Chapter 108: Chapter 108: The Long-Lost Art of Relief-Carved Paper-Cutting

In short, Smith was the picture of disbelief.

"She is, indeed, my wife."

Tristan Lawson repeated, his eyes serious.

Smith had known Tristan Lawson for ten years and knew he wasn’t the type to joke around.

So, he had no choice but to believe that the beautiful girl was Tristan Lawson’s wife.

"Tristan, you’re a lucky man to have married such a beautiful wife. My congratulations."

A faint smile touched Tristan Lawson’s lips.

However, their attention was drawn away again by the voices coming from Old Master Sterling’s direction.

"It’s covered so securely. It looks like a painting."

"It must be a famous painting."

"I’d guess so. After all, it’s a gift for Old Master Sterling. You can’t just present any ordinary painting."

Tessa Lawson rolled her eyes. ’What kind of famous painting could Noelle Sutton possibly produce?’

Sophie Hughes, on the other hand, looked bewildered. ’Noelle Sutton is attending Old Master Sterling’s banquet and making such a big show of giving a birthday gift. Tristan must have prepared it for her.’

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

Kyle Sawyer snorted. "If you’re giving a gift, just give it. Why be so secretive? I hope it’s some stunning masterpiece, otherwise she’ll just make a fool of herself."

Adrian Grant, however, watched with great interest.

Although Hugo Sterling hadn’t seen the birthday gift Noelle Sutton had prepared for his grandfather, he had seen her paper-cutting work before. He had even deliberately hinted to his grandfather that he wanted one of her pieces. He guessed it must be one of Noelle’s paper-cuttings.

He smiled and said, "Noelle, go ahead and unveil it."

Old Master Sterling just kept his eyes on Noelle Sutton. He honestly didn’t care whether she gave him a gift or not.

He had simply recognized her grandmother’s work, learned that her grandmother had passed away, and wanted to meet her.

Noelle Sutton gently lifted the red cloth covering the frame, revealing a mounted piece of embossed paper-cutting art to everyone present.

Before having it framed, she had the shop neatly mount the paper-cutting on Xuan paper. To the untrained eye, it looked almost exactly like a painting.

For a moment, the banquet hall fell silent once again.

Old Master Sterling stood up excitedly and walked toward the artwork. He adjusted his reading glasses, his eyes fixed on the new paper-cutting piece.

"Wow, are you sure this wasn’t made by a machine? It looks just like the real thing."

"Yeah, it doesn’t quite look man-made. It’s beautiful and stunning, but if it’s machine-made, it’s not worth much."

"So what if it’s handmade? It’s just a pretty facade. You can tell at a glance it’s not by a famous artist. The paper is so new, so it’s definitely not an antique. All that buildup for something so... ordinary?"

"Come to think of it, it’s not as sincere a gift as Miss Hughes’s jade pipe."

The people present were indeed a bit shocked; it was so realistic, with a three-dimensional effect that made it seem like a real object was right before their eyes.

But they were, after all, members of high society. They knew all about famous artworks.

To them, a piece of art that wasn’t an antique or by a famous artist was worthless, no matter how beautiful.

Hanging it in their homes would even make them seem low-class.

Tessa Lawson’s expression soured even more. She felt Noelle Sutton was about to bring complete disgrace to the Lawson family.

As for Sophie Hughes, she knew Noelle Sutton was an excellent paper-cutter, but so what? Noelle wasn’t a famous artist. Even for paper-cutting, only works by famous artists were valuable.

’It’s just grandstanding. In the end, she’ll still be a laughingstock.’

Old Master Sterling, however, just kept adjusting his glasses and looking at the piece again and again.

Just then, an old man stood up. "What do you all know? This is embossed paper-cutting, a long-lost art form. It’s not something an ordinary person can create."

"What’s embossed paper-cutting? I’ve never even heard of it."

"I haven’t heard of it either, but if Old Master Shaw says it’s long-lost, it must be very rare and valuable."

People murmured amongst themselves.

The color drained from Sophie Hughes’s face.

Tessa Lawson’s mood improved slightly. ’At least it’s not embarrassing.’

Old Master Shaw rose and walked toward Noelle Sutton, his attitude very polite. "Ma’am, may I ask who created this piece?"

Hugo Sterling immediately said, "She did."

"Really?"

Old Master Shaw excitedly extended a hand, wanting to shake Noelle Sutton’s, but Old Master Sterling beat him to it. He grabbed Noelle’s hand and pushed Old Master Shaw aside.

Old Master Sterling led Noelle Sutton over to the seat he had just been in and had her sit down. The old man held her hand, unwilling to let go, and gently patted the back of it, his aged eyes glistening with tears.

"My dear girl, the gift you’ve given me is far too precious. You’ve recreated the Sterling family’s ancestral home! All that was left of our ancestral home was a single, blurry photograph, but you..."

Old Master Sterling couldn’t help but glance at the artwork again. "But you’ve cut it so beautifully. That little boy is me as a child, and the woman beside him is my mother. The moment I saw this paper-cutting, I felt like I was right there. This is the most wonderful gift I have ever received in my entire life!"

Old Master Sterling himself was a great lover of paper-cutting, so this was the highest praise he could give Noelle Sutton.

When everyone heard Old Master Sterling say it was the Sterling family’s ancestral home, they were too stunned to speak.

The Sterling ancestral home was now a well-known historic landmark and tourist attraction in the city; everyone present knew of it.

In an instant, the air was filled with words of praise.

Old Master Shaw came closer. "Mr. Sterling, can you let me get a word in? I wanted to shake the girl’s hand, but you squeezed me out of any chance."

Old Master Shaw was once the head of the Cygnus Cultural Bureau. After retiring, he returned to his hometown of Glenwater and had been old friends with Old Master Sterling for many years.

Old Master Shaw was a guest today, so Old Master Sterling quickly said, "Yes, yes, of course. Go ahead and speak with Noelle."

Old Master Shaw said amiably, "Noelle, cultural bureaus all over the country are very supportive of applications for intangible cultural heritage status. Not long ago, I heard from a former colleague that no one has yet applied for intangible cultural heritage status for embossed paper-cutting. They’ve been searching for talented individuals in this field, and I’d like to recommend you!"

Old Master Shaw looked as if he wanted to take Noelle Sutton to apply right that instant.

Even Smith couldn’t help but start walking over.

Sophie Hughes looked up, and her face fell when she saw Smith.

Noelle Sutton’s paper-cutting today was a conventional piece, unlike that anime-style version of *A Renaissance Cityscape Painting*. Yet, it seemed Noelle truly had a gift in this area. Though this piece wasn’t in an anime style, it still had an animated quality. Looking at the artwork, you could almost see the bustling streets of a bygone era, sixty or seventy years ago.

’Tristan Lawson probably hasn’t had the chance to discuss the animation characters with Smith yet. If Smith takes a liking to Noelle Sutton’s work, then all my efforts from last night will have been for nothing.’

Sophie Hughes saw Tristan Lawson standing not far away.

"Tristan, you’re here too,"

she called out.

Hearing that Tristan Lawson had arrived, Noelle Sutton immediately looked up.

Tristan Lawson’s stride was steady, his presence instantly outshining everyone in the room. The noble air in his every move was dazzling and captivating, drawing everyone’s gaze in an instant.