One Year After Her Sister-In-Law Was Widowed - Chapter 35.1

Xiao Shuangyu felt somewhat unwell.

This was the first time she had proactively released her pheromones, yet she had released so much that it bordered on over-exhaustion. Aside from the lack of adjustment, her head felt heavy and muddled.

However, this “excessive” amount was clearly not even up to the average level of an ordinary person; it hadn’t even clearly diffused into the living room.

Touching the back of her neck as she returned from the doorway to the living room, Xiao Shuangyu could smell the difference created by those few short steps.

Her gaze fell upon Ji Zhuozhou on the sofa, and a thought suddenly occurred to her.

She moved closer to Ji Zhuozhou. “Sister.”

Ji Zhuozhou looked up at her. “Mm.”

Xiao Shuangyu lowered her gaze. “Sister, can you… make perfume for me?”

It would no longer be her thinking of Ji Zhuozhou, but Ji Zhuozhou thinking of her.

She wanted Ji Zhuozhou to decide what her scent should be.

Ji Zhuozhou understood her meaning and lowered her eyelashes with a faint smile. “Sure.”

She agreed very quickly.

Xiao Shuangyu snapped her head up. Her expression, which had been gloomy all day, finally changed. “Really?”

Ji Zhuozhou nodded. “This is Lianlian’s idea, isn’t it? I will do it seriously.”

Xiao Shuangyu’s heavy heart soared in an instant. She was so excited she was nearly going crazy, and she instinctively wanted to curl her lips into a smile.

Then she suddenly paused, hurriedly pulled out her phone, and held up her balance before Ji Zhuozhou, speaking cautiously. “Is this… is this enough?”

Without waiting for Ji Zhuozhou to answer, she pulled it back and flipped to another account. “And these.”

“If it’s not enough, can I owe it to you first?”

Xiao Shuangyu raised her eyes carefully, stealing a glance at Ji Zhuozhou.

This was all the money Xiao Shuangyu had on her.

Since she had proposed the idea of making perfume to Ji Zhuozhou, she had started looking up the prices for custom perfumes.

The price gap was enormous.

It ranged from a few hundred yuan to several hundred thousand, and those were just the starting prices for brands of various sizes. If one sought a private commission from a famous perfumer, the price would only be higher.

Huari did accept custom clients, and the starting price was 300,000 yuan.

But Xiao Shuangyu knew that the starting price couldn’t be taken as the final price, especially since Ji Zhuozhou was a senior perfumer.

Not junior, not intermediate, but senior—someone who could be considered a pillar among Huarui’s perfumers.

Perhaps it would require nearly a million.

She didn’t have that much, but she didn’t want to give up. She could work hard and take part-time jobs to pay back the money; she only hoped Ji Zhuozhou would allow her to be in debt.

Where her gaze rested, Ji Zhuozhou’s eyes lowered slightly, and her voice was soft. “Is this what Lianlian saved up from part-time jobs?”

Xiao Shuangyu blanked for a moment.

She lowered her head. “Not all of it.”

Some of it was the tuition and living expenses her mothers had the accountant sent regularly. She had told the accountant she had already graduated, and the accountant said they understood, yet they still sent the money.

This wasn’t the first time.

Back when the Rain Band started performing at the TH Bar, the performance fees she received were basically enough to cover all her expenses.

Later, as their performance fees rose higher and higher, she felt that she could be like Xiao Mingyi and no longer need money from home. She had mentioned this to the accountant, who again said they understood, but the money kept coming.

Perhaps she should have mentioned it to her mothers, but her mother’s held no expectations for her and therefore gave her no concern. She couldn’t find an opportunity and could only keep going back to the accountant.

She looked at Ji Zhuozhou again. “But I will work hard. I will pay it all back.”

Now, her salary after transfer positions had nearly doubled; it was already a notch higher than her performance fees. She could save money faster than before. She could pay it back quickly.

Ji Zhuozhou pressed down the hand holding the phone. “Lianlian misunderstood. I think Lianlian is very impressive.”

Xiao Shuangyu was stunned.

Ji Zhuozhou continued, “Besides, I haven’t said anything yet. Why did Lianlian assume on her own that she already owes so much?”

Doubt appeared in Xiao Shuangyu’s dark eyes.

Ji Zhuozhou turned off her phone screen. “Lianlian, I’m not short on money. This isn’t a business deal.”

At eight o’clock, when Xiao Shuangyu picked up the trash bag containing the rotten orange and left the house for the TH Bar, her head still felt heavy.

Ji Zhuozhou said she wasn’t taking this order from the company’s perspective.

Therefore, Ji Zhuozhou wouldn’t use Huari’s lab to make the perfume for her. Ji Zhuozhou would look for inspiration among used samples and then go elsewhere to create the scent.

This wasn’t a reason for Xiao Shuangyu not to pay, but Ji Zhuozhou had very firmly rejected her.

Ji Zhuozhou said it might take a long time, but that they would go together when the time came.

Xiao Shuangyu felt somewhat dazed.

She boarded the car in a daze with the trash bag and only remembered it halfway through the trip.

Outside the back door of the TH Bar, she threw the rotten orange into the trash can.

Tonight was the night the Rain Band decided to perform new songs.

Two of them.

Besides their original composition that they had spent the month polishing; there was also a new adaptation born from Nie Siyu’s sudden inspiration.

This was something worth being excited about. A-Nan and Nie Siyu arrived backstage early, and before they even started, they were already setting out the alcohol for the celebration.

Seeing her arrival, A-Nan immediately greeted her. “Lianlian is here! Shall we celebrate after we finish?”

Looking at the pile of various colored bottles, Xiao Shuangyu nodded. “Mm.”

A-Nan had already prepared for Xiao Shuangyu to decline. Lately, Xiao Shuangyu had been running off quickly every time they finished; it had been a long time since she had stayed to drink with them.

With Xiao Shuangyu agreeing so readily, A-Nan was caught off guard. “Ah?”

Xiao Shuangyu walked over to help the two of them. A-Nan looked at Nie Siyu.

Nie Siyu wasn’t very surprised. “Of course we have to celebrate. We have two new songs today.”

Usually, it could be said they just wanted an excuse to drink regardless of whether it was a real celebration or not, but today was the debut of two new songs—a legitimate celebration.

Xiao Shuangyu certainly wouldn’t miss such a celebration. She had also told Ji Zhuozhou that she would be back a bit late today.

The fact that Ji Zhuozhou had to wait until late to rest because of her made her feel guilty, but when she told Ji Zhuozhou that she really didn’t have to wait for her tonight, Ji Zhuozhou still said, “I’ll wait for you to come back,” she still felt happy.

Xiao Shuangyu nodded. “Exactly.”

A-Nan curled her lip and hummed. “Exactly, exactly! I was the one who said we should celebrate first. Don’t make it sound like I’m the only one against it.”

Nie Siyu burst into laughter, and Xiao Shuangyu followed suit, her gloomy mouth curving up for no reason. Seeing this, A-Nan couldn’t help but laugh as well.

It was a very relaxed atmosphere.

Xiao Shuangyu felt as though she had experienced so much over the past two days. The happiness and the unhappiness were mixed, weighing down her heart, making her almost unsure of how to face Ji Zhuozhou.

She had originally thought that simply being close to Ji Zhuozhou would be enough, but when she was truly close—close to the point of intimacy, close to the point where the tide surged—she greedily wanted more.

No matter how much she disliked Xiao Mingyi, she couldn’t deny that it was perhaps because of Xiao Mingyi that Ji Zhuozhou allowed her to stay in the house, allowed her to get close, and allowed her to be unrestrained.

But what if, one day, Ji Zhuozhou let go of Xiao Mingyi?

Would Ji Zhuozhou who no longer needed Xiao Mingyi still need her?

If Ji Zhuozhou no longer needed any “Mingyi,” what should she do?

Xiao Shuangyu didn’t think about it. In this lounge far away from everything, she chatted and laughed with two people who knew nothing, letting everything go.

The performance effect was unprecedentedly good.

On the way back to the lounge after finishing at midnight, the cheers from the front stage pierced through, lasting and passionate.

The three of them raised their glasses high in the lounge where the sound could still be faintly heard. In a short while, two bottles were gone, and they were quickly stained with intoxication.

Xiao Shuangyu’s alcohol tolerance was average. Since she had to return to Ji Zhuozhou’s home later, she controlled herself slightly to avoid becoming unconscious.

The other two, who were better tolerance, were the main force. A-Nan finished another glass in one go. “Sigh, Sister Xunxia is really something. How can she not be here at a time like this?”

Nie Siyu responded, “Exactly. Otherwise, she’ll say she didn’t see it and won’t give us a raise.”

Xiao Shuangyu took a sip from her glass and muttered, “She wouldn’t give us a raise even if she saw it.”

It was a total reality check.

Nie Siyu covered her ears. “I’m not listening!”

A-Nan laughed loudly.

A knock on the door sounded amidst the chaos.

Usually, no one knocked on their door after a show, and since they were loud, no one paid attention.

However, the person outside just opened the door; it was a bar staff member.

The three of them noticed and immediately quieted down. Nie Siyu spoke up, “What’s wrong?”

The staff member looked at Xiao Shuangyu. “Lianlian, there’s a girl outside who insists on finding you. Maybe you should go take a look? I see she’s alone, and it’s not great for her to just stay there.”

Xiao Shuangyu instinctively thought of Ji Zhuozhou, then remembered that Ji Zhuozhou didn’t know she was here and wouldn’t come. The spirit she had just raised deflated slightly.

But who would be looking for her?

A-Nan’s head popped out. “Who is it, who is it? Can I go, see?”

Nie Siyu reached out and grabbed A-Nan. “Didn’t you hear they’re looking for Lianlian? Don’t go poking your nose into everything.”

A-Nan curled her lip unhappily. Nie Siyu hurriedly waved at Xiao Shuangyu. “Go take a look first. If it’s no good, we’ll head over later.”

Xiao Shuangyu nodded and stood up with curiosity. The staff member led her to the back door and stayed inside without going out.