Yan Sui and Yan Yu would need at least a month to arrange for Dr. Bart to come to Xia Country. The more time they had, the more they needed to ensure the success rate of the surgery. He Yue’s pre-surgery care continued, and everything else had to be perfected as well.
Gu Li’s room was arranged on the second floor of the independent building on the left side of the main residence. This area was originally used for storing miscellaneous items, but after being tidied up, it still made for a decent living space.
There were quite a few more people at home in a short period of time, and it was inevitable that there would be some awkwardness at first. Yan Sui was initially worried that Meng Ting wouldn’t adapt well, but in the end, he found that Meng Ting was actually the one who adapted the most effortlessly. He himself didn’t mind it, so it was just a matter of everyone continuing to adjust to each other.
The others also consciously avoided wandering up to the second floor, as it was reserved as a private space for Yan Sui and Meng Ting, the couple.
It wasn’t impossible for Yan Yu and He Yue to stay elsewhere, but with many things still unclear, the Yan Residence was the safest and most suitable place. Moreover, Yan Sui acknowledged that this was Yan Yu and Yan Manjia’s home, and they had every right to stay there.
On this day, there was still no news from He Wan, but Li Yifei was taken to the police station. Although she was quickly bailed out, this ordeal seemed to have worsened her illness. However, Yan Sui still believed that her illness was mostly feigned.
Old Master Meng had made several calls to Wang Feng, hoping to negotiate with Yan Sui and resolve the matter privately. Yan Sui directly instructed Wang Feng to firmly reject the proposal. Unless Li Yifei truly died from her illness or went insane, she was destined to serve her prison sentence.
***
Early the next morning, Yan Sui accompanied Meng Ting to the laboratory before heading to the company. Yan Yu and He Yue remained at home, while Zhen Han spent half the day at the pet hospital and returned in the afternoon to assist Gu Li. As for Yan Manjia, she spent most of her time in her art studio. The once bare walls were now adorned with several framed paintings.
It seems that people tend to be exceptionally focused on things they love, and Yan Manjia was no exception. Painting and watching her creations take shape, she found such days quite fulfilling.
However, that afternoon, something rather absurd happened that left Yan Manjia utterly speechless. Someone from the organization she had submitted her work to for a competition suddenly called her, saying that a judge wanted to buy her piece at a high price—a truly substantial offer. But how could Yan Manjia possibly lack this little money? This piece was meant to be a gift for her family’s treasure, Meng Ting, after she won the award.
Without hesitation, Yan Manjia flatly refused. The person on the other end probably found the whole situation whole and didn’t press further, simply saying they would convey Yan Manjia’s decision. The call ended just like that.
After a moment of bewilderment, Yan Manjia went back to her work.
***
Meng Ting was still focused in the lab when Yan Mingya called, asking him to personally prepare about ten bottles of Wisteria and Blue Ice. He would send someone to pick them up. This was not a difficult task for Meng Ting; he needed to practice making perfumes every day, so it was just a matter of practicing a few more bottles.
Meng Ting remained deeply focused in the laboratory when Yan Mingya called, asking him to personally prepare a dozen bottles of Rose Vine and Blue Ice. He would send someone to pick them up. For Meng Ting, this wasn’t particularly difficult. He practiced perfumery daily, so it was just a matter of preparing a few more bottles.
Yan Mingya soon received the finished products. Before him were the fragrance masters he had painstakingly invited from Beicheng and other regions over the past few days. Their evaluation of Blue Ice and Rose Vine would essentially determine their future market value.
“Different, different…”
“What’s different?” Yan Mingya immediately followed up with another question. Meng Ting’s perfume was also made according to the formula he provided. How could they be different?
But still, no one immediately answered Yan Mingya’s question. The five fragrance connoisseurs exchanged their thoughts for quite some time before Master Fang Jinrong from Haicheng finally provided Yan Mingya with an answer, “These are quite good, but they still fall short of those.”
“This must have been crafted by a master perfumer. If you sell it as an ordinary perfume, you’ll be at a huge loss.”
Fang Jinrong was a master of fragrance evaluation and also a skilled perfumer. However, at this moment, he felt a sense of reverence towards the ten bottles of perfume that Yan Mingya had brought. He looked at Yan Mingya and asked, “If it’s convenient, could you introduce us to him?”
Yan Mingya couldn’t make that decision, but given the sincerity of these individuals, he considered for a moment before replying, “I need to ask him first.”
“Of course, of course.”
The topic was then set aside, and they continued their discussion. However, the launch of the perfume was already on the agenda, with a batch scheduled for release by the end of the month.
After the five fragrance connoisseurs left, Yan Mingya looked at the perfume personally crafted by Meng Ting and suddenly slapped his thigh and came up with a brilliant idea.
“Little Aunt, I will specially order the bottles for your perfumes in the future. We should design a character on the bottle, using the ‘Ting’ from your name. What do you think?” Yan Mingya naturally knew about Meng Ting’s separation from the Meng family, so using the Meng surname would no longer be appropriate.
“You decide,” Meng Ting replied to Yan Mingya over the phone while still working on his perfume.
The few assistants beside him still looked at Meng Ting with that kind of admiring gaze. The longer they stayed in the lab, the more they were amazed by Meng Ting’s talent and proficiency, as if he had been crafting perfumes since he was in the womb. It was truly extraordinary.
“Alright,” Yan Mingya responded and was about to hang up when he suddenly remembered Fang Jinrong’s request. “Several masters want to meet you. Would you like to see them?”
Meng Ting actually hesitated for a moment. He looked at the perfume in his hand and then declined, “I’m very busy. I don’t have time to meet anyone else during this period.”
Meng Ting indeed felt busy. Crafting perfumes in the lab every day consumed a lot of his energy and time, and he wanted to reserve the rest for Yan Sui.
“Is it a problem?”
“No, no,” Yan Mingya hurriedly said; he wouldn’t dare to force Meng Ting into anything.
Moreover, upon further consideration, he also felt it might be better not to meet. Meng Ting was indeed too young, and there would be a significant discrepancy between him and the image of a master that Fang Jinrong and others had in mind. It would be better to accumulate more fame over the years before meeting, to avoid unnecessary doubts.
“Little Aunt, you go ahead with your work. I’ll hang up now.”
“Mm,” Meng Ting acknowledged, and as soon as he hung up the phone, he continued with his tasks.
Yan Mingya’s actions were swift, and he was well-versed in marketing strategies. He first sponsored some celebrities with the perfume, quickly gaining their favor. He then attended several banquets in Haicheng, giving out the perfume as gifts.
In just a week, even before the perfume was officially launched, its fame had spread like wildfire through the elite circles of Haicheng.
From the current perspective, the momentum Yan Mingya wanted to create seemed to have been achieved. But two days later, news came that Rose Vine and Blue Ice had won awards at the International Fragrance Competition, and even some industry masters like Fang Jinrong publicly expressed their admiration for the perfume.
Their words also mentioned a once-unknown master perfumer, who was inevitably going to become famous because of these two bottles of perfume.
***
October 27th was the day the perfume was launched, but coincidentally, it was also the day Meng Ting returned to school for midterm exams.
Many media outlets had arrived, but in the end, the master who had earned the praise of Fang Jinrong and others did not appear. However, the launch event still did not disappoint. In addition to the Rose Vine red bottle and Blue Ice blue bottle, there was also a special gold edition bottle, a limited-release product crafted by the master perfumer.
Ten bottles were sold on-site, with each counter having a maximum of ten bottles. Online, there were only fifty bottles available. All the perfumes Meng Ting had been practicing with this month were completely sold out.
The gold edition bottle was nearly ten times more expensive than the red and blue bottles, yet it was still in high demand and sold out in less than three minutes online. The on-site sales and subsequent releases at major department store counters were also completely sold out by the morning.
Many people were curious whether the perfume was worth its price, and some even took pleasure in hoping that those who bought it would feel they had overpaid. However, the reality was the opposite of what they expected. Numerous calls flooded the company’s sales department, with many people eager to place pre-orders.
“I absolutely love it! There’s this indescribable feeling… I’m so glad I was quick, haha…”
This was a message posted by a well-known beauty blogger on social media. Besides her, others who managed to snag a bottle also come out to share their thoughts, but most of them are just boasting about their success. While many couldn’t afford the expensive gold or purple edition bottles, the mid-priced red and blue bottles were still within reach for most.
After trying them, many expressed their liking for the perfumes, and naturally, their envy and desire for the gold edition bottle grew even stronger.
The impact of the gold edition bottle exceeded Yan Mingya’s expectations. The online buzz was intense, and the large stock he had boldly asked the perfume factory to produce came in handy. Meng Ting’s perfume launch had made a successful debut.
However, this success was largely confined to the internet and higher consumer circles. For high school students, it had no impact. Even the recent high-profile media scandal involving the Yan family was barely known among the third year high school students.
No one even connected that Meng Ting with the Meng Ting who had a very weak presence in Class 2 of the third year.
When he returned to take the exams, he was placed in a different class from his original classmates. Everyone’s minds were filled with essays or formulas, and even if there were classmates in the same exam room, no one recognized Meng Ting.
After two consecutive days of exams, the last subject, science, was Meng Ting’s strong suit. He quickly filled out the exam paper, checked it once, and handed it in, finishing nearly half an hour earlier than the other students.
He wanted to leave early so the driver could take him to pick up Yan Sui, but as soon as he stepped out of the classroom, he was stopped by his homeroom teacher, Wang Qiuyu, who happened to be passing by.
They talked for half an hour, mostly with her asking questions and Meng Ting answering. By the time she let Meng Ting go, the other students had already left the exam hall.
“Goodbye, Teacher Wang!”
Meng Ting gave a slight bow and walked out of the office, exhaling in relief. Wang Qiuyu was quite different from his previous teachers—she genuinely cared about his studies and health. Though she asked many questions, Meng Ting did his best to answer them.
He quickened his pace toward the school gate. Since he hadn’t been able to pick up Yan Sui, he figured Yan Sui would probably come to pick him up instead. With this thought, a faint smile appeared on Meng Ting’s face, and he walked even faster.
“Meng Ting!” Xiao Mu suddenly looked over, his eyes lighting up with apparent surprise, but then his expression darkened. Meng Ting glanced back at him, then turned away and walked off directly. Was it that he didn’t recognize him, or that he simply didn’t care?
Xiao Mu immediately started running after him. Meng Ting also wanted to run, but there were too many people in front of him, and a crowd was pushing up from behind, so he couldn’t manage to get away.
“Meng Ting, are you feeling better? I’ve been really worried about you.”
Xiao Mu noticed Meng Ting’s wariness and didn’t get too close. He put on a smile again, acting as if he were quite familiar with Meng Ting.
Meng Ting turned to look at him once more, his brows furrowing slightly. “Who are you? I don’t know you.”
Meng Ting was certain he had no friends or acquaintances at school.
Xiao Mu’s expression almost cracked again, and he gritted his teeth as he said, “I’m your deskmate. My name is Xiao Mu.”
Meng Ting withdrew his gaze and let out a soft ‘Oh’, then took a few more steps before saying, “Sorry, I still don’t remember.”
His mind is now completely occupied with Yan Sui, and he hasn’t spared any thought into this at all, nor does he feel it’s necessary.
Xiao Mu stopped in his tracks and didn’t follow Meng Ting any further. He was also a man of pride, and after Meng Ting’s words, he wasn’t about to humiliate himself further. But that didn’t mean he was giving up.
He followed Meng Ting out of the school gate, got into his car, but didn’t leave immediately. He sat in the parking spot, his eyes scanning the passing vehicles. Sure enough, he caught a glimpse of Meng Ting through a car window, talking intimately with a man.
That person left some impression on Xiao Mu too—it seemed like he was Meng Ting’s brother or something.
“Let’s go.” After saying this to the driver, Xiao Mu took out his phone from his backpack and made a call.
“Third Brother, it’s me. It’s definitely the Meng Ting you mentioned…” This Third Brother was someone Xiao Mu had only recently come to know when he arrived in Haicheng. They were distantly related, with Third Brother being over twenty years older, but they were considered of the same generation. Such things weren’t uncommon in large families.
There was no doubt that the Third Brother Xiao Mu referred to was Xiao Zi…
“Alright, my car is following them. But what are you planning to do?”
The other end didn’t give Xiao Mu an answer, but he was indeed very concerned about Meng Ting. He wanted to know where Meng Ting lived or what he was doing with that man. He had a feeling that the intimacy between Meng Ting and that man was unusual, but Meng Ting was the person he had set his sights on.
***
Meng Ting hadn’t paid any attention to Xiao Mu before, and he still didn’t now. The moment he saw Yan Sui, his heart and mind were completely filled with him.
“Tomorrow’s a holiday, so I can spend the whole day with you.”
Meng Ting said this as he draped his leg over Yan Sui’s and wrapped his arms around Yan Sui’s neck, looking utterly delighted.
“Mm,” Yan Sui responded, gently rubbing Meng Ting’s cheek before pulling him closer into his embrace.
“I brought your clothes. Change into them, and we’ll head straight to the celebration banquet.”
This banquet was for the success of Meng Ting and Yan Mingya’s company. As the key contributor, Meng Ting naturally had to attend. However, he wasn’t attending as the chief perfumer but rather as Yan Mingya’s little aunt.
Both Yan Sui and Yan Mingya felt that Meng Ting could step into the public eye, but it was still a bit too early. After all, the storm of public opinion had only just subsided, and appearing too soon might give the impression of overhyping. Yet, Meng Ting’s perfumes didn’t need such tactics.
Yan Mingya’s smooth success was primarily due to Meng Ting’s perfume meeting, and even exceeding, the public’s taste expectations.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 070.1″]
盡善盡美 (jìn shàn jìn měi): lit. to exhaust what is good and beautiful; to be unsurpassed in goodness and beauty; perfect; flawless; perfection; the best of all possible worlds; as good as it gets; impeccable; ideal; consummate; without blemish; extremely perfect and beautiful. Same as 盡美盡善 (jìn měi jìn shàn), to describe something that is perfect without any flaws. From the Analects, Book 3 (《論語·八佾》): 子謂韶，「盡美矣，又盡善也。」謂武，「盡美矣，未盡善也」。, The Master said of the Shao that it was perfectly beautiful and also perfectly good. He said of the Wu that it was perfectly beautiful but not perfectly good.有價無市 (yǒu jià wú shì): having a price but no sales, i.e. listed with a fictitious or prohibitively high price but having no sales; have a price but no market; high price but no buyers; priced but unsellable; valued but unmarketable; (goods) have a price but no actual transactions in the market.
不屑一顧 (bù xiè yī gù): lit. to not be worth a glance; to disdain as beneath contempt (idiom); infra dig; displeasing to look at; sneering; to scorn; to sniff at; to dismiss (work or a suggestion); will not spare a glance (for); regard as beneath one’s notice; do not think worthy of cursory attention; contemptuously disregard.
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