Chapter 27 — Top-Tier Soothing Potion
“This…” Hua Mian had just opened her mouth to ask when Yu Jin stuffed a berry between her lips.
Yu Jin signaled for her to look around, then stopped her with a firm glance.
Hua Mian nodded with difficulty.
The faint rose fragrance in the air quickly dispersed. As she stared at the pristine white floor, a sudden tightness gripped her chest.
She couldn’t stop herself from raising a hand to press over her heart. Her delicate face drained of all color.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Jin noticed something was off and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“I’m fine.” Hua Mian struggled to steady her breathing.
Yu Jin said, “Let’s go back.”
Hua Mian pressed down on his hand. “Wait.”
Her gaze was fixed on that top-tier soothing potion on the stage.
“There are no objections from our guests, correct?” The auction host swept his gaze around the room.
The scorching, almost tangible stares seemed as though they would set the very air alight.
“If there is anything false about this item, the Gem Auction House will compensate tenfold!”
The moment he finished speaking, the hall erupted.
“Starting price is ten million. Each bid must increase by no less than one million.”
The host seemed to be using some kind of voice technique—his words cut sharply through the air, ringing in everyone’s ears.
“Eleven million!”
With the first bid called, the rest followed easily.
Listening to the feverish bidding, Hua Mian felt her heart twist painfully.
Her intuition screamed that the soothing potion on stage was connected to her.
A large, warm hand suddenly took hold of her cold fingers. She was startled and instinctively pulled her hand away.
Yu Jin’s body stiffened. His hand curled into a loose fist as he slowly withdrew it.
Only then did Hua Mian realize her reaction had been excessive. She wasn’t repulsed by Yu Jin—she didn’t even know why she had reacted like that, as if by pure instinct.
But it was precisely that instinctive recoil… that hurt more.
She wanted to explain, but when she met Yu Jin’s clear, gentle eyes, she suddenly didn’t know what to say.
So, under his faintly expectant gaze, she lowered her head again.
And she didn’t see the hurt and disappointment in his eyes.
Hua Mian didn’t remember the rest very clearly. By the time they returned to the hotel, her face was still pale.
“Should I call a doctor?” Yu Jin asked, sensing how absent-minded she was. Her small, pale face filled him with worry.
“No.” Hua Mian shook her head.
Since she didn’t seem willing to talk, Yu Jin simply sat with her quietly.
Hua Mian asked, “Why did that soothing potion have a fragrance?”
Yu Jin replied, “A female’s genetic sequence contains a segment very similar to that of exotic plants. If the similarity exceeds 50%, a soothing master can be born. The higher the similarity, the higher the rank of the soothing master.”
“And the higher the rank, the more likely ‘plant-like traits’ appear in their bodies. In other words, this S-rank soothing master’s ‘plant-trait’ caused their soothing pheromone to carry a floral scent.”
He cautiously swapped out “rose scent” for “floral scent.”
But Hua Mian still understood.
“Then… can you determine whether a female has the talent to become a soothing master through genetic sequencing? And even predict their rank in advance?”
Yu Jin thought for a moment. “In theory, yes.”
“But that genetic testing technology is classified at the highest imperial level, and it violates ethics. It was banned as soon as it was discovered.”
Hua Mian nodded.
They fell silent. They knew almost nothing about that soothing potion, yet it weighed on their hearts like a mountain.
“I’m tired.”
Even after lying down, Hua Mian still felt something was wrong. She indeed carried a faint rose scent—stronger when emotionally stirred, like a walking perfume.
But she was not a soothing master. So why did her rose scent resemble that potion’s fragrance so closely?
She couldn’t figure it out, and Yu Jin, unable to sleep, silently replayed every detail of the auction in his mind.
…
After she fell asleep, Hua Mian seemed to see a blinding white light—circles spreading out like a chaotic sun halo.
She couldn’t close her eyes; she could only stare at the light as it stabbed painfully into her vision. She even felt tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.
“Run! Run! Run! Run!”
A terrified, despairing voice repeated the same words over and over. Her heartbeat grew faster—faster—faster!
“Madam… Madam…”
Hua Mian jolted awake, gasping as she met Yu Jin’s worried face.
“Is your heart hurting?”
She looked down and saw her own pale fingers digging into her chest. A wave of suffocating panic washed over her.
“I’ll call a doctor.”
It had taken Yu Jin a full fifteen minutes to wake her.
She’d been asleep for only a few minutes before falling into a nightmare—shaking, sweating cold, yet completely motionless.
Thankfully he noticed something wrong. He had tried again and again to wake her—shockingly, it took fifteen minutes before her eyes finally opened.
“No… I want water.” Hua Mian clutched the corner of his shirt.
Yu Jin’s heart sank, but he still fetched her a warm glass of water, watching her hold it carefully and sip slowly.
“Madam, if you feel unwell, you need to see a doctor. Avoiding treatment isn’t a good habit.”
“I dreamed someone caught me and turned me into perfume. I panicked and pressed too hard on my chest, so I couldn’t breathe.”
Hua Mian’s voice was soft; her long black hair hung down meekly. She looked like a naive, harmless little girl.
Yu Jin hadn’t expected such an answer. It seemed that soothing potion had really frightened her.
But dreaming of being made into perfume… was oddly cute.
Yu Jin relaxed a little. “You’re sure you don’t need a doctor?”
Hua Mian dove into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and acting spoiled. “I’m really fine. Dr. Ye is amazing—he said there’s nothing wrong with me. Let’s not see a doctor, okay?”
Yu Jin gently held her, patting her back soothingly. “Alright. But if anything feels wrong, you must tell me.”
“Mhm.”
Hua Mian’s eyes darkened. Her calm expression contrasted sharply with the sweet, coquettish tone she used.
Soon after, they drifted back to sleep.
When Hua Mian next opened her eyes, she found herself curled on a cold metal floor. Darkness surrounded her—so complete she couldn’t even see her fingers.
Where was she? Why was she here?
Suppressing her panic, she felt around and realized she was inside a fine-mesh metal cage. The gaps were so tiny even a fly would struggle to pass.
There were no visible seams, no door she could find—no way to open it.
She forced herself to breathe steadily. She touched her clothing—still her pajamas.
Where was Yu Jin?
She didn’t dare call out loudly, but during her earlier fumbling she had already confirmed: she was alone inside the cage.
Suddenly, she remembered the glass of water Yu Jin gave her after she woke from the nightmare. Her clenched palm stung from her tightening grip.
So… was it Yu Jin who locked her up? Or… had he sold her?
Her heart lurched.
She didn’t believe Yu Jin was that kind of person, but the scent of that top-tier soothing potion was almost identical to the rose fragrance on her body.
And Yu Jin’s words—“Wealth can tempt people.”
She thought for a moment, then called out in a trembling, tearful voice:
“Ah-Jin? Ah-Jin?”
“Stop calling. He’s not here.”
Hua Mian widened her eyes in disbelief. “Orange Ears?”
She recognized his voice immediately. “Orange Ears, I know it’s you. Where am I? It’s so dark… I’m scared… wuu…”
No response.
Hua Mian continued sobbing softly—each cry heartbreakingly fragile.
But the Orange-Eared youth outside remained silent. Hua Mian even wondered if she had imagined his voice.
Click.
A strange plastic smell flooded her nose. She hadn’t cried for long before consciousness slipped from her grasp.
Orange Ears let out a breath of relief when the sobs finally stopped.
“If you want to blame someone… blame your bad luck.”
