"What are you doing?” For the first time in his life, William was dragged into the bathroom by a woman. He felt inexplicably flustered. The fact that this woman had publicly called him a dog made him even angrier. "Hush!" Annie, who was listening to the commotion outside by pressing her ear against the door, wasn’t aware of William's embarrassment and irritation. "Good thing she didn't notice..." "What's fortunate, President Snow?" William pulled away Annie's hand from his clothes, and straightened out the wrinkles. Annie looked up and saw William's displeasure, and smiled apologetically. "Well, I need to talk to you, so I had to resort to this. We might as well pretend to be a couple in front of Melanie..." "What?" William's face contorted. "Not exactly a couple, but a dating couple…" Annie clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "President Snow! Are you willing to date a dog?" William refused to relent. "Hey!" Annie, unwilling to give in, retorted, "
"Very good." Robert nodded, giving them a backhanded compliment. "The contestant from Medonia just now left a deep impression on me. He was able to use the limited base scents here to create different fragrances, evoking the taste of local dishes in Medonia. It's interesting. How talented!" His implication was that the other performances were mediocre. After Robert finished speaking, he intentionally looked at Joseph, who had remained silent all along, and asked, "Joseph, what do you think?" Joseph didn't speak, and just nodded slightly. "The Yorks’ position in the fragrance industry is unquestionable. People say that the perfume industry in Medonia is dominated by the Ustalians, but I haven't seen any Ustalian contestants showcasing their talents. Are they all too low-key?" Robert continued to provoke them, unwilling to accept defeat. Joseph finally turned his head to look at him, his old eyes exuding dignity. "We hold this banquet and organize this competition with the
The atmosphere became tense again. No one spoke at the venue. On the silent stage, Melanie stood alone, glaring coldly at Robert sitting beside Joseph. It seemed that if she didn't perform today, she would bring shame to the Ustalians. Joseph had intentionally arranged for her to participate in this "extra round"… Regardless, the provocative words from earlier had indeed affected her. Even if they were deliberately provoking her, she was willing to admit she had fallen for it! Melanie took a step forward, approached the microphone, and said, "The fellow perfumers who showcased their talent earlier were all prepared, but I have to improvise on the spot. Can I have some time to seek inspiration?" "Of course," Robert said with a sinister smile. As long as she agreed, everything was good. Could she even come up with a high-quality creation without preparation? On the side, Robert’s assistant couldn't help adding, "Miss Jones, the banquet ends in one hour. Please be mindful
Melanie didn't really know Joseph, but the question posed was already challenging enough, so a little more challenge didn’t hurt. She glanced at the four "models" sitting in a row, gathered her focus, and walked to the fragrance blending station. "Miss Jones, which person's fragrance will you start with?" Robert asked from the audience. "Since it's an impromptu performance, I'll decide as I go. Maybe I'll blend them all together?" Melanie swept her gaze across the stage with a nonchalant tone. "Please stay quiet. I don't like being disturbed." Although Robert was dissatisfied, he kept silent. She had one hour to create four different fragrances. While Joseph presented it as a single challenge, it was essentially four separate tasks. However, Melanie was confident in herself. Since childhood, she had been interested in perfume blending. Even though her father forbade her from entering this field, she never gave up on secretly studying it. Over the years, she had studied th
After a few seconds of silence, Gabriel smirked and stood up. "You've blended it so uniquely. If it's not me, who else could it be?" "You're flattering me, Mr. Lindsey." Melanie smiled brightly, and began to explain, "Indeed, this fragrance was crafted for Mr. Lindsey. When Mr. Lindsey mentioned 'unique,' he was likely referring to the combination of lychee and rose in the top notes, which, though strange, is outstanding. For the middle notes, I used pink pepper and Bulgarian rose, and the base notes consist of musk and amber. “I want to express that he has always stood out ever since he was a child, but has achieved extraordinary results because he confronts his own shortcomings without feeling inferior. Instead, he maximizes his strengths and talents. How wise is that? “On the one hand, he doesn’t want to adhere to so-called boundaries and step on all constraints. On the other hand, deep within, he has his own set of principles—being himself and sincere.” "You're exaggerati
Melanie was startled and instinctively thought of screaming for help. When she looked up, she saw that it was Jeffrey. He leaned in, questioning, "Why did you create a fragrance for me that represents the King of Hell?" "A vampire is more fitting." Melanie moved away from him, standing as far away as possible. "Don't you think you resemble a vampire? You gain eternal life by sucking human blood." "Am I that frightening?" "Yes." "Do you hate me that much?" "Exactly." He asked the questions, while she responded by tilting her neck up without reservation. Her resolute answers deflated his momentum. Jeffrey calmed down, but refused to admit defeat. "I had someone analyze the fragrance you created for me last time. He said it belongs to the floral category, symbolizing a youthful and tender love, full of warmth and happiness." Melanie's eyes turned cold, and she refused to lift her head. "Who did you consult? Is he a professional?" "You used hyacinth, grapefruit, and
Harlow’s subordinate came over, and looked through the gap below the door. He found no one, and began pushing against the door. However, he was unable to push it open after trying a few times.“Mr. York…this…”His subordinate turned back to ask if he should continue. Harlow said with a wave of his hand, “Forget it. We won’t bother each other. Let’s leave!”With that, the opening and closing of another door sounded. Their footsteps vanished in the distance.“Don’t think about other men while in my arms.”Jeffrey’s low voice broke the silence in the washroom.Melanie snapped back to attention, only to find her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned against his chest and clung into his torso.She leaped off from his embrace so quickly that Jeffrey tightened his arms around her out of fright.“Slow down!”“Shh!”Melanie looked at the door cautiously, worried that the sound of the door opening and closing from outside was a ruse and that Harlow was still outside.“Don’t wor
“In that case, you might be pregnant,” the doctor said calmly.Melanie’s heart dropped.She quickly calmed herself down, and said, “I’ve been facing more pressure recently and even went overseas. My mood and physical circumstances can affect my menstrual cycle, can’t they?”“That’s right, but everyone’s bodies are built differently. You better do a blood and urine test to confirm whether you’re pregnant or not before we proceed with other tests,” the doctor said with caution.“Melanie, do the tests for peace of mind,” Annie prodded.Melanie nodded, and took the prescription from the doctor.On her way to do the urine test, she couldn’t help but find this entire fiasco fishy. She bumped into a nurse in the washroom, and approached her to ask, “Hello, can I still get a number for the orthopedic clinic?”“Not at the moment,” the nurse said with a shake of her head.“Is your orthopedic clinic very famous? Why are there so many people queuing up to see a doctor there?” Melanie asked