[1] 弟妹: di mei. A way of referring to the wife of a younger brother.

[2] 二十四孝男友: this was the original description of the product of UA. 二十四孝 is the twenty-four exemplars of filial piety. It’s a historical text that described various examples of men being very filial to their parents. What is important to note here is that some of the actions that the stories showed were either ridiculous or foolish by any standard. There are many examples of self-harm in the text such as burying the only son so that the father had enough food for his mother, letting mosquitos bite so that they wouldn’t suck blood from the parents, and lying naked on ice to melt it in order to catch fish. Sometimes, people would be labelled as 十二孝, meaning that they fulfill some of the conditions to be the epitome of perfection in some role, while 二十四孝 makes them faultless.

Chapter Thirty Five Supplementing the Dowry

The very popular blog instant, after giving out two other pieces of gossip, finally faded out of the view of the general public.

Topic one:

Supposedly, one day, a certain student met the legendary male lead of the scandal at the dorms. He was so excited he risked his life to ask: “What’s your thoughts on the blog incident?”

Supposedly, Xiao Nai looked at him once and left behind six words: “An abundance is better than lacking.”

At first, those six words didn’t mean much, but after careful thought, it was both underhanded and skilful. It was skilful in that it easily removed the blame from himself and Bei Wei Wei, the underhandedness didn’t have to be said. Especially for a female, it was more devious the more people thought about it … …

So, everybody’s focus moved, going over to examine how Ai Xiang Nai Er and Person C were “lacking”.

Some also saw the truth and concluded ––Ai Xiang Nai Er had attacked Bei Wei Wei because she didn’t have it herself.

It had to be said, on some level, he caught the truth.

Er Xi’s focus on hearing the gossip was different from everybody else. She asked strangely: “Wei Wei how does your Da Shen know you have ‘an abundance’? Did he hug it?”

Wei Wei: “… …”

Er Xi, you got the truth too … …

Topic two:

Supposedly, one day, Xiao Nai and Cao Guang accidently met on the basketball court.

Supposedly, Cao Guang took the initiative: “Some say that if you are losing on the emotional battlefield, you win on the basketball court, why don’t we try?”

Supposedly, Xiao Nai’s expression was faint but his words were poisonous and replied: “I don’t mind making you lose a bit more.”

Supposedly, after multiple rounds, Cao Guang unluckily had lost a bit more.

Wei Wei always was doubtful about the plausibility of this rumour. Because Da Shen had never picked up the topic in front of her, she couldn’t ask herself.

It wasn’t until one day very far in the future, when the two from very far away saw Cao Guang, Xiao Nai suddenly laughed and looked at Wei Wei: “From very little to now?”

Wei Wei froze for a second and very seriously replied: “Not really, he just wanted to give me a flyer one time.”

The last few days of Wei Wei’s second year at university ended under this kind of relaxed but tense atmosphere. After the last exam, Wei Wei came out of the room and saw Xiao Nai waiting outside.

It seemed like he had waited for a very long time. Xiao Nai was sitting on a bench underneath a tree, bending his head to read a book.

Wei Wei ran over. On his forehead, Wei Wei saw sweat: “When did you come?”

Xiao Nai closed his book and raised his head: “Just now.”

Wei Wei didn’t really believe him but didn’t press further: “After exams, we had a cla.s.s meeting. It was the summer internship thing, I sent you a message using Xiao Ling’s phone.”

Xiao Nai smiled slightly and didn’t say anything.

As Wei Wei talked, her own mood started to deflate.

It was almost summer vacation.

It should have been a very happy thing, but this year’s summer vacation’s arrival seemed to be making her unhappy instead. Wei Wei swung the bag in the hand, “Let’s go, the library first.”

She returned the books she had been using for the exams. Wei Wei also borrowed a few more on programming to study over the summer. With Xiao Nai there, the labor of choosing books was halved.

“These editions aren’t good.” Xiao Nai took away two books and put them back on the shelf, “I’ll bring some to you tomorrow from home.”

“Oh,” Wei Wei nodded, “Entry level please, not too hard.”

The majority of cla.s.ses in year two were basic courses. The actual professional courses started in year three. Da Shen, please don’t use your standards to help her choose books.

“Don’t worry, I can do distance education.” Xiao Nai browsed the shelf for other books and casually said.

Wei Wei went on tip toes to insert a book back. She found that her heavy mood seemed much better now.

Oh~~~

The ups and downs, it tormented a person.

Coming out of the library, Xiao Nai’s phone sounded. Xiao Nai took it, the other side said a few sentences, and then Xiao Nai said: “I know, we’ll go over immediately.”

Then he looked at Wei Wei: “They’re waiting for us at the restaurant.”

Wei Wei finally remembered. Today was the day for the dinner with Da Shen’s dorm mates.

The location was Tian Xiang Ju.

It had been picked out by Hou Zi Jiu. Since Xiao Nai clearly was open to being taken advantage of, they weren’t going to be nice. But to males, the actual food didn’t really matter. As long as there was enough beer, they were satisfied.

Xiao Nai’s dorm had, in total, six people. Laoda, laosan,laosi to laoqi. Laoer, because it was easy for people to think of some perverted appendage, was not favoured by anybody. Laoda and laoqi didn’t play online so Wei Wei hadn’t known them. But they were really friendly and everybody very quickly became friends.

Other than Hou Zi Jiu who was staying behind for a masters, the others had already started working. The reason they were still staying in the dorms? It was to take advantage of the school as much as possible. Since their work was in the campus surroundings, they weren’t willing to give up the most convenient choice.

It was her first time attending this type of occasion. Sitting next to Xiao Nai, Wei Wei felt a bit awkward. However, with Yu Gong and the others there, Wei Wei’s embarra.s.sment was impossible to maintain. = =

After three rounds of drinks, the males started talking, all kinds of secrets being exposed.

Laoda said: “Little shimei, this is the first time our laosan is in a relationship. The first time holding a girl’s hand. You have to be good to him. It’s very hard for those in the computer sciences to find a wife.”

Wei Wei graciously nodded, but on the inside she thought, your laosan doesn’t act like it is the first time he held the hands of a girl.

Mo Zha Ta’s exposé had a very personal flair.

“Sansao, I really didn’t lie to you last time. Really, really there was somebody confessing to laosan.”

“Said they should perform together, who doesn’t know that type of idea they were having.”

“It was that Meng, Meng … …”

“Yesterday, she called laosan again!”

Mo Zha Ta had drunk a lot, his words broken and reversed, but it didn’t hinder understanding. Wei Wei waited with wide eyes waiting for the next part … …

But … …

His head turned, and fell down.

Laoqi was commenting on the side: “Not bad, this time it was a whole bottle before fainting.”

Wei Wei was angry! You can’t just tell only the first part.

She turned to look at the person of interest. Xiao Nai had also drank a lot but his expression was normal, his eyes still clear. Facing Wei Wei’s questioning gaze, he calmly said: “She said she had things to explain to me.”

Was it the thing with Ai Xiang Nai Er? But why was she explaining to Da Shen … …

“And then?”

“Nothing after that.”

Witness number one Hou Zi Jiu came over and said: “Sansao, laosan is an a.s.sa.s.sin.”

Witness number two Yu Gong nodded”: “Too skilled, a fatal blow with one sentence.”

Laoda was bitter; “How could you treat a female that way. Do you know how hard it is for somebody in our faculty to receive a call from a female?”

Laoqi wasn’t moved: “Laosan is always like this.”

Mo Zha Ta snored in agreement.

… …

Wei Wei cried on the side. They had blathered for this long but what did Da Shen actually say?!

Yu Gong asked: “Sansao, you want to guess what laosan said?”

Wei Wei thought for a beat what Da Shen’s usual style of thinking was. She said uncertainly: “Uh, asked her … … who are you?”

… …

… …

A period of silence.

Hou Zi Jiu, who had been sitting on Wei Wei’s other side, moved a bit further away.

Mo Zha Ta’s snoring became quieter.

Xiao Nai raised his cup and smiled slightly.

Wei Wei looked at their “You’re too evil” expression and felt very guiltless. Wasn’t this the normal answer? What kind of person, after receiving a call from a stranger, wouldn’t ask “who are you”!

“Coming back to it, that Person C was Meng Beauty?”

“Probably was.”

Laoqi said: “Laosan, that Ai whatever Nai, let’s hack her computer. Its term end, she probably has a thesis in her computer. A hack, hehe… …”

Wei Wei hexian. Remember the tradition of Yu Gong and the others of hacking computers and selling off wives, they were definitely from the same dorm.

Xiao Nai glanced at him disapprovingly: “To be a human, you need to have morals.”

Laoqi was irate: “What are you implying!”

Hou Zi Jiu quickly added a blow: “Saying you have no standards.”

Laoqi was dejected: “Then we’re just letting the blog thing go?”

Yu Gong stared disdainfully at him: “You haven’t only known laosan for a day or two. How can you not be clear as to his morals.”

Laoqi asked: “What morals?”

Yu Gong: “He usually has no morals.”

Xiao Nai sighed. He lowered his lead to explain to Wei Wei: “They’re drunk.”

Wei Wei graciously kept nodding. Inside: That’s what I think too … …

It was very fun to eat with this group of people. It just took a lot of effort to keep the laughter in. And, from the way Da Shen interacted with his dormmates, Wei Wei seemed to understand him a bit more. There were definitely reasons that Da Shen’s reputation with other males was so good.

They didn’t discuss the blog incident any further. After they were done with d.i.n.king, everybody started on the leftovers. By the later half, the amount of food actually wasn’t enough.

Hou Zi Jiu angrily blamed laoda, who had been in charge of ordering: “Why did you only order this much?”

Laodai felt victimized: “It is very difficult for people in CompSci to get a change to eat with a girl, we need to protect a bit of our image.”

“Sansao isn’t a girl. She is so strong in the game that everybody thinks she’s really a renyao. Also, girls are resources we can compete for. Saosao’s already together with laosan, she’s like the third gender. There’s no need to protect an image!”

Yu Gong called over the server, “Add some more! Duck blood, boiled beef, spicy shrimp, then a chili fish head, a chilli chicken. I want spicy, the spicier the better!”

Laoda tried to stop him: “Not all spicy, laosan can’t eat it.”

Yu Gong complained: “He’s paying for us to eat, who cares if he doesn’t eat? I want spicy.”

The last three words were said to the server.

Wei Wei had been tallying up Yu Gong’s expenses in her head. Upon hearing this, she looked shockingly at Xiao Nai.

Da Shen doesn’t eat spicy?

No way! When they had gone to eat fish that day, he had seemed very at ease and his brow didn’t even wrinkle!

“You … …”

Xiao Nai resolutely shook his head: “No.”

Wei Wei froze.

After eating, Mo Zha Ta was revived under the brute shaking of Hou Zi Jiu. Everybody started discussing what to do next. Yu Gong and the others didn’t like karaoke, so they found a quiet club to play snooker.

Wei Wei hadn’t played it before, but easily caught on after being taught a bit by Xiao Nai. Her position was very professional. Even though her aiming needed a bit of work, she clearly found the trick.

Laoda and laoqi’s admiration of Wei Wei rose exponentially after that: “Definitely from a technology background, has a future.” Laoda patted Xiao Nai’s shoulders, “When we play again, remember to bring dimei[1]”

Xiao Nai looked at Wei Wei’s expert posture and felt that he had seriously miscalculated. In his heart, he drew a line through laoda’s suggestion ––never going to bring her!

But putting a snooker table at home was a pretty good idea.

They were still going strong at ten, but had to stop. Wei Wei had finished her exams, but the dorms still had a curfew, so she had to leave. Xiao Nai walked over with her to her building.

Taking her hand out of his, Wei Wei didn’t immediately head to the stairs. There were still a few minutes before curfew, and there was a thing she needed to ask.

“You can’t eat spicy food? Last time we went to eat fish, why didn’t you say so?”

Wei Wei felt furious thinking about it. That day, every dish had been spicy, even the fish had been as spicy as possible.

Xiao Nai didn’t seem to care and said: “It’s fine, I can adapt.”

Wei Wei was still angry: “It doesn’t matter if you can eat it, you don’t have to accommodate me like this.”

Taking her backpack, loaded with a few very thick books, from his hand, Wei Wei thought about even more.

“You don’t really have to help me do this much.”

Wei Wei said quietly.

She had never thought about it. That one day, this person would line up to get for her food, help her carry her kettle, wait for her to finish cla.s.s, buy snacks … … these things, didn’t seem appropriate for him to do.

Even if she liked it.

But to let her enjoy it as though it was her right, she felt insecure.

The summer night was quiet. There was only the sound of leaves as the wind brush past them.

“Wei Wei.”

Xiao Nai abruptly called her name. He looked at her, his gaze had never been as serious, and said “This is my very first relationship. I don’t know what to do a lot of the time. But at least, what others can do, I will also do.”

Wei Wei stared at him, shocked.

The stars were shining, the lights were bright, but at this moment, she only saw the light of his eyes.

The “others” he mentioned. Were they the males at UA, due to the skewed gender ratio, who could never find a girlfriend, but if they found one, they would put their girlfriend on a pedestal to worship and wait on them very carefully?

So, Da Shen’s goal was the specialty product of UA, a perfect but over-the-top twenty-four xiao boyfriend? [2]

Wei Wei pressed her lips together and didn’t know what to say. She suddenly wanted to smile, but her eyes were a bit hot. She tried to disguise it by lowering her head. Wei Wei said to herself: Whoa, don’t be so moody.

The quiet of the summer night took over.

Wei Wei didn’t raise her head until the watchwoman started yelling: “Go online after getting back.”

Wei Wei said: “I have something to give you.”

Wei Wei quickly climbed the stairs and opened her computer. She logged on. That piece of equipment had been finished for a while now. Originally, she hadn’t been in a hurry to give it to him. However, she wanted to do it now.

The red-clothed xia stood waiting at Sunset Mountains for ten minutes before the white-clad musician appeared. The female xia handed over the gear.

“For you,” Wei Wei typed a smiley face and gathered her courage to say, “I told you before, I’ll supplement my dowry.”