Chapter 419 Call The Expert Out âWhatâs going on?â Cyrus asked. He instructed his assistant to switch to the news channel.
Melanie summarized the situation for him.
âNext month, Aiden and a few other perfumers from Medonia will be organizing a friendly competition in Harbor City in the name of sparring with fellow industry players from neighboring countries. They specifically mentioned my name, saying that they want to continue exchanging notes with me.â
The issue had escalated quickly, and the phone call was quickly becoming a group chat.
Cyrusâs assistant chimed in, âThe news channel emphasized that the purpose of the friendly match is to blend. fragrances in the simplest way possible. Participants shall bring their own ingredients, but they cannot bring more than ten of them and the total cost cannot exceed 150 dollars. How is that simple? Thatâs just cheap!â
Melanie pursed her lips.
The friendly match had yet to begin, but its promotional efforts were thorough. It seemed Aiden was worried she would ignore him and therefore went all out in his efforts, forcing her to accept the challenge by way of public opinion.
âElder Gibson, youâll crush Aiden Armstrong if you participate in that match!â his assistant said indignantly over the phone.
âDid you not see the last few lines in the promotional brochure? The match is supposed to be between industry fledglings. How could a master bring himself to participate in something like that?â Melanie reminded the assistant.
âHow twisted!â
The assistant continued lashing out.
âUsing rules to limit a perfumerâs fragrance blending techniques is as disgusting as the exams we were subject to when we were kids. Itâs like the questions that only provided us with one part, and we had to figure out the remaining part. Itâs terrible!â
âHeâs deliberately posing a challenge to me in my home country. If I turn it down or if a perfumer from Medonia wins the competition, people in Harbor City will hound us local perfumers to death,â Melanie analyzed the situation.
âIf I donât participate, do you have the confidence to win?â Cyrus finally spoke.
Melanie furrowed her brows.
âIdid gain some insight after reading your book, but I havenât had the chance to think through them. Iâm not sure how much Iâll be able to digest and apply within two weeks. The restrictions he raised are too targeted, and I canât say that Iâm sure of victory.â
âAlright, then. Iâll think of a way,â Cyrus said confidently.
1/3 +15 BONOS âThank you for your help, Master.â Melanie thanked him sincerely.
âIâm not doing this entirely for you. Aiden is in fact challenging all the new industry players in our country.â
With that, Cyrus hung up and instructed his assistant, âGive me information about all the new perfumers within the country over the past two years. This time, I must find a capable participant who can help Melanie take on this challenge.â
The assistant looked at him. Puzzled, he asked, âYou mean...â
âIf the ultimate champion turns out to be a participant from Medonia, netizens wonât spare Melanie. Thatâs why they mentioned Melanieâs name multiple times in the promotional brochure. They want to make her out to be the public enemy!â
âYou think that... Miss Melanie is sure to lose?â
âAiden is using his strength to attack her weakness. Itâs not even fair to begin with! But netizens are clueless about that, and will only insult her the moment she loses. Iâm worried she might not be able to take it. She started off too high the moment she entered the industry, only to be crushed so suddenly back at home and never to rise again,â Cyrus said as he shook his head, feeling helpless and worried.
His assistant nodded in silence. His concerns were legitimate.
Yet he deliberately said that he wasnât doing it entirely to help her, out of concern that it might be an emotional burden for her. His care and concern for her was truly enviable...
After the assistant swiftly tidied up the information, Cyrus read through them. He shook his head upon seeing the information on a few young and outstanding perfumers within the country.
âJust this many?â
The assistant nodded. âYouâre probably aware that these are the only few who are capable enough to accept the challenge.â
Cyrus flung the documents on the couch, displeasure written all over his wrinkled face.
âThese perfumers are not adept at simplistic styles, and they all have a mind of their own. They probably arenât as willing as Melanie to take on the challenge of blending a simple fragrance. Iâm not certain whether theyâll be willing to participate in the competition.â
The assistant was starting to panic, but he felt equally helpless. Talents were hard to come by, and it wasnât something that could be found overnight.
âNew industry players may not necessarily be young.â Cyrus suddenly said, looking up.
âAre you referring to older folks?â
The assistant was confused. Older perfumers were either famous for a long time, or not good enough...
âHead to Mount Coloss right away,â Cyrus said.
âFor for what?â The assistant was doubtful.
2/3 âTo call an expert out of the mountain!â Cyrus said confidently.
+15 BONOS With a challenge issued on home ground, Melanie quickly recovered from the panic and shut herself up in her room to dive into research. She was so immersed in her own world that she ignored everything that happened outside her room.
Jeffrey wasnât worried about her condition. As long as she ignored what happened outside, no one would target her and she could spend time resting at home.
He took care of all of her meals, and was very glad to see the color returning to her face.
He even asked for the wall between two guest rooms to be torn down, so he could build a highâend fragrance. blending room for Melanie. That way, she could immediately try out her perfumes the moment inspiration hit.
A few days passed, and the date of the friendly match was inching closer.
Melanie was still eating, drinking and studying in her room when she suddenly received a call from Cyrusâs assistant.
âMiss Melanie, do you have time right now? Can you come to the police station?â
âWhat happened?â Melanie asked with suspicion in her voice.
âItâs Elder Gibson...â
âWhat happened to Master? Did he get attacked? Or did he attack someone else?â Melanie started to panic.
âNot that... Itâs complicated. Donât hang up just yet, Iâll explain things to you as you come here. Either way, I canât talk Elder Gibson round, but you might be able to persuade him when you come,â the assistant said in between sighs, sounding as if something major had happened.
Melanie got changed in a hurry, grabbed her bag, and rushed downstairs. She got into a car and asked, âWhat exactly happened? I donât understand a single word of what you just said.â
The assistant found it hard to explain. After hemming and hawing a bit, he finally said, âItâs an old woman called the police who came to seize Elder Gibson...â
âWhat was the charge?â Melanie asked, utterly confused.
âSexual harassment.â
âHuh?â
Melanie was flabbergasted.