Many people were seeing this kind of exquisite carving technique for the first time, and besides admiration, they couldn’t say anything else.
Katherine was even more shocked on the side, completely unable to believe her eyes. The carving technique of this bead in front of her was much better than her own mountain ornament.
Because carving on a bead is much more difficult than carving on such a large piece of jade.
“This is too amazing. You can’t even see any patterns from afar. There are patterns on this bead.”
“Who could have carved something like this?”
“But didn’t Miss North just say it was just an ordinary old man? Could there really be someone more skilled than those famous carvers?”
“I thought Miss North’s gift was just average, but now it seems to be the most thoughtful one!”
The people around were all amazed and some even started asking Jane where she made this bracelet.
Mike quickly took back the bracelet and rubbed it in his palm like a treasure as he looked at the jade Buddha pendant on top.
Suddenly, he felt something behind him and when he turned around, he saw a square name carved out in the corner with two words written in seal script.
Mike squinted his eyes and felt that these two words were very familiar. He looked at Jane and asked tentatively, “Do I know this person?”
Jane smiled slightly when she saw Mike’s reaction. “Of course you do, it’s Mr. Rees.”
“You… you actually convinced that old man?”
Mike looked at Jane in disbelief. He had only seen Braiden Rees a few times, and due to his stubborn nature, he wasn’t particularly fond of him. However, Mike had never expected Jane to know him.
People around were puzzled, and a few young individuals even started a private discussion.
“Who is Mr. Rees? Why have I never heard of this name?”
“Maybe he’s just a very skilled sculptor.”
Katherine squinted her eyes, carefully searching her memory for the name Mr. Rees. However, she drew a blank; she was sure she didn’t know any sculptor named Rees, especially not among the renowned ones.
Therefore, Katherine assumed that Jane had accidentally found some skilled artisan from the folk and had crafted this bracelet.
“But I secretly hid it from Mr. Rees. I asked him to teach me. If he knew this bracelet was for you, he would probably be mad at me,” Jane said, thinking about Braiden’s reaction, which gave her a headache.
“Taught by him?” Mike keenly caught the key words from Jane’s words.
Jane hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes, indeed. The patterns on this bracelet were taught to me personally by Mr. Rees. But I’m not as skilled yet; I still need his help for some parts.”
Jane’s words were a mix of truth and falsehood. The patterns on the bracelet were indeed taught by Braiden, but Jane was already proficient in the art of carving. After all, a novice like her could not have crafted something so exquisite.
Completely unexpected, Jane’s revelation brought a deeper meaning to the gazes now directed at her.
“Jane, are there any more surprises that I don’t know about?” Mike patted Jane’s hand affectionately, growing fonder by the moment.
He quickly shifted his gaze to Patrick on the side, signaling him to marry this woman sooner.
Patrick’s eyes flickered, and when he looked at Jane, his gaze was even more tender.
“No, it’s impossible. How could you carve something like this?” Katherine couldn’t believe Jane’s words. She had thought that losing the previous gambling match was an accident.
So, Katherine intentionally gave Mike jade today to overshadow Jane, but she never expected Jane to do something like this.
“I told you before, didn’t I? Mr. Rees has helped a lot,” Jane said softly.
Hearing this, Katherine’s smile became somewhat stiff. “I really want to meet this Mr. Rees. He must be a hidden master. I wonder where you found him?” Katherine asked, already forming her own thoughts. She was determined to find this Mr. Rees after she went back.
“Perhaps you should also know him, after all, you already know carving masters like Dax,” Jane said earnestly.
However, to Katherine, these words felt incredibly ironic. Now, looking at both the jade’s quality and the craftsmanship, Jane had clearly outshone her. If this perfect piece of art was truly carved by an ordinary reclusive old man, what was the use of her knowing Dax?
Moreover, Katherine had spent a long time, even leveraging connections within the Maltz family, to get Dax’s help in carving her jade piece. Countless efforts and resources were invested.
“Miss North, you’re joking. I don’t seem to know this person called Mr. Rees,” Katherine said, carefully reconsidering and confirming that she didn’t recognize this person.
“Miss North, is this Mr. Rees gentleman perhaps Braiden?” Suddenly, someone next to Mike spoke up.
“Who!” Someone immediately exclaimed upon hearing this name.
Thinking that someone had guessed correctly, Jane affirmed, “Yes, the old man I know is indeed Braiden.”
She then turned to the shocked Katherine, curiously asking, “Haven’t you heard of Braiden before?”
That was right; Jane did it on purpose.
The moment Katherine opened the gift today, Jane knew what she was up to.
“Braiden…” Katherine furrowed her brows, murmuring the name.
Who wouldn’t know Braiden? He was a true master in the carving world, and Dax happened to be Braiden’s apprentice.
Braiden had chosen to retire from the carving world at the peak of his career, and his disciple Dax gradually emerged into the limelight. However, nobody knew what Braiden did afterward until a few years ago when Dax mentioned that his master had set off to explore the world.
Katherine had considered countless possible reactions from Jane but never expected her to bring up Braiden in the end.
Suddenly, Katherine had a sense of déjà vu. She was unwilling to accept why it was always Jane who won, why Jane always managed to surpass her at every turn.