I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 87

The luxury car prize went to an ordinary employee, while the jewelry was won by someone in management.

The three winners went up on stage to give their acceptance speeches. The front desk clerk, grinning from ear to ear, said she no longer had to wake up at six every morning to commute two hours to work. The employee who won the car said he planned to sell it and buy a house in the suburbs of Guangnan City. The manager who got the jewelry said he would give it to his wife.

The entire annual party was filled with laughter and cheers. Everyone received some sort of bonus—some large, some small—but since luck was part of the game, there were no real complaints. People simply looked forward to winning big next year.

Meanwhile, when the news hit Weibo, netizens couldn’t help but feel envious and jealous. Countless people began asking how they could join the Yan Corporation. They weren’t even after the apartments, cars, or jewelry—they just genuinely admired a company that actually delivered on its promises instead of selling dreams.

The Yan Corporation became a viral sensation. Its name stayed on the trending list for three consecutive days before finally being overtaken by new headlines.

By then, Yan Zui’s goal had been achieved.

With the company officially on holiday and Ke Bolin’s project successfully wrapped up, he finally had time to follow through on his earlier promise to treat everyone to dinner.

Word of mouth had made Jinzhao Youjiu increasingly popular. Originally, it only served lunch and dinner, but later added breakfast. It went from a 12-hour to a 24-hour operation, with servers working in three shifts—and the customers still came in droves.

As the Lunar New Year approached, more and more families came in to dine together during the holidays.

Ke Bolin had done his homework and carefully picked the least crowded time slot—so they wouldn’t have to queue for hours.

Qi Yunwei: “What time did you just say?”

Ke Bolin: “Three in the morning. No mistake.”

Qi Yunwei: “Three a.m.? You expect us to eat at three in the morning?”

Ke Bolin: “That’s the most time-efficient way to enjoy good food without waiting. Think of it as an early breakfast! Come on, come on—my wife already agreed.”

Qi Yunwei: “Let me ask my wife if she agrees first.”

Qi Yunwei’s wife agreed. After all, Ke Bolin wasn’t wrong— Jinzhao Youjiu had no reservation system. It was first-come, first-served, and three a.m. was indeed the quietest time of day.

At three in the morning, Qi Yunwei and Yan Zui drove over to the restaurant. From the outside, it still looked lively—almost full, in fact.

Ke Bolin and his wife, Qiao Yi, arrived a little later. The four exchanged introductions after getting out of their cars.

Qiao Yi was a refined and slightly aloof-looking young man. Standing beside the warm, mild-mannered Ke Bolin, the two looked like a well-matched, affectionate couple.

After introductions, Qiao Yi nodded politely to Yan Zui and Qi Yunwei, but he seemed distracted, his thoughts elsewhere.

Ke Bolin quickly explained, “Qiao Yi’s a designer. He’s been working overtime all day—pretty exhausted.”

Qi Yunwei raised an eyebrow. “You’re still working during the holidays?”

Qiao Yi glanced at her, sensing some underlying tone in her question. “It’s for an overseas project. They don’t celebrate the New Year.”

Given that Qiao Yi’s secret Alpha lover was also his colleague, Qi Yunwei didn’t bother responding to that excuse.

In the novel, it had been mentioned that Qiao Yi once worked overtime on New Year’s Day with that same colleague—the two alone in a huge, empty office—until pheromones overcame restraint and they ended up sleeping together.

By now, his affair had been going on for nearly a month.

The four of them went inside Jinzhao Youjiu and chose a table upstairs, where it was quieter.

Qi Yunwei had only visited once before, back at the opening. The new servers didn’t recognize her as the owner, so no one exposed her identity in front of Ke Bolin.

After placing their order, Ke Bolin expected a long wait, but dishes began arriving within five minutes.

He had recently tried a dish of steamed pork with rice flour (fen zheng rou) at Yunmengze and liked it. Seeing it on the menu here, he ordered it to compare.

When the first dish arrived—fen zheng rou—he was stunned. It looked identical to what he’d eaten at Yunmengze, even the aroma was the same.

He served a piece to Qiao Yi first, then took one for himself.

Qi Yunwei and Yan Zui didn’t touch their chopsticks yet; they were both watching his reaction.

As soon as Ke Bolin took a bite, his eyes widened in disbelief. He chewed carefully, confirmed the taste, then swallowed and asked, “Why does this taste exactly like the one from Yunmengze?”

Qi Yunwei smiled. “Because it’s made by the same chef.”

Ke Bolin blinked in shock. “The same one? Can I meet this chef? Actually, I’d like to meet both chefs—from Jinzhao Youjiu and Yunmengze—to ask how they manage to make their dishes taste identical.”

When Jinzhao Youjiu switched to 24-hour service, many regulars had worried the food wouldn’t taste the same under new chefs. But to everyone’s surprise, every dish was just as delicious as before—flavor unchanged.

People had started guessing that both restaurants’ chefs had studied under the same master.

Qi Yunwei looked puzzled. “What do you mean, two chefs? Jinzhao Youjiu has only ever had one chef.”

Ke Bolin laughed, thinking she was teasing. “Come on now, chefs are human—they need to eat, sleep, rest. It’s not like they’re robots that can work nonstop just by plugging in power.”

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Across the table, Qi Yunwei was smiling knowingly, while Yan Zui’s cool black eyes shimmered with quiet amusement.

Qiao Yi, lost in his own thoughts, didn’t notice the exchange at all.

Ke Bolin swallowed hard. “Wait—no way.”

Qi Yunwei clapped him on the shoulder, feigning admiration. “Bolin, you’re as sharp as ever—the genius of the ad world! You actually guessed the unbelievable truth.”

Yan Zui added calmly, “This restaurant belongs to Yunwei. The ‘chef,’ as you said, is a robot—one that doesn’t need food or rest, capable of cooking 24 hours a day without fatigue.”

Ke Bolin would’ve thought Yunwei was joking, but he never doubted Yan Zui’s words. His face flushed with excitement. “Can I see it—the robot chef?”

Qi Yunwei smiled. “Of course.”

After dinner, Qiao Yi claimed he was too tired to go anywhere else and went back to the car to rest. Ke Bolin followed Qi Yunwei and Yan Zui through the back door to meet Xiao Jiu, the robot chef.

His reaction was the same as everyone else’s—complete disbelief at first, until faced with undeniable proof.

Dazed, he eventually stumbled out to his car, still reeling. He turned to Qi Yunwei, eyes sparkling. “Yunwei, if you ever plan to market your AI robots, you have to come to me. I’ll design your ad campaign for free!”

Qi Yunwei chuckled. “Then I’ll thank you in advance.”

Though they had successfully dodged the company’s annual gala, Qi Yunwei and Yan Zui couldn’t avoid spending Lunar New Year’s Eve with family.

It was the one day of the year when everyone was expected to gather at home. The two arrived at the Yan household by noon—only to find, unsurprisingly, that her aunt’s family was already there. That included Liang Kejue, the soon-to-be fiancé of He Yunqing; their engagement was set for late March.

Not long after they entered the living room, the doorbell rang again.

The housekeeper hurried to open it, and in came the butler, Uncle Zhang—leading in none other than the entire Qi family.

Qi Yunwei leaned toward Yan Zui and muttered under her breath, “The wolves are all here. This New Year’s dinner won’t be peaceful.”

Since she had refused Qi Jiuyuan’s invitation to spend New Year’s Day at home, none of the Qi family—not even Qi Jiusi—had contacted her again.

She’d thought she wouldn’t have to see them for a while. But now, here they all were.

Yan Zhao and He Ran, apparently having forgotten the unpleasant encounter with Qi Jiuyuan and Luo Yi, welcomed them warmly. They invited everyone to sit and handed red envelopes to Qi Fanghuai and Qi Fangyue.

Qi Fanghuai accepted politely. Qi Fangyue, however, opened hers on the spot—and pouted when she saw only a thousand yuan inside.

Just a thousand? For such a rich family? Her brother had given her ten thousand for New Year’s!

So stingy, she thought. The richer they are, the tighter they hold on to their money.

Yan Zhao noticed her behavior and frowned slightly but said nothing, merely asking Yunwei and Yan Zui to help entertain the guests while he and the others chatted.

Qi Fanghuai, now wealthy from his own business, dressed the part—every piece on him was designer, easily worth over a million altogether.

Seeing Yan Zui again, he no longer felt the slightest inferiority. Smiling, he walked straight up to her, deliberately ignoring Yunwei.

“Long time no see, Yan Zui. How have you been?” His tone carried subtle insinuations, his glance suggesting that life with Yunwei couldn’t possibly be treating her well.

A familiar dread rose within Yunwei. Her face paled slightly, lips pressed tight. She looked him in the eye and said coldly, “Big Brother, how she’s doing is none of your business. What are you hoping for? That she’ll say she’s miserable so you can feel better? Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours.”

From across the room, Liang Kejue—who had been subtly watching Yan Zui—glanced at Qi Fanghuai with mild interest.

Qi Fanghuai’s expression stiffened for a second, but he quickly recovered, frowning in feigned disapproval. “Yunwei, who taught you to speak so rudely? I was just greeting Yan Zui. How could you twist my intentions like that? Even if you’re insecure, that’s no excuse to doubt others—or to disrespect your own spouse.”

With just a few words, he shifted all the blame onto her.

Qi Yunwei let out a short laugh, about to retort, when Qi Fangyue suddenly piped up, “Brother’s right. You’re just insecure and twisted, Yunwei. Sister Yan Zui’s too good for you anyway—of course she’s unhappy. No one’s buying your act; everyone knows the truth.”

Qi Fangyue had always taken her brother’s side. Now that he was the wealthiest member of the family and gave her generous pocket money, she was even more eager to back him up.

Yan Zui gave her a cold, dismissive look. “And what ‘truth’ would that be? That your family looks down on Yunwei, spreading gossip and insults behind her back?”

Her voice turned icy. “Qi Fangyue, Yunwei is my Alpha. Without my permission, no one—no one—is allowed to speak against her in front of me. You’d do well to remember your place.”

Qi Fangyue stared at her in shock. “You—you’re defending her? But she’s the one who hurt you back then, she”

“Enough!” Qi Jiuyuan snapped from across the room. He turned, frowning. “Fangyue, who taught you to speak so carelessly? Yunwei is your second sister, your own family. Where’s your sense of respect?”

Qi Fangyue wanted to argue, but Luo Yi caught her eye and gave a warning look. She muttered a half-hearted “Sorry, I misspoke,” and stalked off to the corner, sulking with her phone.

Qi Fanghuai casually found himself a seat. Nearby, a female Alpha had been watching him. Their eyes met, sharp and assessing—an unspoken understanding between equals.

She smiled. “Hello, I’m Liang Kejue, Yan Zui’s cousin’s girlfriend.”

He returned the smile. “Qi Fanghuai. Yunwei’s older brother.”

Too many people were around for a private chat, so they exchanged contact information instead.

【Oh no—Liang Kejue and Qi Fanghuai are teaming up!】

【That’s double the scheming, double the disgust. Master, you’d better protect Yan Zui!】

Just then, as the two families chatted warmly, the parents suddenly called Yunwei and Yan Zui over.

Yan Zhao said kindly, “Yan Zui, although Yunwei married into our family, her parents are still your in-laws. Her mother had three children—two Alphas and one Omega. Back in the day, that would’ve made her a nationally commended supermother. If you have any questions about having children, you should ask your mother-in-law.”

Qi Yunwei froze.

So that’s why they invited the whole Qi family over, just to pressure us about having kids.