Dance with you

Chapter 4

Liu Xin squeezed her mother's hand a little tighter, as she spotted the first guests through the entrance. The prospect of a large crowd of strangers filled her with a not inconsiderable amount of anxiety. She threw a few side glances at the baby Jin Rong comfortably resting in Madam Jin's arms. All this commotion in her home was his fault and she was kind of salty because of this. On the other hand, she knew very well that it wasn't literally his fault but his parent's.

Her mother had told her that, unlike normally, the Jin Sect heir already had a courtesy name prepared for him even though he was just a baby. Normally disciples had to wait until they came of age or do something remarkable to be granted a courtesy name. Liu Xin had just rolled her eyes at that. Of course, the heir of such a wealthy Sect would be unbelievably spoiled. She wasn't the heir and she grew up surrounded by all she could have wished for. And when she had found out, the courtesy name was 'Zixuan', she had taken it as definitive proof of this world being the one from her niece's favorite novel. Horray...

Just then, a group caught her attention. There were a handful of beautiful men making their way into the hall with graceful and unhurried steps. Their robes were white with some light blue accents and a thin white ribbon adorned each forehead. She surprisingly spotted a small boy in their midst moving with a very mature air about him.

Liu Xin herself had been stuffed into a light yellow dress with some orange decorations. Her father had tried his best to drill some formal etiquette into her head and practiced a proper bow with her, since it would be her first time attending an official event. Afterwards her mother had laid her hands onto her shoulders and assured her, "Don't worry too much, darling. You're still young. No one is going to be mad if you make a mistake."

The group made its way to the front, before bowing to the dais on which Jin Guangshan and his wife and son resided.

"Greetings Jin-zongzhu, greetings Madam Jin. The Lan Sect thanks you for your gracious invitation," they chorused. The Lan Sect, huh?

Jin Guangshan was quick to answer, "Welcome to Koi Tower. We are honored by your presence."

It was as if they were reciting a script back and forth and Liu Xin quickly lost interest. Her attention was on the young boy in white. She guessed he couldn't be that much older than her and she was very eager to properly meet him.

But he wasn't the only child amongst the guests. Almost each of the Great Sects brought a child with them, never mind some of the smaller sects. Jiang-zongzhu excused his wife due to her being in the very late stages of pregnancy and very tired. Madam Jin was very understanding, not wanting Madam Yu to overwork herself, but still accepting the regards and congratulations sent by the Madam of Lotus Pier.

The banquet overall was very boring to Liu Xin. She just ate what was given to her, almost inhaling the dessert. But then she was finally allowed to wander around and she immediately searched for the other children she had seen before.

The first she spotted was the Lan boy. He was still sat with his sect, prim and proper. She had never seen such a well behaved child. Intrigued, she headed over and tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, what's your name?" she executed a bow just like she had practiced with her father before flashing him a large smile.

He looked surprised, being approached like this but then he smiled back, nodding to her, "My name is Lan Huan. It's nice to meet you..."

"I'm A-Xin," she said, "Wanna play, Huan-gege?"

Liu Xin felt some eyes on them but she decided she didn't care. If they had a problem, they could use their words.

Lan Huan looked at a man with a goatee sitting next to him as if asking for permission. Said man looked Liu Xin up and down once and nodded.

Not waiting for her new friend to stand up, Liu Xin grabbed Lan Huan's arm and started dragging him along.

"Careful, A-Xin. You should slow down or you'll get hurt," Lan Huan called to her.

Liu Xin was so impressed by his advanced speaking abilities she didn't pay attention to where she was going for a moment, making her crash into someone. She would have fallen onto her butt, had Lan Huan not used his position behind her, to catch her.

"See?" he smiled down at her. Liu Xin rolled her eyes but smiled back. As soon as she was back on her feet she looked at who had blocked her way.

Before them stood a slightly taller boy in dark gray robes. His face looked thoroughly unimpressed as he scrutinized the girl that had bumped into him.

Lan Huan seemed to recognize the boy, calling out to him, "Hello Nie-xiong!"

The Nie's gaze shifted to the other boy and he raised an eyebrow.

"A-Huan? Didn't think I'd meet you again under such circumstances. Were you kidnapped by this brat?"

"Hey! A-Xin is no brat! A-Xin is A-Xin! Mean-gege," Liu Xin pouted turning to Lan Huan, "A-Xin is no brat, right Huan-gege?"

He simply patted her head, "A-Xin is just a little carefree. That isn't bad."

Liu Xin's pout transformed into a bright smile again and she leaned into the head pats.

"I see you've found yourself a fan, A-Huan. I was actually looking for you. Want to go get a little fresh air?"

"Can A-Xin come too?" Liu Xin asked, putting on her best puppy eyes.

The Nie boy tapped his chin for a moment before poking her in the chest, "Only if you don't call me 'Mean-gege' anymore. My name is Nie Qiang."

Liu Xin copied his thinking gesture before nodding and grinning at him.

"Alright, Qiang-gege. I am sorry I ran into you."

Nie Qiang let out a little burst of loud laughter before patting Lan Huan on the back and then the three children made their way away from the loud adults.

Tonight, Liu Xin had made two very good friends.

Author Note:

English is not my first language so I would appreciate it if you pointed any errors out to me. I'll try to correct it as soon as possible.