"And as the belle and gentleman of the ball, Mr. Wei and Miss Ying will lead the dance. Everyone else can join as and when they please." the director announced.
"Both of you will need to be present at the center of the dance floor in five minutes. Do tell if you have a song preference for the dance." he added without the mic, turning to Xuan and Jingyu. "Anything is fine." Wei Jingyu muttered, already hurrying Xuan off the stage.
Before Ying Xuan had time to say anything, or even think about what was happening, Wei Jingyu had somehow veered her away from the crowd and towards a quiet corner. Xuan was sure that her boyfriend was a magician, to find a quiet corner in this crowd, when the both of them were the centers of attention.
Jingyu's hand was still at the small of his back as he stopped and turned to look at Xuan. Seeing his questioning gaze, Ying Xuan almost groaned. She loved how protective Jingyu was over her, but sometimes it could be a little too much.
'What?' Xuan signed. "We need to head back." Wei Jingyu spoke, his voice leaving no room for negotiation. That tone of voice might have worked with others, but Ying Xuan was his girlfriend. All she did was place her hands on her hips and tilt her head a little, almost challenging Jingyu to take her back from the hall.
Wei Jingyu frowned. "Stop being so stubborn Xuan. You are not well, and there really isn't no point in . . . . " he began, but stopped himself mid-sentence as Ying Xuan began to sign. 'Why would you assume that I'm not fine?' she asked.
Jingyu shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you haven't been eating properly for the past month. Or maybe with how you've been looking the whole night a little sick. Or wait! Maybe, just maybe, it might be due to the fact that you actually fainted just minutes earlier!" he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Xuan sighed. She shouldn't lose her patience over this. Jingyu was just worried about her, that was all. She held Wei Jingyu's face in both her hands and made him look for a few seconds at her, all the while slightly rubbing his cheeks with her fingers. Once Xuan could see that he had considerably calmed down, she began to sign, 'Jingyu, I'm fine! I am more than fine actually. We just won the titles of the belle and the gentleman of the ball! I am great!! I understand that you're worried, but there really isn't any reason too.'
Seeing that he wasn't buying it, Ying Xuan continued, 'You might think I've not been eating, but I have been eating three proper meals everyday for the past month. Ask Weiwei, ask Zuan, ask anyone. And I've been looking a little sick tonight probably because of nervousness. And the reason I swooned a little. Yes. I swooned, not fainted.' she added upon seeing Wei Jingyu raise his eyebrow. 'The reason I swooned was because I was really overwhelmed when the director announced it. And truth be told, all that crowd . . . . all those people . . . . . "
"What?" Jingyu urged, eager to make sure that Ying Xuan was really fine.