During the start of the semester, there were lots of activities for freshmen. Major clubs and societies had set up booths along the paths leading to the cafeteria. Senior students enthusiastically handed out flyers, actively recruiting new students to join.
“Thank you, senior, but I’ll think about it when I get back.”
Ji Huaixiang accepted the flyer and politely declined the invitation once again.
“Huaixiang, we’re over here!”
At the dance team booth, Lin Xiaoxuan waved enthusiastically toward Ji Huaixiang.
Ji Huaixiang saw all three of her roommates there and walked over.
“Huaixiang, have you signed up for any clubs yet?” Jiang Yongtian asked, noticing the stack of flyers in Ji Huaixiang’s hand.
“No. What about you guys?”
Lin Xiaoxuan had just finished filling out the form and handed it to one of the dance team seniors. She turned and said:
“Winter Sunny and I both signed up for the dance team. Huaixiang, why don’t you join us too?”
Ji Dongqing’s delicate face carried a gentle smile.
“Xiaoxuan, if Huaixiang has never danced before, joining the dance team would put her at a big disadvantage.”
“Ah, you’re right. Dance requires solid basics. Huaixiang, do you know how to dance?”
Ji Huaixiang didn’t mind at all.
“I don’t.”
“You’re so pretty—it’s such a waste that you don’t dance,” Lin Xiaoxuan said with genuine regret. A girl as beautiful as Ji Huaixiang would probably drive people crazy if she danced.
Ji Dongqing’s smile deepened.
“Everyone has different talents, and family background influences hobbies too. Some things are just destined. There’s nothing to feel sorry about, right, Huaixiang?”
Lin Xiaoxuan nodded in agreement. Jiang Yongtian, standing nearby, was looking down at her phone.
Ji Huaixiang nodded calmly.
“You’re right. Talent is destined, family background is destined—even appearance is destined.”
Ji Dongqing had always been most proud of her looks. She considered herself delicately soft, fair and refined—the kind of appearance that awakened protectiveness in boys. But when she heard Ji Huaixiang say that, her gaze drifted to the other girl’s face—so vividly beautiful it was impossible to look away. She hated this kind of “destiny” imposed by heaven.
She was about to say something more when Ji Huaixiang’s phone rang.
The screen showed an unknown number.
“Hello, who is this?”
The other end was silent. Just as Ji Huaixiang thought it might be a prank call, a voice spoke.
“It’s me.”
A low, magnetic male voice came through the receiver, lingering in her ear like an echo.
Ji Huaixiang’s fingertips tightened around the phone. Her ear tips heated up. She lowered her voice, pretending to be calm:
“Who are you?”
“Gu Wujin!”
His tone rose slightly—and turned several degrees colder.
“Ah—Mr. Gu. Is there something you need?”
Ji Huaixiang’s dark eyes fixed on the distant green trees, bright and captivating.
“Where are you right now?”
“Are you coming to find me?”
Ji Huaixiang sounded surprised. Her black eyes sparkled even more brightly. She glanced around.
“I’m at the club booths outside the cafeteria entrance.”
“Stay right there. Don’t move.”
With that, he hung up.
“Huaixiang, what’s wrong?”
Lin Xiaoxuan noticed that after the call, the corners of Ji Huaixiang’s mouth lifted high, her expression full of joy. Clearly something good had happened.
“Was that your boyfriend calling?” Ji Dongqing teased.
Ji Huaixiang shook her head.
“A friend is coming to find me in a bit.”
“Oh, okay. Then Yongtian, Winter Sunny, and I will head to eat first.”
“Mm, go ahead.”
Ji Huaixiang stood under the shade of a tree near the booths, scanning the area with her eyes. There were too many people—she was worried Gu Wujin wouldn’t be able to find her.
It was noon. The sun hung high, its rays scorching. The grass on the ground drooped listlessly. Heat shimmered above the concrete paths, making the soles of people’s feet burn as they walked.
When Gu Wujin arrived at the cafeteria area, the crowd hadn’t dispersed yet. Every booth was packed. He scanned once, and his gaze quickly locked onto the figure standing in the shade. The weather was brutally hot. The girl’s cheeks were flushed a delicate pink as she stood there—impossible to miss.
“Aren’t you hot?”
The girl was still wearing a white jacket.
“Mr. Gu.”
Ji Huaixiang turned her head and saw Gu Wujin standing not far away. “Hot… yes, it’s hot.”
Ji Huaixiang’s face flushed with embarrassment. She knew full well that wearing a jacket in this scorching heat looked very strange.
Gu Wujin didn’t press the question further. He handed her the insulated thermos in his hand.
“This is chicken soup. Take it.”
Ji Huaixiang stared blankly for a second before accepting the thermos, overwhelmed with surprise.
“This…”
“My grandma told me to bring it to you.”
Gu Wujin’s expression was impatient. Early that morning, his grandma had called and insisted he come to the Shen residence. To his disbelief, it was just to deliver soup to Ji Huaixiang. She kept saying how pitiful it was for such a young girl to be studying alone in S City, and she also wanted him to ask about any progress on the perfume.
Ji Huaixiang hadn’t expected Old Madam Shen to care so much about her. She held the thermos tightly, as if she could feel the warmth radiating from inside.
“Please thank Madam Shen for me, Mr. Gu.”
At that moment, Gu Wujin’s phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen.
“Heh, no need. You can thank her yourself.”
With that, he answered the call and handed the phone to Ji Huaixiang.
“My sweet grandson, have you delivered the soup to Huaixiang yet?”
Old Madam Shen’s strong, lively voice came through clearly.
Ji Huaixiang paused for a second, then quickly replied:
“Madam Shen, I’ve received the soup. Thank you so much, and thank you for troubling Mr. Gu as well.”
“Oh, it’s Huaixiang! Little girl, no need to be so polite. This old lady still has to ask for your help with something. Delivering soup is nothing. Besides, my grandson is also studying at S University—it’s no trouble at all. If you run into any difficulties, just remember to ask him for help…”
“Mm…”
“Okay…”
Gu Wujin stood with both hands in his pockets under the shade of the tree, listening to the girl quietly respond to his grandma not far away. Her small head kept nodding in agreement—looking obedient and a little silly. He hadn’t expected his grandma to like Ji Huaixiang so much after meeting her only once.
After a long while, when Old Madam Shen finally hung up, Ji Huaixiang returned the phone to Gu Wujin. Her fair, tender fingertips brushed lightly across the back of his hand as she did. She immediately stepped back several paces before speaking:
“Thank you, Mr. Gu.”
The girl’s clear black eyes looked straight at him, as if filled with starlight—dazzling and impossible to ignore.
Gu Wujin slightly turned his face away, avoiding that piercing brightness. He tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“No need to thank me. It’s just my grandma being overly sentimental and feeling sorry for you. Take the soup back and drink it.”
With that, he turned and left. His steps were slightly uneven, limping, yet his posture remained tall and straight.
Back in the car, Gu Wujin gripped the steering wheel with both hands. He half-closed his eyes, his gaze falling on the back of his hand. There was still a faint, tingling numbness where the girl’s fingertips had grazed—slightly itchy.
The afternoon class mainly covered the basic principles of spices. Professor Yan’s teaching style was very humorous, and everyone listened with rapt attention. While other classes were still learning the characteristics of different spices, the key class had already moved on to combining spices and identifying scents. Every time Professor Yan called on someone, the room grew tense—except for Jiang Mengwan, who always answered with relaxed confidence and perfect accuracy.
“Mengwan is so impressive—she got everything right again.”
“Of course. She comes from a perfume dynasty family. It’d be weird if she didn’t know these basics.”
“It’s really unfair. She’s already halfway down the road while we’re still standing at the starting line.”
“I heard Jiang Mengwan can already distinguish over five hundred different fragrance materials.”
……
Jiang Mengwan set down the spice bottle in her hand and returned to her seat, completely ignoring the discussions around her. Because everything they said was true—she was more outstanding than every single person present. Sometimes, the strong don’t need to care about the thoughts of the weak.
In the very last row, Ji Huaixiang sat quietly in the corner, turning another page of her book. If anyone noticed, they would be shocked: this Complete Encyclopedia of Spices and Essences, which contained information on three thousand different fragrance materials, had already been flipped to the final few pages—and there were quite a few notes written in the margins.
Suddenly, the fingers holding the black pen paused. The tip nearly tore through the white paper.
Ji Huaixiang pressed her lips together and smiled. She had probably figured out what spices to use for Gu Wujin’s mother’s perfume.
S University had dedicated laboratories specifically for the department. Smelling, identifying, and blending fragrances all required accumulated experience, so the school provided exclusive labs for the Spices and Essences Department. The doors were open at all times, allowing students to come in whenever inspiration struck to experiment with blending. Professors or lab assistants were always present to offer guidance and assistance.
Arriving at the familiar lab door, Ji Huaixiang walked inside. In the past, she had practically reported here every day, completely immersed in perfumery. Every inch of the lab, every placement of the various liquid bottles and instruments—she knew it all like the back of her hand.
Several tables inside were occupied by students in white lab coats, fully focused on blending their perfumes.
Ji Huaixiang quietly walked to the last table, set down her crossbody bag, and put on the white coat hanging on the wall nearby.
Perfume is divided into top notes, middle notes, and base notes.
Top notes usually last only a few minutes and are typically fresh and light. Middle notes can last up to four hours and often feature floral or fruity accords. Base notes are the heaviest, lingering the longest—hours or even days—and are usually composed of rich, intense scents.
Ji Huaixiang put on gloves and began working with test tubes.
The lab was very quiet, interrupted only occasionally by the soft clink of glass bottles. At the front desk sat the duty teacher, ready to help any student who had questions.
Blending perfume is not easy. A perfumer faces thousands of fragrance materials every day, combining hundreds of them, testing and adjusting repeatedly. It’s completely normal for it to take months—or even years—to create a single successful perfume. The precise ratios depend entirely on the perfumer’s personal intuition; a difference of even a fraction can lead to a completely different result.
For an entire week, aside from attending classes and returning to the dorm, the place Ji Huaixiang spent the most time was the laboratory.
“Huaixiang, quick—hurry and change! Winter Sunny’s cousin is having a birthday. He booked a room at Yan Se and invited our whole dorm to go sing karaoke.”
The moment Ji Huaixiang returned to the dorm, Lin Xiaoxuan excitedly told her.
“I’m not going. I’m a bit tired. You guys go ahead.”
She had finally completed the top notes and had used up a lot of energy. She wanted to rest properly.
“Come on, he specifically invited the whole dorm. If you don’t go, it’ll be such a downer.”
Lin Xiaoxuan looked a little unhappy.
“Yeah, Huaixiang, come with us. My cousin put in a lot of effort to book the room. Yan Se is such a high-end place—we can just go to experience it,” Ji Dongqing added.
Jiang Yongtian also spoke up:
“Huaixiang, come together. I want to check it out too.”
Ji Huaixiang glanced at the three of them and finally agreed.
Ji Dongqing and the others had all changed into pretty dresses, looking even more refined and charming. Ji Dongqing held up a light blue dress and showed it to Ji Huaixiang.
“How about I lend you this dress to wear?”
She had seen Ji Huaixiang’s wardrobe—full of very ordinary clothes, not a single decent dress.
“Yeah, Huaixiang, you’d look so pretty in it,” Lin Xiaoxuan said. She had already changed into a soft pink dress—sweet and cute, perfectly matching her image.
Ji Huaixiang’s gaze lingered on the dress for a few seconds before she lowered her eyes.
“No need. I’m fine wearing what I have.”
Lin Xiaoxuan quickly laughed it off and teased:
“You’re right. Huaixiang is so beautiful—even in regular clothes she looks great. We can’t let you steal all the spotlight tonight.”
“Okay.”
Ji Dongqing put the dress away without saying more. Her gaze briefly swept over the skin at Ji Huaixiang’s neck—fair and smooth—before looking away.