The assigned dormitory hadn’t changed—it was still Room 329. The door was already open.
“Hi! Finally, someone’s here—I was starting to think I arrived way too early.”
The girl who had already unpacked spotted Ji Huaixiang pushing the door wider and greeted her enthusiastically. “I’m Lin Xiaoxuan. And you?”
Ji Huaixiang walked toward the innermost bed, set her suitcase down.
“Ji Huaixiang.”
“Did you come to register by yourself? Where are your parents?” Lin Xiaoxuan glanced toward the door.
“Yeah, I came alone.”
Ji Huaixiang looked at the desk—it was covered in a thin layer of dust. She fetched a clean wet cloth and started wiping down the desk, the chair, and even the bed board. She wouldn’t lay out the mattress until everything was clean.
“What a coincidence—I came alone too. My parents originally wanted to escort me here, but I finally escaped their clutches. Time to learn to be independent. Oh, by the way, I’m in the Chinese Department. Huaixiang, which department are you in?”
Lin Xiaoxuan sat on a nearby chair, tilting her head as she watched Ji Huaixiang start organizing her things.
“I’m in the Spices and Essences Department.”
“Ah!”
Lin Xiaoxuan let out a surprised exclamation. “Wait… you mean the most badass department in our school—the Spices and Essences Department? So you just went through that test earlier?”
She had assumed someone as stunningly beautiful as Ji Huaixiang would be in an arts-related major. She never expected her to be a hardcore science/chemistry student.
Ji Huaixiang nodded.
“Was it hard? When I passed by, I saw a ton of freshmen lined up, and everyone coming out looked like they were about to cry.” Lin Xiaoxuan’s eyes were full of curiosity.
“It was okay—just tested the basics.”
Ji Huaixiang changed the water in the basin and wiped the desk again for good measure.
Lin Xiaoxuan was genuinely warm and chatty. Even though Ji Huaixiang’s responses were neutral and not particularly enthusiastic, she kept talking.
“I heard the national top scorer in this year’s college entrance exam science stream came to our school. Do you think—”
The dormitory door was pushed open again, cutting her off mid-sentence.
“Qingqing, which bed do you want?”
A neatly dressed middle-aged woman pulled a suitcase inside.
“I don’t like sleeping near the door. I want the inside one.”
Ji Dongqing pointed at the bed Ji Huaixiang was cleaning. “That one.”
“Okay, okay, okay.”
The woman turned to Ji Huaixiang, who was still busy wiping things down. “Hey, little classmate, you don’t need to clean anymore. Let me do it. Qingqing wants this bed. She’s a bit delicate, you know? Be generous and let her have it, alright?”
“Auntie, sorry, but I’ve already chosen this bed. There are still two empty ones over there—you can pick one of those.”
Ji Huaixiang set the cloth down and looked up.
The middle-aged woman froze for a second. Such a beautiful face—those exquisite features almost seemed seductive, like a classic vixen. She instinctively disliked it. Frowning, she said,
“Little classmate, why are you so petty? You’ll be living with your roommates for four whole years of university. You should be united and friendly.”
Ji Huaixiang’s brows lifted slightly. Her gaze shifted past the woman to the girl behind her—Ji Dongqing. She was wearing a pale yellow dress, looking delicate and refined, standing quietly without saying a word.
“Auntie, the beds are assigned by the school and fixed. If you want to switch, please go to the school administration to coordinate it.”
Ji Huaixiang kept her voice low, her tone turning a little cold. In her previous life, she had thought it was no big deal and had given up the bed to Ji Dongqing.
Seeing Ji Huaixiang’s firm attitude, Ji Dongqing reached from behind and gently tugged her mother’s hem. Her voice was soft and delicate, carrying a hint of grievance:
“Mom, it’s fine. I can sleep on this side.”
The middle-aged woman shot Ji Huaixiang an unhappy glare before turning back to her daughter.
“Baby, just bear with it for now. Mom will talk to the leaders later and get you a bed change.”
After the middle-aged woman left, Lin Xiaoxuan scooted over to Ji Dongqing’s side.
“Whew, Auntie’s gone. I got scared for a second there.”
Ji Dongqing’s fair face flushed slightly. She spoke in a low voice:
“My mom just cares about me a lot. She’s not being unreasonable.”
She sneaked a glance toward Ji Huaixiang. When her eyes met the other girl’s refined side profile, she quickly looked away.
Lin Xiaoxuan gave an awkward smile and changed the subject.
“Right— which department are you in?”
“I’m in the Foreign Languages Department.”
“Ah! I’m in Chinese, Huaixiang’s in Spices and Essences… so all three of us are in different departments?” Lin Xiaoxuan exclaimed in surprise.
Ji Dongqing didn’t seem particularly fazed. She knew university was different from high school—having roommates from different classes and departments was completely normal.
…
That evening, the fourth roommate still hadn’t arrived. Lin Xiaoxuan and Ji Dongqing were already chatting like old friends—one bubbly and talkative, the other gentle and soft-spoken. Somehow, they clicked perfectly.
“Huaixiang, you’re done showering?”
Seeing Ji Huaixiang walk out of the shower room carrying her basin, Lin Xiaoxuan quickly stood up and prepared to go in. “How’s the water pressure? Is there enough hot water?”
Every day, the school provided a limited amount of free hot water for showers, with each student getting one hot-water card. If you weren’t careful and ran out halfway through, you’d have to grit your teeth and finish with cold water. In summer it was bearable, but in winter it was freezing enough to kill.
“I had enough,” Ji Huaixiang replied. She never took long showers anyway.
“Great, I won’t take too long either.”
Lin Xiaoxuan hurriedly gathered her things and dashed into the shower room.
At that moment, the dorm fell quiet.
Ji Dongqing put away her phone. She turned her head to look at Ji Huaixiang, who was sitting diagonally across from her on a chair, drying her hair. Her eyes flickered for a second before she spoke softly:
“Huaixiang, aren’t you hot?”
There was no air conditioning in the dorm—only two oscillating fans. She couldn’t stand the heat and had even gone to the campus supermarket during dinner to buy a new fan just for herself. Yet Ji Huaixiang was still wearing a long jacket and long pants.
“It’s fine,” Ji Huaixiang answered.
Ji Dongqing didn’t believe it at all. Wearing so much in this scorching weather was strange.
“You’re really heat-tolerant. I start sweating the moment I move a little.”
The long jacket and pants covered Ji Huaixiang’s arms and legs completely, but the skin visible at her collar was snow-white and flawless. Ji Dongqing’s gaze unintentionally fell on the fingers holding the towel—slender, fair, and tender. She looked down at her own hands. Pampered since childhood and never having done any housework, her hands were long and pale. But now, compared to Ji Huaixiang’s, they suddenly seemed less white, less delicate.
“I’m used to it.”
Every summer, no matter how hot it got, she wore long sleeves and pants. Over time, she had indeed become more heat-resistant than others.
“Huaixiang… are you angry? My mom didn’t mean it today—she just cares about me too much.”
Ji Huaixiang had been quite cold toward her, and she didn’t want any misunderstandings.
“I’m not angry.”
Ji Huaixiang’s vivid red lips curved into a gentle smile as she replied.
“That’s… good then.”
Ji Dongqing glanced at her hesitantly and said no more.
The fourth roommate arrived on the official first day of classes. She was a very reserved girl named Jiang Yongtian, also from the Chinese Department. By then, the results of the Spices and Essences Department entrance test had been released. There were four classes in total, with Class 1 being the key/elite class—only twenty students, and Ji Huaixiang was one of them.
Unlike other departments where one counselor handled an entire major, S University’s Spices and Essences Department ranked first nationwide. Each class was directly supervised by a professor, making it easier to provide guidance to students at any time.
On the podium, Professor Yan introduced himself. His appearance was stern, but his way of speaking was surprisingly humorous. Laughter rippled through the classroom.
Then his tone shifted. His wise eyes turned serious:
“Next year will be Grasse’s quadrennial international admissions. I hope some of you will have the chance to become part of Grasse. Only there will you have the opportunity to learn the pinnacle of perfumery knowledge.”
Many students in the room had come with the dream of becoming perfumers. Just hearing the word “Grasse” was enough to set their blood racing. Everyone in the fragrance world knew France was the capital of perfume, and Grasse was the heart of its perfume industry. Compared to world-renowned century-old universities like Harvard or Cambridge, Grasse Perfumery Academy was even harder to get into. It only opened admissions to outsiders once every four years, and globally accepted just 12 students. It was the most mysterious and elite perfume school in existence.
Ji Huaixiang sat in the very last row. Watching Professor Yan write the large characters “Grasse” on the blackboard, her heart gave a faint tremble. This was the place every perfumer yearned for in their soul.
After Professor Yan finished speaking, it was time for the students to introduce themselves.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Mengwan. I’m from S City. I hope we can all get along well in the future.”
Jiang Mengwan gave a slight nod with her refined chin—confident yet polite, her every word exuding elegance. Combined with her striking appearance, every gaze in the classroom turned toward her. The boys burst into enthusiastic applause.
“My name is Wan Ke, from B City…”
Because introductions followed the seating order, by the time it reached the last row where Ji Huaixiang sat, it was already near the end. She stood up, deliberately lowering her voice a little.
“I’m Ji Huaixiang. I’m very happy to be Professor Yan’s student. Thank you.”
The boys secretly felt a rush of excitement. Even though there were few girls in their class, the quality was top-tier.
Professor Yan’s speech was brief. He gave everyone a quick overview of some major perfumery awards and career paths, encouraging them to think about their future goals, then wrapped up. Afterward, he asked Ji Huaixiang to stay behind.
The sternness on Professor Yan’s face softened noticeably.
“You performed very well on the entrance test that day. Have you had prior exposure to fragrance materials?”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given such quick and precise answers.
Ji Huaixiang was genuinely happy to be addressed by Professor Yan. In her previous life, he had helped her tremendously. To have the chance to learn from him again in this life felt like great fortune.
“By a stroke of luck, I studied under someone for a while before, and gradually fell in love with it.”
During high school, by chance, she had not only met Aunt Ji but also learned perfumery from her.
Professor Yan nodded in understanding. Life was full of fateful encounters. This student wasn’t just academically outstanding—her sense of smell was exceptionally keen. She was born to be a perfumer.
“You’re this year’s national top scorer in the college entrance exam science stream. The school would like you to give a speech at the freshman assembly the day after tomorrow. Are you willing?”
“Thank you for the school’s high regard, but I’ve always been rather timid…”
Ji Huaixiang politely declined.
“I understand.”
Professor Yan nodded, grasping her meaning. It seemed this student didn’t like drawing attention to herself—no wonder there were no photos of her in the news reports.
“Thank you, Professor Yan.”
As night fell, neon lights flickered to life, and the city’s nightlife began to hum.
Yan Se was the most mysterious bar in the city. Not only was it extremely secure, but its clientele consisted entirely of the elite and powerful. Even booking a private room three days in advance didn’t guarantee availability.
“Second Young Master Gu, I heard you started school today.”
A man took a deep drag of his drink and teased toward the sofa.
“Tch, forget starting school—even final exams wouldn’t faze A-Jin.”
Zhou Zisheng glanced sideways at the girl sitting on the sofa and teased with a smirk: “Rourou, why are you sitting so far from A-Jin?”
He Roujia’s face flushed when her name was called.
She lifted her eyes to look at the man seated to her right. The dim lighting in the private room couldn’t hide his refined, handsome features—they still stood out strikingly in the low light. Her heart stirred. She shifted her body closer to him.
“Your perfume is bothering me.”
Gu Wujin had a cigarette between his lips, lazily reclining against the sofa.