Part 2
Unlike the light scent of the tea, the rose oil amplified the scent of the rose itself to the maximum. It was thick with a hint of honeyed sweetness—bold and passionate.
Amy suddenly felt as though she were standing in a sea of vivid red roses. The blooming flowers smoothed away her exhaustion.
As she breathed it in, Amy suddenly felt sleepy. She lay down on the single bed in the room to rest.
An hour later, Amy was woken by her alarm amidst the floral scent.
She checked her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were bright; she didn’t look like someone who had pulled an all-nighter at all.
Amy felt fantastic, her spirit renewed.
Even though she had only slept for an hour, she didn’t feel tired at all.
This aromatherapy was miraculous!
Not only did it smell good and bring joy, but it swept away fatigue entirely.
“To hell with the alternatives! Zhuying Anxiang is irreplaceable.”
“I’m going to write a special feature on Zhuying Anxiang. It absolutely deserves it.”
There were many people like Amy and Jiali who had been duped into buying the “Glimmering Sunset” alternative. This caused Crazy BUY’s revenue to spike by 22% over the last two days.
That entire 22% increase came solely from “Glimmering Sunset.” One could only imagine how viral it had become.
On the top floor of the Crazy BUY headquarters, Marketing Director Zhuo Feng was leisurely reviewing the sales data.
Zhuo Feng looked satisfied. “In business… you can’t be afraid to be shameless. Xinggou has Zhuying Anxiang, so we have the alternative Glimmering Sunset. Zhuying Anxiang sells for 300,000 or 500,000, so we sell for 3,000 or 5,000.”
“Look at this. The hype and traffic came instantly, didn’t they? Revenue is soaring.”
“This marketing move of mine is textbook.”
The plan to use a “cheap alternative” as a gimmick had been Zhuo Feng’s idea.
By piggybacking on Zhuying Anxiang’s traffic while simultaneously attacking their high prices, Crazy BUY had made a killing over the last few days.
In short, a shameless man is invincible.
You say our Glimmering Sunset doesn’t smell right?
We’re an alternative, not the original. If you’re so talented, go buy the Zhuying Anxiang oil.
You say we’re falsely advertising?
We stated in our copy that the product uses “high-tech synthetic fragrance.” We didn’t lie once. Where’s the false advertising?
We marketed ourselves as an alternative from the start.
Isn’t it normal for there to be a difference between products?
Zhuo Feng didn’t care at all about the angry customers.
The customer service reps were the ones getting yelled at, not him. As long as he was making money, nothing else mattered.
“I’ve completed such a successful case and saved the company from a crisis. My promotion and raise are guaranteed, right?”
Just as Zhuo Feng was daydreaming, his superior burst into the office.
“Xinggou has sent a legal team to negotiate regarding patent infringement, and consumers are suing us for false advertising.”
“Zhuo Feng, you’re fired. Furthermore, any losses caused to the company by your actions will be borne by you personally.”
“What?”
Zhuo Feng’s face went pale.
He looked at his boss as if he were joking.
Glimmering Sunset was a bestseller! How could he be fired?
It wasn’t until the authorities arrived to lead him to a police car that Zhuo Feng felt the weight of falling from heaven to hell.
He had just piggybacked on some hype and pushed an alternative…
He had done it before… Why… Why did he hit a brick wall this time?
He was ruined!
By the time Zhu Ran saw the report from Xiao Zhang regarding the Crazy BUY incident and the official legal notice from Xinggou, three days had passed since the launch of the rose products.
The Xinggou team had handled the incident with speed and decisiveness.
They had dealt with the fake alternative immediately, protecting the image of Zhuying Anxiang.
Zhu Ran: [Thank you for the hard work.]
Xiao Zhang: [You’re welcome, it’s what we should do.]
[Actually, your assistant was the one who notified us. If it weren’t for his alert, we wouldn’t have been able to clear out the fakes so quickly.]
Zhu Ran was slightly surprised. “Assistant? …So Z was the one who notified them…”
Z had been busy lately, leaving early and returning late. Zhu Ran barely saw him.
Though they chatted over Starcom, unlike before when Z would reply instantly, his replies were now spaced three or four hours apart.
Looking at the chat interface with no new replies, Zhu Ran felt a faint sense of disappointment.
It felt as though something was missing from his life without Z’s company.
The [Black cat waving its paw] emoji was still in the input box, but Zhu Ran hadn’t sent it.
“Z is busy, I shouldn’t disturb him.”
With that thought, he buried himself in his work.
However, hearing that Z had taken the time to resolve the issue for the shop made Zhu Ran’s mood brighten instantly.
Xiao Zhang: [Don’t worry about Crazy BUY. Xinggou will make them pay the price.]
[Additionally, we received a collaboration request from Ye Zhao’s team. Ye Zhao has written a song themed around red roses, which he plans to release as his lead single on February 14th. He hopes Zhuying Anxiang can provide some support.]
[Our internal assessment suggests that collaborating with Ye Zhao will expand the shop’s reach and open up the 16-22 age demographic. What do you think?]
Ye Zhao?
Wasn’t he a very famous singer?
Zhu Ran remembered that when he first opened his shop on Newbie Street, he had passed a shop called “Ye Zhao Merchandise Store.” The foot traffic there had been massive.
Zhu Ran: [What is Ye Zhao like?]
Xiao Zhang: [We’ve looked into him. There are no red flags for now. He has a positive, sunny image and is friendly and hard-working. If there’s one ‘risk’… it’s that Ye Zhao’s awakened ability is demi-human transformation. Because of this, extremists call him a ‘beast.’]
Zhu Ran: [That’s not a red flag.]
[We can talk in person.]
After setting a time with Xiao Zhang and finishing the daily tasks, Zhu Ran instinctively checked his optical computer.
Z had finally found the time to message him.
Z: [I’ve ordered dinner for you. I’ll be back late, so sleep early.]
[Heterochromia cat sending a heart.JPG]
Zhu Ran: [Black cat indifferent ‘oh’.JPG]
A short while later, the delivery bot brought dinner to Zhu Ran’s home.
Today’s dishes were all things Zhu Ran liked: spicy and sour sautéed beast meat, sweet and sour potatoes, and carrot tempura.
The food looked and smelled delicious, just as good as always, yet for some reason, Zhu Ran only ate half before he lost his appetite.
After clearing the table, Zhu Ran lay on the sofa with a blanket to rest.
The living room that Z had trashed had been renovated. The floors were neat, the walls were covered in pale green wallpaper, and there was a brand-new sofa.
One could never tell that this room had been a scene of carnage just days ago.
Zhu Ran hugged the light green throw pillow, resting his chin in the small dip it made.
A popular interstellar drama was playing on the screen. Zhu Ran’s eyes were fixed on it, but he wasn’t really watching. He was just spacing out.
His optical computer was open to his chat with Z. He checked it again. No new messages.
Zhu Ran buried his face in the pillow. He felt low on energy and a bit tired, so he just stayed lying down.
Sleepiness washed over him, and Zhu Ran fell asleep on the sofa.
It was 2:00 AM when Z returned home. He brought with him a sharp, murderous aura, but the moment he saw the figure on the sofa, the freezing wind dissipated, replaced by a softness like flower petals.
A small nightlight was on in the living room. The screen was still projecting a movie, but the volume had been muted.
Zhu Ran was asleep on the sofa, curled under a white blanket with his head on the green pillow.
He was sleeping soundly, undisturbed by Z’s return.
Z approached quietly and knelt beside the sofa. His mismatched eyes reflected only Zhu Ran’s face.
Normally, Zhu Ran’s aura was gentle and calm, like a spring or a plant—soft, yet filled with powerful life.
But while asleep… he looked like a flower bud about to bloom. His cheeks were flushed, and his lips were slightly parted, revealing a glimpse of soft, pink flesh.
As Z watched… he felt a surge of thirst. Heat rose within him.
He wanted to claim Zhu Ran as his own, to seal that slightly parted softness with his own mouth.
To lick, to bite, to fill…
Possessiveness flooded him.
Z clenched his fist to restrain himself.
He patted Zhu Ran’s shoulder, his voice lower than usual. “Don’t sleep in the living room. You’ll catch a cold.”
Zhu Ran opened his eyes in a daze. The room was dim, and all he could see was a patch of fluffy gold.
What was this?
A big cat?
I should pet it…
In his half-conscious state, he didn’t hesitate. He followed his instinct and reached out, stroking the golden hair.
Z’s desire-filled eyes narrowed suddenly. [source:1]
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