Side Story 9: Lin Wei CP (Part 4)
“Let’s get married after the exams. I want to take care of you, for the rest of our lives.”
Wei Zhuoning’s sudden proposal stunned Lin Xiaozhi. She hadn’t expected such a bold declaration from the usually shy Wei Zhuoning.
“Are you, proposing?” Lin Xiaozhi asked, “to me?”
Wei Zhuoning, seeing her reaction, a mixture of surprise and something she couldn’t quite decipher, stopped crying, her voice unsure:
“Um, yes…”
As she stammered, Lin Xiaozhi held out her hand, her fingers slightly curled.
Wei Zhuoning: “?”
“If you’re proposing, where’s my ring? Put it on.”
Lin Xiaozhi’s bright smile made Wei Zhuoning speechless.
Seeing her awkward silence, Lin Xiaozhi’s smile faltered.
“So you propose without even a ring? Just a spur-of-the-moment decision, you didn’t really think it through, did you?”
Wei Zhuoning’s face burned: “No, I really mean it, but…”
But she couldn’t afford a ring.
She hadn’t updated her stories in two weeks, this month’s earnings barely enough for her mother’s expenses, let alone a luxury item like a ring.
“Can I owe you one?” Wei Zhuoning held Lin Xiaozhi’s hand, her voice firm. “After the exams, I’ll work hard and earn money! I’ll buy you any ring you want, anything you want, I’ll give you the world!”
Lin Xiaozhi had anticipated this. If Wei Zhuoning had actually produced a ring, she would have been shocked.
She had just been teasing, but seeing Wei Zhuoning’s earnest expression, her anxiety as if their relationship depended on a ring, was endearing.
Lin Xiaozhi thought she knew Wei Zhuoning well, but this was a new side to her.
Being loved by Wei Zhuoning made her feel like the luckiest person in the world.
Seeing Lin Xiaozhi just smiling, not saying anything, Wei Zhuoning grew even more anxious.
“Do you think I’m not being sincere?” She looked down, dejected.
“Silly Zhuoning, rings don’t have to be from a store.”
Although unsure what Lin Xiaozhi meant, judging by her suggestive whisper and her smile, it wasn’t anything innocent.
“Then… what other kind of ring is there?” Wei Zhuoning, however, played along.
Lin Xiaozhi whispered something, and Wei Zhuoning’s face turned crimson.
“What?! You’re always thinking about these things!”
“Oh? So you’re not willing to give me one?” Lin Xiaozhi sighed dramatically. “So you weren’t sincere after all.”
Wei Zhuoning: “…You’re definitely the one who sent me those videos!”
Lin Xiaozhi readily admitted: “Yes, it was me. Figured it out now? Too late. So, are you giving me one or not?”
Wei Zhuoning sighed. It wasn’t like she hadn’t given her one before…
“Yes, yes, but not today, right?”
“Of course not, after the exams. Then…” Lin Xiaozhi tapped her nose. “At least one ring per day, no upper limit.”
“What?!”
“It depends on how much you love me.”
“…”
—
After weeks of grueling studying, the exams were finally over.
It had snowed all night, and the ground was covered in a thick layer of fresh snow. Wei Zhuoning and Lin Xiaozhi ran through Lin Xiaozhi’s private family park, yelling and throwing snowballs at each other.
Wei Zhuoning, seizing an opportunity, stuffed a snowball down Lin Xiaozhi’s jacket.
Lin Xiaozhi yelped, and Wei Zhuoning, laughing, ran away.
But when it came to speed, Lin Xiaozhi was unmatched.
Wei Zhuoning struggled through the deep snow, her shorter legs a disadvantage.
Lin Xiaozhi, however, moved effortlessly, quickly catching up and tackling Wei Zhuoning into the snow.
“Help! It’s cold!” Wei Zhuoning landed softly, not hurt, but her mouth was numb from the snow.
“Now you know what it feels like? You didn’t think it was cold when you stuffed snow down my jacket?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Sorry now? Taking advantage of my love for you, huh? I have to teach you a lesson.”
Lin Xiaozhi carried her to a nearby car, brushed off the snow, and helped her take off her jacket.
“You’re sweating, you’ll catch a cold.” The car’s heater was on, and Wei Zhuoning, coming in from the cold, was immediately warm and slightly damp. Lin Xiaozhi helped her remove her jacket, but not her uniform, gave her some hot water, and wiped her forehead with a handkerchief.
Wei Zhuoning, feeling Lin Xiaozhi’s gentle touch, her sweet scent, was slightly dazed.
***
“When did you get a car?” Wei Zhuoning noticed the controls.
“My dad’s graduation gift, just this morning. Do you like it?”
“Me? As long as you like it.”
Lin Xiaozhi put her arm around her, had her lean closer, and scanned her face, unlocking the car’s functions:
“This is our car now.”
“Huh? Why…?”
“Why not? We’re getting married, aren’t we? What’s mine is yours.”
Wei Zhuoning remembered her proposal.
“What? Changing your mind now?” Lin Xiaozhi shook her head. “Too late, give me my ring, we’re going to the Civil Affairs Bureau right now.”
“What? Now? Here?” Wei Zhuoning instinctively clutched her collar.
“Going back on your word?” Lin Xiaozhi leaned closer, her warm hand covering Wei Zhuoning’s cold one, removing her defensive gesture. “You don’t want to marry me anymore?”
Wei Zhuoning quickly denied it: “Of course I do! I want to!”
“Then what are we waiting for? I want my ring.”
“But, in the car…?”
“It’s a new car, we need to bless it.”
“What?! Wait!”
“No waiting. I’ve waited long enough. Xiao Zhuoning, don’t you want me?”
Lin Xiaozhi gently nibbled on Wei Zhuoning’s ear, making it turn red.
Wei Zhuoning didn’t answer, but her expression and her flushed cheeks gave her away.
Lin Xiaozhi’s fingertip traced Wei Zhuoning’s lips, then gently slipped inside.
“This is your first ring.”
“Mm…”
After teasing her tongue, Lin Xiaozhi moved lower.
“There’s another one, give it to me now.”
Leave a Reply