・・・☆・Forty Four ・・・☆・

Yingyue's first victim in terms of waking up was Meizuo. It was not because she wanted to viciously wake him but rather so that he could head down first so the three members of F4 which were downstairs could spend some time together before the others awoke. There was also the chance that he was still asleep and she could get him back for one of his harsh wake's from their previous trip abroad. But she wouldn't tell anyone that aloud just because it was more fun that way. 

The only problem was that she could hear his voice as he stood on the phone from behind his door. Her first instinct was to immediately turn away and leave him to his privacy in terms of the call. However she overheard him mention Chang-xiou's name and making it obvious that he was speaking to the girl on the other side of the phone. Yingyue missed her friend and wanted to say hello and therefore she lingered on the other side of the door waiting for the right moment to knock and see if she could say 'hi'. 

"How did it go, did she turn up to the dress fitting?" Yingyue felt incredibly awkward standing the other side of the door as the words spoken made very little sense to her she was confused as to what dress fitting Chang-xiou mentioned as she wasn't sure the girl had anything big coming up but just shrugged it off. Rather she pushed it aside becoming fed up of waiting around to enter going forward to knocking on the door.

"Hang on Chang." Meizuo's voice came through the door as he swung it open to be met with the grinning face of Yingyue.

"Did I just hear that Chang-xiou is on the phone? I wanna speak to my best girl." Yingyue beckoned for the phone and let out a cheer when it was passed over to her. 

"Yeye."

"Chang" 

"How's the holiday going?" Chang-xiou's voice rung through the speaker and Yingyue felt herself wanting to sigh as truthfully the holiday was going pear shaped.

"About as drama filled as all of our holidays, one time we will have a nice calm holiday." Were the only words Yingyue felt as though she could really use to describe their current situation rather she waited for the other girls next words as she motioned for Meizuo to finish getting ready so they could head out. 

"Maybe your honeymoon huh?" Yingyue could just tell the girl was smirking on the other side and she rolled her eyes, how much would she bet regarding whether this would be true or not. Either way she very quickly bid the girl a goodbye and left the room on her next adventure. 

The next person to wake would have been Xiaoyou however, the younger girl met Yingyue in the corridor her coat already on and it seemed as though she was ready to head out and search for the others. Yingyue went to stop the girl in the hall casually by just stepping so she blocked the walkway. Though it would appear the younger girl was not paying as much attention to where she was going, than thought considering the pair collided with a rather loud smack. The collision was enough to rock Yingyue's centre of balance and she found herself reaching out to the wall for some stability. 

"Oh my goodness Yingyue I am so sorry." Xiaoyou's words were formal as her face flushed in embarrassment and Yingyue wanted to say something a little harsh back just reminding the girl to take caution in where she walked. However, with the younger girls reaction Yingyue couldn't say anything even remotely mean to her, she wanted to just coddle the younger. 

"Don't worry about it Xiaoyou, just head downstairs Lei is in the kitchen, I'll get the others and we'll head out to search together." Yingyue bid her a quick goodbye before grasping the vase off the table just outside the other two 'guests' rooms.

She smiled removing the pretty little bouquet of flowers from inside before taking the water into the girls room. She was not surprised to see the two still fast asleep, considering she had a strong suspicion neither were going to be losing any sleep regarding the two missing members of their holiday party. She had still not bothered to learn which name went with which girl rather deciding to just attack the first one with the water who's bed was closest to the door. Tipping the vase to a 45 degree angle Yingyue withheld the little giggle she so desperately wanted to let out as she watched the water pour onto the sleeping figure. Quickly dashing towards the other bed she repeated her action ensuring each girl was covered in half of the water before stepping back to press herself against the bedroom wall. The two girls woke with equal shrieks of horror at their sudden awakening. Only to come face to face with a gleaming Yingyue. The older girl just gave them each a beam of a smile before her words were spoken in a rather menacing tone. 

"I hope you can get up and dressed quickly, we're heading out to search and you better bet we find them." 

Stood in the kitchen the group of seven were planning out their route to take to see if they could find the two missing individuals. Lei was currently moving around a biro pen plotting out their route trying to take the best action that would allow them to see as much of the dense space around the villa. However, the slamming of the front door and a set of footsteps was enough to disrupt the group from what they were currently doing. Almost instantly the group started to move their way to the living room, Xiaoyou was in the front of the group in motion with the others only millimetres in her footsteps. 

The sight greeting them in the living room was enough for Yingyue to let out a sigh of relief. For having stumbled in was both Si and Shancai and it was a sight that could have brought tears to the heiress' eyes. For they were both safe. Yingyue tuned out whatever Xiaoyou spoke to Shancai as she rushed towards Si. She watched as he stood from where he had been crouched beside Shancai checking over once more that the girl was okay before Yingyue moved to crush Si in her arms. Her arms were tight around the boy she considered almost a brother as she waited for him to reciprocate the hug. Satisfied with the boy wrapping his own arms around her, Yingyue pulled back a stern look on her face. 

"Don't you ever think of doing something like this again." She chided the boy keeping him at just an arms length looking upwards and trying to seem as intimidating as possible despite the height different. 

"We thought you had died out there." Lei backed up Yingyue's actions with his own words of concern for the pair. 

"A mere blizzard can't do anything to me." Si tried to bat away the affections and signs of care from his friends as he slowly attempted to pull away from Yingyue, though her grip was like steel as she refused to let him move away in fear that this was some delusion she had dreamt up during the night. 

"Glad you're okay." Ximen's voice spoke up from behind Si and Yingyue his words seemed a little tense and Yingyue wondered if in that moment he was a little jealous. Deciding to push this back for a moment and bring it up much later on in the day she turned her attention back to the conversation. 

"Sure we're okay but who was it that said Xiaoyou went out." Si's words were aimed at the two outcasts in the room and Yingyue wanted to smirk she knew where this was going to head and wondered if her words or Si's would be better towards the two girls. 

"Shancai I'm so glad you're okay, they say that you are blessed if you survive a crisis."Xinhui replied the guilt evident on her face and Yingyue finally stepped back from her hold on Si in order to see where this was going to go next. 

"If Si and Shancai did not make it back, how would you make it up?" Lei questioned and Yingyue sent the two girls another look, they knew what would happen to them theoretically had the two not made it back. 

"I won't allow such despicable women to be under the same roof as me." Si went to throw the two out but he was stopped.

"We don't have to worry about that do we Yeye?" Meizuo's voice called out as he recalled the very harsh words from the night beforehand. 

"Oh no need to worry about that Si, we came to an agreement last night. I believe it is time for that agreement to be fulfilled." Yingyue had been awaiting to say those words ready to chuck the two girls out to wait for the taxi to collect them from outside the house. It would be a nice fulfilling action. 

"I don't want that to happen." Shancai spoke up as she worked out what Yingyue had meant by her words and Yingyue spun to look at the girl with confusion. 

"What would you rather have happen?" Si spoke as he too was on the same page as Yingyue, throwing the two girls out. 

"I want them to clean the house." Shancai's request seemed absolutely ridiculous to Yingyue, these girls had threatened her safety and life by sending her out to a blizzard, yet the girl was happy to forgive them and just make them clean the house in retribution. Was she even aware that someone was being paid to clean the house and therefore there was very little to no mess for these other girls to clean?

"Clean the house?" Lei was the first to vocalise his concerns regarding the idea

"Thats the punishment?" Ximen was quick to back the objection to the idea up.

"They're going to have to clean for a minimum of 10 years." Meizuo voiced in as well it would appear all four members of F4 were against this idea if the look on Si's face was anything to go by. 

"Okay, we'll clean it straight away. Where's the broom?" Xinhui was quick to agree with this new punishment considering how much nicer it was compared to the agreement they had made the night before. 

"Thanks Shancai, Thanks Daoming-Si." Baihe quickly spoke as to protest this new punishment being changed. The pair rushing off out of the room as to avoid conflict. 

"It is snowy and cold, how about some wine to warm up?" Meizuo tried to move the conversation onwards. Yingyue was quick to move over and give him a tap on the shoulder for such an idea. 

"Oh no how about I get some hot chocolate going, you can both head for a warm shower and a nap after what you've gone through, you must be exhausted." Yingyue proposed her new idea not giving anyone a chance to argue against it before walking her way into the kitchen.

"Is there any point in trying to say no?" Shancai's voice rung out as she watched the retreating figure of Yingyue as the older girl left the room.

"I wouldn't bother, she's rather stubborn." Meizuo responded. 

・・・☆・

It was not much later that the group found themselves back in the living room all sat together, minus the two girls who were still cleaning the house. Despite Yingyue having followed through with her own plan so had Meizuo who had brought a couple bottles of red wine up from the cellar for the group to enjoy. Offering the pair either substance Yingyue was not surprised to see Si reach for the glass of wine, forever the alcoholic that one. Shancai carefully accepted the mug of hot chocolate watching as the other mug was offered to Xiaoyou. Yingyue could only give them both a smile before she headed elsewhere to find somewhere to sit. There was only three single seater chairs in the room and fitting seven individuals was going to be a difficult feat. Shancai and Si obviously got the prime seating option as the pair were being babied considering the ordeal the previous hours had meant. Yet, the other one was claimed by Meizuo who was just so tired of standing. As the others perched themselves on an armchair Yingyue looked around for a suitable place for herself. Taking Meizuo as the mostly likely to push her off but also the most likely to not suddenly start sneezing around her, Yingyue took the other arm of the chair he sat on as her current seat. 

"The blizzard was terrible last night, how did you two survive?" Lei started the questioning about the night before, questions which most of them wanted the answers to. 

"What do you mean?" Si was the first to speak after an awkward pause, Yingyue felt the need to stifle a giggle at his actions for she knew and he knew what kind of things Lei was hinting at. 

"It was snowing so heavily, where did you go?" Ximen piped in this time a mischievous look upon his face as he hinted thickly at what the boys were trying to get at. 

"Could it be like what happens in romance movies? Holding one another whilst naked to keep warm." Meizuo was not as subtle in his questioning going straight to the point a very expected characteristic for the gossiping aunt of the group. When neither of the pair in question answered the three sat on the same chair turned to one another with the biggest smirk on their features possible.

"No way we guessed it." The three spoke in unison though Yingyue leant back in amusement as she gathered what was going to come next. Wrapping Ximen's arm around himself Meizuo went into the most dramatic reenactment he could with the gathered scenario. 

"I'm so scared, I'm going to faint." Meizuo's voice was higher in pitch in normal as he gave his best impression of Shancai.

"Come, lean on me. My chest is warm" Ximen spoke as he pulled Meizuo in close and Yingyue let out a small giggle at the pairs actions always respecting the two jokesters to be able to bring light to any situation. 

"Hold me tight, hold me tighter." Meizuo continued on not paying any attention to the looks the rest of the group was giving the two men but Yingyue saw. She saw the awkward glances between Si and Shancai making it just as obvious as to what had really gone down the night before. "Huaze Lei you can be the burning fire." Meizuo continued to add on encouraging the other male into the acting. Lei was happy to play along with the other two wiggling his arms around to replicate the flames of the fire. 

"Stop it, we didn't do that." Shancai tried to disrupt the teasing of the now three men yet with her cheeks burning there was a very high chance that the group of boys was more accurate than not. 

"If not, why are you two blushing." Xiaoyou commented and the whole group waited for the response of the pair. 

"I can't be bothered with this. This is lame." An embarrassed Si snapped out before standing from his chair and attempting to head out of the room. Only to not realise he was heading in the wrong direction to leave the room. After being 'kindly' informed he was heading in the wrong direction Shancai was also quick to scamper to her feet and head out of the room, Xiaoyou hot on her heels. 

Yingyue took seconds to rush to the seat the other two girls had vacated lounging down rather ungratefully. Her legs kicked out in front of her she drew her attention to the remaining inhabitants of the room.

"Do you reckon they made it all the way?" Meizuo now asked the remaining friends the group more than happy to gossip about those who had now gone.

"I dunno, Si actually having enough game? Doesn't seem possible." Yingyue responded to the question.

"Are you suggesting that Si is a ladies man?" Ximen also voiced in as each of the group recalled the rather questionable attempts Si had previously made in an attempt to win Shancai over in the previous months. 

"Of course he isn't Xi, that's like saying Lei is a ladies man." Yingyue couldn't not take the opportunity to tease Lei. 

"Hey!" Lei tried to protest against the girl not happy with the way she was portraying him.

"Didn't you want pointers this morning?" Yingyue continued mercilessly. The group of four's laughter rung out throughout the house.