Xu Xiaoyou looked around, passing over the mannequins scattered across the floor, and glanced down to the right, meeting a pair of deep eyes by chance.
After receiving the reply, she and Tang Xin had headed to the address Aivmey mentioned behind the curtain, arriving at this detached villa nestled in Mount Olympus. She hadn't expected to see such a sight upon entering; was this what it meant to be an artist?
"My apologies, Miss Xu, for letting you see such a mess inside the villa," Aivmey said. "As soon as I received your email, I rushed back to the workshop."
His attitude took Xu Xiaoyou somewhat by surprise. He was quite polite, not at all the arrogant, haughty figure she had imagined a famous artist to be, despite how young he looked.
She noticed the hollowed-out heart design on the chest of his outfit—it was the heart suit from a deck of cards. Xu Xiaoyou wondered to herself, 'Is it possible that he's also from the Dawn Agency?'
But wasn't the naming convention for members of the Dawn Agency to use their surname plus the point value of their card?
Aivmey's gaze seemed to be searching for something.
Finally, it settled on Tang Xin behind Xu Xiaoyou. The girl was naturally introverted, and being in the Olympus District for the first time outside of the academy, the luxurious atmosphere made her act a bit restrained.
Seeing Aivmey looking her way, she thought for a moment and then stepped forward to meet his gaze.
"With such outstanding grace and beauty, she is truly a Starry Daughter," Aivmey praised.
Tang Xin froze, pointing at herself. "Me?"
She looked at herself—dressed in nothing but ordinary clothes, and having rarely pampered herself, her temperament could hardly be described as outstanding or beautiful.
Noticing the calluses on the girl's knuckles—left from long-term practice of string instruments—Aivmey's brow furrowed slightly.
He then looked at Xu Xiaoyou. "What is going on?"
Xu Xiaoyou didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
Aivmey's voice was filled with pain. "Are you joking? She is a Starry Singer, a Starry Daughter. She should have been born into high society and pampered, a being held in the palms of a thousand stars. Why does she have calluses on her hands!"
"No, no, no, that's not it at all. I'm very ordinary," Tang Xin said, waving her hands repeatedly.
Aivmey shook his head and sighed, pacing the room for a moment before something occurred to him, and his handsome eyes lit up.
"To be honest, when I learned you wanted to design a gown for this lady, my heart was beyond excited. To be able to design a stage gown for a Starry Singer and see her shining brilliantly under the stars is my honor." Aivmey pressed a hand to his chest.
Then, his eyes shifted slightly, staring intently at Xu Xiaoyou.
Under his questioning gaze, which felt almost substantial, Xu Xiaoyou felt a bit uneasy.
"I will take full responsibility for the garment's design. You said in your email that you hope this piece can stun everyone at the audition in two days. That is very simple."
"A Starry Singer herself is enough to stun everyone. It is only because of this girl's past experiences that her appearance has been cast in gray, obscuring her outstandingly beautiful side."
"But I can still see her beauty. With just a bit of exquisite maintenance and the right attire, she can radiate a moving light."
"Two days is enough for me to design and customize her gown. I guarantee she will be so stunning on stage that no one will be able to look away."
Aivmey snapped his fingers. His little assistant took the hint, picking up a measuring tape and approaching the blue-haired girl. She pulled the long tape from a spiral shell, intending to measure Tang Xin's physical data.
"Don't be nervous, arms up," the little assistant said cheerfully.
Tang Xin raised her arms as the female assistant instructed, watching as the measuring tape traced from her elbow to her wrist.
Then, the tape wrapped around her waist. Feeling the hands moving over her body, Tang Xin turned her face away in embarrassment.
To have a gown formally tailored for her, like a young lady of a great family attending a ball... this sort of thing that only happened in dreams was actually happening to her.
She looked at Xu Xiaoyou, who was looking back at her with a gentle gaze.
This reminded her of the promise made in the contract when they first met.
The woman before her held many secrets. Like today—she seemed insignificant, relegated to a security booth, yet she could command the premier fashion designer of the Star of Art to customize clothes for her.
Seeing the girl like this, the little assistant gave a mischievous smile. For some reason, she wanted to tease the girl, so she gave Tang Xin's waist a light pinch after finishing the measurements.
"Alright, measurements complete. A perfect beautiful girl's figure."
The little assistant clapped her hands, took out a pen to record the data on a slip of paper, and then tore it off to hand to Aivmey. Seeing the quirky girl, Aivmey didn't say much, only reminding her not to leave a bad impression on their guest.
After a quick scan, Aivmey had a preliminary idea for Tang Xin's makeup and costume design. However, he didn't rush to draw sketches. Instead, he walked straight up to Xu Xiaoyou.
"I am very curious. Just what kind of power do you possess that the Order Court and my uncle, Charles, would both mention you to me and urgently request that I provide you with assistance?"
The Order Court?
Confusion rose in Xu Xiaoyou's mind. Why would people from the Order Court mention her to Aivmey?
She shouldn't have any intersection with the families of the Order Court in Oasis.
But she didn't let it show on her face. Aivmey's voice continued to echo in her ears. "Let me be clear, this blue-winged gown will be very expensive—expensive beyond your imagination."
"Even though they vouched for you, I still don't believe you have the ability to pay this back."
As he spoke, Aivmey's calm gaze fell on Tang Xin.
"After all, you could only let a Starry Daughter give off such a weak, unnoticeable radiance."
"Her light was even dimmer before," Xu Xiaoyou said, tilting her head up. "It was I who gave her the color she has now. Without me, she would have been completely buried in the crowd."
Tang Xin watched the two talking from a distance. From her position, she couldn't hear the contents of their conversation. For some reason, she felt the two seemed... a bit at odds?
As she tried to read their lips, the little assistant poked her head out, squeezed Tang Xin's shoulders, and pushed the girl toward the living room. "Want some snacks?"
"Let's go, let's go. No need to be polite."
"A Starry Daughter? But I will make her more dazzling than that starry sky itself in the future," Xu Xiaoyou said while watching the blue-haired girl's retreating back, her voice devoid of any fluctuations.
"Is that so?" Aivmey's brow arched, his tone playful. "Is that your promise?"
Finally, it was as if something was silently settled.
"Understood. I will design the gown for her."
"But..." Aivmey's tone shifted. "I still don't think you can pay back the value that gown brings."
After saying this, without waiting for Xu Xiaoyou to respond, Aivmey clapped his hands. The crisp sound echoed in the empty foyer of the villa.
"Girls, come over here for a moment. How about we play a little game?"
With that, Aivmey sat before a carved chair and slowly ran his hand across the marble table in front of him. Countless poker cards appeared out of thin air, clattering across the entire tabletop and scattering everywhere.
Each card reflected a glow under the dark gold gemstone lamps. A Six of Hearts appeared between Aivmey's fingertips.
"Just like the Dawn Society's initiation ritual, we'll play a simple card game. As long as you can complete this little game..."
"I am willing to design that blue-winged gown for her without charging anything."
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