Chapter 112

112 It was he who had truly changed Part II

“Many thanks to the honored guests who have come to this party today...” Everyone was silent. They were all listening to him. “...The last performance will be the grand reveal of the new dresses from the anonymous master’s shop. The auction will begin after this final show.”

As soon as the announcement ended, the curtains around the venue were pulled shut. Moonlight was hidden away as lamps were put out. Darkness crept in and took its place in the party. Guests were puzzled by the sudden darkness. Everyone was on guard, fearing a sudden attack or trouble. They left in uneasiness for not too long before the same man declared that this was a part of the show as well, and then calmness slowly resumed.

Not one ke had passed before their eyes adjusted to the darkness and noticed that something had appeared in the middle of the stage. It was a raised floor that was not too wide but also stretched from the stage to the furthest seat.

Bai Yu wanted to recreate the ‘catwalk’ from her old world. She took advantage of the darkness to build it in an incredibly short time, using Xu Luanle’s men, who were all adept at martial arts. The structure was enhanced with magic imbued in the wood, and then, everything was covered with a velvet carpet she had bought at Donghai.

Dark blue light from special stones that could glow in total darkness slowly illuminated an arch decorated with white plum blossoms that were used to mark the starting spot for the models. The light reflected from the blue stones on the white petals of plum blossoms. It alternated between white and dark blue, creating an enchanting atmosphere.

Still, the beauty of the delicately arranged components still could not compare to the woman sitting on that long, elevated walkway. Moonlight shone on her and only her as if she were the only human being blessed by the moon goddess. In front of the renowned beauty of Da Yang was a seven-string guqin, bestowed on her by Empress Dowager to be her signature instrument.

Bai Yu’s finger touched upon the string, slowly and gently. A sweet sound echoed, heard by all at the party. Red butterflies born of magic emanated and fluttered from the musician. Amid the darkness, there was a beauty and her flaming butterflies. The slow melody then picked up in rhythm and flowed into an upbeat song.

A dark blue lamp hanging from the ceiling was lit up. The blue light shone on the venue, invoking both beauty and mysteriousness.

Now that lighting and music were ready, the first model then sauntered out, through the plum blossom arch. Her every step was in time with the sound of Bai Yu’s strings. Her unique garments moved like they were dancing to the music...

.....

Amid the audience’s amazement, loud applause erupted.

The first model smiled as she walked to the end of the catwalk. She then stood there, showing off the light yellow dress she was wearing with the manner she had used since her days as a courtesan. Those gestures she made enhanced the liveliness of the dress, making it more suitable for the young ladies in the audience.

The next model stepped out from the same arch as the first one. Her scarlet dress was as eye-catching as the previous one. The upbeat tune increased its tempo, rushing and blazing as if it could actually set fire to its listeners’ hearts. Waves of applause followed her and the allure she carried.

The guqin’s tempo changed in accordance with the dresses, while the applause grew louder...louder...and louder, until the last model.

No. The first and final male model.

A tall figure of a man passed through the plum blossom arch. The stone’s blue light reflected on the indigo fabric of his clothes. These two same colors seemed to have blended together and lost their beauty. However, the silver pattern from the diamond-coated threads made the attire stand out even in the same color light.

Xu Luanle stood in front of the arch, proudly listening to the applause that was louder than it had ever been before...

He gracefully walked until he reached a stop before the goddess who had been playing the guqin since the beginning. Xu Luanle extended his hand to help his friend standing beside him. Then other models came out to join the two.

Bai Yu and Xu Luanle’s masterpiece of today was the sole male attire of the last performance. It was similar to the clothes Bai Yu was wearing, and when they walked side by side, they seemed to be a match made in heaven. Two friends walked together along the long platform, their faces were full of smiles.

Simple, but beautiful.

Elegant, yet still within reach.

That day, the clothes worn by Bai Yu and Xu Luanle were auctioned off at the highest price, amidst the sound of thundering applause. After the auction, Bai Yu announced that she would donate half of the earnings from today to the treasury to show her support for the army.

Miss Bai’s reputation shot up once again. No woman in Da Yang could compare to Miss Bai Yu in terms of appearance, manner, or benevolence!

——————-

“Benwang never knew that Miss Bai is talented in this area as well.” The performance had ended as well as the auction. Right now, it was a party for the guests to relax, eat, and converse. Even though royalty would normally leave when there was nothing important going on at a party, Ouyang Wenrou stayed

“I, too, never knew that Wangye was interested in clothes.”

“Benwang has a lot of free time, so there are many topics that interest benwang.”

“Am I one of those topics as well?”

Ouyang Wenrou laughed. His light brown eyes looked at her with tenderness. “It’s just that benwang has too much time to spare.”

“Then why don’t Wangye set out on an adventure?”

Wei Wang raised an eyebrow. “Is there something in the martial arts world that benwang is interested in?”

“Wangye’s heart, of course.”

The man laughed again. This time, his eyes were not fixed on Bai Yu. Clouded with gloom, they were gazing at something far away in front of him. The kind smile still hung on his lips.

Yue Mei had urged her to talk to Ouyang Mingxian after the auction. Bai Yu avoided doing so by using the excuse that the old wounds on her fingertips from last time had not fully healed, and when they started hurting again after she played guqin, she headed straight to Ouyang Wenrou who was looking at quality fabrics in a corner of the party.

At first, she had thought that Wei Wang only followed his brother here to fulfill his role as the miserable second male lead. She did not expect that he would be really interested in her clothes, let alone be engrossed in the fabrics that were put on display. That had compelled her to approach him without an ounce of hesitation. Ouyang Wenrou had greeted her first. None of them mentioned the wound that she had used as an excuse to her mother.

“I have a biaoge.”

“Yue Nan.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Bai Yu nodded, smiling. “My biaoge knows many things, and I had asked him a few things.”

Ouyang Wenrou nodded, paying full attention to what Bai Yu was trying to imply.

“Someone who is truly ours will be waiting for us somewhere out there.”

His eyes wavered at those words. If the storyline was correct, then the secondary male lead already had his heart broken. If this was the original Bai Yu, she would take advantage of his pain to pitch him against Ouyang Mingxian, telling him to steal Bai Hua. That would then lead to the siblings’ turning against each other. This Bai Yu, on the other hand, was no longer the same person, so she comforted him with an ambiguous message.

“Miss Bai truly cares about others.” This was the first time this man showed her a sad smile.

“Wangye also cares about me.” Bai Yu was referring to the incident with Taizi Fei, in which he had tried to help her but was refused by her. He was not offended and did not interfere with her revenge, even though it was not the ideal method.

“Saving one life is better than erecting seven temples.”

Ouyang Wenrou gave her a gaze of friendship. “Help someone once, become friends for seven lives.”

Bai Yu smiled before politely bowing her head. “Yu-er does not dare.”

The prince observed the altered demeanor of the young lady in front of him. “You’ve changed a lot.” Now that they were friends, Ouyang Wenrou was no longer uptight about manners and formality.

“I also hope that Wangye will be able to change too.”