Special Preview: White Peach & Coriander

A One-line Description: A story where both career achievements and a boyfriend must be gained.

The Approach: A conventional match that is compatible is common; the occasional sparks flying are what’s special. [1]

Translated by: soyamilkbunny; Proofread by AmethystRose

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This story is translated with the express permission of the author and is for non-commercial purposes only. Please support the translator by reading it only on soyamilkbunny[dot]wordpress[dot]com.

“Do you like coriander?”

Faced with the sudden question, Tao Ting was stunned for a moment before nodding, “I’m fine with it.”

Xu Linyue chuckled and handed her the perfume in his hand. He even took the opportunity to quiz her, “It’s called White Peach & Coriander [2]; a rather strange name. If I give this product to you, what would you think?”

Tao Ting’s expression froze for a second, and she wished that she could return the item to its owner immediately. She realised too late that she could only have the gift if she answered the question.

She took out the perfume, opened the cap and sprayed a pump on her wrist.

The fresh and sweet peach scent carried along with it the fragrance of green grass. It lingered between them both, not amazingly aromatic but not mismatched like expected. 

After a few moments of contemplation, Tao Ting looked at Xu Linyue and replied, “I would think that not all pairings in the world are made for each other. There are many scent elements – to have a conventional blend that matches well is common; the occasional sparks flying are what’s special [1]. I won’t emphasise how good this perfume smells, but instead market it in such a way: not everyone will like it, but there will definitely be one person that will. It is not a perfume made for the masses and only belongs to a small group of people.”

Xu Linyue raised the corners of his mouth, nodded and said, “Not bad.”

Receiving his approval, Tao Ting breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at the name on the perfume bottle and asked off-handedly, “CEO Xu, do you eat coriander?”

Xu Linyue shook his head, “I’ve never eaten it.”

Tao Ting interjected an “oh” and stopped the conversation.

As the elevator rose steadily, she heard him say, “I don’t mind trying. Perhaps I might even like it.”

TRANSLATOR’S NOTES

[1] The original phrase is exactly the same in both occurrences, with the first occurrence referring to perfume blends, and the other referring to romantic relationships. I, however, was unable to find suitable words to match both situations, so they’re both slightly different here.

[2] The 4711 Acqua Colonia White Peach & Coriander was launched in 2017 by the German perfume brand, Maurer & Wirtz. It is a light and fruity fragrance made for women and men and combines the sweetness of white peaches with the tang of fresh citrus, the woody aroma of coriander and the earthiness of herbal notes.

BUNNY’S RAMBLINGS

As previously explained in Goodnight, Miss Rose, the author has plans to rewrite the novel to better develop the characters and plot and turn it into a full-length novel. This is the description of the said rewritten novel. The author, however, is currently working on other novels and may not get to this anytime soon.

Update (2021.11.07): This is the original link to the novel page. However, the author just changed the title of the novel to “Ribbon Rose” to keep the “rose” in the title, and thus, the novel page is changed. The preview has also been changed to match the new title, but I don’t think I’ll be translating it. Maybe when I have nothing better to do…?