Perhaps she forced herself to stand and remain in the same posture for a while; the scrapes on Ya Nuo's ankles had worsened. Blisters were forming on the areas where her skin collided harshly with the straps of her high heels. She hissed as she attempted to walk with perfect balance.
'Damn these heels! How do girls wear these all day and look so relaxed in them?"
Huan Hei lightly tapped Grandpa Hoon's shoulder after he caught a glimpse of her face. Her pained expression. His eyes quickly scanned her as if she was his prey. It took several seconds for him to figure out where the pain was originating from on her body. 'Ah, her ankle. The wound is obviously irritating for a while now. Sigh, this girl worries me all the time.'
After hand signaling Ku Ze, he fast walked towards Ya Nuo's direction, following closely behind her steps. His sudden touch startled her. She blinked once. Twice. Thrice. When she finally processed what had just happened, her legs left the carpet. Her legs were hanging freely on his muscular arm, and her body was tightly wrapped in his embrace. He picked her up using little to no effort and started walking up the steps towards the stage.
"Hei! What are you doing?" She exclaimed while her eyes wandered around the room; watching the guests' reaction.
"You're not allowed to walk even a single step more from this moment onwards." He complained lowly as he stared at the broken skin around the straps of her heels. It was not a pretty scene in his eyes and definitely, not a good sensation for her. His heart ached, and his handsome face couldn't help but frown at the sight of her blistered ankles.
"Painful?" He asked in a heart aching tone; as if he was the one who is wounded.
"Huh? Oh.... That. I'll get used to it. Put me down. It's not as bad as it looks." She protested and tried to struggle her way out of his arms. Unfortunately, for her, she forcibly swallowed her complaints down her throat after he had whispered something to her ears.
"... No! Hmph!" Her lower lips pushed slightly outwards. She puffed her cheeks and looked at him with the most innocent face ever. Her sweet expression tugged his heartstrings and made him want to bully her more.
He chuckled, "Then be a good girl and let me bring you to wherever you want to go for the night."
She muttered to herself, "Tch, Easy for you to say. Let's try having you in my arms on our wedding day. I'll bring you everywhere you wish to, from the bathroom, bedroom, up the moon, to across the galaxy far far away..."
"What did you just say?" He lifted his left brow and tilted his lips upwards forming a rare grin.
"... Nothing." Since she couldn't fight it, then she might as well enjoy the ride. This was the first time she ever felt that walking up the steps could take so long, but she liked it. He felt her body relax and lean against his chest.
"Nuo... Nuo...?" She heard him call her name a few times. Her eyes opened and faced upwards, meeting his gorgeous eyes.
"Hmm?"
"We've been on the stage for a while. Didn't you want to do something? Tell me where to go and I'll walk there." He liked the look of her distracted eyes. He knew she enjoyed being carried, so he didn't tell her even after they've reached the stage. Her face flushed pinkishly like a Strawberry Smoothie.
"R.. Right...." she directed him using her fingers and had him walk towards the closed curtains behind the stage. Their actions raised the guests' interest, and they followed from behind. Ku Ze helped Grandpa Hoon up as they joined the crowd.
"Aha!" Her voice sounded as if she had expected to find a door there. Since Huan Hei has held her in his arms, she bravely twists and turned the knob of the door. After several rattles, she failed to open the mysterious door. Some guests walked back to their seats to enjoy the expensive wine and food, while others stayed behind because they were curious what the couple had wanted to find out.
"Does anyone have the key to the door? Maybe the staff?" Ya Nuo asked in a pleasant, powerful voice.
Zhen Qi and Nana volunteered and quickly went to look for a staff who is available to help. When they came back, they brought the manager back with them. After a close inspection, the manager shook her head; recognizing the custom designed key hole.
The manager bowed in respect and explained in an apologetic tone, "My honorable guests, I am very sorry, but this door had been locked for ages. Ever since I became manager here, I had access to all rooms in this hall, but this door. The customized key hole will only open to one key, and nobody has the key."
"So, none of the staff has the key? Then who has it?" Ya Nuo knitted her brows.
"From what I was told, there was a couple who got engaged and married at this hall. They were the ones who created this door and only the wife has the key. And that is the only key."
"Do you know the couple's name?" She continued asking; hoping she would arrive at an answer.
"Yes. The groom's name was Yang Qiu Rei, and his wife was Chen Ying Ying." The manager replied without concealing any information.
"Oh?" Ya Nuo revealed a Duchenne smile.
"Then let's see where this door leads us to. Shall we?" she looked at Hei with sparks in her eyes. She was excited, and he could only comply with her request.
"But I already told you that the door cannot be opened without the ke-" The manager paused as the sounds of an unlocked door rung her ears.
/Click
Everyone stared at the girl in the man's arms with admiration in their eyes. She calmly pulled out the bobby pin from the keyhole and blew the dust off it.
"What? You guys never saw someone pick a lock before?" She stared at the crowd who had their mouths opened.