626: Chapter 621 High-Level Luxury Brands

Director Wang, sweating profusely on the sidelines, kept making phone calls.

"Hello! Finance Department? This is Old Wang! I need to apply for an emergency fund! Yes! One hundred million! Not enough? Then make it two hundred million!"

In the end, the bowl was acquired by a mysterious overseas buyer for the staggering price of 380 million RMB.

This price set a new global auction record for a single porcelain bowl!

And this was only the beginning.

Every subsequent piece of porcelain sold for a price that stunned everyone.

The entire auction lasted for three hours.

Ultimately, the total transaction value for the dozen or so porcelain pieces reached a terrifying figure.

Four billion two hundred and sixty million!

When Shen Yan brought down the final gavel, the entire convention center erupted in applause.

Everyone knew that from this day forward, a new legend had been born in the Chinese collecting world.

A legend called the "Nine Dragons Chai Kiln."

The aftermath of the auction rocked the community for a full week.

The five words "Nine Dragons Chai Kiln" became an undisputed myth within collecting circles.

Yet, Shen Yan, the man who forged this myth, seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, never reappearing in the public eye.

At the Dragon Kiln Base on the outskirts of City C.

Gao Shou Zheng was beaming, energetically directing his apprentices in preparations for a new firing round, showing more vigor than a twenty-year-old.

Li Yuan Chao, meanwhile, was clutching stacks of orders arriving like snowflakes, his reading glasses perched on his nose, grinning from ear to ear.

Those orders came from top museums and private collectors all over the world.

Behind every single order lay a string of numbers that made one's heart race.

This group of old Artisans had never imagined in their lives that the craft passed down from their ancestors could be worth so much.

Shen Yan sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, leisurely sipping tea and observing everything.

"Master Shen," Gao Shou Zheng walked over, wiping his sweat, and handed over a document, "This is the down payment for the first batch of orders—a total of 1.2 billion, already deposited into the company account."

He now called him "Master Shen" more naturally than anyone else.

Shen Yan took the document, glanced at it, and casually set it aside.

"Master Gao, from now on, you and Consultant Li can decide these matters. You don't need to report everything to me."

Gao Shou Zheng froze.

This was 1.2 billion, not twelve yuan.

And he just put it aside so casually?

"This... this won't do!" Gao Shou Zheng became anxious. "You are the backbone."

Shen Yan smiled.

"What I needed to do is done."

"I have paved the road; how to walk it next is your business."

"I only care about the result."

He stood up and patted Gao Shou Zheng's shoulder.

"Remember, the goal of the 'Nine Dragons Chai Kiln' is not to become an antique reproduction factory, but to become a luxury brand that represents the highest standard of Chinese ceramics."

"Brand value is more important than how many pieces of porcelain are sold."

Gao Shou Zheng nodded, understanding only partially, but his awe for Shen Yan deepened by another layer.

This young man's vision extended too far.

So far that he, an old man over seventy, needed to stand on tiptoes just to catch a glimpse of the shadow.

Shen Yan left the Dragon Kiln Base and got into the car heading back to the city.

In his mind, a cold mechanical voice was slowly emerging.

Before Shen Yan's eyes, a virtual light screen appeared, visible only to him.

On the screen, a line of golden characters shimmered with an alluring light.

【advanced wealth intelligence: T City, Canghai District, Black Stone Reef.】

【Hint: Before the storm arrives, beneath the reef lies the gate to a new world.】

T City?

Shen Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

That was the city where his company's Artificial Intelligence studio was located.

It seemed this trip was necessary.

He took out his phone and first sent a message to Liu Hui, telling her he was going on a business trip to T City for a few days.

Liu Hui quickly replied with just the word "Okay," followed by a "Be safe" emoji.

No extra questions, only complete trust.

A warmth washed over Shen Yan's heart.

Next, he dialed the number of his good brother, Chen Guangke.

"Hello, Yan Zi, finished up?" Chen Guangke's hearty voice came through the receiver.

"Mhm, City C is mostly settled. I'm planning to head to T City."

"T City? To check on Wu Ya and the AI studio?" Chen Guangke reacted immediately.

"Yes. The financial reports look beautiful, but I need to see firsthand what they've actually accomplished," Shen Yan said.

"Those tech geeks burn through money faster than a printing press runs; you definitely should go take a look," Chen Guangke laughed. "Don't worry about Youyou; with me and Sister Ya here, we guarantee we'll keep her plump and rosy."

Shen Yan's sister, Shen Ya, had fully recovered and was now responsible for HR and Administration at the head office. With her and Chen Guangke in charge, Shen Yan felt completely at ease.

"Alright, I'm leaving the home front to you two."

After hanging up, Shen Yan directed the driver to change course directly to the airport.

Three hours later.

T City, High-Tech Development Zone.

Shen Yan got out of the car in front of a glass-curtain skyscraper full of futuristic design.

Hanging discreetly at the building entrance was a small plaque—"janus AI Studio."

This was the facility he had spent 300 million to acquire from a nearly bankrupt tech company.

Now, it housed one of the country's most elite groups of AI algorithm Engineers.

The leader among them was Wu Ya.

Shen Yan walked into the lobby and was immediately enveloped by the working atmosphere.

There were no cubicles or sense of oppression found in traditional companies.

In the open-plan office area, hundreds of programmers wearing plaid shirts were typing furiously on their computer screens.

The air was filled with a mixed scent of coffee, energy drinks, and machine heat dissipation.

On the giant electronic whiteboard covering the wall were dense arrays of formulas and streams of code.

Everyone was immersed in their own world; almost no one noticed Shen Yan's arrival.

Until Wu Ya hurried out of a glass conference room.

She was wearing a sharp professional skirt suit today, her hair pulled up high, her expression a mixture of excitement and fatigue.

When she saw Shen Yan, her eyes instantly lit up.

"Boss, you're here!"

Wu Ya's voice drew the attention of some people nearby.

The programmers looked up one after another, and when they saw Shen Yan, their eyes showed a flicker of curiosity and reverence.

They all knew that this overly young man before them was the mysterious financier who gave them unlimited budgets, allowing them to indulge their talents.

"Mhm," Shen Yan nodded. "You've worked hard."

His gaze swept over Wu Ya's slightly dark-circled eyes.

"Haven't been resting well lately?"

Wu Ya felt a warmth in her heart and shook her head. "It's fine. The project is at a critical stage; everyone is pushing hard."

She turned sideways and made a gesture to "Please."

"Come with me, I have something good to show you."