Chapter 321

One Hundred and Thirtieth Page: Buying Perfume (Part Two)

“Teacher Takagi?”

The bespectacled short-haired homeroom teacher from our class, meeting her in the Balance Commercial District was quite rare.

“Lingmeng, why are you out shopping alone? Don’t you have any friends?”

Oh wow, what hurtful words is this teacher saying!

“I’m just here to buy a gift for a friend!”

“Go to another store; that ‘Bonfire’ perfume can be bought for less than a thousand yuan, and they’ll throw in a sample bottle.”

Teacher Takagi mercilessly exposed the trap set by the salesperson, whose face had turned quite ugly.

But she still tried to argue, “This is the seasonal new product! It’s Bonfire version 2.0!”

Her squinted eyes opened wide, and Teacher Takagi suddenly raised her presence, like a military deity appearing.

“It’s fine if you’re trying to fool some naive little girl, but do you think you can fool me with such excuses? The yellowing in the sample bottle means the perfume has been stored for a long time! This perfume not only smells overpowering but also fades quickly! Are you planning to sell this to unsuspecting customers at almost double the price? If you want me to report you to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce…”

Indeed, the scent of this perfume was somewhat pungent.

“Eight Hundred! Of course, it will be brand new! The price cannot go any lower! Expert, give me a break on the storefront fee!”

Thanks to Teacher Takagi’s expertise, this seemingly individual saleswoman was thoroughly defeated, almost kneeling down to beg for mercy.

She then carefully packaged the gift box for me.

“Doing business so poorly that you resort to such tricks, I’m really sorry. But you teachers are really impressive…”

Teacher Takagi wiped her nose, “It’s nothing special, I just happen to know about that brand.”

Since she was also out strolling, to express my gratitude, I followed Teacher Takagi for a while after leaving the perfume shop.

I promised to get a thousand-yuan-level perfume for Yuzu, but with Teacher Takagi’s help, I didn’t spend that much. So, I bought Yuzu a beautiful crystal pendant worth a hundred yuan… In total, it wasn’t even a thousand yuan, but it made me feel less guilty.

“Thank you so much, Teacher, for helping with the perfume.”

“You’re buying perfume for the first time, right? To give to your girlfriend?”

I shook my head and replied, “No, actually, it’s for a little guy who always thinks he has an odor.”

Teacher Takagi’s expression gradually became more gossipy, her squinted eyes turning into two crescent-shaped slits.

“Hmm, not denying the girlfriend… Let me guess, is it one of our class idols? Or Lin Hua? Or the basketball idiot?”

“Please don’t speculate like that! And don’t pat my head, I still want to grow taller!”

I removed her hand from my head and stopped her unnecessary speculation, complaining, “If you say no friends, you’re the same, aren’t you?”

“Don’t compare me to you. I came here with Mokon to handle some business. While they were talking, I found it boring and came up to look at the cosmetics… and then I saw you.”

Mokon, a short girl with very high hair and a petite figure.

“Oh, is that Teacher Xiaodie?”

I blinked and asked again, “Where is she?”

“So, the author, Xiaojī from the Gongyong family, is your friend, right?”

Because we hadn’t met in a long time, Fengwu’s holy marks hadn’t been replenished, and he hadn’t used them yet, which was unexpected.

“Let’s not talk about when she first started, can she still be considered a big writer now?”

In response to Teacher Takagi’s question, I chose to answer with a question.

“As far as I know, her second book changed its style and she used a new illustrator, causing her popularity to plummet among readers of Lilith Publishing.”

“Haha, that was a long time ago. You really don’t care about your friends, no wonder you end up shopping alone.”

Teacher Takagi waved her hand, “As my sister says, this Xiaojī isn’t just a popular ‘high school girl writer.’ She has solid writing skills.”

“Does that mean she’s become famous again?” I asked in surprise.

Teacher Takagi spread her hands.

“Mokon came here today to discuss the signing event. Do you think a publisher would arrange a signing event for an unpopular author?”

My information was a bit outdated, and no one had mentioned this before.

“Another signing event? New book? Or the one about the Witch Forest?”

“If you have so many questions, why don’t you just go and see for yourself? They are downstairs at ‘Yichayi.'”

Teacher Takagi’s suggestion intrigued me. After all, curiosity got the better of me, and going downstairs wouldn’t take much time…

“Long time no see, please take me there, Teacher.”

—

Teacher Takagi brought me to a tea house on the third floor, in a relatively secluded area.

The interior decoration was rustic, with a dark color scheme and uneven green tiles on the floor. The environment gave a sense of time travel, making it hard to tell what era it was.

Passing through the bamboo screen at the entrance, I saw a staff member—no, not quite.

In a teahouse, staff should be called waiters or runners.

The skinny waiter carried a shiny copper teapot with a long spout, focusing intently on practicing pouring tea on a redwood table, though his technique was not yet perfect. He accidentally spilled tea all over the floor and nearly splashed me.

“Oh! Sorry, sorry. Would you like something to drink, or some food?”

Teacher Takagi said, “We’re here with others, they’ve already arrived.”

“So you did see us earlier. Do you need to guide us?”

“No, keep practicing your tea-making skills.”

I followed silently, glancing at the menu board behind the counter.

… Phew, the prices weren’t bad. Maybe because it’s on the third floor?

Checking prices before deciding whether to consume is a habit of poor people.

Seeing me staring at the menu, Teacher Takagi smiled, “What? Planning to treat me to a meal?”

Any competent adult wouldn’t say something like that.

I pulled a corner of my mouth, “Thanks to you, I didn’t fall for the salesperson’s trick. So, treating you isn’t impossible, but are you really trying to take advantage of me? Don’t you know my family situation?”

Teacher Takagi’s father was an advisor to my father’s company, though not full-time, he was still considered a senior leader. My impoverished single-parent background was known to her.

“Hey, you can afford that perfume but won’t treat me to a meal? You stingy little thing, do you want me to treat you instead?”

Frugality is necessary.

Without a source of income, every penny I spent was one less.

Besides the standard tea snacks, the place also served some simple meals, but modern people wouldn’t think of eating lunch at a teahouse, so it was quiet during mealtime. At a corner near the counter, a few bored waiters were huddled together playing on their phones, so engrossed that they didn’t even look up at the customers, probably playing some game.

The teahouse also had small private rooms facing outside. Passing through an empty corridor, Teacher Takagi led me to a room where Xiaodie and Fengwu…

Now should I call her Fengwu-senpai or Xiaojī-san?

Regardless, they were discussing something around a laptop and some A4 papers. From the state of the snacks on the table, they had been sitting there for quite some time, probably since the commercial district opened.

“Mokon! Guess who I ran into in the mall?”

Ignoring my and Xiaojī’s presence, Teacher Takagi sat next to Xiaodie and hugged her younger sister affectionately.

“Sis! I’m working, please don’t do this!”

Xiaodie complained, then noticed me standing behind her, her face lighting up.

“Oh! It’s Lingmeng! How’s your leg injury?”

“It healed long ago, I can jump around now!”

I looked at Xiaojī, “Xiaojī hasn’t seen you in a while.”

She waved me over to sit beside her.

“Lingmeng, regarding what happened to my sister yesterday…”

Yesterday, Qianxia borrowed Xiao Cangyu’s body, and when Qi took Qianxia back, she told her everything. She might want to hold me accountable for it.

I immediately apologized, “Sorry, I also think it wasn’t appropriate, but we really needed to borrow a body for ‘that child,’ because Cangyu doesn’t interact much with people, making her suitable…”

The more I talked, the quieter and less confident I became.

Yesterday, Xiaotang forced Cangyu to make a sacrifice, and I didn’t entirely agree with this approach. Facing Cangyu’s loving… sister, I couldn’t lift my head.

“Why apologize? I’m not blaming you.”

“Huh?”

“I also believe that child needs a tough treatment plan, but I can’t push her out myself. Your method, using a cheerful child to teach her how to interact with others, seems feasible.”

“Do you agree?”

“Cangyu talked a lot with me last night about Qianxia, and she even said she’s willing to try the treatment… as long as it’s not too frequent.”

“Really? That’s great!”

Xiaojī sighed, “Ah, if only Cangyu could make new friends.”

Teacher Takagi and Xiaodie.

These two sisters, who don’t resemble each other much, were looking at us with puzzled expressions… They couldn’t understand our conversation.

Xiaodie asked, “What are you whispering about? What’s wrong with Cangyu?”

“Not a big deal. Have you finished discussing the signing event?”

Xiaodie, though curious about our previous conversation, didn’t press further when we remained silent. She simply replied, “The general arrangement is settled.”

“When will it be held?”

“Before Christmas, there’s a large book exhibition at the city library, and our publishing house will definitely have a booth.”

“So, how did Xiaojī’s reputation turn around? Didn’t the Witch Forest cause dissatisfaction among readers?”

Most of Lilith Publishing’s works are aimed at women, and suddenly switching to a more realistic fantasy story with a tragic heroine naturally upset readers accustomed to “Mary Sue” narratives.

“While it didn’t cause a stir within Lilith’s reader base, readers outside the circle gave high praise. Although it’s a story set in medieval times with a witch as the protagonist, the world-building is very realistic, and the plot is gripping… Though it’s hard for me to say as an editor, our readers lack taste.”

Xiaodie said this.