The next afternoon, Xia Ruis (Sharice) got her wish and became Zhou Yi's date, accompanying him to the Ashford Family banquet.
Using all her tricks, including pouting, rolling around, and acting cute, Xia Ruis easily convinced Zhou Lan (Zhou Yi's mother), who then immediately decided that Xia Ruis would be Zhou Yi's date. Facing his mother's firmness, Zhou Yi had nothing to say.
Zhou Lan spent an entire day finding the most professional makeup artist in her employ to make up and dress her beloved little daughter. Thick foundation covered the unique markings on her face. Contact lenses hid her slightly unusual eye color.
To hide her pointed ears, Xia Ruis usually wore a beret. However, she couldn't wear a hat to such a formal banquet. Therefore, they spent the most time on her hairstyle to conceal her ears.
Finally, they decided on a rather unusual updo to hide this feature. The hair, piled at the back of her head, was slightly pulled down on both sides, with exquisitely braided small braids forming a small cover over her ears, just enough to hide her unique feature. Then, they used beautiful golden leaf hair accessories to pin on both sides of the bun. After this step was completed, no one could tell that Xia Ruis was different.
Even more amazing was that after Xia Ruis finished all her preparations and put on the evening gown that Zhou Lan had made long ago as a coming-of-age gift for her beloved daughter, she underwent a stunning transformation. So much so that Zhou Yi was surprised.
Xia Ruis had always been lively and childish in front of him, her brother. This often made Zhou Yi overlook her age. It seemed that in his eyes, Xia Ruis would always be that little imp who hid behind him, tugging at his clothes, speaking in a childish voice, and wanting this and that.
Now, when Xia Ruis, in full dress, appeared before him, he suddenly realized that the beloved sister he had protected for so many years had truly grown up. She had grown into a beautiful, stunning young woman.
Her wine-red hair was styled in an elegant updo, and the golden leaf hair ornaments on either side added an air of untouchable purity and divinity. The makeup, which would have been heavy on other women, perfectly suited her. After all, she was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl, and her fair, healthy complexion wasn't at all ruined by the colors of the makeup.
Therefore, this makeup made her look much more mature. Instead, it transformed her already bright and lively youthful aura into a cold, elegant, and gorgeous style. That beautiful face even had a captivating charm, especially when those emerald eyes looked around. It was just like a goddess of extreme beauty in mythology looking down at you.
And the crystal-clear, snow-white gown that Zhou Lan designed was like draping the starlight on this goddess. The pure white, snow-like silk long dress was worn on Xia Ruis, outlining the graceful figure that was already at its best for her age.
The imitation Greek-style single shoulder strap exposed her collarbone and delicate arms on one side, and her dazzlingly white skin was no less than precious snow silk, even more so. The deliberately drawn skirt straps further highlighted Xia Ruis's extremely slender waist.
This deliberate design made up for her age's shortcomings, making her body's curves indescribably beautiful. And the long, bifurcated skirt hem always revealed the delicate lines of her snow-white legs. After she put on those open-toed high heels. Those charming thighs were simply beautiful enough to make any gentleman surrender.
However, in the face of such stunning beauty, many people were afraid that they would find it hard to feel any desecration. Especially under Xia Ruis's height of nearly 1.8 meters in high heels, they could only look up, as if looking up at a goddess. And the light reflected from the diamond shards on the dress was even more dazzling and eye-catching, piercing the heart, preventing them from having the slightest bit of evil thoughts mixed in.
No one could have imagined that Xia Ruis would be so beautiful after being dressed up. Her friends were completely stunned and lost the ability to speak. Auroro and Qin Gelei also sighed in admiration, with undisguised praise and envy in their eyes. As for Zhou Lan and the makeup artist in charge of this outfit, they were like artists who had completed a perfect work, their eyes full of fascination, and they didn't even want to move their eyes away.
Even Xia Ruis herself didn't expect to become like this. She held the hem of her skirt and looked at herself carefully in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, her mouth full of disbelief.
"Oh my god, is this me? It's amazing! I feel like Cinderella, just before she goes to the prince's ball, after being magically transformed. I don't even recognize myself."
"Yes, darling. Of course it's you." Zhou Lan gently wiped away her tears. Looking at Xia Ruis like this, she felt as if she was sending her daughter off to be married. A bittersweet mix of the pain and joy of watching her child grow up welled up in her heart.
Zhou Yi, embracing his mother's shoulders, also sighed with emotion.
"Yes, Xia Ruis, you look fantastic. I'm sure if you appeared on any stage, you'd make everyone else there completely invisible. You're like a goddess who has descended to the mortal realm."
Hearing this, Xia Ruis grinned with pride, disregarding her dress as she rushed in front of her brother and shouted, "Really, really? You're not lying to me? No, I want you to announce it loudly to everyone here: Xia Ruis is the most beautiful girl! Do you hear me, you rascal?"
Her coquettish tone and acting like a spoiled child were completely the behavior of a young girl. When she acted like this, she seemed to have transformed back into the mischievous and adorable little sprite she usually was. Seeing her like this, almost everyone burst into laughter.
This laughter made Xia Ruis a little shy, she hid beside Zhou Yi, clinging tightly to his arm. A hint of crimson that she couldn't hide bloomed on her gorgeous face. Everyone thought it was because she was embarrassed by her own performance, and didn't think anything else of it.
But Xia Ruis's best friend and close female companion knew very well that Xia Ruis wasn't embarrassed by this, but because of her brother's praise. No one knew better than her how much Xia Ruis adored her brother. She wanted to persuade her good friend, but there was nothing she could do.
Watching the handsome and beautiful siblings, who looked like gods, Katie took a deep breath. She suppressed the thoughts in her heart. She didn't want to hurt her friend, nor did she want to be disliked by Xia Ruis, so she could only remain silent. She could only pray to God that Xia Ruis would not get too involved. However, God never listens to people's pleas.
After saying goodbye to her mother and Auroro, Zhou Yi held Xia Ruis' slender hand and got into the special car bound for the ancient manor belonging to the Ashford Family on the outskirts of the city. The Ashford Family had arranged everything meticulously to invite this financial giant from America.
Servants and maids had come early to take care of everything, delivering guest lists and arranging special pick-up vehicles. They presented precious ornaments and exquisite dresses, which were prepared for Zhou Yi and his companion. They even sent away the hotel's chefs and arranged for top chefs to prepare lunch and desserts. While Zhou Yi was satisfied with this, he was also secretly wary.
Because the Ashford Family was being too formal. It had completely exceeded Zhou Yi's expected specifications. This didn't seem like inviting a friend for a business exchange, but more like inviting a leader whose status was above his own. This way of treating guests showed abnormality and weirdness from the inside out. Even if the Ashford Family was in decline, they shouldn't be acting like this.
Zhou Yi carefully thought about the abnormalities of the Ashford Family and the recent situation, but there were no clues to show anything unusual. Although Alfred didn't have much power, he had always managed to maintain the Ashford Family's reputation. He shouldn't be at the point of desperation, having to seek help from outsiders.
Puzzled, Zhou Yi could only let go of this useless thinking. The situation obtained from suspicion would never be as real as what he saw. His status was no longer afraid of the schemes of a small nobleman. He simply stepped in and saw what was waiting for him.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yi looked at Xia Ruis beside him. She was twisting her body in a strange way at the moment. It seemed like she was a little uncomfortable.
His sister's situation was far more important than a family's conspiracy. Zhou Yi quickly grabbed Xia Ruis' hand and asked, "What's wrong, Xia Ruis? Are you feeling unwell?"
"A little bit!" Xia Ruis asked, a bit bashful. "Yi, why do those stars who walk the red carpet every day, wearing these clothes and high heels, not feel any discomfort?"
Zhou Yi understood when he heard this. His sister, who was used to being wild, suddenly put on this most formal attire and felt unaccustomed and awkward.
He tried hard to suppress the amusement in his heart, trying to make his expression look a little more normal.
"Darling, they've been through countless training sessions. If you want to show your most beautiful side in front of people, how can you not suffer a bit?"
"Really?" Xia Ruis muttered to herself, a little puzzled. "Do I really have to look like this all the time in the future? Oh my god. That's really too uncomfortable."
"You're thinking too much, darling." Zhou Yi, not wanting to mess up Xia Ruis' hairstyle, could only hold his sister's hand and comfort her by stroking it. "It's not as serious as you think. You only need to dress like this in the most formal occasions after you become an adult. You can be whatever you want in your daily life. No one will say anything about you."
"Do you think I look pretty like this, or do I look better the way I usually am?" A touch of blush appeared on Xia Ruis' face as she linked her arm through her brother's and asked in a sweet voice.
"You look very good like this. When I saw you, I was simply stunned. I didn't expect you to be my sister, but rather, I felt like I was looking at a goddess. Of course, you are also very beautiful in your daily life. No matter what, you are my dearest, most important existence." Zhou Yi's praise for his sister was unreserved; in his heart, no amount of praise would be too much. But he didn't expect that some things shouldn't be said carelessly.
"Really?" Xia Ruis's eyes were a little unfocused. "Alright, I'll work hard. I must be the most beautiful Xia Ruis. Ferguson."
"You already are the most beautiful." Zhou Yi patted her hand, but his gaze was fixed outside. The Ashford Family's manor was already in sight. No matter what, a scheme was about to unfold before his eyes.
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