SAHBQT 05

Thieves ought to be nailed to the pillar of shame.

You Mingming curled the corners of her mouth, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she told X that these perfume formulas were written by her late sister, and that her sister had greatly admired X—she hoped X might find the time to offer some guidance on them.

Finally, she also expressed her gratitude to X and offered to treat him to a meal or something.

X didn’t reply—probably busy with other matters.

You Mingming didn’t really mind. She spent some time reading up on the theory and fundamentals of perfumery, picked two beginner-level perfume formulas from the ones the system had provided, and decided to start by practicing her hand at them.

***

Three days later, You Mingming independently developed her first perfume formula.

The perfume had a green, leafy note—the scent of foliage, fresh and elegant. Yet You Mingming felt it was missing something crucial. The fragrance smelled pleasant enough, but it lacked that element that would make it truly stand out.

She logged back into Xunfangchen, intending to post an anonymous thread asking for advice from other perfumers.

When she opened the app, the message box showed two unread messages from X, both from three days ago—

X: Fine.

X: 26th, 9 a.m. You pick the place.

You Mingming checked her phone—today was already the 27th. She scratched her head and replied: “Sorry, I’ve been in poor health lately. I passed out a few days ago and didn’t see your messages until just now when I woke up.”

The system, seeing this reply: “…”

The system felt that X would have to be a ghost to believe such a flimsy excuse.

X wasn’t even online right now. After giving herself that perfect pigeon excuse, You Mingming told X about the obstacle she’d encountered in her perfumery career and asked for his opinion.

After that, she posted an anonymous thread, inviting opinions from perfumers far and wide.

She had expected this kind of newbie post to attract plenty of senior mentors offering guidance, or at the very least, a bunch of advanced perfumers showing up to school her on the spot. Either way, You Mingming figured she wouldn’t lose out—she’d even mentally prepared herself to humbly ask for advice.

But she never expected that after half an hour, the thread only had three replies.

The first reply accused her of baiting, the second called her a show-off, and the third tagged the moderators, asking them to lock the thread.

You Mingming: ?

She frowned at the three replies, her face bearing the exact same expression as that old man staring at his phone in the famous meme.

“Green note? Are you sure, OP? I reasonably suspect you’re baiting. Everyone who comes after, don’t reply—don’t give this person attention.”

“Heh. I’ve been perfuming for over twenty years, and I’ve never seen anyone who can formulate a green note yet not understand the most basic perfumery concepts. Is this some new kind of flexing?”

“Alright, is a mod around? If not, I’ll manually lock this thread myself.”

“I don’t get it,” You Mingming said, stunned. “Am I a genius?”

She went downstairs and had a few wide-eyed maids try out the perfume she’d mixed. The maids didn’t react much—they exchanged uncertain glances and hesitantly said, “The perfume the young lady made is certainly good.”

Yeah, judging by their expressions, the perfume was clearly a flop.

But what exactly was it missing? You Mingming sat on the sofa, deep in thought. She had deliberately chosen the green note, the one among the fourteen accords that came closest to nature. The scent was there, but those who smelled it didn’t feel the relaxation or soothing of the mind that should come with it.

“Young lady, someone from the Bai family has arrived,” the butler said, holding an exquisite box as he walked through the main entrance into the living room. He used his eyes to signal the maids lingering around You Mingming to withdraw, then addressed her: “The day after tomorrow is the Bai family’s young lady’s birthday banquet. This is the invitation, along with the gown for the occasion.”

“Butler,” You Mingming took the gold-embossed invitation, glanced at it, then set it aside with little interest, “Does anyone in the household know how to compound perfumes?”

“Perfumery?” The old butler’s face creased with surprise. “The young master is the most skilled at it—does the young lady not know?”

You Mingming’s heart gave a jolt, though her face remained impassive. She only slightly furrowed her brows, affecting a troubled air. “I do know, but…”

“Ah, yes,” the butler sighed. “The young master is too lazy by nature and rarely comes home… The last time he compounded a fragrance was a year ago, I believe.”

“I love people who can just ad-lib like this,” You Mingming nearly broke character—thankfully the butler had a strong enough imagination to fill in the blanks himself. She breathed a sigh of relief and said to the system, “Can your company please transmit the original host’s memories to me next time?”

“Do you have any idea how easy it is for us employees to break character without the original host’s memories?”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you there,” the system said. “Memories are private. The deep consciousness and memories of the human brain are not within our scope of exploration.”

“Young lady,” the butler took the black tea handed to him by a maid, shot a glare at those women who still refused to give up, then turned back to face You Mingming with an exceptionally kind smile. “Other than you and the young master, there is no one else in the household who knows perfumery.”

“However, I’ve heard that the Bai family has invited many famous perfumers to this birthday banquet. The eldest young master has a decent relationship with that young major of the Bai family, so he should be attending.”

The butler’s first half was a response to You Mingming’s question; the second half was an intentional, subtle hint. He seemed well aware of the original host’s unspoken feelings for her elder stepbrother. After saying this, he walked out of the living room.

You Mingming opened the box delivered by the Bai family. Inside was a light blue gown, covered with a layer of thin gauze adorned with many tiny diamonds, like a sea of stars in the night sky.

Accompanying it were a veil-trimmed hat, a folding fan, and a pair of high heels.

“Are you going?” the system asked.

“Yes, of course I’m going,” You Mingming hugged the box and headed back up to the second floor. “Danger and opportunity go hand in hand. Only a fool would pass up this chance.”

The system fell silent, then told You Mingming that among the four hosts its coworkers were handling, three hadn’t gone and had made zero progress on their tasks—total failures. The fourth had gone, but encountered a fatal danger at that very birthday banquet, leading to yet another mission failure.

And that latter one was currently employed in the world of Mary Sue literature, working as an NPC who mindlessly hyped up the female lead. At present, she was living quite comfortably on a basic pension of three to four thousand a month.

“Is that so,” You Mingming said thoughtfully, then laughed. “How interesting. In that case, I definitely have to go and see for myself.”

Unsure whether her host was interested in the fatal danger or the cushy retirement plan in Mary Sue literature, the system’s heart immediately tightened with anxiety.

***

The Bai family’s young lady’s eighteenth birthday banquet was being held at a seaside villa.

The banquet hall was filled with the rustle of fine clothing and the clinking of glasses. Every guest without exception was dressed in elegant attire, their brows carrying polite smiles—some sitting alone to the side, others gathered in small groups engaged in quiet conversation.

“This banquet is ostensibly to celebrate Bai Junmin’s birthday, but really it’s a way to announce to everyone the engagement schedule between the young major and that girl, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. What a lucky break for her—I heard her family is drowning in debt… If it weren’t for the major’s war injuries and his service-related condition, she’d never have gotten the chance.”

“Still, she’s fortunate to have that natural body fragrance… I wonder what she’s like. What era are we in? Why is she still kept hidden away in the inner chambers like those bound-foot women of ancient times, never seen by anyone?”

“Compared to her, I actually think Suyue is better,” the woman who had spoken first turned to look at Wen Suyue, smiling. “Fragrances that soothe the mind? It’s not like we can’t make them. Suyue is young and accomplished—she’ll definitely make a name for herself in the perfume world.”

“Yes, you’re right. Suyue, you’re also considered an adopted daughter of the Pei family. Have you met her? What do you think of her?”

Wen Suyue furrowed her brows, looking somewhat troubled: “Her… I don’t really know how to describe her…”

“Even Suyue doesn’t know how to describe her—she must be pretty awful then…”

Before the woman could finish her sentence, she suddenly caught a whiff of an extremely elegant floral fragrance. She had suffered from headaches for nearly a year, and nothing had worked—but the moment she smelled this delicate scent, her mind relaxed in an instant, and her taut nerves eased considerably.

It was like someone who had been striving and fighting for a long time, finally returning home, sinking into a soft sofa, relaxing their limbs, and drifting to sleep to the sound of rain pattering against the window.

It was so soothing it made one want to cry, to trap this faint fragrance together with oneself forever…

“What fragrance is that?”

The woman was dazed. It wasn’t just her—everyone in the hall had caught that elegant floral scent, their expressions varied.