The day of the award arrived sooner than expected. I carried the bags and didn’t even glance at the cheap shoes that my husband bought for me. I didn’t want to remember Lewis at this time when I was about to step on the stage with someone I love. I grinned from ear-to-ear upon thinking of this.
I wore normal sandals and walked out of home with the new dress at hand. I was so happy that I even forgot to glance at my husband, who was watching me with a smile on his face. When I walked out of the house without seeing him, his smile dimmed a little before he entered the kitchen.
No one knew what this guy was thinking about.
Meanwhile, I went to the nearby shoe shop and glanced through the shoes available there. Soon enough, an employee of the shop came toward me and asked, “Do you want to buy something, ma’am?”
I showed him the dress in the bag and said, “I want matching shoes for this. Do you have it?”
Since I was already earning more than enough, I didn’t plan to get a cheap shoe for my sparkling dress. I wanted to be worthy of standing beside Vampire on the stage, the person who loved me and made it possible for me to become a writer today! I couldn’t help but feel a joyous feeling inside my heart upon thinking of him.
The employee nodded and went back to the shelf to find a shoe that could match my dress and came back soon enough. Just as I looked inside, I fell in love with the high hill shoe that seemed more like it was created out of crystals. I kept staring at it for a long time until a gasp escaped my lips. This shoe looked far more elegant than what Lewis brought for me.
Sure, it was good when one has to go for something simple but effective, and it even matched my dress well, I still couldn’t bring myself to wear it.
I took a deep breath to calm myself. The shoe that this employee presented me just now was so good that I couldn’t help but feel an emotion of love bubbling inside my heart. How would Vampire react after seeing this? This shoe would be something I was buying with my own money, after all! How could I not be happy?
“How much is this?” I asked, suppressing my happy tone.
“Ah, this shoe is our newest design. It is very popular among our customers.” Then he started to explain about the shoe a bit more making me feel like I had somehow stepped inside a television where they were giving an advertisement of this, and at last, he gave me the price. “It’s 5, 000 Yuan.”
My eyes widened at that. I knew that the price of the shoe would be higher, but this was way too much! I had just earned double this amount of money, and I was starting to spend it already!
But when I thought of Vampire and his elegance, I calmed myself and took out my card to pay the bill. This was the first time I would be wearing this shoe for the award anyway. So I should just go all out! I would be earning from my book to fill my belly!
I made a decision and paid the money before taking the shoe away. After that, I travelled to the place of the award show and entered through the backdoor. As soon as I went there, I spotted Vampire in an instant.
A smile formed on my lips.
At this time, he was wearing a white outfit with a tie that matched with my dress. I stared at him for what it felt like hours, completely stunned. I couldn’t move my gaze away from him, and neither could I blink. All of a sudden, he looked at me and his smile widened as our eyes met.
My heart thudded inside my chest. I patted my cheeks that were already burning.
He was even more handsome than I had imagined! I walked toward him, the smile never leaving my face. Then he was the first to speak, “Why are you so happy? It must be because you’re getting the award, right?”
I chuckled and said, “I’m not! I’m happy because you’re here with me.”
He looked at me with a confused expression which was soon replaced by an understanding one. Then he smiled and said, “That’s right, I’m here with you, so you must be happy.”
I nodded and took a small glance at the other people around us. There were a lot of people who had spotted Vampire and were looking at him with admiring eyes.
“Can I ask you something?” I said to him in a low voice. After watching him in a formal dress, I realized that I loved him, but I still wanted to confirm if he returned my feelings. Of course, we both knew that we were dating and had feelings for each other, but love was something deep, and it could even become a taboo if you fall for the wrong person. This was why I was reluctant to say anything about it, but I couldn’t hold back.
“Of course. What is it?” he replied.
“How do you know that you love someone?” I asked, trying to hold back my anxiety.
I quietly looked at my feet while waiting for his response. I didn’t want to see his expression because I couldn’t really tell if he was surprised or not. I felt my heart thumping hard in my chest while I waited.
I heard him sigh softly. I looked up at him again and saw that he was staring at me with a smile on his face. He was the kind of person who would smile in every situation, but right now, it seemed like he was smiling just for me. Then he said, “You’ll know when you really love someone.”
I nodded in response and smiled. Then he added, “Do you want to know how I know?”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to tell me.”
A gentle breeze blew causing my hair to dance in the air. Then he smiled again and said, “I’ve been in love recently, but I can’t afford to do anything about it.” His smile turned sad before he pursed his lips. “Let’s change the topic.”
“Sure.” I bent down to show him my feet. “How’re my shoes?”
He glanced down and smiled before nodding in response. Both of us walked behind the stage while the audience couldn’t help but scream in response until we disappeared. Since Vampire was already ready, he could only wait.
I hurriedly went with the make-up artist before I wore the sparkling dress my editor bought for me the day before. After that, she helped me put on make-up and gave my hair a light touch up. In the end, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I was stunned.
Before me, a beautiful girl was standing with curly hair and yellow highlights on the side. She wore a beautiful dress with a matching pair of shoes.
My eyes widened as I continued to stare at her with my mouth opened wide. I couldn’t believe it. Could I look so beautiful?!
I imagined Vampire’s gaze lingering on me as a trace of blush crept up my face. I lowered my head and patted my cheeks to relieve my face from the heat. After that, I stepped out of the make-up area and met Vampire, who was already standing behind the curtains. When he saw me, his eyes lingered on my figure for a moment before he smiled and said, “You look beautiful.”
Before I could say a single word, the curtains opened and all I heard was the sound of the audience screaming at the top of their lungs. Some of those people were even holding a banner where the name of my novel was written in bold letters. Many of them were even carrying the banners of the male and the female lead’s names.
I couldn’t help but feel delighted upon seeing this.
This was all possible because of Vampire. I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes only to find that he was already looking at me with an adoring gaze. I instantly averted my eyes as my cheeks flushed.
At this time, all I could feel was the warmth of Vampire in my heart. The audience cheering for both of us made me feel like I was in heaven. I almost started to consider myself a heavenly princess who had just stepped on the stage with her lover, a prince of an Earthly kingdom. It felt like this guy had just won my hand and wanted to show me off to the world. And even the entire world had accepted us, and were cheering for us!
This dream felt so real for a moment that I even forgot about my husband. I just wanted time to stop right here so that I could experience this scene again and again.
Unfortunately, I knew none of this was real. I was on the stage for receiving an award, not to just stand on the stage with Vampire.
I wasn’t some princess, but a normal girl who managed to get lucky.
A bitter smile formed on my lips at that.