Chapter 630 - 632: Dressed smartly and Riding Furious Horses, Ruhua is Dominant
Wang Miaoshuang wanted to say something else, but Madame Meng stood up and said with a laugh: "Ruozhu takes this seriously. This is her way of thanking everyone who took the time to attend today."
If it were a matter of hierarchy, who could outdo Madame Meng? After her pronouncement, everyone agreed. So Wang Miaoshuang couldn’t argue anymore.
Madame Meng and Nanny Lu exchanged helpless glances. Their daughter-in-law was becoming more and more petty and couldn’t keep up appearances.
As the wife of the city lord, did she not fear to be ridiculed for constantly causing trouble with a commoner woman?
In the VIP room on the second floor of Hua Xiangrong’s shop, Bai Ruozhu was bustling about happily with her mother and Guizhi. Originally, her sister-in-law wanted to help too, but Bai Ruozhu persuaded her not to. Today there were many people, and it would be chaotic. She certainly didn’t want her sister-in-law to get hurt.
"Ruozhu, do I look okay like this?" Tu Ying asked nervously. It was a rare occasion to see such a self-assured girl feeling shy.
Bai Ruozhu inspected Tu Ying carefully. She was wearing the red horse-riding outfit that Ruozhu loved most which unusually was draped in a similarly red knitted cardigan. The cardigan was designed differently than the ordinary ones, it had an asymmetric design which revealed the right shoulder, creating an oblique collar that extended downward to a waistband in the same red color.
What made it special was when Tu Ying turned around, her back displayed the pattern of a fine horse, adding more character to the horse-riding outfit.
Despite being all in red, the differences in the materials and styles gave her outfit a layered and distinct effect, making it more unique. Coupled with Tu Ying’s masculine elegance, it was sure to be unforgettable.
"In bright clothes and furious on a horse, a beauty like a flower," Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. After thinking for a while, she handed a whip to Tu Ying and said, "Ideally, you should go out riding a horse, but there are too many people today and it would be inconvenient. So, holding a whip in your hand and swinging it around as needed should bring out your unique personality of Beiyu City’s female overlord."
The nickname ’female overlord’ came from a joke Bai Ruozhu made after hearing that no young man in Beiyu City could defeat Tu Ying. Bai Ruozhu had wanted to call her ’Queen Overlord’, but she worried that people of ancient times would not appreciate such humor, so she kept that to herself.
After Tu Ying took the whip, she suddenly seemed to regain her confidence. She raised the whip and instantly felt much better.
Reflecting on her previous nervousness, Tu Ying said with a bit of embarrassment, "I’ve never been stared at by so many people before. It feels a bit strange."
Bai Ruozhu chuckled, "Just exude your overlord demeanor to awe everyone outside, what are you afraid of?"
Hearing this, Tu Ying puffed up her chest, "Right, what am I afraid of? Watch my performance later!"
Bai Ruozhu quietly scanned Tu Ying’s curvaceous figure, appreciating how the asymmetric top and waistband flattered her. If her second brother were to marry Tu Ying in the future, he would indeed be a lucky man.
Afterward, Bai Ruozhu moved on to create looks for others. The models were acquaintances she had borrowed, including Ruyi, who was Yu Hongxiu’s maid, La Mei who Bai Ruozhu herself had bought, two maids borrowed from Madame Meng, and a maid from Tu Ying’s family. Including Tu Ying herself, there were ten people in total.
At this point, they had all been styled by Bai Ruozhu. Some wore knitted dresses, others wore gowns made entirely of knitting, and some even had a piece of knitted decorative netting which covered their faces, much like the veils commonly seen on the hats of Western ladies.
Bai Ruozhu personally did the makeup for the maids. Among the people of this era, if one wore makeup, it was usually applied heavily, like on a Geisha. Since Bai Ruozhu couldn’t stand this, she applied a natural-looking makeup to the maids using cosmetics she prepared herself.
The time had come. Firecrackers erupted outside, drawing even more spectators. Even people who were not initially invited also gathered around.
Bai Ruozhu turned towards the musicians downstairs and said, "You may play now."
The musicians nodded their heads, and the mellifluous music reverberated throughout. With more than 20 musicians playing in unison, the music was naturally loud and quickly spread outside to the streets, immediately silencing the crowd.
The ladies and young girls in the neighboring shops clearly heard the music and their eyes widened in surprise. Was the show about to start?
Bai Ruozhu looked at Tu Ying and smiled, "Go ahead, and unleash the charisma of the ’female overlord’!"
However, Tu Ying blushed and asked, "Do you think your second brother will be watching?"
Bai Ruozhu found this amusing. A woman dresses for a man she is fond of. Tu Ying was gorgeously dressed and obviously wanted her sweetheart to see her at this moment.
"My second brother is outside with the officers. As soon as you step out, he will definitely see you," Bai Ruozhu whispered.
She knew that her second brother was likely to maintain his usual cool demeanor, but she was sure that astonishment would flicker in his eyes. Though he would quickly conceal it.
Without any further ado, Tu Ying, carrying a whip and walking at the pace Bai Ruozhu had instructed, made her way outside.
Outside, Zhang Minglang announced loudly, "The debut of Hua Xiangrong’s new spring collection has officially begun. Please take your time to appreciate it."
Just as he finished speaking, Tu Ying was already making her way down the stairs. Those standing directly across from Hua Xiangrong’s shop saw her first, causing several people to exclaim in wonder, "Wow! Is this what you call a runway show? That outfit is so beautiful!"
"Not only is the outfit beautiful, so is the woman wearing it!" a lady exclaimed loudly.
In the area directly across from Hua Xiangrong’s shop, a group of officers was maintaining order. They had been assigned by Kuai Minglang from the government office after Bai Zepei had briefed him on the situation.
In Beiyu City, whenever there was a large event or a Lantern Festival, the government office would send officers to maintain order. With so many people watching Hua Xiangrong’s spring collection debut, it was only typical for officers to be dispatched to keep the peace.
Bai Zepei was chatting casually with the head officer in charge when Tu Ying stepped out. Her vivid appearance in the flowing red dress was striking. But even the brilliance of her smile could not compare to the whip flourishing in her hand. A girl so vibrant yet possessing the valor of a female warrior had everyone transfixed.
"Isn’t that the daughter of the Wu’s military official family? My goodness, your sister is quite impressive to have attracted her to model for your show. Everyone knows Miss Wu is the city overlord. It wasn’t easy to convince her to participate!" the head officer near Bai Zepei commented excitedly.
Bai Zepei’s thoughts were interrupted, his eyes darkened, and he pulled his gaze away from Tu Ying. Though seemingly reluctant, there was no trace of hesitation in his action.