"Who is this?"

The mental breakdown left only a thread of conviction to hold onto. Combined with the gnawing hunger, Pang Jun weakly answered the call. It felt like all his energy had been drained during his previous outburst.

"Mr. Pang?" The voice on the other end belonged to Ye Chen, who was cruising around in his G-Wagon with a smile.

"Who are you? How did you get my number?" Pang Jun asked in astonishment.

"Well..." Ye Chen mused. Could he claim it was knowledge from a past life? He wasn't interested in explaining.

"Mr. Pang, I hear you want to develop a groundbreaking global sensation—a seamless cream?"

Seamless cream was the name Pang Jun had initially come up with. It wasn't until he ended up under Ye Chen's wing that the name was changed to Flawless Cream.

"What do you mean? What do you want?" Pang Jun's breath quickened.

"The entire industry thinks you're crazy. They say your idea is unrealistic, that even European and American brands couldn't achieve something like this, so there's no way we can. But I don't think that way. Why should we Chinese people always follow in their footsteps? Why can't we achieve what they can't?" Ye Chen said with a smile.

In an instant, Pang Jun felt as if he had found a kindred spirit. His exhaustion and hunger seemed to vanish.

"Exactly! The reason Chinese brands have always been suppressed by European and American brands, why we're stuck with a reputation for being low-end and cheap, is thanks to short-sighted domestic brands who undervalue themselves and look up to foreign competitors. They've never thought about surpassing them, about pulling them off their pedestals and taking their place. All they care about is copying and following!"

As he spoke, Pang Jun's indignation grew. "They don't even have the courage to challenge those foreign brands, let alone the ambition to overthrow them. This slavish admiration for foreign goods will forever leave us eating their dust!"

To say Pang Jun was extreme would be an understatement. His extremity was evident not just in this rant but also in his obsessive pursuit of developing the seamless cream, to the point of near madness.

His dismissal from his previous company wasn't due to incompetence but because he broke the rules. Despite repeated rejections of his proposal to develop the seamless cream, he secretly used company resources to continue the project, delaying other products and wasting manpower and money.

No company would tolerate such behavior.

But Ye Chen admired this quality.

Many companies fear mavericks because they're hard to manage, overlooking the fact that a visionary's moments of brilliance can usher in a golden age for the company.

Ye Chen, with his experiences in his past life, knew plenty of such visionaries. Pang Jun was one of them.

In Ye Chen's previous life, Pang Jun's achievements weren't limited to the groundbreaking Flawless Cream. He also managed to dethrone century-old European aristocratic brands.

The Ethereal as Snow brand, under the Tenglong Group, became a global phenomenon, dominating the beauty and skincare industry and reaching the pinnacle of the field.

All of this was thanks to its products, which outperformed the so-called aristocratic European brands in every way.

But that was all in the future.

For now, Pang Jun was still a passionate yet extreme individual.

Hearing Pang Jun's fiery, indignant speech, Ye Chen merely smiled.

"It's precisely because we need someone to break the mold, to innovate and challenge, that I sought you out."

"You believe I can develop the seamless cream? You're willing to invest in me?" Pang Jun's anger faded, replaced by disbelief.

"Where are you? Give me your location, and we'll talk in person," Ye Chen said.

"Uh... in front of the McDonald's at 193 Fuxing Road," Pang Jun replied.

"Alright, wait for me. I'll be there shortly!"

After hanging up, Ye Chen accelerated his G-Wagon.

Meanwhile, in front of the McDonald's, Pang Jun stood dazed. He still didn't know who the caller was.

And now, should he go inside McDonald's or wait outside?

Ultimately, he chose to stay hungry a bit longer.

Fifteen minutes later, a black G-Wagon pulled up in front of him.

Ye Chen stepped out of the car.

"Are you the one who called me just now?" Pang Jun hesitated, unsure, as his stomach growled embarrassingly.

"Yes, Mr. Pang, it's a pleasure to meet you. Shall we grab a bite and talk?" Ye Chen suggested with a smile.

"No need to go elsewhere. Let's just chat inside this McDonald's," Pang Jun replied immediately.

After all, finding another place might take ages, and he was starving.

"Alright, let's do that!"

Having worked together for decades in his past life, Ye Chen was familiar with Pang Jun's straightforward nature and wasn't surprised by his decision.

Inside McDonald's, Pang Jun ordered two burgers and a Coke. After wolfing them down in no time, he asked, "So, what's your plan?"

"Are you sure we don't need to move to a different location?" Ye Chen asked with a light laugh.

"No need. Let's just talk here!" Pang Jun replied.

"Alright, I'll get straight to the point. I'm offering you a vast platform to realize your dreams. You won't just create a groundbreaking seamless cream—you'll also take down those aristocratic skincare and makeup brands from their thrones and replace them!" Ye Chen declared.

"What are you doing? You've got me all fired up now!" Pang Jun said, unable to suppress his excitement.

"Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Ye Chen asked with a smile.

"Yes, but... I don't even know your name!" Pang Jun was baffled. If it weren't for the G-Wagon, he might have thought Ye Chen was crazier than he was.

"Ye Chen. Ye as in leaf, Chen as in the stars," Ye Chen said calmly, with no hint of embarrassment.

"So, Mr. Ye, which company or brand are you with?" Pang Jun asked.

"I don't have a company yet, nor a brand," Ye Chen replied.

Pang Jun: "..."