Volume One, Chapter 13: The Fake Alchemist
Among the crowd, Shen Yuwei and Su Botao’s expressions had turned exceedingly grim.
Shen Yuwei’s lips trembled slightly.
At this moment, her thoughts were a tumultuous blend of excitement and confusion.
She could not believe that Ye Tian—whom she had once regarded as a good-for-nothing—had become the center of attention tonight, the focus of everyone’s gaze.
A surge of intense jealousy and regret welled up within her, lamenting why she had so easily given up on Ye Tian and chosen Su Botao instead.
Yet, it seemed she had no right to feel regret.
Su Botao’s face lost its earlier composure and confidence.
Suddenly, he realized that compared to Ye Tian, he was utterly insignificant.
Ye Tian was basking in the spotlight on stage, shining gloriously.
And he?
Was he just Shen Yuwei’s unattainable love? Nothing more.
In the shadow of the colossal Li family, Shen Yuwei herself was insignificant.
So he could only remain a sycophant, desperately flattering Shen Yuwei, never able to rise to prominence.
And even though he was willing to play the role of a sycophant, his gains were meager.
At least compared to Ye Tian at this very moment, the wealth he had accumulated was negligible.
He was envious.
He was resentful.
He gripped the champagne glass tightly, his knuckles whitening from the force.
He watched Ye Tian on the stage, his heart filled only with unwillingness and anger.
He never reflected on himself.
He had always considered himself a favored son of heaven, the envy of all.
But now, Ye Tian was stealing the show in the very social circles where he excelled, leaving him feeling utterly humiliated.
This was all Ye Tian’s fault!
But what could this sycophant do?
He could only smile bitterly.
“Never thought Ye Tian actually had this kind of talent…”
He cast a bitter glance at Shen Yuwei beside him.
“Your ex-husband really has some ability…”
“Why didn’t we realize he had this talent before…”
“He actually spent three years quietly in prison…”
“Yet didn’t show anything special back then…”
Su Botao’s tone was tinged with jealousy but mostly confusion.
“Impossible, this can’t be…”
Shen Yuwei finally snapped back to reality.
She shook her head in disbelief.
“How could Ye Tian possibly be the creator of the Rejuvenation Elixir?”
“There must be some mistake!”
She nearly ground her teeth, bordering on hysteria.
It was too much.
Su Botao was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly tried to soothe her.
“Yuwei, don’t get so worked up…”
“Maybe Ye Tian just got lucky…”
“No one knows where he stumbled upon this formula, then sold it to the Li family.”
“Fortunes gained by luck don’t last long.”
“Perhaps, to the Li family, this launch event is the last time he’ll be useful.”
“We don’t need to pay him too much attention.”
Su Botao’s reassurance seemed to have some effect.
Shen Yuwei gradually calmed down.
Her face darkened, almost frighteningly so.
“That’s right, I know Ye Tian very well.”
“He was nothing but a loser; there’s no way he could have created the Rejuvenation Elixir.”
“He must have gotten it from someone else…”
“He’s just lucky…”
“But how exactly did he get the formula…”
Furrowing her brows, a flicker of doubt and unwillingness shone in her eyes.
Her mind was a tangled mess, thoughts racing amid the interweaving of past and present.
Recalling the moments she had spent with Ye Tian, there seemed to be no abnormalities.
Over the years, Ye Tian had merely been an ordinary househusband.
Calling Ye Tian a good-for-nothing was perfectly accurate.
But when did he obtain the elixir’s formula?
Could it have been in prison?
But how could such a thing exist in prison?
“That’s right, maybe his so-called luck isn’t even because of the Rejuvenation Elixir…”
Suddenly, Shen Yuwei perked up.
She clenched her small fists and said bitterly, “The Rejuvenation Elixir wasn’t even brought out by him!”
Su Botao looked puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”
Shen Yuwei sneered coldly. “Don’t you find the identity of Ye Tian as the creator of the Rejuvenation Elixir… suspicious?”
“In the past two years, the Li family has aggressively promoted the elixir…”
“But strangely, the so-called genius alchemist Ye Tian has never made a public appearance.”
“This anomaly has sparked much doubt and speculation in both business and social circles.”
“Before today, many even secretly questioned whether Ye Tian really existed…”
“Or if the vast business plan of the Li family was hiding some unknown secrets…”
“But today, Ye Tian was suddenly pushed from behind the scenes into the spotlight.”
“And this Ye Tian is just an obscure nobody, with no medical background whatsoever…”
“Don’t you find that strange?”
Turning to Su Botao, her gaze was sharp and bright.
Su Botao was stunned.
What Shen Yuwei said was true.
The Li family’s behavior was indeed abnormal.
It didn’t seem like a normal marketing strategy.
Shen Yuwei smiled coldly and continued, “Perhaps this so-called genius alchemist Ye Tian doesn’t exist at all…”
“Or maybe, this Ye Tian isn’t that Ye Tian!”
“The current Ye Tian is just a fake, an impersonator.”
“The Li family simply found someone with the same name as the genius alchemist Ye Tian to play the part…”
“This Ye Tian happened to have been in prison for years; those unaware of his whereabouts wouldn’t suspect he had just been released…”
“Such an identity is naturally hard to expose!”
“So of course he’s the Li family’s best choice!”
“The Li family will then heavily promote the upcoming improved version of the Rejuvenation Elixir, stirring another wave of excitement to gain stronger publicity and market attention.”
“After this launch, they will quietly let this fake Ye Tian disappear…”
“By then, with the elixir’s huge success and the public’s shifting focus, no one will care about the fake Ye Tian’s whereabouts…”
“That’s right! Exactly like that!”
“It’s the Li family’s conspiracy!”
“All of us have been deceived by the Li family!”
The more Shen Yuwei spoke, the more confident she became.
She believed she had uncovered the entire truth.
She was glad she saw through the Li family’s trick in time, not fooled by appearances, nor did she overestimate Ye Tian.
If Ye Tian really possessed a priceless formula and was a true genius alchemist as rumored…
Then her resolute decision to leave him would have been a wasted chance at an extraordinary fortune.
That would have driven her to madness!
Therefore, Ye Tian absolutely could not be the real genius alchemist.
Having reached this “right” conclusion, Shen Yuwei’s heart finally found some consolation.
The strings of jealousy and regret that had tightened her heart slightly loosened.