After Lu Ming left, no one cared where he went or who he would find to craft the pendant. Everyone believed Lu Ming was doomed to fail.
Not only was the small piece of emerald insufficient for a pendant, but Lu Ming’s connections were also untrustworthy.
A graveyard caretaker, how could he possibly find an excellent jewelry designer in Modu?
He was bound to lose five million!
Lu Ming ignored the scornful glances and hailed a taxi, heading directly to a luxurious apartment where Chen Yingong and his daughter Chen Xian were temporarily staying.
Under the meticulous protection of the Five-Star General Dragon King, no one could harm them.
The car stopped.
As Lu Ming entered the apartment, he saw Chen Yingong grinding a piece of jade. Judging by his complexion, his health had recovered significantly.
"Uncle is here," Chen Xian joyfully ran over and hugged Lu Ming.
Lu Ming patted Chen Xian’s head. This little girl was truly adorable. Lu Ming often wondered how wonderful it would be to have such a cute daughter in the future.
He sat down opposite Chen Yingong and got straight to the point, "Mr. Chen, I need your help with something."
Chen Yingong smiled and said, "It's about helping Ma Xiaoling craft a pendant, isn't it?"
Lu Ming smiled, "You know about it, Mr. Chen?"
Chen Yingong waved his hand, "This matter has stirred up the entire Modu; it’s hard not to know. I can help you, but there’s one challenge: I don't have suitable raw materials."
"I do," Lu Ming took out the small piece of emerald and placed it on the coffee table.
Chen Yingong's eyes lit up as soon as he saw it, "Exquisite, truly exquisite! I've never seen such high-quality emerald before. It’s just… a bit small."
How could such a small piece be made into a pendant?
Lu Ming said, "The quality of a pendant isn't determined by its size, Mr. Chen. I believe in your skills. Even with such a small piece of emerald, you can surely craft a perfect pendant."
Chen Yingong burst into laughter, "Don't flatter me. Alright, I'll give it my best shot. Ma Xiaoling's birthday banquet is in three days. I will definitely complete the pendant before her birthday banquet!"
Lu Ming patted his shoulder, "It's all up to you!"
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Today was the 20th birthday of Ma Xiaoling, the daughter of Modu's richest man. To celebrate, the richest man, Ma Tengyun, booked an entire luxury hotel on the Bund!
The Bulgari Hotel!
An entire hotel was used to host guests. Such financial might was beyond the reach of ordinary wealthy individuals.
Today, all the wealthy and influential figures of Modu had arrived.
Officials and dignitaries, tycoons gathered.
Compared to them, Jiang Mengxin and Xiao Zhan were insignificant, mere small families of no consequence.
Jiang Mengxin parked the car and, with Lu Ming and Xu Qin, entered the Bulgari Grand Hotel. At the entrance, numerous flower children applauded enthusiastically, making the guests feel immensely welcomed.
Inside the main hall.
The hall was resplendent and magnificent, with ornate carvings and a golden splendor.
Especially the giant golden dragon carved on the ceiling, which was lifelike and exuded an imposing dragon aura.
Xiao Zhan couldn't help but exclaim, "This golden dragon is so beautiful."
Jiang Mengxin, being knowledgeable, said, "Legend has it that this golden dragon was carved to commemorate the Dragon Warlord’s victory over ten enemy nations, symbolizing the Dragon Warlord’s supreme glory."
Is that so?
Lu Ming chuckled awkwardly. He didn't even know about that himself.
Xiao Zhan, after hearing this, gave a thumbs-up and said, "No wonder I felt a surge of admiration the moment I saw this golden dragon. The Dragon Warlord himself must be as majestic and imposing as this golden dragon!"
Lu Ming smiled, "Really? Am I that majestic and imposing?"
Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes at him, "I was talking about the Dragon Warlord, not you, you stinking graveyard caretaker! Stop trying to flatter yourself, it’s disgusting."
Lu Ming smiled and remained silent.
As more and more people arrived, guided by the attendants, everyone was seated according to their status.
Jewelry merchants like Jiang Mengxin were seated together.
As soon as they sat down, the smile on Jiang Mengxin's face vanished, replaced by nervousness. Sitting directly opposite their round table was Murong Ba from Wangchao Jewelry!
As the number one jewelry merchant in Modu, Murong Ba had undoubtedly been invited.
And he was sitting at the same table as Jiang Mengxin and the others.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Murong Ba cackled and said to Jiang Mengxin, "You are the current head of the Jiang family, Jiang Dingbian's successor – Jiang Mengxin? Seeing you in person is indeed as the rumors say, you are beautiful. You've earned a lot of money using this pretty face, haven't you?"
As soon as he said this, the guests at the table burst into laughter.
Earning money with one's face? What did that imply?
Jiang Mengxin clenched her fists in anger.
Beside her, Lu Ming chuckled and said, "So you're Murong Ba? I've always heard you're Murong Shuang's lapdog, a fawning cur. Today, I finally get to see your true face."
What?
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Murong Ba slammed the table and stood up, "You're calling me a dog?"
Lu Ming directly turned his face away and asked Jiang Mengxin, "How strange, why do I keep hearing dogs barking?"
In terms of verbal sparring, Murong Ba was completely defeated!
He was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight, but was stopped by his advisor, Qiu Zhen!
Qiu Zhen kept signaling Murong Ba, emphasizing that he absolutely could not fight in such an occasion. Offending Ma Tengyun would not be a trivial matter.
Murong Ba snorted coldly and sat back down.
Just then, Lu Ming unintentionally let out a burp. What should have been a trivial matter was noticed by Qiu Zhen.
Qiu Zhen immediately covered his nose and looked at Lu Ming with disgust, "What's wrong with you? So rude. Burping in such an occasion, do you have any manners at all? You're clearly a country bumpkin, unused to grand events."
The crowd once again found it amusing.
"Look at his shabby clothes, you can't tell where he crawled out from, probably some coal mine."
"They should really suggest that Mr. Ma screen his guests, not let just anyone in."
"Burping in such a formal setting, truly unsophisticated. Sitting at the same table with him, I feel ashamed!"
The crowd chattered incessantly, denigrating Lu Ming to the lowest possible level.
Murong Ba was very pleased.
He raised his head and looked at Lu Ming contemptuously, as if to say: You think you're so witty? Speak up, continue speaking, can your single mouth outmatch seven or eight of us?
Jiang Mengxin and Xiao Zhan also felt embarrassed.
Indeed, burping at such an occasion showed a complete lack of etiquette.
Jiang Mengxin was already regretting bringing Lu Ming.
He was truly useless, like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, utterly unsophisticated.
Facing the relentless mockery of the crowd, Lu Ming showed no anger. Instead, he calmly took out a tissue, crumpled it, and rolled it into a small ball.
Then, the corners of his mouth curved slightly upwards, and he looked at Qiu Zhen with a mischievous grin.
Qiu Zhen, in danger!!!