A Time-Traveling Mishap: I Became an Ancient Nobleman

Chapter 278 The Best of Women

The only response to Zhou Huaide was the sound of Zhou Hanzhang's footsteps gradually fading away, sounding increasingly hurried in the darkness.

Zhou Huaide turned around to look for Zhou Hanzhang, but all he could see was the darkness of night, and he couldn't even catch a glimpse of the hem of her clothes.

He looked up at the sky, where stars twinkled and the night was deep. He knew it was not the right time to bother the child any longer.

Furthermore, his wife had strictly forbidden him from entering the house, so he could only sigh helplessly and walk slowly toward the study with his head down in dejection.

After informing her parents about the Red Beauty Pavilion, Zhou Hanzhang felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart, but what followed was the unknown and curiosity about the task that Qianmian was about to give her.

She pondered to herself and decided to go to the Red Beauty Pavilion again tomorrow to find out more.

The next morning, an unexpected figure appeared at the entrance of Zhou Hanzhang's courtyard. Zhou Huaide insisted on staying by Zhou Hanzhang's side.

She secretly lamented her predicament, knowing that if her father were to follow her, things would become much more difficult.

"Father, Mother just sent someone to invite you to have breakfast together. Would you like to go?"

Zhou Hanzhang tried to use his mother's invitation as an excuse to divert Zhou Huaide's attention.

Upon hearing that it was Madam's invitation, Zhou Huaide's face instantly lit up with a bright smile, completely ignoring the common sense that if Madam really wanted to invite someone, she wouldn't need to send someone here in person.

He was overjoyed, taking this opportunity to spend time with his wife. "Wait a moment while I have breakfast with my wife, and then we'll go out together."

Why would Zhou Hanzhang wait here? Taking advantage of Zhou Huaide turning around, she quickly slipped out of the mansion to avoid being followed by her father and affecting the subsequent arrangements.

She arrived at the Red Beauty Pavilion with practiced ease, expecting to need to announce her arrival, but to her surprise, Thousand Faces had been waiting for a long time, as if he knew exactly where she was coming.

"Oh, Zhangzhang, you've finally arrived."

Qianmian stepped forward, his tone tinged with urgency.

Zhou Hanzhang noticed something was wrong. "What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?"

"Sigh, I just got back yesterday, and that woman from Butterfly Dance Pavilion came to our door with their newly recruited top courtesan. Although the woman is plain-looking, her charm is something that ten or eight years of cultivation could never achieve." Thousand Faces frowned, looking worried.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hanzhang couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

She had seen many distinctive courtesans in TV dramas, and she had also heard of the kind of women described in the TV series "Thousand Faces".

A captivating and alluring figure came to mind, and she couldn't help but wonder how the top courtesan of Butterfly Dance Pavilion compared to the beauty in her heart.

Her curiosity had been thoroughly piqued, but Qianmian had no time to attend to it, as he was well aware of the importance of this competition.

If he loses, his lifelong reputation will be ruined, and the business of the Red Beauty Pavilion will plummet.

Although he doesn't make a living from this, since he's in this line of work, he can't let others look down on him.

He led Zhou Hanzhang to a side room, which was filled with all kinds of women's clothing. "Good sister, pick out some clothes you like and change into them first. I'll help you with your makeup and dressing up later."

Zhou Hanzhang stared at the women's clothing hanging on the wall, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

While these garments each have their own unique characteristics, they all seem to lack a striking or eye-catching impact.

She walked straight out of the room, and Qianmian, seeing this, hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Is there a problem with the clothes?"

Zhou Hanzhang shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with the clothes."

"Then why not change it?" Qianmian was full of doubts. He was still waiting to take Zhou Hanzhang to Butterfly Dance Pavilion to avenge his previous humiliation.

"Don't you think the biggest problem is that there are no problems?" Zhou Hanzhang looked at Qianmian seriously.

Qianmian looked completely bewildered. "What do you mean?"

“The clothes you have here can also be found at Butterfly Dance Pavilion. If you think you can win with this, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed,” Zhou Hanzhang said bluntly.

Upon hearing this, Qianmian's eyes widened. "Aren't these clothes attractive enough?"

"Do you have paper and pen?" Zhou Hanzhang did not answer directly.

"Yes, yes, yes." Qianmian hurriedly ordered someone to bring paper and pen.

Zhou Hanzhang took the paper and pen and began to sketch out the clothing design in her mind.

Before long, the table was covered with several clothing design drafts.

Qianmian watched in stunned silence; his eyes lit up the moment the first manuscript appeared.

Holding the manuscript drawn by Zhou Hanzhang, he walked along excitedly, exclaiming, "Wonderful! Wonderful! I never imagined you had such talent, Zhangzhang. We're sure to win this time. I'll find someone to finish it right away."

Zhou Hanzhang grabbed his hand, "Wait a minute."

Qianmian, not understanding her meaning, thought she was unwilling to help without expecting anything in return. "Yes, yes, these are all yours. I'll buy them, I'll buy them."

As he spoke, he took out several silver notes from his pocket and placed them in front of Zhou Hanzhang. "Take these for now, I'll make up the difference if it's not enough. Right now, I'll have someone make the clothes you designed."

“No need to rush. I’d like to ask how many people each company is sending to participate in this competition?” Zhou Hanzhang asked.

“In our line of work, there are only about five organizations that can participate in the competition, and each organization will send five girls. Our biggest competitor is Butterfly Dance Pavilion; the others are not a concern,” Qianmian explained.

"In that case, could you please call all the participating girls over so I can take a look? I'll design their outfits myself after I've seen them."

Since Zhou Hanzhang had agreed to Qianmian's request, she naturally wanted to do her best, and she certainly didn't want to lose in the competition she was participating in.

"That's great! I'll go right now. Wait a moment." Qianmian knew the importance of this matter and ran off to fetch someone.

Before long, he led in ten beautiful women of different appearances.

They all stood before Zhou Hanzhang and bowed, saying, "Greetings, young master."

That voice, that figure, that face—she was the best of the best among women.

Zhou Hanzhang asked with some confusion, "Didn't you say five?"

"Sigh, I haven't made up my mind yet. I think all these girls are great, and now I don't know how to choose. I saw you told me to call them all over, so I called them all over and you can help me choose," Qianmian said helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hanzhang understood.

Indeed, with so many beautiful women, picking out five is no easy task.

She first inquired carefully about the events that were usually included in the competition, hoping to select a few girls specifically for the event. However, after she found out, she discovered that all of these girls were multi-talented and proficient in everything.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that they are proficient in all eighteen martial arts.

Zhou Hanzhang fell into deep thought, while Qianmian chuckled upon seeing this, "I bet you can't choose either. I told you these girls are all exceptionally talented, otherwise why would I be so conflicted?"

"Do you know what kind of girls they sent, and what they are good at?" Zhou Hanzhang continued to ask.