After Teasing the Crazy Mermaid, He Actually Deceived Me into Marriage - Chapter 51

Fan Yi remarked from the side, “You can pick one to cut and play with first. If it doesn’t work out, move on to the next. With so many here, it won’t be easy for Tangtang to finish cutting and designing all of them. It seems our collaboration will last a very, very long time.”

Si Tang’s attention was caught by the first part of his words.

Si Tang: Play? You call this playing?

The extravagant, wicked capitalist!

She forgot that she was one herself.

“This one.” Si Tang snapped back to reality and pointed to a raw stone she had just examined, which showed promising qualities.

Upon hearing this, 8856 nodded and prepared to call someone to transport it. Just then, Fan Yi’s voice suddenly sounded beside Si Tang.

“How about that one instead?”

His slender, jade-like finger pointed toward an inconspicuous raw stone in the corner.

Si Tang walked over to the stone and crouched down to inspect it.

The quality and translucency of this stone were quite good, except.

“There’s a nasty crack here.” Si Tang pointed to a dark, almost fully penetrating streak on the surface of the stone, frowning slightly. “Most people would consider it ruined.”

“This is a sign of ‘moss eating the green’.” Her finger traced a small, unnoticeable depression beside the crack.

While Si Tang was deep in thought, Fan Yi had already begun doing his homework.

Si Tang had her back to Fan Yi, so she didn’t see the faint white light flickering at his fingertips as he quickly accessed all the knowledge and terminology about raw stones in the human world.

Just as Si Tang noticed the unusual silence behind her and was about to turn around, a crisp, cold fragrance suddenly wafted over. Fan Yi had crouched down beside her.

The scent he carried was strikingly mismatched with his appearance and temperament.

It was cool and rich, with base notes of amber and cedar, an assertive aroma that lingered at the tip of her nose, unlike any fragrance she had encountered in the market.

It was a powerful scent, vaguely familiar.

Fan Yi’s words interrupted her thoughts.

“‘Moss eating the green’ is usually not a good sign, but.” Fan Yi paused, “unless there’s ‘water where the dragon passes’ beneath the moss.”

“Water where the dragon passes” was an industry term describing how jadeite’s color intensifies along cracks.

Si Tang abruptly looked up, their noses almost brushing accidentally. She retreated slightly, her gaze flickering uncomfortably.

His narrow eyes, tinged with a hint of a smile, shimmered with an unusual deep blue, like a glowing abyss mesmerizing enough to hold one’s gaze captive.

“I trust your judgment.” Si Tang lowered her head, her fingertips gently brushing over the moss. “I never expected Mr. Fan Yi to be so knowledgeable about this as well.”

“I trust your luck.” Fan Yi’s lips curled into a light smile. “I’m very much looking forward to the results of our first collaborative works.”

Once the raw stone was selected, it was transported to the professional cutting room behind Jin Garden.

“Where should we make the cut?” the three of them discussed.

8856 naturally yielded the opportunity to Fan Yi, as only he and Fan Yi knew the exact internal structure of the stone.

Fan Yi said, “Of course, we won’t follow the conventional method. We’ll make an angled cut along this crack to avoid the potential color bands.”

As he spoke, he slightly lifted his chin, his tone slow and assured, every bit the industry expert. 8856 almost laughed at how convincingly he played the part.

The gray-skinned raw stone was secured onto the precision cutting machine.

“I’ll do it.” Si Tang stepped forward to take charge herself.

She operated it herself while Fan Yi stood by her side, guiding the angle. The diamond blade slowly descended, the piercing sound of cutting filling their ears.

“Slow down.” Fan Yi’s hand suddenly covered Si Tang’s as she held the control lever. “The crystal structure here might be unstable.”

Holding Si Tang’s small hand, Fan Yi’s heart began to flutter, though he maintained a calm facade.

Si Tang’s hand trembled slightly in his palm. She focused intently on the raw stone, not daring to be careless.

Fan Yi’s hand remained cool, his palm smooth without a single callus, like a pampered young master from ancient times. It was hard to imagine he understood raw stones and even knew how to cut them.

At this thought, she couldn’t help but drift into a daze.

“Don’t lose focus.” Fan Yi’s hand tightened slightly.

Only then did Si Tang suddenly realize her position: she was sitting in front of the cutting machine, while Fan Yi stood bent over behind her, almost as if he were enveloping her completely in his embrace. That domineering, sharp, cold fragrance of his swept over her overwhelmingly.

Si Tang’s body stiffened, and a scene flashed rapidly through her mind a man holding her tightly from behind on a bed, completely restraining her in his embrace.

Another hallucination.

She shook her head and finally completed the cut with Fan Yi’s assistance.

Si Tang turned off the machine, instinctively held her breath, and carefully removed the cut raw stone.

Wiping the cut surface with a damp cloth, a breathtaking green bloomed under the light.

“Imperial Green.” Si Tang gasped in awe. “It’s glass-grade!”

On the cut surface, around the fissure that most would consider a disaster, the jadeite’s color had not faded but instead revealed a rich, almost dripping green. The texture was as transparent as glass, shimmering with a faint fluorescence under the light.

Starlight sparkled in Si Tang’s eyes as she instinctively looked up at Fan Yi, sharing her delight. “This is amazing!”

Fan Yi smiled faintly, his expression softening as he gazed at her, but the excitement in his eyes was sparse, as if he weren’t the least bit interested.

“Fan Yi, you’re incredible!” Si Tang exclaimed again.

At this, the tips of Fan Yi’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He lowered his head, his soft, ink-black hair shading his slightly reddened ear tips, and then a joyful expression rippled in his eyes. It was a smile of genuine divinity.

8856 covered his face and turned away, sighing inwardly, Ah, what a third wheel, a third wheel.

Trident remarked, This is the first time Lord Fan Yi has shown such a smile. A rare sight in a lifetime.

Fan Yi gently flipped the stone, revealing the other cut surface. “And look here. The color becomes more uniform as it follows the fissure. This isn’t ordinary Imperial Green it’s ‘Dragon Stone Species.'”

The highest grade of jadeite in the industry.

Si Tang smiled warmly, a pure, heartfelt joy. “Fan Yi, do you know how many times the value of this stone has multiplied?”

Fan Yi’s brows relaxed. “For this stone, I only care about its true worth.”

His gaze fixed directly on Si Tang. “It lies in what Tangtang can turn it into.”

Si Tang froze, feeling as if his gaze had scorched her for a moment. In his dark, narrow eyes, her reflection was clear, and between his gentle, watery brows was a look of complete trust, as if he had entrusted everything to her.

“Yes, I’ll design it well!” She decided she would design this piece herself.

“Then I’ll be eagerly looking forward to it.”

They had gained much today, and the group headed back home.

Afterwards, Si Tang transported the raw stone to the company’s secure vault.

By the time she returned to Hai Garden, dinner was already prepared, half of which consisted of her favorite dishes.

During the meal, Si Tang could now face Fan Yi’s unusual eating preferences without batting an eye.

As long as he didn’t eat pufferfish and startle her again, it was fine.