Lu Ye Ze immediately stood up when he saw her. Her eyes, seemed to have captured all the stars from the night sky and her smile could heal his wounds a thousand times. His heart was pounding so fast, that it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest. If he didn't have such great self control, his face would've been blushing tremendously by now.
Jo, on the other hand didn't have any good self control and she started getting flustered. His appearance tonight resembled with that of a prince, waiting for his princess to go to the royal ball. His hair was styled neatly and parted on to one side. His suit was formal and luxurious, the small jewellery details complimented his sparkling eyes. Jo was thinking, this man's looks are beyond perfect, his aura and his status are fit for a prince, her Mum would've been very happy, if she took this man home and not that David who lived on social benefits.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
He approached her and took her hand and put it in his arm.
"Let's get going then"
"Okay"
The pair entered the elevator and headed downstairs, Jo was relieved to leave the hotel room and for some reason she was quite excited and looking forward to this evening. From their outfits tonight they would be attending a banquet or an event and she was happy to see new faces.
Downstairs at the bar a couple was having some drinks, Lu Ye Ze and Jo went in their direction.
"Ye Ze, I thought you rejected my invitation, how come you've changed your mind?" Pei Lightian asked Lu Ye Ze with a smug smile. His best friend had always refused his invitations to social events and this was the first time he accepted, he planned to brag the whole night about it.
"Who said I have changed my mind? Do I need you to attend a function?" Lu Ye Ze wasn't giving his friend any face.
"Fine, fine... you win, let's go together then. Hi I am Pei Lightian and she is Erxi, my girlfriend" Pei Lightian greeted Jo and introduced his partner to her. Jo looked at this pair and concluded that this will be some sort of a double date, this couple looked good together and they were quite friendly.
Jo relaxed completely and greeted them with a warm smile. Lu Ye Ze didn't shift his eyes from her, not even for a second and when he saw her genuine smile, he couldn't help but to feel jealous. She was smiling at another man with him standing next to her, his blood was reaching a boiling point.
"You, must be familiar with The Nutcracker ballet, what is your impression about it?" Erxi asked Jo, trying to start a conversation. At the hearing of the words Nutcracker Ballet, Jo's smile started to widen further, she turned to Lu Ye Ze and asked.
"Are we seeing The Nutcracker Ballet tonight?"
"Yes" the man replied dryly. His jealousy was tormenting him on the inside.
"Really?!" Jo couldn't believe that they were going to watch her most favourite play and in time for Christmas as well. Her heart, in an instant, filled with so much happiness and warmth, that it started overflowing. With all these waves of emotions steering her insides, Jo pulled him close and in the blink of an eye, she dropped a kiss on his cheek. When she realised what she had done, her face started to turn red, she got too carried away by the excitement.
Lu Ye Ze on the other hand, froze in his spot, his rage from earlier on dissipated instantly. The action was so fast, that he couldn't tell if this was his imagination playing up, or had she actually kissed him. Her crimson face though, seemed to had confirmed the later, so he smiled gently and in return he left a light kiss on her forehead.
When Pei Lightian saw these actions right before his eyes, he was dumbfounded. This devil almost never smiled and if he did, it looked so cringe, but this time it was different. It was genuine and it carried warmth with it. Just how much influence this woman had on him, is he even aware of it?
The four of them left the hotel bar and headed towards the exit. When they have passed the reception, out of the blue, a girl jumped in Lu Ye Ze's arms. She gave him a peck on the cheek, the exact same one that Jo had left hers.
"Hey, did you miss me?" Asked the girl with a bright smile.
"What are you doing?" Lu Ye Ze, was so annoyed that she had stained Jo's kiss with hers.
"What? Can't I be here?" Asked the girl back.
"What do you want then?" Lu Ye Ze was getting frustrated.
"Do I have to need something to be here?" Lu Ye Ze was about to explode, of course she wanted something? Who in their right mind would go somewhere without a reason.
When Jo saw this action she was stunned, what is going on, who is this girl? She looked very young and had a very quirky way of dressing.
When Pei Lightian noticed that his friend was about to go berserk, he quickly pulled the girl who was attached to the man's neck into his embrace.
"Wei Wei, come here, I've missed you so much, how is school?"
Wei Wei was shocked by Pei Lightian's action, her face started to get flustered and her heart was pounding so fast, that she was about to get a heart attack. She stood there awkwardly in his embrace unable to speak.
Pei Lightian noticed her reaction and immediately released her. He patted her head instead.
Wei Wei blushed "School's good".
This whole time, Jo was standing there not able to understand anything, their relationship seemed rather close, so this girl must be an acquaintance to both of them.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Wei Wei asked Lu Ye Ze in English. Jo was stunned she had a perfect British accent.
"No" Lu Ye Ze responded. Wei Wei rolled her eyes at him and turned to Jo.
"I am Wei Wei, his sister, nice to meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you too, I am... Ri-El" Jo decided that she would use her new name from now on.
"Let's go!" Said Lu Ye Ze
"Where are you going, I want to go too!" Wei Wei whined with a broken heart.
"You can't come, you'll turn to be the fifth wheel!" Lu Ye Ze replied and turned to leave, taking Jo with him.
"Wei Wei, I am sorry how about another time?" Pei Lightian looked at the dejected youngster and comforted her.
Hearing Pei Lightian's words her heart crumbled to the floor, she could take her brother's icy words, but he rejected her as well. He never did that before, he was spoiling her more than her whole family did. She felt so wronged and ashamed that she wanted to dig a whole and bury herself in it. Just who was that girl that was with him this time? Was it that serious? Had she have to wait for another relationship to end, so she can confess her feelings?
Wei Wei had a crush on Pei Lightian since she was nine years old, but he was much older than her and always treated her like a child. She came this evening here to spy on them and check this woman. In the end they left without her.
At the venue the two couples headed towards their seats and settled in. The play started not long after and all of them were absorbed by the drama and dance on the stage. Jo went through a whole lot of emotions, from happiness to sadness, excitement to anxiety. This particular ballet was her favourite, it started when she was eight. A horrible disease tormented her young body for seventeen months and on that year, in November, she got an all clear from the doctors.
Jo was from a family of seven, she had three older siblings and a younger one. Her Mum has always been busy taking care of the older brother, as he had autism and needed more attention. Jo remembered that after she finished her health examinations that day, her Mum took her out to celebrate the event, just the two of them. Initially they wanted to go to the cinema and watch The Grinch, but the movie was much later on in the evening, so her Mum took her to the theatre instead, where a ballet from Russia was interpreting The Nutcracker, the wave of emotions she felt through that play, got engraved deeply in her heart and by watching this dance every year, all those emotions will resurface again and again.
Jo was leaning with her hands on the balustrade, she wanted to get as close as possible to the stage. Her eyes were teary, but she wore a bright smile on her face. Lu Ye Ze stood next to her and watched her the whole time. Her every movement and her every emotion.
The play came to an end and the dancers and musicians bowed in front of the audience collecting their well deserved praises. It was exquisite, every year it got better and better and this year was no exception.
"How was it?"