The journey of a pharmaceutical product, from the moment of successful research and development to final approval and market release, requires an inevitably protracted timeline.

This is especially true in China, a reality stemming from systemic issues widely criticized in recent years.

How long is this process? Long enough that many research institutions manage to achieve breakthrough results through Herculean effort, only to collapse from exhaustion during the interminable approval phase.

Even Wang Zhuo, someone who already commands a measure of privilege, can only streamline this process to a certain degree; he still cannot circumvent many of the tedious procedural hurdles, the root cause of which remains the bureaucratic drag of the system.

Xu Xinhang, Director of the Medical Administration Bureau, offered Wang Zhuo a workaround suggestion that skirts the rules, and Xu Xinli, highly accomplished in the field of scientific research, raised no objections. The fact that even they felt Wang Zhuo should seek an alternative path indicates that this problem has reached a critical, unignorable stage. …… After spending a few days managing the affairs of "New Life," Wang Zhuo spread the word that he was interested in acquiring a chain of beauty salons, enlisting friends, relatives, and business partners to keep an eye out.

Was "Wang Chao Wang" planning another bold move? The news spread like wildfire immediately. Having already established Shengshi Wangchao and Wangchao Wuliang—two veritable money trees—Wang Zhuo had become an anomaly in Jiangzhou’s business circles, a figure of intense speculation. Hearing he was about to make a major move, everyone was curious: what undertaking would this son of miracles embark upon next?

"What about the 'Tang Shang International Slimming Chain'?"

The first piece of information came from the charming widow, Ruan Mingqing; she played tennis regularly with the female CEO of that slimming chain.

"No good."

Wang Zhuo flatly rejected it, offering a flimsy reason: "Weren’t the women of the Tang Dynasty known to favor plumpness as beauty? Just hearing that name tells me this weight-loss center isn't professional. If they can’t even pick a good name, their management probably isn’t much better."

Ruan Mingqing could only laugh wryly and protest, "But they have thirty-five chain locations, two of which are in Hong Kong."

Wang Zhuo chuckled dryly, "I have the most contempt for businesses that slap 'International' onto their name when they’ve barely managed to break out of the provincial capital. They boast beyond their means; it’s pure deception."

"Alright then, if you look down on it, forget it." Ruan Mingqing felt Wang Zhuo was being overly critical, yet she conceded there was a grain of truth to his judgment.

Unexpectedly, Wang Zhuo laughed and quickly changed tack. "Actually, it’s not entirely out of the question. I’ll be changing the chain’s name anyway, and the services offered in the future won’t be weight loss. I just need their venues, licenses, and staff."

Uh... Ruan Mingqing finally understood; the man didn't want nothing, he was just haggling for a better deal!

After chatting a while longer, Wang Zhuo invited Ruan Mingqing and her friend to meet at the Tang Shang location in Jiangzhou in a few days. As for what might happen after the meeting concluded, that was a tacit understanding between them!

Other leads continued to trickle in, but many were just probes or inquiries. The beauty industry was fiercely competitive, with an extremely high failure rate. Some even sent messages through connections, offering to hand over their newly opened, newly renovated beauty parlor outright if Wang Zhuo would just clear the debt they incurred renovating their homes.

On this particular day, Wang Zhuo was watering a cactus in his home when he received an unexpected call.

Answering it, he laughed heartily, "Xiao Yue? How rare. It’s been ages since you called me."

"So annoying," Qin Siqing hummed playfully. "I actually called last week. Have you forgotten already?"

Wang Zhuo genuinely couldn't recall, but the last time he saw Qin Siqing was definitely before the National Day holiday. Thinking of this little princess, who had recently blossomed from a girl into a young woman, who used to often invite her Brother Wang Zhuo to read with her at the library or eat together in the cafeteria, he felt a sudden sense of time slipping away.

After a moment of distraction, he chuckled and said, "Xiao Yue, call me Brother Wang Zhuo just once for me to hear."

It seemed like ages since she had last called him that.

"I won't!" Qin Siqing paused for a calm second or two, then laughed decisively, "I called you so many times before; that should be enough for you to reminisce about."

Another little girl had grown up... Wang Zhuo was touched by a faint, indescribable sentiment, smiling silently before turning serious. "Jokes aside, what did you call me for?"

Qin Siqing offered an unnatural smile. "It’s about Yang Feng. My dad asked me to tell you; he got confirmation from the authoritative experts—Yang Feng truly has schizophrenia. Also, the Yang family has already sent him to France for treatment. My dad said he and the Yang family have reached an understanding; this matter is considered concluded."

"Oh, oh." Wang Zhuo wasn't surprised by this outcome; in fact, this news had arrived slightly later than he expected. Siyuan had already provided a video feed via the airport surveillance equipment when Yang Feng boarded the plane last night.

As for the "authoritative experts," Wang Zhuo didn't trust those people, or rather, he didn't trust their pronouncements. He had judged Yang Feng’s mental breakdown himself by personally reviewing the surveillance footage Siyuan had recorded.

"You only said 'oh, oh' twice to me, and that's it?" Qin Siqing asked, sounding rather surprised. "Have you already heard all this?"

Wang Zhuo replied playfully, "No, I haven't. Tell your father that I’m delighted to hear the news and ask him to convey my gratitude for his kindness and guidance. Is that better?"

"You’re always talking nonsense," Qin Siqing huffed, annoyed. "Enough about that. Where are you right now?"

Wang Zhuo answered honestly, "I'm at home, but I’ll be heading back to school soon."

"Is that so?" Qin Siqing mused for a moment, then spoke hurriedly, "Wait for me, okay? I’ll come over to see you; I have something to discuss."

Hearing the campus music faintly over the line, Wang Zhuo asked in surprise, "Aren't you at school? What's so urgent that it can't wait until I get there?"

"It’s complicated over the phone. Just wait for me!" Qin Siqing hung up immediately. …… Twenty minutes later, the heiress arrived at Wang Zhuo’s cozy little apartment. By then, Wang Zhuo had already retrieved the enormous brassiere he’d been drying on the balcony—its size was almost enough to cover his head.

After a few days apart, Qin Siqing seemed to have grown a little taller. Her bust size approximated that of a small rice bowl, and her waist was slender, easily encircled by a hand.

She had a new, straight-across fringe haircut, with long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her large, moist almond-shaped eyes were bright and spirited, and her lips, pale and faint, were occasionally moistened by a small dart of her tongue, remaining that faint shade of pink.

Her delicate V-shaped face, combined with her poised and graceful demeanor, had completely shed its childishness, replaced by an overflowing youthful vibrancy. That mischievous and innocent girl from before had truly grown up.

She sat composedly on the sofa, knees together and angled, cradling the fragrant tea Wang Zhuo offered in both hands, elegant as a lotus flower. Yet, just a year ago, when she last visited, she would bounce around looking for Wang Zhuo’s secrets, and she even teased him when she found women's underpants drying on the balcony.

"How is the old man's health recently?" Wang Zhuo asked with a chuckle.

Qin Siqing replied, "He’s quite healthy. He practices Tai Chi every morning and tunes in to the seven o'clock news broadcast every evening, right on schedule."

Wang Zhuo laughed heartily, "Viewers of the seven o’clock news are the happiest people in the world."

Qin Siqing agreed with a smile. "Let me state this clearly first: what I'm about to do has nothing to do with my father, so don't worry, I will keep your secret."

Huh? Wang Zhuo was slightly taken aback. He looked her over again, suddenly raised his hand, pointed two fingers at her playfully, and asked with a sly grin, "You want to see the videos Yang Feng filmed of himself, don’t you?"

Qin Siqing’s face instantly flushed crimson. Her composure and elegance vanished in that instant, replaced by awkwardness and shyness.

But she quickly recovered. Although her face remained flushed, her expression smoothed out considerably. "It’s easier talking to smart people. You do have what I want, right?"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't have them?" Wang Zhuo said with a dry chuckle. "But are you sure you want to watch? That stuff is seriously twisted."

Isn't that stating the obvious? Who would watch it if it wasn't twisted? Qin Siqing muttered internally. If she hadn't accidentally overheard her father mention something in passing, her curiosity wouldn't have been piqued!

"Please trust my capacity to handle it," she cleared her throat and extended a slender hand forward. "Give them to me."

"No," Wang Zhuo shook his head seriously. "Those videos aren't just Yang Feng’s solo performance; there are victims in them too. I can't let you watch without their permission."

Suppressing the impulse to jump up and kick Brother Wang Zhuo, Qin Siqing frowned, her delicate lips pouting. "I don't want to hear about that; I just want to see the videos."

Wang Zhuo immediately looked conflicted, scratching his head with a distressed smile.

"Will you give them to me or not?" This was a threat.

Wang Zhuo continued to feign hesitation and struggle.

"I know you'll give them to me, right?" This was a plea.

Wang Zhuo looked even more troubled but made no move.

"What will it take for you to give them to me?!" This was the edge of an outburst!

This time, Wang Zhuo finally named his price: "Call me Brother Wang Zhuo first."

The asking price was manageable, within her tolerance range, but it sounded like only the first condition. So, Qin Siqing hesitated and asked, "Are there any other conditions?"

"You must watch them in front of me, because I cannot hand the materials over to you alone," Wang Zhuo stated righteously, though he was deliberately baiting Qin Siqing to see the expression on her face while watching the footage under his gaze.

In reality, even if he let her watch them alone, Wang Zhuo could use his X-ray vision to observe her reaction, but that lacked challenge. How could it compare to the thrill of this idea?

Qin Siqing's eyes darted around, realizing Wang Zhuo's intent behind this condition. A strange thrill surged from the bottom of her heart. Her mouth went dry, and her heart pounded violently.

"Fine." After much hesitation, she nodded firmly and agreed.

Wang Zhuo inwardly smirked, walked back into the bedroom, and retrieved a flash drive containing the complete collection of "Tragic Incidents in the Korean Entertainment Industry."

Why pull out this particular drive? Because he felt letting Qin Siqing watch the videos from Yang Feng's card would be like pouring salt on the wounds of the female victims—it was fundamentally different from what he planned for Qin Siqing. This was a matter of principle. If that drive weren't useful for something else, he would have destroyed it entirely long ago.

As for the female protagonists in this tragedy collection, although they were also victims, secretly filmed and publicly exposed without their knowledge, they were also reaping what they sowed; if you choose to sell yourself, you must eventually pay the price!

Furthermore, this complete collection was already widely circulated on Earth; if not ten million people had seen it, then nine million nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand surely had. Wang Zhuo felt that having Qin Siqing watch these videos wouldn't make a difference, so he felt no pressure at all... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes at (. Your support is my greatest motivation.))RO