Saturday morning came bright and early. The dormitory was surrounded by green belts planted with many camphor trees. A gentle summer breeze blew through, carrying a light, faint fragrance into the rooms—refreshing, uplifting, and instantly putting one in a good mood.
Tianya Mingyuan was an upscale villa district for the wealthy, located in a somewhat remote area with no public buses running nearby. Ji Huaixiang got out of the taxi and walked to the iron gate of the villa, pressing the doorbell.
“Is this Miss Ji? Our old gentleman and old madam are both waiting for you. Please come in with me.”
The door was opened by Feng Aunt, the Shen family’s housekeeper.
“Yes, thank you for your trouble.”
The iron gate was still some distance from the main entrance of the house. Both sides of the path were lined with famous flowering plants—clusters and bundles in vibrant purples and reds, blooming profusely. They dotted the tender green lawn, turning the ground into a breathtaking sea of flowers.
Inside the villa, the spacious living room was furnished with meticulously chosen redwood pieces, exuding an antique, elegant charm that immediately conveyed the impression of a family with deep heritage and foundation.
“Old gentleman, old madam, Miss Ji has arrived.”
Feng Aunt led her to stand before Old Madam Shen.
“You’re the other owner of Kiss Fragrance shop?”
Old Madam Shen was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected the perfumer to be so young. “Are you still in school?”
Both elders were dressed simply yet with refined taste. Ji Huaixiang stood politely beside the tea table and nodded in response.
“Good day to both of you. My name is Ji Huaixiang. Yes, I do work at Kiss Fragrance. I’m currently a freshman at S University.”
“Oh? S University? Very good.”
Old Master Shen’s sharp, bright gaze softened slightly. “Our grandson is also studying at S University.”
“Really? What a coincidence.”
Ji Huaixiang remained calm and composed, neither humble nor overeager, saying nothing more. From what she could see of the Shen family’s circumstances, they were not the kind of people ordinary folks could casually approach. Being too enthusiastic or talkative in front of the elders might make her seem like she was trying to curry favor.
“Come, don’t just stand there. Sit down. Let’s talk about how this Memory Fragrance is blended.”
The young girl in front of her was strikingly beautiful—her vivid, almost seductive features could easily lead people to prejudge her as frivolous. Yet those clear, bright black eyes were pure and transparent, instantly inspiring goodwill. She was both extremely alluring and extremely innocent. Old Madam Shen, who had lived most of her life, naturally knew how to read people.
Ji Huaixiang sat down on a chair not far from Old Madam Shen.
“May I ask what kind of fragrance the two of you would like me to create?”
“I heard you can blend scents that awaken memories—is that true?”
Old Madam Shen still wasn’t entirely certain whether the young girl truly possessed such ability.
“Yes, but the success rate isn’t one hundred percent.”
Whether the scent would match the exact memory perfectly was something even she couldn’t guarantee.
Old Madam Shen’s somewhat cloudy eyes lit up, her expression growing even kinder.
“Even if you can’t get it exactly right, I won’t blame you. This is just a little wish my old man and I have. If it can’t come true, we’ll take it as heaven not favoring us.”
Her voice carried a trace of sorrow: “What I want you to recreate is my daughter’s scent. Many years ago, she passed away. My husband and I are both old now. We’re afraid that one day we won’t even remember her anymore.”
Ji Huaixiang understood immediately. Most of the orders she had taken before were similar—people hoping to smell a fragrance and recall a loved one.
“As for the blending process, feel free to tell us anything you need from us to help.”
Old Madam Shen seemed a little eager.
“Yaoyao never liked wearing perfume when she was alive, but she always had a pleasant scent on her body—very light, a bit like milk, a bit like flowers. Even her clothes would carry her natural body fragrance. When she was little, she loved clinging to me and acting spoiled. Such a clever, mischievous little thing—always fragrant, always sweet-talking me. I could never say no to her…”
Talking about her daughter’s past, Old Madam Shen’s face glowed with maternal love, softening in an indescribably tender way.
After finishing the conversation with the two elders, Feng Aunt led Ji Huaixiang to the room that had belonged to Old Madam Shen’s daughter.
“Miss Ji, this was the young miss’s room. The old madam said you may look through anything inside. I’ll be waiting outside. If you need anything, just call for me.”
“Understood. Thank you, Aunt Feng.”
The room that had belonged to Old Madam Shen’s daughter was very spacious, decorated in a refined and elegant style, without a speck of dust. On the white desk by the window stood a cobalt-blue glass vase holding several bunches of bright yellow daisies. Fresh water droplets still clung to the lively petals—they must have been freshly replaced. Every detail showed care and attention, a clear testament to the elderly couple’s deep longing for their daughter.
The room wasn’t just filled with exquisite crafts; an entire bookshelf was packed with books. Ji Huaixiang was surprised to discover that the topmost shelf held nothing but books related to spices and perfumery. Among them was an actual Ming Dynasty fragrance treatise titled The Great Fragrance Compendium (Da Xiang Cheng).
A spark of excitement lit up Ji Huaixiang’s dark, bright eyes, and the corners curved upward slightly—making her look even more beautiful. Unable to resist, she stood on tiptoe and reached for the book. The shelf was a little too high; her fingertips could only just brush the corner of the spine.
“Who said you could touch things in here!”
A voice suddenly came from behind her—low, elegant, and pleasant, yet laced with chilling coldness.
Ji Huaixiang’s heart jolted violently. She turned in shock, and a strikingly handsome, sharply defined face appeared right in front of her. Panicking, she stepped back—only for her other foot to catch on something. Her whole body pitched forward toward the floor.
The man behind her extended both hands. Just as she thought he was going to catch her, he abruptly pulled them back, crossing his arms over his chest. He stood motionless, watching her fall to the ground.
“Yo, you didn’t actually think I’d catch you, did you?”
The man looked down at Ji Huaixiang on the floor from above, his thin lips with their sharp edges curved in a smile. But his narrow black eyes glittered with cold, fragmented light.
Ji Huaixiang lifted her head. The fall must have hurt; a faint sheen of water gathered in her clear eyes, making them shimmer and look watery. She didn’t speak, simply staring fixedly at the man in white shirt and black trousers standing before her.
The girl’s gaze was too direct. Gu Wujin felt a flicker of discomfort under it. He withdrew his smile, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and placed it between his lips.
“What are you staring at me for?”
Ji Huaixiang kept her voice low, enunciating each word clearly:
“When you see someone fall, helping them up isn’t just basic gentlemanly behavior—it’s the moral responsibility of every citizen.”
The corner of Gu Wujin’s eye twitched.
“So you want me to help you up?”
“No need.”
Ji Huaixiang braced one hand against the floor and stood up on her own. She patted down her clothes, then stepped half a meter away from him.
Gu Wujin lit his cigarette, narrowed his eyes, and slowly exhaled. Thin wisps of smoke drifted outward.
“You’re the one who told my grandparents you could recreate my mother’s scent in a perfume?”
“Not one hundred percent guaranteed.”
Ji Huaixiang wrinkled her nose slightly. The cigarette smell was quite strong; her nose began to itch. Unable to help it, she took a few steps back.
Gu Wujin paused mid-drag. He bit down on the cigarette filter and glanced sideways at her.
“Tch, afraid of smoke?”
“A perfumer’s nose is very important. Secondhand smoke damages the respiratory system.”
Her sense of smell was especially sensitive, making her even more vulnerable.
“Oh? Look at you, pretending to be all proper and professional.”
Gu Wujin stepped forward, closing the distance. He took a deep drag and deliberately blew a perfect smoke ring straight at her face.
The smoke hit her directly. Ji Huaixiang covered her nose and sneezed hard—once, twice, three times in a row. Her eyes watered from the irritation, turning misty and hazy. She looked breathtakingly beautiful like that. Glaring at Gu Wujin, she accused in a muffled, nasal voice:
“How can you be so awful?”
Gu Wujin’s lips pulled into a wicked smirk.
“You claim you’re a perfumer, right? Then you must know what’s in the cigarette I’m smoking.”
“I not only know the ingredients in cigarettes—I also know the harms of smoking.”
Her gaze shifted to the cigarette pinched between his fingers. “Smokers are prone to bone fractures, abnormal blood pressure and heart function, oral cancer, throat cancer, gastrointestinal diseases, thinning hair, and even baldness.”
Her eyes flicked over his face. Seeing his smile fade and his lips press into a tight line, she continued:
“And smoking can cause impotence.”
“You…”
Gu Wujin hadn’t expected her to say something so shocking. The fingers holding the cigarette trembled slightly. His ear tips flushed red, and his face darkened.
“What impotence… You woman, don’t you know any shame?”
Ji Huaixiang blinked her shimmering black eyes and retorted in a stuffy, nasal tone:
“I’m just kindly reminding you.”
Gu Wujin stared at her for a long moment. But with her hand covering her nose, he couldn’t see her expression clearly. He pressed the cigarette butt into his palm to extinguish it, his face full of impatience.
“I don’t care if it’s kindness or spite—right now, immediately, get the hell out of this room.”
“Brat, who are you telling to get lost? I’m the one who let Huaixiang in.”
At that moment, Old Madam Shen walked in and glared at her troublesome grandson.
“Grandma, I heard everything. You want her to blend a fragrance for you.”
Gu Wujin tried to persuade her: “If you want perfume, I can have one of the company’s perfumers do it.”
Every perfumer needed seven or eight years of apprenticeship before they could create original scents. Ji Huaixiang was just a freshman—he didn’t believe for a second that she knew what she was doing.
“They can’t make the one I want. Your grandfather and I have already decided to let Huaixiang help. Don’t underestimate her.”
Old Madam Shen’s wrinkled face broke into a kindly smile. She turned to Ji Huaixiang.
“Huaixiang, this is my grandson, Gu Wujin. If you need anything, just ask him. He’s also at S University—you’re schoolmates, so he can help you conveniently.”
Ji Huaixiang lowered the hand covering her nose. She had intended to refuse, but when her gaze met Gu Wujin’s cold, darkened face, she nodded instead.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Mr. Gu.”
“Grandma!”
Gu Wujin’s tone was displeased.
“You know how much I miss your mother…”
Old Madam Shen wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. Her aged voice trembled, sounding utterly heartbroken.
Gu Wujin pressed his thin lips together helplessly, then gave up.
“Fine. Whatever you say.”
Only then did Old Madam Shen lower her hand, her eye corners perfectly dry—no trace of moisture at all.
“Good boy!”
Following behind Gu Wujin, Ji Huaixiang walked very slowly. Her gaze remained fixed on his feet. The man’s upper body was straight and tall like a poplar tree, his figure imposing and grand—yet the uneven, limping way he walked completely ruined the overall beauty. Each step landed high then low, like a perfect piece of jade marred by a single black spot: not only an eyesore, but heartbreakingly regrettable.
Gu Wujin turned his head and looked back at Ji Huaixiang. Their eyes met—her clear black gaze held neither pity nor contempt.
“Get in the car.”
“Thank you for the trouble.”
“Hmph.”
Gu Wujin let out a cold snort.
Ji Huaixiang walked to the car, opened the rear door, and slid into the back seat.
Through the rearview mirror, Gu Wujin glanced at her. The girl sat quietly curled up in one corner of the back seat. At least she was smart enough to read the room and realize he didn’t like her presence.
The Tianya Mingyuan area was very peaceful and secluded. The sun was shining brightly at that moment, its light pouring into the car and falling across Gu Wujin’s face, outlining his features with a soft halo—making him look even more strikingly handsome and refined.
“Where am I dropping you off?”
He looked into the rearview mirror and immediately met the girl’s gaze again. There wasn’t the slightest trace of embarrassment on her face. Her beautiful black eyes simply blinked once. Her voice came out low and soft, a little绵 (cottony/sweet), not the crisp, clear female tone he usually preferred.
“Could you please take me to S University? But I’d like to stop and buy a cake first.”
Women really were troublesome.
Gu Wujin shifted his gaze away and didn’t make a sound.