The man’s bedtime rituals were never that complicated.
Lu Jincheng splashed his face with cold water, barely reining in his restless thoughts, then extinguished the bedside lamp, pulled over the sheet, and lay back to sleep.
Above him, he could hear the sounds of a few girls’ pre-sleep primping and laughter.
Of course, even after expending their energy at the ski resort all day, the three sisters couldn’t avoid a bit of boisterousness before bed, as they had during their high school days.
But after a little while, it gradually quieted down.
Once the lights upstairs went out, and what felt like an hour or two had passed, it seemed the entire hot spring resort slowly succumbed to midnight’s slumber.
Sometime later, all was silent save for the soft sound of fine snowflakes striking the eaves.
Lu Jincheng, however, lay in bed, finding sleep elusive.
The vibration of his phone timely interrupted, and a WeChat message popped into his world.
He clicked on the notification and found a voice message waiting.
In the otherwise empty room, a girl’s sweet, soft voice echoed as if someone were whispering in your ear.
["We’re back in the country~ Just got home and can’t sleep yet, adjusting our biological clocks. Have you gone to sleep?"]
Lu Jincheng quickly replied.
["Want to video chat?"]
The typed conversation shifted to a more informative scene, a video call.
Seconds later, a figure in rose and white came into view from close to far, and there was Zhou Sinin on the camera, her brown hair framing her face.
Lu Jincheng was instantly captivated.
In front of him, Zhou Sinin, seemingly fresh from a bath, was cuddling her phone dressed in a cozy sleepwear set comprised of a robe paired with a nightgown, her smile brimming with warmth.
But it wasn’t just any simple set of robe and nightgown.
It was a twinset in cotton white, an A-line robe that brushed the ground on the outside, with a snug, sheer nightgown underneath.
Both pieces of the ensemble featured cotton lined with satin, and their craftsmanship was exquisitely detailed to the point of extravagance.
At the chest, cuffs, shoulders, and waist, there were pleats of intricate embroidery that seemed to billow softly, possibly using something like silver thread or another special fabric to create the effect of a halo of light.
Most dreamlike and extravagant was the sheer chiffon overlay embroidered with the robe, only faintly connected, undulating gently like cloud-soft wisps.
All these designs melded together to present a garment that was at once splendid, pure, sweet, and noble.
The palace-style sweetness that enveloped him, Lu Jincheng didn’t need her to explain or to check the label; the term naturally projected itself into his mind.
It was a genuine princess nightgown.
Occasionally, as a joke, Lu Jincheng and those around him would refer to Zhou Sinin as the "little princess."
But after all, that was but a modern pet name, akin to little angel or apple of one’s eye, not taken seriously.
Even a term like little princess, used excessively online, could make people forget its original meaning.
But in that moment, people would be reminded of its true significance.
The exquisite, opulent European palace style; the fantastically innocent sweet style; the unattainably beautiful allure—it was a genuine princess nightgown.
This robe and gown set truly wasn’t something just any pretty girl could pull off.
It couldn’t suit a girl yet to mature; though youthful enough, the inherent nobility of the cut would be lost on her.
One couldn’t be over 170 centimeters tall either, for while that model-esque attribute was plentiful, the sweetness of the puffed sleeves and shoulders would be slightly off. Get full chapters from novｅlfire.net
Nor could one’s figure be too thin; albeit pairing well with a look of fragility, it couldn’t support the regal elegance and splendor of the overlaying chiffon.
Her face had to be sufficiently symmetrical, yet her jawline couldn’t be too sharp, complementing the grand, double-layered collar that required just a slight curve.
Her bust needed some definition to look beautiful against the lining of the corset underneath, but it couldn’t be too massive as to appear bulky.
Her waist had to be slim enough, but not too weak, otherwise the nightgown would lose its undulating charm.
Her limbs certainly needed to be long, but not exaggeratedly so, with her bare feet just peeking out from beneath the hem of the gown.
Clothes are selective about their wearers.
Those glorious and aesthetically pleasing outfits in the magazines weren’t something just anyone could pull off.
And this real princess nightgown truly needed a pinch of that different kind of temperament.
Such as the aura and physique of ancient court nobles or even a royal princess, only then would one be worthy of such attire.
"My God... what is this garment? It’s truly beautiful."
Lu Jincheng couldn’t help but widen his eyes, feeling his throat suddenly parch dry, his usually florid language frozen in place.
All that remained was a primal admiration.
"Hahaha, looks good, doesn’t it?"
Zhou Sinin flashed her signature smile, her eyes gleaming with pride as dimples sweetened her expression.
She even twirled around playfully, fixing her phone on the cupboard, and struck a cute little pose.
The gossamer fabric fluttered gently before settling back against her body, subtly outlining her curves, irresistibly charming and endearing.
A few seconds later, he finally regained his composure, and with great willpower, steered the conversation toward a new topic.
"This outfit, it doesn’t look like it’s from here, right? Did you buy it in Europe?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I don’t even know what to say about you."
Zhou Sinin pursed her lips in a playful, semi-mocking expression, scrutinizing Lu Jincheng from a thousand miles away.
"Should I say you understand girls or that you’re too lecherous? How can you tell so much about a girl’s nightwear just at a glance?"
"It’s a Daniel Hanson alpaca wool robe, we bought it while shopping in London."
"This is my first time wearing it, and you’re the first one to see it."
Zhou Sinin looked to be in excellent spirits as she delicately lifted the hem of her gown, setting it afloat gently once more.
"A custom piece? How much was it?"
"Hmm... over ten thousand, I guess."
Zhou Sinin glanced at him, her reply noncommittal.
If He Ying, long indoctrinated by Lu Jincheng, were by her side, she would have been unable to resist gaping with an exaggerated look on her face.
Although she wasn’t a poor girl herself, and she was aware that Zhou Sinin’s financial strength was well beyond her own, the idea of a nightgown costing over ten thousand was still somewhat unimaginable.
But Lu Jincheng was even more in the know than the numbers revealed.
While he might not understand girls’ nightwear, he had a slight understanding of the going rates for custom pieces from European luxury brands.
He caught the subtle changes in Zhou Sinin’s expression and shook his head with a smile, pushing further.
Zhou Sinin couldn’t help but suppress a smile, her playful and coquettish demeanor, combined with the nightgown, was utterly enchanting.
Lu Jincheng’s tongue twisted slightly; he felt an uncontrollable sense of bewilderment, his gaze unable to shift away from the nightgown’s splendid pleats and the decorative lace trim.
"But it wasn’t I who paid for it, so don’t tease me about being a spendthrift, okay? It was a gift from Guan Guan’s mother."