This design project drew inspiration from several of the Palace Museum’s most iconic national treasures. The target consumers were, naturally, women, so the product line included hairpins, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. The highest-priced pieces were set at a few thousand, while the lowest—earrings—were priced in the hundreds. The prices weren’t exorbitant, but they weren’t cheap either. All items were released in limited quantities.
The last time, after Qiao Hailou introduced him to Elder Fan, Shen Yuan took the opportunity to connect through that channel. He actively participated in various cultural exchange events, contributing both money and effort with enthusiasm. Although his seniority was shallow, his reputation in the jewelry design circle had been rising fast. He came with his own consumer base, and he had also designed jewelry props for several historical film and television productions. His research had been meticulous, and the finished pieces were visually stunning. In the past, people online had even dug up the jewelry he had made for those productions.
When the Palace Museum began looking for a jewelry designer to collaborate with, he was the first person they considered. Once Shen Yuan was contacted, he didn’t put on airs at all and accepted immediately, without hesitation.
The studio Shen Yuan had opened in Country E was now operating very smoothly and was highly favored by consumers—most of whom were foreigners. The situation the public relations firm had once warned him about, where consumers supposedly wouldn’t buy into his work, never materialized. His best-selling series, in fact, was the one with the most distinctive Chinese stylistic elements.
Every season, Shen Yuan conducted surveys to study customer satisfaction.
He asked whether customers were satisfied with the studio’s service, how they had learned about the studio, what impression they had of it, which new piece from the current season they liked most and why, what aspect of it they liked, and what suggestions or opinions they had about the studio, among many other questions.
Customers learned about the yuan·shen brand through many different channels. The majority came via news and the internet; a smaller portion wandered in while shopping, noticed a new store, and decided to take a look inside, often saying, “Just from the décor and the brand name, you can tell it’s run by Chinese people.”
Many customers gave similar reasons for choosing to buy from his studio:
“The Eastern elements make the designs stand out. They don’t feel old or traditional—they’re very fashionable.”
“I love Mister Shen’s designs. They’re full of Eastern charm, very delicate, with a strong personal style.”
“From the brand name to the design language, everything carries an Eastern soul. I really like it—it’s very trendy. When I wear it out, my friends all compliment it. Even if I don’t say anything, they can tell it’s the work of a Chinese designer.”
“Great value for the price, outstanding design, and I know Mister Shen has been doing charity work for a long time, regularly donating part of the studio’s profits to sick children. I’m very happy to support that.”
It could be said that abroad, Shen Yuan was enjoying overwhelming praise. He was in a golden period of creativity, diligently releasing new designs one after another. Not long ago, he had even gone on a business trip and held a personal jewelry design exhibition at the Palace of Versailles. Over the past two years, his high-end jewelry pieces had been frequently selected for exhibitions. Many wealthy clients sought him out for bespoke high jewelry, but those commissions had to be carefully tailored to each client’s temperament and needs, with painstaking craftsmanship. His order queue was already booked two years out.
To be honest, Shen Yuan felt that the reason he had done so well here had a lot to do with the idea that “the moon looks rounder abroad.” If he were a Western designer, he probably wouldn’t hold the same novelty appeal for these foreign clients.
His white clients bought his work because they were drawn to the Eastern elements. But once he returned home, the domestic market might not necessarily find it appealing—some might even think his style was neither fully Chinese nor fully Western. When the time came, he would adjust his designs according to the market.
The collaboration with the Palace Museum was mainly to establish his reputation. For the studio to truly grow and expand, he needed a much longer-term plan. In this area, Shen Yuan lacked experience, so he went to consult Qiao Hailou. This time, however, Qiao Hailou unusually refused to guide him and instead said, “Didn’t you do great with this project already? You’ve opened a studio once before. You write the plan yourself. This is your studio, not mine.”
Shen Yuan stared blankly and asked, “B-but this is opening a studio back home. It’s different from doing it abroad, isn’t it?”
Qiao Hailou replied gently, “Everyone has a different management style. Try it your way first. If you run into problems you can’t solve, then come talk to me. It’s not that I don’t want to help you. I just think you actually have talent in this area. If I handle everything for you every time, I’d only be stifling your growth.”
Thinking it over, Shen Yuan realized he really had been getting more and more lax. In the past, he would solve whatever he could on his own and absolutely wouldn’t ask others for help if he could avoid it. He handled everything by himself. But when it came to Qiao Hailou, he would forget his own principles and start pushing his luck. At first, he only went to Qiao Hailou for backup when he truly couldn’t manage on his own. Now, the moment something felt a bit troublesome, his first thought was to ask Qiao Hailou.
That really wasn’t right.
Seeing him frown and fall silent, Qiao Hailou kissed his forehead and leaned in to look at his face. “Baby, you’re not mad at me, are you?”
Shen Yuan shook his head and said in a muffled voice, “I just feel like I’m not improving—like I’m actually regressing, becoming more and more useless.”
Qiao Hailou laughed softly. “You call this useless? You’re already the most internationally renowned, award-winning, and popular designer among your generation of young jewelers. If they heard you say that, they’d be furious.”
“I know you ask me ‘Uncle Qiao, what should I do?’ because you like me, and it’s very cute. But everything I should have taught you, I’ve already taught you. Now you just need to let go and do it.”
Shen Yuan sighed. “If one day I mess things up, it’ll definitely be partly your fault. You’re always telling me you’ll catch me if I fall. That’s what they mean by ‘success because of Qiao Hailou, failure also because of Qiao Hailou.’”
Qiao Hailou burst out laughing. “Hey, you haven’t failed yet. Are you jinxing yourself?”
After thinking it over, Shen Yuan said seriously, “You really shouldn’t catch me anymore. If I mess up and the studio goes under, then it goes under. If I don’t have the determination to burn my bridges, and I keep thinking about an escape route, then one day I’ll unconsciously end up taking that escape route.”
At this stage, Shen Yuan was still very much a novice when it came to running a company. He knew himself well enough to understand that he couldn’t possibly do it as well as Qiao Hailou, nor could he deploy resources with the same efficiency or draw on the same depth of experience.
Before making his comeback, he spent his days holding Little Rice Cake and thinking about these things, gradually forming a few ideas in his mind.
Before returning home, Shen Yuan took Little Rice Cake to the hospital one last time to see Professor Haywood for a checkup.
The professor said that all of Little Rice Cake’s health indicators were normal now. She was quite healthy and could undergo surgery—it was about time to start arranging it.
Shen Yuan froze for a moment, then confirmed carefully, “She really can have the surgery now?”
Professor Haywood, puzzled, replied, “Of course. Didn’t we say this before?”
Little Rice Cake sat in her father’s arms, unaware of what was happening. She lifted her head and stared at her father’s chin, mouth slightly open, looking dazed.
Shen Yuan felt his nose sting and said sincerely, “Thank you! Thank you, doctor!”
He felt more excited and moved at this moment than he had when he first founded his studio. Praise be to great modern medicine.
Little Rice Cake was still under one year old, and Professor Haywood recommended waiting until she turned one before performing the surgery.
When Shen Yuan left the hospital with Little Rice Cake, he was still immersed in his emotions. He placed her in the reinforced child safety seat in the back row and chose to sit in the back as well, instead of the front passenger seat, to stay with her.
Little Rice Cake was hungry again. She didn’t cry or fuss—she simply gazed at her dad expectantly and said to him, “Milk.”
Shen Yuan poured hot water from a thermos, mixed it with cold bottled water to adjust the temperature, prepared the formula, and fed Little Rice Cake. Then he himself held the bottle and drank along with her.
He praised her, “Little Rice Cake drinks her milk so well. She’s so well-behaved—you can tell she takes after me. I think Little Rice Cake looks more like me.”
In his heart, Qiao Hailou silently complained: I don’t think she looks like you at all. When were you ever this well-behaved? The one who really resembles you is Little Peanut, with that nonstop talking.
But saying that out loud would only earn him denial, so he kept it to himself.
After finishing her milk, there was still some on Little Rice Cake’s lips. Shen Yuan wiped her mouth for her. She smiled at him, carefree and content. Once she was full, she yawned, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
Shen Yuan felt as though he was making up for everything he had been denied in childhood through Little Rice Cake. She was different from him. Even if she also had a physical defect, her fathers loved her and spoiled her. She was a happy, blessed little baby.
When Shen Yuan had previously attended foundation gatherings, most of the families who sought help were not well-off. Many parents still loved their children dearly, cherishing them like priceless treasures. Every time he saw that, Shen Yuan felt a twinge of envy, thinking that if only he had been that lucky as a child. Then he would think again—if that had been the case, perhaps there wouldn’t be the him of today.
The Shen Yuan family returned to the country.
After a brief period of rest, one week later Shen Yuan attended a joint press conference with the Palace Museum and announced that he would soon be opening a jewelry studio back home.
The moment Shen Yuan returned, the media sprang into action, inviting him onto all kinds of variety shows and interview programs. He accepted several engagements, planning to use them to promote himself.
He had already shot promotional photos for his first collaboration after returning. Advertisements were everywhere—paid for out of his own pocket—and once again, he forcefully reentered the public eye.
One day.
On a well-known domestic forum, someone made a post:
“Has anyone noticed that every celebrity who’s collaborated with Shen Yuan ends up becoming famous?”