Xiao Chen runs a small design studio in the city center, mainly handling cross-border outsourcing projects. Although the scale is limited, his clients come from all over the world—luxury brands from Italy, creative agencies in London, tech startups in Singapore... but payments have always been a pain point.

Traditional banks? Their fees can eat up a large chunk of profit, and international wire transfers take a week. The emerging third-party payment tools seem convenient, but clients always ask, "Are my transaction data really private?" Especially those big clients who value trade secrets—they are particularly sensitive about fund flows and transaction details.

One day, his programmer nephew Xiao Kai came over, opened his laptop, and said, "Uncle, I found something that might be suitable for you. It’s called DUSK."

Xiao Chen frowned: "Never heard of it."

"You can think of it like this," Xiao Kai opened the browser, "like the light at dusk—that’s enough to see things clearly but won’t expose all the details under the spotlight."

"What’s that metaphor?"

Xiao Kai started demonstrating. "For example, if you need to invoice that company in Milan, the amount, terms, and date are written into a smart contract. After the other party makes the payment, the entire transaction is recorded on the blockchain, permanently verifiable. But the specific content of this transaction? Only you and the other party can see it. Others? In the dark."

Xiao Chen was still somewhat skeptical but decided to give it a try. The next deposit from Milan used this process.

The result was unexpectedly smooth. The money was transferred through a channel he didn’t fully understand but experienced as incredibly seamless, arriving within a few hours, directly converted into stablecoins and into his digital wallet. Cost? Less than a fraction of his usual fees.

What surprised him even more was the client’s reaction. The Italian boss, who had always been demanding about payment privacy, specifically sent an email expressing satisfaction, even using the word "efficient."