While others were still studying the characteristics and properties of spices and essences, Professor Yan had already begun taking the key class students on lab tours. From now on, classes would gradually shift to being held in the laboratory.
The moment they stepped inside, an indescribable mix of scents rushed toward them—floral notes tangled with various food-like aromas, each one distinct.
Professor Yan had the students choose their seats.
“The second-year students just finished using the lab last class. The smells haven’t fully dissipated yet. Consider this your first real taste of experiencing a hundred different flavors at once.”
Many students were immediately drawn to the hundreds of bottles lined up on the racks in front of them. A quiet thrill of excitement stirred in their hearts—as if becoming a perfumer was suddenly one step closer.
“Mengwan, look—there are several more racks over there, all filled with fragrance bottles. Are there thousands of different spices here?”
A girl with medium-length hair had grown quite close to Jiang Mengwan lately. She sat beside her, voice brimming with excitement.
Jiang Mengwan gave a gentle smile.
“There aren’t thousands here—only a little over six hundred. Grasse Academy has more than eight hundred available for students to use.”
“So impressive, Mengwan—you even know that?”
Shen Yiyi gasped in admiration. “Then… does your family company have even more?”
“Mm. Over three thousand.”
Jiang Mengwan answered naturally.
Shen Yiyi sucked in a cold breath. No wonder it was one of the leading perfume dynasties in the country. Anyone working as a perfumer there must feel incredibly fortunate to have access to so many materials.
Professor Yan picked up two bottles.
“One contains jasmine essential oil, the other ylang-ylang essential oil. I need you to distinguish between the two. Who wants to come up and try?”
The class monitor, Qin Shiyu, was called. He sniffed carefully at the drops placed on scent strips.
“The left one is ylang-ylang essential oil. The right one is jasmine essential oil.”
Professor Yan nodded.
“Correct. Ylang-ylang has a domineering scent just like jasmine—rich, lush, and seductive. Though their smells are similar, ylang-ylang is much cheaper. That’s why it’s sometimes called ‘poor man’s jasmine.’”
Next, Professor Yan brought out two more bottles.
“Here we have regular jasmine essential oil and Grasse jasmine essential oil. Ji Huaixiang, come up and identify them.”
Ji Huaixiang looked up. She closed her book and walked to the front.
Perfumers have always favored jasmine. Its scent is elegant, rich, and uplifting—comforting to the nose. That’s why the saying goes: “No jasmine, no perfume.”
Ji Huaixiang took two scent strips and gently fanned the aromas.
“The right one is regular jasmine. The left one is Grasse jasmine.”
Professor Yan didn’t comment immediately. Instead, he asked her to explain why.
“Grasse jasmine has a much richer, more intoxicating fragrance than regular jasmine. One ton of Grasse jasmine flowers yields only one liter of essential oil—its price is higher than gold…”
“Ji is really amazing. I didn’t know she understood so much,” Shen Yiyi said enviously, watching Ji Huaixiang at the front.
Jiang Mengwan lifted her head and gave Ji Huaixiang a glance, smiling softly.
“These are all very basic things. Once you’ve learned them, they’re nothing special. But Ji seems to have studied very diligently.”
After Ji Huaixiang finished, Professor Yan nodded in satisfaction and let her return to her seat.
“What Ji just explained is very important. The two examples I showed you are to make you understand: both types of jasmine essential oil are used in perfumery. You need to know not only how their scents differ, but also how those differences affect the final perfume—and ultimately its price.”
After class, Professor Yan called Ji Huaixiang over.
“Lately you’ve been coming to the lab quite often?”
Ji Huaixiang held her book and nodded. She answered directly:
“I’ve been recreating a fragrance recently, so I’ve been coming to the lab more frequently.”
Professor Yan’s wise eyes brightened with surprise.
“You know how to recreate fragrances?”
He had always thought this student had natural talent, a keen nose, and some basic knowledge—but he hadn’t expected her to already be capable of fragrance duplication.
“Yes. I’ve been working on recreating one particular scent recently.”
Fragrance recreation involves analyzing an existing perfume with your nose, identifying the individual fragrance materials, writing down a formula, and then blending it yourself. Ji Huaixiang’s Memory Fragrances could also be considered a form of recreation—but she was recreating scents with no formula at all, relying solely on verbal descriptions and memories. The difficulty was far greater than standard fragrance duplication. In fact, no perfumer in the industry could reliably operate this way.
Professor Yan was in his fifties, but his complexion remained healthy and ruddy, his voice full of vigor. He said with genuine pleasure:
“Excellent. Keep studying hard. If you run into anything you don’t understand, come find me anytime. I’ll also speak with the dedicated lab instructors here so you can ask them for help when you encounter difficulties.”
Ji Huaixiang nodded vigorously. Whether in her previous life or this one, Professor Yan had always been incredibly supportive.
Not long after getting into the car, Ji Huaixiang began to regret her decision. The morning sky had already looked somewhat gray and hazy, but she hadn’t expected it to actually start raining.
Raindrops fell like scattered transparent beads, striking the car windows one after another. The wipers swept them away again and again, yet the view remained slightly blurred.
“This weather—says it’s going to rain and just does it. Turns its face faster than flipping a page, doesn’t recognize family or friends,” the middle-aged driver uncle muttered. He pulled the car to a stop. A long line of vehicles waited ahead for the green light. Whenever it rained, traffic jams became especially bad.
Ji Huaixiang gazed out the window. Pedestrians on the street ran in every direction, drenched and disheveled, looking both miserable and helpless. After watching for a while, she grew bored. She took out her phone and opened Gu Wujin’s WeChat. Since adding him last week, they hadn’t exchanged a single message. The chat window remained completely blank.
She tapped into his Moments feed—also empty. She deeply felt that not posting on Moments was truly a bad habit.
After enduring the long traffic jam, when the car finally reached the uphill road leading to Tianya Mingyuan, it suddenly stalled. The driver tried restarting it—still nothing.
The driver uncle turned around helplessly.
“Little miss, the car broke down. I’ll have to call for a tow truck—don’t know how long it’ll take. The rich district isn’t too far on foot from here. How about I knock ten yuan off the fare?”
Ji Huaixiang had no choice but to get out.
The rain had eased a little, but it was still heavy and dense. The moment she stepped out, her shoulders were soaked in seconds. She hurried under a tree to block some of the downpour.
Aunt Feng opened the door and was shocked to see Ji Huaixiang completely drenched, hair dripping wet.
“Oh my, Miss Ji! How did you get soaked like this? Come in quickly. The old madam was just saying she’d have me call you to reschedule—said the rain’s too heavy and you could come another day.”
Ji Huaixiang followed Aunt Feng into the villa, feeling extremely uncomfortable in her soaked clothes.
When Old Madam Shen saw Ji Huaixiang’s state, she was startled too. She quickly set down her cup.
“A-Feng, take Huaixiang to change clothes right away. Yaoyao still has several unworn dresses—find one for her. Poor thing, we can’t let her catch a cold.”
Her face was full of heartache. “Huaixiang, don’t mind wearing Yaoyao’s clothes. Don’t worry—they’re all brand new, never worn. Aunt Feng has always kept them cleaned and maintained. They’re perfectly clean.”
Ji Huaixiang’s small face was pale from the cold rain. She shook her head immediately.
“No, no—I’m actually very grateful.”
The dresses were all beautiful. It was clear Gu Wujin’s mother had excellent taste—her style was elegant and understated. Even on Ji Huaixiang, they wouldn’t look out of place at all.
“Miss Ji, how about this one? I think it would suit you perfectly.”
Aunt Feng was in high spirits. Ever since the young miss passed away, these clothes had been left untouched. Now that someone suitable could wear them, she was sure the young miss would be happy up above. And she had heard that Miss Ji attended the same university as Second Young Master…
“Aunt Feng, your taste is really good.”
Ji Huaixiang accepted the dress.
“Then I’ll step out so I don’t disturb you while you change. I’ll be right outside—if you need any help, just call me.”
Ji Huaixiang thanked her with a smile.
Aunt Feng had chosen a light gray half-length chiffon dress—ethereal and fairy-like, with a gradient at the hem that faded like ink wash, blending innocence with a touch of allure. Ji Huaixiang rarely wore dresses. At first she couldn’t; later she simply had no desire to. The only time she had was the day she won a major competition, wearing a red dress that made her the center of attention.
Ji Huaixiang took off her wet clothes, wiped herself dry with a towel, and slipped into the dress. Gu Wujin’s mother must have been very slender—the dress was the smallest size. When she put it on, she realized the chest area was too tight. The back zipper got stuck halfway up—she couldn’t pull it the rest of the way herself.
At that moment, the door opened.
“The zipper’s stuck. Could you help me pull it up?”
After a brief pause, warm, slightly rough fingertips brushed unintentionally against her porcelain-smooth back. Then the zipper was slowly drawn up with firm pressure.
“All done.”
A low, magnetic male voice sounded behind her—startling Ji Huaixiang so badly her whole body trembled.