Evan cast a helpless glance towards Adam, who instantly grasped the meaning. Stilling the cacophony with a raised hand, he shook his head. "You misapprehend Mr. Smith's purpose. He wishes to establish a new insurance product, not invest."A new insurance product?The power brokers furrowed their brows in bewilderment before their faces lit with comprehension. Aha, to become the underwriter himself - far more lucrative than playing the investor!Mr. Smith's acumen is unparalleled, no wonder he commands Lumina City's commercial sphere at such a tender age."No, no, you still misunderstand!"Noting their self-satisfied expressions, Adam patiently elaborated, "Mr. Smith harbors no desire for profit - quite the contrary, he intends to disburse losses of $1.5 billion!"Thud!The atmosphere congealed in an instant.Thwack!A chorus of dropping bodies resonated through the chamber.Nearly every mogul found themselves unceremoniously seated upon the floor, too stunned to rise. Those still per
First, he leveraged Tiktok's clout to secure exclusive rental of every billboard in Lumina City - bus stops, subway platforms, the lot - plastering them with Weight Loss ads.Next, he purchased the city's entire fleet of hot air balloons. Come afternoon, the skies teemed with a kaleidoscope of colors, each balloon emblazoned with advertisements Citizens needed only glance upwards.Then he commandeered Lumina's full armada of drones to form airborne slogans promoting the policy throughout the afternoon. Finally, every storefront once again sported blazing crimson Weight Loss banners.Woosh!This onslaught instantly set Lumina abuzz with raucous commotion! Citizens craned their necks at the drones and balloons overheard, abuzz with speculation:"Another Tiktok spectacle? What's this Weight Loss gambit? Say, could they have some mysterious benefactor? One bombshell after another - from a near-bankrupt startup to market domination!""Oh please, that 'mystery man' is clearly the young Mr
Evan casually swept their expressions with a faint smile. "Mr. Caius, fetch the cameras. This time, I shall personally film the Weight Loss advertisement!""Mr. Smith, would you like me to draft a script?"Seraphina interjected, instantly regretting her presumption. With his prowess, why would the esteemed director need a hack writer's screenplay?As anticipated, Evan patted her shoulder with a gentle smile. "No need this time - the script resides within my mind's eye. Next time, I shall afford you the opportunity.""Understood." Seraphina nodded sheepishly, rubbing her nape.With the cameras prepared, Evan deftly commenced filming himself. His innovative concept portrayed Ophelia as a young woman driven to binge-eating by heartbreak, bewildered by her burgeoning girth. Until one fateful day, she chanced upon the "Weight Loss Insurance" on her phone and promptly insured her weight for $1000 in Lumina City. Through arduous toil at a local gym over fifteen days, she shed five kilos.Up
"Mr. Smith single-handedly edited this so quickly? You can't be serious!"Ophelia's words piqued the entire crew's interest as they craned their necks for a view.One glimpse prompted a collective stupor. "Th-This is real? Mr. Smith's work?""I-I've never in my life witnessed such transcendent editing!""We've made it - this time, stardom is truly ours! Thank you Mr. Smith, our patron and benefactor!""..."All stumbled over their words, tongues leaden with disbelief.The disgruntled citizens queued behind them soon grew restive at the delay."Hey you masked ones up front - are you buying or not? If not, then get a move on! We're waiting in line too!""Yeah, you've been just standing there forever. Any longer and the insurance firms will close for the night!""Wearing masks in broad daylight - did you come down with consumption? Go to a hospital then, not an insurance agency. Hmph, putting on airs like celebrities expecting special treatment!""..." The crowd's grumblings left the c
Huh?Taken aback by their collective fervor, Evan arched a brow in mild surprise.However, if he personally supervised the entire cast's fitness journeys, their chances of successful weight loss - and his ability to disburse that near $1.5 billion windfall - would soar commensurately. "Very well!"A faint smile played across his lips as he nodded. "Change into your athletic wear at once - we convene at the gym. From today, I shall put you all through grueling training!""But Mr. Smith," Adam cautioned sotto voce, "the gym will be overwhelmed this hour. We tried securing spots yesterday only to circle back defeated - more crowded than rush hour buses!" "I see." Evan's grin deepened as realization dawned. "Then sportswear outlets must be equally ransacked. No matter - we shall engage in bodyweight resistance training instead! You all came prepared with workout attire, did you not?""We did, but how shall we train here?" The cast exchanged perplexed looks. Evan's smile vanished, his
At long, grueling last, as everyone neared total physical expenditure, Evan stated flatly, "Very well, the aerobic interval work is done. Take a brief rest.""Huhh..." They collapsed bonelessly to the ground, gulping air. Even the thought of hating Sean seemed too strenuous an exertion in their depleted state.Yet scarcely five minutes had passed before Evan's lips curled in his trademark half-smile. "You all seem quite fatigued. So to provide some...incentive, I had Mr. Sean procure fifty million dollars in cash. Whoever meets my performance targets will receive ten million per challenge!"Whoosh! Suddenly reinvigorated, their eyes glinted with fervor! Even Sean's widened, the figures far exceeding his $2.5 million guesstimate. Ten million? F-fuck!Watching them renew their zeal, Evan chuckled. "Ah, the invigorating power of monetary motivation. Very well, we'll start with the anaerobic work triggering bonuses.""First exercise - push-ups. Each must complete fifty in five minut
"But we're ravenous!" the trio cried piteously."Truly?" Evan eyed them all, that inscrutable half-smile playing across his lips. "Yes! Just a quick breakfast, then nothing else all day," they nodded emphatically."Very well." Evan snapped his fingers, and five delivery workers hauled in five boxes of apples."If you're that hungry, have apples. One per meal, substituting your full course!"...A collective silence fell over them. They all knew apples facilitated weight loss, but their fatal flaw - you felt full right after eating one, but within half an hour, the hunger would intensify, as the body expended more energy digesting them than they provided."Mr. Smith, when did you even order these apples?""Just while you were filming. Uber Eats - you deserve to have it. I do need to monitor your diets!"...That afternoon, Evan's training regimen matched the morning's - first aerobic interval running, then anaerobic exercises. By the grueling routine's end, all were sprawled, spent.
"How...fortuitous?" Evan's brows arched in surprise. For each to have shed precisely one pound seemed too coincidental an outcome. Moreover, for the other crew members to emerge from that grueling regimen still failing to lose weight?Such improbable happenstance strained credulity."Indeed, it is quite a coincidence. Nevertheless, it is already impressive that Mr. Johnson, Mr. Devin, and the others have managed to lose weight, especially compared to the rest of us in Lumina City. Not a single person has come to file a claim with us these past few days!""Very well! Then process their claims!" Evan nodded calmly, his expression unperturbed.Yet inwardly, turbulent waves raged within him."Understood!""Mr. Smith, I've calculated the amounts. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Devin, and Mr. Sean each purchased a $400,000 weight-loss insurance policy, so they can each claim $400 million. Leander, Ophelia, Caius, and Seraphina also bought $100,000 policies, entitling each of them to $100 million."Evan