To Love You Again

Tang Xinyang stood without moving. She was confused by Jang Shin's actions. Why he just left her and did not say anything?

Then she heard light footsteps approaching her way. She was familiar with these steps.

Soon after, Tang Yin peeked in and her bob hair that was curved at the ends appeared by the door.

"Sister? It's about to start. You're ready?"

"Yin! Why are you here?!"

The main protagonist of this event was supposed to be preoccupied with the preparations by the makeup artists and designers.

"Well, look at me, I am already done. By the way, sis, Linfeng will be coming, right?"

Tang Xinyang stopped first and observed her sister. 

She was wearing a white off-shoulder and backless mermaid dress with peony and rose embroidery on the flaring skirt. Her peach makeup was impeccable, making her face look soft and lovelier. She wore white pearl earrings with broken diamonds dangling on a delicate platinum chain. On her wrist was a white fat jade bracelet with delicate silver vines running over it. She wore no necklace, but it made her bare neck look more slender and swan-like. 

Her sister looked truly pure and beautiful.

'This is what a woman should look like...'

"Sister?"

Tang Xinyang woke up from her daze. 

"Ah, yes, of course, he already confirmed. He will come—"

"Yes!" Tang Yin cheered. "Tell me, which entrance will he come into? I will meet him on the way!"

"..." Tang Xinyang suddenly wanted to slap her mouth. She avoided answering Tang Yin's questions about Linfeng since two weeks ago. But now she accidentally answered her at a slip of the mouth.

Now, how was she to tell her that Linfeng would be coming with his Young Miss, who happened to be his lover as well?

"Tang Yin..."

"Hehe, sister! I want Linfeng to be my last dance later at the banquet. Don't let Jang Shin do it. If you let Jang Shin do it, people will think he will be marrying me. They would ship us together! No way in hell will I let that happen."

Tang Xinyang's previous thoughts were suddenly blown away.

ʘ□ʘ What?!!! Was that true?!

Tang Yin saw Tang Xinyang's shock and answered her silent questions. "Yup. You're totally out of touch of the current trend, sis. This is a common online trend nowadays. Seriously, why even bother with these debutante balls? This is sooo last century, the times have changed already, geez."

"...Sorry for being old-fashioned."

"Humph, it was that guy before, now it's Jang Shin. I think Grandma really wants to force me to marry!"

Tang Xinyang: ʘ□ʘ !!!

Grandmother wanted to let Tang Yin and Jang Shin marry?!

"That's why, you should tell Linfeng that he will be my last dance. Actually, forget it, I will tell him. So? Tell me which entrance he will be entering? I'm going to meet him," Tang Yin excitedly said.

"...." Tang Xinyang sweated, her head aching at the sudden barrage from her little sister. 

To be honest, she was not familiar with western culture like these debutante balls.

Tang Yin's coming of age banquet was mixed with Chinese and Western elements, but majority of it were customs from the West. It was mainly because they wanted to accommodate the large part of the visitors, which were composers and classic musicians who came from the West, due to Tang Yin's career. Besides, it was their grandmother's arrangement.

Thus, she did not know about the 'last dance' stuff explained by her little sister. She simply thought that the last dance with Jang Shin had no real meaning, since he was already part of Tang's family—and her future husband—so she did not think deeply about it. 

But it turned out, in the eyes of people, it was different!

'Does grandmother know? No, she absolutely knew! But why Jang Shin?'

Tang Xinyang wanted to run to her grandmother and shake her to spit out what she was scheming about. But she needed to make things clear with her sister first.

"Tang Yin," Tang Xinyang held Tang Yin's shoulders. "Linfeng cannot be your last dance. Even if you personally beg him, he will refuse, especially if what you said about the last dance is true. You will learn why later. You better focus on coming back to the upper circle and just enjoy this day without thinking about your love life."

"E-eh? What?"

"It is the same with Jang Shin. Don't worry, I will make sure that Jang Shin and you will not be misunderstood."

Tang Xinyang then used her qigong to find her grandmother as fast as possible.

"Sister wait! If Linfeng and Jang Shin cannot..." Tang Yin's voice slowed down as she watched her sister disappear from the hallway.

'...'

"...If they cannot be my last dance, then who would it be...?" 

Her small voice was swallowed by silence.

Who would be the sacrifice?

Whoever it was, she hoped that the public would not misunderstand anything later. 

Geez, if Linfeng could not be her last dance, why did she even put up with this tiresome event?

She gritted her teeth and used qigong to follow her sister. She could not allow just anyone to be her last dance!

*****

A group of famous master artists and designers surrounded an old woman sitting on a tiger chair inside the vanity room.

"Madam, you look good. I knew that this dress would suit you." One of the artist showered praises on the elder lady. 

The elder looked left and right in front of the mirror, admiring the handiwork of these young women.

"Madam looks like you are only in your forties. You have truly good skin."

Mistress Tang lightly brushed the skin under her eyes, her light wrinkles were concealed by the exquisite make-up, and thus she really looked younger.

"Thanks to your skills and talent, my wish to look younger in my granddaughter's debutante is really not impossible."

"Madam is surely jesting. Even if our hands are skilled, we cannot let out our full potential without a good canvass. Madam's features is stu—"

"Grandma!"

Boom!

The door was kicked open. A burst of wind came into room from the outside and knocked some of the tools in the make-up room. A few makeup artists and designers exclaimed in shock.

A frowning Tang Xinyang walked in with large strides, her pretty dress was slightly crumpled and her updo hair was slightly messy. Her over-all appearance was like a princess who was full of worries about her marriage.

She came to her grandmother to complain about the upcoming marriage and to not accept the groom—

'Wait, what am I thinking?' Mistress Tang's thoughts braked. She shook her head and focused again on the root of the issue.

"Grandma! Is it true? You know the real reason for the last dance, yet you allowed Shin to be Yin'er's last dance?!" 

Mistress Tang woke up from her daze and immediately understood what was going on. 

"Hold on." She looked at the women in the room and ordered them to go out. These young women was scared at the sudden appearance of Tang Xinyang and immediately obeyed.

Once the room was clear, the elder lady looked at the woman in front of her. "Yang'er, calm down. I know that you have feelings for Jang Shin. How can I do that to you and let those two become engaged?"