Amidst the anticipation of millions, the second episode of "Return to Twenty" began airing.
This episode's main character is Elaine Yu, a 62-year-old former actress, with gray hair and a face full of wrinkles.
But after taking the Ever-Youth Beauty Pill, Elaine Yu underwent a transformation from elderly woman to young girl in just one hour.
If, after the first episode aired, there were still some skeptics,
after watching the second episode, everyone was convinced—a real pill could restore youth.
"That's amazing, Ian! Is there really such a pill in the world?" Hannah Han exclaimed.
In Hannah Han's single apartment, Ian Song lounged on the sofa with Hannah's soft body in his arms as they watched TV together—the very second episode of "Return to Twenty."
"Of course there is! Both Jenny Zheng and Elaine Yu took pills that I provided!" Ian said proudly.
Hannah was stunned at first, then stared at him suspiciously. "Really?"
Ian nodded seriously.
"Let me see it!"
With a twist of his palm, an Ever-Youth Beauty Pill appeared in Ian's hand.
"Wow, so this is the Ever-Youth Beauty Pill!" Hannah took the pill and examined it with curiosity, then looked at Ian with pleading eyes. "Ian, can you give me one? I want to try it too."
"Silly, you don't need this kind of thing at all." Ian smiled and explained, "The Ever-Youth Beauty Pill can keep someone looking young, but that's only on the surface. Your body will still age. But with the cultivation technique I taught you, once you reach a certain level, not only will you look young, but your internal aging will slow down a lot too."
"So that's how it is." Hearing Ian's explanation, Hannah no longer felt the pill was so magical. Even though her current cultivation was only late Acquired stage, she could already sense that her body was much stronger than before.
"If this pill only keeps you young on the outside, why did you develop it?"
"For money, of course! For some women who live by their looks, a youthful face is worth any price." Ian explained again. Of course, this was just the explanation he gave Hannah. His real reason for launching the Ever-Youth Beauty Pill was to earn Fame Points.
After several days of media hype, the Ever-Youth Beauty Pill craze had swept across the entire Yanhuang Republic.
Countless middle-aged society ladies and older starlets pulled every string they could to find out who owned the pill.
They all wanted to get an Ever-Youth Beauty Pill and become young again, but so far, no company or individual had claimed it as their product.
"Haha, this trick really works!"
At a Zhao Family courtyard, Ian Song couldn't help but laugh aloud. The interview program had aired for less than two hours, and his Fame Points had already increased by thirty million, returning his balance to fifty million.
Three days passed in a flash.
Finally, the day arrived for the Ever-Youth Beauty Pill to go on sale online.
An hour before the launch, over a million users had already logged into the dedicated BeautyNet site, waiting to buy.
10 a.m.
When the sale began, each Ever-Youth Beauty Pill was priced at five million yuan, and only 500 pills were available.
Ian had thought the sky-high price would scare off many buyers, but he underestimated women's love of beauty. In less than two minutes, all 500 pills were sold out.
Ian received 2.5 billion yuan in payment—the money came in faster than robbing a bank ten times over.
Because the pills were so valuable, Ian chose not to risk delivery via ordinary couriers. Instead, he arranged for direct delivery.
After the sale ended, 500 Zhao Family disciples flew across the country to personally deliver the Ever-Youth Beauty Pills.
Because the pill takes effect in just one hour, many of the lucky buyers—some of them popular stars—posted their before-and-after photos to Weibo and social-media friend circles the same day, showing themselves restored to their 20-year-old looks.
Some of those posting photos were top celebrities.
As a result, the Ever-Youth Beauty Pill craze reached new heights, and Victor Song became even more famous that day.
Checking his system interface, Ian saw his Fame Points had already reached 500 million, and he felt immensely satisfied.
The reason he didn't sell all 20,000 pills at once was to keep the legend of Victor Song alive for a long time, so he could continue to harvest Fame Points.
Only seven days remained before the start of the school term, and Ian Song was set to attend Waterwood University in Flame City.
Waterwood University and Flame City University are the two most famous schools in the Yanhuang Republic.
However, Ian applied to the Literature Department.
Given his current situation, attending university was no longer necessary. After all, since obtaining the system, he had already embarked on a completely different path.
Still, going to university was one of his dreams.
So his real reason for attending university was simply to fulfill a dream.
He no longer needed to worry about the Ever-Youth Beauty Pill; even if he did nothing, people would continue to promote it for him, and he could simply sit back and harvest Fame Points. So he returned to Riverstone City, planning to spend these last few days with Hannah Han.
That night, after an intimate round of lovemaking, Ian Song handed Hannah Han a crystal-clear jade-like pill.
"What kind of pill is this?" Hannah asked curiously.
"It's a Marrow-Cleansing Pill. This pill can wash your marrow and cleanse your meridians, greatly improving your cultivation aptitude," Ian explained.
"How do I take it?"
"Just swallow it directly, but I suggest you take it in the bathroom!"
"Why?"
"Because during the marrow-washing process, your body will expel all its impurities."
"Then I'll go try it!"
Picking up the Marrow-Cleansing Pill, Hannah Han ran straight to the bathroom, forgetting to put on her clothes. Ian Song's gaze couldn't help but linger.