I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 161 - 159: Scandal
Not long after the two left, a post titled "Secret Meeting Between Top Noble Family’s C-Surnamed Heir and Mysterious Woman, Lunch Date Followed by Shopping" appeared on Star Network, accompanied by numerous photos taken from a passerby’s perspective.
These eye-catching posts rely on headlines that are everywhere, and the photos are so blurry that only silhouettes can be seen, so it didn’t attract much attention.
It wasn’t until someone commented underneath, saying the "Top Noble Family’s C-Surnamed Heir" was likely Chu Yunyi, that the post started gaining traction.
Initially, the main focus of discussion among netizens was the identity of the male lead. Some netizens claimed the hairstyle of the person in the photo didn’t match Chu Yunyi, so it definitely wasn’t him.
Some netizens swore they heard the male lead talking in the restaurant, and only felt a weird familiarity until they saw the post and realized the voice was definitely Chu Yunyi!
The comments grew more numerous, with everyone arguing their case.
Until a god-tier netizen extracted a full-body image of Chu Yunyi from the military school competition footage, which matched the man’s pose and angle in the photos, except for the hairstyle, the silhouettes were almost identical.
The evidence was overwhelming, the handsome man in the photo was undoubtedly Chu Yunyi.
Once that comment came out, all the netizens following the post exploded. Chu Yunyi had never been seen on a solo date with a woman before; this was big news! The focus shifted rapidly to uncovering the female lead’s identity.
Some netizens claimed the female lead must be Lin Caier, but the comment was swiftly dismissed. A well-connected netizen provided evidence that at the same time, Lin Caier was vacationing at the Lin family’s suburban mansion. Unless Lin Caier knew Clone Technique, it couldn’t be her.
Chu Yunyi’s female friends were few, and since it wasn’t Lin Caier, netizens turned their attention to the military school competition team members.
Using the same photo comparison method, they tried all the female contestants. Unfortunately, due to the angles, no exact match was found. But many thought Li Xing’s height and figure were most similar to the female lead, making her the biggest suspect.
By this time, the post had reached the top of the Star Network trending list. The fervor for gossip among netizens was high, with a determination not to rest until the female lead’s identity was revealed.
Quick-witted netizens began frantically tagging the restaurant owner and figurine shop owner for confirmation.
The restaurant owner didn’t respond, while the figurine shop owner didn’t directly confirm the female lead’s identity, but did provide another jaw-dropping news for netizens—on the day of the incident, the high-end Li Xing figurines had already sold out.
//Confirmed, it must be Li Xing! Never imagined the sweetest CP of this competition would be them! Sob, Li Xing, give me back my idol!//
//Sisters, calm down! Even if the people in the photo are Chu Yunyi and Li Xing, it doesn’t prove anything, normal friends can hang out for meals, we still have a chance!//
//Wake up, would you buy every figurine of a normal friend? Friends like these could evolve into domineering boyfriends at any moment!//
//Sorry, the shop owner didn’t say the figurines were bought by Chu God.//
//You know how much a high-end figurine costs? People like us couldn’t afford a piece with a year’s salary. If someone bought out stock, who else but Chu Yunyi!//
//Oh my, this is like a wealthy heir’s exclusive lover storyline!//
//Ahhhh, the hatred of a stolen lover is irreconcilable! Star Fans unite, from now on, no more purchasing from Chu Group, let’s bring down the Chu Family!//
//Ninety-five percent of the nutrient solution and crop seeds on the market are from Chu Group. Are you planning to starve yourself? Be generous, be a pure love warrior, bless them...//
...
Lin Caier couldn’t stand it any longer; she smashed her optical brain to pieces, feeling it wasn’t enough, she began to smash the decorations in the room, cursing as she did:
"Bitch, bitch—!"
The maid knew the young lady’s fiery temper, trying to reason with her now would be asking for trouble, so she shrank into the corner, waiting for Lin Caier to calm down.
Mrs. Lin almost got hit by a vase upon entering, then seeing Lin Caier with disheveled hair, red eyes, like a madwoman smashing and hitting, not at all like a noble family’s daughter, she immediately became displeased and shouted:
"Caier—!" 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Seeing her mother arrive, Lin Caier felt wronged, burst into tears, and threw herself into Mrs. Lin’s arms.
Seeing her daughter cry like a rain-soaked flower, Mrs. Lin’s heart softened, comforting her while patting Lin Caier’s back: "Who upset our little princess? Tell mother, I’ll punish them!"
Lin Caier sobbed: "Mother, that bitch Li Xing is seducing Brother Yun, I want to kill her!"
Mrs. Lin thought her daughter was angry because some servant hadn’t attended properly, but was surprised it was about Chu Yunyi, and sighed.
"Caier, how many times have I told you, Chu Yunyi is not suitable as your match. I advised you to move on, but you never listened!"
"Brother Yun’s appearance, family background, character, talent, all top-notch, why isn’t he a good match?"
Mrs. Lin led her daughter to the sofa, tidying her disheveled hair, patiently persuading: "I know all that you say, but none of it matters, his heart isn’t with you."
Lin Caier shook her head furiously: "No, it’s not true! Before that bitch appeared, Brother Yun was always kind to me, he has me in his heart!"
Mrs. Lin looked at her daughter, whose mind was clouded by unrequited love, as if seeing her younger self.
She, too, had lost her mind numerous times for Lin Feng, fought, caused trouble, hurt many. But in the end, her deep affection only resulted in his repeated betrayals. Now he doesn’t even return home, openly living with his mistress, bringing shame upon her.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Lin was more resolute in preventing her daughter from following in her footsteps.
"Then tell me, how was he showing you he cares? Did he ask you out alone? Did he prepare special gifts for you? Or did he ever explicitly say he liked you?"
"I—" Lin Caier was speechless.
On reflection, from childhood till now, she had never gone out alone with Chu Yunyi. He never asked her out, though she often invited him, Chu Yunyi either declined or brought Jiang Yuesheng and An Qing along, never alone with her.
As for gifts, Chu Yunyi only gave her ones on her birthday every year, similar to those given to other Lin family juniors, nothing special.
As for verbally expressing liking, that was even more absent.
Lin Caier’s lips gradually lost color, eyes brimming with tears, was her long-sustained admiration merely a one-sided fantasy all this time?
No, definitely not!
Mrs. Lin, knowing her daughter best, could guess the truth from her expressions, yet understood her daughter’s temperament, so similar to her younger self, that a few words couldn’t make her abandon a decade-long affection.
"I’m not asking you to give up on Chu Yunyi right now, just hope you don’t focus solely on him, spare some attention for others. You have so many suitors, surely among them there’s a fine match?"
Lin Caier pouted but didn’t retort.
Seeing her calm down, Mrs. Lin smiled: "Come on, freshen up, change your clothes. Jiang Junnan has been waiting in the guest room for quite a while, don’t always ignore him, even if you don’t like him, proper etiquette must be maintained."
"Humph, a Jiang family branch member dares to set sights on me, how laughable!"
Fuming, Lin Caier went to change clothes.
