or lost all commercial value by now.

Guess that’s just fate.

...

The Fourth left it to Sister Li to handle.

Meanwhile, Cao Cheng was busy reviewing the newly developed photos.

They were taken a couple of days ago.

Most of them featured a heroic female general galloping on horseback.

Some in armor.

Others in embroidered robes.

But the real standout was her legs.

At 5’7" and 132 lbs,

Calling her fat?

That was pure nonsense.

But saying she was slim wouldn’t be accurate either.

Still…

Cao Cheng was very satisfied with what he saw.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

A female general in armor—

A light tank.

Get it?

Add to that her commanding, heroic aura.

Among today’s actresses, she was already top-tier.

What even were the so-called "Four Great Actresses" or "Four Rising Stars"?

In his dreams, this era’s "Four Great Actresses" were Shuangzi, Zou Dongyu, Yang Zi, and Guan Xiaotong…

Over in Blue Star, a few of them didn’t exist, but the level was about the same.

So, what kind of actresses were these, really?

Could any of them even carry the weight of a true leading lady?