To tell the truth, Zhong Yutao’s sudden plea to become an apprentice somewhat exceeded Wang Hao’s expectations. After all, look at how grown the man is, becoming beet red and excitedly shouting to be an apprentice—it was all a bit dreamlike...
Actually, taking him on as an apprentice would be a good thing since having one more apprentice meant one more path—but the crux of the matter was, Wang Hao’s particular skill was something only he could use, the "Jade Eye" simply couldn’t be passed on to someone else.
"Ah, Master Zhong, look at you," Wang Hao quickly extracted his arm and said, "This is just a hobby of mine. You’re really taking it too seriously, it’s unnecessary, unnecessary. If you’d like, we could exchange and discuss our work in the future, but as for you becoming my apprentice, I really couldn’t!"
"Well, alright then," with Wang Hao saying that, Master Zhong didn’t have much choice. In the end, he could only helplessly shake his head and sigh, "Ah, the young waves of the Yangtze River push forward the old ones... it’s true that one mustn’t resist aging..."
With the gemstones now polished, the next step was mainly to select a good-looking setting.
After all, just the gemstones couldn’t be worn; they required a setting hoop, plus a beautiful design, before the jewelry could be considered successfully made.
"Master Wang, which material do you plan to use?" At this point, Mr. Wu was utterly convinced by Wang Hao and urgently asked, "Our company guarantees we won’t charge you a dime for the service. It’s all a token of my friendship!"
"About that," Wang Hao stroked his chin and thought for a bit, then said, "Let’s go with platinum. I think it has a better luster; gold always feels a bit... you know..."
Hmm, just the thought of Bai Yaning wearing a pair of bulky gold earrings, with a couple of glass gemstones embedded in them...
Wang Hao shivered suddenly—a goddess transforming into a joke in an instant...
He shook his head vigorously, quickly banishing the terrifying thought from his mind.
The setting process went very smoothly. Wang Hao simply went to the next room where semi-finished products were kept, selected a style that seemed pretty for a while, and then Master Zhong set the gemstones...
As Wang Hao held the earrings and examined them from every angle, Xia Xueqi, standing behind him, had eyes shining brighter than gold!
"Brother Hao, these earrings are absolutely beautiful!" Xia Xueqi kept exclaiming with amazement, "This pendant chain matched with these two gemstones is simply stunning! Ice..." She almost let slip, but quickly corrected herself, "I mean, your sister-in-law will definitely love it!"
It’s no wonder she was so surprised.
In Wang Hao’s hands at the moment, two almost identical tea-colored gemstones were set on a sparkling pendant chain, radiating a soft halo.
If one were to say diamonds are the twinkling stars in the sky, then the glass gemstones in Wang Hao’s hands now were like the most mysterious dark skies, filled with a mystical aura. Coupled with the platinum pendant chains that matched Bai Yaning’s complexion perfectly, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say these earrings seemed to be created just for Bai Yaning!
"A master is truly a master!" Zhong Yutao gazed at the earrings and lamented, "I’ve truly had an eye-opener today. Ah, the young waves of the Yangtze River indeed push forward the old ones..."
That’s your second sigh!
"Ah, it feels nice, hahaha!" Wang Hao carefully took out a jewelry box to store the earrings and then patted it with his hand, saying, "There shouldn’t be any issues now. Trading fifty thousand for such a pair, definitely worth it!"
The surrounding crowd, including Mr. Wu, all nodded in agreement.
Initially, they thought this young man was merely lavishly throwing money around—fifty thousand just for a day’s use of machinery; what is this if not capriciousness due to excessively deep pockets?
But when they witnessed him actually getting down to work, they realized that the fifty thousand spent was more than worth it—it was a serious bargain!
After leaving the jewelry factory, Xia Xueqi drove and said, "Brother Hao, I really admire you. Where did you learn your craftsmanship skills from? You’re incredibly skilled!"
It’s all learned from "Dice Brother"; can I really say such confidential stuff?
"Ah, naturally, it’s natural, haha," Wang Hao laughed, then cryptically added, "Actually, it’s because my eyes can see the light of gemstones! Think about it, there’s an old saying, ’jeweled splendor,’ that ’splendor’ refers to the aura that antiques have. Each ’aura’ is different, some are soft, some are solemn! The ’jeweled’ part refers to the light on jewelry! The better the jewelry, the brighter the light. My eyes can actually see this light!"
"Brother Hao, there you go boasting again, hehe," sure enough, as Wang Hao expected, Xia Xueqi didn’t believe a word, not even a tiny bit, "Jeweled splendor is just a way to describe the attractive sheen of jewelry; there’s no such thing as actual light and aura, you’re just teasing me to make me happy."
Hearing Xia Xueqi say this, Wang Hao simply shrugged his shoulders—Bro, I was telling the truth, if you don’t believe me, it’s not my fault!
The ride back was smooth sailing, and after a little over half an hour, Xia Xueqi parked the car in the underground garage of Wang Hao’s residential complex. After getting out of the car, Wang Hao said, "Alright, that’ll be it for now. Xueqi, take a few days off. During this time, Ice Princess and I might just go on a random stroll, so you won’t need to accompany us."
"Okay," Xia Xueqi immediately understood what Wang Hao meant, but still she didn’t forget to coquettishly plea before leaving, "Brother Hao, big brother Hao, you know... about the Miss Ice Princess’s concert tickets, what about them..."
"Ah, about that," Wang Hao laughed and said, "I’ll ask her for you, see if she can give me a few tickets. If there are enough, I’ll give you one."
"That’s great!" Xia Xueqi jumped up excitedly and said, "Brother Hao is truly the best! Well then, let’s go upstairs."
And with that, the two of them entered the elevator.
Just as he entered the door, his mom, who was watching TV on the couch, started nagging, "Where the heck have you been roaming around all day? Only coming back at this hour. Tomorrow, your Ningning is coming back from abroad. Have you bought the gift?"
Oh man, we’re already calling her Ningning? Mother, you’re quite affectionate when it comes to your future daughter-in-law!
"Mom, why does that sound so awkward to me, Ningning..." Wang Hao scratched his head, changed his clothes and shoes, and then asked, "How do you know she’s coming back tomorrow?"
"How else would I know," his mom pulled out her phone and showed him, "It’s all written here on the internet, isn’t it? The big star Miss Ice Princess is returning to the country tomorrow!"
Wang Hao glanced at it, then helplessly shrugged his shoulders, "Alright, Mom, you really do keep up with the times!"
"Don’t change the subject with me," his mom incessantly pressed on, "Did you buy the gift? She’s been overseas for so long, and if you don’t bring a gift when she comes back, be careful, she might pick on you! I know for a fact, not only is she coming back this time, but she’s also bringing a foreigner with her! They say that foreigner is quite something. You’d better stand up for me, you hear?!"
You know all that already?! Mother, you really do know your future daughter-in-law like the back of your hand!
"Of course I’ve prepared the gift," Wang Hao curiously asked, "But Mom, how did you know someone else is coming back with her? Are you some kind of clairvoyant?"
"Stop kidding around with me!" his mom said, annoyed, "Ningning is coming back, and she has a Hollywood star, a blond handsome guy with her! If that handsome guy doesn’t have some kind of intention, would he deliberately show up with her? Knowing Ningning’s temperament, she wouldn’t put up with it if he didn’t have some background. Let me tell you, nothing gets past your mom’s keen eyes! I figured this all out, I knew, this blond guy must be chasing after her because of some tie to the Bai family! You better be careful, you hear?!"
Oh boy, your analysis is pretty spot on!
"Got it, got it, don’t worry," Wang Hao hurriedly made his escape, "Then I’m off to bed now, okay? I’ll pick her up early tomorrow, is that fine?"
"Hmph, you know what’s good for you!" his mom grunted, "Hurry up and sleep, and get up early tomorrow!"
"Okay, okay, I got it." And with that, Wang Hao went back to his bed, then took out his phone.
Wang Hao: "Muah, what time’s your flight tomorrow?"
Bai Yaning: "Around ten o’clock in the morning, but I don’t know who leaked my schedule; apparently, lots of reporters are already waiting at the airport exit. My schedule might change tomorrow."
Wang Hao: "What? Then how am I supposed to pick you up? If the reporters find out about us, would that be okay?"
Bai Yaning: "Of course not, but it’s not a big deal, the reporters will just take some photos, they don’t dare to get too close to me. I’ll let them take some photos first, then I’ll have my assistant hold them off."
Understanding her plan, Wang Hao responded, "So we’ll play it by ear then?"
Bai Yaning: "Yes, just keep your phone on, that’s all you need to worry about."
Wang Hao: "Got it, understood. You should rest well on the plane then, I’ll pick you up when you arrive."
Bai Yaning: "Okay, good night."
He plugged in his phone to charge it, and then went to sleep contentedly. The next morning, Wang Hao got up bright and early.
Today was the day the Ice Princess was coming back home; although there might be some changes in her schedule, when it comes to picking someone up, better early than late, right?
Dressed and ready, he stepped out and descended the stairs, got into his beloved car, and set off for the airport!
With the navigation set to direct him to the T1 terminal where Bai Yaning would arrive, as soon as Wang Hao entered the airport vicinity, he was completely dumbfounded!
People! So many people! Everywhere there were people!
Countless individuals held up massive banners with "Bai Yaning," "Ice Princess, I love you," "Miss Ice Princess, you are my idol," and other messages written on them. Throughout the terminal area, all the roads were blocked solid, not only for cars but even people couldn’t pass through!
Wang Hao took a deep breath as he saw the two-kilometer distance to the exit, then, entirely on instinct, two words exploded from his mouth—
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