HLM -Chapter 1434 The Coral Wedding Dress

Sydney, Australia’s largest city and the capital of New South Wales, is the economic, financial, shipping, and tourism hub of Oceania—a world-famous international metropolis.

Located along Australia’s southeastern coast, it was the first colonial settlement established by Europeans on the continent. Initially used to house exiled convicts, Sydney gradually grew into the most important city in the Southern Hemisphere as waves of immigrants poured in during the Australian gold rush.

The group arrived in Sydney aboard a chartered plane, landing at Sydney International Airport. Looking down at the city from the air, Charlie couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. “If Sunset Town could be built to this scale…”

Wang Bo immediately replied, “Then I’d be worked to death! I absolutely refuse to be a person kidnapped by work. I want a life—I want to be a carefree small-town mayor in the future!”

“But there’s no denying it would be fascinating,” Bowen said with a smile. “When I was in the U.S., I used to think Sydney was Australia’s capital. If Sunset Town ever reached this scale, plenty of people would probably think it was New Zealand’s capital.”

In this regard, the two major countries of Oceania shared the same embarrassment: many people knew Sydney but not Canberra; likewise, many knew Auckland but not Wellington.

Juan chimed in, “Actually, it wasn’t until I came to New Zealand that I learned the country’s largest city is Auckland.”

“You didn’t know before? You thought it was Wellington?” Hani asked.

“No. Back in Mexico, the only Auckland I knew was the one in California,” Juan laughed. “When I was getting ready to come to New Zealand and saw introductions about Auckland, I even thought New Zealand had been annexed by the United States.”

Bowen said, “That’s a pretty reasonable thought—America is messing around all over the world. Don’t look at me like that; I’ve been a New Zealander for a long time now.”

“But you used to be American. You shouldn’t talk about your mother country like that—just like Wang and A, who never speak badly of China.”

Bowen waved his hand. “Don’t say it like that, mate. I used to be a Texan—Texans aren’t Americans, hahaha.”

Pronovias had arranged dedicated vehicles to receive them. Four black Audi Q7 SUVs were waiting at the VIP passage. As soon as they spotted Adrian, the four drivers stepped forward to help with the luggage.

Wang Bo smiled and thanked them as he got into the car. The Q7s set off along a wide expressway.

Hani said, “The Pacific Highway—this is a main artery of Australia’s road network. Traveling on it is something that really gets your blood pumping.”

Wang Bo shook his head. “If you said this was Australia’s Route 8, then I’d be excited.”

Because of Sunset Town and Queenstown—two major tourist destinations—New Zealand’s Route 8 had already become one of the country’s most important trunk highways.

Pronovias was located in the city center, and traffic congestion was unavoidable as they headed inward. It took them two full hours to travel from the airport to the company.

The Q7 carrying Wang Bo slowly came to a stop. Someone opened the door from outside and said, “Welcome, welcome, dear prospective grooms and brides. Welcome to Pronovias’ Oceania Design Headquarters.”

The person who opened the door for Wang Bo was an elegant blonde woman with blue eyes. Her age was hard to judge—by her features she seemed to be in her forties, yet her complexion and bearing carried the alluring charm of a woman in her thirties.

Adrian quickly stepped forward and introduced her. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Ms. Sophia, Regional Director for the Oceania division of Pronovias.”

As he spoke, he nodded to her. “Ms. Sophia, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you here. This is—”

“I know interrupting someone is terribly impolite,” Sophia said with a smile, cutting in gently, “but I simply have to jump in, or I won’t be able to express how thrilled I am to meet my idol. This is the legendary town mayor, Mr. Wang Bo, correct? And Irina, your beauty and elegance surpass even what I’ve seen on television and in magazines.”

After greeting Wang Bo and Eva, she went on to praise Hani and the others one by one. Her compliments were generous but never excessive—just enough to leave everyone feeling pleasantly impressed.

The first meeting was very enjoyable. Led by Sophia, they headed toward Pronovias’ office building.

Upon entering, they took the elevator straight to the top floor. When the doors opened, several models were walking back and forth across a spacious hall, while designers stood together discussing—this clearly looked like a runway venue.

Sophia clapped her hands. Someone led the models away, and the designers gathered around.

She introduced them to Wang Bo and the others—these were the core designers of Pronovias’ Oceania division, including the chief designer, Colin McRae.

After the introductions, Sophia arranged for everyone to rest briefly before beginning the presentation of the outfits to be used for the wedding.

They were designing not only the groom’s suits and the bride’s wedding gowns, but also formal wear for other occasions. Each person would have five outfits to meet the needs of different moments during the wedding.

For the creation of these outfits, Wang Bo paid a total of 1.8 million New Zealand dollars. Converted, the clothing alone cost nearly ten million RMB—an undeniably lavish expense.

Among them, the outfits for Wang Bo and Eva were naturally the top priority.

The garments were displayed separately. Each pair of bride and groom was taken away in turn, with designers explaining the outfits and listening to their feedback. The one presenting Wang Bo and Eva’s designs was Colin McRae himself.

They entered a spacious room. The lights gradually dimmed, and an entire wall opened up, revealing two outfits before their eyes.

One was a white suit, the other a white wedding dress. White was the primary color, but it was accented with many other hues. Especially on the wedding dress—there were numerous small accessories, each crystal-clear and brilliantly colored, looking like precious gemstones.

In reality, they were not gemstones at all. They were coral stones—freshwater coral that Wang Bo had obtained from Lake Hāwea.

Freshwater coral was beautiful. After living in the clear lake water, some branches took on a crystalline sheen. Once Wang Bo realized this, he felt they were perfectly suited for decorative use.

The two outfits were displayed on crystal mannequins, which emitted a soft glow, bathing the garments in a dreamlike radiance.

Colin led the two of them forward and explained, “These are the outfits we designed for you. The groom’s attire combines a Western suit with elements of the traditional Zhongshan suit, while the bride’s wedding gown blends traditional and modern styles.”

There was nothing particularly unconventional about the groom’s outfit, but even incorporating Zhongshan-style elements was already quite remarkable.

The bride’s wedding dress was the true focus of the design: an ivory satin corset bodice, a narrow waist with a fuller hip silhouette, and a train over two meters long. The overall look was ethereal and perfectly showcased Eva’s pure, elegant temperament.