[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-114":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising in 1979",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2260822,4412,"Chapter 114: The Game of the Brave (Guaranteed First Update)","rising-in-1979-chapter-114",114,"\u003Cp>It was nearly dark; after returning to Peking University with Melinda, Wei Ming immediately disappeared into the darkroom to develop photos, several rolls of film capturing the efforts of these past days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first photo was taken at the Great Wall; Wei Ming, who had been there eight hundred times, climbed it again for Melinda, and met many foreigners, asking them to take pictures of the two of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foreigners thought Wei Ming was a high-quality tour guide and translator, and all asked for his contact information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one was taken of her in Jingshan Park, with the entire Forbidden City in the background; because it had snowed two days prior, the palace was draped in white, more beautiful than usual, and Melinda, dressed in a full mink coat, looked even more radiant, her skin as pale as snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one was taken of Melinda at the square, where she had bought a cap with a red star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the square was packed with people, the pair of a Chinese man and a foreign woman drew crowds; they were photographing the scenery, yet they themselves became someone else’s scenery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This photo was taken while the two were ice-skating at Shichahai; Melinda came from a bitterly cold place, so ice-skating was easy for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Shichahai, if you’re with a beautiful girl, people might pick a fight with you; but if you’re with a beautiful foreign girl, everyone keeps their distance—even the patrolling police officers watch you closely, terrified of causing a diplomatic incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interestingly, this photo was taken by Zhen Zidan, who was skating nearby at the time; he was now an American, conversed naturally with Melinda, exuding a natural affinity between English and American speakers, but when Wei Ming asked to take a photo of the three of them, he flatly refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dandan: Damn, this foreigner’s taller than me!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This photo showed Melinda wearing a qipao; Wei Ming bought the fabric himself, took her measurements, and had Biaozi’s mother and her master make it for him—he’d started preparing days ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when she put it on, her figure was so curvaceous it looked slightly sensual; Wei Ming didn’t let her wear it outside, fearing she’d get arrested walking down the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly snapped a photo and took it off, but she could wear it privately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming developed two copies of every photo; with departure looming, looking at these photos truly stirred his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they’d only known each other for two months and been together for over a month, it was their first time; gazing at the red-haired girl in the photos, Wei Ming felt a pang of sadness—they might never meet again, scattered across the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wei Ming was processing these photos, Yang Hao, the campus magazine’s photographer, arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Wei Ming’s photos and whistled: “Damn, what good fortune you’ve had, Tom! Even if it’s about to end, you still had it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What photos are you developing?” Wei Ming casually asked as he left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Hao: “Oh, Professor Yang Zhenning gave a lecture at Peking University today—huge crowd, people spilled out of the classroom, even many Tsinghua physics students came over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He showed Wei Ming his photos of the scene and a close-up of Yang Zhenning; he was still under sixty, solid and healthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming thought bitterly: What a shame—I missed the chance to take a photo with Old Yang, lost a chance to connect with the science circle!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Melinda’s final day before departure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She began distributing the belongings she’d accumulated over two years at Peking University.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some books she couldn’t take were given to Xiao Cha; the risqué Playboy magazines she couldn’t take abroad were given to younger female students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By day’s end, only two suitcases and a backpack remained in her dorm: a small one for her personal essentials, a large one filled with various Chinese paintings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she’d bought too many; even one suitcase couldn’t hold them all, so she asked Wei Ming to pick a few to keep as mementos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She also gave him her tape recorder and let him choose several cassette tapes from Queen and the Carpenters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Zhao Debiao and Mei Wenhua received two Hollywood movie magazines; though not as revealing as Playboy, they still featured many sexy female stars—enough to draw moral condemnation if shown publicly, but not enough to cause trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the women’s dormitory locked up, Melinda stayed busy saying goodbye to friends, visiting both male and female dorms, exchanging messages and contact details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many international students were leaving; they came from different countries, and this farewell might be final—but everyone hoped for another meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even nations with ancient enmities set aside their grudges that day, bidding each other farewell with utmost goodwill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming locked the dorm two hours late, giving graduating international students more time to say goodbye; some hadn’t returned by midnight—they’d probably spent the night in the men’s dorm across the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only natural; Melinda planned to stay the night with Wei Ming instead of returning to her room upstairs—after all, everyone knew about them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming waited and waited for the manuscript, then fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he closed his eyes than she arrived; to his surprise, she was wearing the qipao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming’s hands slid around her waist, the fabric pressed tightly against her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming’s first words: “Aren’t you cold?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming noticed she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melinda pulled Wei Ming’s head to her chest: “Once you move, you won’t be cold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming pulled her onto the bed: “I slept all day; I’m not sleeping tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melinda: “I was thinking the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The box of condoms grew emptier; the six-pack dwindled to just one before they finally stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been intermittent; now the rooster was crowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melinda toyed with the last remaining Durex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ones her mother had prepared before she left had long been used up; they’d gone through them too fast, so Melinda restocked once at Friendship Store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Wei Ming said he couldn’t stand the domestic brand. She smiled: “Then I’ll leave this one for you—I’ll mail you a few boxes when I get back home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “No need. Who would I use it with after you leave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melinda interpreted it as: When you leave, I’ll lock my heart and never find anyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fool,” Melinda suddenly grew emotional, “Why don’t you marry me? I can take you to Britain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming smiled: “I’m only nineteen—it’s not legal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that was just an excuse; he couldn’t imagine living abroad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melinda laughed: “I almost forgot—you’re still a little brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Call me big brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmph, only three years older and already so bold—what if he were eight or nine years older?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wei Ming completely spent, Melinda sighed; by the end, she was worn out too, even in pain, sustained only by passion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She first folded the qipao and put it away, then changed into her pajamas and lay beside Wei Ming, waiting for dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So caught up in talking, she’d forgotten to give her the last gift—but giving it at the airport was fine too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Wei Ming opened the dorm door, Melinda went upstairs for her final preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After handing over his shift to Aunt Wang, Wei Ming went to the campus shuttle fleet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since many international students were leaving for the airport today, the school had arranged a special shuttle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming, leveraging his connection with Old Liu of the shuttle fleet, asked if there was room for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Old Liu heard Wei Ming was seeing off an international student, he immediately volunteered himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lao Zhao, I’ll take this run—give me the keys.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Liu had been following the gossip between Wei Ming and Melinda for a long time—he naturally wanted to witness the grand finale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also told Wei Ming there was still no news about the motorcycle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming wasn’t in a hurry: “Even if you let me buy one now, winter break’s coming—I’ll be home for days. I can’t leave a car here unattended.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When time came, Old Liu picked up Wei Ming and a female teacher from the international office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teacher nodded upon seeing Wei Ming, asking no questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d been anxious, fearing Wei Ming and Melinda might cause trouble—say, Wei Ming insisting on moving to Britain with Melinda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was now a rising writer with growing influence; his name appeared often in major newspapers. If something like that happened, it’d be international news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, at last, things had settled peacefully—why not see her off properly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shuttle stopped at Shao Yuan gate; most international students leaving today were Europeans and Americans heading to Hong Kong for connections—about a dozen, with dozens more seeing them off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming and Melinda sat together; Old Liu had deliberately saved them the front seats so he could watch closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as they boarded, Melinda sat right beside Wei Ming and held his hand; other students smiled knowingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the shuttle started, Wei Ming pulled out the gift he’d been working on nonstop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “A children’s adventure novel—short, and the main character is a foreigner. See if you can translate it easily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this is what you’ve been writing all this time? I thought you were working on a screenplay,” Melinda said, surprised as she took it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened the first page—the title read: “The Game of the Brave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the line from “The Duck Who Knew First”: “The brave enjoy the world first,” Wei Ming was privately called the bravest writer in Chinese literature; even international students who hadn’t read the novel had heard the phrase and strongly identified with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Melinda’s eyes, he was brave too—who else would dare sleep with her? So was this his own story?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as she began reading, she realized it wasn’t quite that—the protagonists were siblings; the sister was simply named Melinda, the brother Mei Ao; Chinese readers would assume it was set in China.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she reached the board game called “The Brave’s Challenge,” Melinda exclaimed: “Did you get the idea from our game?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Yes, so thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Melinda kept reading, growing more delighted—the board game was magical; once started, it couldn’t be stopped until the final square was reached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When a player landed on a square marked with a bat, real bats appeared in the house; when they landed on a lion, an actual lion leapt out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later came floods, and the appearance of a previous player trapped in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, what a cool setup!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Last day—please vote for monthly tickets!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1781,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5221eb28436a68b86dcb22522e68083cd657433c95ac6d91ebb44cfeaba937a7","rising-in-1979-chapter-115","rising-in-1979-chapter-113",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]