The radiance, after a moment's flash, gradually subsided, blending with the room's lighting and losing its sharp glare.
Hua Man raised her hand, displaying them to everyone, "These three wedding dresses were custom-made for you by Mr. Han a month ago. I only completed them last night and rushed here. I didn't expect you to encounter such a farce today. You must have been frightened."
As she spoke, her hand gently swept over the three exquisite wedding dresses displayed nearby.
Three wedding dresses, three distinct styles.
One was a classic Western-style wedding gown, with layers upon layers of light fabric, adorned with roses woven from soft satin and inlaid with gemstones. Each piece was like that of a noble princess, both luxurious and understated.
The second was a mermaid-style gown, designed to flawlessly accentuate the wearer's beautiful and graceful figure. Its long train was hand-beaded with countless diamonds, sparkling with a subtle, iridescent glow under the light, dazzling but not overly ostentatious.
The third wedding dress was a phoenix coronet and crimson robes. The phoenix coronet was crafted from gold and silver, employing intricate镂空 (hollow-carved) techniques to avoid excessive weight. The phoenix, soaring through the heavens, held a luminous pearl in its beak, its wings spread as if about to take flight, appearing even more lifelike when in motion.
The vibrant red robe, made of pure silk, immediately revealed its superior material. Even without any embellishments, it was already dazzling and radiant, as if coated with a layer of fluorescence. Now, it was further adorned with exquisitely embroidered patterns, complemented by jewel accents, exuding an even more captivating luxury.
These three wedding dresses and robes were now displayed before everyone in crystal cabinets, illuminated by lights, which explained why upon opening the door, they felt as if their eyes were momentarily blinded.
Tong Yao looked at the three garments before her, feeling as though her eyes were about to be dazzled.
She hadn't heard that Han Mo had already commissioned three wedding dresses for Xi'er, and that these three were personally crafted by Hua Man!
It was important to note that Hua Man rarely made clothes anymore. Even her apprentices' creations required advance booking. To have her make a garment, one needed significant status and influence. After all, the clothes she made were heirlooms, capable of being passed down for generations and exhibited in museums.
And Han Mo had commissioned three for Xi'er!
OMG!
Tong Yao cupped her face with both hands, her eyes wide, her mouth agape, her expression mirroring that of the world-famous painting, "The Scream."
"Dr. Han, you commissioned such wonderful pieces so early. Why didn't you say so sooner?"
If she had known her master herself was involved, how could she have gone to Zheng Xi, her apprentice?
But how did Dr. Han manage this?
Bai Xi looked at the exquisite and beautiful gowns before her, then glanced at Han Mo standing beside her.
Han Mo was also looking at her, his gaze gentle, "Do you like them?"
Bai Xi instinctively replied, "Commissioning three such exquisite gowns from Hua Man couldn't have been easy. The City Lord's influence is indeed considerable."
While she wasn't particularly interested in fashion, she knew Hua Man's standing in the field. To have her personal involvement usually meant Han Mo had done something significant to earn such immense favor, or he had offered a price she couldn't refuse.
Either way, it represented a substantial effort.
Han Mo smiled, "It has nothing to do with my status. I just want to give you the best."
Hua Man was someone he had saved long ago, and one of the few who vaguely knew some of his secrets.
When he saved Hua Man, she was only seven years old.
Now, her hair had streaks of silver, and her face bore a few wrinkles, yet he remained unchanged.
Most people in Qingyu City believed the Qingyu City Lord position was hereditary, but Hua Man had discovered that he never aged.
At that time, she had suffered a heart attack and needed a transplant. Her family, due to poverty, had abandoned her without paying the procedure fees. She was left in what was then the relatively unstable Qingyu, like a small grass about to wither by the roadside.
He was in Qingyu during a period of unrest, and his men had found her and brought her back. He had saved her as well. From then on, she stayed in the army. Being very young, she couldn't do much else, so she voluntarily began mending clothes for the soldiers.
At such a young age, her craftsmanship was already quite excellent.
By the time she was ten, she could already stitch battle armor.
Later, when Qingyu was pacified, he gave her some money and let her go. It was then that she discovered his secret.
His secret of not aging and being immortal.
She left Qingyu City then, opened her first shop in Hua Guo, and gradually became the Hua Man she was today. Her current success had little to do with him, yet she always remembered his kindness.
When he was preparing the betrothal gifts in Qingyu City, she had contacted him through her subordinates, saying she wanted to sew wedding attire for him and his wife to repay his life-saving grace.
Bai Xi didn't reply, quietly gazing at the three beautiful gowns that no woman could refuse.
Wait, did Hua Man just say... he had prepared them a month ago?
It seemed they had only just started dating a month ago. He had already asked Hua Man to custom-make wedding dresses... She now had the feeling of falling into someone's trap.
Although Bai Xi wanted to tease him, these were the fruits of Hua Man's hard labor, and she couldn't, in good conscience, say a single unfavorable word. In the end, she simply said, "They are incredibly beautiful. But Dr. Han, ordering them so early shows a lot of confidence. Aren't you afraid I'll reject your proposal?"
When Han Mo heard the name "Dr. Han," he knew Bai Xi was teasing him again.
Compared to the insecurity he felt when he first started dating Xi'er, he now only experienced the sweet anticipation of counting down the days with tenderness. "I just believe that sincerity can move mountains."
Bai Xi understood perfectly. His meaning was that as long as he persisted, she would eventually agree. A sense of defiance stirred within her. "Then, what if by the time I agree, I'm already seventy or eighty, or my figure has gone completely out of shape, and I can't fit into these three beautiful dresses?"
Han Mo answered without hesitation, "No matter how you look, in my eyes, you are the most beautiful. If you gain weight and the dresses no longer fit, it's not your problem, it's the dresses' problem. If the dresses have a problem and can't be worn... then we'll ask Master Hua Man to help alter them properly."
Hua Man, listening to their playful banter, smiled, "No problem at all. If any alterations are needed, you two honored guests can request them anytime."
She had intended to tease Han Mo, but unexpectedly, Han Mo had drawn her into the conversation. Hua Man, while smiling kindly, already felt a bit embarrassed.
Before meeting Han Mo, she had never experienced such a subtle feeling.
Seeing their interaction, Tong Yao suddenly clutched her chest and raised her other hand, feigning suffocation. "Ahhhhhh, help! Help me! I feel my blood sugar is about to explode, I'm going to get diabetes!"