Chapter 15 The First Dance

• I followed the dreamy eyes of those young ladies and turned towards the entrance. Xi Qingchuan had just stepped in. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a purple tie. No wonder Granny wanted me to wear the purple gown. It was so that we would look like a couple in matching attire.
• Some people were born to be under the spotlight. Xi Qingchuan, for example. The bright lights in the hall appeared even livelier as soon as he appeared.
• I could even hear the muffled shrieks from some of the women around me.
• “Xi Qingchuan, Xi Qingchuan, Xi Qingchuan!”
• Soft cheers filled with such passion and chanted with such rhythm. My head began buzzing.
• I hid myself in the crowd, hoping that he had not seen me.
• I retreated to the buffet table. It was lined with delicious dishes. My gown was too tight though. I dared not eat too much. I was afraid that my belly would show and the gown might burst from my overeating. It would utter humiliation if that were to happen.
• I was making my way across the buffet table when Xiao Shi suddenly appeared before me. She gave me a once over, then nodded approvingly.
• “You look beautiful.”
• “Thank you.”
• “I didn’t come over specially to compliment you. Auntie Xi wanted me to speak to you. She said that if you’re not confident about taking the first dance later, I can help you do it. I’m not here to steal the limelight away from you. She is the one who asked me to pass the message.”
• “That’s great. Take my place.” I couldn’t be happier.
• Xiao Shi turned and walked away. She looked beautiful from the back. It was like staring at a painting.
• I felt a sudden pinch on my waist. I turned and saw Qiao Yi. She was the one pinching me.
• “That hurts. Why did you do that?”
• “Why are you passing on the chance to take the first dance to Xiao Shi?”
• “It’s been a long time since I last danced. What if I make a fool of myself on the dance floor?”
• “That’s not going to happen. Besides, Xi Qingchuan will be there to lead you.”
• “I’ll pass,” I said and rubbed my nose. “I mean, look at all that yummy food over there.”
• “Look at you. You’re hopeless,” Qiao Yi said in exasperation as she stomped her feet. She looked ready to lunge at me and give me a good thrashing.
• The ball had started. The lights dimmed. Everyone’s faces looked blurry in the semi-darkness.
• Xi Qingchuan did not come over and say hello to me. I was completely fine with that though.
• The music started. People began to move away from the center of the hall. A spotlight suddenly shone onto the middle of the dance floor.
• Xi Qingchuan appeared on the dance floor. A deafening applause rose as soon as he made his entrance.
• The host introduced him enthusiastically.
• “The first dance will be led by the young master Xi from the Xi Group. Who shall his partner be?”
• Another spotlight began circling above the crowd’s heads. Everyone tilted their heads skyward and looked around hopefully. It was like playing the slot machine at the casino. Everyone was looking forward to seeing the last symbol fall into the final slot and finding out if it was the one to a winning sequence.
• I hid myself in the crowd and stole furtive glances at Xi Qingchuan. He stood under the blinding spotlight. I could see every micro-expression on his face.
• He appeared unfazed as he always was, as if everyone around him didn’t existed in the first place.
• There was no denying that Xi Qingchuan was the cream of the crop. When people talked about him, their faces were always filled with adoration, or jealousy, or envy. It didn’t matter if they were men or women.
• It was like what Qiao Yi said. I was the only person who felt hellish about being intimate with Xi Qingchuan. I didn’t know how lucky I was.
• She didn’t know me at all. When someone standing next to you was constantly in the spotlight, you began to seem duller in comparison.
• The spotlight above our heads continued to dazzle while I stood amidst the crowd, enjoying my anonymity. I was here tonight to eat and have some fun. When the ball was over, I would simply hitch a ride home.
• The wandering spotlight finally stopped above Xiao Shi’s head. She looked even more beautiful under the gazes of the crowd, a pale lily whose beauty was incomparable.
• She smiled gently and took a step forward amidst the crowd’s envious looks. I was ready to applaud like everyone else when there was a sudden shove at my back. I stumbled a few steps forward.
• I had stepped into the dance floor before Xiao Shi had done so.
• I whirled around in shock, searching through the crowd for the person who had pushed me. Qiao Yi was grinning widely at me, her mouth moving silently. I knew what she had just said.
• You can do it.
• Me? What the hell!
• The crowd was stunned. I could hear someone whisper.
• “Who’s that?”
• I saw the looks on many people’s faces within that single moment.
• There was my stepmother, with her brows furrowed into a deep frown. The moving headlights danced across her face, spilling bright light over her pale makeup and making her face look even whiter. She looked like a ghost.
• Standing next to her was Xiao Shi. She had an expression of cold condescension as she eyed me.
• Then, there was my mother-in-law. She looked furious. My sudden intrusion into such a grand moment, where all eyes were upon me, must have embarrassed her.
• I needed only a few seconds to return to my place. I simply had to apologize for stumbling.
• But their eyes were like needles. They hurt, a lot.
• Qiao Yi gave me a fierce nod and with a wave of her arm, gestured for me to just do it.
• All my years living in the Xiao family, I had always been the one who had been neglected and ignored by everyone when my father wasn’t around. It didn’t matter if it were the housekeeper or the maids. Besides the old garden, who treated me with basic decency, no one had ever acknowledged my presence. Maybe this was why I did what I did.
• I turned towards Xi Qingchuan. There was no expression on his face. He stretched his arm out—a gesture of invitation. But he did not direct it specifically at me or Xiao Shi.
• My eyes fell shut. I knew how to dance. I had had a rough childhood because of my stepmother. We had had to run around and hide ourselves from her. But my mother had always paid attention to my education. She had hired instructors to give me all kinds of lessons, including dance lessons. My mother had been a great dancer herself. She would often teach me herself.
• After my mother had passed on, I would go to her friend’s dance classroom to dance, but not as a student though. I had been an assistant coach and dancer partner. That job had earned me some pocket money.
• No one knew about this, of course.
• I didn’t even tell Qiao Yi. She would throw me wads of cash every time I told her I had no money.
• Dad was often out of the city. It was a challenge trying to get any allowance from the Xiao family’s housekeeper. Every time my father asked me if I had enough money to spend, I would say “yes”.
• I straightened my back. I had intended to retreat and hide myself. But the looks of scorn and condescension had ignited my rebellious spirit.
• I approached Xi Qingchuan and placed my hand in his.
• He gave me a cool side glance. He didn’t seem surprised or doubtful. He placed his palm on the back of my waist and asked me one question.
• “Do you know the waltz?”
• That was what I was best at. I was especially great at the quick waltz. My mother had used to say that I looked like a beautiful peacock when I danced the quick waltz.
• Soft classical music began to play. I listened carefully for a moment, then told him.
• “Viennese Waltz, also called the quick waltz.”
• He raised his eyebrow, and reached for my hand with his other hand. Then, he whispered low in my ear.
• “I hope you dance as well as you talk.”
• He didn’t believe that I could dance. But he didn’t push me away, so he could still count as a gentleman.
• I began moving in step with Xi Qingchuan. A few steps later, I saw surprise coloring Xi Qingchuan’s eyes.
• He wasn’t the only one. Everyone present, including Qiao Yi, had no idea I could dance so well.
• Xi Qingchuan and I twirled around in the center of the hall. My eyes swept past the faces of numerous people once more.
• Xiao Shi and my stepmother looked stunned. My mother-in-law looked lost. My sisters-in-law’s faces were filled with jealousy. Qiao Yi was the only one who gave me thumbs-up.
• I turned my head away and leaned back elegantly. As Xi Qingchuan leaned his head towards me in response, I murmured in his ear.
• “You missed a beat. I’ve corrected it.”