Chapter 585: Chapter 585: A Dead Person

Upon hearing the woman say the perfume was a special blend by Yang Jingwei, Liu He widened her eyes and said it was impossible, then fainted.

Lin Zhiyi immediately called for a doctor.

After examining her, the doctor advised, “Try to keep the patient relaxed and don’t overthink.”

Gong Shiyan nodded repeatedly.

His gaze signaled everyone to leave, allowing Liu He to rest properly.

After leaving the room, Gong Shiyan’s face was tense.

“Zhiyi, go to the villa and find your mom’s perfume, to determine if it’s the same as the one you smelled on Mrs. Bai.”

“Okay.”

Lin Zhiyi also felt it was imperative to clarify this matter.

Yang Jingwei’s animosity towards her and Liu He obviously had other factors mixed in.

As Ren Xiya was leaving the hospital, she received a call from the police station.

“Gong Yao wants to meet me; it seems he wants to negotiate.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Lin Zhiyi knew well that the old man would never allow Gong Yao to go to jail.

Ren Xiya remained calm: “Since he wants to talk, it depends on the conditions he’s offering.”

She also knew the old man would go to any lengths to save Gong Yao.

Rather than a lose-lose situation, it was better to choose a favorable condition.

They split up; Lin Zhiyi followed Gong Chen into the car towards the villa.

On the way, Lin Zhiyi turned to look at Gong Chen: “Why don’t you let me tell everyone about the woman beside Bai Zhengxian who resembles me?”

Gong Chen spun his ring and said calmly: “It’s not a deliberate secret, but now is not the right time. Your mom and second brother will worry about you; do you think your mom has the extra energy to be distracted?”

Lin Zhiyi nodded, agreeing.

“But I don’t understand, Mrs. Bai should hate me, so why does she always target my mom without regard for her status? Just to provoke me?”

Gong Chen’s eyes darkened slightly.

“What if we look at it from another perspective? Because of Bai Ruoshu’s and President Bai’s relationship, we all think Mrs. Bai hates you, and your mom is merely collateral damage.”

“But Mrs. Bai handles everything about you impeccably, except when facing your mom, she shows none of the demeanor expected from a lady of a prestigious family.”

Indeed.

Back then, Song Wanqiu’s mother, Qin Shuang, even with her hatred towards Lin Zhiyi, would never dirty her own hands.

She would always pay others to do the tasks.

In contrast, Yang Jingwei seemed filled with intense contradictions.

Lin Zhiyi snapped out of her thoughts, refocusing.

“Are you saying Mrs. Bai hates my mom?”

“Or perhaps she does hate you, but she hates your mom even more.” Gong Chen rephrased.

Lin Zhiyi felt uneasy but couldn’t find any clarity.

Just then, she tilted into Gong Chen’s embrace.

He held her hand firmly, his warm palm soothing her skin.

“Don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

Arriving at the villa, Lin Zhiyi headed straight to Liu He’s dressing room.

She found the perfume bottle at the back of the cabinet and sprayed a little in the air.

The descending mist carried a very special orchid scent.

It instantly calmed one’s mind, making people unconsciously look at the person wearing the perfume.

Lin Zhiyi moved closer to smell, focusing intently, and nodded to Gong Chen.

“It’s this scent, without a doubt. But if it’s a custom perfume, how could it be identical?”

Even without using perfume, she knew that in perfumery, even a slight change in formula could alter the scent.

For it to be exactly the same, one would need the formula.

Gong Chen examined the perfume bottle; it was very ordinary, without any brand marking.

However, they found the word Gong Shiyan mentioned etched at the bottom.

It seemed to be engraved later.

Wei.

“Surname?” Lin Zhiyi speculated.

“Did your mom ever mention where this perfume came from?”

“She said it was a gift from a good friend over twenty years ago, but that friend passed away a long time ago. When mentioning this, my mom seemed very sad, not appearing to hide anything,” Lin Zhiyi recalled.

Gong Chen gently stroked the bottle in his hands: “Your mom’s good friend? Also a colleague?”

Lin Zhiyi hesitated: “Why ask that?”

Gong Chen didn’t rush to reply but led Lin Zhiyi to the bed, raising the perfume bottle high.

The seemingly ordinary bottle cast a fractured, glass-like glow under the sunlight.

Yet when lowered, it reverted to its ordinary appearance.

Lin Zhiyi was slightly surprised: “My mom never mentioned there was a mystery with this bottle.”

Gong Chen held the bottle: “This bottle feels very textured and heavy; it couldn’t be this ordinary. Such a bottle, if it was from twenty years ago, certainly wouldn’t belong to an average perfume brand.”

Not to mention that the perfume inside is specially blended.

It’s also not something ordinary people could afford.

Lin Zhiyi stared at the bottle, pacing a few steps, before a sudden flash of insight hit her.

“My mom did mention she visited a perfume counter for a while, but she didn’t tell me which brand. However, I do know someone very knowledgeable about perfumes.”

She took pictures of the perfume bottle and sent them to Sister Zhou.

Sister Zhou has a special hobby of collecting perfumes, to the extent of buying empty bottles just to display them.

Soon, Sister Zhou called.

“Zhiyi, I can’t believe it, you know how long I’ve been looking for this bottle? On the second-hand market, just the bottle alone goes for over sixty thousand.”

“An empty bottle is that expensive?” Lin Zhiyi exclaimed incredulously.

“Since you don’t collect perfumes, you might not know. This was the only time Master S of the house changed the packaging before he passed away, and it was a limited edition. It sold out immediately upon release, making it extremely rare. I can’t believe you have one, but…”

Sister Zhou hesitated, seemingly discovering something.

“What is it?”

“Your bottle doesn’t have a brand name, but upon close inspection, it’s genuine. It must belong to an internal staff member. This brand took precautions against employees reselling, so they put some preventive measures in place,” Sister Zhou explained.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiyi looked at Gong Chen.

Unexpectedly, he was right; the person who gifted Liu He the perfume might have been a colleague.

She then asked, “Sister Zhou, do you know about this brand’s orchid scent?”

Sister Zhou gave a questioning sound: “This brand rarely uses orchid as the main note. Did you refill the bottle with another perfume?”

Lin Zhiyi’s heart sank; could the lead be lost?

Gong Chen observed the perfume bottle’s neck and shook his head at her.

The marks at the bottle’s opening showed it hadn’t been opened since sealed, or else the perfume would’ve evaporated quickly over these two decades.

She immediately replied: “There’s no sign of refilling, Sister Zhou. Is there another possibility?”

“Well…”

Sister Zhou extended her thinking.

Suddenly, she exclaimed with realization.

“I got it. I heard that every five years, this brand allows its seasoned counter clerks to visit the lab and create their own exclusive perfumes. If refilling isn’t possible, then it must be an employee’s self-blended scent.”

“Thank you, Sister Zhou. I’ll treat you to a meal someday.”

Ending the call, Lin Zhiyi looked at Gong Chen, who likely heard it all.

Liu He’s perfume was self-blended by a colleague, unique in its scent.

But this person had long passed away.

No wonder Liu He reacted so strongly upon hearing Lin Zhiyi mention the orchid scent.

“What connection could a deceased person have with Mrs. Bai?”

Gong Chen: “Only your mom can answer that question.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Gong Shiyan called, saying Liu He was awake, and asked Lin Zhiyi to bring the perfume over.