The next day.
Day 145 of Young Master Cao's affluent second-generation life.
Blissful!
Staring at the ceiling, he zoned out for a while.
Gathering his slightly scattered thoughts.
Hmm…
The next thing on the agenda is still earning emotional points.
No matter how much money or fame he gains, emotional points come first.
Can’t put the cart before the horse!
Though,
In the future, when he’s made enough, he can flaunt his wealth—that also brings in plenty of emotional points.
But it has to be done with finesse.
Blatant, forced displays of wealth not only clash with core values but would likely yield one-time emotional gains at best.
So,
Showing off requires strategy.
This can be pondered slowly—no rush!
The act must be smooth and polished.
Young Master Cao has risen above vulgar pursuits; he’s long past the age of squeezing emotional points out of Aunt Wang alone.
Now that summer vacation has officially begun,
He wonders how Aunt Wang is doing.
He’ll ask her later how her son’s exams went!
Last time, she didn’t give a clear answer.
Sigh!
These folks from his hometown are way too guarded around him.
Aren’t I the epitome of chivalry?
Why can’t they just trust me completely?
It’s downright frustrating!
……
Today seems like another fine day.
After getting up,
The eldest sister, second sister, and third sister had all left for work.
Only The Fourth was lazing around at home like a freeloader.
She had to be given something to do.
This household doesn’t tolerate idlers!
Seeing her idle, Cao Cheng was so annoyed he lost his appetite for breakfast. He went straight to the couch and nudged her leg with his foot.
She shot him a sidelong glare but still scooted over to make space.
Cao Cheng plopped down beside her and said sternly, "Did you handle what we discussed yesterday?"
"What?" The Fourth blinked.
Cao Cheng frowned. "I told you to help register a cultural media company and poach some well-known agents in the industry. Such a big deal, and you forgot after one night’s sleep?"
The Fourth was floored. "You were serious about this?"
"Of course! I said I was dead serious." Young Master Cao glared.
The Fourth pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh as she turned her head away.
Young Master Cao gave her a playful shove.
She collapsed onto the couch, giggling uncontrollably.
"Could you be a little more serious?"
After a long pause,
The Fourth finally composed herself, cheeks flushed, forcing herself back into conversation mode.
She asked, "Have you even thought through how to pull off this music talent show you want to create?"
"First off, you’re not part of a TV station’s variety department. You have no artists, no resources."
"And do you know anything about stage design? Program planning? The show’s positioning, format, style…"
The Fourth knew the industry.
Even if she hadn’t worked directly in it, being part of the behind-the-scenes crew meant she’d picked up a thing or two.
Getting into the details, she stopped laughing and rattled off, "Then there’s the director, the music team, the production crew, the photography team, post-production…"
"Not to mention well-known judges and celebrity guests—who do you have in mind?"
"Where’s the stage? What equipment do you need?"
"Online and offline channels, fan management."
"Media partnerships for promotion."
"And most importantly—where’s the profit?"
"Little brother, this isn’t something you can just dive into on a whim. Money alone isn’t enough; you need connections…"
The Fourth shook her head. "I know you’ve got some funds now, but if you’re clueless, no matter how much you pour in, it’ll just go down the drain. Trust me, sis won’t steer you wrong. The waters here are way deeper than you think."
She pointed at the TV. "Take that singing competition we watched yesterday—huge influence, massive network mobilization, tons of sponsorships and ads, and even then, they might not turn much profit."
"Whether they make money, and how much, depends on the final showdown’s ad revenue, artist development, fan engagement income… and so on."
"Only then can you gauge whether Hunan Broadcasting’s venture was a win or a loss."
……
Cao Cheng wasn’t exactly an expert in this.
But he had a rough idea, thanks to the far more ‘transparent’ online environment of the future.
A lot of information was publicly available.
Even ordinary people, without deliberate study, could piece together insights from fragmented data—things they’d never have access to otherwise.
Knowledge gaps are real.
Take the stock market, for instance…
Some scams and accounting frauds that became common knowledge decades later were still mysteries to many in finance today.
Like the Zhangzidao scandal a few years down the line!
Dubbed "Southern Moutai, Northern Zhangzi."
A garbage company cooking its books, yet rivaling Moutai—even surpassing it at times.
All because of that era’s cognitive divide.
But…
Cao Cheng never planned to do this alone, nor was he in it for the money!
He’d be fine with losses.
Just like how Young Master Cao lost big at mahjong on purpose—consider it compensation for his sisters’ emotional distress.
Besides, the spinning-chair gimmick from The Voice was light-years ahead of its time.
Later, it became a meme.
Right now, it’s pure genius.
Failure isn’t an option.
……
"Sweetie, you’re so good to me!" Cao Cheng cooed.
The Fourth knew this tone—whenever he got sugary, trouble followed.
But… he called me sweet!
Cao Cheng continued, "I know you mean well, and I get how complicated this is. That’s why I need your help, sweetie!"
The Fourth’s defenses crumbled. "How?"
"We throw money at it—hire pros to run the company. Since we’re clueless, let the experts handle it. What do you think?"
"I guess… that could work." The Fourth mumbled.
Cao Cheng added, "And there’s you! I might not know much, but you do."
The Fourth shook her head vigorously. "No way, I can’t manage a company that big."
"……"
Cao Cheng side-eyed her. Who said anything about letting you manage? I know your limits.
"You’d be the supervisor… err, the executive producer!"
"Point is, you know the industry. Let’s call this a joint venture."
Young Master Cao began painting his grand vision.
And it was grand—big and shiny.
This wasn’t just about The Voice. There’d be idol survival shows too—101 Dalmatians… wait, was that the name?
Whatever, it was huge.
Then there’d be his future star, Kun.
Movies, TV dramas—any of it could rake in emotional points.
Profits? Just a bonus.
Oh, and another thing.
Perfect timing—next year’s market slump meant dirt-cheap land. Some state media even reported a 50%+ drop in land sales and revenue.
Translation:
No one’s buying.
Golden opportunity.
Snatch up a few prime plots.
Leave them untouched, and in a few years, they’d be worth billions. Of course, location matters.
Maybe partner with Ren's Mother—though she’s probably busy. The eldest sister, then.
She still owes me ten massages anyway.
The three-month bet is about to expire.
Time to pay up, huh~~~
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
