The atmosphere cooled down noticeably. Qu Ling’s heart skipped a beat, and she instantly realized she had stepped on a landmine.
She felt a mix of frustration and annoyance. Creative, artistic types were indeed far too sensitive and hard to read. A single wrong word and they would freeze you out immediately. They were simply too difficult to please.
But to avoid losing a key clue, she didn't dare let any of her irritation show.
Qu Ling immediately offered a smile to smooth things over, trying to salvage the conversation. “Indeed, inspiration is never something that can be forced.”
She deliberately tried to steer the topic elsewhere, naturally using a universally applicable line of small talk.
“But your village has such a wonderful ecosystem. There are flower fields all over the hills. When I passed by yesterday, I could smell the fragrance of the flowers from far away.”
“You should go out for walks more often. Looking at the sea of flowers and feeling the mountain breeze might bring you some sudden inspiration one day.”
Her intention was to transition smoothly to the next topic.
However, she hadn't expected that these words, instead of easing the tension, would land squarely on an even deeper taboo.
The last trace of humanity vanished from Shen Tan. She reverted entirely to the cold, rigid doll she had been at first, her tone indifferent, detached, and devoid of any emotion. “I have already done floral scents.”
“The fifth vial in the first row is the scent of wild mountain flowers. I never repeat a concept, nor do I need to look at flower fields for inspiration.”
The smile on Qu Ling's face stiffened slightly. She was utterly speechless, silently complaining that creative types were truly bizarre and unpredictable. A casual word of comfort had triggered another landmine.
How did this girl have so many triggers?
And they were all hidden mines; there was no way to detect them before stepping on them.
Qu Ling felt she could still salvage this. Quickly adjusting her mindset, she made a second attempt to patch things up. “I spoke out of turn as an outsider. My apologies.”
“I simply thought the flowers in the village are exceptionally beautiful. Flowers of different seasons and in different states bring different moods and memories to people—some are passionate, some gentle, some cool and aloof. I thought they might inspire different ideas, but it seems I oversimplified things.”
Judging by this explanation alone, she had humbled herself, took the blame, and given the other party an easy way out.
Yet Shen Tan had absolutely no intention of responding.
Her brief desire to communicate had completely dissolved. She was once again an exquisite doll at the mercy of others, sitting quietly in her chair. Her veil completely obscured her expression, making it impossible to read her joy or sorrow.
“You are here for the makeup trial. Continue.”
These words declared a complete end to the topic, leaving no room for further maneuvering.
Feeling utterly stifled, Qu Ling picked up her brush and went back to work.
As for Bai Ci, she had been silent ever since Qu Ling's first blunder.
It wasn't that she was letting Qu Ling take the fall or enjoying the drama; she simply hadn't figured out the pattern behind Shen Tan's triggers yet either.
If she rashly jumped in to ease the tension, could she guarantee she wouldn't step on a mine herself?
One had to remember that the negative effects of stepping on multiple triggers followed a strict “one plus one is greater than two” rule.
If she went in and set off another trigger, the resulting explosion would be enough to blow away all the clues associated with Shen Tan's questline.
Bai Ci hadn't grasped where the triggers lay at first.
Fortunately, her job was merely to hold the veil with her awkward orchid fingers. Since it didn't require much brainpower, it gave her plenty of time to process what had just happened.
Qu Ling asking about inspiration was a standard conversational transition, and suggesting she visit the flower fields for inspiration was an even more common, warm-hearted piece of advice.
Yet Shen Tan's reaction had grown increasingly resolute and deathly quiet each time.
Unlike Qu Ling, who was directly involved in the conversation, Bai Ci had been watching from the sidelines. Because of this detached perspective, she was able to slowly piece together the subtle clues hidden beneath the surface.
Shen Tan's emotional collapse seemed to be related to perfume.
But she didn't hate perfume. She still loved it, and was willing to share and recommend it.
Therefore, the issue was definitely not with the perfume itself or what the perfume carried. Rather, it was triggered by something associated with the perfume.
It was more like the perfume served as a starting point, and the story eventually wound its way toward an ending that Shen Tan did not want others to see.
Shen Tan's love for perfumery hadn't changed because of this; she simply detested that ending.
The things Qu Ling mentioned had reminded her of that ending.
What had Qu Ling mentioned?
She had mentioned inspiration and the flower fields.
Inspiration, flower fields...
Flowers?
Was it the flowers of Tianmi Village? Or the honey of Tianmi Village?
Bai Ci naturally had no way of knowing what Shen Tan was unable to face or what she feared. She could only tentatively deduce that the problem lay with this village.
Was it that, after becoming a Honey Bride, she was forced to endure some fate bound to the sea of flowers?
Or had she already experienced something in this village of fragrant flowers, long before being chosen as the bride, that was enough to shatter her psychological defenses?
She wouldn't get an answer by asking Shen Tan, and it was impossible to ask her directly anyway.
From this series of events, it was easy to see that Shen Tan's emotional threshold was extremely low, and she could easily swing to extremes.
She could generously share her proudest creations just because a stranger praised her perfume, yet she could also shut down instantly and close herself off over a single sentence.
With a shift in her thoughts, Bai Ci settled on an alternative breakthrough point.
Shen Jiayi, the woman who had stopped the team leader outside the Red Church yesterday.
Sang Lan had mentioned before that Shen Jiayi was a former bride.
Since she lived in the same village and shared the same set of village rules, she must know something about the selection of the bride, and perhaps even something about Shen Tan.
The only difficulty lay right before her.
Would Shen Jiayi easily reveal secrets to a stranger?
Bai Ci needed a reasonable excuse to get close to her, as well as a compelling enough reason to make Shen Jiayi willing to speak.
This couldn't be rushed; she had to plan it slowly.
This was going to be a difficult task as well.
Bai Ci felt a slight urge to sigh.
The soft rustling sounds of makeup application in the room gradually ceased. Qu Ling packed away her last fine-tipped lip brush and let out a long sigh of relief.
Ever since Shen Tan's emotions had suddenly frozen, the rest of the makeup process had been agonizing.
No matter how tactfully she spoke, the girl in the chair remained completely rigid, offering not a single response.
Shen Tan had completely reverted to the emotionless doll they had first met, letting an outsider paint her face however they pleased.
“The makeup is completely finished,” Qu Ling said, clearing her throat. Failing to catch Shen Tan's attention, she spoke directly.
“I have a small round mirror. Do you want to take a look at the makeup? If there's anything you don't like, I can adjust it for you anytime.”
Only the sound of breathing came from behind the veil. Shen Tan didn't even raise her head.
She sat quietly in place with her eyes closed, completely ignoring the presence of the other two people in the room. It was a blunt eviction notice.
A flash of frustration crossed Qu Ling's eyes, but she could only close her makeup box.
“Then we'll head downstairs first and let the village chief know the makeup trial is finished. We can coordinate any further adjustments right before the ceremony.”
She used a more formal, professional tone, terrified that she might step on another landmine at the very end.
Bai Ci released her grip on the veil, lowered her arm, and stretched her aching wrist. She also bid farewell to Shen Tan.
“See you next time, Miss Shen Tan. Thank you for the gift.”
Bai Ci wasn't overthinking things like Qu Ling was. Her attention had been thoroughly consumed by other thoughts, and she hadn't quite snapped back to reality yet.
Rate on N.U.
