Chapter 12: Chapter 12: The Perfect Goddess
London, UK. Headquarters of The Sun newspaper.
Editor-in-chief Rebekah Wade was staring at her computer screen, lost in thought. On the screen was the layout for tomorrow's front page, which would be featured at newsstands all over the UK. For any newspaper, this was of critical importance.
The key to grabbing readers' attention at first glance was an effective layout, and Rebekah Wade spent a good portion of each day agonizing over this task. If she ever failed to come up with something eye-catching, it would likely be the day she got fired.
Plenty of things had happened today: the ongoing fallout from the divorce between pop star Cheryl and footballer Ashley Cole, as well as the fate of the England football coach following their defeat in the South African World Cup—both hot topics of public interest.
But these stories had already been milked dry. The freshness was wearing off, and Rebekah Wade felt like they just weren't enough anymore. What she craved was a story that would instantly captivate the readers' attention.
Just as she was racking her brain, her phone rang inconveniently.
"Boss, I just got word that The Daily Mail has finalized their front-page headline for tomorrow."
Wade perked up immediately. "What's the headline?"
"'Who is he?'"
"Are you sure?" Rebekah Wade sounded disappointed. The title didn't seem all that exciting.
"I'm sure. They might use a photo of a silhouette taken at the Harrods shopping center, along with an image of a stunning Chinese woman and an Aston Martin. Apparently, this Chinese man just spent six million pounds at Harrods, ordering four of the latest Aston Martin ONE-77s—quite a hefty purchase."
At first, Wade wasn't too interested as her staff member described what had happened with Yang Huan at Harrods, but gradually, an idea began forming in her mind.
A mysterious and young Chinese tycoon, casually spending six million pounds on four limited-edition Aston Martins...
At first glance, it all seemed pretty straightforward—nothing particularly juicy. But in Rebekah Wade's mind, all the pieces began to connect, forming a potential explosive story.
Suddenly inspired, Wade dialed an internal number. "Get someone to check all the top hotels in London immediately. See if any young Chinese tycoons have checked in recently, and dig into their background and the reason for their visit."
After hanging up, she pressed another internal line. "What's going on with the automotive section? How could they write such a bland piece on such a juicy story? Do they all want to be fired? Get me every detail from Harrods delivered to my office now—quickly!"
She then made another call, this time to The Sun's well-known journalist Steven Howard. "Come to my office right away!"
In less than ten minutes, all the information Rebekah Wade requested was laid out before her, and Steven Howard sat across from her, focused on the pile of documents and photos.
"I had someone investigate. They're staying at the Hilton by Hyde Park in London, but the hotel wasn't booked under their names. Guess who made the reservation for them?" Rebekah Wade already knew the answer.
This Chinese man was the big story she'd been looking for!
"Who?" Steven Howard, skilled at drawing connections and writing stories, asked.
"Cash Harris!" Rebekah Wade chuckled, feeling confident she was on the right track.
This was an instinct built over years—she was certain it was correct.
Steven Howard had, of course, heard of Cash Harris, one of the best football investment advisors in London's financial district.
"Is this Chinese guy here to invest in football?"
"Didn't Birmingham City get bought by a Chinese investor not long ago? Even though they haven't been managed well, it set a precedent. Who's to say there won't be more? And as you know, football is always a hot topic, and in recent years, China has become something the British people are very curious about. Chinese capital buying an English Premier League team—this will be tomorrow's headline-grabbing story!"
Steven Howard nodded, but added, "Still, this isn't enough. We need something more concrete, like which team he's targeting. Also, I don't think he's just here to buy a Premier League team. He might have other plans too."
Rebekah Wade laughed loudly, "That's why I've already decided on tomorrow's headline: Chinese Capital Making Bold Moves to Buy Out Britain?"
The headline was indeed sensational, though the story itself was speculative. But that didn't matter. What mattered was grabbing attention.
As for accuracy, it was completely irrelevant—nobody would care.
"I know what to do now!" Steven Howard, who had worked with Wade for years, caught on quickly.
Watching her trusted aide leave with a stack of documents, Rebekah Wade leaned back in her office chair, propping her feet up. She felt great because she had a feeling that this story would dominate the news for at least three days.
What they'd cook up after three days didn't matter. Perhaps by then, Ashley Cole and Cheryl would reconcile. Or maybe the British Prime Minister would suddenly resign.
Who knew?
…
Longhai City, China.
Like many elderly people, Yang Baoping had a routine of going to bed early and waking up early.
Each morning, his favorite thing to do was sit in the wooden pavilion in the courtyard and read the daily newspapers.
He read all sorts of papers—from serious and authoritative party publications to lighter morning tabloids.
Just like every other day, he slowly worked his way through the stack of papers.
But when he reached The Longhai Morning News, he was suddenly drawn to the headline and photo on the front page.
"Chinese Super-Rich Beauty Plans to Buy Out Britain, Stuns the World with Massive Investment!"
The headline was definitely attention-grabbing: a beautiful woman, a wealthy figure, and Europe—combining all the most popular elements of the moment.
The photo was a reprint, taken in London's most luxurious department store, Harrods. In the image, a stunning beauty with an ethereal elegance wore a Prada office outfit, her jet-black hair cascading down, and her flawless, captivating face easily drawing everyone's attention.
"It's her?" Yang Baoping immediately recognized the person in the photo as Zhang Ning, the woman who had previously been supported by his grandson, Yang Huan.
"How did she become a super-rich beauty?"
Reading further, Yang Baoping realized that it was all because his beloved grandson, in London, had ordered four luxury cars in one go, sparking a media frenzy in the UK.
British media and the public were abuzz, speculating about Chinese capital taking over British industries. The Longhai Morning News was simply reprinting reports from European media.
Of course, during the reprint process, some adjustments had been made to better align with local sensibilities.
"This kid's been there less than four or five days, and he's already causing a stir!" Yang Baoping couldn't help but smile wryly.
Should he say his precious grandson was trouble, or should he say the boy had talent?
Yang Baoping pulled out an old mobile phone from his pocket, dialed the family code, and not long after, Yang Wenfeng came out of the villa.
"Dad, you called?" Yang Wenfeng still had great respect for his father.
"Take a look, Ah Huan's causing a scene in the UK!" Yang Baoping handed the newspaper to him.
As he casually flipped through other papers, he found that almost every tabloid had this story. The headlines differed, and the content varied slightly, but they were all focused on the speculation that a Chinese super-rich beauty was making a large investment in the UK.
Nearly all the media had the same question: Who is she?
"That brat spent six hundred thousand pounds on four cars? That's sixty million yuan!" Yang Wenfeng slammed the newspaper onto the table, his breath heavy with frustration.
"I've seen people waste money, but not like this! Does he think the family prints cash?"
Hearing this, Yang Baoping chuckled. "Why are you so angry? What's there to be mad about?"
"Dad, he's been there just a few days and look how much he's spent! If he stays any longer, he'll not only burn through his three billion yuan but come back with a mountain of debt."
"So what?" Yang Baoping was completely unfazed.
"Dad, why are you always defending him?" Yang Wenfeng had long disagreed with Yang Huan going off to start his own business.
He simply didn't believe his son was cut out for it.
"I'm not defending him. I'm just stating the facts."
"What facts?"
Yang Baoping pushed the newspaper in front of his son. "Count how many newspapers have reprinted this story. And go online—I guarantee you that both domestic and international websites are probably going crazy over this. Now, if it were you, how much would you have to spend to achieve this level of attention?"
Yang Wenfeng fell silent at that.
Indeed, advertising space in newspapers and on websites was incredibly expensive these days.
"I think spending six hundred thousand pounds was a bargain, and I believe the kid was smart. He pushed that woman, Zhang Ning, to the forefront while keeping himself hidden, maintaining an air of mystery. I'm sure the British, European, and domestic newspapers and media will continue to follow this story."
"If he can generate more news before this wave of reports dies down..."
Yang Wenfeng understood. If it was just a one-off incident, the six hundred thousand pounds would only make a splash for a day or two, and then it would fade away. But if they could keep generating news, the impact would be vastly different.
"Dad, I don't believe this was all planned by him—it's just luck."
"Luck?" Yang Baoping recalled what Yang Huan had said that day and smiled. "Well, let's wait and see how this plays out."
...
One of the perks of the internet age is that an interesting story, as long as it happens on this planet, can spread across the globe in no time.
The stir Yang Huan caused in the UK made its way back to China, and unexpectedly, it led to Zhang Ning's overnight fame.
Suddenly, Zhang Ning's photos became the focus of attention for countless young men in China. Many were eager to dig up any clues or information about her. Her name, Zhang Ning, quickly skyrocketed to the top of Baidu's search rankings, making her a household sensation.
Before long, someone found a juicy tidbit.
A registered user on the Longhai University student forum, claiming to be her boyfriend, stepped forward to clarify things. He said her name was Zhang Ning, and she was one of the top beauties of Longhai University, but she wasn't some super-wealthy person. On the contrary, she came from a working-class family with no notable background, and she had even taken out student loans to pay for her tuition.
This information spread quickly across Chinese social media, stirring up excitement.
No one believed this person was really her boyfriend. Most assumed it was just a fan fantasizing. But what Zhang Ning did after graduation, what business she was in, and how she went from being an ordinary person to being labeled a "super-rich beauty" by the British media—these questions remained unanswered.
The air of mystery only fueled people's desire to dig deeper.
Some speculated she had made a fortune investing after graduation. Others suggested she was actually an actress, and the entire incident was fabricated by a PR agency to boost her fame. Still, others claimed she was the only daughter of a super-rich family, a typical "second-generation wealthy" who had previously pretended to live an ordinary life for the experience.
Various rumors swirled, but no one guessed that she had been kept by a wealthy patron.
Perhaps, to the netizens who adored Zhang Ning, such a pure and beautiful goddess shouldn't be associated with something as sordid as being kept.
In any case, Zhang Ning became an internet sensation overnight, the perfect goddess in the hearts of countless netizens.
This wasn't just happening in China—across Europe and the United States, the story quickly became one of the hottest topics, with the media sensationalizing the event and digging for more details.
But as the mastermind behind it all, Yang Huan was currently on the highway to Southampton.
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