Chapter 161: The Black Swan Adored by All, My Tender and Fragrant Soap

Five hundred and twenty drones somehow felt even less extravagant than a night in a presidential suite.

This was Shanghai—the lifestyle of the wealthy in a super-first-tier city, a world of drunken gold and shattered jade. What kind of experience would it be, looking down at the night view of Shanghai from a presidential suite tonight?

Yet, upon second thought, there were countless people who could easily afford a 150,000-yuan presidential suite. Glancing back at the distant Jin Mao Tower, he realized that only standing atop such towering skyscrapers gave one the true feeling of it all.

"Do you have any promotional events or special offers here?"

"Sir, our hotel has never run promotions of that kind, but we do have a real-name verification program. Every stay is recorded, and for every three stays in a presidential suite, we offer you a complimentary room upgrade opportunity."

"Complimentary?"

"Yes. If you book a luxury river-view room, we will have it upgraded to a presidential suite for you on the day of your arrival..."

After spending a minute understanding the situation, Cheng Yao settled the payment for the following three days and then inquired about birthday venue decorations and related arrangements.

"Manager Jiang, this Mr. Cheng requires a venue setup for a birthday on the day of the stay."

"Hello, Mr. Cheng. I am Jiang Xiuman, the lobby manager."

The hotel's lobby manager, Jiang Xiuman, walked over with a smile. "We have a team dedicated to event styling. Are you looking solely for room decoration, or would you need a banquet hall as well? For a presidential suite, we usually arrange fresh flowers and balloons, but if it's a full birthday celebration, the banquet hall might be more suitable."

"Do you have a price list?"

"Yes, Mr. Cheng. Please take a seat this way."

Jiang Xiuman led Cheng Yao to a sofa and brought over the price list.

Cheng Yao glanced through it. The prices for fresh flowers were clearly marked—roses, tulips, and the like were comparable to market rates, while the blue enchantment roses were slightly pricier.

Because the presidential suites were quite spacious, a large quantity of flowers was required, and the hotel naturally offered a substantial discount.

In truth, it didn't amount to much of a saving, but Cheng Yao no longer cared about such trivial amounts.

The flowers alone cost tens of thousands of yuan, creating a veritable sea of blossoms. Usually, setups of this scale were used by the wealthy for weddings.

Of course, people used them for birthdays too—wasn't Cheng Yao about to do just that?

Jiang Xiuman was well accustomed to such sights. With people booking presidential suites every other day, she certainly couldn't be expected to remember the distinct features of every single guest.

Cheng Yao didn't wish to fret over these details. Since the hotel handled the decor, he preferred everything to be as simple as possible. To him, "simple" meant not having to lift a finger himself—that was his definition of simplicity.

Next came the birthday cake, gifts, and so on...

Having settled the matters and paid the bill, Cheng Yao left the hotel and headed toward Black Swan. Checking the time, he saw it was already past two o'clock.

Since things would kick off around four, setting off for the cake boutique now was just about right.

Twenty minutes later, Cheng Yao arrived at the Black Swan specialty store in Shanghai.

As the Louis Vuitton of cake shops and the premier high-end brand in the dessert world, Black Swan had a clearly defined clientele: wealthy women, and the wealthy boyfriends or husbands of beautiful women.

Unlike ordinary 1968 commercialized dessert shops meant for the masses, even the smallest slice of cake here started at a triple-digit price.

Which ordinary family would ever bear to spend money like that?

Yet, money was the one thing never in short supply in Shanghai, keeping this sole Black Swan boutique exceptionally bustling with business.

Arriving at the storefront, Cheng Yao was greeted by exquisite display windows.

The interior design was minimalist yet grand, exuding refined taste.

The thoughtfully placed pendant lights cast a clear, structured, dignified, and elegant glow. Two black swans formed the backdrop of the curtain wall, simultaneously highlighting the brand's identity and serving as decoration.

Looking into the windows from afar, one might not even guess what was being sold, but upon stepping inside, fondant cakes immediately came into view.

Cheng Yao was inevitably drawn to the prices of the cakes. One model was priced at 99,999 yuan, while another stood at 69,999 yuan—cakes worth nearly one hundred thousand yuan.

One had to admit, it was rather absurd.

Though Cheng Yao's horizons had broadened considerably after gaining wealth—preventing him from being overly shocked—he still felt a quiet stirring of emotion inside. Once upon a time, a fifty-cent pack of spicy gluten strips could make him happy for an entire night, yet now he felt virtually nothing toward a hundred-thousand-yuan cake.

One could only say that society was developing at too rapid a pace; ordinary people simply could not keep up with such a stride. While a normal monthly salary hovered around two or three thousand yuan, a single brand-name cake in Shanghai cost one hundred thousand. Even without eating or drinking for three years, one wouldn't be able to afford it.

Thus, Black Swan targeted its market with absolute precision and unmistakable intent.

And it had undeniably succeeded.

Yet, this kind of success was nearly impossible to replicate, because Black Swan had left too indelible an impression on the public. Take, for instance, its legendary two-million-yuan custom cake; even if a rival launched a "White Swan" brand tomorrow, customers would still prioritize Black Swan.

It was safe to predict that news of various White Swans struggling in business and quietly exiting the market would soon follow.

As the owner of two companies himself by now, Cheng Yao could easily envision such outcomes.

"Good afternoon, sir. These are the freshly baked macarons we just brought out. Would you care to taste one?"

"Macarons?"

"Yes, we have five different flavors—sesame, lemon, and rose..."

The pretty female attendants wore black uniforms and wore delicate makeup, making every single one of them look as graceful as a black swan.

Even the service staff at luxury cake boutiques were strictly selected based on appearance and poise.

For instance, every male attendant was a young man standing over one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, while delivery personnel wore formal Western suits paired with white gloves to convey an aura of solemnity and prestige. Meanwhile, the female attendants were elegant and striking. These standardized service experiences were designed to instill the Black Swan image deeply into the consumers' minds.

"Thank you."

Cheng Yao wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but he tasted one anyway; the flavor was remarkably good.

The service was impeccable. He took a stroll around the shop, observing various artistic masterpiece cakes, all priced upwards of a thousand yuan.

At the back was a manual chocolate room filled with chocolates of various exquisite shapes. He walked over to the macaron section and bought six pieces at a moderate price.

Later, he would give them to Zhang Ya to try—young women loved sweets.

Finally, he laid eyes on the legendary astronomical-priced cake.

The swan embodied humanity's romantic ideals and spiritual yearning for beauty. Against a boundless, immaculate snowy landscape, the noble, elegant, and mysterious posture of the black swan compelled one to sigh at the creator's grace and the perfection of life.

The beauty of the black swan had deeply moved its founder, Luo Hong. When inspiration struck, it sparked his creative philosophy: "Nature has bestowed beauty upon us; why shouldn't we use it to convey emotions and make life even more beautiful? Can a cake be just as beautiful as a swan?"

And thus, a high-end brand was born amidst the snow: Black Swan.

Cheng Yao felt that sentiment was rather nice and considered plagiarizing it for his own future products when the time came.

For instance: *Nature has bestowed beauty upon us, and we must cherish it—and thus, the silky-smooth soap was born.*

He chuckled inwardly at his own joke. Yet, alongside the barrier surrounding the grand cake stood an advertising display plaque.

The Black Swan cake was unquestionably the undisputed number one in the dessert world, at least as far as he knew—though perhaps that simply reflected his own lack of exposure. This particular creation was sold exclusively in physical brick-and-mortar stores.

Its listed price was 1,999,999 yuan—falling short of two million yuan by a mere single yuan.

In truth, even Cheng Yao could perceive that 1,999,999 was far more gimmicky and thought-provoking than a flat two million, casting a sort of alluring illusion over the buyer.

Expensive though it was, people genuinely bought it, and quite frequently at that—celebrities celebrating birthdays, internet influencers, and wealthy elites tying the knot.

A five-tier Black Swan cake cost as much as an apartment in a tier-two city, a sum some people could never earn in a lifetime.

Noticing Cheng Yao staring intently at the Black Swan wedding cake, store manager Cao Jingzhu glided over gracefully. "Sir, would you like me to introduce it to you?"

Black Swan's target demographic consisted of the affluent, meaning her discernment naturally had to be sharp.

The very moment Cao Jingzhu laid eyes on Cheng Yao, she knew this young man belonged squarely to the tier of clientele they served. As the manager of the Shanghai branch, she was a standout in the hospitality industry with an exceptionally perceptive eye.

"Alright." Cheng Yao glanced at her and nodded gently.

"This cake carries a deeply romantic name: *The World Admires the Black Swan*. It is also the ultimate centerpiece of our store..."

Cao Jingzhu spoke in gentle, melodious tones, making it very comfortable for Cheng Yao to listen.

This multi-tiered cake was priced at two million yuan, stood 220 centimeters tall, and was entirely encrusted with ninety-nine swans of various postures, set against a backdrop of nine hundred and ninety-nine daisies.

It was said to require five pastry chefs working fourteen hours a day for nearly half a month to complete.

Aside from the imported ingredients and premium chocolates, the serving tray was crafted from sterling silver, while the structural supports were made entirely of Swarovski crystals.

Furthermore, the delivery of this cake was handled exclusively by a four-million-yuan Rolls-Royce. The presence of the luxury vehicle not only added a profound sense of ritual to the banquet itself, but also served as a testament to the buyer's impeccable taste.

Seizing the opportunity, Cao Jingzhu asked with a polite smile, "Are you preparing for a wedding, sir?"

"Celebrating my girlfriend's birthday."

"A birthday is wonderful too. We receive bookings for this every single month—though we only craft two such cakes per month."

Having learned everything he needed to know, Cheng Yao provided an address, specified a time, left his name, paid the hefty sum of two million yuan, and departed the Black Swan boutique.

From start to finish, he never once haggled or questioned the price.

A two-million-yuan cake yielded a twenty-million-yuan cash rebate; he couldn't even be bothered to lift an eyelid over it. He was truly floating now.

With time pressing on, he dared not waste another second, hailing a cab straight toward the performance center.

"Going to catch a show, young man?"

"Yeah, there's a piano performance..."

"Ah, those kinds of things are meant for high society. Us folks at the bottom can't really appreciate that sort of art, sigh."

The driver was talkative and amiable, and Cheng Yao good-naturedly chatted along with him.

Time flew by quickly, and before he knew it, the clock struck half-past three.

He had booked the restaurant half a month in advance—the most renowned Michelin-starred establishment in Shanghai. He had only ever dined at a Michelin restaurant once before; whether the food was good or bad was beside the point, as the primary draw was the romantic ambiance.

Arriving at the performance center, crowds of people were still steadily streaming in and out.

Stepping out of the taxi, Cheng Yao straightened his clothes. Come to think of it, he was now a professional pianist himself. Although the skill had been acquired through a system draw, the fact remained indisputable.

Therefore, such a performance was by no means tedious to him.

Besides, his own girlfriend was performing on that stage.

Following the directional signs on the wall, Cheng Yao retrieved his seat number and entered the auditorium. There was already a considerable crowd inside. The indoor space was remarkably tranquil, with patrons murmuring in low, polite tones to maintain decorum.

Even young boys dressed in miniature suits and waistcoats looked unusually well-behaved.

This was Cheng Yao's first time visiting a venue of this caliber. True to form, the scenery Zhang Ya was privileged to witness was vastly different from the sights he had known in the past.

This... must be what they called a social circle.