For the next month or so, the construction of the "City of Stars" began to enter a critical phase, expanding the area of the offshore platform by two square kilometers within that month.

On the "City of Stars" offshore platform, in addition to the "Starry Sky Hospital for Terminal Diseases" which was already formally under construction, two large steel mills, two large shipyards, and one ship modification plant were also being built, along with several other supporting auxiliary factories. The entire "City of Stars" offshore platform had completely transformed into a massive construction site, with various vessels constantly ferrying the necessary materials to it.

"Starry Sky Construction Company" had now entirely ceased taking on external construction projects, diverting all its building crews to the construction of the "City of Stars." After two years of dedicated team development, "Starry Sky Construction Company" possessed a total workforce of one hundred and fifty thousand skilled construction workers of various specializations. Supported by the coordination of various large-scale machinery, their construction capacity had ascended to a new height. Consequently, the erection of these new factories proceeded at an astonishing speed, typically finishing construction in about two months. Including equipment installation and calibration, they were ready for full operation in approximately four months.

The "Starry Sky Hospital for Terminal Diseases," however, due to the stringent environmental requirements associated with medical and health concerns, had a different timeline. Although its main structure could be completed within three months, the full integration of complementary facilities—roads, landscaping, recreational areas, and so forth—required an additional two months. Thus, despite beginning construction earlier than the new factories, the hospital would open later.

Among these newly constructed facilities, only the "Starry Sky Hospital for Terminal Diseases" was permanently situated within the designated medical and health zone of the "City of Stars" plan and could not be moved. All the other factories were erected on modular, detachable offshore platforms, intended to be gradually shifted outward as the construction of the "City of Stars" progressed. Once these factories were relocated, this area would be left solely to the hospital and other health-related structures, eventually transforming into a beautiful, pristine sanctuary perfect for recuperation and convalescence.

"Starry Sky Logistics Company" also pivoted dramatically from its prior focus on global logistics, channeling the majority of its transport capacity toward supplying the "City of Stars." Suddenly, the vast fleet of ocean-going freighters, cargo trains, heavy-duty trucks, and transport aircraft under the command of "Starry Sky Logistics Company" were running at full throttle, shuttling all manner of global supplies back to Hong Kong for deployment at the "City of Stars."

At this juncture, the true nature of "Starry Sky Logistics Company" and "Starry Sky Construction Company"—entities Liu Hui had strategically laid the groundwork for two years prior, seemingly unrelated to the core business of the Starry Group—was fully revealed. They were, in essence, specialized instruments Liu Hui had prepared specifically for the construction of the "City of Stars": one serving as the building force, the other as the logistical backbone.

Given the sheer magnitude of the "City of Stars" project, even with Liu Hui's massive contingent of one hundred and fifty thousand skilled builders, they appeared somewhat insufficient when faced with the behemoth undertaking. A temporary personnel shortage began to manifest within the construction teams. Although Liu Hui was actively expanding his construction company's ranks, the integration and proper functioning of these newly formed crews required time, meaning they offered no immediate relief.

Thus, Liu Hui began borrowing construction teams from his allies, the Li family, who assigned a significant volume of construction tasks on the "City of Stars" to their affiliated crews. Because the workload was so immense, the Li family stood to gain substantial profits from participating in this lengthy construction endeavor. It was only at this stage that the Li family truly grasped the meaning behind Liu Hui's earlier assertion that he could secure twenty years of stable development for them.

Once the "City of Stars" entered its large-scale mobilization phase, the required supplies amounted to an astronomical figure, immediately exposing the inherent limitations of "Starry Sky Logistics Company's" transport capability. Despite two years of development, including numerous mergers with other logistics firms, it struggled to cope with the sheer scale of the transportation plan.

Liu Hui found himself without an immediate fix for this bottleneck; he could only continue purchasing ocean-going freighters worldwide while simultaneously contacting major international transport companies for assistance. Coincidentally, at this very moment, the Luo family from the mainland approached him, proactively recommending their newly established "Luo Ocean Transport Company."

The Luo family had immediately sensed a massive commercial opportunity upon learning of the large-scale commencement of the "City of Stars." They had swiftly consolidated several small and medium-sized domestic shipping companies specializing in ocean transport, pooling their fleets to create an ultra-large-scale ocean transport enterprise. They then presented this company to Liu Hui, eager to secure shipping contracts from the Starry Group.

Liu Hui was precisely in need of capacity and, considering the Luo family's status as a political ally who had previously assisted him through several crises, he entrusted them with a portion of the ocean freight operations. This move not only brought considerable commercial benefits to the Luo family, further solidifying their alliance, but also substantially alleviated the immediate transportation strain faced by "Starry Sky Logistics Company."

However, the emerging weakness in logistics served as a stark reminder to Liu Hui. He understood that while his current patchwork solution could barely guarantee the required material flow for the current construction scope, the moment the "City of Stars" entered its true peak construction period, the existing transport capacity would prove utterly inadequate. He recognized the necessity of devising a stable, long-term solution for this maritime logistics challenge.

As the construction of the City of Stars steadily intensified, the Starry Group spared no effort in its revenue generation. The previous month’s launch of "Starry Spirit Slimmer" had been a spectacular success and continued to sell rapidly. The product’s weight-loss efficacy was remarkably high, earning immense popularity among those suffering from obesity.

Both "Starry Spirit Slimmer" and the earlier launched "Insulated Cool-Touch Silk Stockings" were sold exclusively within stores operated by the Starry Group itself. This exclusivity ensured the Starry Group retained maximum profit margins. However, the limited footprint of Starry Group specialty stores—only three thousand worldwide at that time—meant they could not cover the global market effectively. A significant portion of consumer demand went unmet, leading to some murmuring discontent toward the Starry Group.

Liu Hui had noticed this issue and was re-examining his specialty store strategy, realizing he had fallen into another familiar trap: trying to monopolize everything, a flaw summed up by the idiom of being insatiably greedy.

Previously, all Starry Group medical products employed a regional master agency model, meaning the group held no direct sales terminals. Liu Hui had initiated the creation of his own Starry specialty stores out of fear of being held hostage by these master agents. Yet, the reality was that while possessing proprietary stores, he had alienated local power bases whose support he needed, resulting in frequent operational issues for his specialty outlets. Furthermore, the global market was simply too vast to be adequately served solely by self-operated stores.

Upon realizing the root of his error, Liu Hui swiftly adjusted the current sales strategy. From that point forward, except for Starry Gourmet Restaurants and high-end product sales, all newly launched merchandise would be sold within his own Starry specialty stores. However, the Starry Group would only establish three thousand stores in major global cities. Markets in smaller and medium-sized cities would be allocated through an auction process, granting franchises to influential local organizations to operate Starry specialty stores. The Starry Group would retain responsibility only for supplying inventory and providing management guidance. This refined approach allowed the Starry Group to maintain its core flagship stores while ensuring the remaining market gaps were filled by various allied local powers. This simultaneously perfected the product coverage area and cultivated a large network of regional allies.

This was precisely the time the Starry Group was preparing to launch a new product line: cosmetics, with the first item being a skin-whitening product, predictably named "Starry Brightener" following Liu Hui’s established naming convention.

Therefore, Liu Hui decided to leverage the launch of this new cosmetic line to overhaul his global specialty store strategy. He communicated this intention to Li Zhi of "Starry Sky Sales Company," instructing her to immediately commence global solicitation, auctioning off all market territories except those already covered by his established stores, welcoming strong enterprises and individuals from various regions to participate.

Li Zhi, who had previously managed the regional master agency business for high-end products, was now entrusted with the franchise auction for specialty stores, igniting her enthusiasm. She swiftly launched worldwide advertising campaigns, ensuring the Starry Group's adjustment to its specialty store policy became common knowledge across the globe.

Soon, interested parties and organizations globally, eager to operate a Starry specialty store, flocked to the Starry Group headquarters. Given the phenomenal sales of "Starry Spirit Slimmer" and the "Insulated Cool-Touch Silk Stockings," setting up a store practically guaranteed massive returns, making the auction highly competitive. After a week of vigorous bidding, a total of seven thousand Starry specialty stores were confirmed globally. Combined with the three thousand stores already owned by the Starry Group, the total number of Starry specialty stores reached exactly ten thousand.

These ten thousand stores, spread across the world, effectively saturated the entire global market. Through this policy adjustment, the Starry Group instantly propelled its products into every corner of the world while securing broader support from local powers.

These new Starry specialty stores officially opened for business after paying substantial security deposits and completing staff training provided by the Starry Group. Riding the momentum of these new openings, the Starry Group formally unleashed the long-anticipated cosmetic storm.

Liu Hui tiered the "Starry Brightener" into several distinct levels. The lowest tier was priced at ten US dollars, usable for one month, capable of imparting facial skin whitening. However, the effect was slow, taking fifteen days to manifest, and completely vanished upon cessation of use.

The second tier was priced at one hundred dollars, good for two months. Its effect was striking, visible within three days of application, and the whitening effect persisted for a full month after discontinuation.

The third tier represented the pinnacle: priced at ten thousand US dollars, it offered efficacy for over six months. Its whitening power was exceptionally potent, yielding visible results on the very first day of use. Furthermore, its whitening effect surpassed that of the lower two tiers significantly, and even after half a year of non-use, the results would hold for three months. This top-tier product also featured exquisitely crafted, beautiful outer packaging and artistically designed bottles, making it highly collectible.

By segmenting "Starry Brightener" into low, mid, and high tiers, Liu Hui ensured a corresponding consumer base for each level. The lowest tier was affordable for almost anyone, while the highest was undeniably a luxury item.

Unlike many true luxury manufacturers who shunned entry-level products to maintain exclusivity, Liu Hui produced all three tiers. He harbored no fear that the low-end offering would alienate mid-to-high-end consumers, as he possessed unshakeable confidence in his product. He believed that once consumers experienced the genuine benefits firsthand, they would wholeheartedly support his offerings.

However, the cosmetics market was already saturated with established high-end luxury brands, whose consumers adhered to fixed purchasing habits. Thus, despite the superior quality of Starry Group products, securing these existing consumers was not guaranteed. For this initial foray, Liu Hui implemented a strategy involving securing endorsements from internationally renowned celebrities and unleashing a massive advertising blitz, aiming to make "Starry Brightener" instantly recognizable worldwide. Even if he couldn't immediately win over the elite consumers, the goal was to embed the name in their minds, laying the foundation for subsequent product rollouts.

The sudden arrival of "Starry Brightener," accompanied by pervasive advertising, quickly alerted the public. Leveraging the Starry Group's pre-existing positive reputation, some consumers opted to try "Starry Brightener." Upon initial use, they immediately recognized its potent efficacy. Through their enthusiastic promotion, "Starry Brightener's" sales soared, beginning to pose a genuine threat to the legacy cosmetic manufacturers.

The Starry Group's sudden offensive in the cosmetics arena, and its initial success, caused considerable anxiety among traditional cosmetic firms. They acquired samples of "Starry Brightener" through market channels and conducted laboratory analyses, which confirmed that its whitening performance vastly exceeded their own products. Setting aside cultural tradition and brand history, their products stood no chance against "Starry Brightener," and they faced a definitive disadvantage even in the high-end luxury segment.

These established manufacturers were naturally unwilling to surrender. They immediately launched powerful counter-advertising campaigns to halt "Starry Brightener’s" sales momentum, triggering widespread promotional discounts that delighted consumers. Consequently, in this first exchange, the battle between the legacy cosmetic giants and "Starry Brightener" reached a temporary stalemate, with neither side yet demonstrating the clear ability to win the commercial war.

The experts who specialized in dissecting the Starry Group were once again stunned. They hadn't anticipated the group shifting focus to cosmetics immediately after achieving success in the health supplement market. Judging by consumer feedback, "Starry Brightener’s" sales and reputation were solid. Was this shaping up to be another scenario where the Starry Group charged forward aggressively, forcing established enterprises into a rout?

Fortunately, the veteran cosmetic companies possessed substantial resilience and mounted a vigorous defense. Although they conceded a degree of market share to "Starry Brightener," they showed no signs of collapse. Finally, an industry emerged capable of withstanding the seemingly unstoppable momentum of the Starry Group’s advances. The Starry Group was no longer universally victorious, which offered a small measure of psychological comfort to the analysts. They swiftly declared that the Starry Group seemed to have lost its edge, suggesting a potential decline in product superiority, perhaps marking the cosmetics sector as the beginning of the Starry Group's downfall.

Liu Hui was, of course, aware of these expert pronouncements, but he paid them little mind, as his decisive combination moves were yet to be deployed. It was far too early to declare a victor. At that moment, he was in his office, receiving a high-ranking official who had traveled from the mainland.

"Mr. Liu, what are your thoughts on the proposal we just presented?" a middle-aged man inquired with a genial smile.

"Heh heh, Director Huang, thank you for your consideration regarding the Starry Group. However, our company is currently flush with capital and has no immediate need to go public," Liu Hui replied with a smile.