Reporter Louis worked for a small jewelry magazine. He had never planned on coming in the first place—if it weren’t for Hill, whom he had collaborated with for many years, he wouldn’t have bothered to show up at all.
Shen Yuan had actually been getting a fair amount of buzz lately, but none of it was about his work. After all, he was just a newcomer, at best a fledgling that had only just broken out of its shell. Louis had long since heard about Shen Yuan offending brand PR people, and at the time he’d been rather surprised, thinking this Chinese kid was incredibly arrogant. Choosing such an overtly Chinese brand name—there was no way that was going to work.
Sure enough, when he arrived at the venue, the seats were almost entirely empty. There were barely any同行—fellow journalists—at all. It was miserable.
When Hill introduced the two of them, he even said to Louis, “Later, do an exclusive interview with Shen.”
Louis thought it was a bit of a hassle, but then again, filling pages for his little magazine every month wasn’t easy either. Slipping in a backdoor exclusive interview wasn’t a big deal.
Shen Yuan froze for a moment, then smiled and agreed. “Alright, then I’ll trouble you. After the press conference ends, let’s do the interview separately.”
This Mr. Shen was surprisingly calm. When he came over to greet Louis, there wasn’t the slightest hint of panic or fear. That unflappable air—taking honor or disgrace in stride—made Louis feel a bit of goodwill toward him. Though the start was rough, maybe he really would make a comeback later? He probably had a lot of confidence in the quality of his work.
Louis even snagged a seat in the very front row—because no one else wanted it.
While waiting, Louis scrolled through Twitter. He followed Shen Yuan Studio’s account and soon saw a new post pop up:
“Thank you to Ambassador Fan Hua of the Huaguo Embassy in Country E for taking the time out of his busy schedule to attend the launch of my studio.”
Attached was a photo of Shen Yuan standing beside Ambassador Fan.
Louis froze. He rubbed his eyes, refreshed the page, confirmed it was real, and nearly jumped up.
“Holy shit!”
Just who the hell was Shen Yuan? He actually managed to get an ambassador to attend his press conference!
In that instant, Louis understood why Shen Yuan had been so fearless.
His heart started pounding wildly. Had he just stumbled into a gold mine? Sure enough, being a good person and doing good deeds really did pay off! He waved at the photographer, telling him to stop dragging his feet and hurry up and secure the best shooting position.
There was less than an hour left before the press conference began.
The two studio assistants’ phones were completely blown up. Calls poured in from major news outlets, all asking for entry passes to the press conference. They hurriedly wrote everything down and arranged it as fast as they could, answering one call after another without even having time to drink water. Their throats were practically smoking.
Media crews came running with their equipment. Ten minutes later, the first batch arrived, travel-worn, collected their entry wristbands, and were told there were no assigned seats—first come, first served.
The previously desolate venue filled up at a speed visible to the naked eye. By the time all the seats were taken, there were still fifteen minutes to go before the press conference began. Media who arrived afterward couldn’t even find seats. Soon, even standing room was packed, and after that, there was no space left to squeeze in at all.
The press conference proceeded according to plan. Beautiful models walked the runway wearing jewelry designed by Shen Yuan. After the showcase, Shen Yuan unveiled the plaque. Ambassador Fan went through the motions, made an appearance, congratulated Shen Yuan on establishing his personal brand, and together they cut the ceremonial red cord.
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
The clicking of camera shutters rang out one after another, flashes of white light flickering nonstop. Only then did Shen Yuan truly feel the reality of having founded his own studio. He felt both proud and slightly apprehensive. This was only the first step—what came next was still unknown.
But at the very least, this step had been taken. To be honest, if not for Qiao Hailou backing him and sparing him the long process of building connections, there was no way he could have opened his own studio right after graduating.
The media really were brutally realistic. If Qiao Hailou hadn’t used his connections to invite Ambassador Fan, how could there have been so many people present? How could there have been so much applause?
Next came the Q&A session.
Reporter: “May I ask, Ambassador Fan, why did you come to attend this press conference?”
This reporter was quick-eyed and quick-handed, snatching the first question and voicing what everyone in the room wanted to know.
Ambassador Fan: “Mr. Shen invited me. His brand philosophy moved me. He is an exceptionally outstanding young jewelry designer, and this is also the first time I’ve seen a jewelry brand founded under a purely Chinese name. I hope everyone will pay more attention to him and support him.”
Reporter: “Mr. Shen, why did you decide to establish such a brand?”
Shen Yuan smiled slightly. “You mean why I chose to directly use an awkward-sounding Chinese name for the brand, right? Because I am Chinese—this is a fact. My design style incorporates many ethnic elements, and my brand philosophy is to create a brand filled with Huaguo cultural style.”
Reporter: “Mr. Shen, some time ago you publicly revealed online that you are intersex. Will this have an impact on your career? We’ve also heard that you have already established a foundation and once promised to donate part of your earnings to charity. One thing I’m curious about is—if you’re willing to spend money helping others get medical treatment, why wouldn’t you undergo surgery yourself?”
Shen Yuan carefully considered his words before answering. “Right now, I don’t really like calling it an illness, but I can understand why people with experiences similar to mine care deeply about it. After all, in today’s society, people still broadly categorize gender as only male or female, and have difficulty accepting blurred boundaries. I accept everything about myself. It is precisely who I once was that made me who I am today, so I don’t intend to change. I don’t mind being the first intersex jewelry designer.”
He handled every question smoothly. It wasn’t that he wasn’t nervous—it was that he had practiced countless times already. The week before, he and Qiao Hailou had gone over the possible questions and prepared responses, forming a general plan instead of improvising on the spot. Shen Yuan never fought an unprepared battle.
He had already lived through far more humiliating experiences. A mere press conference—what was there to be afraid of? At this moment, he was genuinely grateful for all the hardships he’d endured before; otherwise, he might not have developed such strong mental resilience.
In the past, Shen Yuan would never have dared to use the thing he feared most as a selling point.
Yes, that’s right.
The flagship series Shen Yuan launched when he debuted used himself as the source of inspiration, claiming to combine feminine softness, masculine resilience, and Huaguo cultural aesthetics.
At the time, he had accumulated several sets of designs and asked Qiao Hailou to help him evaluate which one to use. Qiao Hailou picked this set immediately.
Shen Yuan thought it was good too—but also felt it was too bold. He was scared. No one before him had ever done something like this.
Qiao Hailou gently gave him a push and said, “Since ancient times, people who only follow behind others never leave a name for themselves. Look at the major brands—which one wasn’t a trailblazer? You need a unique position of your own.”
Shen Yuan lifted his gaze to him, slowly beginning to understand.
Qiao Hailou held a handful of Shen Yuan’s jewelry in his hands, diamonds and gemstones sparkling in his eyes.
“Do you think I’m just talking big when I haven’t even made Canlan into an international brand? I couldn’t do it because I’m just a capital trader. I operate capital, shuffle money around. I have no talent for design—I only know how to make money. But you’re different. You have talent. You have that possibility.”
“Baby, didn’t you ask me how to make your brand famous? Turn yourself into a legend, and your brand will naturally become a legend too.”
Even though Uncle Qiao encouraged him to charge ahead, Shen Yuan didn’t act recklessly. He opened a small boutique on a bustling luxury street in Country E, hired a Chinese interior designer, and incorporated Huaguo elements into the decor.
Since the shop space was property under Qiao Hailou’s name, there was no rent to pay. As long as the business made a decent amount, it could sustain operations.
This entire street of storefronts belonged to Qiao Hailou. He even said that if Shen Yuan wanted, he could open up an entire street—but Shen Yuan decided to be cautious and rejected that terrifying idea. He felt that deep down, Qiao Hailou was truly a madman—someone who dared to think and dared to act.
After a six-month trial operation, if things went well, he would return home to open another store. For now, there was only this one physical location, but the haute couture line accepted orders from clients all over the world.
After all, the shop occupied a prime location. Shen Yuan had recently become an internet sensation, the press conference had embassy support, and the media coverage was strong.
When the store first opened, there were plenty of customers who came just to see what the fuss was about. For the first three months, Shen Yuan personally stayed in the shop almost every day, receiving customers and talking them into buying jewelry. There were even fans who made special trips just to see him, spending money to support his career, perfectly happy just to get a photo together.
Sales climbed steadily, flourishing day by day. Shen Yuan’s little stash of money grew fuller and fuller, and he was so busy his feet barely touched the ground.
Amid all this, Shen Yuan received a message from Lin Zhihui.
Of course he hadn’t forgotten Aunt Hui. They had already agreed that once his studio opened, she would source several of his signature, high-end pieces to wear on the red carpet, charging only a 1% “friendship price.” She also helped introduce other people in the industry to rent his jewelry designs, charging 3%—far cheaper than many major brands.
Lin Zhihui’s entertainment company was doing very well. Several of her newcomers were gaining traction, and one young man named He Jing had recently risen to fame. He acted and sang, a dual-threat, and was currently one of the top-tier traffic stars in the country.
This time, Lin Zhihui contacted Shen Yuan precisely because of him. She gave a brief introduction, then got straight to the point. “He’s preparing to release a new album. We’ve more or less finalized the concept for the lead song’s music video, and we’d like to borrow some jewelry from you for the shoot.”
Shen Yuan didn’t hesitate at all. He asked directly, “Which piece do you want?”
Lin Zhihui answered tactfully, “…Jewelry that can cover an entire king-size bed. Would that be possible?”
Shen Yuan paused, then smiled. “Sure. When do you need it? I’ll bring it over myself.”