Hidden dangers

Mars's face turned green after listening to Wang Xiuyuan's description of the nutritional meal preparation process. Even if she ate meticulously prepared diet meals at high-end restaurants, she would have to mix in other foods every two or three days to change the flavor.

If she were forced to eat this tasteless stuff for all three meals a day... it was simply unimaginable.

"You win, Wang Xiuyuan. I think you're truly a devil. I couldn't stand eating this for more than two or three days, yet you plan to make those prisoners eat it every single day."

"You might as well just kill them; this is blatant abuse."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mars. You're a devil too, because we're partners. You get a share of the credit for the achievement of abusing prisoners."

Wang Xiuyuan shrugged and continued:

"We are good people, ethical Capitalists."

"To give the prisoners a better dining experience, we don't necessarily have to use boiling as the only cooking method."

"We can also pulverize the vegetables and meat before heating them into a sort of liquid hot mush. This prevents the prisoners from choking and aids digestion—it's better for the stomach."

"Or we can just toss the food into a steamer, sprinkle a bit of oil and salt, and it's ready to eat."

"See how thoughtful I am?"

"The best part is that with this cooking method, we don't need to hire expensive professional chefs. We can just pull any uneducated woman off the street to do it."

Locke Vanderbilt was stunned by Wang Xiuyuan's tactics. He really couldn't have imagined such an operation; it completely shattered his worldview.

"Holy shit, Wang Xiuyuan. You're practically Satan walking the earth. Satan would have to bow to you before he dared to speak."

"Hardly anyone could eat food prepared that way for a week, so they'll have to pay extra if they want real food, right?"

"You provide the prisoners with healthy, nutritional diet meals containing vegetables and meat, so even the media and the public can't find fault with it."

"But if the prisoners can't stomach it, they must spend money on other food. Those without money will have no choice but to work for us in the prison factories."

Wang Xiuyuan gave Locke Vanderbilt a thumbs up.

"Exactly. These nutritional diet meals are free. If the prisoners want to eat unhealthy fried food, they have to pay for it."

"They can choose whatever they want with their own money. Whether it's healthy or not isn't our concern. Even if the media comes, they won't find any issues."

"In short, whether it's a better living environment or tasty but unhealthy food, the prisoners must buy it from us, or they'll just have to endure."

"But I believe no prisoner will be able to endure it!"

"Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!" A burst of enthusiastic applause rang out in the living room. The group of Second-generation rich kids admired Wang Xiuyuan to the point of prostration.

But among those present, only one person did not join in: Reeves Astor of the Astor Family.

Reeves Astor felt very uneasy. Wang Xiuyuan's plan was simply too cruel, especially for those prisoners from poor backgrounds—it was beyond heartless.

In Wang Xiuyuan's plan, these penniless prisoners would have to work hard in the prison factories just to afford the standard of prison life they were already living.

Otherwise, what awaited them would be a fate worse than death.

With a grim expression, Reeves Astor asked the group, "Guys, money is a good thing, and I like it too, but aren't we being a bit too ruthless?"

The sudden question caused the lively atmosphere to stall momentarily, but only a few seconds later, someone immediately spoke up to refute Reeves Astor's doubt.

"Reeves, it seems the people of the Astor Family are indeed very kind, and your words just proved it."

"Who are we?"

"We are Capitalists, the elites of this society. Why do you care about the trash at the bottom of the social ladder?"

"We aren't bullying ordinary people. These are prisoners—criminals who have committed all sorts of crimes. The sole purpose of locking them up is to punish them for what they've done."

"Letting these criminals serve a comfortable few years in prison before regaining their freedom is far too small a price to pay. They'll easily commit the same mistakes again once they're out."

"When that happens, even more innocent people will suffer. So we must be ruthless; we have to make those prisoners afraid, so they never want to return to prison and suffer again."

The speaker was Locke Vanderbilt. This black-hearted fellow was quick on the uptake; he had already learned to apply Wang Xiuyuan's smooth rhetoric.

Although Reeves Astor's doubt was mercilessly shut down by Locke Vanderbilt, the underlying issue hadn't been fully resolved, so Wang Xiuyuan had to handle it properly.

"Reeves, as your friend, we're glad to see you're a kind person, but we're worried that your kindness will one day be the death of you."

"I won't deny that this plan is a bit ruthless, but I have my reasons."

"Just as Locke said, these people who have committed countless evils must receive their due punishment. Only then will they cherish their hard-won freedom after their release and think twice about the consequences before they consider doing something bad again."

"I admit my primary goal is to make money. Don't you want to make money? Don't Locke, Devik, and Mars want to make money?"

"I used to be a loser with nothing, gambling my life to get the wealth I have now."

"All of you are losers because you lost the competition to become your family's Heirs."

"Some of you were even declared eliminated before you could officially start competing, simply because you were too young. You didn't even have a chance to join the game before it was over."

"Because your families had already selected an outstanding Heir."

"Are you satisfied with that? If you were willing to accept that outcome, you wouldn't have come to me in the first place."

"I was willing to give you a hand because I saw your refusal to be mediocre. But what are you doing now?"

"There are only two paths for losers like us: either obediently enjoy life or use any means necessary to achieve success."

"If you want to be at the top, you must discard that damn kindness of yours. It's a sign of weakness. In this dog-eat-dog Colosseum, your rare kindness will only become your death warrant."

"The future businesses of everyone sitting here are closely linked. We are a community of shared interests; we rise and fall together."

"If you get into trouble one day because of your foolishness, that's fine, but don't drag everyone else down with you."

"Reeves."

"If you can't accept this business plan, you can choose to back out. The same goes for everyone else."

"But if you decide to join this plan, we have only one goal: to exert every ounce of effort and mobilize all available resources and capital to achieve a monopoly in this industry."