The female staff and customers in Shufang Studio also wore expressions of utter shock.
'This necklace... no, this priceless treasure, is actually a birthday gift for some woman? Heavens, we're all women, so why is life so unfair?'
Their hearts were filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Cheng Yunlong, amidst his surprise and admiration, remembered something and hurriedly asked, "By the way, Master Zhao, who did you say made this necklace again? Master Ma? Master Lin? Or Master Chen?"
The men he named were all the most preeminent designers and master carvers in the jade and jewelry industry.
But he quickly shook his head, dismissing his own guess. "No, even though those masters are at the top of the industry, they still lack the refinement needed to produce such a flawless artistic treasure. Master Zhao, please, tell me! Whose masterpiece is this?"
Since Zhao Yuan wasn't going to sell the Moonlit Stars Necklace, Cheng Yunlong could only try an indirect approach: hire the necklace's creator to craft another treasure!
'Even if the new treasure can't compare to the Moonlit Stars Necklace, as long as it's seventy percent... no, even half as good, it'll be enough to shock the world!'
'Then, whether I sell it for a huge profit or keep it as Shufang Studio's crown jewel, it'll be a fantastic result.'
Zhao Yuan was left speechless.
'I literally just said it. Were you even listening?'
With a wry smile, Zhao Yuan said in an annoyed tone, "I made it."
"So, it was... eh?" Cheng Yunlong trailed off, confused. He frowned and muttered to himself for a few moments before it finally dawned on him. Staring at Zhao Yuan with wide eyes, he exclaimed in disbelief, "What did you say? *You* made this necklace?"
Zhao Yuan nodded. "That's right."
Cheng Yunlong asked again, "You made it just now? You borrowed our jade workshop just to make this necklace?"
"Yep." Zhao Yuan continued to nod.
"My heavens!" The overwhelming shock made Cheng Yunlong's legs go weak. He quickly found a chair and sat down, panting as he said, "Master Zhao, you're not joking with me, are you?"
Zhao Yuan was exasperated. "Do I look like I have that much time on my hands?"
Cheng Yunlong's jaw dropped.
'He never would have thought that Zhao Yuan knew how to carve, and at the Grandmaster Level, no less! Otherwise, it would be impossible to create such a world-stunning artistic treasure! No, wait... even a Grandmaster probably couldn't pull this off, could they?'
'Aren't you a Feng Shui Master? Aren't you a doctor? How do you know how to carve jade artifacts, too? And you're so absurdly skilled at it? Your talents cross so many fields, it's just too much, too outrageous! And you're so young! How can you be this incredible already? You're not leaving any room for us old timers to survive!'
If there weren't other people in the shop, Cheng Yunlong really would have screamed all this at Zhao Yuan.
Then, another question occurred to him.
'It's only been a little over an hour since I got the call from my staff. That means Zhao Yuan created a priceless treasure in just over an hour!'
'That speed, that efficiency... it's simply inhuman!'
'Other carvers and designers take months, even years, to produce a single masterpiece!'
Cheng Yunlong clutched his head, feeling as if his entire understanding of the world had been completely overturned.
Seeing that he had fallen silent, Zhao Yuan took the initiative to ask, "Do you have any other questions?"
"No," Cheng Yunlong said with a pained look.
'He had many questions, but he knew that even if he asked them, Zhao Yuan wouldn't necessarily answer. It was better not to ask at all.'
"In that case, I'll go back to using your workshop. I have something else to make." With that, Zhao Yuan turned and walked toward the back courtyard of Shufang Studio, planning to take this opportunity to also create the Traditional Chinese Medicine surgical tools.
Cheng Yunlong suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Wait a moment, Master Zhao, I have a request."
"What is it?" Zhao Yuan asked, turning back.
Cheng Yunlong rubbed his hands together, saying somewhat sheepishly, "When you have some free time, would it be possible for you to make a piece of jewelry for me? I'll prepare the materials—I guarantee they'll be top quality, worthy of your skill. As for your fee, I definitely won't be stingy!"
"We'll see." Zhao Yuan's answer was vague, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Cheng Yunlong felt a pang of disappointment, but it was quickly replaced by hope. 'As long as Master Zhao didn't refuse outright, there's still a chance! That's right, how could it be easy to commission a Grandmaster Level Master Carver? But I believe that if I show enough sincerity, enough genuine desire, I'll eventually be able to move him and convince him to craft a priceless treasure for me!'
Zhao Yuan asked, "Anything else? I'm heading back to the workshop."
After a brief hesitation, Cheng Yunlong said with a hopeful expression, "Your Moonlit Stars Necklace... could you let me admire it for a moment? Don't worry, I'll just look at it here in the shop. I definitely won't take it outside."
He said as much, but deep down, Cheng Yunlong didn't hold out much hope.
'Are you kidding? This is a priceless treasure, worth a king's ransom. Who would just hand it over to someone else to look at?'
Even he himself felt his request was a bit much. He gave a dry laugh and said, "That was presumptuous of me, very presumptuous..."
Then, something Cheng Yunlong never would have imagined happened.
Zhao Yuan casually tossed the Moonlit Stars Necklace to him, saying breezily, "Sure. Go ahead and look."
Cheng Yunlong nearly had a heart attack.
Terrified that the Moonlit Stars Necklace would fall to the ground or hit something, he shot up from his chair, as nimble as a monkey. It was hard to believe that his chubby frame could move so fast!
Cheng Yunlong lunged forward and caught the Moonlit Stars Necklace.
Confirming that the necklace was unharmed, he heaved a long sigh of relief, feeling his back drenched in a cold sweat.
By this time, Zhao Yuan had already walked into the workshop and closed the door.
Staring at the closed workshop door, Cheng Yunlong was overcome with a complex mix of emotions.
'Master Zhao, oh, Master Zhao, you're on another level! This is a priceless treasure, and you just tossed it to me? Do you have to be so incredibly bold, so utterly dominant?'
Beyond the shock, Cheng Yunlong was also deeply moved.
'Zhao Yuan handing him the Moonlit Stars Necklace directly showed his trust. And to have earned the trust of a Feng Shui Master and a Master Carver... that made Cheng Yunlong incredibly proud.'
At the same time, everyone else in Shufang Studio swarmed over, whipping out their phones to frantically snap photos of the Moonlit Stars Necklace.
As they took pictures, they gasped and marveled at its beauty.
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