Young Master Cao's single statement left many people around the world utterly bewildered.
Breaking the law?
What law?
And it’s not like they’re asking you to play in your own country—it’s abroad, alright?
Domestic fans chimed in:
"Wait, boss, they’re inviting you to watch the game live and place bets on-site. What law is that breaking? The U.S. allows it. You can bet, and heck, even take some substances—no big deal."
"Exactly, this is hilarious. What law? What kind of law are we even talking about?"
"Are you legally illiterate? Ever heard of the principle of personal jurisdiction?"
"Nope."
"I’m a lawyer, and I can tell you straight up—even if you’re playing overseas, you’re still bound by domestic laws. Otherwise, you might face consequences…"
"Damn, seriously?"
"Yeah, get some legal awareness, will you?"
"If you do it quietly, fine, no one reports you, no problem. But who is Cao Cheng? With his massive influence, fame, and following, if he goes and bets tens of millions or even billions, that’s a clear-cut case of severe circumstances…"
"No wonder he’s a billionaire. Dude really knows the law."
"Just seems a bit cowardly."
"Cowardly my foot. He can buy as much as he wants through the Sports Lottery Administration—totally legal. Plus, 30% or even 40% goes to charity. What’s not to like?"
"Charity? Pfft. Who knows whose pockets that money really ends up in…"
"Got any proof? And the Sports Lottery isn’t the Welfare Lottery. Those fitness equipment in your neighborhood parks? All funded by charitable donations. Still not enough to shut you up?"
"…"
The online uproar grew intense.
No official institutions stepped in to clarify.
They just let the rumors spread.
The betting company that invited Young Master Cao issued another statement an hour later.
They admitted they hadn’t fully understood the local laws earlier.
So they’d done some research.
But they still insisted on inviting Cao Cheng to the finals, offering him some free chips—no payment required, so it wouldn’t count as gambling.
Just think of it as a gift.
This left the public speechless but unable to argue.
A betting company giving away chips as gifts—sounds reasonable, right?
After all, what else would a betting company produce besides chips?
…
This whole thing was just a minor sideshow.
All in good fun.
Money wasn’t the point.
Neither was gambling.
The real takeaway? Young Master Cao wasn’t going anywhere.
Too lazy to leave.
He hadn’t traveled abroad in years, and he wasn’t about to start now.
Not that he was worried about safety or anything.
Just didn’t see the need.
Cao Cheng hadn’t even explored his own country’s tourist spots yet.
With thousands of miles of stunning landscapes, it’d take immortality to properly traverse such a vast map.
Besides,
Cao Cheng didn’t have time for tourism.
With the acceleration of extraterrestrial research, habitable planets would soon be discovered.
Then interstellar travel would begin.
…
…
That day,
the World Cup had already kicked off.
Cao Cheng was at home, playing with the kids and watching the game.
Lingling had come back.
Though in her mid-thirties, age was just a number for her.
She still lived up to her name—fresh, radiant.
Her skin was flawless.
Her eyes sparkled brilliantly.
Even though she’d secretly had a child,
if you claimed she was still a virgin in public, 90% of her fans would believe it.
Over the years,
the family had grown.
Little Caos and even littler Caos kept arriving—boys and girls alike.
But none were as cherished as Little Cao.
As the eldest grandson, he only came home once a year.
So every time he returned, Ren's mother spoiled him rotten, to the point where he forgot his own last name.
The kid had grown a lot.
Just one more year, and he’d be starting middle school.
Right at that mischievous age.
At home, Ren's mother indulged him; before leaving, Young Master Cao disciplined him back into shape.
Yet once back in the capital, he remained the little tyrant of the courtyard.
…
The boy had potential, though.
At least, according to his grandfather, he was a bright, unpolished gem—worth nurturing.
But Cao Cheng didn’t care much for that.
The future was the cosmos. Power and wealth were fleeting.
What truly mattered was personal strength and family legacy.
Naturally,
Cao Cheng valued unity above all.
Siblings supporting each other, no scheming—that’s what he wanted.
Of course,
this didn’t mean they had to be overly formal. Competition was fine, as long as they followed the family’s rules.
Especially when facing outsiders—united, with all personal grudges set aside.
That’s what Cao Cheng cared about.
…
Cao Cheng understood the past and future too well.
He often reflected on himself.
Gradually,
he’d realized many truths.
Whether it was a dynasty, a family, or even an ordinary household,
the root of decline always included internal discord.
Without exception.
Even the weakest dynasty could hold off a powerful enemy if united.
At worst, it’d be a mutual destruction.
But…
with traitors or infighting, even the mightiest—like the Han—would fall to ruin.
…
This was how Cao Cheng taught his children.
He also wasn’t worried about inheritance battles turning siblings against each other.
Not happening.
Dad’s not dying anytime soon.
What inheritance?
Go earn your own fortunes.
At most, Dad might give you some seed money.
That was the Cao family motto:
Three words—Rely on no one!
Besides,
resources weren’t an issue.
The future was the stars—endless resources to claim, seize, or take.
So aim higher.
The further, the better.
Don’t fixate on Dad’s meager stash. He worked hard for it—with your moms’ help.
You really wanna take that?
Show some filial respect, got it?
…
During halftime,
with the kids running outside and ads playing, Lingling finally got a moment to snuggle up to Young Master Cao.
Lingling whispered, "After summer break, I’m starting as a professor at the music academy."
Cao Cheng raised an eyebrow, amused. "Why give up being a star to teach? That’s exhausting."
"More free time," Lingling replied with a soft smile.
Cao Cheng understood.
Makes sense.
Lingling had always been gentle, uncompetitive.
If back then… well, no use dwelling. If Young Master Cao hadn’t rejected her pursuit, she might not have pushed her career so hard.
Fate worked in funny ways.
Now everything was perfect.
No official title, but she had everything she needed.
Wasn’t that enough?
So now,
she didn’t care about being some piano queen.
She just wanted more time at home—with the kids, with Cao Cheng.
And the occasional class, with all the holidays that came with it.
Besides, as a professor, she didn’t have classes every day.
With her reputation, she would only be assigned special open lectures.
"Sure, as long as you're happy with it."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
