Chapter 417 - The Last Dance

Gasp.

There was a collective silence. The guests could not stop their mouths from opening. They were clearly shocked.

Who would not be? The male escort for the last dance was Lu Yin Ze, the heir of the Lu family!

This was totally out of their imagination. 

What did it mean? Was it a sign of the Lu family and the Tang family joining forces? Was the balance of the four legendary families about to tip? 

Even Guan Gu Ri who saw things in a positive side could not help but think the same way as the guests.

Xiong Zhi, who had just returned to the table from the washroom with Linfeng, was also stunned. Her slightly swollen lips partly opened in surprise, before pursing together, settling back into calmness. She was confused though.

The two people with the most improbable tendency in probability…

'Lu Yin Ze and Tang Yin?'

The most shocked of all was, in fact, the celebrant, Tang Yin.

'Lu Yin Ze?!'

The handsome silver-haired man she met when she was at her worst earlier in the garden was actually a man from the Lu family?! 

No-no, more importantly, why was he her last dance?! Was it not supposed to be Jang Shin, if all else failed? And what about the mysterious man her elder sister had told her earlier? Hold on, was it this guy?

What was happening?! 

Tang Yin tried hard to keep her slipping mask of an ideal young lady on her face. She looked at Tang Xinyang to confirm if she did not make any mistake.

Tang Xinyang felt both the shocked gazes from Mistress Tang—just where was she though? she could not see her—and her sister. She could only smile awkwardly.

She knew that using the Lu family name was a bit troublesome and might lead to some complications later on. But she really could not bear to let the people misunderstand that Jang Shin was about to get engaged with her little sister.

Thus, she had to make things up to clear up the misunderstandings. It was his promise to Lu Yin Ze, too.

"Ha-ha, I know everyone is surprised. Unexpected, isn't it? However, a lot of you most likely did not know, but as the hostess of this coming of age ceremony of my little sister, I wanted to make it a bit more special. So we, my grandmother and I..."

Mistress Tang narrowed her eyes dangerously. "She even said 'we'? So why then did I not know of this?"

Alright, she should add another hour of lecture later.

"...My grandmother and I secretly gathered popularity votes at who they thought was the young man who impressed their minds at first glance. The one who got the most votes will be the last dance of the night."

Tang Xinyang gave the audience a fascinating smile she had practiced many times with her teacher, Song Xuantin, which could charm people without fail. "It was a close call with many of the esteemed young gentlemen. In the end, Young Master Lu Yin Ze triumphed, apparently winning many of the ladies' hearts, and was chosen as the last dance for my dear little sister!"

Although a few people remained doubtful, many began nodding their heads in realization. So there was a popularity vote. How come they did not notice? The hosts were really meticulous.

"I believe Young Master Lu Yin Ze is truly worthy of this title. Does everyone agree?"

All eyes turned to Lu Yin Ze and their doubtful faces turned into understanding.

With that face, it would be impossible to lose. He was truly the most handsome and striking gentleman of the night. No one else could surpass him when it came to first impression.

Xiong Zhi glanced at Lu Yin Ze then to the man beside him. She actually wanted to object, ah. Still, she was thankful that Linfeng did not bag the title, or else he would have to dance with Tang Yin.

That would be a nightmare.

She leaned to Linfeng and whispered, "I didn't vote. For me, you're the most handsome man tonight."

Linfeng, who was suddenly called 'the most handsome man' by his beloved, smiled gently. He glanced around, took advantage when people still had their attention to the front, and sneakily gave her a peck on the cheek. 

He replied in a low whisper, his warm breath touching her cheeks. "Of course, my Zhi'er loves me the most. The proof still lingers on my lips."

Xiong Zhi who was reminded of their intimate 'proof' earlier turned red. 

Linfeng felt proud that he finally managed to make her shy. 

But he did not expect that Xiong Zhi would whisper back. With a red face, her breath also touched his face. "I actually know another way of marking someone into becoming your property. But that will take a lot of 'preparation'."

Linfeng: "..."

That preparation, and the other 'way'... was not the kind he was thinking right? 

His breathing labored.

"Linfeng? Want to do it? Want to know about it? Are you interested?" Xiong Zhi asked temptingly, her eyes glowing with anticipation. If Linfeng said yes... She would make her weekend free.

Her mind ran through various appointments scheduled ahead and calculated the work which she could finish in advance. Maybe she could also free up another day. She wanted to make sure there would be absolutely no interruptions.

After all, in their last break... They stopped and did not continue. They could no longer afford any breaks in the middle. It was not good for the male's health.

Linfeng's throat moved. He felt a bit hot again, like earlier in the washroom. He was speechless as he looked at her 'innocent' and 'pure' eyes. 

They were clearly not on the same wavelength! He could not have such bad thoughts!

He calmed down and patted her hand. At the same time, he calmed the little Linfeng inside him to stop having 'improper' thoughts.

"Young Miss, let's discuss that later and put our attention to the front. After all, I have a feeling that something might happen after this event." He put his hands on both sides of Xiong Zhi's temple and gently turned it towards the front, where Lu Yin Ze finally asked Tang Yin's hand for a dance.

Young Miss... Seriously... Why are you so handsome, even manlier than I am?

Linfeng was really helpless.

At the front, Tang Xinyang broke the awkward atmosphere by pushing Lu Yin Ze's popularity to the crowd.

"Let's give a hand to the winner of tonight's popularity vote of 'The Most Handsome Man at First Impression', Young Master Lu Yin Ze!"

The crowd raised their hands and applauded, but their minds remained on the run. Even though it was just a gimmick from the Eldest Young Miss and Mistress Tang, their hearts were shaken.

What would the Lu family say on this?

All eyes—except the two were secretly flirting—followed Lu Yin Ze as he stepped out of the crowd. His smile was polite and his eyes were calm. He was already filled in by Tang Xinyang.

There were no votes, nor a winner. He was just... a sacrifice for tonight.

He inwardly sighed and looked at the celebrant. 

He smiled politely, put one hand to the back, bowed slightly, and offered the other hand. In his uniquely soothing tone, he said, "It's my honor to be the Second Young Miss's escort for the last dance. May I have your hand for a dance, young lady?"

Tang Yin looked at the shining man who was totally glowing from head to toe like a prince from a fairytale. "..." 

She was panicking earlier because the man which she just showed her attitude to earlier on was actually the heir of the Lu family! An important person! But seeing the calm blue-silver eyes which did not show any recognition, Tang Yin calmed down.

'Ah, this man... probably did not recognize me, didn't he? Now that I think about it, it was dark and I looked really horrible earlier.'

Tang Yin only paused ever so slightly and smiled back with equal gracefulness. She daintily laid her hand on top of his and made her voice sound more delicate and waxy unlike earlier. "Likewise. It is every girl's dream to be escorted by a handsome young man like yourself. I am very lucky."

Lu Yin Ze who was holding her hand stiffened. 

The Second Young Miss was beautiful in appearance and demeanor, but her voice...how to say it, it was a bit too sweet, saccharine sweet. Like it was forced. 

He inwardly cringed. A woman who liked to flatter with a high-pitched, saccharine voice… and swaying figure. She might be the type of woman which he did not really like dealing with. 

He could not be blamed for this assumption, because this was typically the kind of voice that women who wanted to hit on him used. 

Did Tang Xinyang beg him because his younger sister liked him?

Sigh, he should never have agreed. It would be harsh to give hope to the girl. He knew what it felt to be rejected, so he did not really like the act of rejecting others' confessions. He could only try to distance himself.

On the other hand, Tang Yin froze. She just felt Lu Yin Ze pause after she spoke. 

He didn't recognize her, did he? She already changed her voice into something hideous! Oh, gosh. Please don't recognize her.

Tang Yin inwardly prayed as she swayed gracefully with the music's rhythm, her face serene and her smile charming.

Throughout the dance, the two just twirled quietly with forced smiles on their faces, hoping that the dance would end soon.