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Paris, France, the most famous fashion capital in the world, where every piece of news in this city could represent the direction of global fashion trends.
Among the most renowned luxury shopping streets, the Champs-Élysées stands out.
The Champs-Élysées is a famous avenue located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, in the northwest part of the city. It is regarded as the most beautiful street in Paris, named after the Elysian Fields from Greek mythology, where virtuous souls reside. The avenue begins at Place de la Concorde, where an obelisk stands tall, stretching 1,915 meters from east to west. The first half is relatively flat, followed by an incline leading up to Charles de Gaulle Square, situated at the high ground where the Palais des Congrès is located. At the center of the square stands the Arc de Triomphe.
Here lies some of the world's most famous luxury boutiques, high-end fashion stores, luxury car showrooms, film distribution companies, theaters, specialty entertainment shops, upscale restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
All these top-tier experiences converge to become a beacon of global trends, attracting massive foot traffic and astonishing sales figures.
Near the Arc de Triomphe stands a conspicuous flagship store of a large jewelry company, its magnificent emblem familiar to many older patrons.
Lopez Jewelry.
Once renowned worldwide, every French girl dreamed of stepping into marriage with a Lopez engagement ring, receiving blessings from above.
However, times have changed; what once symbolized global fashion direction has now seen Lopez decline.
It is not that the storefront has deteriorated or that French socialites no longer wish to shop there; rather, Lopez's products have faltered, and the entire company has begun to decline.
Throughout the year, Lopez's flagship store rarely sees business. Those inexpensive jewelry pieces simply cannot sustain a shop on the Champs-Élysées; only high-end goods are what they truly need.
Women go crazy for jewelry and diamonds, but those jewels and diamonds are certainly not low-priced items costing just a few thousand Francs; they are high-value pieces worth millions.
Although Lopez Jewelry often closes its doors, some after-sales services never cease. In one corner of the showroom sits a row of twelve artisans behind various tools waiting for their customers.
This service is reserved for those who have previously purchased jewelry from Lopez Jewelry; it offers lifetime warranties. Even as Lopez Jewelry has fallen to such depths, it steadfastly maintains its service without interruption—even during Christmas.
"Hey! Olivia! My mom sent me to get these earrings repaired. She's really persistent; she's been wearing these earrings for over twenty years," a French girl said as she pulled her boyfriend's arm toward a familiar store.
Her mother’s dedication is remarkable; she has always bought her jewelry from Lopez Jewelry since her own youth and has never switched to another brand. Now this store seems on the brink of closing down.
She remembers seeing the situation last month when she came here to clean her mother's diamond ring; almost all counters had little to no jewelry left. Only a few customers came in for cleaning or repairs on their pieces.
She wonders why her mother loves this old-fashioned brand so much. Aside from after-sales service, the quality of jewelry sold is simply abysmal.
Of course, she had to remove her mother's treasures, those exquisite pieces of jewelry. Every time she saw her mother's jewelry, she was always struck by a sense of awe.
True fashion! Even after several decades, it remained timeless. At that time, she thought these pieces must have been crafted by a master designer from Cartier or Tiffany.
Who would have guessed that they were actually produced by Lopez, an antique brand that hardly anyone among the younger generation would know?
Today, she returned to have her mother's earrings repaired and cleaned. Diamonds tend to accumulate dirt over time, making the jewelry lose its luster, so necessary cleaning was essential.
Her mother had a habit of coming directly to Lopez Jewelry for cleaning, enjoying the lifetime free after-sales service.
As she approached the entrance of Lopez Jewelry, she suddenly froze. Before her eyes, it seemed as if Lopez Jewelry had come back to life; the flow of people became a steady stream. Tourists rushed in as if money were no object, eagerly selecting their favorite pieces of jewelry.
"Hey! This isn't Cartier; how could there be so many people?" Such scenes were typically seen in certain countries when tour groups arrived—crowds pouring into luxury stores, purchasing items that ordinary people could never dream of affording in their lifetimes.
Yet now, this phenomenon was occurring at Lopez, a brand that had gradually been overshadowed by major global luxury brands.
With disbelief in her heart, she stepped into Lopez Jewelry. In an instant, it felt as if something had struck her heart with great force.
As a high-income individual, she had witnessed countless jewelry exhibitions and was a regular at auctions.
But she had never seen such a frenzied scene; it was utterly captivating.
The prices! The prices of the jewelry were astonishingly low.
The quality! Each piece was a masterpiece, crafted from excellent materials.
Everything was being sold at a 30% discount—this was a genuine discount without any hidden tricks or inflated prices followed by markdowns.
It was a straightforward reduction in price. Of course, this offer was time-limited; almost all the loyal customers had recently received an invitation letter from Lopez Company.
As she stepped inside, she noticed an elderly woman nearby slowly browsing through various pieces of jewelry with heavy steps before making her way upstairs.
"Wait! Is that who I think it is? Could it be Madam Christine? I once saw her at a ball with my mother; she's known as the leader of the hidden aristocracy. I can't believe I would see her here!"
She glanced around the store, noticing that most of the patrons were older, with the eldest among them likely in their thirties or forties.
These individuals were quite nostalgic; in their youth, they had frequently shopped at Lopez, and naturally, they were now unconditionally supporting a brand that had left a deep imprint on their hearts.
"Ah! I can finally fulfill my long-held wish. I never expected Lopez Jewelry to reopen. When I was young, I dreamed of owning a Lopez Jewelry ring to walk into marriage. By the time I had the means, Lopez had hardly anything noteworthy left," one elderly woman exclaimed.
"I can't believe it; today, my youthful wish has finally come true." A frail old lady descended slowly from the second floor, tears of excitement glistening on her face. Although her clothing was unremarkable, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that every piece she wore was meticulously crafted in terms of both material and cut.
Around her neck hung a magnificent diamond necklace, elegantly designed to perfectly complement diamonds and various gemstones together.
Especially striking was the central diamond—a pure, flawless gem that seemed to dazzle anyone who looked at it.
The diamond was completely free of impurities and undoubtedly exceeded 0 carats in size. Not to mention the exquisite design that elevated the entire necklace's value into a work of art.
"That's Bernie's mother; she has never stopped buying luxury goods. Her dressing room is filled with various designer clothes and jewelry," a pair of young people nearby remarked.
They had been sent by their elders to help select jewelry, while the older generation gathered together on the second floor to choose pieces for themselves, leaving the younger ones to chat amongst themselves.
Suddenly, they all sensed that Lopez Jewelry had truly changed; even the style had shifted. The jewelry on the first floor catered to middle-income customers, while the truly high-end pieces were all located on the second floor.
As for the upper two floors, those housed the auction room and VIP reception area—places where true aristocratic ladies cherished their time.
Unfortunately, Lopez Jewelry was currently only open on the first two floors; the third and fourth floors were under renovation and would not officially open until half a month later for the diamond auction.
A storm in the jewelry world was about to unfold; whether this marked Lopez's rise or merely a fleeting moment of glory remained unknown.
However, all customers visiting Lopez became winners because they obtained the jewelry they loved and desired.
In the exhibition hall on the second floor, Zheng Yifan leaned against a corner wall, slowly sipping from a cup of tea.
Watching those women go wild over the jewelry filled him with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
Indeed, he felt completely fulfilled; his efforts over more than a week had finally met the demands of this flagship store for Lopez Company.
The exhibits on the second floor were all his hard work, the result of his relentless efforts.
Everything came from the home of a jewelry collector living on the outskirts of Hansui City. He had spent a week navigating through layers of zombies to infiltrate the collector's house, sweeping clean all of their jewelry.
Valued at around four to five billion, most of the jewels were placed in the exhibition hall on the second floor of Lopez Company, with the finest pieces set to be auctioned off in half a month.
This would be a significant sum, enough for Zheng Yifan to make a name for himself in the Apocalyptic World.
Two security personnel slowly walked past Zheng Yifan, smiling at him.
They were employees from a Security Company, providing protection for the entire store and ensuring the safety of its merchandise.
As for Zheng Yifan's personal interests, they had long been secured.
Of course, this guarantee resulted in a slight gap at the base of a statue in the center of the exhibition hall—a very shallow gap that penetrated through the entire base of the statue.
This was created by Zheng Yifan using a chopstick, a mark left when he had just received the second batch of jewelry.
Everything he did was to ensure that his interests would not be compromised.
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