Chapter 523 - 519: Not Only Dares to Think, but Also Dares to Act

The salesclerk was completely stunned.

She had been selling gold for several years but had never heard of anyone buying it using "catties" as the unit of measurement.

Ten catties!

That was 5,000 grams!

Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but laugh at herself, because it did sound utterly absurd.

Seeing Cecilia laugh, the clerk assumed she was joking. "You have a great sense of humor, ma’am."

"I’m not joking, I’m serious," Cecilia said with a smile. "If you can make it, I’ll start picking out a style."

The clerk froze again. After confirming that the beautiful woman before her truly wanted to custom-order a 5,000-gram longevity lock, the reality of the situation finally hit her, and she grew thrilled. "Yes, of course we can, ma’am! Please, have a seat and wait for just a moment."

Before long, the store manager heard the news and came to assist her personally. He remained relatively composed after learning of Cecilia’s request, but an order for 5,000 grams—aside from customers who collected gold bars—was definitely a historic sale for their store.

"Miss Sterling, the price of gold fluctuates daily. Since you’re placing the order today, it will be settled at today’s market price. If the price drops by the pickup date, we cannot adjust it for you. We ask for your understanding."

Cecilia nodded in understanding. "So the same applies if the price goes up, I assume?"

"Correct," the manager replied with a smile.

Ultimately, based on the day’s rate of 350 dollars, Cecilia ordered a massive, ten-catty gold longevity lock for Phoebe for a total price of 3.5 million dollars.

This was the most expensive gift she had ever given to someone outside her own family.

After leaving the gold shop, Cecilia received a call from Mr. Young.

The two hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and Mr. Young invited Cecilia to dinner.

「Aetherium.」

There were only the two of them for dinner. Mr. Young hadn’t chosen a private room, but instead picked a nice spot in the main dining hall of the Chinese restaurant.

"Mr. Young."

The moment they saw each other, they still felt the same warmth, with no sense of unfamiliarity.

Mr. Young immediately feigned anger. "You little rascal, if I hadn’t called you, would you have completely forgotten about your old uncle?"

"Of course not," Cecilia said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I was actually planning to contact you in the next few days. I have some business to discuss with you, Mr. Young."

Mr. Young poured her a cup of tea himself, watching her with a leisurely gaze. "I heard that the *Heavenly Destiny as Phoenix* project is starting to see returns. A friend of mine invested a little bit of money at the start, and he’s earned quite a lot. As the major backer, you must be making a killing on this project alone, right?"

Cecilia smiled without saying a word, not answering Mr. Young directly, which was essentially an admission.

*Heavenly Destiny as Phoenix* was a massive hit, breaking multiple platform records. The entire main cast saw their careers take off, and the profits from advertising alone were astronomical.

Moreover, this type of investment yielded long-term returns, and future profits would continue to flow steadily into her account.

This was the first project she had ever invested in, and now she was finally seeing a return!

"Putting everything else aside, your investment instincts are just incredible. You really have to admit it," Mr. Young praised her sincerely.

"Please, Mr. Young, don’t praise me so much. You must have invited me to dinner for another reason, right?" Cecilia said with a laugh. "You went to the hospital to see my sister-in-law this morning. We just missed each other."

Mr. Young waved his hand. "It’s good that we missed each other. This needs to be handled a bit more formally. I need to apologize to you."

Cecilia was taken aback by his words. "You’re apologizing to me? What for?"

"I heard about what happened with your mother and Mr. Vance. At the end of the day, I was the one who connected them, and now that it’s turned out like this, I feel terrible," Mr. Young said with a sigh. "That kid, Felix Vance, was spoiled rotten by his father."

At the mention of Felix Vance, Cecilia’s expression darkened slightly.

"Mr. Young, this has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to feel guilty," Cecilia said softly. "It was just that my mother and Mr. Vance weren’t fated to be together."

"It’s a real shame. Mr. Vance is a genuinely good man."

"I know."

The two fell silent for a moment. It was clearly not a pleasant topic. Whenever Cecilia thought about how her mother had been wronged in this matter, she found it impossible to remain completely unbothered.

’She cared, and she was furious!’

"Didn’t you just say you had business to discuss with me?" Mr. Young asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Cecilia nodded, her expression relaxing and softening. "This is a good thing, actually. I’d like to partner with you, Mr. Young. I’m going to develop a project, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to take it on?"

"A new project?" Mr. Young’s expression turned serious. "You rascal, you have a new project and you’re not bringing me in on it?"

Cecilia gave an embarrassed smile. "To be honest, Mr. Young, I want to do this project by myself. But I’ll give the construction work to you. You should earn what you’re owed—I don’t want a discount."

Her words only made Mr. Young more curious. "What kind of project is it?"

"I bought a mountaintop on Mount Lyra. I want to build a high-end cemetery."

"A cemetery?" Mr. Young was astounded. "For real?"

"Of course. I had a master check it out. He said it’s an auspicious location with excellent feng shui, absolutely perfect for it," Cecilia said in a low voice.

Mr. Young looked at Cecilia, his expression shifting from shock to admiration, and finally to a hint of delight. "Cecilia, where does that little brain of yours come up with so many ideas? I’ve been running my real estate company for so long, and I never once thought about developing a cemetery project. How did you think of it?"

"It was just... a sudden flash of inspiration. I think it’s viable and profitable," Cecilia said honestly.

"Of course it’s profitable!" Mr. Young said, getting a little excited. "This is no small project. Can you handle it on your own? Why not bring your uncle in to help ease some of the pressure?"

"Mr. Young, I’m not feeling any pressure," Cecilia said with a smile. "I really want to do this project myself."

"Why are you so insistent? A joint venture would mitigate the risks. Are you that certain you won’t lose money?"

Cecilia nodded. "I think it’s a sure thing."

Mr. Young pouted regretfully. He was envious because he also thought it was a guaranteed profit.

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I’m really getting old. My brain isn’t what it used to be. How did I never think of such a great business opportunity? A cemetery... You’re really something else."

"And you don’t just dare to think it, you dare to do it. Most people wouldn’t touch a project like that. There’s a bit of a taboo around it."

As he spoke, Mr. Young asked curiously, "You had a master check it? Which master?"

"Master Ingram."

Mr. Young raised an eyebrow slightly and gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice. It seems you’ve done your homework. A location approved by Master Ingram... people will be fighting tooth and nail for a spot there. Remember to save a plot for your uncle."

"Mr. Young, please don’t make jokes like that."

"I’m serious. I’ll need it sooner or later."

Cecilia said seriously, "So, will you take the job? I want to start construction as soon as possible. A section of the road leading up there also needs repairs. I’d like to rebuild the entire road, which will probably be a major undertaking."

"If there’s money to be made, of course I’ll take it. But road construction requires government permits. Mount Lyra is under the jurisdiction of Sunstone District, I believe..." As he spoke, Mr. Young’s brow furrowed. "Oh, dear. Sunstone District just had a change in leadership. I’m not really familiar with the new people."