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nChapter Seventy-Four: Jewelry Case

nDuring the first half of the conference, almost nobody had noticed booth eighteen. That was because the booth had been under construction since morning. Not only was there nothing on display, there was even a ‘CAUTION. STAY AWAY’ sign in front of it. In addition, the booth’s location was slightly isolated, which was why people only noticed it when the second half of the conference began. Booth eighteen’s display cabinets were all removed. The only thing left was the one-meter long square glass cabinet at the center of the booth.

nAn entire booth with only one exhibition cabinet on display – It was the first design of its kind at the Autumn Release Conference.

nIt was undoubtedly a bold attempt that carried great risks. However, thankfully, Xiao Yu and Yan Jin not only won the gamble, they also received more than what they had expected.

nInside the square glass cabinet, there was a pagoda-style building. It was narrow at the top and broad at its base. The base was built above the ground as it was suspended in mid-air. The upper part of the building towered above, with peaks of uneven heights. The highest point was around half a meter tall and the lowest stood barely above twenty centimeters. The layered ledges overlapped with one another as they intertwined together.

nWhat made it more interesting was that with added special effects, the entire building was surrounded in a world of ice and snow. The ice crystals that fluttered about gradually descended, painting the tip of the ledges with white snow, as if it was in the middle of a harsh winter.

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nAt first glance, almost everyone thought that it was a delicately sculptured model even though it was built slightly smaller. However, this was the Autumn Release Conference and that was a display case made to store jewelry.

nIf they were to describe the jewelry as flowers, then the case was nothing more than decorative leaves. But right now, this giant green leaf had substituted the flower as it was displayed at the exhibition.

nIf it was a physical item, it might have been difficult to present the mystical special effects of the falling snow. Although it was possible for the hologram to imitate the actual object, if it was placed together with other physical items, the discrepancy would be obvious.

nHowever, this jewelry case was not an actual item, which was why it could blend in perfectly with the wintery effects. It even possessed the ability to manipulate and change attributes that an actual item would not have.

nEvery thirty seconds, the windows would open automatically. Those small and exquisite drawers would slide outwards and reveal the hidden precious gems inside the priceless building.

nThe snow-white winter scenery was not complete without the red plum decorations.

nIn contrast to the snowy building, the different types of plum-blossom shaped jewels looked like drops of blood rolling off white silk. The frozen, stunning, purple-red color was so hair-raisingly beautiful.

nTen seconds passed, and the drawers automatically withdrew. The arabesque windows closed firmly as if they were protecting that short-lived gorgeousness.

nEven the reporters who were attracted over because of the crowd could not help themselves as they sighed in astonishment over this magical scene. The surrounding tourists could not hold back their excitement and fondness over the scenery. The volume of their chattering voices even overtook the sound of the broadcast.

n“Oh my god. Isn’t that jewelry case too beautiful? How can anyone bear to use it?”

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n“It’s totally a work of art.”

n“When is the actual item going to be released? I’ll buy it even if I go bankrupt!”

nMore and more people gathered in front of booth eighteen.

nEvery exhibition item had a name that belonged to it. This splendid and magnificent jewelry case was named Jade Court – the place where deities reside in heaven.

nThe wintery background and the word ‘Winter’ on the sign let the audience speculate whether the Jade Court had three other seasonal versions.

nThe only thing that made the audience feel regret was that even though photography was allowed in the conference, it was impossible to capture the hologram’s effects with cameras. And that was why they were unable to take commemorative photos of that jewelry case made with excellent workmanship.

nHowever, even though the Jade Court was not an actual item, those plum blossom styled accessories were indeed YL’s newly released autumn season jewelry series, Luxuriant Flowers.

nTo accommodate the exhibition effects of Jade Court, the plum blossom accessories were also projected using the images. However, without a doubt, the actual products of this series definitely existed.

nPerhaps some people may wonder, Mr. Mystery’s name was indicated on booth eighteen, so why was it displaying YL’s product’s in the end?

nYL’s official weibo¹ had already answered that question yesterday at midnight. It was because at this year’s Autumn Release Conference, YL and Mr. Mystery had established an exceptionally harmonious working relationship.

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nMore accurately, YL was providing a fully sponsored individual jewelry exhibition for the unconventional designer, Mr. Mystery.

nThey provided the manpower, the exhibition booth, the exhibition items, and they gave their best to groom this newbie designer who was overflowing with talent. Everything displayed the ability and resolution that a top-class jewelry corporation possessed as well as the high expectations that the public had for them.

nThis official statement could fool the public, but those who knew a little about the situation or those who truly understood this business could see that this so-called ‘collaboration’ was in fact one-sided publicity stunt for YL.

nIndeed, there was no physical version of the Jade Court and it could not be photographed – such a pity wasn’t it? Fret not, the Jade Court was just a jewelry case. The main focus was the jewelry inside – Wasn’t it enough that there were actual jewels?

nBut, didn’t booth eighteen only have one single glass cabinet display? Didn’t they say that Mr. Mystery borrowed the exhibition work from YL? If that was YL’s autumn season Luxuriant Flowers series, then shouldn’t we quickly head to booth three to have a look?

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nAfter listening to the reporter’s high critiques for both the Jade Court and Mr. Mystery, Xiao Yu satin front of the screen and felt discouraged when he saw how many people were surrounding booth eighteen’s exhibition area.

nHe was not worried that Yan Jin would see the original model of the Four Seasons Manor from the Jade Court. First of all, Yan Jin did not possess the gut feeling from a design aspect (Yan Jin: Really?). Second, the Four Seasons Manor was just an inspiration. Xiao Yu even referenced the top three most popular structures and historical sites for the specific modeling. The only similarity was the aspect of having four seasons. For that, Xiao Yu even purposely separated the portions to fix the color coordination – surely Yan Jin couldn’t deduce anything from that.

nThe reason Xiao Yu was feeling upset was purely because he saw the exhibition booth that was diagonally opposite of booth three – the completely deserted booth eleven.

nUnder the influence of YL, the exhibition booth that belonged to SI could only be described as miserable.

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nWith Yan Jin’s arrangements, YL used the enthusiasm from the Ragnarok competition to draw the public’s attention in the first half of the conference and the enthusiasm for the mystery designer in the second half of the conference. They made booth eighteen present the grandest non-physical exhibit, the Jade Court, and started a hot topic once again. Not only did it cause booth eighteen to be flooded with people, even YL’s own exhibition booth received a lot of attention that did not lose to the first half of the conference. This was especially true for the Luxuriant Flowers series. With the influence of the Jade Court, its popularity was raised exponentially, and it was estimated to have record breaking sales at the end of the conference.

nLater, under the influence of YL’s continuous publicity tactics, the visitor traffic for booth eleven was unbearable for Xiao Yu to watch. He could also predict how much bonus and allowance would be deducted for the human Xiao Yu after the conference. And what followed next would be a long period of time whereby SI would be shrouded by the shadows of failure.

nAnd this was all Yan Jin’s fault, Xiao Yu thought angrily.

nHonestly speaking, Yan Jin did not plan to intentionally target SI. It was SI’s misfortune that booth eleven was right in between booth three and booth eighteen. It was terribly awkward to be sandwiched between the two extremely attention seeking booths. Aside from SI, booths twelve to fifteen were in a similar miserable state.

nHowever, in Xiao Yu’s eyes, Yan Jin was without a doubt, the main culprit – the big boss from hell.

nAnd those thoughts included subconsciously shirking responsibilities because Xiao Yu had already realized that he was the main reason why the Autumn Release Conference this time had turned out like this. If only he had not been so pleased with himself that he lost his senses. After producing Moonlit Manacles, he even designed the killer weapon, Jade Court, changing the storyline of the previous life. Maybe if he had not done that, SI wouldn’t be so miserable.

nBut if it wasn’t for Yan Jin stirring him up all the time, he wouldn’t have decided to help YL. If Yan Jin had not brought him to the Four Seasons Manor, he wouldn’t have lost control over his desire to design and create such a masterpiece on a whim. If it wasn’t because Yan Jin had pestered him yesterday night asking this and that, maybe he wouldn’t have given that perfect exhibition proposal to Yan Jin for free.

nWhich meant that Yan Jin was to be blamed. It was all his fault.

nXiao Yu grouchily bit the melon seed into pieces as he threw them into his mouth and made a decision – he would not let Yan Jin off easily this time.

nThen again, speaking of which…

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nToday was the third day that Yan Jin was not around.

nXiao Yu looked at the peeled walnut and melon seeds that were on top of a tissue not too far away from him. He raised his paw and threw a melon seed over to the pile.

nHn, that is not used to calculate how many times I thought about Yan Jin over the past two days.

nHn, Yan Jin definitely did not think of me. He didn’t even say much last night, and there were no messages at all today.

nHn, if only Yan Jin came home right now. Then I’ll reluctantly forgive him.

nNot only that, he must bring along a cake.

nDon’t think I’ve forgotten about it. Tomorrow is the fifteenth. Yan Jin made a promise to celebrate his birthday every month on this day. And the fifteenth of this month just happened to occur during the Autumn Release Conference. He wanted to use that as an excuse? No way.

nAlthough that was what Xiao Yu thought, he was very clear that with Yan Jin’s identity and personality, Yan Jin had to be there to hold the fort for important events like the Autumn Release Conference. Especially when Yan Jin was that kind of cautious and conscientious chairman. Even Zhou Jinrong, who rarely bothered himself over SI’s trifle matters, would definitely be at the scene if he had not been sent to the ER.

nThe meaning behind the Autumn Release Conference was too significant. Things like pets probably wouldn’t be within consideration.

nAlthough Xiao Yu did feel disappointed knowing that Yan Jin would not make it back in time by tomorrow, he was still willing to be understanding.

nSigh, what a sensible and understanding hamster I am.

n…… That big meanie Yan Jin.

nXiao Yu watched the Autumn Release Conference’s live broadcast as he thought about these random things.

nThen, the guest room suddenly opened. Chu Ge walked out carrying his bag, dressed in a warm colored leisure suit, looking pretentious, yet dangerously handsome.

nAt first glance, Chu Ge did look like someone who was successful in life – no wonder he could change girlfriends every other day.

nXiao Yu immediately came to a conclusion.

nThis sort of scumbag was simply… making people jealous of him.

nXiao Yu, who had been single for twenty-five years and also far away from leaving singlehood suddenly felt himself shrinking².

n“Squeak?” Where are you going?

nXiao Yu typed his question on the iPad.

n“I’m going back.” Chu Ge replied like it was to be expected: “It’s already this time. Isn’t City H right next to to us? Today’s weather was great. The plane wasn’t late either. He should almost be here by now.”

n“Squeakk?”

nXiao Yu only planned to ask casually, but Chu Ge’s answer really confused him.

nHe’s going back, back where? Didn’t Yan Jin ask him to stay back and take care of me? And plane? What has it got to do with a plane?

nXiao Yu was baffled.

n“Eh? Yan Jin never told you?” Chu Ge saw Xiao Yu’s reaction and realized something. It was just that the realization surprised him a little.

nXiao Yu shook his head.

n“Oh, then I shall not reveal further.” Chu Ge instantly understood that Yan Jin was obviously planning to give Xiao Yu a surprise. He shall not destroy the human and hamster interaction that made onlookers green with envy.

n“Squeakkkk???” Xiao Yu had a face full of confusion. As a hamster, his current expression was as expressive as an emoticon encyclopedia.

n“Alright, alright. I’m leaving. See you next time.” When Chu Ge finished his sentence, he was already at the front door. He quickly put on his shoes and left. With a swift slam of the door, he closed it without any hesitation.

nThe sudden silent living room left Xiao Yu at a complete loss.

nWait, what happened? Did Chu Ge leave just like that? That’s so irresponsible.

nWas it because I’ve been pushing him around these two days, or maybe because I went to complain to Yan Jin and that made Chu Ge angry?

n…… No way, Chu Ge just went out to buy something. He will be back soon.

nXiao Yu still didn’t understand a thing when he heard the sound of the door unlocking. It seemed as if that just proved his suspicion.

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