Nan Qiao stared at the dress she had designed herself appearing before her, her face a picture of astonishment.
Not just her, the manager of Huai Xi, Zhou Chen, was also struck dumb upon seeing Nan Qiao standing next to Li Yehan.
Why is the boss here?
But wasn’t the person wearing this dress today the boss herself?
Nan Qiao motioned with her eyes to Zhou Chen, who, after years of following her, got the message instantly.
Zhou Chen politely stepped forward and said, "Mr. Li, this is the gown you requested."
Li Yehan’s eyes lit up at the sight of the evening gown.
A white tulle dress with a train embroidered with roses, and a strapless neckline. The hem was voluminous, adorned with embroidered rose blossoms.
The reason this gown was made so quickly was that Nan Qiao had already designed it, and Huai Xi was also making it, with the design coincidentally given to Li Yehan.
Li Yehan couldn’t wait to see Nan Qiao in it, certain she would look stunning.
"Qiaoqiao, try it on," he said.
Zhou Chen gestured invitingly, "This way, please."
Nan Qiao nodded and followed Zhou Chen inside.
Once inside the room, Zhou Chen’s demeanor changed in a second, turning both kindly and excited: "Boss, you’re Mr. Li’s date?"
Nan Qiao nodded, "I didn’t expect it either, that the gown I designed would be for me to wear. It’s quite a surprise."
"Mr. Li specifically instructed us to put our hearts into making it; the cost was unlimited, it had to be gorgeous."
Li Yehan had given Nan Qiao free rein to spend without limit.
"Boss, please try it on."
Zhou Chen was a man, so naturally, he couldn’t stay while Nan Qiao changed.
Outside, Li Yehan sat in a chair, flipping through a magazine of gown designs.
This was Huai Xi’s entire collection, available for customers to use as reference.
The astonished murmurs of the people around reached Li Yehan’s ears, and he slowly lifted his head.
"The size is perfect, so gorgeous!"
Li Yehan took a sharp breath when he saw Nan Qiao in the gown, she was too beautiful!
The strapless neckline highlighted Nan Qiao’s slender and elegant neck, her delicate and dimensional features, paired with her voluptuous figure, pure yet alluring.
In a rose gown, Nan Qiao looked like a princess who had stepped out of a rose manor.
Li Yehan stepped forward and pulled out a jewelry box from his pocket.
Inside was a pink gemstone necklace, shining magnificently.
"Let me put it on for you."
Li Yehan stood in front of Nan Qiao, helping her with the necklace.
The two were particularly close, Li Yehan’s reddish lips nearing Nan Qiao’s delicate ear, he whispered softly, "Qiaoqiao, you look so beautiful."
It wasn’t just Li Yehan who thought Nan Qiao was beautiful; everyone around them did, remarkably so.
With the necklace fastened, Li Yehan couldn’t take his eyes off Nan Qiao, taking her hand and getting into the car with her.
Li Tianhong’s birthday party was bustling with an array of drinks and pastries.
Some of the guests for Li Tianhong’s party had already arrived, while the whereabouts of the others was unknown, whether they hadn’t arrived yet or simply wouldn’t come.
Li Tianhong was having a row with Grandpa Li, his temper particularly irritable.
"Today is my birthday, and someone who didn’t know any better would think that damn brat Li Yehan is getting married! Look outside, with all the roses, the pink pastries, is this how you celebrate someone’s birthday?"
Li Tianhong slammed his hand on the table in anger, forgetting about the glass shards embedded in his palm, grimacing in pain.
Jiang Linyu, accustomed to Li Tianhong’s volatile behavior, spoke gently, "Dad, today is Tianhong’s birthday, and no matter how Ye Han decorates the banquet hall, Tianhong still has to show up, doesn’t he?"
Li Tianhong: "I’m going, it’s my birthday party!"
Grandpa Li slapped Li Tianhong on the body with a smack.
"Who are you calling ’old man’? Don’t believe me, I’ll slap you!" Grandpa Li was seething with anger.
Grandpa Li had had enough of the unrest in the family home.
He commanded, "Li Tianhong, you stay right here! If we need you to go down, we’ll definitely let you go! The guests haven’t all arrived yet, Ye Han hasn’t even come, what’s the rush? There will be time for your show!"
Grandpa Li was pondering over when Nan Qiao would arrive; he couldn’t let her see Li Tianhong’s ghastly appearance again.
His granddaughter-in-law hadn’t even married into the family yet.
What if Qiaoqiao changed her mind about marrying?
Grandpa Li was looking forward to holding his great-grandchild, he wouldn’t give Li Tianhong the chance to cause trouble.
Grandpa Li glared at Jiang Linyu: "You keep an eye on him here. If you can’t handle him, I’ll kick you out of the Li Family!"
Jiang Linyu was startled, she knew that Grandpa Li’s threats were not empty.
Even though Jiang Linyu was very angry, she had to bow to wealth and power.
Uncle Fu came in from outside, accustomed to witnessing Grandpa Li scolding Li Tianhong.
"Master, Young Mr. Ye Han has arrived."
Grandpa Li’s face lit up with joy; if Li Yehan was here, Qiaoqiao would be here soon!
Grandpa Li approached the door and said to the bodyguards, "I don’t care what methods you use, you must stop those two in the room from leaving. If they go out, you’ll be responsible!"
The two bodyguards nodded again and again; they even carried guns to keep Li Tianhong in check.
Not only that, they brought anesthetic drugs too.
If Li Tianhong became unruly and started causing trouble, they would simply give him a shot and let him have a good sleep.
The Bai Family arrived, as did the people from the Du Qianqian, Huang Jiamin, and Ding Shiman families.
It was only upon arriving at the scene that these families realized why Li Yehan invited them and no others.
This was to support Nan Qiao!
At the last horse race, Huang Jiamin and Ding Shiman spoke to Nan Qiao with a bad tone.
The Huang and Ding families thought they had climbed up by associating with Li Yehan, but it turned out it was to support Nan Qiao.
Bai Yurou wore her carefully chosen evening gown to the banquet, following Chen Xinwan around to make her presence felt.
Her mind buzzed as she witnessed this scene.
When Nan Qiao walked in arm-in-arm with Li Yehan, there was a moment of silence.
She was beautiful, and so was her dress.
Li Yehan and Nan Qiao standing together looked incredibly well-matched.
Under the gaze of many, Nan Qiao didn’t shy away, remaining confident and composed.
Grandpa Li’s face was filled with smiles: "Ye Han, Qiaoqiao, you’re here."
Grandpa Li cheerfully said, "Qiaoqiao, you look so beautiful today. This rascal Ye Han really has an eye for beauty."
Nan Qiao felt a bit embarrassed and said politely, "Grandpa Li, I’m going to find my parents. You all chat."
Nan Qiao headed towards Chen Xinwan and stood by her side, her delicate and dramatic makeup pure and bewitchingly pretty.
Chen Xinwan held Nan Qiao’s hand, her gaze full of tenderness and indulgence.
"Qiaoqiao, you look so beautiful today, exceptionally lovely."
Bai Zhenyang also praised, "My girl really is beautiful."
Nan Qiao smiled warmly, her demeanor sweet and adorable.
Grandpa Bai too looked at Nan Qiao with admiration, growing fonder of the child the more he saw her.
Standing beside Chen Xinwan, Nan Qiao could feel a gaze fixed on her from above.
She noticed it, frowned, and looked up, locking eyes with another pair.