Chapter 425

On the morning of departure for Magic City, Wei Ming received a cable from overseas at the gate of his residential compound, sent by Melinda regarding the English edition of District Nine.

It read simply: “District Nine published. Sent.”

Wei Ming wondered: did “sent” mean it was sent to him?

Well, then, just wait for the book to arrive.

At the airport, Xue Jie hadn’t arrived yet, so Wei Ming picked up the magazine he’d brought and began reading.

When he heard a commotion nearby, he looked up—it was indeed Xue Jie, surrounded by enthusiastic fans.

The film goddess had arrived, but he had no bodyguard beside him; these days the world was chaotic, and Wei Ming truly wanted to assign bodyguards to both sisters, but the times didn’t allow it—that was a move detached from the masses.

Gong Ying spotted Wei Ming but didn’t speak to him; she endured a few more fans, signed autographs, then finally sat down.

Last year when Zhang Yu won the dual awards, there wasn’t nearly this much buzz; clearly, good looks still draw more attention. Word had it that Beiyingchang had rushed to reprint this year’s Gong Ying calendar overnight, and even after half a year had passed, sales remained strong.

On the plane, passengers and crew still tried to chat up Gong Ying, making Wei Ming realize the importance of owning a private aircraft—just wait a while longer; in twenty years it should be possible.

By then, they’d both be retired and could fly anywhere, travel anywhere.

After landing, the two parted ways to take taxis; Wei Ming returned first to the old villa on Huating Road to prepare the place, while Gong Ying needed to go home—she hadn’t seen her parents in three months.

Now that her younger sister had married and moved to Hong Kong, visits home were even harder, so she wanted to fulfill Gong Ying’s share of filial duty too.

The house still needed someone to live in it; after three months of absence, it felt much older, and tidying it up would be a chore, so Wei Ming only cleaned the living room and master bedroom.

As he cleaned, Wei Ming thought: how nice it would be to have someone help clean the house—and then he thought of his beloved in-laws.

Gong Ying’s father, older brother, and nephew lived together in that small house—it was far too cramped; now that the nephew was older, continuing to share a room with his parents was inconvenient.

In the afternoon, Gong Ying quietly arrived, but she told Wei Ming: “I can’t stay with you tonight—I have to go back home.”

Then Wei Ming told her about the house.

“What if we invited your parents to move in?”

“Huh? That wouldn’t be right.”

Although the house was registered under Gong Ying’s name, she always considered it Wei Ming’s; if her parents moved in, what would happen when Wei Ming’s parents came to Magic City—would they become guests?

Wei Ming laughed: “Better to have someone live in it than let it sit empty. Look at the weeds in the yard, and this living room—I spent hours cleaning it. Besides, my family still has a bigger old villa; my parents can live there.”

“But how do I tell my parents?” Gong Ying added. “Even though our living conditions are limited, having them stay in someone else’s home might make them uncomfortable.”

This was truly tricky—unless Wei Ming revealed his relationship with Gong Ying to them, but if he did, what about Xue Jie? Once the balance broke, serious problems would follow.

Crucially, there was still the Great Disaster of 1983; his two girlfriends’ existence must never be revealed. It seemed he could only wait until the heat died down before slowly winning over the elders.

Gong Ying took Wei Ming’s hand and said: “You’re kind to my parents—I’ve noted this feeling.”

“Can’t you stay tonight? I want to hold you while I sleep.” Wei Ming began to pout in Xue Jie’s arms.

“Oh no, I promised my parents I’d go home.”

Wei Ming thought: “Then… could you bring me along?”

“Huh?”

“Say I’m on official business and we met on the train—you invited me to your home for dinner.” Wei Ming realized he should personally visit the elders with a gift; until now, he’d always sent things through Gong Ying.

Gong Ying: “Do you think my parents are fools? They’ve already suspected our relationship.”

Wei Ming: “Let them suspect. We deny it outright—what can they do?”

Gong Ying thought a moment: “Then after you return to Beijing, you should also visit Xue Jie’s parents.”

Wei Ming was less familiar with Xue Jie’s parents, but he’d have to face them sooner or later.

He nodded: “Fine, I’ll meet them!”

Who else could have such luck—four mothers-in-law, two fathers-in-law.

Without delay, Wei Ming and Xue Jie lay down on the bed; over an hour later, seeing the time, they quickly washed up, dressed, and went to the Friendship Store to shop.

When they reached the alley entrance, night had fallen—thankfully, neighbors had all gone home.

Still, Gong Ying wasn’t reassured; she and Wei Ming parted ways to return home separately—after all, Wei Ming knew where she lived.

When they arrived home, dinner was already ready; Mother Zhuang Che said: “Perfect timing—we were waiting for you. Let’s eat.”

Gong Ying felt embarrassed: “Mom, wait a moment—there’s a friend coming over to visit us.”

“What friend? Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” Mother looked out the door.

“It’s a man. I didn’t want people to misunderstand, so I asked him to come up later.”

Hearing this, the sister-in-law perked up: “Is he a male friend or a boyfriend?”

The nephew, though young, spoke shrewdly: “Do I have a second uncle-in-law now?”

“Go away,” Gong Ying said. “He’s just a regular friend. We met on the train—he’s always been kind to me in Beijing, so I invited him over for dinner.”

Father Gong Yuandong narrowed his eyes and guessed: “Could it be that big writer Wei Ming?”

Gong Ying, blushing, nodded: “Yes, it’s him.”

No sooner had she spoken than a knock came at the door; the eldest nephew dashed to open it.

“Hello, Uncle Wei!”

“Oh, hello, hello.” Wei Ming handed some gifts to the child: foreign candies he liked, plus cigarettes and alcohol.

“Uncle Gong, Aunt Zhuang, don’t mind if I join you for dinner?”

“Oh my, Xiao Wei, sit right down!” Gong Ying’s mother showed great warmth; her daughter would turn thirty next year, and at this point she wouldn’t miss any suspicious candidate—even if the boy wasn’t yet legally old enough to marry.

Previously, she’d thought her daughter might struggle to match Wei Ming; now that her daughter had won such high honors, she felt more confident.

Next, the whole family peppered Wei Ming with questions: why had he come to Magic City? Was he revising articles for Harvest?

Wei Ming briefly explained his collaboration with Meiyingchang—he was here for Transformers and The Book of Magic.

They didn’t know what Transformers was, but the eldest nephew had seen The Book of Magic more than once; he eagerly asked when he could watch it.

“If all goes well, you’ll see it this summer,” Wei Ming said.

Gong Ying’s older brother asked what new novels Wei Ming had written.

“Wait for the next issue of Huacheng—I’ve written a science fiction story,” Wei Ming replied honestly.

Hearing “science fiction,” the brother laughed: “Then my son will love it.”

He assumed it was something like Jurassic Park—science fiction that had deeply delighted children and sparked a dinosaur craze among teenagers.

The meal was joyful; Aunt Zhuang Che added a special dish upon seeing Wei Ming, and they exchanged photography tips; knowing her hobby, Wei Ming’s gifts included some Kodak color film rolls.