[Completion]

At this point, the head of the Chi family had actually been led astray by his own company's technical staff. The Chi family had spent two or three years investing in research and technology at the Chi family's shipyard. Over those two years, the financial and material resources poured into it had flowed away like water from the Milky Way. Naturally, the Chi family head believed that, after all that time, even if their technology could not compare with the Yao family's and they did not dare build high-end luxury cruise ships or custom-made yachts, producing some low-end cargo ships should not have been a problem.

Yet the technical developers at the Chi family company did not dare admit in front of the Chi family head that their research was a complete mess and that the Chi family's two years of investment had gone down the drain. They could only nod meekly and force themselves to say there was no problem.

With the professionals' assurance, the Chi family head naturally became even more confident.

At the same time, in order to give their cargo ships an edge in the international market, the Chi family head put great effort into pricing them, marketing them to poor third-world countries in Africa under the banner of high quality at low prices.

There was a common saying in the Empire: only fools turned down a bargain. When the Chi family's cargo ships were priced at only two-thirds, or even roughly half, the market price, those small factory owners placed orders with the Chi family despite knowing full well that there might be problems with the products. And the result was, of course, predictable... The Chi family's cargo ships really did develop problems.

A few days after the payment had been settled and the ships delivered, the Chi family's cargo ships began leaking oil while in operation. And by pure coincidence, the polluted waters happened to be the seafood farms owned by the deep-sea seafood suppliers for the Li family's hotels. So... The Li family got dragged into it as well.

Li Rongxiu listened to Uncle Li's explanation with his eyes wide, then could only click his tongue and shake his head. "It's only been a few days. The Chi family is really capable of causing trouble."

Though he said that, Li Rongxiu was secretly delighted. In his previous life, the Li family had discovered things too late and allowed the Chi family to successfully marry the Yao family's eldest daughter. With the Yao family's technical support and protection, although the Chi family had still suffered the Li family's retaliation, they had not been crippled as badly as they were now.

Thinking of the phone call Shen Manyao had made to him last night, Li Rongxiu suddenly regretted it. Why had he hung up so decisively? No matter how disgusted and irritated he felt, he should have persisted. He should have learned the truth directly from one of the people involved...

Just as Li Rongxiu was privately gloating, Zhuang Meiru asked worriedly, "The Chi family really has harmed so many people... I wonder just how serious the impact of this incident will be, and whether it will damage the ecological balance of that stretch of sea. Hotel business is getting harder and harder these days. We finally found a few reliable food suppliers, and now they've suffered this unexpected disaster. Why is our Li family so unlucky? Something that has nothing to do with us can still drag us down."

Grandma Li sighed deeply and shook her head. "Don't complain. If we're being honest, the Li family is actually doing better than most. Those food suppliers are the truly unlucky ones. Tell me, who did they provoke? If things go badly, their companies may even go bankrupt because of this incident..."

Li Rongxiu's heart stirred at those words, and an idea suddenly came to him.

[Completion]

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Location: A yacht at South Bay Pier.

Li Rongxiu held a glass of juice as the gentle sea breeze brushed against him. White seabirds wheeled over the sparkling water, and the bright midday sun of high summer always carried a warmth that gave people hope.

After taking a turn around the yacht, Alan smiled at Li Rongxiu. "I'm really jealous that you have such a generous brother. Even if I wanted a limited-edition Patek Philippe, none of my brothers would buy one for me."

Li Rongxiu smiled faintly and said with a hint of bragging, "My brother said that if I win the title of Best Student this time, he'll reward me with a South Bay Seaview Villa. Then we'll have an official gathering place and won't have to worry about where to meet every time we want to get together."

Zhou Ruixin gave a frivolous whistle and swayed his head. "Comparisons really do make people furious!"

Xin Mengmeng could not be bothered with Zhou Ruixin, whose words had been sounding increasingly cheap lately. She gave him a shove, signaling for him to pass her a glass of cherry tomato juice. After taking a sip through the straw, she said, "Didn't you say there was something important to discuss? What is it? Why did you mysteriously drag us out to sea?"

Li Rongxiu waved a hand and tossed the newspaper on the table to everyone. Smiling, he said, "I don't know whether you've noticed the news in today's paper about the cargo ship sold by the Chi family's shipyard leaking oil in Brown Bay. Either way, take a look at the paper first and get a grasp of the situation. We'll discuss it in detail afterward."

At his words, everyone got up, picked up the newspapers from the table, and flipped through them casually. After several minutes of silence, Zhao Qijun was the first to speak. "Young Master Xiu, what exactly are you planning? Just say it."

Li Rongxiu glanced at everyone and said seriously, "Recently, I looked through Diwan High School's history and found that every time they selected the Best Student, if the competitors' academic performances were not too far apart, the school's judging committee would place more emphasis on their social influence and leadership abilities. So I think... we can make something of this cargo ship oil leak and marine pollution incident, and earn ourselves some extra points in the upcoming competition."

Alan immediately understood and nodded in agreement. "Got it. To demonstrate our compassion and social responsibility. But... the funds we currently have are all sponsorship fees that major companies and brands invested in the film. Other than producing the movie, we can't use that money for anything else—that was clearly stated in the contracts we signed. So, Xiu Xiu, if you want to use those funds for donations, I'm afraid that won't work."

Li Rongxiu shook his head. "I understand. I'm not targeting the sponsorship money. I only want to use the chance to promote our film to hold a fundraiser. At the same time, we can use this public fundraising campaign to seize the initiative."

The young playboys drew closer curiously. Li Rongxiu flashed a row of white teeth with a smug smile. "Up to now, we still haven't selected the male and female leads for this movie, right?"

Overnight, the ordinary people of Wancheng suddenly discovered that they were surrounded by a recruitment advertisement called Looking for Cinderella.

Whether they were browsing major entertainment websites and gossip forums online, watching television from the sofa, taking their girlfriends to the cinema, waiting for a train at the subway station or a bus at the bus stop, or waiting for an elevator in an office building or shopping mall... they would be startled to discover that no matter where or when they were, the overwhelming advertisement seemed to invade their time and attention.

Even ordinary people who cared little about such matters came to generally understand, after that relentless advertising blitz, that the recruitment campaign had been launched by several students from Diwan High School. Their reason for doing so was to complete a film about life and study at Diwan High School, Above the Elite, in time for the school's centennial celebration. The "Cinderella" sought in the advertisement would play the film's female lead.

Of course, in order to gain the public's trust, Li Rongxiu had directly announced the production company, directing team, and principal cast when placing the advertisement. Unsurprisingly, the producer was Li's Meihua Film Company, owned by his second brother's family, while the film's chief director was Zhang Mengqiu, the highly sought-after art-film director who had won the Golden Olive Award for Best Director last year. As for the male lead, after discussing it with the school, Li Rongxiu and his playboy allies decided to select him from within the school. This meant that no matter who was chosen, the male lead would be a genuine "Prince Charming."

To Wancheng's residents, Diwan High School, famous as "the cradle of elites" and "the Empire's hope," had always represented words like "aristocratic," "elegant," "wealthy," and "outstanding." It was a symbol of "excellence" and "extraordinary achievement." Many years ago, this private middle school, founded by an imperial tutor to three dynasties, had never even been open to commoners. Such a closed, mysterious, powerful, and aloof image naturally drew endless speculation and curiosity. Thus, after seeing the recruitment advertisement, many citizens expressed interest in the film.

"...I'm looking forward to it."

"Then, when the film is released, will you choose to go to the cinema and watch it?"

"Probably. I was born and raised in Wancheng, after all, so I'm rather curious about Diwan High School. I'm also curious how the real upper-class people and tycoons live, and how those students praised as the Empire's elites from childhood study."

"...If I had the chance, I'd really like to visit Diwan High School in person."

Those were the answers most citizens gave when interviewed on the street by television reporters.

At the same time, when the street interviewees were asked about the recruitment advertisement's requirement that every applicant auditioning for the female lead had to pay a one-thousand Imperial currency registration fee, while all those fees would not be kept by the production team or organizers but donated in full, after registration closed, to the relevant Brown Sea Area environmental maintenance departments that had suffered economic and ecological losses due to the cargo ship oil spill, in hopes that they could clean up the polluted marine environment more quickly and effectively—and that the production team would also raise 2.5 million Imperial currency to donate to the relevant departments in the Brown Sea Area—the interviewees gave all sorts of answers.

"...I think it's great. I wasn't very interested in this movie to begin with, but after seeing this announcement, I think the Diwan students are very caring and organized. I have absolutely no interest in acting myself, but after seeing the advertisement, I signed up too, because I support what they're doing to protect the environment. Of course, I also think the Chi family selling substandard cargo ships just to make money is really... blah blah blah..."

"...A publicity stunt, right? But Diwan High School students come from pretty wealthy families anyway, so they don't care about this little bit of money. They're just buying themselves a reputation!"

"...No matter what, I think their intentions are good. Diwan High School's education has always emphasized students' personal abilities and social responsibility, and I think that's a good thing. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. They're much better than those filthy rich profiteers who refuse to part with a single coin."

As for those scheming little sparrows who dreamed of squeezing into high society or appearing on the big screen, although the Looking for Cinderella recruitment advertisement's requirements were overly strict, even harsh, it truly gave them hope and an opportunity they could see and touch.

Who did not want to become the Cinderella of a fairy tale? Who did not want to become famous overnight and find their own Prince Charming?

Such a fairy-tale temptation was absolutely fatal to girls.

Thus, in an instant, all attention descended upon it. Girls who believed they met the requirements came flocking in from every corner of the country in the shortest possible time. Dressed in their most perfect outfits, they walked gracefully into the interview venue inside Diwan High School and underwent assessment by interviewers that included school leaders and student union members.

Wancheng Television, which had always prided itself on having the sharpest instinct for news, immediately contacted Diwan High School to discuss broadcasting rights after seeing the explosive scene of public discussion in every street and alley. The school, which was in the midst of promoting its centennial celebration, also wished to expand its influence. Therefore, after consulting Li Rongxiu and the other young playboys, it gladly agreed.