Second Sister Caught Being Affectionately Clingy

Although the issue was resolved quickly and the market returned to normal, panic selling began as soon as stability was restored.

In reality, it only took a small amount of capital to trigger a domino effect, causing most retail investors to rush in and dump their holdings.

Especially with multiple events converging, the funds required to orchestrate this sell-off were almost negligible.

Yet the profits reaped were anything but insignificant.

Eighty billion?

Recouped in minutes.

But this was far from over…

…

The turmoil also roused the dormant financial sharks lurking in the waters.

Even those who weren’t part of the club or unaware of the premeditated move against John quickly caught wind of the situation. Countless speculative funds, like sharks drawn to blood, swarmed in.

“Damn… Young Master Cao is playing this big? That’s insane.”

“What?”

“The mess with John—it’s definitely Young Master Cao’s doing.”

“No way? He could cause this much chaos?”

“Who are you underestimating? My man is invincible.”

“…”

“Ugh, these delusional fans.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Young Master Cao knows nothing about this—he’s been busy promoting his movie lately. Don’t pin every little thing on him.”

“Exactly! John brought this on himself. Not a single penny of this has anything to do with Young Master Cao.”

“Right… not even half a penny!”

“…”

Online chatter was a mixed bag.

The smart ones knew better than to claim responsibility.

The less discerning refused to believe Young Master Cao was behind it—which only worked in his favor.

After all,

this was no different from waging war.

On the surface, it might just look like financial battles, media manipulation, and cyberattacks, but the damage ran deep—hundreds of billions in losses, rivaling the cost of a regional conflict.

Just because no one died didn’t mean it wasn’t war.

So,

some things were better done than said.

Besides,

it wasn’t Young Master Cao’s doing. Everyone knew he’d been busy with movie promotions—no time to meddle in foreign affairs.

…

Meanwhile, Miracle Cosmetics followed procedure, suing several executives while preparing to exit the market.

No amount of persuasion from any authority could change their mind.

The financial chaos had shattered trust in the market.

Who would invest in a place where assets could be frozen at any moment?

This wasn’t some third-rate scam.

That other party was already known as gutter trash—people just gambled on not getting splattered.

But John was different.

Now that he’d turned into the same filth, it sent shockwaves through many.

In fact, these very reasons were why Cao Cheng was certain John’s financial market would collapse with a single blow—no chance to fight back.

Already in a fragile state, compounded by royal scandals, high-level leaks, and insider trading exposés…

The barrage of hits left the public reeling before they could even process it. The market crashed.

No one could think straight, especially families with assets in the market. Watching their wealth evaporate, their only thought was damage control.

Get out now.

Because no one knew how much further it would fall.

And this was just the beginning.

Those who resigned themselves to the losses were few—and only those who hadn’t leveraged their investments.

Otherwise, with the market in freefall, margin calls wiped out countless accounts in the blink of an eye.

A scene of utter devastation.

…

…

September arrived in the blink of an eye.

John’s so-called “Black August” was finally over.

The losses? Catastrophic. Over a hundred billion in assets vanished.

But the real damage was to their reputation.

Facing a storm of negative press and cyberattacks, John’s higher-ups held a press conference.

Yet all fingers pointed to that third-rate nation.

Not a single trace led back to Young Master Cao.

Even though…

Many suspected Cao Cheng had orchestrated it all—retaliation for John freezing Miracle Cosmetics’ funds.

But without direct evidence, no one dared name him outright.

Even the thinly veiled accusations at the press conference stopped short of specifics.

Because this wasn’t over. The worst might have passed, but the financial assault and reputational damage continued.

They weren’t leading the charge anymore.

But at this stage, with John weakened, the big players and opportunistic funds weren’t about to let go.

Of course, Cao Cheng wouldn’t either. When you’ve got a wounded dog down, you keep hitting—if you can’t kill it, at least cripple it.

A warning to the rest.

Let this be a lesson: touch any company under the Miracle Group umbrella, and you’ll pay tenfold—no, a hundredfold.

Lose a hand for even trying.

…

Still,

there was one thing Young Master Cao hadn’t anticipated.

Only now did it hit him.

Oh right.

Crashing a financial market worth trillions, leaving half the traders liquidated and the other half trembling in fear—the emotional payoff from that was nothing short of massive.

Then there were the speculators, circling like vultures to pick at the carcass, squeezing out even more emotional dividends.

It was a lucrative haul.

After all, the losers, the bankrupt, the affluent middle class—their collective despair translated into an ocean of emotional capital.

...

...

That day.

Cao Cheng was lounging at home, cozying up with Second Sister.

It was a rare break—after a grueling month-long case with barely any time to return home, he’d finally taken a week off.

Mostly thanks to cashing in some annual leave and shuffling his schedule.

The heat was unbearable.

So he stayed in, recharging and indulging in some intimate downtime. Both of them were in high spirits, and before long—well, let’s just say they were on the same wavelength.

Second Sister was the type to delude herself.

She thought she’d hidden things well enough.

But as far as Cao Cheng knew, Third Sister saw right through it, and even Fourth Sister could guess the gist.

Let alone someone as sharp as Eldest Sister.

They just chose not to call it out.

Then—

A disturbance outside. The low hum of a car engine, followed by the sound of parking and a door slamming shut.

Click.

The front door swung open.

Eldest Sister strode in, tossing her keys into a dish by the entryway.

She bent down to swap her mid-heels for slippers, her silk-clad feet slipping into them effortlessly. As she straightened, her gaze flicked toward the living room.

There sat Cao Cheng and Second Sister Ren Fanxing, casually snacking on fruit and sipping wine.

But—

Eldest Sister’s eyes were razor-sharp. One glance was all it took to notice the unnatural flush on Second Sister’s face—not just the usual tipsy glow.

There was something else.

Especially the way her ears burned crimson.

And most telling of all—the way Second Sister’s eyes darted away, avoiding her gaze.

Tch.

Did they really think the house was empty?

Eldest Sister sighed inwardly.

She was aware of certain things but played dumb—otherwise, how would they all face each other?

But this kid was pushing it.

Even though Old Cao and Old Ren weren’t home, the housekeeper was still bustling around in the kitchen.

Sure, she rarely came into the living room.

But what if she did?

If word got out… how would the sisters even coexist?

He was getting reckless. In the past, at least he’d had the decency to be discreet.

Now? It was like he feared nothing.