Lily never told Alexander that she preferred a quiet environment instead of the commotion of large
groups of people. Lily had assumed that someone like Alexander would be surrounded by servants
who busied around the house.
She had no idea that he was nothing like that. There was no one in the house apart from the regular
cleaner. The place was quiet, and he even did the cooking. Even though it felt a little deserted, she
liked the feeling of not being disturbed.
There was a pot of fruit tea brewing and a few delicate cookies lying on a small saucer beside it.
Alexander was adamant about not letting her into the kitchen, so she had no choice but to abandon the
idea and only sat obediently.
There were seven or eight little perfume bottles on the coffee table in front of her, all of which were
newly launched. She sat silently for a moment after preparing a glass of water, some paper towels, and
mint leaves. The recent troubles with Nathaniel, among others, made it hard for her to calm down. She
could not find the inspiration or desire to create new products.
Things could not continue that way anymore. If Lily continued exhausting herself, she would become
hallowed over time, and her creative ability would soon run dry without new sources of inspiration
The work trip opportunity from Jenny was a great idea. Lily could go outside, get some fresh air, and
maybe get some new inspiration.
Lily opened her eyes. The little bottles in front of her looked pretty cute. She picked up a pink bottle and
brought it closer to her.
However, she could smell the overflowing scent even before removing the bottle cap. It was too much,
almost to the point of being pungent. Lily lost all desire to uncap it and instead placed it back
These were lesser–known brands of perfume rather than famous ones. One did not have to look at
other brand–name perfumes to get ideas. Often, it was the small brands that brought unexpected
inspiration.
Although she had withdrawn her hand, the scent lingered on her fingers. She washed and dried her
hands before she sat down again and picked up another bottle. In her hand was a small notebook to
record her analysis, thoughts, and ideas. Lily felt a sense of fulfillment as she busied herself.
When Alexander returned home, he could smell something peculiar rushing toward him before he
entered. He took several steps back and sneezed outside the door.
“You‘re back!” Lily rushed towards her upon hearing his voice.
She spread her arms wide while running towards him, looking for a hug. However, she had not washed
her hands, which she used to test perfume earlier. Alexander wanted to hug her, but his nose twitched
as soon as she got close, and he sneezed continuously. Lily stopped in her tracks and observed him.
Then she lowered her head and sniffed herself.
“Is the smell suffocating you? I‘ll wash it right away!” Lily turned around and ran back into the house.
Alexander stood at the door to recollect himself before entering. He saw Lily had washed her hands.
She then wrapped each of the small bottles with a piece of tissue before she threw them into the trash
can. After that, she tied up the trash bag. “Are you doing experiments at home?” Alexander asked her
while opening the windows to disperse the smell.
“It‘s not really an experiment. I‘m just learning about the new products currently on the market. I wanted
to see if I could learn something.” Lily waved her hand to disperse the smell faster.
“Did you learn anything?” Alexander felt he was about to catch a cold after wiping his nose with a
tissue.
“The only thing I learned was that these are new appearances but still the same old product.
They might seem different, but they aren‘t. It‘s still the same thing.” Lily shrugged, expressing her
disappointment.
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