Side Story 10: Lin Wei CP (Part 5)
“Politics?”
“Yes, didn’t I tell you before? My dream is to become a politician.”
The sunset had faded, leaving only the dark expanse of the sky. The snow had stopped completely after they left the exam hall. Now, the night sky was clear, revealing a brilliant display of stars.
Neither of them mentioned going home. They reclined their seats, turning them into a small bed, opened the sunroof, and lay side by side, counting stars.
After exchanging several “rings,” Wei Zhuoning, exhausted but content, snuggled closer to Lin Xiaozhi, enjoying her warmth and scent.
Lin Xiaozhi draped a soft blanket over them, enjoying the closeness, and put her arm around Wei Zhuoning, letting her use it as a pillow.
It had been a while since they had relaxed like this, their minds not on studying.
Wei Zhuoning’s dream had always been clear: to write stories, to create worlds with her words.
Although she knew Lin Xiaozhi was intelligent, always ranking in the top five of their grade, this was the first time she had heard about Lin Xiaozhi’s aspirations.
Sensing Wei Zhuoning’s sudden stillness, Lin Xiaozhi lowered the music and looked down at her:
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like the idea of me being a politician?”
“No,” Wei Zhuoning quickly shook her head, “I just think your dreams are so grand. If you enter politics, you’ll make the world a better place.”
Lin Xiaozhi chuckled: “You have that much faith in me?”
“Of course!”
“I’m not even sure myself.”
Wei Zhuoning sat up, held Lin Xiaozhi’s wrist, leaned over her, and, looking into her eyes, said earnestly:
“Even if no one else believes in you, I do. You’re Lin Xiaozhi, you can do anything.”
Her sincerity touched Lin Xiaozhi deeply.
Wei Zhuoning truly believed in her, believed she was capable of anything.
Lin Xiaozhi hugged her tightly, closing her eyes, savoring the moment.
Yes, she could do it.
—-
After registering their marriage and leaving the Civil Affairs Bureau, Wei Zhuoning stared at her ID on her phone, now marked “Married,” her spouse “Lin Xiaozhi.”
Whenever they were within a meter of each other, little hearts floated from their phones.
So this was what being married felt like?
Wei Zhuoning’s heart raced. It felt like a dream…
Lin Xiaozhi teased her: “What’s with that silly look? You’re going to break your phone.”
“I’m just happy! I’m so happy…”
Lin Xiaozhi was about to tease her again, her wedding vows so simple and unromantic, when she saw tears rolling down Wei Zhuoning’s cheeks and quickly pulled her into a hug.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying on our wedding day?”
“I’m, happy…” The same two words.
Lin Xiaozhi chuckled.
Silly rabbit.
But this silly rabbit was finally hers, no one could take her away.
They had registered their marriage, but there was no ceremony.
Firstly, Chi Lin was still gone, and Wei Zhuoning wanted to wait for their friends.
Secondly, she didn’t have the money. She wanted to buy the ring herself, a real ring, and plan a beautiful wedding with her own money.
Lin Xiaozhi had plenty of money, she could easily buy a ring and arrange a lavish ceremony, but she didn’t want to.
She wanted to build their future together, with Wei Zhuoning, with their own hands.
During the long winter break, before school started again, Wei Zhuoning finally had time to write, to pour all her energy into her stories.
She spent almost all her free time writing, except for her dates with Lin Xiaozhi.
Lin Xiaozhi and a few friends had designed a stock trading app, which was selling well. She hadn’t been idle either, earning money with Wei Zhuoning.
They planned to move out and live together after starting university; the money they earned during the break was for rent.
But Wei Zhuoning’s mother needed care, even if they moved out, she would still visit her every day.
“So…” Lin Xiaozhi, smiling as always, “I’ll take you home every day, then pick you up and bring you back to our place.”
“That’s too much trouble for you.”
“It’s not, the highway is fast, it’ll only take half an hour. Or we can have your mom move in with us, it’s not very safe in the lower district, and it would be closer to your university.”
Lin Xiaozhi always gave Wei Zhuoning options, never forcing her.
But Wei Zhuoning knew every choice came with sacrifices.
Seeing her downcast expression, Lin Xiaozhi poked her cheek playfully:
“What are you thinking about? Any secrets?”
Wei Zhuoning covered her face, her cheeks burning.
This beautiful, capable girl was her wife…
“I feel like I’m holding you back,” she said softly.
She knew she was insecure, especially around Lin Xiaozhi.
Lin Xiaozhi was too perfect, too accomplished, she had effortlessly gotten into a top law school.
Wei Zhuoning never doubted her abilities; she could achieve anything she set her mind to.
Beauty, family background, intelligence…
Lin Xiaozhi had everything, while Wei Zhuoning felt like she had nothing.
Lin Xiaozhi was like a goddess, who could be worthy of her?
Wei Zhuoning poured out her heart to Lin Xiaozhi.
“Pfft.”
Lin Xiaozhi couldn’t help but laugh.
Wei Zhuoning’s face burned: “What are you laughing at? I’m serious!”
Lin Xiaozhi said: “You love me too much, that’s why you see me as perfect.”
“But you are!”
“I’m not as perfect as you think, I’m not a goddess.” Lin Xiaozhi started unbuttoning her shirt.
“What, what are you doing?” Wei Zhuoning was surprised.
“I want you to see the real me, the imperfect me.”
Wei Zhuoning’s breath hitched as she felt Lin Xiaozhi’s warm hands on her skin.
“I cry, I laugh, I get hurt, I get sad, I even have bad habits like smoking. I’m not perfect, but because you love me, you see me as perfect… Zhuoning, it makes me so happy. But you have to understand, I’m lost in your gaze, consumed by your love, I crave everything about you, you are my goddess. I want to belong to you, completely.”
Lin Xiaozhi held Wei Zhuoning’s hand, guiding her, taking the lead.
“Xiaozhi…”
“Do you feel it? My love for you, my desire for you, it’s real. I’m not a goddess, I’m yours, completely.”
—–
Wei Zhuoning would never forget this moment, Lin Xiaozhi’s vulnerability, her unfiltered desire, her willingness to be led.
Even her aggressiveness, her desperate longing, was endearing.
Lin Xiaozhi was so beautiful, her honesty making Wei Zhuoning’s heart ache.
She would cherish her forever.
When they moved out of the lower district, Wei Zhuoning’s mother, watching her daughter and Lin Xiaozhi bustling around, packing their belongings with the movers, couldn’t stop smiling.
She had dreamed of leaving that awful place, but it had seemed impossible.
Now, it was real.
She had also imagined her daughter’s future partner, perhaps a kind and steady young man, or a hardworking girl, but someone like Lin Xiaozhi was beyond her expectations.
“Mom.”
Wei Zhuoning’s mother, watching Lin Xiaozhi, was startled by her sudden appearance.
“Are you taking this basin? It’s cracked, we can buy a new one.”
Lin Xiaozhi smiled at her brightly.
“Thank you, Xiaozhi,” she said, “for taking me in.”
Lin Xiaozhi, surprised by her gratitude, held her hand: “We’re family now, there’s nothing to thank me for. I should be thanking you, for raising such a wonderful daughter. Zhuoning and you are my responsibility now, I’ll take good care of you.”
Wei Zhuoning’s mother blushed, her eyes tearing up.
——
University courses were demanding, surrounded by brilliant students, Lin Xiaozhi felt the pressure.
She hadn’t smoked in almost six months.
She had promised Wei Zhuoning she would quit if she got into L University.
Wei Zhuoning had kept her end of the bargain, and now Lin Xiaozhi should quit completely.
But when she was stressed, she still craved a cigarette.
Sitting in her study, her mind unusually cluttered, she opened her drawer and looked at the unopened pack of cigarettes and the lighter.
No, no… She closed the drawer.
She couldn’t disappoint Zhuoning.
But, just one…
No, even one cigarette, and Zhuoning, with her sensitive nose, would know.
Lin Xiaozhi’s throat itched. She went to take a shower to calm down.
After showering, she helped Wei Zhuoning’s mother with her sponge bath. Wei Zhuoning still hadn’t returned.
She only had two classes this afternoon, where was she?
She hadn’t replied to her messages either.
Lin Xiaozhi looked out the window and saw Wei Zhuoning in the garden, talking to a woman.
She watched them quietly. They talked for over half an hour, then the woman left, and Wei Zhuoning came upstairs.
“Why are you so late?” Lin Xiaozhi opened the door for her, taking her heavy backpack.
“Where were you?” she asked, smiling.
Wei Zhuoning avoided her gaze: “My tutor needed help with something…”
“You didn’t see my messages?”
“Did you send me any? Sorry, I didn’t see them.”
Wei Zhuoning was a terrible liar.
“Come on, let’s eat, I cooked tonight.”
Wei Zhuoning nodded, her smile strained.
For the next month, there were days when Wei Zhuoning came home late.
On those days, Lin Xiaozhi would watch from the window as Wei Zhuoning talked to the woman with long, black hair in the garden below.
They usually talked for about fifteen minutes. Initially, it hadn’t seemed like anything unusual, but today, Wei Zhuoning had adjusted the woman’s collar.
Lin Xiaozhi’s eye twitched, and she lit a cigarette…
“You’ve been smoking?”
Wei Zhuoning smelled the cigarettes as soon as she entered.
“Yes,” Lin Xiaozhi admitted calmly.
“Why…” Wei Zhuoning looked at her with concern. “You haven’t smoked in months.”
“I was stressed.”
“Why were you stressed?” Wei Zhuoning pressed.
She had the nerve to ask?!
Lin Xiaozhi had smoked four cigarettes in a row while waiting for Wei Zhuoning! That woman, daring to appear beneath their apartment!
And now Wei Zhuoning was asking why she was stressed?!
“I’m not blind,” Lin Xiaozhi said, deciding to confront her. “I saw you.”
Tears welled up in her eyes: “How could you do this to me?”
“Huh?” Wei Zhuoning, startled, pulled her into the bedroom, away from her mother.
“You saw us?” As soon as the door closed, Wei Zhuoning offered her some tissues.
Lin Xiaozhi refused them: “If you didn’t want me to see it, you shouldn’t have done it right below our apartment!”
Wei Zhuoning: “I, I couldn’t stop her, she insisted on coming.”
“Oh, she’s bold, isn’t she? Fine, I’ll be waiting for her with a knife tomorrow, I’ll chop her into pieces!”
Wei Zhuoning, seeing Lin Xiaozhi’s fury, her usually elegant face red and contorted, couldn’t help but laugh.
Lin Xiaozhi yelled: “Wei Zhuoning! Have you no conscience?! We just got married! You…”
Wei Zhuoning covered her mouth: “Calm down, Xiaozhi, she won’t come again, I promise.”
“She won’t come again? Why? Did she give up? Just tell me, how far did you two go?” Lin Xiaozhi’s voice trembled, tears threatening to spill. “Do you still love me? Do you still want to be with me? If you…”
Wei Zhuoning quickly interrupted her: “Xiaozhi, you’re misunderstanding. There’s nothing between us.”
“Huh?” Lin Xiaozhi’s tears froze on her eyelashes, her expression changing rapidly.
“She’s from Class 2, her name is Qu Han, remember her?”
“Class 2? Qu Han?” Lin Xiaozhi paused, a flicker of recognition in her eyes.
“You do remember.” Wei Zhuoning looked at her sadly. “She’s liked you for years, you knew, right?”
Lin Xiaozhi: “…”
Qu Han had confessed to her in their first year, but Lin Xiaozhi, obsessed with Wei Zhuoning, had forgotten about it.
“She’s in my class now, she’s been bothering me lately, I ignored her, but then she changed her tactics.”
“What did she do?!”
“She… tried to make things difficult for me.”
“What did she do?!”
“She… blocked me in the hallway a few times.”
“Blocked you?! What did she do to you?!”
“Nothing, I didn’t let her do anything.”
Lin Xiaozhi was about to go find a knife.
Wei Zhuoning quickly calmed her down.
“Then what?! What was her point?!”
“She just… wanted to see me suffer, I guess. Because I married you.”
“No, that’s not it.” Lin Xiaozhi knew better. “She’s not that simple. Tell me the truth!”
Wei Zhuoning, intimidated by Lin Xiaozhi’s intensity, confessed: “She… wanted me to like her…”
“…” Lin Xiaozhi was furious. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”
Wei Zhuoning shrugged: “You were stressed with your studies, I didn’t want to bother you.”
“This is my problem! I should handle it! How dare she bully you!”
Wei Zhuoning remained silent. Lin Xiaozhi, after a moment of seething anger, calmed down, hugged her, and asked:
“Then what? How did she give up?”
“She kept waiting for me downstairs, I got annoyed, and we argued a few times. I almost hit her today, and she finally left.”
“Just like that? She won’t come back?”
“I think so. She said I never wavered, even after all her attempts to provoke me, and that I even defended you, so she realized I must really love you and decided to give up.”
Lin Xiaozhi was still angry.
That idiot! How dare she?!
Wei Zhuoning held her arm and smiled: “Wasn’t I cool? I chased away your rival!”
Lin Xiaozhi couldn’t help but smile and poked her forehead: “Don’t keep secrets from me! I thought you were seeing someone else!”
“So that’s why you were smoking…”
“Of course! It’s your fault! I haven’t smoked in months!”
“Then, what should we do?”
“I don’t know, you figure it out, if I can’t quit, it’s your fault.”
“Okay, okay, it’s my fault, don’t be angry, Xiaozhi.”
Wei Zhuoning’s gentle coaxing made Lin Xiaozhi’s heart melt, and she wanted to continue acting spoiled.
But she couldn’t.
After smoking again, her cravings intensified, her frustration growing.
It was all Qu Han’s fault.
Lin Xiaozhi went to L University and, in front of Qu Han, kissed Wei Zhuoning passionately, making everyone around them blush, then pulled away.
“Let me make this clear, I, Lin Xiaozhi, will only ever love Wei Zhuoning. Anyone who bullies her will answer to me.”
With that, she left with Wei Zhuoning.
Outside the building, Wei Zhuoning’s face was still flushed.
“Was that a declaration of ownership?”
“Yes, you’re mine, don’t even think about running away.”
This should have been a sweet, romantic moment, but Wei Zhuoning’s expression turned serious:
“Did you smoke again?”
“…You can still smell it after I changed clothes?”
“It’s not about the clothes, I can always tell when you’ve been smoking, from your kiss.”
“…”
“Didn’t you promise to quit?” Wei Zhuoning’s voice was filled with disappointment.
“But it’s so hard…”
Wei Zhuoning knew it was hard, but she truly wanted Lin Xiaozhi to quit.
Two days later, after dinner, as Lin Xiaozhi was about to light a cigarette on the balcony, Wei Zhuoning hugged her from behind and kissed her deeply.
Lin Xiaozhi: “?”
Wei Zhuoning’s sudden passion was overwhelming, their kiss deepening as they stumbled into the bedroom. Wei Zhuoning started undressing her.
Lin Xiaozhi: “??”
They didn’t stop until late at night, Lin Xiaozhi so exhausted she could barely move, the forgotten cigarette lying somewhere on the balcony floor.
After showering, Wei Zhuoning came back for more.
“Baby, you’re trying to kill me…”
From then on, whenever Lin Xiaozhi felt the urge to smoke, Wei Zhuoning would appear, kissing her and pulling her towards the bed.
After a couple of weeks, Lin Xiaozhi not only hadn’t smoked, but she had also lost weight and was full of energy.
Wei Zhuoning was pleased: “It seems this special method is working.”
Lin Xiaozhi shook her head.
Wei Zhuoning: “?”
“It hasn’t worked yet, you have to keep supervising me, forever.”
-End-