The first order of business was to wait for He Zhilan to put on the lake blue mini dress.
The dress was a long-sleeved, shoulderless design, both conservative and subtly flirtatious. On He Zhilan, it looked like a perfect fit, almost as if it were tailored just for her.
"Beautiful!" Jiang Biyun threw a wolf-whistle He Zhilan’s way, and gave a thumbs-up. "Our Zhilan has fair skin and a lean, statuesque figure with a distinctive bone structure. This dress bares her elegant clavicle, just stunning!"
"Well said, you have a way with compliments!" Chen Xiting joked, his eyes roaming over He Zhilan, filled with admiration, "She looks even better than when she first Sioris tried it on! Jiang Biyun, stop gawking and help her with her makeup! Keep it light, it would be a pity to mask Zhilan’s natural charm."
With such praises and encouragement, He Zhilan felt her confidence growing. However, when it was brought up that the banquet was for the Gu Family patriarch’s birthday, her confidence faltered. She gestured toward her heart as she voiced her concerns, "I’m so worried that I might embarrass myself, and subsequently, Zhuo-senior."
Jiang Biyun and Chen Xiting understood why He Zhilan was nervous. They each pulled up a chair and sat on either side of her, trying to comfort her. "Zhilan, relax. Just be yourself! Those who don’t like you will find fault no matter what you do. Those who do, will forgive any mistakes. You have nothing to worry about!"
"Yes, Zhilan, just go with the flow. What could possibly go wrong with Zhuo-senior by your side? Didn’t Zhuo-senior say that all you need to do is to make an appearance, say a few words of congratulation to old Gu? Then you can subtly mingle with the Gu and Lan family elders, and see if anyone knows the truth of your origin." As Chen Xiting finished speaking, he gave a look to Jiang Biyun, signaling her to quickly start on He Zhilan’s makeup to help distract her.
"I’ve never been this nervous in my life! Even my first speech in front of the entire school didn’t make me feel this way, but today..." He Zhilan touched her nose in embarrassment, but silently cheered herself on. Zhilan, you can do this!
Although Jiang Biyun’s makeup skills were recently self-taught, it was more than enough to apply a light touch for He Zhilan. Further, with her natural good looks, He Zhilan didn’t need heavy makeup. In less than ten minutes, her makeup was done.
"Zhuo-senior is going to be knocked off his feet when he sees you! If only your husband could have seen you . Oh, Zhilan, what did you look like on your wedding day?" Jiang Biyun bemoaned the fact that she didn’t have a camera at hand to capture He Zhilan’s stunning appearance.
What did she look like on her wedding day?
He Zhilan tried to recall. The details were not clear, but she remembered that in her village, most families were poor farmers. Any wedding-related makeup was unheard of. Especially for child brides like He Zhilan, the marriage ceremony was simply to don new festive clothes, wear a red headscarf, put up a few decorations, buy a pair of red wedding candles, and host a simple banquet in the courtyard.
Although He Zhilan was already married, she had never worn a wedding dress. The extravagant dragon and phoenix bridal costume as seen in movies was something she had never witnessed before.