Broken Porcelain Never Mends

The following afternoon, before anyone from the broker could arrive, the studio door was shoved open.Brandon walked in with Quinn Sanders, his unforgettable first love, who had freshly returned from overseas.Dressed in a tailored designer trench coat, Quinn swept a critical gaze across the humble studio.Her eyes finally landed on the sealed kiln containing Phoenix Pavilion, and they lit up."Bran, this piece would be perfect for the Paris International Arts Awards."Without the slightest hesitation, Brandon tossed an ownership transfer agreement and a check for five million dollars onto my workbench.The edge of the check pressed down on the small white-glaze porcelain cup.Quinn casually picked it up and flicked her cigarette ash into it.The pristine white glaze was instantly smeared with filthy gray ash.I reached out to take it back, but Brandon blocked it with his hand."It's just a worthless cup, and you’re protecting it like it’s some treasure!"With a look of disg

The ballroom was awash in blinding flashes from the cameras.Dressed in a custom couture gown, Quinn stood confidently on stage, passionately recounting the inspiration behind Phoenix Pavilion.Without the slightest hesitation, she claimed that the five years I had spent working myself to exhaustion were nothing more than an idea she'd conceived while strolling along the Seine in Paris.Thunderous applause filled the ballroom, and compliments poured in from every direction.Smiling graciously, Quinn lifted a hand to quiet the crowd. Then, as if by accident, she knocked an old notebook off the lectern.It was my journal, recording my unspoken love for Brandon, my selfless devotion over the past five years.She picked it up, flipped it open to a random page, and leaned toward the microphone."Looks like our restorer really dreamed of rising from the dirt-poor ashes and marrying into wealth. She even catalogued every offhand remark Bran ever made."Quinn covered her mouth with a l

Brandon waited desperately downstairs outside Sloan's apartment for an entire night, standing in the pouring rain.He was soaked to the bone. His tailored designer suit hung in wrinkled folds, and his bloodshot eyes made him look like a stray dog with nowhere left to go.Early the next morning, Sloan's black sedan rolled out of the basement garage.The car stopped in front of Brandon, and Sloan stepped out beneath a black umbrella. Looking down at the pitiful man before him, he tossed a thick stack of documents straight into Brandon's face."These are the fund transfer records from back then, along with the fraud lawsuit my legal team drafted overnight."The papers scattered across the rain-soaked ground, but Brandon didn't even spare them a glance.His eyes remained fixed on the car window, desperately trying to make out what was inside.Sloan looked at him with both pity and contempt, as though he were staring at a pile of worthless trash."You stole my identity and deceived

The global livestream cameras turned toward the main stage of the Grand Palais in Paris.Quinn walked onto the stage with complete confidence, delivering a fluent French speech about the brilliance of the piece.She painted a vivid picture of every detail, as if she had personally polished it inch by inch with her own hands.When she finished her presentation, thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and several international judges even gave her a standing ovation.Just as the head judge was about to announce the winner of the top award, I rose from my seat as the invited chief judge and slowly walked onto the stage.All eyes in the hall were fixed on me, and Quinn’s expression changed slightly.I walked up to Phoenix Pavilion, picked up the microphone, and spoke in a cold yet steady voice."This piece is indeed flawless, but it is still missing the final and most crucial step."In front of tens of millions of viewers watching worldwide, I unhesitatingly rolled up the sl

Three years later, with Sloan’s full support and resources, I had pushed the restoration of the national intangible cultural heritage to the pinnacle of the global stage.At the Global Cultural Heritage Awards in Geneva, I stood on the highest podium.My right hand still bore those shocking scars, yet it held the Lifetime Achievement Award trophy steadily.Sitting in the first row below the stage, Sloan looked at me with gentle eyes and led the applause. Over these three years, he truly fulfilled the promise he made to me, becoming the strongest support I could ever rely on.At the celebratory reception back at home, the elites and influential figures of the capital’s social circle were all present, each raising their glasses to congratulate me.Dressed in an elegant, figure-hugging haute couture evening gown, I walked gracefully through the crowd with my arm around Sloan’s.The reception was held at a top-tier estate belonging to the Hastings, with luxury cars filling the entran