Everything Gold Studio was professional.
For this major project, aside from specially hiring a music consultant to evaluate the Bechstein piano, they also brought in designers from art galleries and the local fine arts academy. After repeated adjustments, they successfully completed an entire gold-themed design scheme—eye-catching yet tasteful—and delivered the concept sketches to Hua Shuangshuang.
Hua Shuangshuang skimmed through the designs and concluded that those who made fortunes off the ultra-wealthy were truly ruthless.
There was no such thing as an impossible client request—only a lack of ingenuity on the part of the service provider.
She immediately took the designs to Zhong Ziyan to get the boss’s opinion.
Zhong Ziyan was playing the harp in the newly expanded instrument room, the melody flowing like a pure white unicorn stepping out of a moonlit forest and into a starlit brook.
Hua Shuangshuang unconsciously paused at the doorway, entranced by the music—until she suddenly realized: Wait, isn’t this the background track from "NieR: Automata"?
Back on Cloud Island, Hua Shuangshuang had watched Zhong Ziyan play the game several times and recognized the tune.
Hua Shuangshuang: "..." My boss really doesn’t let me relax for a second.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, waiting for Zhong Ziyan to finish before speaking up. "Ms. Zhong, please tell me you didn’t pull another all-nighter gaming?"
"No," Zhong Ziyan replied matter-of-factly. "Last night, I was teaching Wei Hanyun how to play."
Hua Shuangshuang was rendered speechless.
If Zhong Ziyan could drag that Wei Hanyun into gaming at ungodly hours, what could a mere assistant like her possibly say?
With a sigh, Hua Shuangshuang stepped into the instrument room—where even the cheapest item was worth at least a million—and announced, "Everything Gold has sent over their design proposals."
Zhong Ziyan had been absentmindedly plucking the harp strings, seemingly deep in thought, but the moment Hua Shuangshuang mentioned her beloved gold, she abandoned the harp and stood up. "Let me see."
For small items, Everything Gold opted for a relatively simple approach: full 24k gold plating, with minor engravings or detailing, but essentially the same gleaming gold as a gold bar.
The real challenge lay with the larger pieces: the grand piano and the Aston Martin.
When gold plating covered such a massive surface, the result risked looking… extremely tacky.
The designers at Everything Gold had nearly pulled their hair out before presenting two distinct plating schemes for these items.
For the piano, they chose a lighter, champagne-like gold, gradually transitioning into a custom rose gold from one end to the other. The polished finish reflected like a mirror, yet the soft, dreamy hues made the entire instrument look like something out of a fairy tale.
Any woman who played the piano would likely find it irresistible.
Hua Shuangshuang’s first reaction was to lament her own lack of piano skills.
Then she reconsidered—Even if I were a virtuoso, I still couldn’t afford this antique piano or the custom plating fees.
Instant money saved. =)
Zhong Ziyan studied the piano’s color rendering, chin in hand. "It’s quite nice." Even if it wasn’t the blinding gold she’d imagined.
Hua Shuangshuang immediately seized the opportunity, not giving Zhong Ziyan a chance to second-guess. "Great! Then let’s look at the final piece."
With a swipe of her finger, she brought up the Aston Martin’s plating scheme.
The designers had struck a delicate balance between aesthetics and gold: the car’s body was mostly coated in black paint infused with gold powder—appearing sleek and dark at a glance, but revealing a galaxy-like shimmer under light. The rims were gold-plated but treated with a brushed finish, giving them a matte look from afar that matched the car’s overall style.
The real showstopper—and the key to winning Zhong Ziyan’s heart—were the two golden racing stripes running from hood to tail, like streaks of lightning.
The entire car used only black and gold, maintaining the same bold presence as its previous black-and-red scheme but with added luxury.
"These racing stripes aren’t just painted on," Hua Shuangshuang switched to a close-up animation. "They’re sealed under tempered glass—actual flowing gold foil, about two millimeters thick, without affecting driving performance."
Hua Shuangshuang thought this design deserved a "Best Service Provider" award. The only obstacle was… whether Zhong Ziyan would accept it.
Zhong Ziyan pondered for a moment. "It’s good, but I expected more gold—like that pen."
Hua Shuangshuang: "..." A pen can get away with being solid gold, but a car? Traffic police would pull you over for blinding other drivers—violating road safety laws.
Seeing Zhong Ziyan’s hesitation, Hua Shuangshuang had a sudden stroke of inspiration. She adopted a sage tone. "While the gold coverage may seem smaller than full plating, their calculations show this design actually uses twice as much gold. Plus, it’s more durable for regular driving, so you won’t have to worry about wear and tear."
The moment the words left her mouth, Hua Shuangshuang wanted to applaud her own quick thinking.
Sure enough, Zhong Ziyan’s hesitation vanished. "Then it’s settled. How long will it take?"
"I’ll negotiate an expedited timeline. Does that work for you?" Hua Shuangshuang exhaled in relief, feeling she’d saved both the piano and the sports car—along with Zhong Ziyan’s public image.
These designs would inspire envy, not ridicule.
I really am the best assistant! Hua Shuangshuang awarded herself a mental trophy.
"Perfect, thank you." Zhong Ziyan looked at her earnestly. "I want to drive this car as soon as possible."
Hua Shuangshuang, swept up in the moment, thumped her chest in assurance and immediately flew to London to finalize the rush order with Everything Gold.
The boss said expedite! Money is no object!
After Hua Shuangshuang left, Zhong Ziyan examined the designs on her tablet, satisfied, and forwarded them to Wei Hanyun: Next time you’re in a bad mood, I’ll take you out in this.
...
Wei Hanyun picked up his phone and studied the Aston Martin’s radical makeover, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Having braced himself for a disaster, he found the designs exceeded his expectations by a wide margin.
"Not bad," he replied. "No need to wait for a bad mood. We can test-drive it as soon as it’s back."
Zhong Ziyan instantly sent back a celebratory sticker—a rabbit happily tossing flowers.
Wei Hanyun recognized it as one of Wei Hanyan’s.
The expression suited Wei Hanyan perfectly, but just picturing Zhong Ziyan doing the same…
Well.
It wasn’t unthinkable.
Wei Hanyun set his phone down, the ghost of a smile lingering as he turned to Fang Nan. "About that night at Mingqiu Mountain—has it been handled?"
Fang Nan adjusted her glasses: "It should hit the trending list by noon. ...By the way, I think giving someone a taste of their own medicine is quite an effective approach."
...
Before lunch, Zhong Ziyan was scrolling through Weibo by the pool when a bizarre news headline popped up in her feed.
#Man in H City Offers Himself for Sugar Arrangement on the Street#
#800 Per Night#
#Mentally Unstable Man Harasses Female Passengers for Overnight Stay#
Zhong Ziyan: "...?" What kind of freak show is this?
Since the location was clearly stated as H City, Zhong Ziyan tapped into the news—which, to her surprise, included a video.
The latest comments were all variations of "My eyes!!" and "I beg for unseeing this!!"
But such reactions only fueled curiosity, and Zhong Ziyan clicked without hesitation.
The video, filmed from a bystander’s perspective, focused on a tall, burly man who stopped a female office worker in a busy street, grinning as he propositioned her: "Hey, miss, just 800 for the night. Interested?"
The person recording muttered, "What the—? I’m calling the cops!"
The woman recoiled in shock, shoved him away, and bolted.
Undeterred, the man paused briefly before approaching another lone, attractive woman with the same offer. This time, the furious woman slapped him hard across the face: "You creep, get lost! Want me to call the police?"
The crisp smack sounded painful even through the screen.
The footage cut off abruptly, followed by photos of the man being swiftly escorted into a police car from multiple angles.
The caption read: [The man was removed from the scene by officers responding to public reports. Bystanders suggested he might require psychiatric evaluation.]
The article even included witness interviews.
An anonymous Auntie Wang: "Young people these days—tsk—can’t handle the slightest pressure. One little thing and they snap!"
A blurred-face beauty: "What a lunatic! A slap was mercy—I should’ve kicked him where it counts!"
An onlooker identified as "Passerby B": "I think... um... this behavior is genuinely abnormal and causes distress... even psychological harm. Maybe he’s under too much stress? Should check into a mental hospital. Honestly, avoiding treatment is irresponsible—to yourself, others, and society..."
Reporter: "Okay, thanks for the interview. Can I have my mic back now?"
Zhong Ziyan stared at her phone, deep in thought.
There was something oddly familiar about that hulking man hauled away by the police.
But where had she seen him before?
Zhong Ziyan: "Hmmmm..." Memory failing, she shrugged. "Whatever. Better go pet my golden orb for serotonin."
