I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 89

Bobo Cai was scrolling through Weibo when a little red dot suddenly appeared beside her [Messages] tab. She had a mild case of OCD—she couldn’t stand any red notifications on her phone. The moment one appeared, she had to tap it away.

Instinctively, she clicked on it and opened the red-marked comment section.

Before doing so, she was still thinking that since she barely had any followers and never even posted in the fan forum, the notification probably came from some fellow fan who had seen her post about Qi Yunwei in the public square and wanted to interact.

But when she opened it and saw the comment, Bobo Cai froze.

Qi Yunwei had commented on her post!

And not only that—the restaurant had really opened, and she’d gone big—a hundred and sixty branches all at once!!!

Before completely losing herself to excitement, Bobo Cai cautiously clicked into Qi Yunwei’s profile, just in case someone was pretending to be her with a similar username.

Turns out, it was the real Qi Yunwei.

Now her joy felt solid and real. Ecstatic, Bobo Cai immediately went to Qi Yunwei’s personal fan forum to spread the news. She soon realized, however, that she wasn’t the only one who had received a reply—several others had already posted similar screenshots. But engagement was low; Qi Yunwei had been inactive for too long, and most of her solo fans had already drifted away.

So Bobo Cai switched to the Qi Yunwei × Yan Zui CP fan forum—#WeiZuiQianTao—and posted again, this time with a more creative caption and a different angle.

@BoboCai: “Guys! Qi Yunwei really opened a restaurant!!! It’s called Jinzhao Youjiu! And you know what ‘jiu’ means—it means drunk! Jinzhao Youjiu, isn’t that just QYW having YZ? I’m losing it!!! 🥹💞 [image]”

Their CP fandom wasn’t large, but it was incredibly active. Since Yan Zui’s name couldn’t appear openly online, they always used code names—most often their initials.

Barely moments after posting, Bobo Cai’s phone started lighting up with notifications.

“KSWL! Someone hand me a ventilator! How is this a restaurant? It’s clearly a love nest made just for them! 😭💗”

“I swear QYW’s favorite person is YZ! Look at that name—isn’t it proof enough? No one can convince me otherwise!”

“Calling it now—they knew each other long before the show. That whole ‘strangers meeting’ thing was totally scripted!”

“Exactly! Script or not, I’m only shipping #WeiZuiQianTao. They’re so real!”

“There’s a Jinzhao Youjiu in my city! I’m going to our love nest for dinner tonight!”

Of course, a few passionate fans alone wouldn’t be enough.

Qi Yunwei had mentioned the restaurant idea to Ke Bolin the previous day, and he’d advised her to leverage her showbiz connections for promotion—reach out to big names like Peng Xueyu, her close friend, and other industry contacts.

The more people involved, the greater the buzz and impact.

Qi Yunwei thought it was a great idea. She contacted Director Liu and Peng Xueyu.

Director Liu was thrilled—he said that with Jinzhao Youjiu opening everywhere, he’d never have to worry about where to eat again. He promised to ask his friends to help promote it too.

Peng Xueyu, meanwhile, was even more eager. Not only did he respect Qi Yunwei’s skills, but he genuinely loved her cooking. He agreed without hesitation to help with publicity.

Still, Peng Xueyu was cautious by nature. He raised one concern:

“You’re opening so many branches at once—can you really maintain the same flavor and quality?”

Qi Yunwei replied with complete confidence:

“Every chef I hired cooks better than I do.”

She was the kind of person who inspired trust, and hearing that, Peng Xueyu’s worries vanished.

He couldn’t repost until Qi Yunwei’s official announcement went up, but he could post to his WeChat Moments.

A few minutes later, he uploaded a photo with the caption:

Peng Xueyu: “Yunwei personally guarantees that every head chef cooks better than she does—definitely worth a try! 😋 [image]”

Almost immediately, Qiao Haiyue liked the post, then sent him a message.

Qiao Haiyue: “Qi Yunwei’s opening a restaurant?”

Peng Xueyu: “Already open—she launched a hundred and sixty branches today. She’s got guts.”

And a lot of money. Most people invest a few hundred thousand for one restaurant; at ten thousand per branch, that’s still sixteen million total.

Qiao Haiyue: “Why didn’t she ask me? 🤨”

Peng Xueyu: “She didn’t? You’re way more famous than me—maybe she was too shy to ask.”

Qiao Haiyue: “Oh, she knows how to be shy now? Heh.”

Shy? The woman who’d stolen Yan Zui right out from under her nose? Please.

Qiao Haiyue: “You’re too gullible. Whatever, I’ll consider this a good deed.”

“Hey, when are you on break? Dinner’s on me.”

Peng Xueyu: “I’m resting at home now.”

Qiao Haiyue: “And you didn’t tell me? 😤”

Peng Xueyu: “Because, you didn’t ask?”

Qiao Haiyue: “Fine, then dinner tonight. You coming?”

Peng Xueyu: “I’ve got work tonight.”

Qiao Haiyue: “Can’t you reschedule? 😠”

“Forget it. When’s your next free day?”

Peng Xueyu: “Tomorrow night? 😅 I’m prepping for a new project, so after that, it’ll have to wait until next month.”

Qiao Haiyue: “Tomorrow works.”

She actually had work that evening, but she could easily pass it to another actress at her agency.

At 11:00 a.m., Qi Yunwei posted her first Weibo update in months:

@QiYunwei: “I’ve made up my mind—if I’m opening a restaurant, I’m doing it right. Want to try dishes better than mine? Come to Jinzhao Youjiu. For the first three days, full refunds if you’re not satisfied. 😉 [image]”

Director Liu was the first to repost, followed by a wave of his friends.

Peng Xueyu was a little slower since he’d been chatting with Qiao Haiyue, and by the time he reposted, Qiao Haiyue had already shared it too.

Her star power was undeniable—within ten minutes, the hashtags

#QiaoHaiyueCongratulatesQiYunwei and

#QiYunweiOpens160RestaurantsInOneDay

shot up the trending list.

Soon, diners who had visited Jinzhao Youjiu in Guangnan City realized that Qi Yunwei herself was the owner, and they rushed to post rave reviews online.

“The boss has serious style—opening 160 branches at once! A blessing to all food lovers across Huaguo!”

“Go! Everyone, go! You’ll regret it if you don’t eat here!”

“Incredible. I’ve only ever tasted food this good at a state banquet.”

As the hype grew, the criticism came too.

“Wow, the boss must be loaded. Forget consistency—can ordinary folks even afford this?”

“Unbelievable. Fans love your cooking, so you open one hundred and sixty restaurants to cash in?”

“A new form of money grab—celebrities endorsing a nobody? I’m starting to wonder what kind of background she really has.”

By noon, public opinion was mixed. But after one o’clock, positive reviews started pouring in. By mid-afternoon, the discussion boards were overwhelmingly enthusiastic—negative comments all but vanished.

“Okay, confession time. I went planning to demand a refund if it wasn’t good. But after one bite—I was gone. My friend in another city said her menu was totally different from mine, but equally amazing. We both literally cried because it was that good. Qi Yunwei, where on earth did you find so many talented chefs?”

“It’s not expensive! As a broke college student, I could totally afford it. Declaring Jinzhao Youjiu the people’s restaurant—fine dining is no longer just for the rich!”

“[image] Look at this carving and plating! Tell me this isn’t on par with a five-star chef—I’ll wait. Guess the price? 58 yuan! A dish like this would cost at least 300 at a luxury hotel!”

“Qi Yunwei, I love you! Thank you for blessing us with this restaurant!”

Qi Yunwei happened to be scrolling through Weibo and showed one of the comments to Yan Zui, smiling.

Yan Zui glanced at the screen, and her hand—which was resting on Qi Yunwei’s thigh—unconsciously pinched a bit of flesh.

“Ow—ow! That hurts!” Qi Yunwei feigned pain, and Yan Zui immediately released her hand, a flicker of panic crossing her cool, dark-blue eyes.

Qi Yunwei laughed, cupping her face and giving her a quick kiss. “Alright, alright, I’m teasing you—it didn’t hurt at all.”

Yan Zui muttered, “Tease me again, and next time I really will pinch you.”

Still grinning, Qi Yunwei typed a reply to that enthusiastic diner’s post—this time seriously, right in front of Yan Zui.

@QiYunwei: “Haha, it’s enough to love my restaurant. If you love me, my wife will get jealous.”

The CP fans spotted it immediately.

“Yunwei! Does Jinzhao Youjiu’s name have anything to do with your wife?”

@QiYunwei: “You could say yes or no.”

In truth, the “jiu” in Jinzhao Youjiu came from Xiao Jiu, and the inspiration behind that name was tied to Yan Zui—so both answers were true.

The CP fandom erupted with joy.

Not denying means admitting! Qi Yunwei’s wife could only be Yan Zui!

Meanwhile, in real life, a group of local thugs swaggered into one Jinzhao Youjiu branch. Halfway through their meal, after wolfing down most of the dishes, one of them suddenly remembered the “full refund” offer.

He immediately called over a waiter.

“Hey, I’m not satisfied with the food. Refund me. Your boss said full refund if not happy.” He leaned back in his chair, shaking his leg with an arrogant grin.

But the waiter had seen him eating earlier—licking his plate clean—so of course, she didn’t believe a word of it. She promptly called the police, reporting someone attempting to dine and dash.

The station was right across the street, and the officers arrived within a minute. The moment they stepped inside, they were nearly overwhelmed by the smell of food.

After composing themselves, the two officers walked up to the waiter and the thug.

“What’s going on here?”

The thug, clearly a regular at the station, wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He lifted his chin.

“They’re going back on their word! Boss said full refund if you’re not satisfied. I said I’m not satisfied, and the waiter refused! They’re accusing me of trying to dine and dash. I demand justice!”

The officer gave him a look—his eyes flicking between the half-eaten dishes and the man’s twitching throat.

“If you’re truly not satisfied, of course they’ll refund you. But words alone aren’t enough. What if you’re just trying to cause trouble? It’s not easy running a new business. Tell you what—sit there and stare at your food for thirty seconds. If you can do that without swallowing your saliva, they’ll give you your refund.”

The thug, full and overconfident, scoffed.

“Fine, thirty seconds? Easy.”

He sat down, fixed his eyes on the plates, and began.

The officer started timing while the diners around them watched eagerly, enjoying the spectacle.

Thirty seconds later.

“So,” the officer asked, “are you satisfied with the food?”

“No.” The thug opened his mouth, but before the word even finished, a stream of drool spilled from the corner of his lips. Face turning red, he grabbed a napkin to wipe it up.

The officer chuckled.

“Drooling that much and you still want to say you’re not satisfied? Forget the free meal—pack up the leftovers and take them home.”

The surrounding laughter made the thug’s face burn hotter. He’d thought being full would stop him from craving more—but the moment he looked at those dishes, his brain filled in their taste. His mouth watered uncontrollably, and he didn’t dare swallow. Who could’ve guessed he’d drool that much in just thirty seconds?

“Waiter, pack everything—I’m taking it all.”

He’d already paid, and though he’d lost face, he wasn’t about to leave the delicious food behind.

As he left with his bags, the officers offered the waiter a few reassuring words before turning to go—only for the thug to suddenly return.

He marched straight up to the startled waiter and asked earnestly:

“Miss, do employees here get free meals?”

The waiter blinked, then nodded. “Yes, of course. Staff meals use the same recipes.”

The thug’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Are you guys hiring? I’d like to apply!”