A Slight Smile is Very Charming (微微一笑很倾城) : Part 45

Part 45: Let Me Be Your Follower

After that day, ButterflyDreams called Wei Wei to apologize.  Wei Wei told her politely that it was okay.  She was able to tell her “it was okay” so easily because Wei Wei will not consider her as a friend anymore.

Perhaps she had a reason; something she could not explain to her.  But friends shouldn’t deceive and use each other like that.

ButterflyDreams seemed to realize this and can only let out a sigh.  She never contacted Wei Wei again.

 

Wei Wei continues to be a lively little intern.  She has become more and more familiar with the employees at Zhi Yi, but there is a downside to knowing each other too well.  For example, just the day before, when she suggested some recommendations for the family simulation content at the creativity brainstorming meeting, although everyone applauded the idea, they quickly went awry.

“Sigh, Junior Classmate, we’re a group of unlucky children who have never fallen in love before.  We’ll have to rely on you to come up with ideas for the family simulation gameplay.”

“Yes, yes.  Just write down all the things you want to do with Big Brother Xiao.  That is creativity right there.”

“Hehheh,” someone snickers, “Good thing that it’s not what Big Brother Xiao wants to do with Junior Classmate.”

The crowd immediately laughs wickedly together, “That would be restricted content.”

Wei Wei stares up to the ceiling in speechlessness and thinks in her heart.  She can already look forward to her more and more intrepid future.

 

Xiao Nai has an appointment to discuss partnership with a client in the afternoon, so Wei Wei, YuGong, and MoZhaHim are going to lunch together.  The mysterious master KO actually shows up with MoZhaHim.

The server gives the menu to the only female guest at the table.  Wei Wei takes the menu and hands it over to KO, “Senior KO, why don’t you order?”

KO shakes his head coolly.

MoZhaHim asks feeling upset, “How come you never call me Senior Hao?”

Everyone is older than Wei Wei at the office, so Wei Wei always addresses everyone by “Senior” so and so; she even calls YuGong a Senior, boosting his already very big ego.  Wei Wei also calls Xiao Nai a Senior at work, but it’s only MoZhaHim that she doesn’t address him as “Senior Hao.”  She calls him Senior Beauty.

Hearing MoZhaHim complain, Wei Wei explains helplessly, “……If I call you that, the Great Master will kill me.”

MoZhaHim thinks for a moment and realizes the problem, so he quickly says, “It’s best that you don’t call me that then.  He won’t kill you, he’ll just kill me.”

Senior Hao, Senior Hao~~~ (“Good Senior”, my favorite Senior)

YuGong recites it twice and is also enlightened.  He snickers at the thought.

 

After ordering their dishes hastily, the three of them chat while waiting.  It’s only the three of them chatting because KO doesn’t talk.  As they chit chat, MoZhaHim suddenly laments, “Actually, I had a relationship in an online game before.”

Wei Wei asks curiously, “With whom?  How come we’ve never heard about it?”

MoZhaHim explains, “It’s not in ‘Dream Voyage in Rivers and Lakes.’  I played a different one before that called, ‘Fantasy Planet.’  I played as a doctor in it.”

Although Wei Wei has never played “Fantasy Planet,” she has browsed the website before and knows about the Doctor character.  Wei Wei says in shock, “You played as a female character!?”

“Hehheh, the character matches my esthetic tastes.”

The dishes are brought to the table one after the other.  MoZhaHim continues while eating, “After playing for a while, I saw others getting married, so I also wanted to get married.”

“Uh, Senior, weren’t you playing as a female character?  Were you looking for a man?”

“No!  I was planning to find a cross-player.”

……Is that acceptable?

In the gaming world, male-to-female cross-players are guys who play as female characters; female-to-male cross-players are girls who play as male characters.  Due to each player’s taste, female-to-male cross-players are just as popular as male-to-female cross-players.

“In the game, there is a character named FloweryArrow.  Its personality was very girly.  Basically, a normal guy would not choose this character, but girls liked it a lot, and a lot of them played as this character.  Therefore, I wanted to marry a FloweryArrow.  I especially looked for girl with a poetic name called something like HandPickingStars.”

“This name is very bold and lofty.  Why does it have to be a girl?”

MoZhaHim says feeling victimized, “I thought only girls would like to pick stars.  In order to show that I’m a person with depth, I purposely avoided asking about her gender, but after we were in a relationship for a month, she turned out to be a male-to-female cross-player among the female-to-male cross-players!”

So complicated.  Swirls are rotating on Wei Wei’s eyes, “So was it a he or a she?”

YuGong, who knows the inside scoop, explains, “It means that it was a guy.”

“What happened then?”

“Nothing.  Ever since I found out that it was a guy, I stopped playing the game.”

After a moment of being struck dumbed, Wei Wei omnisciently says, “Senior Beauty, I can’t believe you’re blaming it on the other person.  You’re the one who pretended to be a girl and deceived the other player’s feelings.  To add to that, you didn’t end what you started.”

“‘Didn’t end what you started.’  Yes, that’s the perfect idiom to use, third sister-in-law,” YuGong nods furiously.

MoZhaHim cries, “My motive was innocent and pure!”

Usually, the reticent KO doesn’t comment on anything; he’s always quietly eating his food, and then quietly watching others eat when he’s finished.  He finishes eating quietly as well this time, but right after he puts his chopsticks down, he stares at MoZhaHim and actually opens his mouth, “Was the server you were playing on called, Chang’an Under The Moon?”

MoZhaHim asks in shock, “How did you know?”

KO maintains his stern expression and says coldly, “Because I was the male-to-female cross-player playing as a female-to-male cross-player.”

 

Without even finishing their food, YuGong and Wei Wei find an excuse and leave.  The moment they step out, YuGong exhales a long breath, “It’s so scary with all the thunder roars and sparks of fire in there.”

Wei Wei agrees, feeling the same, “Those glaring eyes are vicious!”

“This is fate.”

“It’s definitely an ill fate.”

“Junior Classmate!”

“Senior Classmate!”

“Let’s get back to the office.”

“Mm.”

 

When Wei Wei and Xiao Nai arrive at the doorstep of Zhi Yi the next day, MoZhaHim immediately comes running over, “Third Brother, you be the judge!  KO is committing sexual harassment at a workplace!”

“How did he harass you?” Wei Wei asks, but quickly realizes that it came out wrong due to speaking too fast.  Wei Wei lowers her voice and asks again in a serious manner, “Senior, how did he harass you.  Please tell us in full details.  We will definitely take care of this!”

MoZhaHim says full of resentment, “He is forcing me to go on that awful game and get married with him!”

Wei Wei is now getting worked up while taking his side, “How can he do that?!  That’s too much!”

“Yeah!  He said he was made fun of by others, so now he wants to reclaim his territory.  Holy shit!  The players of that game are probably long gone!  What territory does he want to reclaim!?”

Wei Wei just can’t help herself from wavering, “Senior KO also has a point.  You were the one who deceived him after all, so you should take responsibility.”

MoZhaHim glances at her depressingly, and then turns over to the more dependable Xiao Nai, “Third Brother, you must do what’s right!”

But the words that Xiao Nai says surprise everybody, “This is not bad.  I was originally worried about not being able to keep KO here.  Looks like I don’t anymore.”

MoZhaHim stares at Xiao Nai in full of sadness and as if he was betrayed, “Third Brother, how can you be so heartless?  How can you let me go marry him?”

Xiao Nai murmurs, “What if I give you a bonus?”

MoZhaHim immediately answers with full of energy, “I will do it for a thousand bucks.”

Xiao Nai assesses him from head to toe.

MoZhaHim holds his chest out high and expresses his stance of giving “no bargaining” room further.

Xiao Nai thinks for a moment, and nods.

MoZhaHim cheers and dashes to the programming department right away, “KO, let’s go get married.  I’ll treat you to a big meal tonight to celebrate!”

Everyone around them quietly disperse while chatting about them.

“Big Brother Mei views virginity too lightly.”

“Men these days!  It’s rare to find someone like me who is morally upright!”

“Big Brother Xiao’s reward is too high!  How can Big Brother Mei be worth a thousand bucks?  He should have taken a fifty percent discount along with a freebie!”

“Since Big Brother Mei is marrying KO, should we start calling him Beautiful Brother Mei?” (‘Mei Mei Ge’ — ‘Mei Mei’ has the same pronunciation as pretty girl)

“Great name!  Beautiful Brother Mei, we want to be invited to the banquet, or at least hand out some wedding candies!”

 

Under the joyous (?) atmosphere, summer comes close to the end.  Wei Wei starts putting some time aside to write her internship experience report.  Although Wei Wei is a good student, her reports often can’t escape the habit of being wordy with no substance.  However, it won’t happen this time; there are a load of things that she has to write about, but of course, she will be careful not to reveal any inside secrets on the Great Master’s company.

Just when her report is half done, Xiao Nai suddenly says one day, “How about we go somewhere for vacation?”

Wei Wei blinks, “Where?”

“Xi’an.”

She has never been to Xi’an before, but will she have enough money to go there for vacation?  There’s no way that she will call home and ask for money since she told her parents that she was doing an internship at City B.

Wei Wei is in a complete dilemma.

Xiao Nai doesn’t need to ask to know what’s troubling her mind, “I’ll cover all of the expenses.  Take it that it’s part of the internship.”

Wei Wei asks feeling a little embarrassed, “Will I…have my own hotel room to stay in?”

Xiao Nai glances at her, “For the sake of my innocence that goes without saying.”

Wei Wei wraps her hands around his arm, “Big Brother Xiao, you’re too kind!  Let me be your follower.”