Jian Yisi decisively gave up his illusions and displayed the boldness expected of a leader. "Looking forward to meeting you again!"

Han Lie smiled faintly and turned to leave.

When he left Tiffany, the crowd outside had thinned somewhat, but those who remained clearly possessed a more intense fervor and a more resolute will. Escorted by bodyguards, girls even came forward to pass him notes.

"Hello, may I get to know you? I am from Shanghai Theatre Academy..."

The girl was very pretty, with a curvaceous figure and fair skin.

But Han Lie didn't even lift his head. He simply waved his hand lightly and walked straight past under the escort of his bodyguards.

Seeing this, a few visibly eager young women and middle-aged men quickly abandoned the idea of approaching him for a greeting.

They obviously knew something; their own social standing was not low. However, those who were truly capable could get to know Han Lie through his existing connections in a more natural manner. So, this group consisted of opportunists of a middling sort. They vaguely knew something, had heard rumors, and could confirm that the young man before them was Han Lie, but they were utterly unable to reach him through normal channels. Thus, they had waited until now, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Quite interesting, but not worth my time, Han Lie thought.

Tiffany's bodyguards escorted Han Lie all the way to his S63, a display that once again drew considerable attention. Fortunately, this wasn't yet the era of short videos; otherwise, the internet would have been flooded with clips of him. Therefore, even from a security standpoint, it was necessary for Han Lie to invest in a platform like TikTok. It was impossible to avoid becoming an internet sensation, so suppressing his appearances on trending topics held great significance.

After a quick meal, Han Lie moved on to Van Cleef & Arpels. Their approach was much more pragmatic. They had rented a villa at Sinan Mansion, maximizing privacy.

This difference actually stemmed from the distinct needs of each brand. Tiffany catered more to the general public; the middle class could not only afford its products but constituted its main customer base. Consequently, Tiffany had an additional demand for publicity.

Van Cleef & Arpels, however, didn't need that. Even if their popular designs became ubiquitous, the brand consistently maintained its aloof image.

Well, even their way of "harvesting leeks" was so highbrow...

Take their well-known Alhambra series, for example, with its gleaming mother-of-pearl, turquoise, chalcedony, and obsidian. These pieces cost, at most, a little over a hundred US dollars to produce, yet they sold for tens of thousands or even higher. Did anyone ever see them step forward to explain anything?

Their attitude was: If you love it, buy it; if not, then leave.

This was also the only top-tier jewelry brand that rarely held large-scale events. They didn't use brand ambassadors, held few shows, and didn't buy trending spots for massive promotion when they hosted jewelry exhibitions.

In short, their message was: We are here. As a customer, you need to take the initiative to understand us and adore us.

They had truly mastered this aloof strategy.

And it worked. There were indeed top stars who fawned over Van Cleef & Arpels. Annie Hathaway, for instance, was madly in love with the brand, but no matter how much she tried to curry favor, they wouldn't grant her the title of brand ambassador.

However, when Han Lie arrived, he received exceptionally thoughtful and enthusiastic service. Van Cleef & Arpels had only been in Huaxia for a few years, and the General Manager of the Huaxia District was a Chinese woman. She understood the local customs better than Jian Yisi. Upon Han Lie's arrival, she immediately invited him to rest, taste some wine, and engage in casual conversation. Her communication style was wonderfully refreshing, putting him completely at ease.

But the final outcome didn't change much. Just as with Tiffany, Han Lie's stance remained ambiguous: "Your design style is fantastic! But I still need to consider it..."

Indeed, Van Cleef & Arpels' designs were truly superb, possessing a real artistic flair. However, their design fees were also genuinely steep, starting from millions of Mi Yuan. They were also slow to produce designs, sometimes requiring more than ten rounds of communication before a design was finalized. Alternatively, they might produce a design in one go and then refuse any subsequent changes.

Overall, Han Lie had a pleasant chat with Lori, the General Manager, then stated that he needed to weigh his options and comprehensively consider each brand's gems and design strengths.

As a result, Tiffany was forced to fiercely compete with Van Cleef & Arpels. That very night, both brands held video conferences with their respective headquarters, finalizing their overarching strategy: fight with all their might; they could not afford to lose.

Han Lie had hosted three personal jewelry exhibitions, yet he had only purchased loose stones from Cartier, showing lukewarm interest in Tiffany's and Van Cleef & Arpels' products.

What's going on? they wondered. Although we're not the absolute top jewelry brand, surely we're not that far behind, are we? He made a splash at Cartier with a record-breaking large stone, but he didn't spend a single dime at our boutiques. If word of this gets out, it'll be humiliating...

Moreover, everyone could clearly sense that Han Lie still had considerable purchasing power and a genuine need for haute couture jewelry. It wasn't clear who the recipient would be, but he was definitely giving it serious thought. If it were mere curiosity, he wouldn't have inquired in such detail.

For Jian Yisi and Lori, failing to sell loose stones wasn't a significant loss in itself. However, the opportunity to secure a haute couture commission was one they absolutely had to win. In a three-way contest involving one major loose stone purchase and one haute couture piece, one company was destined to lose everything, even their shirts. This was no longer ordinary sales; it was a comprehensive battle of inventory, heritage, style, and capability among the three giants. Han Lie's expenditure of over 10 million on his personal exhibitions had laid this competition bare before all potential high-end customers, leaving the brands no room to retreat.

Cartier had won the first round, seizing the choicest prize.

The remaining haute couture opportunity is nothing to scoff at either, the other two brands thought. Securing that order would allow us to boast even when facing Cartier—we could say they merely got lucky, happening to have a top-quality loose stone that caught Mr. Han's eye. Unlike them, we would have won through sheer design prowess.

After Han Lie splurged 30 million US Dollars at Cartier, both Tiffany and Van Cleef & Arpels were pushed to the brink. Consequently, they approached Han Lie the very next day with immense sincerity for a second round of discussions.

Tiffany truly went all out, unbelievably enlisting the legendary designer Elsa Peretti for a remote consultation with Han Lie. Elsa Peretti, already in her early seventies, was the undisputed chief, leader, and mentor of Tiffany's design team, as well as a significant contributor and cherished friend of the brand. The offer they ultimately presented was astounding: Elsa Peretti would oversee the project, while Francesca Amfitheatrof, the current chief designer, would personally craft the design. Together, they would serve Han Lie, creating a unique piece of jewelry.

Actually, in the realm of design, so-called supervision and collaboration rarely work seamlessly. Designers each have their own distinct ideas, philosophies, aesthetic sensibilities, and points they refuse to compromise on. Mutual concessions often result in a muddled creation, perfect in no single aspect. Therefore, it was highly probable that the venerable Elsa Peretti would lend her name more than her active labor, with only a slim chance of her genuinely playing a guiding role.

But none of that mattered. What was crucial was that the final product would bear the names of both Elsa Peretti and Francesca Amfitheatrof!

According to Jian Yisi's intel, Francesco—this guy, as Jian Yisi put it—was on track to become a legendary designer whose name would be recorded in history books a century from now. A collaboration between two legends! As long as the final product wasn't a disappointment... actually, the likelihood of that was extremely low. This piece was destined to become an heirloom-quality classic.

And the price? The elderly Elsa Peretti would charge no fee, and Francesco would only ask for a fixed 1.5 million Mi Yuan!

Logically, given his status and skill, when designing haute couture for others, he would normally charge 10% to 15% of the jewelry's actual value as his design fee. Of course, the pricing in this field could be quite convoluted. For instance, if the main stone Han Lie ultimately purchased cost 10 million Mi Yuan, and the auxiliary diamonds and gemstones were worth about 1 million, the entire piece of jewelry, once completed, might sell for 18 million Mi Yuan. A portion of that markup would be the design fee, and heaven only knew how much Francesco would actually receive from it.

But now, Tiffany had gone all in, making the entire fee structure transparent. The price of gemstones generally followed a baseline; a certain grade sold for a certain price. Add the company's service charge and the fixed design fee, and the final product would be considerably cheaper than usual! The 30 million US Dollars Han Lie had previously lavished could now potentially be entirely recouped, without in the least diminishing his reputation as an ultra-generous tycoon.

It was Tiffany who initiated this bayonet fight with Van Cleef & Arpels—what does it have to do with me? Han Lie mused.

Similarly, Van Cleef & Arpels had also gone to extraordinary lengths. They brought forth Yabu, a design master of legendary status. Thanks to Lori's effective communication, they knew that the most likely recipient of Han Lie's gift was a female elder in her early forties. Van Cleef & Arpels' database even contained various details and photographs of Zhao Anni. Consequently, Yabu arrived with three complete designs and proceeded to explain them thoroughly to Han Lie.

Goodness, Han Lie was stunned on the spot—truly, this was no exaggeration. The exquisiteness, vibrancy, and sheer luxury of Yabu's creations were beyond anything Han Lie had ever dared to imagine. Moreover, the price was surprisingly accessible: the most expensive design totaled less than 15 million Mi Yuan.

This threw Han Lie into a complete quandary.

The price has indeed been driven down, and the quality exceeds my expectations, but which one should I choose?!