SAHBQT 02

Like a freshly bloomed lily—pure and flawless, yet utterly dull.

The maids in the household had come twice within the span of a few dozen seconds. The first time, they brought You Mingming a pot of fruit tea; the second, they brought freshly cut fruit. For such a simple task, four or five people actually scrambled to do it. As they passed by You Mingming, they deliberately slowed their steps, their nostrils flaring slightly, their faces taking on expressions of indulgent, blissful delight.

As if merely being able to spend a little more time near the young lady was the supreme pleasure.

“Miss, do you need anything else?”

Only after asking You Mingming did the maid glance at Bai Qiyao and Wen Suyue. She showed no particular reaction to Wen Suyue, but when her gaze fell on Bai Qiyao, a flicker of disgust and dislike crossed her face—gone in an instant.

Out of loyalty to the household, she still performed her duty and asked, “Miss Wen, Major General Bai, may I ask what the two of you would like to drink? How about some Longjing tea?”

“No… no need to trouble yourself,” Wen Suyue said, looking flustered. She glanced up at You Mingming, then quickly lowered her gaze, biting her lip. “Miss, the Pei family has shown me great kindness. How about we let this matter blow over quietly?”

“I can announce to the public that the perfume formula was something we came up with together…”

Wen Suyue’s eyes glistened with tears, her expression steeped in humiliation. In this era, where a perfumer could rise to great heights on the strength of a single fragrance formula, no one would willingly share the spotlight that rightfully belonged to them.

Her posture put herself at the lowest possible position.

And in doing so, she erected a shining image of herself as magnanimous and grateful.

But You Mingming wasn’t buying any of it.

“No need,” You Mingming said, looking rather demure. “I don’t think much of that formula anyway. There must be some misunderstanding about me having copied your perfume formula.”

“No need,” another voice said simultaneously with hers. “She would never do such a thing. I’ve told you—give me some time to investigate, and I will clear your name.”

You Mingming and Bai Qiyao exchanged a glance. Bai Qiyao seemed slightly taken aback, meeting the girl’s grateful gaze before awkwardly looking away. As for You Mingming… years of experience had allowed her to identify the young officer’s extraordinary talent—he was a natural at seeing through fake, manipulative women.

Compared to those who got easily led around by the nose by a skilled pretender, she much preferred people like him—those who could see through the act. People like that were perceptive, knew how to handle situations, and were not swayed by external temptations.

“Thank you for believing in me.”

You Mingming noticed a trace of moisture on the young man’s forehead, so she pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and stood up, intending to wipe it for him. But to her surprise, Bai Qiyao flinched back as if startled, retreating several steps and eyeing her with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze. “You seem… a little different from before.”

“Do I?” You Mingming blinked.

Bai Qiyao’s nostrils still caught a faint trace of floral fragrance from that brief moment of proximity. He held his breath, put on his cap to hide his slightly reddened ears, and said, “I’m overthinking it. There are duties waiting for me at the military base. If you need anything, just contact me.”

You Mingming hummed in acknowledgment, watching the young officer leave before casting a glance at Wen Suyue, who was still seated on the sofa. Wen Suyue was still fuming. She had never expected that the Bai Qiyao she encountered today—having deliberately chosen this time to visit the Pei household—would be so unyielding and hard to sway. And Pei Qingqing—

What did she mean by “don’t think much of the formula”? Wasn’t the formula something she herself had developed?

Wen Suyue’s expression twisted. She was certain Pei Qingqing was just putting up a brave front. Clenching her fists, she forced a smile at Pei Qingqing… but it was only to be expected that this first move wouldn’t crush her. After all, Pei Qingqing had a special constitution, and countless people wanted to get their hands on her—the Bai family was merely one among them.

Her chess game had only just begun; it was natural not to see progress yet.

Wen Suyue comforted herself with these thoughts, and her smile grew increasingly sincere.

“Miss,” she said, “you—”

“Why are you still here?” You Mingming yawned, waving her hand impatiently. She tossed her handkerchief to the maid standing by and said to Wen Suyue, “I’m going to take my afternoon nap. You should leave now.”

The maid beside her caught the handkerchief, a flash of delight gleaming in her eyes. She said, “Miss Wen, if you please.”

“Young Master Pei won’t be coming back today anyway.”

Wen Suyue: “…”

Wen Suyue glared hatefully at the slender back ascending the stairs, and left unwillingly under the maid’s repeated urging.

After Wen Suyue was gone, You Mingming hid on the second floor and watched as that seemingly gentle and kind maid, when no one was around, buried her face in the handkerchief You Mingming had just discarded—looking utterly intoxicated… and somehow deeply unsettling.

When the maid glanced up warily, You Mingming slipped back into her room.

Once inside, she pulled out the supplementary document on the supporting female character again. It stated that the character had a special constitution—her body naturally carried a fragrance of a hundred flowers. When emotionally agitated or after intense physical activity, this scent grew stronger, evoking the grand spectacle of a hundred flowers in full bloom at their peak.

The benefit of this constitution was that being close to or near the supporting character could soothe those suffering from negative emotions like anxiety, allowing them to regain a sense of calm… the downside was that the character had a congenital heart condition and wouldn’t live past twenty; moreover, she couldn’t go out alone, lest she be captured by ill-intentioned people.

“How old am I now?” You Mingming asked the system.

“Half a year left,” the system replied euphemistically.

“…”

The system: “So I suggest you give up on that second task.”

The system: “Ding—detected that from the previous world, the affection levels of Immortal Venerable Xie Fengxing and Demon Lord Ye Wuheng have exceeded the threshold. Your bank card ending in 29X3 has received a credit of forty million yuan.”

After the automated voice announcing the bank deposit fell silent, the system paused for a moment, then said with great anguish, “Supporting female characters are not supposed to have romance arcs. If the Arbiters find out about your behavior, you’ll be locked in the dark room.”

“But I didn’t actively pursue them,” You Mingming said with an innocent look. “They just fell for me on their own. Is being too outstanding a crime now?”

The system had long grown accustomed to You Mingming’s many excuses and knew she wouldn’t change. So it sighed and decided to get down to business first: “In the original plot, whenever the supporting female character developed a new perfume formula at a certain time, the reborn Wen Suyue would always release it the day before, claiming it as her own.”

“After discussion among our system community, we determined that the most suitable approach is to disrupt the original timeline of when the supporting female character creates new perfume formulas—catch Wen Suyue off guard.”

“Why do that?” You Mingming sat in front of the dressing table, clicking her tongue in mild boredom. “Why not let Wen Suyue think she’s standing at the peak, and then create a work even better than the formula she stole—making her realize that in this lifetime, she’ll never surpass me?”

“Oh.” The system’s tone was utterly indifferent.

You Mingming found it strange: “I know nothing about perfume formulas. Aren’t you worried at all?”

“No,” the system said with a smile. “I will never forget the time in the world before last, when you said you knew nothing about machinery, and then half a year later, you developed a state-of-the-art mech and blew ten enemy cities to rubble.”

Back then, amid the rolling smoke and crashing debris, the young system thought it had seen the light.