559: Chapter 554 The Real Purpose

From that 100 million HKD at the auction to today's global live stream...

Everyone's reactions, Lu Ming's greed, the media's frenzy, the public's anger and sympathy...

Everything was within this man's calculations.

They were all just pawns on his chessboard, following the script he had written, step by step, towards the ending he wanted to see.

This plan, from beginning to end, was never about revenge.

This was a perfect, art-grade slaughter directed by him.

He Wanqing felt a chill surge from her spine all the way to the top of her head.

She once thought she had merely handed the blade of revenge into the hands of a powerhouse.

Now she finally understood.

She had personally opened Pandora's box.

Releasing a devil named Shen Yan.

And all of this had only taken a few short days.

So fast... she didn't even dare to think about it.

She stepped forward, the evening breeze blowing through her hair.

"I..."

He Wanqing wanted to say thank you, but those words were stuck in her throat, feeling so pale and powerless.

"I don't know whether I should say thank you or be afraid of you."

Shen Yan didn't look back.

His gaze still overlooked the city he held in the palm of his hand.

At that moment, a cold mechanical voice rang in his mind.

[Ding—]

[Side Quest: Renaissance of the Jewelry Queen (Medium Risk), Completed.]

[Task Rating: Perfect.]

[Calculating rewards...]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: One piece of Intermediate Wealth Intelligence.]

[Generating intelligence...]

[Intelligence Location: Desert City, S Continent.]

[Intelligence Content: A ultra-high-grade Lithium Mine discovered 300 meters underground in Desert City, estimated reserves...]

A series of data flowed through Shen Yan's mind.

Lithium Mine.

The white oil of the new energy era.

The value of this intelligence was far more than 500 million; it might even be five billion, or fifty billion.

Desert City...

The world map in his mind quickly unfolded, pinpointing that sand-blown corner.

Flying there from Hong Kong City would take at least a dozen hours.

To secure the mining rights, he would need to navigate the local intricate network of relationships.

Building a complete industrial chain would require a massive investment of capital and time.

Was it worth it?

His fingertips gently tapped on the cold railing.

In his mind were two parallel project progress bars.

One was the newly started "Nirvana Jewelry."

The other was the core of his empire, the "Dawn" Quantum Chip Laboratory.

To disrupt the rhythm of his core business for a highly uncertain distant treasure...

There was no ripple in Shen Yan's eyes.

He made a decision.

"Fear is the most useless emotion."

Shen Yan finally turned around and looked at He Wanqing.

"It won't help you create any value."

"What we need to talk about now is the value of 'Nirvana'."

He Wanqing was stunned.

She was still immersed in a massive emotional shock, while this man had already begun calculating the next step's gains.

"'Nirvana'..."

She spoke with some difficulty.

"Lu Ming has fallen, Dongsheng is finished, and the name 'Victoria' is completely tarnished."

"I thought this was the end."

"The end?"

Shen Yan sounded like he had heard something funny.

"Miss He, this is only the beginning."

"A perfect press conference has earned you enough fame and sympathy. But fame can't put food on the table."

"I ask you, how many people does your company have now?"

He Wanqing's face turned slightly pale.

"The old Employees of 'Victoria' have either left or scattered..."

"In the design department, there's no one left besides me."

"What about the production line?"

"The foundries in Hong Kong City signed exclusivity agreements with Dongsheng Group long ago."

"And the channels?"

"Most of the previous stores were disposed of by Lu Ming at low prices; the rest were reclaimed by the malls due to unpaid rent."

Every one of Shen Yan's questions was like an awl, piercing the bubble of her recent victory.

Reality was cold and cruel.

The current "Nirvana Jewelry" was just an empty shell.

An empty shell that had stunning blueprints but no brushes, no canvas, and no gallery.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Shen Yan asked.

He Wanqing took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

She knew this was Shen Yan's test for her.

"I want to invite back my grandfather's old team first."

"Those old masters have exquisite skills and feelings for the He Family."

"Then, we won't do large-scale mass production. We'll start with high-end customization to rebuild our reputation."

"Once the cash flow is stable, we'll expand the channels step by step."

She stated the plan she had been thinking about for a long time.

This plan was very safe and fit the path of a designer brand's revival.

After listening, Shen Yan shook his head.

"Too slow."

His voice was devoid of emotion.

"Miss He, times have changed."

"The old masters you mentioned—their loyalty doesn't belong to the He Family, only to a higher salary. If I can poach them, others can poach them back with double the price."

"High-end customization? One piece taking three months? By the time you earn your first pot of gold, the heat from the press conference will have long cooled down."

"Your most valuable asset right now isn't skill or sentiment."

"It's popularity; it's traffic."

"It's the fact that hundreds of millions of people worldwide just witnessed your 'Nirvana' with their own eyes."

He Wanqing's lips moved, but no words came out.

Shen Yan's words were harsh, but she couldn't refute them.

"My suggestion is a three-step approach."

Shen Yan held up one finger.

"First, talent. I'll have headhunting firms use triple the salary to hollow out Dongsheng Group's remaining design and operations teams. They know your enemy best and are most desperate for a new job. Use them and discard them; it's not a problem."

He held up a second finger.

"Second, products. The 'Feng Ming' series will be immediately split into three tiers. The highest, Mythic Grade, will only be used for auctions and exhibitions to maintain brand prestige. The next tier, Master Grade, will be a limited release targeting the high-end market. Most importantly, launch an entry-level Spark Grade, using relatively affordable prices and the fastest speed to capture the market."

"Replace part of the handiwork with machines, use modern techniques to replicate classic designs, drive down costs, and ramp up speed."

He Wanqing frowned.

"That would damage the brand's artistic integrity."

"Art can't put food on the table."

Shen Yan interrupted her.

"Survive first, then talk about art."

"Once you use the money earned from the 'Spark Grade' to support the entire company, your 'Mythic Grade' can peacefully lie in a museum and receive everyone's worship."

He held up a third finger.

"Third, allies."

"Do you think I went to all this trouble to help you take 'Nirvana' just to sell a few pieces of jewelry?"