[1] The type of restaurant isn’t serving what Xiao Nai and Wei Wei ate together before. What the restaurant serve is actually 水煮鱼 (water boiling fish). It’s a type of dish where fresh fish is stewed with different types of chilli, to create a very spicy dish.
[2] 电灯泡: light bulb. What a third wheel is called in Chinese.
Chapter Thirty Four The Truth
Looking at him, not moving away her gaze, Wei Wei started to feel uncertain.
She didn’t like this at all. It was like using him to become a weapon to fight and something to boast out, and it was when he didn’t know it was happening.
Er Xi detected her change in expression and nervously asked: “Wei Wei, you wouldn’t want to escape before the battle!”
What escape before the battle? She didn’t know what time she was in a war!
Wei Wei stared irritably at her, a bit depressed. They were clearly coming to eat, but after they did this, the innocent dinner wasn’t innocent anymore.
Whatever, just pretend those people don’t exist. It was just eating in the same place. Thinking this way, Wei Wei reminded her friends “When you get in, just eat and don’t talk.”
That wasn’t right. French food was expensive. She added: “You can’t eat too much!”
As Xiao Nai came closer, he heard Wei Wei talking fiercely. And then he looked at her self-taught tyrannical expression and for the first time ever, he felt that he had nothing he could say.
Er Xi took the chance to complain: “Xiao shixiong, look at your Wei Wei.”
This was too pleasing to hear, Xiao Nai was happy. He turned to glance at Er Xi, properly memorizing her, and then followed up her words to teach Wei Wei: “n.o.body else in the world would take care of guests the way you do.”
Xiao Ling and the others started laughing.
Si Si also got brave and said to Xiao Nai: “But shixiong, Wei Wei said this, we’re too afraid to order now.”
Xiao Nai’s smile reached his ears: “No problem, at least for now, my wallet doesn’t belong to Wei Wei.”
Xiao Ling happily said: “Then we have to take advantage and eat now. If we’re too late, then Wei Wei would be controlling Xiao shixiong’s wallet. Then we wouldn’t be able to even get to eat picked vegetables!”
They were cheerfully chatting but Wei Wei didn’t speak, only looked at the person beside her.
His fine and handsome brows still carried the indifference and pride he was born with, but the distance between him and her friends seemed to have disappeared. Wei Wei didn’t find it strange. He was like this. As long as he had a bit of patience, he could easily integrate with any group.
When they had been on the car, Wei Wei hadn’t noticed. He was wearing a very proper white shirt, almost like he had just come out of negotiations. It probably was the truth. He came over right after the flight to take them to dinner. He probably didn’t even time to change.
Wei Wei didn’t know why, but her chest seemed heavy and suffocated.
She didn’t want to think what type of thoughts Da Shen had when he was rushing over. But, he definitely thought it was an innocent dinner. He wouldn’t know there were other aims.
The heaviness seemed to get more suffocating.
They were walking towards the restaurant as they talked. Wei Wei suddenly stopped and pulled on Xiao Nai’s sleeve.
“Don’t go in.”
The moment the words came out, Wei Wei’s heart relaxed, like a clear wind had blown across. Even the unhappiness that that acc.u.mulated from the previous days as well as the uneasiness at seeing Ai Xiang Nai Er instantly disappeared.
Yes, she just didn’t want to go in. She didn’t want to go eat for some honor, not to aggravate others. She just wanted to quietly, peacefully with her friends, and him who she hadn’t seen in several days, eat together.
Er Xi, Xiao Ling, and Si Si looked at each other, not speaking. Wei Wei raised her head to look at Xiao Nai: “Let’s go somewhere else, I don’t like this place.”
Xiao Nai’s glaze flickered.
A beat.
He nodded: “Okay, I’ll go get the car.”
“En.” Da Shen was working so hard, Wei Wei was a bit embarra.s.sed. She lowered her head, “Sorry to trouble … …”
“If you feel bad about it, then come get the car with me.”
Ah? Wei Wei raised her head in surprise and clearly saw a hint of mischief at the bottom of his eyes.
>o
“… …Come back quickly.”
Looking at his upright figure walking back, Wei Wei turned and looked at Er Shi and the others, “Don’t blame me.”
Si Si shook her head: “Of course not, if you don’t want to eat, then we won’t. You didn’t blame us for keeping you in the dark and doing this. We’ve already showed up in front of them. I’m satisfied, haha.”
Er Xi was a bit disappointed: “Wei Wei, really, you don’t have to mind them.”
“I don’t care,” Wei Wei said seriously, “If this was a fish restaurant [1]and I had already wanted to eat, then even if there were ten Ai Xiang Nai Ers in there, I would go in and eat. But this is a French restaurant. You guys don’t like it, I don’t like it. Why should we, to irritate others, force us to eat what we don’t like.”
It wasn’t worth it. If it wasn’t done well, they would get indigestion. More importantly, they were providing them with Da Shen’s beauty!!!
They wouldn’t make a profit.
Er Xi sighed: “Okay, I understand.”
Wei Wei was comforted.
“You just want to eat fish.”
Wei Wei: “… …”
Wei Wei: “Basically that isn’t wrong .. …”
Xiao Ling was still unsatisfied: “Leaving like this, it’s giving up halfway.”
“Shouldn’t do it over, this is enough. Solving it outside the ring is better than fighting inside. And, Xiao Ling … …”
Those two gazes had been stuck on her body for a long time. Wei Wei raised her eyes and stared boldly back, calmly and forcefully said: “To hidden opponents, the best solution is to not even give them the chance to come out on stage.”
On the way to eat fish, Er Xi announced that they had to eat in fish the cost of the French dishes. Comparing the relative prices of the plentiful fish and the rarity of the French dishes, Wei Wei though it was an impossible task.
But … …
Tonight, they had actually managed to finish seven kilos of fish.
Seven kilograms … …
Looking at the empty extra large bowl, Wei Wei almost couldn’t believe it. Xiao Nai was serene. Wei Wei was very embarra.s.sed and said: “Usually … … we can’t eat this much, at max just four or five kilos.”
Xiao Nai offhandedly nodded and waved for the server: “Menu.”
Wei Wei >o
Da Shen, are you feeding pigs … …
After the fish, it was still Xiao Nai who was driving them back to campus. Pa.s.sing by a large supermarket near the campus, Xiao Ling yelled to stop the car: “I’m going with Er Xi and Si Si. We have to buy something at the market.Shixiong, you and Wei Wei go ahead.”
Xiao Nai said: “We’ll wait here for you.”
“No, later we’ll take the bus.” Xiao Ling hastily refused.
Are you joking? They had their own morals! After freely eating and drinking, they could stay there and be a light bulb! [2] Preventing lovers from being along would get them struck by lightning.
The dormmates left the car with smug smiles. Wei Wei instinctively moved her body forward, slightly shifted towards the outside. She wasn’t really going to leave the car, but she didn’t know why. Her body just seemed to move as though she was getting off.
A second later, her wrist was strong pressed into the soft seat.
Wei Wei’s heart jumped a beat. She turned to look at Xiao Nai but found that he was saying farewell to Xiao Ling and the others who were outside the car, his expression as natural as ever. It was like he was not using such great strength to keep her pinned.
Xiao Ling and the others cheerfully left, but her wrist was still solidly held without a hint of being let go. Wei Wei wanted to pull her hand back, but didn’t succeed.
“Hey.”
The voice was very small.
Xiao Nai gently smiled and released her. He peacefully started to drive. After a stretch of road, Xiao Nai looked forward and calmly opened: “Tell me, what had happened.”
Wei Wei didn’t manage to respond in time: “Ah?”
“The French restaurant.” Xiao Nai reminded, “Why did you suddenly want to leave?”
“Oh … …”
Xiao Nai’s gaze swept across her.
“It wasn’t really anything,” Wei Wei paused before continuing, “There were some people I disliked in there.”
“En? Who?”
Wei Wei finally realized. At the root of all this, it was this person that made her such a target. He was such a calamity!”
So she didn’t have a good tone when she said: “Not who, it’s just some pople that wanted to hand you flyers but were afraid to.”
The car suddenly braked, followed by a large turn into a small sidestreet. Xiao Nai stopped the car, turning to look at her, his eyes seemed to be smiling but at the same time, not.
“Wei Wei.”
Wei Wei had been frightened by his sudden movements: “What is it?”
“Nothing, just thought that your appearance right now is very rare. So,” his elbow pressed against the wheel, the narrow fingers holding up his chin, Xiao Nai’s gaze was overflowing with light, “stopped to look a bit more.”
Wei Wei almost drowned in the light. When she realized the meaning in his words, Wei Wei glared at him, her face slowly turning red.
Even though the look of her face as it was pink was peerless in its beauty, but seeing that she was really getting angry, Xiao Nai retreated. He asked seriously: “What is with those people that wanted to hand out flyers?”
Wei Wei steadied her heart and thought for a while. She told him the facts of the incident. Of course, the number 34c she didn’t include. = =
As she kept on narrating, Xiao Nai’s expression became colder and colder. The warm atmosphere that had filled the car disappeared. Wei Wei detected the change and stopped.
Xiao Nai expressionlessly said: “Continue.”
“That’s almost it. They were just eating in that restaurant. Er Xi knew beforehand that they were going to be there, so they wanted us to go too.”
“Names.”
Wei Wei answered: “Ai Xiang Nai Er.”
“There were four people. The others.”
“… … there was, but I’m not sure.” At the end, Wei Wei didn’t want to say bad things about others, “Okay, you go online to see for yourself. But don’t write anything, let them go.”
Now the debate was favouring her. And Ai Xiang Nai Er was already in a terrible state.
Let them go? Xiao Nai coldly stated: “I don’t think I have the ability to.”
Da Shen… … seemed really angry. The incident had been a few days ago. Wei Wei didn’t have any feelings remaining.
“Really, this type of stuff I’ve heard from when I was very little, I’m used to it. At the beginning, I use them to motivate me, after a while, they didn’t even have the strength to motivate me.” Her eyes full of the light of confidence, Wei Wei looked at him and said earnestly: “My motivation now ––“
Is you.
The air quieted.
That pair of eyes started at him, br.i.m.m.i.n.g with light. The brilliance was enough to blind him. Xiao Nai couldn’t think of any words to describe her beauty at the moment. He just wanted to use his hand to cover her eyes. This way, maybe his heart wouldn’t beat so wildly.
Wei Wei couldn’t breathe.
Just a second ago, they had been saying serious things, why did they enter this state … …
Struggling to move her gaze towards the window, Wei Wei cleared her throat. She tried to act natural: “You shouldn’t stop here, it would obstruct traffic.”
As a family member of a professor, Xiao Nai’s car could be driven onto campus. But driving to the female dorms was definitely out of the question so they stopped at his building and then he walked Wei Wei back to her dorms.
Eight o’clock is usually a very busy time on campus, but during exam time, it couldn’t help but be a bit quieter than usual. Walking side by side in the small paths of the garden, the stars shining down, the science student Wei Wei silently calculated … …
One round, three hundred meters… …
Another section, five hundred meters … …
Together it was eight hundred meters. After a more few circles, the fish probably would be all digested.
Xiao Nai opened in an offhanded manner; “After exams, come eat with my friends.”
“Ah?” Coming out of doing simple addition, Wei Wei nodded, “Oh.”
“You don’t want to?” That tone sounded very reluctant.
“No, it’s just … …”
Wei Wei answered, but her heart produced a strand of feeling unreal.
She kept on feeling, her and Da Shen’s state should be in the stage of “preparing to enter a relationship”, but after her friends’ actions, it seemed to have already been finalized >_
And, having to go eat with his friends……
And, he was Xiao Nai … …
This name brought along some doubts. It had been there from the beginning until now.
“En?”
“It’s just, it feels a bit not real.”
Xiao Nai’s steps stopped.
Wei Wei didn’t manage to react before she was enclosed in his arms. A clean and strong masculine scent overwhelmed her sense of smell. She was trapped within his arms, unable to move, her head buried in his shoulder. She couldn’t see anything but heard him say beside her ear: “I didn’t want it to be this quick.”
The clear and cool tone deepened, changing to a different kind of temptation. He asked: “Is it real now?”
It seemed extremely quiet, but also extremely loud. At this moment, s.p.a.ce and time stopped. In the arms of the only one, Wei Wei heard the vibrations from the other’s heart.
It was real, but even more illusory. But that didn’t matter. Even if all this wasn’t real, it was an illusion built on reality.