The snow-white tulle dress resembled the snow-capped mountains outside. It was decorated with pink petals, which enclosed embroidered protruding plum blossoms. It looked like the beautiful winter scene in the Tingmei courtyard: elegant and sacred.

An embroidered ribbon wrapped around her slender waist, and above it was the low-cut embroidered front of the hanfu [1], which revealed a subtle touch of sexiness by showing her fair, slender arms.

As she made her way over, she looked like a plum blossom fairy who had just stepped out of the forest. Ever so quietly and elegantly, she exquisitely exuded the grandeur of her vintage-style dress. Only she could have showcased Ling Jing’s masterpiece with such dignity, nobility, and perfection.

Looking at the little vixen walking toward him, Mu Feichi’s eyes narrowed, and he gulped unconsciously. She was such a sight for sore eyes. She was so unbelievably beautiful that it gave him the sudden urge to keep her locked away at home forever.

Right then, there popped a crazy notion in his head: hide her away, keep her all to himself…

The person who she most wanted to see her while she was in this dress was right in front of her. Yun Xi nervously studied the reaction on his face. Pulling at her skirt, she looked back down to see that there was nothing wrong with her outfit, then raised her head again.

“What do you think? Do I look all right?” She didn’t care about how she looked in other people’s eyes. She only cared about how she looked to his eyes.

“You’re as beautiful as a goddess.” Mu Feichi stepped forward, his slender fingers touching her pink cheeks. “How I wish I could hide you away so that no one else could ever lay their eyes on you!”

Yun Xi smiled her smile and her eyes became crescents. Domineering, naive Mu Three-Years-Old was acting so possessive that it made her heart melt.

“If it’s meant to be yours, no one can steal it from you.”

“Well, you are mine,” he growled. He lowered his head and uncouthly stole a kiss from her rosy lips, arrogantly marking his territory.

With another sweet smile, Yun Xi touched his face and wriggled her way out from the devil’s clutches. “I’m going to go and get ready. Don’t you dare come over.”

If they kept fooling around, by the time everyone arrived at the venue, they would still be dawdling here, which would not be good at all.

The makeup team led by Ling Jing was already waiting outside. As the bodyguard opened the door for them to enter, Mu Feichi grabbed his dark green wool coat and headed out.

In the courtyard, Fenghuang Niao was wearing a sleeveless black mesh dress. Her upper body was wrapped in thick black fur and a bell-shaped cloche hat was tucked on top of her short hair that was cut in a bob. She was beautiful and charming and resembled a vixen in the dark night, with her alluring poppy-like eyes.

Mu Feichi glanced at her dress and sneered softly, “With an outfit like that, are you sure you can outrun anyone if something crops up later?”

Fenghuang Niao cut right through his sarcastic remark and responded with an equally arrogant sneer. She lifted up the side of her dress and propped her leg up. Beneath the long dress that touched the ground was a pair of black latex pants and military boots perfectly hidden from view.

Then, turning to the side, she tugged at the bow that seamlessly covered the waistline of the skirt. The one-piece skirt was tied around her waist. In case of any unexpected mishaps, she could easily peel it right off and run.

Mu Feichi put on his coat and gave a nod of admiration to Fenghuang Niao for her impeccable disguise. “Nonetheless, let’s hope there won’t be any mishaps tonight.”

“We can never be too sure about that.” Fenghuang Niao concealed her proud expression with a look of coldness in her sharp eyes. “I just received news that there are movements on my brother’s end.”

“Is that so?” Mu Feichi raised his eyebrows. As he turned to look at the window surrounded by carved jacaranda behind him, he caught a glimpse of a figure walking by. “I do hope there will be some gains today. After all, me making such a grand appearance is meant to lure them out and give them a chance to make their move. If they don’t do it now, it will truly be a waste of a good opportunity.”

“However, if nothing goes astray, you can enjoy a lovely evening with your woman while being as lovey-dovey as you like. Isn’t that better?”

“I prefer to root out all the problems, solve them once for and all, and then be lovey-dovey.”

The difference between the two was that one involved being interrupted halfway, while the other would be the ability to have a longer and more lasting time together as proper lovers, without the need to worry or be on guard at all times.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[1] Hanfu is the traditional style of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. Traditionally, hanfu consists of a robe or a jacket worn as the upper garment above a lower garment, commonly a skirt.