A Slight Smile is Very Charming (微微一笑很倾城) : Part 48 (Final)

Part 48: Ending

It’s another year in June.

The summer seems to have come a lot sooner this year.  It was already starting to feel warm in May, and now it feels like a hot summer in June.  Er Xi, who’s helping Wei Wei to carry her bamboo mat (cool mat), thumps her footsteps up the stairs while complaining, “Wei Wei, isn’t this supposed to be a high end condo?  How can the elevators be out of service?”

“What high end?  More like high priced,” Wei Wei is also out of energy; she is carrying even more stuff than Er Xi.  She’s holding two bags full of stuff in her hands and two pillows under her arms.

Xiao Ling and Si Si are following behind them with fewer things to carry; one of them is carrying a tea set and the other is carrying a big vase……

These are all things that Wei Wei has just bought at the supermarket……

They were originally only going out for dinner, but after hearing that Wei Wei got her wedding gown today, Xiao Ling and the rest insisted on seeing it.  Therefore, Wei Wei deliberately took them to the supermarket to pick up a bunch of things and got them to help carry them to her place >o<

Xiao Ling asks out of breath, “How much farther do we have to go?”

“Haven’t you been here before?”

“But I’m already feeling dizzy from climbing all the stairs.”

Wei Wei wipes her sweat with the back of her hand, “We’ll be there in no time, just two more floors.”

“There are still two more floors?!~~~” Si Si wails.

They finish climbing the two floors with much difficulty.  As soon as Wei Wei opens the door, Xiao Ling and the others immediately roll themselves onto the sofa.  Er Xi lies flat on it and gazes around the apartment.  She suddenly asks out of the whim, “Wei Wei, when I find my man, I’ll have your Great Master design my home.”

“Me too!  I like the style of your place,” Xiao Ling adds.  It’s not the first time that she and Er Xi have been here, but she always has to give her compliments every time.

Wei Wei responds while making tea, “I also took part in designing, so why aren’t you guys asking me instead?”

“Pshhh……All the bad parts are your designs.”

Wei Wei feels depressed.  Why do things always turn out this way?  She designed the place with the Great Master together, but everyone praises the Great Master for the work.

Sigh~~~ When will she shine under the blinding radiance of the Great Master?

Si Si didn’t get a chance to visit the last two times, so it’s her first time here.  During the conversation between the others, she has already taken a look around the place.

 

This high level apartment is located at Ming Wei Garden.  It was given to them last year autumn as an engagement gift from the Great Master’s parents.

Speaking of which, Wei Wei has never believed that parents are obligated to buy homes for their children, but since it is a gift from his parents out of kindness, she is not so hypocritical as to decline it.  However, if his parents still have to live in the old apartment assigned by the school, that’s a different story.

Wei Wei did feel a little guilty when she got the apartment.  After all, the Great Master doesn’t split a single penny of his company’s earnings to his parents.  Thus, it puzzled Wei Wei that the Great Master let his parents purchase them an apartment when he had the money to do so himself.  Although they only gave them the down payment, it was still over a hundred thousand.  For a professor in the history or the archaeology department, which doesn’t bring much extra earnings, a hundred thousand must have been most of their savings.

Moreover, it wasn’t like they had to buy a new apartment.  Xiao Nai’s old place wasn’t bad.

Xiao Nai was a little helpless after understanding how she felt.  He explained, “They are used to living at the school because my grandpa used to live there.  My dad was my grandpa’s student, and that apartment was where they first met.”

Xiao Nai said with a chuckle, “Furthermore, my mom and dad aren’t that poor.”

Later when Xiao Nai’s mom, Professor Lin, found out about this, she liked Wei Wei even more.  Receiving appreciation for your kindness is one of the most satisfying feelings.  Feeling delighted, Professor Lin reminded Mr. Xiao not to complain about being short on budget for his archaeological expeditions when he is in front of their soon-to-be daughter in-law, making her think that they’re “short on money.”  She spoke as she flipped through her things, already planning to send more gifts.

Therefore, the night before the wedding, Wei Wei received a suet white jade bracelet that was supposedly passed on in the family.  This was when Wei Wei finally believed what the Great Master said.  As a prestigious family who delve in literary works, others may mistake them for being poor, but for all we know, a calligraphy painting that is hung casually on the wall could be a priceless masterpiece from a famous artist.

The suet white jade bracelet made Wei Wei very nervous.  There is a price for gold, but not for jade, especially for suet white jade.  Although the Great Master’s mom said that it was only of fair quality, Wei Wei was still afraid of breaking the bracelet, so she was determined to only wear it once during the wedding and never again afterwards.

 

After taking a rest for long enough, Xiao Ling rushes Wei Wei, “Hurry and take out the wedding gown.”

“Go to my bedroom to see it.  I can’t carry it.”

Wei Wei and Xiao Nai’s wedding will be in Chinese style, so their wedding clothes are of the traditional kind.  Six to seven big boxes contain the pearly shining silver-gilt wedding coronet (Fengguan), the exceptionally luxuriant daixiushan, and the exquisitely beautiful pair of embroidered shoes.  The entire wardrobe is modeled after the wedding gown from Dream Voyage 2.

Si Si picks up the wedding coronet carefully, “This is so pretty.  I thought it would be as heavy as the ones that are like a hat.  I don’t like those ones.”

“The ones that go on like a hat are pretty too, but they’re just too heavy,” Wei Wei says.

Er Xi brushes her hands across the beads, “How much did this cost?”

Wei Wei says an amount that causes Er Xi to be in rage, “Oh my God!  You’re wearing a bathroom on your head!”

“……Can’t you compare it to something nicer ==” Wei Wei says feeling a little offended, but then tries to explain, “The Great Master said it won’t degrade in value, so it doesn’t count as spending money……”

Xiao Ling also helps her out, “I’m already wearing over ten bathrooms on my arm and Wei Wei is only wearing one, so it’s okay.”

Er Xi is squatting by the bedside staring at the wedding coronet in Si Si’s hands, “Even if it doesn’t degrade in value, it’s not like it’ll lay eggs!  Is it worth it?!”

“Oh, as long as Wei Wei can lay eggs (have babies) then that’s fine.”

For some reason, an image appears in Wei Wei’s mind— a round and smooth white egg suddenly cracks, and a chubby and pasty baby staggeringly crawls out with the top of the egg shell on its head.  It looks at her with sparkling black eyes while opening its soft and pink little pair of lips……

Wei Wei immediately halts her thoughts before the baby calls out; she repeats in her heart a hundred times: I was born through viviparity, I was born through viviparity……

 

“Hey, I like this clothing,” Xiao Ling says as she strokes the wedding gown while almost drooling over it, “Why did we have to copy Westerners and start wearing white wedding dresses?  Our traditional wedding coronets and gowns are so much prettier.”

“Yeah,” Er Xi says, “When I was little, I envied the clothes in WuXia (martial arts) films, so I often took my bed’s flat sheets and wore them like the clothes in them.”

“Wei Wei, put it on for us to see.”

“I don’t know how to wear it……”

Everyone looks at her with disdain.  Wei Wei fires back, “Do you guys know how to?”

The three girls looks at the gown and all the strings around the waist area; they stare at each other, and Si Si immediately changes the topic and sighs, “Oh, I can’t believe you two are getting married.”

Er Xi adds, “Yeah, do you guys have to be in such a hurry to get married right after graduating?  It’s not like you’re pregnant.”

Since Wei Wei has gotten teased enough by YuGong and the others, she isn’t affected by what Er Xi said at all and replies instead, “I’m afraid that if I postpone it, you guys will run away and I won’t be able to collect your red pockets.”

Xiao Ling thinks it’s rather unbelievable, “Wei Wei, you agreed to marry him just like that?  Why not make him wait another two years?”

Si Si says mischievously, “How are you so sure that it’s the Great Master who’s in a hurry?  Maybe it’s our Wei Wei who’s anxious to tie the knot.”

Xiao Ling is enlightened, “Oh yeah!  How come I didn’t think of it that way?  Wei Wei, don’t tell me, were you the one who proposed?”

Wei Wei is struck dumb, “Of course not.”

Er Xi presses further excitedly, “How did the Great Master propose to you then?  Were there flowers?  Ring?  Did he bend down on one knee?”

“……Er Xi, even the TV dramas nowadays are not that old fashioned.”

“Hurry, and tell us!” Er Xi nudges her.

“Uh, you know how I’ve been working as an intern at his company for the past two years?  I’ve never once gotten paid, so one day, I finally remembered to ask him about it, and then he said……”

Wei Wei’s face is flushed with embarrassment.

Er Xi’s and Si Si’s eyes are fixed to her anxiously waiting to hear what happened next.

“He said……if you want money, I’ve got none.  I can only give you myself.”

Er Xi is flabbergasted, “Your Great Master is indeed scheming as usual.”

 

It’s almost 9pm when Xiao Ling and the rest have finished looking at and touching each piece of clothing, shoe, and accessory.  It’ll be too late if they don’t head back now.  Thus, Wei Wei walks them to the bus stop.  But before they make it out of the entrance of the residential area, a black sedan slowly stops beside them.

The car door swings open, and a handsome figure comes out of it.

“Senior,” Xiao Ling and the others call out.

Xiao Nai nods to them, “You’re all here.”

Under the streetlamp, Xiao Nai looks even more dignified and elegant after two years since they’ve seen him.  And in these two years, he has become a legend among the junior classmates even though he has already graduated.  Although Xiao Ling and the others are very outspoken in front of Wei Wei, they immediately become well-mannered whenever they see him.

Si Si says, “We’re just leaving.  We won’t bother you, Senior.”

Er Xi tries to hold it in, but couldn’t.  She asks with a wicked smile, “Senior, would you please let Wei Wei stay over at our place today?”

Wei Wei is speechless.  She gives Er Xi a glare.  Would she need his approval if she wanted to go stay over at their place?!

Xiao Nai glances at Wei Wei and replies with a smile, “I’m afraid not today.”

He could have avoided the question completely, yet he answered it in such a serious manner.  Therefore, Wei Wei turns to glare at him in frustration.  Xiao Nai pretends that he doesn’t see it, and says to Er Xi courteously and with good demeanor, “It’s very late.  I’ll drive you guys back.”

 

Xiao Nai is off to drive Wei Wei’s friends back to the dorm, so she goes back home to tidy up the things lying on top of her bed.  She suddenly thinks of something while putting the things away, so she stops.  Now that she thinks about it, there is one time that can be considered as a marriage proposal.

They were lying on the bed that night after finishing their business hastily again.  He hugged her in silence for a brief moment, and then suddenly asked by her ear, “When will you let me graduate?”

“Huh?” she didn’t understand, “What are you graduating from?”

He answered, “Haven’t I already been in the automatic control course for two years now?”

After dating Xiao Nai for so long, Wei Wei’s comprehension skills have already surpassed that of an average person, therefore, she quickly processes and interprets his words.

Automatic control course……

Self-moving control course……

Self-control……

 

At this point, Wei Wei’s face is as red as the wedding gown in her hands.  They started living together at the beginning of school this year; there’s probably no one that would believe that till this day, they still haven’t gone to the very last step.

She carefully puts the wedding gown back into the box.  The corner of the shawl is a little dirty from being draped on the floor by Er Xi just now.  Wei Wei takes it to the bathroom and washes it with some water.  Her body feels a little sticky after doing all the cleanup, so she takes a shower.  She has been too immersed in her thoughts, so it’s not until she comes out of the shower that she realizes she has forgotten to bring some clothes to change into.

Although no one else is home and the curtains are closed, Wei Wei still doesn’t have the courage to dash to the bedroom without any clothes on.  There’s no helping it.  She’ll just have to wrap herself with the shawl.  Even though it’s thin and transparent, it’s still better than not wearing anything.

Wei Wei pulls the bathroom door open and walks quickly towards the bedroom.  But when the bedroom is just a few steps away, she hears a click followed by the sound of the door opening.  Wei Wei’s body is frozen.

How come he’s back so soon?

 

He clearly wasn’t expecting to see this when he opened the door, so his fingers are still resting on the door handle.

Wei Wei holds the piece of the clothing against herself more tightly out of reflex.  Thank goodness she didn’t decide to walk out without wearing anything at all just now.  But she doesn’t realize that seeing her damp hair resting loosely, her wet body half covered by the shawl, her pearly wrists exposed by the large sleeves, and her long legs and small waist slightly visible from the transparent garment is ten times more seductive than not wearing anything.

 

“Our wedding clothes are here?” Xiao Nai closes the door slowly.

“Mm, they were delivered in the afternoon,” Wei Wei answers, feeling a need to explain why she’s standing here wearing this, “I……I was taking a shower just now but forgot to bring my clothes.  This was dirty and was in the bathroom……”

“Dirty?  Where?”

“Uh, the bottom part of it.  It’s already……” Wei Wei lowers her head subconsciously to look at the bottom part of it.  Before she finishes talking, she is already lifted up off her feet.  She can’t believe he has already made his way to her and is carrying her to the bedroom.

“Put it on for me to see.”

“…..I don’t know how to.”

“I’ll teach you.”

He pulls her fingers away from the shawl, and the shawl slides down from her shoulders.  She’s sitting on his lap with only a thin layer separating them.  Wei Wei tilts her head and buries it between his neck and shoulder as she doesn’t dare to look at him.

He is really going to teach her.  Slowly and patiently, he puts each piece of clothing on her one by one, and explains each part of it in detail; the under layer, the top, the skirt, the waistband, and the shawl……His burning fingers come into contact with her skin.  Wei Wei lets him do all the work; she raises her arms or stands up when he tells her to.  He sits her on his lap again; he cups her feet and helps her put on the embroidered shoes.

 

She is now completely dressed in her wedding clothes.  Her long and slender legs bend slightly down from sitting on his lap, and her cheeks are blushing.  He stares at her, and then suddenly grabs her waist with force.  He lifts her up and puts her down on the bed.

The wedding gown is like fire, her black hair like a silky waterfall, and her skin is as smooth as jade.  Wei Wei watches him nervously.  His arms are stretched up on each side of her head to hold him up, pressing down on some of her hair strands.  His eyes are gazing deep into hers, but he doesn’t make a move.  Wei Wei can’t stand him staring at her anymore and turns her head to the side.

But in the next second, he locks her lips and kisses her aggressively.

He presses his body down on her as he kisses her passionately.  Out of all the other times that he has kissed her, this is the most wild and wantoning.  It’s as if he has finally reached the end of his patience and has thrown away all of his worries.  Wei Wei is out of breath from his kissing, so she has no choice but to follow his rhythm in swallowing and breathing.  She can feel that her wedding gown is being pulled apart.  She can feel him sucking on the side of her neck, and can feel a bit of pain from his pinching.  She feels his kiss making their way down……the temperature in the room is rising, and her mind is in a mess as she groans lightly.  She suddenly feels her waist exposed; her skirt has been lift up.

 

He suddenly stops.

But it doesn’t make Wei Wei ease up.  They usually stop at this point in the past……or use another way, but, but……Wei Wei looks at him with her blurry vision.

His clothes are already in a mess with his well-built chest exposed.  He’s breathing quickly, and his blazing eyes are fixed on her.  As if in slow-motion, he grasps her hand and leads it to his belt.

Wei Wei understands what he wants from his action.  Her heart is beating uncontrollably, and her body is so tense that even her fingertips are shaking.

“Wei Wei, don’t be nervous.”

He presses her to move on while sealing her lips at the same time; showing his patience yet continuing to tempt her with his gentle kiss.

His kiss moves down gradually.  He sucks on her earlobe and murmurs, “Wei Wei, I can’t wait anymore.”

……

 

On the next day, Wei Wei’s biological clock wakes her up even though she is exhausted.  The sky is fully lit with the sun shining through the thick curtains.

She is laying on top of her wedding gown, which is now in a mess, and a set of arms is wrapped around her waist, embracing her from behind.  He notices her waking up right away from her slightest movement; he moves closer, breathing against her.

“Wei Wei,” his usual crisp voice is a little raspy.  She seems to have responded to him absent-mindedly. He pecks on the back of her neck and then her back, and then……

 

It’s almost noon when she wakes up again.

Wei Wei can feel dampness when she opens her eyes; he has a towel and is wiping her body lightly with it.  Wei Wei wants to hide from embarrassment, but she soon discovers that her waist is completely sore the moment she tries to move.  She doesn’t even have the strength to budge.

Xiao Nai hovers over her, “I’ll carry you to the shower?”

Wei Wei shakes her head.

“Does it hurt?”

Wei Wei shakes her head again.  She stares at him, raises her arms, and hugs him by the neck.

She just wants to lean on him right now.

 

Wei Wei doesn’t regret doing this before getting married, but the consequences sure give her a headache.

One of them being her wedding gown ==

Because……therefore……anyhow, after that night, her wedding gown……is a complete disaster…..not only is it all in wrinkles, there are also many……spots.  The wedding gown is made of expensive silk fabric.  Fabric like these are very hard to take care of, so Wei Wei has no clue on how to wash it, but it’s not like they can give it to the dry cleaner.  Therefore, under Wei Wei’s furiousness, this task has been delegated to the one who caused it.

As a result, Xiao Nai has to find time between his busy schedules to research on how to wash the gown.

Another consequence is…..sigh……

Wei Wei now realizes that doing it a month before the wedding is a very bad idea.  Either you should venture off early on so that he won’t get too worked up before the wedding, or wait until after the wedding.

During their busiest time, she now also has to deal with the requests of a certain someone who says he’s already very self-restrained.  She’s definitely feeling drained out of energy.

June is indeed a busy month.

Everything seems to be coming at the same time.  She’s graduating, they have to prepare for their wedding, Dream Voyage 2’s latest promotional video is releasing, and the Great Master’s company is moving offices.

After receiving a phone call at night, Xiao Nai takes Wei Wei out.

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you when we’re there.”

They stroll together on the streets, and they eventually arrive at the Ji Zhi (Ultimately Devoted) internet cafe.  In front of its closed doors, Wei Wei watches Xiao Nai take out the key, open the door, go inside and flip on the lights.

Under the bright lights, hundreds of computers sit quietly in rows and rows of tables inside the cafe.

“All these computers will be taken out tomorrow.”

“Huh?  Your uncle is not running the cafe anymore?”

Wei Wei knows that this internet cafe was started by Xiao Nai and his (maternal) uncle from a long time ago.  Now that owning a computer has become common, their business has dropped a lot, but his uncle is nostalgic, so he insists on running the cafe.  Speaking of which, this was where the Great Master first saw her.

Xiao Nai nods, “Zhi Yi will be moving here.  I’ve already bought the other half of the ownership.”

After a moment of shock, Wei Wei starts to assess the internet cafe.  She says in satisfaction, “Mm, it’s better to have your own office.”

Xiao Nai smiles and walks further inside with her, discussing about how to decorate the place, where the meeting rooms should be, and where the desks should go……He suddenly stops in front of an area.  He looks to a place and says, “You were sitting there when I first saw you.”

Wei Wei looks towards where his eyes are on.  It’s a seat across from the stairs.  Wei Wei has long forgotten that she had once sat in it.

“Hehheh, you fell in love with me at first sight, didn’t you?” Wei Wei teases, “And I’ve found out that you’re actually a perverted wolf.”

Xiao Nai raises his eyebrows.

“You have a problem with that?”

“No, but I don’t think that quite captures it,” Xiao Nai says leisurely, “I should at least be called a hungry perverted wolf.”

Someone has indeed been starving and fierce……

Wei Wei retorts, “……You’re not ashamed and you’re actually proud of it?!”

Xiao Nai says as a matter of fact, “As a perverted wolf who is loyal in taste, it would be more shameful to not be hungry.”

“……I’m going upstairs to look around.”

Wei Wei has tragically become the subject of teasing despite she was the one who teased him first.  Since she can’t beat him, she might as well escape by running upstairs.

 

As Xiao Nai watch her disappear from the staircase, the corners of his mouth raises slightly.

How did he feel when he first saw her?

It’s been too long ago, so he can’t remember clearly.  However, he remembers he had no interest in meeting her in the beginning even when they got married in the game.

One time, he came to the internet cafe simply due to business, but the sight of her was a surprise.

Through his eyes he saw a girl controlling her keystrokes and mouse beautifully.  It immediately captured his attention, so he watched her for a bit longer.  He watched her dictate a guild battle smoothly and won perfectly despite her team was weaker than the opposing party.

At first, he was only focused on the computer screen and her fingers dancing on the keyboard.  It was not until the battle was over that he shifted his gaze to her face.

The side profile of her pretty face came into view, and she actually looked quite familiar.

Thanks to his great memory, her name quickly surfaced to his mind.

Bei Wei Wei.

The Bei Wei Wei who made all the guys excited just from seeing her walk pass them from afar.

Then there was another coincidence.

It had been a long time since he logged into Dream Voyage of Rivers and Lakes.  He was online gathering some information on Dream Voyage when he saw her name appear on the world channel.

She was called ReedWeiWei this time.

Her name was easy to remember, so after watching her fight in the guild battle at the internet cafe, he memorized it.  A refreshing name, but it also showed how lazy the owner was in coming up with it.

 

She’s actually divorced?  And she wants to steal the groom?

It was rare for Xiao Nai to be interested in the commotion.  He arrived at the Vermillion Bird Bridge alone, watching the red silhouette be surrounded by onlookers.

Is she really going to steal the groom?

Xiao Nai watched from a distant, but he subconsciously felt that it seemed more like she was going to slash that heartless man with her big saber than anything else.  And in the end when she sat down and started selling medicine, everyone was dumbstruck.  Xiao Nai was laughing out loud in front of his computer.

He suddenly felt a need to help her.

He didn’t know where this impulsive thought came from, but it was definitely not an outcome from any rational reasoning.  He had never felt this way with anyone before, yet the feeling was strong.

How could he let his junior classmate be dumped by someone?  How could he let her feel depressed?

Therefore, he proposed.

Therefore, the grand and extravagant wedding happened.

 

He was not a hundred percent confident that she would accept his marriage proposal, but the moment she said “yes,” a hint of romance grew in his heart.

“This must be where your office is going to be, right?”

Wei Wei asks but doesn’t hear Xiao Nai respond after a long while, so she runs back downstairs again.  She can’t believe he’s actually still standing at the same spot, “What are you doing?”

“Thinking about your question just now,” Xiao Nai raises his head to look at her.

“Hm?” What did she ask him just now?

Xiao Nai smiles slightly, “I was thinking, if I knew, I should have fallen in love with you at first sight.”

 

If I knew that I would love you so much one day.

I would definitely fall in love with you at first sight.