Chapter 50: Is it hasty? This is the smell of my pheromones.

Cheng Luanxin hadn't expected Du Zhiruo to say that, and was momentarily flustered. "That's not what I meant. In my heart, you're definitely more important. I swear to you, we're innocent, and this was all just a casual affair."

Du Zhiruo shook her head. "But it would be uncomfortable for me to see. You guys can date for the show now, but what about in the future? Will you use this as an excuse to hug and kiss?"

Cheng Luanxin didn't dare to say anything. They did hug and kiss each other.

Du Zhiruo's eyes revealed a hint of disappointment: "Luanxin, are you really going to treat me like this?"

Cheng Luanxin gritted her teeth and said, "I'm sorry, I can't joke about Song Qiuchi's reputation."

Du Zhiruo laughed self-deprecatingly. "It seems I was being sentimental. If that's the case, then we shouldn't go on a date together tomorrow. Lest people see Song Qiuchi being so fickle, it would have a negative impact. After all, I still can't compare to the position Song Qiuchi holds in your heart."

Cheng Luan felt a wave of discomfort in her heart: "Zhiruo, don't say that. It's all my fault. I can't balance work and life."

Du Zhiruo took a deep breath. "That's it. Actually, I have another job here. I'm touring abroad with the band, which conflicts with the recording of the program. I originally thought I could pursue you, so I insisted on staying here. Now it seems that I thought things were too simple."

Cheng Luanxin stared at Du Zhiruo blankly: "So... are you going on tour now?"

Du Zhiruo smiled rather miserably. "I'll ask my agency if I still have a chance. After all, you rejected me, so there's no point in me staying here any longer."

Cheng Luanxin felt a strong sense of self-blame in her heart. She gritted her teeth and endured without saying a word.

Du Zhiruo looked at Cheng Luanxin deeply and sighed softly: "Let's continue to be friends. I'm still very happy to meet you on this show."

Perhaps to avoid embarrassment, Du Zhiruo left the room shortly after she finished speaking, saying that she was going to the courtyard to relax.

Cheng Luanxin lay back on the bed alone, feeling sad and confused.

I originally thought that I could become Du Zhiruo's lover today, but I didn't expect things to turn out like this.

But... Cheng Luanxin felt that she had done nothing wrong, and that the requests she made were all normal.

Continuing to play lovers with Song Qiuchi was the best solution at the moment. Although it was indeed a little unfair to Du Zhiruo, it was the only way to protect her and Song Qiuchi's reputations and would be beneficial to their long-term development.

Du Zhiruo has some expectations of her partner in her heart and hopes that the other party will put her first in everything. Come to think of it, who doesn't feel the same way?

Sacrificing the future of others in exchange for her own psychological comfort, isn't Du Zhiruo a bit selfish for demanding this of herself?

Cheng Luanxin was shocked by her own thoughts. She actually blamed Du Zhiruo for being selfish. She quickly shook her head to get rid of the thought. Ultimately, it was she and Song Qiuchi who were wrong in the first place. Signing a love contract caused so much trouble.

The next day, Du Zhiruo applied to the program team to withdraw from the program, and announced it on Weibo, apologizing to everyone.

Most fans expressed their understanding and support for Du Zhiruo's decision, but a few fans raised questions:

"Why choose this time to withdraw from the competition? A large-scale tour shouldn't give such a short notice, right?"

"It is reasonable to suspect that the withdrawal was due to other reasons"

"Is there even any need to ask? She definitely doesn't want to be Chi Xin's backup anymore. I personally think this show is very unfriendly to Ruoruo."

"What do you mean by being a spare tire? It's obviously Du Zhiruo who always wants to interfere with other people's relationships!"

Cheng Luanxin felt bad when she saw the news, and took the initiative to forward it: "I wish the tour a complete success, and I look forward to seeing you next time."

After waiting for a long time, Du Zhiruo didn't reply.

The production team naturally sent a message to the other guests. Su Ling was shocked when she heard the news: "Du Zhiruo is quitting our show just like that? She's so impatient?"

Song Qiuchi was somewhat surprised. She only guessed that Du Zhiruo would not agree to Cheng Luanxin, but she did not expect that Du Zhiruo would directly withdraw from the variety show.

If you think about it carefully, it is understandable. Du Zhiruo is a perfectionist and has always been very ambitious. She probably cannot accept the failure of her confession.

Su Ling urged, "Then you must seize the opportunity and take Qiu Chi to play more of her favorite things, catering to her preferences."

Song Qiuchi nodded: "I will."

After being together for so long, Song Qiuchi already knew Cheng Luanxin's preferences well enough. She looked up some tips and finally made an appointment with a perfume laboratory.

This perfume laboratory is quite high-end, equipped with the most sophisticated instruments in the country and thousands of fragrance raw materials. A limited number of places are open every day for visitors to have a DIY experience.

Cheng Luanxin herself likes this kind of fancy DIY activities. In addition, her grandmother makes old-fashioned perfumes, and she has been influenced by her since she was a child, so she must be very interested.

As expected, Cheng Luanxin looked preoccupied on the way to the lab, as if she hadn't gotten over the shock of Du Zhiruo's departure. When she reached the perfume lab downstairs, her eyes lit up.

She excitedly shook Song Qiuchi's arm and said happily, "You actually brought me here to play! I saw this place online and heard it's hard to make an appointment!"

Seeing her so happy, Song Qiuchi felt warm in his heart: "Let's go in."

The laboratory staff first took the two to visit the Perfume Museum, where a collection of world-renowned perfumes is displayed in display cabinets organized by scent. Scent-testing cards, labeled with the fragrance's ingredients and notes, are hung outside the cabinets, allowing visitors to browse and smell them.

As a child who grew up surrounded by perfume, Cheng Luanxin was very sensitive to scents. She picked up two pieces of scent test paper, smelled them herself, and then turned to Song Qiuchi: "Let me test you and see if you can smell the difference between these two pieces of paper!"

Song Qiuchi sniffed them one by one and frowned, "They both smell of osmanthus, but the second one seems a little sweeter than the first."

Cheng Luanxin: "Yes! Because the first one has cedar and benzoin, it is more woody, and the second one has tuberose and jasmine, so it is sweeter. Turn it over and see, am I right?"

Song Qiuchi turned it over and saw that the cardboard was indeed marked with the ingredients that Cheng Luanxin mentioned.

She sincerely praised: "What a sharp nose."

Cheng Luan said proudly, "Of course not, grandma also praised me like that."

As soon as the words fell, both of them were stunned.

Cheng Luanxin quickly explained: "Uh...I'm talking about your grandma."

Song Qiuchi nodded: "Yes, our grandma."

Barrage:

"Ahhhhh, Chi Xin Anxu has met the parents?!"

"Yes, I have. The first week's behind-the-scenes footage has been released. Didn't you watch it?"

"But I remember the introduction of the behind-the-scenes video was "First Visit"?"

"They're so familiar with each other, how could this be their first visit? Look, now I'm letting it slip."

Cheng Luanxin blushed and tried to cover up the truth: "Haha, the perfume grandma gave me last time smelled really good. I've been using it."

Later, the staff took the two of them to change into work clothes and tour the sterile laboratory. They observed the perfume-making process. Cheng Luanxin discovered that many of the steps in perfume-making are similar to those used in traditional perfume, except that the tools used are more sophisticated. Finally, the two of them went to the DIY room, where they could combine any combination to create a unique perfume.

Song Qiuchi suggested: "Why don't we design one for each other?"

Cheng Luanxin became interested: "Okay, design a perfume that will impress the other person!"

The staff brought the two of them paper with design proposals, and Cheng Luanxin immediately started scribbling on them. She felt that Song Qiuchi's top notes should be more woody, after all, she was cold and aloof, her words were unrelenting, and she had a hint of refined, selfish leather. But as the top notes faded, Song Qiuchi's strengths gradually emerged: steady, generous, and capable of execution. A middle note with delicate florals like lotus and tea would be more appropriate. As for the base notes, after spending more time with her, she felt that Song Qiuchi also had a softer and more affectionate side. How about some caramel and condensed milk...

She quickly filled up the design paper and asked the staff, "Is this easy to do?"

The staff laughed and said, "To be honest, it's not easy to make. You can try it yourself. These ingredients may not be very compatible."

Cheng Luanxin insisted: "Then I will give it a try. I think this is more in line with the image of her in my mind."

She made a sample according to her own idea, and when she smelled it, it really didn't taste very good, a bit pungent.

Cheng Luanxin felt that her ratio must be off. Even her grandma would fail sometimes when making ointment.

She readjusted the ratio and planned to start over.

While Cheng Luanxin was still painstakingly analyzing the ingredients, Song Qiuchi had already prepared the perfume.

She was also a person who would not listen to advice, so she only added two ingredients, sandalwood and rosemary, without distinguishing between the top, middle and bottom notes. The staff could not persuade her and had to cooperate with her in bottling and packaging.

Cheng Luanxin was speechless: "You are too careless. With so many rare spices, why don't you try them more? What a waste!"

Song Qiuchi glanced at her and asked, "Is it careless? This is the smell of my pheromones."