Finest Servant

Chapter 79 A Beautiful Lady Gives Me a Knockout Drug (Part 1)

‘Good heavens, isn't this moving too quickly?’ thought Lin Wanrong. ‘A servant stealing the heart of a young lady, not to mention she's underage? That's a bit thrilling.’

"Oh, where is your mind wandering off to?" Second Miss Xiao also realized the implications of her words. Her cheeks turned crimson as she hurriedly explained, "I'm asking you to tell me a story. I've been having nightmares these past few days, dreaming of our Xiao family's downfall. I'm scared, Lin San. Will you come and tell me a story tonight?"

‘So that's what she meant,’ Lin Wanrong wiped off a bead of cold sweat, feeling ashamed for his inappropriate thoughts. Reluctantly, he nodded and agreed, "Alright."

He spent the day speaking with Xiao Yushuang, surprisingly without the interruption of Young Master Guo. In the afternoon, Lin Wanrong returned to his quarters early.

First, he collected several large clovers, grinding the stems and leaves to extract the pungent juice into a large jar. He then gathered handfuls of rose petals and, after great effort, managed to squeeze out some juice, treasuring it in another small cup.

In his past life, he had some knowledge about perfume-making, aware that creating a bottle of perfume required dozens, if not hundreds, of pounds of petals. There were many flowers in the courtyard, but it still wasn't enough. Fortunately, with the help of the housekeeper, getting more petals wasn't an issue.

To make the essence of perfume, the juice had to be extracted first. Solvent extraction would have been the best method, but given the primitive conditions of this world, pressing was the most practical option, even if it meant wasting some raw materials and incurring higher costs.

Both types of juice were roughly processed, with bits of fragments mixed in, quite crude. But this was just a preliminary experiment, so there was no need to get into the details.

After leaving the juices to settle for a while, Lin Wanrong returned to his room after dinner. Seeing that the juices had partially clarified, he eagerly poured some of the clover extract into a small bowl. The pungent smell was overpowering. The rose juice was too precious, so he only dipped a chopstick in it and stirred it into the clover extract.

The miracle happened when just a bit of rose juice touched the clover extract - the pungent smell significantly reduced. It hadn't completely disappeared, Lin Wanrong knew this was because there wasn't enough rose juice, so he reluctantly added more.

Indeed, with just a bit more rose juice, the effect was dramatic. Not only was the pungent smell gone, but a subtle fragrance of roses began to emerge.

Overjoyed, Lin Wanrong knew he was onto something. He added more rose juice to the experiment, and the faint scent turned into a rich aroma. The scent was strong but not cloying, a stark contrast to other typical perfumes.

His room was filled with a pleasant fragrance. Bathed in the aroma of rose dew, Lin Wanrong laughed heartily. "I'm going to be rich!"

"What are you doing?" A cold voice came from behind him.

Turning around, he saw Xiao Qingxuan's beautiful face. ‘Goodness, this girl must have been a cat in her past life, walking without a sound?’

Realizing that it was already dusk and that he had been engrossed in his experiment for over an hour, he had no idea how long she'd been there or what she'd seen. He asked, "What brings you here?"

Xiao Qingxuan said, "I come and go as I please, why should I ask you?"

"And how did you get in?"

"Just like I did last night, I climbed over the wall."

"Did you also climb the wall this morning when you left?"

"Why should I tell you that?"

Xiao Qingxuan seemed to have returned to her previous cold demeanor, with the little warmth from last night completely gone.

"Miss, even though you're of high standing, you should at least have some manners, right? You should knock before entering, understand?" Lin Wanrong said irritably.

This girl always entered mysteriously. If she appeared like a ghost as she did the previous night, even if he didn't have heart disease, he would be frightened to death by her. Moreover, he was in the middle of important work, which he couldn't afford to leak. It was a unique recipe, which couldn't be bought even with ten thousand taels of gold.

"Your door was open, so naturally I came in," Xiao Qingxuan stated confidently.

"Remember this, there won't be a next time, or else I may have to silence you," Lin Wanrong threatened menacingly.

However, Xiao Qingxuan chuckled and said, "Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

With her skills, killing Lin Wanrong would have been easy as pie. Of course, except for the first time they met when things didn't go as planned, which made Xiao Qingxuan slightly flustered.

"Such a unique scent, it's somewhat like a floral fragrance, but not quite. What exactly is this?" Xiao Qingxuan asked with interest, looking at Lin Wanrong's experimental cup.

She came from a wealthy background and had used many high-quality cosmetics, but she had never smelled this scent before. It seemed to be specifically made for women, with a faint, captivating fragrance that was strong but not overwhelming, making it irresistible and even slightly addictive.

"What do you think of this scent?" Lin Wanrong asked with a mysterious smile. ‘Since you've stumbled upon my experiment, let's make you my first test subject.’

Biting her red lips, Xiao Qingxuan said, "It's very fragrant, very pure, very clean, I like it a lot. Of course, if it was a little lighter, I would like it even more."

Suddenly, Lin Wanrong remembered an article he had read before, called "Recognizing a Woman by Her Scent." The gist was that you could understand a woman's needs from the type of perfume she uses. Women who preferred light scents were more interested in emotional affection than physical, while those who liked strong scents were more sexually driven.

Judging by this, Xiao Qingxuan seemed to be a woman who valued emotional connections, Lin Wanrong thought with a smirk.

"You still haven't told me what this is. I saw you going back and forth earlier and didn't know what you were doing," Xiao Qingxuan said. From the way she spoke, it was clear that she had been there for a while, observing him.

"This... ah, I haven't thought of a name for it yet. Just think of it as the powder you women use. I'm still in the experimental stage now, but once I've perfected it, I'll definitely send you some," Lin Wanrong said generously.

Xiao Qingxuan smiled lightly without saying anything, but there was a hint of barely concealed delight in her eyes.

"By the way, why did you come looking for me? Did you miss me already?" Lin Wanrong joked, retaliating for her sudden appearances.

Xiao Qingxuan glared at him and said, "Every time I see you, you can't say something nice. If this is how you're going to be, I won't come again."

Lin Wanrong chuckled inwardly. Xiao Qingxuan seemed to realize there was something off in her words. Her face flushed in embarrassment as she thought, 'What's wrong with me? I lose all composure when I see him. It's all because this man is shameless, causing me to behave so uncharacteristically.'

Without dwelling on it, she pulled out a small booklet from her bosom and handed it to Lin Wanrong, saying, "This is for you."

"What is it?" Lin Wanrong took the booklet, which was still warm from Xiao Qingxuan's touch and had a faint fragrance.

"You asked me how I got in here, didn't you? If you learn what's in this booklet, you can move as freely as I do," Xiao Qingxuan said nonchalantly.

Lin Wanrong flipped through a few pages and found it to be a manual for martial arts, including some sword techniques. Despite the apparent age of the booklet, it was in pristine condition. It was undoubtedly a treasure that could fetch a lot of money if he sold it as an antique.

Being a typical shrewd businessman, Lin Wanrong's first thought was of the potential profit, despite the kindness shown by the beauty.

Seeing him staring at the booklet without speaking, Xiao Qingxuan asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Wanrong sighed and handed the booklet back to her, saying, "Miss Xiao, thank you for your generosity. But I'm not young anymore, my bones are brittle, and my back is stiff. At this age, do you think there's hope for me to learn martial arts?"

Xiao Qingxuan knew his age was a limitation, and it would be impossible for him to start learning from scratch. The best she could hope for was that he'd learn some basic self-defense. The martial arts and sword techniques in the booklet were coveted treasures. She had gone to great lengths to acquire it for him, but he didn't even give it a second glance.

"You are too conspicuous and are bound to attract trouble. Some martial arts training could help you defend yourself when needed," Xiao Qingxuan advised.

Lin Wanrong shook his head and said, "Miss Xiao, I appreciate your kindness. We are from completely different worlds. You are a noble heroine, and I am a carefree servant. I have no interest in your world."

In fact, Xiao Qingxuan had a point. Lin Wanrong had long been considering this issue. The idea of establishing his own power had crossed his mind when he initially supported Dong Qingshan's gang. At this thought, he remembered the governor's son, Luo Yuan. If he could bring him into the gang, wouldn't that solve his problem of lack of support? Given the young man's restless nature, it might actually work.

Xiao Qingxuan reluctantly took back the booklet, feeling a mix of emotions. It was the first time she had given a gift to someone, especially to a man with whom she had an ambiguous relationship, only to have it refused. The thought was unbelievable.

"Lin San, do you really want to remain a servant in the Xiao family for the rest of your life? With your intelligence and courage, you shouldn't be content with mediocrity, should you?" Xiao Qingxuan asked after a long pause.

"Miss Xiao, don't you think it's quite difficult for a person to live a peaceful life for their entire existence?" Lin Wanrong replied with a serene expression.