Chapter 64
After dilution, the 5,000 ml of Damascus rose essential oil and 30,000 ml of rose hydrosol filled several large buckets to the brim.
Xie Xingchen sealed them up and set them aside to settle.
The next day, after the custom-made crystal travel bottles he’d ordered arrived, he began decanting the essential oil and hydrosol from the large buckets into smaller containers one by one.
In the end, he had 5,000 1-ml Damascus rose essential-oil samples and 3,000 10-ml Damascus rose hydrosol samples.
Both types of bottles were made from pale pink crystal—dreamy and dazzling. Each was delicate and compact, with rose patterns engraved onto the body exactly as Xie Xingchen had requested.
The essential-oil bottle was simpler: a test-tube style vial with a transparent glass dropper inside. The hydrosol bottle was more elaborate, shaped like a vintage oval with a rose-shaped cap; open it and there was a spray nozzle that produced a fine mist.
Even though they were “just” sample bottles, whether oil or hydrosol, both had an understated elegance. Most importantly, they felt premium—clear and luminous in sunlight, the kind of thing you’d want to hold onto and never let go.
As for the comments from Get-Rich, Prosperity, and Long-Life… Xie Xingchen could only say: thanks a lot.
I mean—crystal, hello? Of course it looks good and feels expensive.
It was only because the Star Alliance had abundant resources—many mining planets produced crystal, and synthetic crystal manufacturing was common—that crystal had become so plentiful its price was beyond cheap. Otherwise, these two kinds of bottles alone could have bankrupted him.
After admiring the decanted Damascus rose hydrosol and essential oil, Xie Xingchen finally nodded in satisfaction.
He logged onto StarBlog and decided—painfully—to do a giveaway.
[Xie Xingchen V: To celebrate the upcoming launch of new Earth Trading Company products, I’m drawing 8,000 winners at random. Each winner will receive either 1 ml of Damascus rose essential oil or 10 ml of Damascus rose hydrosol. P.S. Repost this post to participate. Countdown to the draw ? 119:59:59]
Essential oils existed in the galaxy too, and they weren’t cheap.
No—“expensive” didn’t even begin to cover it. They were so pricey even many wealthy people couldn’t afford them.
So the moment Xie Xingchen posted that giveaway, the entire internet exploded.
[ChirpChirpChirp: Whoa, for real? A giveaway? Essential oil and hydrosol??]
[Cute Alien: Raising my hand— I know essential oil, but what’s hydrosol?]
[Come On Babe: Damn, who cares what it is—if it’s being given away alongside essential oil, it’s definitely good stuff. Trust me—everyone, charge!!]
There were plenty of people who knew what they were looking at. The second they saw “essential oil” and “hydrosol,” before they even understood what hydrosol was, they immediately started reposting.
After the first wave, more and more people poured in.
Essential oil—Boss Xie is giving away essential oil!
Sure, it’s only 1 ml, but there are so many winners!
If only they could get lucky.
Xie Xingchen hadn’t even revealed what the Damascus rose essential oil did yet, but when it came to essential oils—where you needed countless plants just to extract a little essence—everyone had the same attitude:
I’m in.
And as for hydrosol?
What it was didn’t matter in the slightest. If Boss Xie was putting it beside essential oil in a giveaway, it had to be something good.
Sure enough—
[Xie Xingchen V: Oh right, I haven’t announced the effects of Damascus rose essential oil and hydrosol yet. Give me a second.]
[Xie Xingchen V: Damascus rose essential oil effects ? 1) soothe and regulate emotions; 2) improve palpitations, arrhythmia, and high blood pressure symptoms; 3) relieve asthma, coughing, and similar symptoms; 4) regulate menstruation and nourish the body; 5) moisturize, repair broken capillaries, ease inflammation, redness, etc. [Note ?]]
[Xie Xingchen V: Damascus rose hydrosol effects ? 1) hydrate and brighten; 2) slow aging; 3) fade spots; 4) repair and moisturize. [Note ?]]
Xie Xingchen summarized the effects in just a few simple lines.
His tone was calm—almost casual—but the girls who saw it nearly lost their minds.
Loving beauty had always been a universal pursuit. The market was flooded with skincare products; plenty exaggerated, but the ones that truly worked were worshipped.
They didn’t know whether this Damascus rose hydrosol and essential oil were really as miraculous as Boss Xie said—but if he dared to say it, then surely they had at least half those effects, right?
[Knock Knock: Ahh, please let me win!!]
[Please Rain, I’m Welding Shut: Same… I’m crying. This country bumpkin just wants to try essential oil and hydrosol once. If I don’t win, I probably won’t be able to afford it later.]
[Lucky Moth: 8,000 slots—there’s gotta be one for me, right?]
At first people just used their own accounts. After learning the claimed effects, they started borrowing every friend and relative’s account they could, reposting like their lives depended on it.
In short: winning would be amazing—and if they couldn’t win, at least they could help dilute everyone else’s odds.
With that mindset, the repost count ballooned like a snowball rolling downhill.
By the day of the draw, you could tell just from the reposts that those 8,000 winners were truly the chosen ones.
“Let me win—please let me win!” Alice stomped anxiously, so distracted she couldn’t even focus on her livestream.
Her frantic state made the chat burst into laughter, teasing her that she’d finally gotten a taste of her own medicine.
But it also stunned some new viewers.
Wasn’t Alice rich?
Even if she didn’t win, couldn’t she just buy it when it launched? Even if essential oil was expensive, surely she could afford it?
Alice forced a weary smile and answered sincerely, “I can afford it—but that doesn’t mean I can actually snag it!”
Some idiot had leaked her purchase-sniping method. Now the whole internet knew.
And just like that, her easy web-ordering days were gone. Ever since, her shopping raids had been a disaster.
Some newer fans had never joined Earth Trading Company’s buying frenzies, so they didn’t really get it. To them, all the “hard to get” talk sounded like marketing—something to chuckle at and move on.
But it wasn’t marketing at all.
After failing to explain, Alice sighed in defeat. “Forget it. Later, you guys try grabbing something yourselves and you’ll understand. I swear it’s a nightmare.”
Then her eyes lit up and she egged them on: “Also—everyone must try! If anyone snags one but doesn’t want it, I’ll buy it off you for double the price!”
She grinned, secretly hoping more “fools” would show up.
As she paced back and forth, the nightly Earth Trading Company refresh event arrived.
At 23:48:25, she surprisingly didn’t end the stream. Instead, she opened the Earth Trading Company page on stream and urged everyone watching to join the grab.
With her promise to buy at double price, the chat got fired up.
And then—
A few seconds past midnight… it felt like something happened, and also like nothing happened at all.
Alice, who got nothing, wore a miserable face. “Waaah, I seriously can’t get anything! Anyone snag one they don’t want? I’m buying at double! DM me!”
The barrage filled with comments:
[You’re dreaming.]
[Double? I’ll pay triple!]
[Bro don’t give it to her, name your price!]
[I’m saying it now—whatever they offer, I’ll pay one more than that. Contact me!]
Seeing the chat, Alice knew instantly she wouldn’t be “sniping a bargain” today.
She shook her head and changed the subject. “Alright, alright, no more scamming you guys. If you got one, listen—use it yourself. Don’t be dumb and sell it… Anyway, my real goal tonight isn’t that. It’s the essential oil and hydrosol. There’s only half an hour left until the draw—let’s wait.”
That woke everyone up instantly.
Only half an hour to go. Everyone was already mentally accepting their prize.
The chat was cheerful and lively, like they’d all won already.
Until the half hour passed and the results came out—then the livestream became one long wail of despair.
But, well… sometimes people’s joys and sorrows don’t overlap at all.
“Hahahahaha, besties—I won! I won a 10 ml Damascus rose hydrosol!”
Alice showed off like crazy, her pretty face somehow acquiring a very punchable aura.
But she didn’t think she was being obnoxious at all. She beamed. “The giveaway assistant says the prize will be delivered within an hour! Ahhhh I’m not sleeping—I’m waiting for my hydrosol!”
Speak of the devil: the moment she said she wouldn’t sleep, her package arrived.
When she heard the delivery chime, she froze.
No way. No way. Earth Trading Company is shipping this fast now?
She didn’t know why it was so fast, but she was beyond excited.
Eyes shining, she sprang up and sprinted to the door to sign for it.
Her grin never left her face—her eyes were so bright they looked like free lightbulbs.
She took the tiny package from the delivery robot and winked at the camera. “Hahaha, look—this is my hydrosol! And look at this packaging—so cute!”
She practically wanted to kiss it.
She showed off for a full ten minutes before finally pulling out a craft knife and carefully opening the parcel.
To save costs, Xie Xingchen hadn’t used gift boxes for samples. Each was wrapped into a clay-like molded ball; to get to the bottle, you had to cut it open.
Alice slit a small opening, then tore it apart—
And a shimmering little bottle appeared.
It was an eye-catching skincare bottle—honestly, it looked more like a perfume bottle.
Small and exquisite, carved from pale pink crystal in a vintage oval shape. Subtle Damascus rose patterns traced the outer surface. The cap was sculpted like a rose; when she opened it, a beautiful metal spray nozzle was revealed.
Gorgeous. It looked expensive at a glance.
It was so pretty she couldn’t put it down.
Reluctantly, she opened the rose cap, closed her eyes, and misted her face lightly.
A fine mist sprayed out, and a rich rose fragrance made her inhale again and again.
The hydrosol spread in a thin veil over her skin.
A moment later, it was absorbed.
Moist. Comfortable.
The hydration and the scent were both shockingly delightful.
Just one spray did that?
Alice sprayed again. The effect was even clearer—
But she couldn’t bear to spray more.
She carefully capped it, set it aside, then looked at her viewers with feverish conviction. “Buy it. You have to buy it!”
Then she burst into tears, squealed for a while, and finally continued, “This Damascus rose hydrosol smells so good I think it’s the most precious perfume in the world! And the hydration is insane—just two sprays and my skin instantly feels plump and comfortable… As for the other effects Boss Xie mentioned, I think you need long-term use, so I can’t confirm them yet. When the full-size version comes out, I’ll buy it and review it!”
Her impressions were fair and honest—but in truth, everyone’s eyes were glued to the beautiful bottle.
Let’s be real: most people are visual creatures. They have no self-control when it comes to pretty things.
Whether the hydrosol worked or not, that bottle?
It was irresistible.
The only solution: urge Boss Xie to restock.
Xie Xingchen: “…”
Facing the tidal wave of customers—and their wolfish demands for a launch—Xie Xingchen’s feelings were complicated, as always.
Luckily, he wasn’t the same Xie Xingchen he used to be.
He was calm in the face of these hungry-tiger customers.
Launch immediately? Impossible. He hadn’t even completed the trial survey—how could he launch?
Out of 8,000 winners, only 135 had submitted their 50-word user feedback so far. Until he collected all the feedback, he wasn’t even considering a release.
And besides: he’d already used up all the Damascus roses this round. If he wanted more essential oil, he’d have to plant again.
At this cultivation pace, there was no way there’d be a new drop this month.
Ignoring the fan frenzy, Xie Xingchen stuck to his schedule.
First he planted the harvested Damascus rose seeds, then he ordered several sets of better distillation equipment.
Why buy more?
Because he had money, he had space, and he liked things clean.
Distillers could be washed, sure—but after distilling one type of flower, the equipment always retained a trace of that flower’s fragrance.
If he used it for a different flower, the scents might mix.
Thinking that, he ordered without hesitation.
When the new equipment arrived, he found another large workshop near the food workshop, changed the signboard to “Beauty Workshop,” moved the stills in, and officially set up shop.
Creating the Beauty Workshop wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment impulse—it was something he considered necessary.
By now, Earth Trading Company’s flower cultivation was on track. Fresh flowers and flower teas were selling extremely well.
But Xie Xingchen’s ambition was bigger. If he could make essential oils and hydrosols now, why wouldn’t he earn that money too?
He already had the equipment and the raw materials. Developing more products was only natural.
He sent flowers suitable for essential-oil extraction into the workshop.
He bought ten workshop robots from the system in one go: two were assigned to the food workshop, one to the daily necessities workshop (currently only making mugwort-mint balm), one to the flower-tea workshop, and the remaining six stayed in the Beauty Workshop.
Since he was producing samples, the workload wasn’t heavy.
Lavender, jasmine, orange blossom, osmanthus, rose, lily, camellia, and wild chrysanthemum—eight kinds of flowers—were harvested and sent to the Beauty Workshop, where the six robots handled washing and drying.
Then they loaded different flowers into different stills for distillation.
Before long, under high heat, a faint floral fragrance filled the air.
Liquid dripped down the (transparent) condenser tube, and the oil-water separator split the essential oils and hydrosols.
Compared to Damascus rose essential oil, the other oils were clearly more cost-effective.
This was only a trial run, but even using similar amounts as before, the yield was far higher than the Damascus rose batch.
He stored the essential oils and hydrosols in sixteen large jars.
Xie Xingchen contacted the same designer from before and asked him to design sample bottles for the eight new flower oils and hydrosols.
Since they were just samples, he didn’t demand anything complicated.
After discussing it, the designer created a unified series with a consistent style.
The new eight types of essential-oil and hydrosol bottles were still crystal, but the crystal colors matched the flowers, and the decorations were based on simple line drawings or the flower’s natural shape.
The design wasn’t ornate, but it didn’t hurt their beauty or practicality.
Unified yet distinctive: nine flowers total, eighteen sample bottles as one full set. Pretty individually—stunning together.
Staring at the bottles, Xie Xingchen finally understood why so many people loved collecting perfume.
Maybe collectors weren’t only drawn to the scent… but also to the bottles that held it.
To be honest, even he—someone who didn’t usually care for flashy things—felt the urge to collect a full set after seeing them. Let alone those who already loved this kind of thing.
Once the sample bottles were ready, Xie Xingchen filled them with essential oil and hydrosol.
A total of 150,000 samples nearly caused his giveaway StarCoins to be overwhelmed by the fans’ enthusiasm.
After some time away, the fans seemed even more frenzied.
He set another 120-hour repost giveaway, but the number of participants was more than double the last time.
Clearly, a huge number of people who’d previously been indifferent to Earth Trading Company products had been dazzled by reviewers and streamers praising the Damascus rose hydrosol and essential oil.
So this time they were utterly obsessed with the other flower oils and hydrosols.
Five days flew by in a blink.
Amid the wailing and sobbing of those who didn’t win, everyone discovered a truly, truly chosen one—
That streamer Alice—the one who claimed to be “Earth Trading Company’s first customer”—had again won.
And this time she’d won a 1 ml lavender essential oil sample.
Everyone: !!
Damn—did Boss Xie rig it for her?
Was being the first customer really that special?
Jealousy made everyone ugly.
Meanwhile, lucky Alice was so excited she could barely speak.
She truly hadn’t expected to win again—and to win lavender essential oil, her favorite.
This was lavender essential oil!
When her “idiot little brother” found out, he even came over asking for it—she chased him out.
Alice babbled at the camera, overwhelmed with gratitude. “Ahhh my luck is so, so good… Wuwuwu thank you Boss Xie, thank you StarBlog official app—you let me have essential oil and hydrosol!”
She couldn’t control her excitement, bouncing around for half an hour before finally calming down enough to say, “Alright—let’s do it. Let me test this lavender essential oil.”
Then she remembered something and coughed awkwardly. “Ahem—before testing the lavender oil, let’s talk about the Damascus rose hydrosol first.
As everyone knows, I finished the 10 ml bottle I won this morning. And honestly? This hydrosol is insanely good.
Even though it was only 10 ml, the results were super obvious. Hydration aside—it really does brighten your complexion and fade dark spots!
Look at my skin—don’t I look way fairer and smoother than before?”
She moved the camera closer so everyone could see her skin.
She was Earth Trading Company’s walking water army; she wasn’t worried about anyone accusing her of advertising.
[OMG, Alice’s skin really is whiter and softer than before!]
[So the Earth Trading Company rose and hydrosol actually work?]
[Damn, seriously? Alice isn’t being paid to advertise, is she?]
[Probably real—Earth Trading Company has always relied on word of mouth.]
Seeing her visibly smoother, fairer skin, everyone was shocked. Then they started discussing the hydrosol and essential oils.
Those already tempted became even more tempted.
Those not tempted started to waver too.
Because the effect really was obvious.
And these oils and hydrosols were made from green plants with “green matter” content—long-term use should be good for your body, right?
On that point, Alice had plenty to say. She nodded. “Yeah, it really feels good for the body. I don’t know if it’s placebo, but after using it I feel lighter, and the Damascus rose hydrosol smells amazing—every time I smell it, my mood improves.”
[Wow, I want to buy it.]
[How much per bottle?]
[Can they sell trial sizes?]
Some people were instantly sold and wanted to buy right away.
But—
Alice gave a bitter smile. “Do you think I’m running a livestream shop here? How much? Trial sizes? Boss Xie doesn’t lack money. When he restocks and how much he stocks—no one knows. If you want to buy, follow Boss Xie’s StarBlog and we’ll raid together when it drops.”
Everyone: QAQ… Ouch. Forgot this is stuff you have to fight for.
Alice shook her head. “Alright, enough depressing talk. Let’s test the lavender essential oil.”
The lavender oil came in a pale purple crystal mini bottle with a premium texture. Sleek, test-tube-shaped lines, a squeezable glass dropper in the center, and lavender motifs engraved on the body.
Following the usage card, Alice cleansed her face on stream, then carefully took out two drops of lavender oil, warmed it in her palms, and gently pressed it into her skin.
Alice had a small face, but even two drops was barely enough.
She couldn’t bear to use more, but after realizing it still wasn’t enough, she swallowed her pain and added one more drop, pressing until all the oil was absorbed.
Then she took a deep breath.
“So moisturizing. So comfortable,” Alice sighed.
After the oil massage, she reluctantly applied her usual moisturizing cream—but she used less than one-third of her usual amount. Surprisingly, her face didn’t feel dry at all; instead it felt comfortably fresh yet hydrated.
Alice: !
She nearly cried. “Wuwuwu besties, this lavender essential oil is so good! I feel like it’s even better than the Damascus rose hydrosol!”
After the face test, she turned on her diffuser, added water, and—pained as she was—dripped two drops of oil into it.
A fine mist slowly puffed out of the diffuser.
Alice closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Slowly… slowly…
She actually… fell asleep.
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