That night the internet erupted.
News about Shin Keir and Yeri Zhi exploded across every major platform like a string of fireworks going off one after another.
The first bomb was the leaked audio from the engagement banquet.
Although there was no video, the recording was clear enough. Two women shouting and fighting, their voices sharp and emotional.
Among them, Madam Ricci's voice stood out the most as she angrily exposed things she clearly had no intention of keeping secret.
Then came another bomb.
Madam Keir had apparently been completely unaware of the engagement.
In the audio she sounded frantic and childlike, shouting that she did not agree with the marriage and insisting Shin was her son while throwing a tantrum that sounded more like an unruly child than a dignified madam.
Moreover, the ambulance seen outside the hotel earlier had taken someone away.
This time the person was identified as the Keir family's old matriarch.
That alone made the public even more convinced the audio recording was genuine. Otherwise, what could have caused the elderly woman to faint at her own grandson's engagement banquet?
Within hours, netizens were fully invested.
Old rumors resurfaced like skeletons dug out from a grave.
Articles about Shin Keir's possible illegitimate birth began circulating again, some of them months ago but now suddenly popular again.
Comments immediately flooded.
One comment quickly rose to the top with thousands of likes.
"I don't care if Shin Keir is an illegitimate son. He brought KGG onto the global stage during his leadership. You can't erase that achievement just because of his upbringing. What I want to know is who his real mother is and what actually happened to Eleanor Keir. I read in another article that she's mentally unwell. Is it because Master Keir cheated? But from the audio she clearly loves Shin and treats him like her real son."
Another user wrote: "This audio completely shocked me. There's so much information and it's honestly confusing. I had to pause it every few seconds just to understand what they were saying. By the way who was the woman Madam Keir was arguing with? How was she so certain Shin Keir is illegitimate? And at the same time Madam Keir was insisting he's her son."
"Is there really no video? Anyway the fact that Elder Madam Keir ended up in the hospital probably means there's truth in the story. But didn't she give an interview not long ago where she denied the rumor that Shin Keir was illegitimate?"
"I'll wait for more information before judging, but I agree that Shin Keir being illegitimate isn't really the issue. Children shouldn't carry the sins of their parents. However, if Madam Keir was mistreated by the Keir family and Shin Keir knew about it but did nothing, that's a completely different matter."
"This rich family drama again hahaha! These people are so bored with their mountains of money that all they know how to do is create scandals. You're all wondering why Madam Keir went insane? Isn't it obvious? The Keir family isn't some noble household but a den of wolves. To build wealth at that level they definitely stepped on countless people."
"I see a lot of Shin Keir's blind fans here defending him just because he's handsome and powerful. Truly ridiculous. People need to stop worshipping criminals just because they look good. If you haven't read this article yet I'll leave the link below. You're all so naive you'd probably volunteer to be his girlfriend's blood bank."
But people hardly needed to click the link. Because along with the scandal came another bomb.
This one was about Shin Keir's fiancée, Yeri Zhi.
Within a short time, Yeri's family background was dug out and spread across the internet.
Her identity as the heiress of Zhi Corporation was revealed.
Some people who had followed the 'Lucia Hera' case quickly recognized her name.
Once the connection was made, many pieces of the past suddenly seemed to fall into place.
Back then, when Shin Keir had been seen at Café Zhillion and openly defended Yeri against the netizens, people had wondered what their relationship was.
Now the answer seemed obvious.
Many began speculating that the two had already been together at that time. Others believed that must have been the beginning of their romance.
But what truly spread like wildfire was a conspiracy theory that many netizens accepted as fact almost instantly.
According to the rumor, Yeri suffered from a rare and severe illness that required constant blood transfusions.
It was said that she also had an extremely rare blood type.
With Shin Keir's status and influence, finding women willing to donate blood would not be difficult.
The theory quickly twisted into something even more ridiculous.
Some netizens claimed they had finally debunked the truth behind Shin Keir's rumored misogyny.
That it was never real, a cover, a fake image carefully built to fool the public.
In reality, they claimed, Shin Keir had been secretly charming and gathering young women around him only to turn them into Yeri's "blood bank."
After all, with his wealth and devastatingly handsome appearance, many people had always found it strange that Shin Keir never showed interest in women.
Now the explanation seemed simple to them:
It wasn't that he had no interest, he had always had Yeri Zhi.
Even Yeri's debut banquet photos began resurfacing.
One set showed Shin Keir attending Yeri's debut banquet. Another showed the two of them dancing together under soft lights.
The comment section had turned into a battlefield.
"I can't blame Shin Keir. Yeri is so beautiful. ❤️❤️ I'm in love."
"She's definitely beautiful but the more beautiful someone looks the more poisonous they are. For a third tier socialite how did she manage to attract Shin Keir? I don't believe it's just her face."
"What a vixen. Just look at that fragile innocent face. She really has the power of a fox spirit. A shameless seductress."
"Big news! Apparently Shin Keir recently became one of the board directors of Zhi Corporation. Damn he's really going all out for Yeri Zhi."
Someone quickly replied from the above comment:
"You mean he became a simp? I'm honestly disappointed in Shin Keir. I thought he was different from other men and had higher standards. I could have accepted Calin Ricci but Yeri Zhi? Seriously? 🙄"
"Yeri is pretty… but what else? Her status isn't even her own, it's her family's. I don't understand how she got involved with Shin Keir. Did she save his life or something?"
"This bitch doesn't deserve my husband! Homewrecker! Mistress! Why doesn't she just drop dead?! I absolutely don't support this engagement!"
"She's only eighteen. How long have they known each other? You can hate me but I have a feeling Shin Keir is into minors. Either that or she's pregnant and that's why they suddenly got engaged."
But among the chaos, a few sharper voices appeared.
"Wait. It says she's eighteen. Are you all implying Shin Keir was already eyeing her when she was a minor? And this blood bank theory… where's the evidence?"
Another user replied bluntly.
"With Shin Keir's status do you really think he needs to force people to donate blood? If someone offered me millions for my blood I'd donate happily. Hell, I'd even throw in my kidney as a bonus."
"Hmm… I can smell a lot of prejudice against the rich in this comment section. And some of you just can't accept that your immortal husband is now taken so you're all attacking his fiancée. Lol. Don't forget they aren't celebrities. Their lives aren't your business."
Yeri frowned as she scrolled through the endless stream of comments.
She needed blood transfusions?
Utter nonsense!
It had only been two hours since the engagement banquet ended, yet the internet had already exploded with conspiracy theories and speculation.
One would expect a joyful atmosphere after such a grand event but looking at the hateful words and accusations directed at both her and Shin Keir, she could not honestly say she felt completely unbothered.
Yeri tapped on her profile then momentarily froze.
Her followers were climbing at an alarming speed.
She did not remember the exact number before, but now the number had already passed five million and it was still rising.
Yeri "…"
Should she take this as something positive just because she was now associated with Shin Keir?
Although judging by the tone of most comments, many of these new followers were probably people who hated her or those who simply wanted to watch the drama unfold from the front row.
Her notifications were flooded.
Some people demanded explanations about the so called blood bank rumor.
Others asked gossip filled questions about how she and Shin had gotten together.
Mixed in between were harsh insults and ugly accusations.
Yeri leaned back slightly, thinking.
If she wanted to, she could probably take advantage of this sudden attention. Many people made money online through livestreaming, brand promotions, or becoming influencers.
With this level of traffic, it would not be difficult.
Just then Madam Zhi called out.
"Princess, do you want some late night snacks?"
Yeri put her thoughts aside and walked out to the back garden with her mother.
The night air was cool and quiet. Under the soft lights, the red rose garden looked peaceful, almost dreamlike.
After the engagement banquet, Shin had suggested that they stay for a while at his Sin Mielle villa.
He had also invited her parents and Jj to stay with them for safety.
They now sat together in the garden, enjoying a late night snack while the scent of roses drifted through the air.
Earlier, Jj had told her something troubling.
The people Shin had assigned to watch their house had caught a few suspicious men nearby. Those men had apparently tried to start a fire.
Fortunately they were stopped before anything serious happened.
When questioned, the thugs insisted they were just passing by, but no one believed that excuse.
Their neighborhood was not a place where random troublemakers would casually wander in. Clearly someone had sent them.
When the thugs realized that the people who had caught them were from Hexion, they quickly panicked. Terrified, they admitted that someone had paid them a few thousand to cause trouble.
Unfortunately, they also claimed they did not know who that person was.