Honestly, you can’t really blame Young Master Cao.
Wasn’t it her who wanted a massage after coming home?
Did Young Master Cao say even half a word of refusal?
No, right?
Not only that, he endured the nylon scent of her stockings and diligently helped her relieve the fatigue from her journey home.
The whole scene was a heartwarming picture of sibling harmony.
Then, it was her who lost her cool first after hearing about Wang Haodong, jumping up to "hit" Young Master Cao.
But instead, she ended up being restrained by him.
And then, far from getting angry about her pulling his ear, Young Master Cao repaid her hostility with kindness and continued massaging her…
Earlier, it was her calves.
Later, after they tumbled onto the couch together, he could only massage her thighs.
That’s really how things unfolded.
And then she even grabbed Cao Cheng’s hand, making it seem like Young Master Cao had done it on purpose.
That’s an insult to his character.
Is Young Master Cao that kind of person?
If she doesn’t get a little lesson, she won’t know how many eyes the Horse King has… or holes!
…
A little discipline, and she’ll behave.
Cao Cheng clapped his hands: "If it hurts, that means your stomach isn’t in good shape. From now on, pay attention when you eat—don’t rush, don’t wolf it down, and stick to regular mealtimes!"
See?
Even now, Young Master Cao repays hostility with kindness, caring about her health.
What a great guy.
And yet, she got angry, puffing up her cheeks and limping upstairs.
If it weren’t for the fact that she didn’t actually project any negative emotions, Cao Cheng might’ve thought she was genuinely furious.
Not only were there no negative emotions…
There was even a hint of positivity?
"Her constitution is a bit unusual…" Cao Cheng mused.
…
After a milk bath,
The Fourth changed into a long, cartoon-print sleep T-shirt.
She came downstairs and didn’t bring up what had happened earlier.
They acted as if nothing had occurred, casually… well, snuggling together to watch a variety show.
What personal space?
What boundaries between men and women?
None of that existed.
Young Master Cao opened his mouth—"Ah!"—and a piece of fruit was fed to him, just like a month ago before she left. Their relationship remained unchanged.
A loving family.
Even the maids in the house were baffled, completely unable to figure out what was going on between these two.
When they fought, they held nothing back.
But after fighting, they were practically inseparable.
As long as they were home together, they stuck to each other like glue.
No idea.
Absolutely no idea.
…
The variety show on TV was Super Boy.
A rebroadcast of the sixth finals round—Top 5 to Top 4!
It was only because the live broadcast had wrapped up that The Fourth had two days off.
In two days, she’d have to return and prepare for the seventh round—Top 4 to Top 3!
Honestly.
Looking at it from a future perspective, the stage effects were pretty basic, even crude.
But for this era, they were actually quite good, among the best in the industry.
This also reminded Cao Cheng of another show—The Voice of China!
That program…
Calling it a nationwide sensation might be a stretch.
But it was definitely a smash hit, known to everyone across the country.
Cao Cheng remembered that during the finals award ceremony, the ratings share had hit an insane 30%.
The ad slots during the finals sold for astronomical prices?
It made headlines everywhere.
What does that mean?
At that time, 30% of the entire country was watching it.
Cao Cheng recalled that in his dream, he’d been on a cruise ship to Dalian—even there, people weren’t looking at the ocean. Instead, they were glued to the TV, watching the show.
That’s how big it was.
And that was years later, after the public had already been bombarded with music competition shows for nearly a decade.
People were long since burnt out.
Even in that environment, it still managed to break records.
The second season was even crazier—just the title sponsorship sold for 200 million.
So,
The Voice became The Business.
The power of capital.
Of course,
Cao Cheng wasn’t thinking of this to make money—he was after emotions.
Create a show where the producers "think they’re clever," but everyone can see the rigging.
Hand the championship trophy to some talentless hack—a pre-determined winner.
Wouldn’t the whole country despise him for it?
The negative emotions would explode, right?
Now that his system had leveled up, allowing him to collect emotions nationwide, why not go all out?
What?
The Voice was already rigged like that?
Well, then.
Young Master Cao decided to respect the original format—copy it wholesale. Fixed winner, paid spins, paid auditions, sob stories… the sadder, the better.
Make a fortune for a few years, then sell the show before the backlash hits.
Hmm.
Wouldn’t that get him killed?
So what?
He had revival cards.
And evasion skills.
What else were the rewards in the treasure chest for, if not to stir up trouble?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this could be huge…
As far as he knew, The Voice had bought the rights from The Voice of Holland, but the Dutch version didn’t even exist yet.
So.
If he made it now, he’d be the original.
He could sell the format globally—over sixty countries and regions.
Profit from emotions and money!
Perfect.
Why wouldn’t he do it?
…
"What’re you thinking about? Plotting something evil again?" The Fourth shoved a slice of apple into his mouth.
Cao Cheng’s grin was downright sinister.
He quickly schooled his expression. "I just had an idea."
The Fourth’s eyes lit up. "A new original piano piece?"
"Think bigger. Not piano-related—a variety show."
Her interest instantly halved, but she still asked, "What kind?"
"Like this music competition stuff. I want to make one." He pointed at Super Boy on TV.
The Fourth’s enthusiasm vanished entirely.
Boring.
Since Super Girl in ’04, it had been years—every TV station had its own singing competition.
Even some small local channels had their own cheap, poorly made knockoffs.
Some county-level stations had them too—corny and low-budget.
Audiences were sick of them by now!
Waste of time.
Seeing her dismissive expression,
Young Master Cao wasn’t annoyed—he was thrilled. This was the feeling! Wasn’t this how protagonists worked?
Against all odds, he’d stun everyone.
So he had to do it.
Blind her with brilliance.
Watch her eat her words later.
"Heh heh—"
"…?"
The Fourth side-eyed him. "That laugh is disgusting."
Ahem.
Cao Cheng straightened up. "Fourth Sister."
"Call me ‘older sister,’ you brat."
He waved her off. "Sweetie, do me a favor."
"What?" He’d discovered her weakness—this nickname made her melt every time.
"Help me register a cultural media company. Then find me a few high-profile agents in the industry—the famous ones. Lure them with money. I need them."
"You’re serious?" The Fourth blinked. His tone suggested he wasn’t joking.
"Dead serious. When have I ever joked? I’m a very serious person. Look at my face—do I look serious?" He widened his eyes, expression solemn.
"Pfft—"
"What’s so funny?"
"Stop it, you little—ha! Even when you glare, you look like a dog."
"A dog??"
Cao Cheng’s face darkened. "Are you insulting me?"
"Not insulting. You really do look like a Chihuahua. Ha!"
"Damn it, insulting my character is one thing, but now you're insulting my face? I can't take this—prepare to die!"
"Ha ha ha ha..."
...
Second Sister and Tang Xin were stunned.
They had just walked in when they saw Chang Wei beating up Lai Fu...
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."
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
