Chapter Text
After many things happened and they live together, Yan Wei a.i Wei Wei still can’t call You Yi properly by her name nor do physical gestures such as hugs or even simple handshakes with her, because this former assassins is afraid she will be sick. Her heart will tingle and feel giddy for unknown reasons every time she wants to say out loud You Yi’s name and much worse when her skin contacts every inch of You Yi’s body. Even lately just a single touch from You Yi will send her a shiver, her heart will be beating and pounding in a crazy rhythm as if they want to explode.
She had no idea why. Before moving to Shanghai, she had comrades and close enough with her ex- assassins trainer. But her body and heart never reacted like that toward them. Maybe her current body and heart condition has something to do with Shanghai city’s polluted air and waters. She concluded these symptoms are just some kind of allergic or disease her body developed after moving to Shanghai. So for now, until she figures out how to cure her disease, She is doing a very strict YouYi Diets , which consist of not to call You Yi by her name and maintain safe distance with her.
Of course this ‘questionable attitude’ of Yan Wei didn’t miss out from You Yi's scrutiny and observations. She can understand You Yi is just the type of shy person and needs a lot of time to get used to her clingy behaviour, but not calling her name ? isn’t that too rude ? The writer already complained about it, but her demand has always been refused. She doesn't understand why her roommate is so allergic to her even her name, should she take drastic measures and change her name ? No, that will be too much paperwork involved. However, this 4.5 months pregnant woman has felt enough. She has decided she will cure Yan Wei's allergies.
“ Ooy Dinner is ready!” Yan Wei called You Yi from the dining room. “ Ooooy! ”
You Yi put her book that she’s reading in the night stand and sighed, a little bit annoyed. But instead of standing up, she slumped her body back to the bed mattress, pulled the blanket over her head and covered her ears with her hands. She’s really not in the mood right now.
“ Ooy hurry up, come here before it’s cold!” Yan Wei called her again. “ I know You wake up! Come now !” she shouted but still no answer. Getting no answer she walked to the reception counter of her shop area and rang her hanging brass bells furiously.
Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting
“ARRRG WEI WEI STOP IT!” shouted You Yi from her bed.
“I Won’t Until You Come Down Here!” Yan Wei replied and rang the bell harder.
Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting ,
Nope, she won't get up until Yan Wei comes upstairs and asks her properly. “For god sake dear Wei Wei ! My name is Xu You Yi , one of the finest women writers in Shanghai, not some random waitress who you can call by shouting ‘Ooy- Ooy ’ or ringing the bell ‘Ting Ting Ting’ everytime you need to summon me!”s he thought.
But alas, that brass bell sound is getting intensified and too much to bear for her poor sensitive ears.
Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting , Ting Ting Ting ,
“ARRRGHHH!” Finally You Yi got up from her bed. She couldn't stand it anymore and came downstairs. “ENOUGH!” she lashed out to Yan Wei from the stairs.
Yan Wei stopped ringing the bell and went back to the dining table. She scooped the rice into the bowl for angry You Yi. “Come here, let’s eat. I make your favourite braised pork,” she said, purposely emphasizing her friend's favorite food to calm down her anger.
You Yi really wanted to berserk, but now she wants to eat that delicious pork too. She sighed, then sat in front of her. “Hei Weiwei ya,” You Yi called her friend with a tired tone.
“What?” replied Yan Wei.
“Please don’t do that again,” asked You Yi
“Again what ?” ask Yan Wei confused
“Seriously !? That damn Bell !Why do you keep ringing that ?! I’m pregnant and my ears are sensitive,”
“You won’t come down if I don’t do that,”
“You can go upstairs and wake me gently!”
“It’s hussle, also if I go up and poke you, you still refuse to get up and it will take longer to make you come down. Last time you even pulled me to bed and we went to eat 1 hour later!'' replied Yan Wei, and that’s true.
“Sigh...but at least you can call me by my name! It's been months since we've been living together, why do you keep calling me Ooy Ooy like a stranger. It sounds rude, you already know my name right?”
“Your name is too long, Ooy is easier,” answered Yan Wei, obviously lying. She can’t tell You Yi she has secret diseases when it comes to calling her name.
“Too long !? How come it’s too long !? You can recite an endless Tagore Poem but can't say You Yi ! it’s just 2 syllables ! even much shorter than when I call you Yan Wei Wei!”
“FYI I don’t ask You to call me that! You can call me Ooy too, so it’s fair,” replied Yan Wei stubbornly.
“No! it’s not fair ! You called the other by their name!”
“Who?” She asked. At the same time, Yan Wei’s black cat named ‘Lucky' entered the dining room. “Hey Lucky, come here let's eat!” Yan Wei shifts her chair and pats her laps. Lucky then walked to her direction and jumped to her lap.
“Lucky! You never even called her Ooy, ” said You Yi pointing at the cat with her finger.
“She’s my cat ! she'll only respond if I call her lucky,” she replied.
“Okay if so, like lucky, I won't respond too unless you call me by my name!”
“Fine,”said Yan Wei, seems don't care.
“Fine !!!”
“Hmm… Do you want me to treat you like I treat ‘lucky’ too ?” Yan Wei asked her back, she then lifted her body a little and showing Lucky in her arms while rubbing her cat's back ear.
“YOU!…I’m...” You Yi lost her words. Suddenly the happy image of herself having a tail, wearing cat ears, and being hugged and rubbed by Yan Wei ‘like lucky’ flashing in her mind. “NO!...ugh nevermind!”, You Yi replied and she’s blushing red.
“Okay. Let's eat, it’s getting cold,” Yan Wei said, chuckling. She's taking a chunk of pork meat with her chopstick and putting it in a You Yi bowl.
After that they eat quietly, once in while Yan Wei feeding and tickling Lucky, and You Yi looking at them intensely with her imagination is getting wild.
Yan Wei felt a little bit chilly from her intense gaze, so she looked back at You Yi. “Hey, your face is so red,” she said to You Yi, but the latter only pouted and kept staring at Lucky. “Are you alright ?” asked Yan Wei again while tapping her finger at the table to get You Yi’s attention.
Tok Tok Tok
You Yi snapped back to reality “ I’m alright!” she replied.
Both continue to eat. But You Yi’s mind is far away from calm.
“ What on earth with my mind, how could I keep imagining myself as Yan Wei’s cat. Unbelievable, I don’t want to see Lucky again today.” she thought. “I’m finished! Thanks for the meal.” Suddenly You Yi stood up and finished her meal which only half eaten.
“Hey, you haven’t finished your rice!” Yan Wei called her.
“I’m full ! I want to meditate and DON’T ring that bell again! I will kill you if you do that again!”she warned You Yi before going upstairs and back to her room.
“Oo...okay, do you want me to lend you Tao books to meditate? …or my MK98 perhaps to kill me?” Yan Wei asked in a dead serious tone.
“I'd rather use that damn bell to hit you head open.” You Yi glaring at her, and continued walking upstairs.
Yan Wei is confused, she doesn't understand why she’s suddenly so angry. Women are hard to understand, especially the pregnant one.
Next morning Yan Wei is peacefully doing her job. She is diligently cutting the photos and putting them neatly on the envelope before sending them to her clients. Suddenly someone is barging, breaking her peace,and ringing her brass bell
Ting Ting Ting .
She looked up, finding You Yi standing in front of the long table where she works “Oh you wake up. There’s porridge and Soy Milk for breakfast in the kitchen,” said Yan Wei unfazed with her intruder's dark aura presence.
“Stall food Woman Mrs. Shu Yen! Gangster Brother Fa! Detective Jiang Bin!My publisher Mr Wang ! even Xie Yi Fan!” said You Yi with both hands on her hips.
Yan Wei doesn't understand, what's this commotion again about. "What ?" she asked her back.
BRAK ! You Yi slammed both of her hand palms to the table "You call them by their NAME !" she replied. She is so ready to fight Yan Wei. Last night she lost in an argument and ended up having a weird dream about her being a cat and having love dovey feeding time with the person in front of her, so she determined this morning she will win against this rascal girl.
"Name ?"
"Yes, You call their name, so why can't you call mine ?" asked You Yi again.
“Dammit ! Why is she still fussing about this, can’t she just let this go?” ask Yan Wei in her head. Actually after dinner last night, Yan Wei thought about what You Yi said to her about being rude for not calling her properly and it made her feel guilty too. “ Why is it so difficult to call her like others?” she asked herself. Then a realization hit her head. “ But You Yi is right. I call all their names without any difficulty. If this is a kind of Sanghai disease, why only You Yi’s name? Is there something different with her name?Do I...?”
“Hey ! Answer me!” You Yi snapped her fingers in front of Yan Wei's face, bringing her back from her train of thoughts.
“I..I… they are different," Yan Wei answered stutteringly.
“What’s the difference?” asked You Yi, confused.
"Their ... their name is ordinary, but yours isn't! it’s difficult to say," she answered vaguely, didn’t know how to dodge this conversation.
"What do you mean it’s difficult ?! My name is a pretty common Chinese name Xu You Yi , not a kind of difficult foreigner composer name like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky . " You Yi replied felt offended.
“I mean not the pronunciation!” Yan Wei replied. Actually she is amazed how perfectly You Yi pronounced those foreign names.
You Yi almost lost her patience, she stepped closer, then putting both of her hands on Yan Wei's shoulder shaking it furiously and asking “Then What is it, Weiwei ya ?”
"There...there’s something in your name," Yan Wei answered panicked, feeling giddy from You Yi’s sudden touch.
"Is there something in my name ???" Ask You Yi, Suddenly her voice tone is softer. Both of her hands are still on Yan Wei’s shoulder.
" …..Yes," answered Yan Wei helplessly looking at You Yi’s Face...it’s close...Her heart started beating fast.
"Hmmm, and what is that Weiwei ?" asked You Yi with sickenly sweet voice, teasing her.
“It’s something that makes me….” Yan Wei stepped back, but You Yi held her body with both of her hands and stepped closer.
You Yi tilted her head “Make you what Weiwei ?” she asked again. She keeps advancing and getting closer so that now no gap is left between them. Both of her hands reach the back of Yan Wei's neck and her action sends an electric shiver all over Yan Wei’s body.
They are too close. Yan Wei bowed her head down to avoid You Yi’s gaze, but ended up looking up at You Yi’s pink lips. “It’s so plump and looks delectable. Wait! Why am I thinking about her lips now? ” her mind dazed. Her heart is pounding crazy. She feels something weird in her stomach. She needs to end this convo.
“Puke…” Yan Wei replied with a weak voice.
“What ? Puke ?”asked You Yi bewildered. “ My name makes her want to puke ? ”
Yan Wei took a deep breath, she grabbed both of You Yi's wrists from the back of her neck and freed herself from You Yi’s grip, but kolding You Yi’s wrists in front of her body. She is bending her body slightly to the front and tilting her head to You Yi’s left ear and whispering “I eat too much breakfast, I want to puke now... You Yi .” finally she giving up her YouYi Diets
“What …Aaa Get Away from me!” You Yi panicked and pushed away Yan Wei's body from her and stepped back, but then Yan Wei just smirked at her standing there perfectly fine, not showing any signs she was gonna throw up.“You….Liar !” she shouted angrily. She had enough with this mean girl, she furiously stormed to the kitchen direction. This morning's commotion made her hungry.
You Yi is about to enter the kitchen when she realizes something. “Wait...you said that…Weiwei you said my name! right ?!” she shouted and went back to the reception counter.
But Yan Wei turned her back and didn’t answer her. Yan Wei took her jacket and cap from a clothes stand near the door and wore them in a hurry. She can't keep her cool composure any longer in front of You Yi. She needs to go out and take in fresh air to normalize her heartbeat. “I need to go out,” she announced.
"Hey! answered me first! Where do you want to go?" asked You Yi.
“I need to go deliver this photo, I am late," Yan Wei replied, showing the photo envelope to You Yi before putting it safely in her jacket pocket.
“Hey Weiwei , come on say it again! Our bab y wants to hear it too, pweeasee” whining You Yi a asked her cutely.
Damn, that Our baby words are blowing Yan Wei’s mind so strong. Did she realize what she just said ? " Ou...our... “ she froze.
“ Weiwei , all you right?” ask You Yi waving her hands to her face.
“I.. I will stop at the market, do you want something?" said Yan Wei, diverting the conversation, then walkin to the front door.
“Tcih, buy me a coffee !” replied You Yi, following her in the back.
“Nope, we have discussed this. I'll buy you something else,” Yan Wei answered.
"Whatever!" You Yi replied, pouting. Then Yan Wei closed the door and left, but a few seconds later, she was back, opened the door slightly and leaned in her head from outside.
“What? Did you forget something ?” ask You Yi confused.
"Eat your breakfast and... YouYi ! pleasetakecareourbabywhileigo! "said shy Yan Wei in a hurry with a slight red blush on her face.
You Yi’s eyes bugged out, she almost didn't believe her ears, but she perfectly catched what Yan Wei said and her heart was leaping in joy. “ Ok, please come back soon Weiwei .” She replied smiling…. Her infamous sweet smiling eyes that make eyes disappear like a cute cat.
DEG …“Someday this woman surely will give me a heart attack and kill me.” said Yan Wei in her head. Then she left with a racing heart and butterflies in her stomach. Little did she know, You Yi also felt the same and Little did You Yi know, Yan Wei really puked due to her cuteness on the street that day.
- End -
Next Encounter Part 2 : "Ghost & Herbal"