Chapter 239 - 238: Component Analysis

That afternoon, when Xiaolin stood in front of the mirror, she was completely stunned.

Her skin was noticeably a shade lighter than the day before. Her once-dull cheeks now had a healthy glow, and the dark circles under her eyes had mostly faded.

She reached out to touch her face. It felt delicate and smooth—more effective than any expensive skincare product she had ever used.

"Oh my god! This is incredible!"

She looked at her reflection in the mirror, unable to hold back a quiet gasp of amazement.

Just then, Yang Cai walked out carrying a small clay pot, her porcelain-white forehead beaded with sweat from the effort.

"I brought some soup for my sister-in-law. I made it myself. She should drink it while it’s hot when she gets back."

Yang Cai said, smiling.

Xiaolin’s smile widened the moment she saw her.

Once Yang Cai set down the pot, Xiaolin eagerly grabbed her hand, her face beaming. "Xiaocai, your beauty milk works wonders! I was a little curious and just dabbed a bit on, and I can’t believe how well it works."

"I’ve been staying up late so much that my skin was getting dull, but a tiny bit of this made it all go away!"

"Right? I told you the beauty milk was good!"

Yang Cai was thrilled. It felt like someone had finally validated her taste.

"I wanted my brother to bring it to my sister-in-law this morning, but he insisted it was some unlicensed product and wouldn’t let me."

She pouted, clearly displeased.

"What does a man like him know? Girls know more about skincare."

Xiaolin said with a grin. She took a sniff and caught a rich, fragrant aroma.

"Wow, Xiaocai, what kind of soup did you make? It smells amazing!"

She was surprised. She hadn’t expected someone as young as Yang Cai to be such a good cook.

"Yep! I simmered it for a long time. There’s plenty—enough for you and my sister-in-law to share."

Yang Cai’s face flushed red at the compliment.

"My family’s waiting for me for dinner, so I should get going."

She gave a little wave and skipped away.

Xiaolin smiled. ’Yang Xun’s sister is so much cuter than he is,’ she thought.

A short while later, Xu Yue came home. Xiaolin was on the sofa, watching TV.

Seeing her come in, Xiaolin quickly got up to meet her, leaning in close and batting her eyelashes.

"Your eyes are big enough as it is. You don’t need to bat them at me."

Xu Yue sounded exasperated. She’d been in meetings all day and was exhausted.

"I’m not trying to show you my eyes! Look at my skin. Isn’t it supple?"

Xiaolin grinned smugly.

"Skin as smooth as silk. Exceptionally supple."

Xu Yue played along with the compliment, then caught the scent of chicken soup.

"Did you cook?"

"Me, cook? Don’t be silly. It’s chicken soup from Yang Xun’s sister. She said you should have it while it’s hot. The girl is very thoughtful."

As she spoke, Xiaolin pulled her into the dining room and started to ladle soup for her.

"Xiaocai came by at noon. She brought over a bottle of skincare stuff. I thought it smelled interesting, so I tried a little, and it made my skin incredibly soft."

"I’ve been getting dark circles from all the late nights, but they’re completely gone after using it. Isn’t that incredible?"

She chattered on excitedly, but Xu Yue’s brow furrowed.

Xu Yue took a closer look under the light. She could see that Xiaolin’s skin was indeed in much better condition than the day before, and she looked much more refreshed overall.

Her gaze fell to the rather plain-looking little bottle. "Yang Cai brought this?"

"Yep. That girl is so sweet. She said she’d been using it and it worked great, so she brought a bottle for you, too."

Xu Yue picked up the little bottle, unscrewed the cap, and brought it closer to take a sniff.

A faint, rank smell drifted into her nose, and she frowned involuntarily.

’This smell... Why does it seem so familiar?’

’It’s like I’ve smelled it before, but I can’t quite place it.’

"What’s wrong?"

Xiaolin asked, noticing her frown.

"It’s nothing."

Xu Yue screwed the cap back on. "The smell is a little strange," she said calmly. "I’ll take it to the company lab tomorrow for analysis. We’ll see if the ingredients are safe before deciding whether to use it."

"But I used it and didn’t have any bad reactions. The effects are amazing!"

Xiaolin protested.

"You don’t understand. Some cosmetics seem to work wonders at first because they’re loaded with things like heavy metals. In any case, you should stop using it for now. I’ll have the ingredients checked out."

"Fine."

Xiaolin shrugged, not thinking much of it.

...

「The next morning.」

Xu Yue took the bottle of liquid to her company’s R&D lab.

She handed the small bottle to a technician, briefly explained the situation, and asked them to run an analysis on its components.

Back in her office, she spent the morning dealing with paperwork. It wasn’t until nearly noon that she finally heard back from the lab.

"President Xu, the analysis results for that... substance... are ready. Would you be able to come take a look?"

The person on the other end sounded hesitant, which made Xu Yue’s stomach drop.

Xu Yue’s brow furrowed. She immediately put down her pen and headed for the lab.

The technician handed her a detailed report on the components, his expression a little awkward.

Xu Yue glanced down at the report, and her eyes froze.

Her pupils contracted, and her fingers holding the report tightened unconsciously.

"You’re telling me... the main ingredient of this ’beauty milk’ is... a man’s sperm?"

The technician nodded, his face a mask of embarrassment.

’He couldn’t understand why President Xu would suddenly bring him a bottle of... that... to analyze. And such a big bottle, too. How long would it take to collect that much?!’

Xu Yue clutched the report, her knuckles turning white. Her face flushed, then paled.

Standing under the bright lights of the lab, a crack finally appeared in her normally unflappable composure.

The moment she got back to her office, she called Xiaolin.

Xiaolin’s voice was smug. "So? What did you find? Bet you wanted to figure out the ingredients so you could replicate it, right? Your company’s new product line is saved!"

"Xiaolin, listen to me," Xu Yue said, her voice tight. "That ’beauty milk’ isn’t milk at all. The main ingredient is sperm."

The other end of the line went dead silent.

After a few seconds, Xiaolin’s choked, trembling voice came through the phone. "What did you say?!"

When Xu Yue got home that evening, she still looked grim.

She slipped on her house shoes and walked into the living room. Just as she was about to head upstairs, she saw Yang Cai sitting on the sofa, sipping a glass of juice and chatting with Xiaolin.

Hearing the door, Yang Cai immediately looked up, her innocent face breaking into a brilliant smile. "Sister-in-law! You’re back!"

Xu Yue froze.

She looked at Yang Cai’s innocent, guileless face, then at Xiaolin’s conflicted expression, took a deep breath, and walked over to Yang Cai.

"Xiaocai, there’s something I need to ask you."

"Go ahead, Sister-in-law!"

Yang Cai put down her juice, sat up straight, and looked at Xu Yue earnestly.

Xu Yue took the small bottle out of her purse and placed it on the coffee table. "This ’beauty milk’... where did you get it?"