Chapter 37: 037 part 1
Ye Chao was a loyal customer of Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance, but due to the nature of his work, he couldn’t always stand guard at the shop entrance to snag natural plants every day.
This was a source of great regret for him.
At this moment, he was cradling the lavender he had won a few days ago through the interactive quiz. As he inhaled the gentle wafts of fragrance, his head began to nod rhythmically.
The effects of lavender were well-deserved of its reputation. Even someone like Ye Chao, who suffered from sleep-deprived anxiety due to the release of his new record, managed to get three hours of deep sleep daily with the help of its scent.
Lavender was simply miraculous!
With a ding, the familiar notification sound of the Starbuy app rang out.
The drowsy Ye Chao jolted awake.
After a quick scan of the latest news, his dog-like eyes, which had been tinged with weariness, suddenly brightened.
Ye Chao’s voice was filled with irrepressible excitement. “Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance is participating in a promotion, and old customers can pre-order any item in the shop! This is absolutely fantastic!”
“Doesn’t this mean I don’t have to scramble to find time for the rush tomorrow?”
“And the shop won’t close even if it’s sold out. The shop owner’s words last time about the ‘suggestion is on the to-do list’ were actually true.”
On the day of the quiz where he had used the process of elimination to answer, Ye Chao had only offered a couple of suggestions out of enthusiasm; he hadn’t really expected the owner to implement them.
After all, everyone knew how it went—many people would say, “Your opinion has been noted,” putting on a polite front while completely ignoring it behind the scenes.
However, the “Old Customer Pre-order Mode” and the “No-Closure Policy” introduced today by Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance were a significant step. Even though it was far from Ye Chao’s dream of “pre-ordering 50 pots at once,” the shop was at least optimizing.
This proved the owner wasn’t just stalling; they were genuinely understanding customer needs and improving the shopping experience.
“The shop owner is so reliable.”
At the thought that he could secure a natural plant tomorrow even if his schedule was packed, Ye Chao’s mood became radiant. If he had a tail, it would surely be wagging fast enough to take flight.
“I’ll order another pot of lavender tomorrow then~ though the new plants look adorable too. Maybe I should pre-order one of those?”
Ye Chao was a bit indecisive.
He cautiously touched the lavender petals; the small clusters of purple flowers felt a bit coarse and fuzzy to the touch.
It was quite addictive.
However, as he felt one spot, he noticed a small gap in the full, umbrella-like flower cluster.
Ye Chao blinked, confused. “Eh? Why is my flower balding in one spot?”
“Did it wither? No, that’s not right… there’s no logic in only one spot withering.”
Ye Chao was utterly baffled.
Just who had touched his lavender?!
It wasn’t just Ye Chao; other old customers of Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance expressed two-hundred-percent approval for the latest announcement.
“The setting where old customers can pre-order one item is just too good! This way, I don’t have to rack my brains to snatch one, and my dad can continue using lavender to help him sleep.”
“Solid happiness. I love the shop owner.”
Fang Ning, who had once successfully grabbed a lavender in her hamster form, felt the heavy stone of anxiety in her heart finally drop.
Because of the lavender, Fang Ning’s father had finally managed a few nights of good sleep. She had been terrified that failing to buy more would mean her father could no longer enjoy that rare peace.
But with this news, her father could at least sleep well for another week.
“But even if we can pre-order lavender this time, it’s not a guarantee for the next. We have to urge the owner to stock up faster!”
“Look, the owner can clearly list a hundred pots in a day, yet usually only lists twenty or thirty. Not diligent at all.”
Fang Ning sent the latest shop announcement and her thoughts into the “Insomnia Group,” receiving unanimous agreement from the group members.
Thus, beneath the latest announcement of Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance, a long line of the “Restock Urging Brigade” appeared.
[Can the shop owner be more diligent in the future? Our demands aren’t high; just listing 100 pots a day is fine.]
[Can the shop owner…]
…
Seeing the top comments were a solid wall of restock requests, other old customers felt they made sense and joined the brigade as well.
In this manner, the front page of the shop’s comments was taken over by restock demands. One could only wonder what Zhu Ran would think when he woke up to see such a spectacular sight.
Soon, midnight arrived, and the promotional event for Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance began.
Su Yu was the eldest daughter of a scholarly family. Named “Yu” (Jade), her family hoped she would become a person as gentle as jade.
Being held to such expectations, Su Yu was indeed a “gentle and wise” woman to the outside world.
She was refined in her behavior and slow-spoken; it seemed no one had ever seen her angry.
Every movement, every look, and every word seemed carefully designed, exuding a soft beauty.
But no one knew that the Su Yu who was evaluated by outsiders as gentle as water was actually an extremely ambitious and fiery-tempered person deep in her bones.
She herself had nothing to do with the character for “Jade.”
Su Yu, who suppressed herself in the real world, chose to release her true self in the holographic world.
In the Starbuy holographic world, Su Yu’s ID was “Hong” (Red). She wore a red, form-fitting dress with a high slit and stiletto heels.
Her black, waist-length hair paired with her proud and sharp gaze radiated a mature and powerful aura of charm.
She loved hosting personal banquets in the Starbuy virtual community, drinking and dancing happily with other wealthy ladies or silver-tongued men from the holographic world.
Under the flashing neon lights, men and women were enjoying the enthusiastic music to their heart’s content. As the atmosphere reached its peak, Su Yu held a goblet and asked, “Is there anything interesting or rare lately?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance, which has been very famous these past two days? It’s a shop that sells natural plants.” A female friend who had just downed a glass of sparkling wine showed Su Yu the promotion advertisement that Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance had just put up.
“Look, these are the natural plants they just listed today. I think this one really suits your temperament.”
Su Yu looked at the advertisement.
The ad began in a tranquil darkness, where only the faint reflection of flowing stream water could be seen, creating a very mysterious atmosphere.
Then, accompanied by a beam of light, a verdant sprout broke through the soil by the stream.
It was a delicate green all over, radiating vibrant life.
It grew. It spread.
Suddenly, it blossomed into a red flame. Its stems were strong, yet the petals were so soft and beautiful.
Passionate and vivid, magnificent and romantic.
As the light expanded, the dark night turned into a clear day.
The single blooming red transformed into a screen full of fiery colors, as brilliant as exploding fireworks—shocking and breathtakingly beautiful.
The video ended with a closing statement: [Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance], Central Sector 19, keep a date with a Rose.
Su Yu’s lips parted slightly, clearly stunned by the video.
Heavens! Is this… a natural plant?
Is it called a Rose?
It’s too beautiful!
Su Yu was attracted by that green sprout at first sight. That color representing life was completely different from any green she had ever seen—it was full of hope for the future, vigorous and powerful.
Then, the red flower that suddenly bloomed from that green born of the soil surprised her even more.
She hadn’t expected that tiny green sprout to become like this. It was so boldly individualistic in its redness, and yet covered in thorns.
Thump-thump. It was the sound of a heart racing from excessive infatuation.
Su Yu’s vision was completely occupied by the rose. She wanted such a fiery flower, wanted it very much.
“Central Sector 19? I’ll go take a look right now.”
With that, Su Yu settled the bill for everyone and hurriedly left for Sector 19.
Zhou Yunjie, a career woman who couldn’t go home on the weekend to accompany her seven-year-old son due to work, was currently shopping with him in the Starbuy holographic world.
Thanks to the holographic world, even though they were over 40 light-years apart, they could still complete parent-child interactions online.
Zhou Yunjie led her son, Xiaolong, into a toy store.
“Mom will buy whatever you like, don’t be shy. After we’re done, your dad will play with you tonight.”
The child, wearing blue jellyfish pajamas, just stood at the entrance of the toy store without entering. He was clearly uninterested. “I have all these toys, and so do the other kids. I want to buy something they don’t have.”
“Then shall we try another shop?”
“Okay, Mom.”
Zhou Yunjie was holding Xiaolong’s hand, ready to check other toy stores, when the advertisement board at the top of the street changed.
Underneath the fresh rain, a plump plant that looked like a gemstone was reflecting crystal-clear light under the sun.
It was different from all the synthetic plants in the interstellar era. Its leaves were full and aesthetic, its color fresh and pure. Its overall shape was also very cute, exuding a natural feel that was detached from the metallic texture of the interstellar world.
The advertisement displayed the plant from various angles.
It was almost too perfect; every shot showed curves without a single sharp edge.
Moreover, unlike synthetic plants where the flowers were taller than a face and the stems thicker than an arm, its appearance was very compact. Even a child’s hand could cradle it.
The closing text of the video read: Natural plant Star Beauty, your desktop companion plant. Central Sector 19 [Zhu’s Lingering Fragrance].
Xiaolong’s gaze was captured by the Star Beauty in the ad.
It was so small, so green, and so chubby. Xiaolong had never seen anything like it; this plant was far too novel for him.
If he bought this new thing and the other kids saw it, they would definitely be dying of envy.
He wanted it.
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