Dressing up Little Tabby
Xiao Yan thought she ought to talk to Sylus and Xavier separately, too.
But before that, she wanted to change into her gown.
The men at home were all dressed so formally and elegantly, and she did not want to pale too much in comparison.
She had just taken off her everyday clothes and opened the wardrobe to pick out something suitable.
Three knocks sounded at the door. "Knock, knock, knock."
Then came Sylus's voice. "I'm coming in."
"Wait, don't..." Xiao Yan looked down at herself, stopping halfway through her refusal.
Then she reconsidered. What was there to be embarrassed about?
She needed to take drastic measures with Sylus anyway. And it was not as though she had nothing on-she still had a black lace camisole underneath, didn't she?
"Come in!" she called.
The door opened the next moment.
Sylus entered, closed the door, and took several more steps past the partition before he could see Xiao Yan standing in front of the wardrobe.
"You..." Sylus froze for a moment.
Between turning away to avert his gaze and openly admiring her just like this, he hesitated for two seconds before his lips curved into a smile. "You're certainly uninhibited."
"Come help me pick a gown." Xiao Yan beckoned him over.
Sylus shook his head with a smile and did indeed stride over.
His large frame stood right behind Xiao Yan as he reached over her shoulder and looked through the wardrobe piece by piece.
"Caleb's outfit today has some subtle silver patterns. This dress would match his."
He took out a black floor-length dress embroidered with silver thread, simple in style but very flattering to the figure.
Holding it up against Xiao Yan, he said, "It's just a little somber, so we'll have to choose the accessories carefully. Where's your jewelry box?"
Xiao Yan pointed at the dressing table.
Her dressing table was very large, with a jewelry cabinet as tall as a person standing beside it.
Sylus handed Xiao Yan the dress, but rather than moving away, he looked her up and down with evident pleasure. "I seem to recall warning you to keep your guard up around a husband you don't know."
Quite unabashed, Xiao Yan undid the lacing at the back of the dress, loosened it a little, and bent down.
She stepped both feet into the dress, then turned around. "Help me."
Sylus looked even more pleased as he held the dress and helped pull it up little by little.
With a lace-up, backless style like this, someone had to help arrange all those complicated ties for them to look neat and pretty.
"What are you going to do about that layer underneath?" Sylus asked.
Xiao Yan simply grabbed the short little satin garment, whipped it over her head, and tossed it onto the bed.
The sight hit Sylus hard.
His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily several times as he swallowed down the sudden surge of heat.
His voice was still a little hoarse when he spoke again. "Conservative underwear like that isn't exactly suited to a backless dress."
Still facing away from Sylus, Xiao Yan reached both hands behind her and undid the little hooks.
Then she whisked it off and tossed it onto the bed.
Her fair, smooth back was laid completely bare.
Sylus's red eyes darkened. "What about the front? You're not doing anything about that? It's been getting colder lately..."
Xiao Yan walked over to the bedside table.
Holding up the dress on her, Sylus followed her step for step.
He watched her open the bedside drawer, take out two nipple covers, then lower her head and deftly put them on.
"Tsk." Thoroughly tormented, Sylus finally closed his eyes. "You should be grateful that my self-control has always been excellent. Otherwise, that string of dangerous moves just now would have been enough for you to suffer the consequences."
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, more or less guessing what state Sylus was in now.
She put the straps of the sleeveless gown over her shoulders herself, which was enough to cover her front completely.
Only then did she tease him leisurely. "I never thought Boss Sylus would be so courteous and polite with his own wife."
Sylus slowly opened his eyes and bent down, carefully helping her thread those delicate, slender cords through the little holes in the fabric at the back.
"Lost your voice?" Xiao Yan continued to provoke him. "This isn't like the you who pinned me hard to the floor in the arena. Sylus, are you afraid of something?"
Sylus continued working with his hands. "Kittens are always like this. Out of curiosity or mischief, they rub their heads against you and hook you with their tails. But when you actually think the kitten wants some petting and reach out, more often than not, you either get bitten or scratched, or the kitten runs away herself and won't let you touch her."
Xiao Yan quite enjoyed this sort of conversation between adults with Sylus.
It was a little thrilling, yet she could clearly sense his exceptional self-control.
An invisible tension spread imperceptibly between them.
"I have all the patience in the world for a kitten who bites and scratches." Sylus deliberately brushed a finger lightly over the skin of Xiao Yan's back.
Xiao Yan shivered all over, drawing a soft chuckle from him.
Oh no, I showed my nerves, and Sylus noticed!
However, her shiver did not make the man think any less of her.
He merely thought that this little tabby baring her claws and fangs had some courage, but not much.
She was extremely alluring and adorable.
"My... my back is ticklish," Xiao Yan insisted.
"All right, all right~ I won't touch you." Sylus did not make things difficult for her at all. "But you'd better not test me so rashly again. Because next time, I won't let you off as easily as I did today."
Once the dress was arranged, Sylus took Xiao Yan by the hand and led her over to sit at the dressing table.
After opening the jewelry cabinet, he patiently examined and selected the pieces one by one.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan combed out her hair again.
Sylus told her that since she was wearing a backless dress, she could put all her hair up rather than waste the dress's distinctive design.
But wearing her hair up would usually make her look more mature.
Sylus simply set the accessories he had selected aside, picked up a comb, and began styling Xiao Yan's hair himself.
After nearly an hour of meticulous work, he finished a curly, voluminous updo that looked both elegant and natural.
"Using this little cat necklace in your hair will bring out the liveliness someone your age should have."
Sylus bent down and fixed the necklace at the crown of Xiao Yan's head, letting it follow her hair down one side in a slight curve.
Xiao Yan looked in the mirror. Sure enough, with this finishing touch added, even a small movement of her head made the chain sway gently along with it.
"It really is a little cute~" Pleased, she gave a thumbs-up in the mirror.
Sylus rested a hand on each of Xiao Yan's shoulders and looked at her in the mirror.
A few seconds later, he lowered his head after all and pressed a light kiss to the top of hers. "You're beautiful. You really don't need much effort from me to look radiant."
Xiao Yan's face grew warm. "Aren't you supposed to be styling me? Why are you sneaking in your own extras?"
"I couldn't help it." Sylus sighed. "Having such an adorable little tabby obediently let me do as I please is a rare opportunity. For a legal husband, it would hardly be reasonable not to take advantage of it to do something."
That was how he was, making no attempt to hide his admiration for Xiao Yan.
At this very moment, he even revealed a hint of enthrallment.
Only after kneading Xiao Yan's shoulders a few times with both hands did he reluctantly let go.
Then he fetched a brooch with diamonds outlining a cat's head and several little tassels.
But he did not pin this brooch to Xiao Yan's chest.
Instead, Sylus carefully fastened it to the lacing at her back.
This way, with every step Xiao Yan took, anyone behind her would see the little cat's head sway gently.
The tassels would also brush against the skin along her spine.
Combined with the natural, flowing curve of her back.
The beautiful sight would leave everyone unable to look away.