Previous Chapter | Project Page | Next Chapter
Chapter Twenty Six One of Ours
It was night. Wei Wei was twisting and turning in her little bed.
Her friends had gone to sleep after holding a meeting in their beds, but she couldn’t sleep. However, insomnia was probably normal in this case, especially after experiencing such a day. Another flip. She still couldn’t sleep. Wei Wei gave up and sat up, her chin resting on the knees of her bent legs. Sigh. Actually, she wasn’t anxious or depressed. But that feeling inside of her, it could only be expressed properly by sighing.
Exhaling through a sigh seemed to lessen that heavy weight that was resting on her heart.
Xiao Nai.
That person’s appearance floated up in her mind. Still or moving. Speaking or smiling. And then, what she had just breathed out returned once more.
Sitting for a long time with her blankets, Wei Wei finally nurtured a hint of sleepiness. She laid down to sleep but just before falling asleep, she seemed to hear that movement in the bed beside her. She slipped into sleep after that. When it was late at night, she was violently shaken awake. Wei Wei opened her eyes to see Er Xi standing beside the bed, weakly saying, “Wei Wei, I have diarrhoea, I don’t feel very good.”
Wei Wei was frightened awake, climbing down the bed to find her medicine. But it didn’t seem to help. In half an hour, Er Xi had gone to the washroom twice, and her face started to turn green. Both Xiao Ling and Si Si heard the noise and woke up. All three thought something was wrong, hurriedly dressed and took Er Xi to see the doctor.
Due to the fact that the dependability of the night shift at the school hospital was infamous, they didn’t feel safe taking Er Xi there. They went out through the Western Door, waved down a night taxi and managed to get to a nearby major hospital. The doctor asked a few questions, did a small test and diagnosed it as acute gastroenteritis which required an IV.
After Er Xi got a needle inserted and settled down on a bed, the other three managed to let out a breath. They discussed and since three people didn’t need to all be there, Xiao Ling went back first while Wei Wei and Si Si stayed behind to keep Er Xi company.
Er Xi went to the washroom two more times after the IV was administered and got much better after that. Wei Wei and Si Si got a chance to take a catnap, but the resting place wasn’t too comfortable. Wei Wei didn’t sleep for a long time. Er Xi was also awake. Her appearance had recovered a bit. Wei Wei looked at her watch. It was already seven o’clock.
Er Xi weakly said, “Wei Wei, yesterday, it was actually Da Shen who bought those snacks?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh~~Ambrosia cannot be eaten, it cannot be digested by us mortals.”
Wei Wei couldn’t help but laugh. Er Xi was still joking in this state. She stood and helped tuck the blankets in. Wei Wei’s thoughts started to wander as Er Xi mentioned Xiao Nai. It was seven, probably time to call Da Shen to not wait for her. She didn’t know why, but thinking that she didn’t have to go study together with Da Shen, her heart seemed to relax.
Her mind wasn’t in the hospital now, her gaze floating past. Er Xi was reclining, watching Wei Wei in her daze. She always knew that Wei Wei was beautiful, but after seeing it so many times, she had become used to it. But seeing the other warmly tuck in the blankets, her face full of dreaminess, her eyes extra bright, it was a beauty she hadn’t seen before.
The two were occupied with their thoughts, one standing, another lying down. Suddenly, the brightness in the room diminished, Wei Wei raised her head and looked towards the doorway.
Xiao Nai was standing at the doorway, looking at her piercingly.
The journey back to campus was in Xiao Nai’s car. The car was a very common brand. Wei Wei sat on the passenger seat. Er Xi, Si Si and Xiao Ling in the back.
On the road, Wei Wei heard Er Xi hiss at Xiao Ling, “Why did Xiao shixiong come with you?”
Xiao Ling explained furtively, “I called Da Zhong. He was too much of a busybody and told Xiao shixiong. And then shixiong said he would drive so it would be convenient.”
Er Xi worriedly said, “I don’t think that was a good choice.”
Si Si said, “You don’t have to worry, Xiao shixiong is one of ours.” [1]
Wei Wei listened, mortified, from the front. Did they think that their voices were very quiet, as to be able to say these kinds of things? And “one of ours”, they were way too familiar!
Er Xi was still worried. “But, Da Shen’s, us mor—“
Wei Wei realized what was wrong as Er Xi started and tried to interrupt before she said something like “Mortals riding along in Da Shen’s car will get in accidents.” She turned around and said, “Si Si is right, our people, ours!”
Instantly, it was quiet inside the car. Wei Wei finally registered what she had said in the rush and didn’t have the courage to turn back to the front.
Smiling and taking a peek at the person at the side who was trying very hard to decrease her presence, Xiao Nai opened his mouth, “You guys probably haven’t eaten breakfast yet. Why don’t we eat something before going back?”
At this moment, Wei Wei was very grateful to Da Shen. Da Shen was actually helping her out, he was too considerate.
Xiao Ling looked at Wei Wei and saw that she had no intention of speaking. Xiao Ling refused: “No thanks, we already created enough trouble for shixiong today.”
Xiao Nai smiled gently and said, “We’re our own people, no need to be polite.”
Wei Wei, “… …”
She just knew it. Consideration was just an illusion … …
In the end, they did eat breakfast together. Er Xi didn’t have much an appetite, but an empty stomach hurt too much, so she just ate some plain congee. After that, Xiao Nai solicitously drove them to the bottom of their building.
Wei Wei walked with even less strength than Er Xi back to her dorm. After opening the door, she fell right onto the bed.
If time could be reversed, it would be great. She definitely would not speak! Oh~~So the effect of lack of sleep on the reaction time of people was this great.
Wei Wei rolled in frustration on the bed, even more than she had last night. But whilte rolling and turning, she unthinkingly fell asleep.
This sleep lasted until noon. She was woken by the smell of food. Xiao Ling had sent a message earlier to Da Zhong to bring four sets of food to the building. Of course, Er Xi’s food was still white congee.
Wei Wei climbed down to eat, and was amazed to see that Er Xi was actually on the computer. Her appearance was much better but Wei Wei still worriedly asked, “You aren’t feeling bad?”
Even a cockroach’s recovery ability couldn’t be as strong as this.
“Just looking at some webpages.” Er Xi said exuberantly, “Wei Wei, there are so many postings on the university forums about you and Xiao Nai! They even have pictures of you two holding hands yesterday in the basketball stadium!”
Wei Wei choked on the food she had just started to eat. Taking her container along, she moved closer to see. On the computer, there was a large photo of Da Shen holding her hand in the basketball stadium. Because the photographer seemed to have been standing far away, the figures were small, but it was still recognizable as Bei Wei Wei and Xiao Nai.
Wei Wei went through a few postings. It was similar to what Er Xi had said, so she returned the computer and continued eating, “Our school likes gossiping way too much.”
“Ahh, it’s exam time. Everybody starts gossiping closer to exam time. This is the infamous relaxation activity!”
It was very reasonable, but when she became the relaxation topic … …
Wei Wei could only chomp heavily on a rib to express her frustration.
When they were almost done eating, the phone in the dorm sounded. Xiao Ling went over to pick it up. After a few seconds, she called Wei Wei, “Wei Wei, it’s our own people calling!”
Wei Wei embarrassedly walked over to take the phone. After saying “Hello,” a voice came over from the other side.
“Got up?”
The voice from the other end was very deep, very different from how he spoke in person. Wei Wei suddenly realized. This was the first time she was having a phone call with Da Shen.
“En, got up.”
“Are you going to study in the afternoon?”
“I want to, but there’re no spots left now.” This close to exam period, the availability of seats was very tight.
That was a problem. On the other side, Xiao Nai muttered to himself and said, “There’s a place that’s very quiet. I’ll come over to take you.”
Wei Wei’s residential dorm was one of the new ones built by UA a few years ago. It mimicked the style of the Republican era. The brick red building was straight and sturdy, enclosed in layers of greenery. The surrounding environment was also very romantic. Beside the flower tanks in front of the building, there were always groups of male suitors for the girls that lived there. Banquets of flowers and gifts were a frequent occurrence. But today, there was another person standing there, and suddenly, the harmony was broken.
Wei Wei came out of the building and saw Xiao Nai immediately. Under everybody’s stares, he still stood confidently and calmly beside the flower tank, a bike beside him.
Wei Wei walked over to Xiao Nai’s side under the sideways glances of others. Because she had come down the stairs very quickly, she was panting. Her cheeks were dusted with pink and her eyes were shining.
“Where are we going?”
“I’ll take you there.” Xiao Nai casually grabbed the backpack from her hands and hung it on the bike.
This was the second time that Wei Wei was riding on Xiao Nai’s bike. She was much more natural this time around. In reality, if she were to pick now, she would want to be on the bike. She felt that it required more bravery to walk side by side with Da Shen. And as to the stares that followed them as they passed by … …
The photos had already been plastered on the web, so she didn’t have any worries left. She disregarded all of them.
Because she hadn’t been concentrating, Wei Wei sat on the bike and didn’t realize that the route they were taking was wrong. It wasn’t until the bike went out of the Western Door that she realized, “Aren’t we going to study?”
“That place is outside campus.”
Going out of UA’s Western Door, around the corner was the famous Silicon Valley of China. Ten minutes later, Xiao Nai stopped in from of a large building and took Wei Wei up to the sixth floor.
Wei Wei saw the golden words “Zhi Yi Technologies” right out of the elevator. A sudden thought arose. Was this … …
“Your company?”
“En.” Xiao Nai unlocked the closed door, “Come in, today’s Sunday, nobody is here.”
Wei Wei came in with the reverence of meeting a god, carefully entering his temple. Her head moved slightly in every direction as she tried to take it all in.
Xiao Nai’s company didn’t take up much space, almost half of the level. But most technology and software companies were also this big. More floor space would be a waste. There was nobody else in at the moment, but it still emanated a feeling of vibrancy and energy. This had something to do with the open space floor plan or the decorations on the desks that she saw as they passed by.
Xiao Nai led her deeper inwards. At the end, he opened an office where the door said “Xiao Nai.”
Da Shen’s office?
Wei Wei was curious and even more carefully entered. She was occupied with investigating this strange space and didn’t realize that she had been tricked into a place where there was no one else >o<
Xiao Nai switched on the air conditioning and placed Wei Wei’s backpack on the sofa.
“Would this place work for studying?”
Wei Wei nodded and sat down on the sofa. Xiao Nai didn’t pay any more attention to her, opening his computer to do his own work.
The air conditioning blew out cold air, sweeping away the dry heat they had let in from outside. In this comfortable and clean location, Wei Wei held her book, but couldn’t focus on it.
Just like Da Shen had said, this place was very quiet. But it was so quiet as to be disquieting. Especially when Wei Wei just realized, there was only the two of them here … …
Xiao Nai raised his head to look at her since the sound of pages flipping had ceased. She was obviously not focusing and he said, “Wei Wei, come over and take a look at this.”
Eh?
Wei Wei put down her book and went over. Looking at his computer, on the display of Da Shen’s computer, there were several exquisitely attractive models of both genders, clad in medieval-style clothing.
“What’s this?”
“The basic avatars for Dreams of Jianghu 2.”
Wei Wei felt that the food was tasteless. She put the container aside, and took over Er Xi’s computer.
Er Xi said, “You don’t have to look, there’s not much on there. At the beginning, not a lot of people believed it, then that photo came out and shocked a whole bunch of people. People are gossiping about when you guys started and all that. Haha, oh, that post that said you guys were the most incompatible also came back.”
[1] 自己人: our people or my people/person. Sort of implies a very intimate relationship.
Um, that last paragraph is out of place. Thanks for the chapter!
I didn’t get the last part, but thanks for the chapter 😀