Disclaimer: I don't own half prince. I just love it!
Hi there everyone! I want to give you to thank all that picked this piece to read. As the years have gone I have slowly moved onwards with this story. I have yet to finish it, but I will be doing a re-write of the chapters in which most mistakes were made. I will polish the discrepancies that appeared there because of my carelessness, and then I might be able to proudly claim this to be my best work! It already is, but the first chapters don't make it the plot justice… Specially since I was having so many problems with finding the words to express my characters in my non-English speaking mind.
It was hard. If you are reading this chapter please, take your time to review. I want to make things better, but I've discovered that the speed in which I work in something is greatly related to the amount of PMs and reviews I get from my readers. You guys have the power to keep me pumped and exited about this, please don't leave me alone here because I could use some serious poking right not.
Anyway, enjoy!
Edited on: March 19 2013.
Chapter 1: Perfectly Plain.
I slowly opened my eyes at the usual early time and glanced out the window. It was way too early to be awake for most people but I had always seemed to wake up long before the sun rose. I looked around my room, a very spacious room filled with small plush toys and expensive furniture. A room so big that I could have invited dozens of girls and thrown the pajama party of the century by the size alone.
Unfortunately I don't have that many friends. In fact, I barely have a couple of people I can get along with and none of those I could bring myself to bring home.
My full name is Meng Alice, I'm 18 this year. I have 1/4 European blood going through my veins—hence the foreign name. My grandfather on my father's side moved to China way before my father had been born, and eventually moved to Taiwan.
My grandfather, who was workaholic, built a big cosmetics company; and my father, who is even worse, threw himself at work like there was no tomorrow after my mother left him for another man. I'm not an only child; I have a half brother that is way older than me. He is a good man, but since the age gap is too big I can't bring to talk openly with him… That and he is a bit of an idiot.
Once I had finally to summon enough will to get out of my very comfy bed I walked long strides around my room to fend off the leftover grogginess and stall a bit the fact that needed to get dressed. An hour passed by since I did my morning work-out, then showered, fixed my extremely messy hair into the usual pretty golden hair I always wore in public, and then I walked into the kitchen to grab a bite of the food our new chef had made.
Yes when say "chef" I mean the most literal fat, French dude with the mustache in the classic get up. I had no idea where my father had managed to find the living cliché, but I had the feeling that the man wouldn't last long for the simple reason that my father has been a natural born cheap-ass.
I arrived the kitchen and looked at the fancy food and frowned. Why on earth did my father never hire a Chinese chef to make our food? No matter how much the food looked like a 5 star food meal the amount of oil most of our temporary chefs used was not compatible with our country's healthy food culture.
It was settled I was skipping breakfast.
I took my bag and started walking away but then I heard a very familiar voice calling from behind. "Alice!" called my half-brother, as he entered the room "You are not planning on skipping breakfast again today, are you? It's the third time this week."
Not even bothering to turn around in his direction I put slightly shifted the bag on my back before whispering in a barely audibly voice "None of your business," and I turned and slowly walked out of the house, ignoring the painful look in his black, silted eyes.
Whether it was in the looks department or the personality department, my brother and I didn't share many traits; not even the color scheme. I was blond and blue eyed while he was black-haired and black-haired. But that was not a very weird thing for siblings that only shared a father… It happened very often in high society this days. Not that it mattered.
I hopped into the black Lamborghini that drove my appointed chauffer. An old man whose name I never bothered learning, but that had been around a record time of 24 years under my household despite the low payment.
That old driver must have had trouble finding a job elsewhere.
As the ride went by I let my mind wander into trivial things. I stared out the window, at all the people who looked happy under the brightly-lit, cloudless sky. It made me feel like puking on how unrealistically happy live always seemed to be out there. It was almost as if everyone was about to start dancing and singing some advertisement song of how great was life in T City.
If at all possible I wanted to go home even more than before as the picturesque university in which's leafy trees the birds were constantly chirping and new students ran to hug each other 'glad that they got admitted to the same university'. Of course nobody came to hug me despite my freshman status, not that an enthusiastic greeting would have been at all appreciated.
'First day of school. Oh, joy!' Isarcastically thought as I got down of the car, then ignored the few people looking in my way and kept walking non-stop towards the classroom that was assigned for the Art's class for the first period. Soon I arrived to the empty classroom –it was so typical for the students to get to the classroom at the last minute-or-so. Once I had placed my bag on the floor I sat on a chair placed in the row furthest away from the window, and buried my head on my crossed arms as I blankly looked to the wall in which my body casted a shadow.
Nobody seemed to notice me there as the room filled with exited students that kept talking about the break, and what a bummer was to start school a week before September when most schools and universities only did so at the start of next month. I honestly didn't see the point on getting mad about that; after all one week getting in earlier meant one week of getting out early and all the institutions had about the same mandatory days of attendance.
It was all so pointless. People were annoying, The Art was stupid… Why I am majoring in it anyway?... Oh, right my father. Never mind then…
By the time the teacher came in the room was filled with teenagers sporting a very varied kind type of clothing, some very daring hair-styles that would have sent the grannies of the students in question straight to their deathbeds. Not even the male population seemed to have escaped the hair-dye craziness, but then again this was the Art Major. Thankfully there were other classes, such as literature, that were common to all the new arrivals, so at least my eyes would
"Meng, Alice" Came the assistance call and I raised a hand to make my presence known to the teacher.
*Sigh* 3. 2. 1…
"O-o-oh! Check out that babe!" "Hey sweetie do you have a boyfriend?" And other such claims spread like wildfire causing the teacher frantically try to subdue the hormone pumped idiots.
"Miss Meng, please talk us about your hopes and dreams." The man asked and nobody seemed in the slightest surprised of it. Meaning that I spaced out while everyone else talked about themselves.
"I'm Alice-" I began once more "I'm 18, I don't have any hobbies, won't join any after-school activities and I'm engaged." I declared coldly instantly killing the joy that was until moments before filling the place.
Whatever people were about to exclaim about my declaration –specially to the part I was engaged which I wouldn't have said if it wasn't because it was sort of a turn down—only themselves might know, for the bell rang and the class was over, and I was fast gone.
Not having to wait for friends to be ready to go came in handy in times like this.
Not that it stopped the wolfs outside the classroom to hit on me as soon as stepped out, delaying anyway. "Did it hurt too much when you fell from the sky?" "want me to give you a tour" "Hey I think we met each other before… In my dreams" were the most idiotic pick-up lines of the day as I rapidly crossed the unnecessarily long corridor that separated me from my next classroom.
By the end of the day I was already campus-wide famous, and immediately labeled as "Ice Princess". Not that I was surprised, since my face had the same mobility that a ice-craved statue, and I was very cold to strangers, acquaintances, relatives… basically everyone I didn't like and I didn't like much people anyway.
If I were to make a list of my dislikes I would start with my 'hate for superficial people'. If people didn't care about looks then they would leave the hell alone No such luck though. I have already tried everything in the book (well not a literal book, but you get the gist) before: Thick glasses (fake one's of course since there is nothing wrong with my eyesight yet), braids, old fashioned clothes, being messy. But nothing of that helped much except for making others think I had a low self-esteem and thus more prone to seduction. I did learn something from those experiences though, ignoring everyone made them eventually give up on the chase.
Sadly keeping distance didn't work 100% of the time, and because of that I had attracted quite the number of perverts trying to do unspeakable things to the "defenseless" girl that I am… or at let they thought of me as defenseless. Over the years I had taken my "I won't rely on anyone" policy very seriously and learnt some martial arts. Now I knew a bit of many, many combat movements, and –despite not being able to master them all because genetics just wouldn't help me with the body-build part, and… well, my C cup.— plus a bit of weapon handling… Not that I seriously thought that would come in handy.
Oh, the benefits of being an outcast. Free time to train my body, to study, to use my computer all the time among other things… I have even more time because I don't have to do any chores, me being rich and all…
I still don't get why my brother worries so much about me. I have been reaping the benefits of my life style for long enough to know that I wouldn't have done half of the things I had I spent my time nurturing a social life.
That night when I came back home I was tired as hell. Skipping breakfast had made me want to go into the kitchen right ahead, grab whatever I find in there to eat and drop dead on my bed. But then again it was still too early to go to sleep, so after eating a full curse of food left by the maids for me –they must have noticed I was avoiding the chef's food—I decided to chat with my true friends, who where the only one I would ever bother to harvest.
Virtual.
I truly liked it here on the net. I was never hated by jealous girls with the need of murdering me o sight because of my looks, nor worshiped and observed for future… erm, "romantic fantasies" Yikes.
So there I spent my afternoon, chatting non-stop with several people I would make jokes too colorful to do if they really knew me. I could talk about the things I liked and forget about arts, about school, about my life in general. How happy and liberating chatting there was, it sure lift my spirit and helped me kill time… Too much time actually, now it was time to sleep, and so I did, knowing for certain that tomorrow I could spend the time doing the exact same thing. I would probably spend my after-school time exercising since I didn't do much of that today. Feeling way better after spending from the afternoon to my sleeping doing nothing productive, I headed to my bed, grabbed a book about art and fell asleep with it as if I had been studying all day long.
On my second day of school I already had a fan club. It was amazing how people so readily wasted their time doing things to piss me off. In fact the fact that people that hadn't even seen me yet joined it… Damn, at this rate I will never get any friends before graduation!.. Not that I wanted them anymore.
When I was little it was so much better; I may have been unpopular then, but at least I had a friend of two. But then came hormones, and they made me lose my closest friend who pushed me down with impure intentions. But maybe it was partially my fault –in a 1/10 ratio- for befriending older people. Needless to say I cut ties with him, and every other potentially harmful friend I had. Not that I had many, I was very expressionless even then.
Feeling a bit depressed by the memories that came to mind I slumped into my bead, head first, and tried to ignore the discomfort on my nose.
"Are you feeling ok?" he asked softly, and his warm hand patted my head.
"Yeah" I replied, taking his hand off my shoulder with practiced ease "Is something the matter?"
He gave me a weird look after my question, but instead of explainng himself he marched out of the room.
He was truly puzzling sometimes.
Figuring that had been the end of his visit I shifted to recover my previous position, but I didn't get to relax much as I something squared press to my hand.
"Happy birthday," He I heard him say and I didn't look in his way to know that he must be beaming at me. I just looked him silently, before taking the box out of his hand. "Did you forget your birthday again?" he asked me with a reproachful expression.
I was a bit peeved that I had to straighten myself once more, but knew that following his lead will be the fastest way to get him out, so I could continue to lay on the bed until I gathered the will of training a bit by jogging inside the unnecessarily big space that was my room.
I hadn't forgotten my birthday, I just didn't care and probably never would.
"Thanks…" I said half-heartedly as I unwrapped the box. It was a second life helmet! I recognized it instantly as it was a hot topic on the network.
"This is a second life helmet!" said my brother, proud of himself as if he was revealing a world wonder, "I know that you have never played this kind of game, so you probably don't know about it, but it's the newest game with 99%..." he kept babbling annoyingly about it. However after a while of rambling he finally saw how it didn't spark my interest in the slightest, and gave up. "Another failure, huh?" He stood up and left the room, highly disappointed and thinking that once again he had failed at getting me a present that could make me smile.
I could give him a heartwarming hug, that sure would lift his spirit, but it would probably be too awkward. The sad part about him giving me a present is that I could have bought this myself.
Deciding to let that particular issue drop I went to my computer and turned it on. It was as good time as any to check my inbox, and I wanted to do so very much since I knew 'Darkness' one of my favorite virtual friends would be on. 'Darkness', who I had met many years ago in a virtual karate class forum was my best friend. I didn't know much about him except the tidbits of information that slipped here and there, but that was overall a great guy in my book. Funny enough he thinks I'm a male since I mostly chat about martial arts moves and such with him… it's really refreshing!
Chat:
"Hey Windy."
"Hi Darkness"
"Have you decided to play Second Life already? I want us to meet there! You are really a hard one convince, I have been hoping to train with you dude. Don't you have money to buy a helmet?"
"My brother got me one today, so that's not the problem."
"So you just don't want to meet?" he sounded a bit hurt, "I want to spar with you, but you don't want to meet in real life, so at least let's meet in the game…"
"And if I don't really feel like it?"
"Then I will stop all contact with you."
I frowned at that. I might not be 100% convinced, but I had had many conversations with him since the game came to the market a couple of months ago and he has been keen on the subject…
Tired of saying no, and feeling in an oddly permissive mood I decided to agree… partly because I was really curious about the man who I had befriended for the longest time.
"Well, ok, I'll meet you there"
There was a pause.
"Yes! Then I'll give you a tour around! I'm in the central continent, and my ID there is the same as the one here." I nodded to myself and left the chat. I had spent more than I thought I would and had yet to do any exercise.
When the actual time to sleep was around I felt myself waver in my conviction, but I was only meeting the guy on a game. Spending time gamming couldn't be too different than chatting online, could it?
With that thought in mind I went to sleep.
At first I couldn't see a thing, the world was pitch black until a bright light blinded me for a second. I instinctively closed my eyes and only opened them to find a woman sitting in a floating chair. If it wasn't for the fact that I had read about it on some forum I would have been very surprised about the GM in the room.
"Hello, and welcome to Second Life. This is your first time playing, so please give us a moment to scan your body and record your vocal frequency…. Right, now you may begin to create your character. Before you proceed, I must remind you that you will have only one chance to create a character. Once created, your race, name and appearance cannot be change."
Tales of the wonders of beautification filled my brain and I couldn't help but ask "Can I see myself as a human with 30% beautification?"
"Sure," replied female game master, but I could sense under her indifferent attitude the slightest annoyance. She must think that on top of being stone-faced I was an impatient narcissist. She hadn't even summoned the creation-process avatar.
A few taps on what looked like a horizontal panel of glass made a naked, floating version of me appeared in the room. Then, slowly started to change until the avatar became an unearthly beauty: Skin fair as snow, a hair that seemed to literally glitter, a perfect face, my already big boobs, seems to get even bigger, yet they didn't look vulgar… the word perfect should have been created for things like that! A shiver crawled down to my spine as for the first time in my life I thanked the heavens for my own looks. I might have been extremely beautiful and eye-catchy, but I doubted I would have survived with looks like those.
I sighed, "please I want to see myself with 30% de-beautify…" I said in the monotone I had used to ask for the beautifying rate.
Once again the 'other me' changed. The breast shrunk from D to B, the hair stopped glistening and looked quite dull in contrast. Other than that the changes were relatively small albeit highly noticeable when the process was done. The goddess had become 60% less charming, and thus pretty much average.
"You are not seriously plying in that." She commented in disbelief "You are very pretty, you could have an easy time doing nothing as it is, and have a world at your feet if you beautify yourself. Why not take advantage of it?"
"It's troublesome" I spat.
The GM seemed to get a better impression of me after that statement –or at least that's what I figured mean the weird glistening in her eyes—because right after that she dropped the formal speech, "Is there something wrong with your face? It doesn't move."
Knowing that I would probably never meet the woman again after today I behaved as bluntly as I did online on a regular basis."It keeps the pests away."
"Oh my! And I thought you were some sort of bimbo bitch… Why did you ask for the 30% beautify in the first place?"
"I was curious… Anyway, a friend is waiting for me in the central continent, could you cut the chatting?"
"Okay." She exclaimed in a tone that implied she wouldn't before smiling wickedly. "How about a beastman?"
"No" I flatly denied.
At this the room was filled with laughter, "I'm sorry, but you sure are weird!"
I wasn't sure if I was blushing, but it felt that way. "I'm not weird." I groundlessly defended. I knew I was a bit different, but that didn't make me weird, it made me unique!
"I like the look of the avatar as it is… But… I there any way to make it a bit uglier? I don't want to risk the chance of getting a fan club…"
"Fat chance on that as it is." She snorted. "And besides, what's wrong with having… No way!" She exclaimed loudly "Don't tell me you got yourself that many fans without moving a muscle." She paused to look at my face "Literally."
"Really?" I asked hopefully focusing so much on the first part that the insult was quickly forgotten.
I was not sure how long had it been since I smiled in front of someone, but I couldn't keep myself from doing so this time as the prospect of a life looking average filled my mind.
When I looked towards her to say a word of thanks I was surprised by the rose color on her cheeks. "I understand why you had fans now. Ok, I might be able to take it up to 40% de-beautify. But, just in case try to keep yourself from ever smiling like that."
In a spur-of-the-moment I walked up to her and hugged her tightly. It was the first time anyone had ever given me something that I truly wanted "Thank you so much" I thanked her with tears in my eyes, looking at her like the one who just helped me resolve all my earthy problems. "I love you!" I blurted squeezing the nameless GM with as much force as I could muster.
"Ouch!" She complained, then pushed me away. "Hey, don't overdo it!" She reprimanded face a bit red for the lack of oxygen… or maybe it was because I was smiling like she told me not to?
"Sorry." I apologized deciding it was the first.
We spent quite a bit of time changing the avatar after that. Now that I was average I didn't need to worry too much about other things. Excitedly we spend the next minutes changing species and small body traits.
In the end the initial standard human had become a holywoman with blue eyes, nails, lips, hair that went along perfectly with the newbie clothes of the holymen race –it was mostly because of it that I chose the race.
"You have a great fashion sense" She complemented looking oddly amused "Bur let's leave it like that. My stand-inn time is about to finish." She apologized "Wouldn't want to start all over with someone else would you?"
"Fine." I agreed, feeling secretly glad of meeting this person. It was clearly a good omen to meet someone I could get along with so easily, my Second Life was on a good start!
"Thank you very much; I really don't have a way to express how grateful I am!" I said with my most radiant, sweetest smile that I had ever shown only to a mirror when I forced myself to do facial exercises to make sure that my facial muscles weren't getting too stiff and damaged beyond repair due to the lack of use.
The GM must have also have a good time, because she kindly offered
"You can call whenever you want. My ID is Starlight, and I also will be going to the central continent, so we can meet whenever." The GM candidly added after I became my avatar.
She must also have had a good time.
"Oh, and my ID will be Windy!" I exclaimed, feeling panicky as I almost forgot about it.
"Very fitting indeed," she agreed with a smile as I began to fall into the darkness once again.
When I woke up I was on lying on wet ground. Around me there were flowers and butterflies all around and a clear river nearby became my mirror as soon as I stood up. I was unsurprisingly looking exactly the same as I did before Starlight and I parted ways.
Patting my dress smooth I smiled and then headed for the Holymen village to get a feeling on the game. Suddenly I was surrounded by "threatening" white rabbits that bared his teeth on my direction. Not feeling remorse about the fake creatures I attacked, kicking one after another and watching them become loot as they crashed against some conveniently placed trees.
By the end of it I had earned myself a newbie pouch, some darts (one per rabbit) and some cooper coins.
I called upon my stats to see my level, and I was shocked to see myself already being an Lv.11 player. I wasn't sure why the rabbits were worth so many points, but I settled on thinking that maybe it was because people would usually hesitate when seen their cuteness. Deciding not to think too deeply over it I distributed the accumulated skill points between speed, defense and strength; after all I didn't really get what the other ones where about. I sat down on the ground, exhausted.
It was soon evident that I needn't worry about people chasing me. It had been hours and I had yet to see another player. It took some actual searching before I actually started seeing the other players. All of which happened to be males … How weird. I thought that this village would be filled with woman. Well I don't really stand out that much so I should be alright.
I walked to a shop with the symbol of a bow. I was planning to ask around as how to change jobs there. Apparently this shop was only for those who wished to become an archer. However what I wanted to be was a mage, not an archer, so I was only planning to get some info there and leave.
The old NPC guy that was there was very cranky and refused to tell me anything since I wasn't a costumer, in the end I spent every penny I had gotten so far into a mid level bow and some arrows. I thought that I had gained the right to ask, but never got the chance as the old man gave me a map of the village. I stared at it and quickly memorized it before giving it back. I actually have photographic memory –which makes studying not get on the way of my style of life as much as it does for most people- so I didn't need it anymore after a glimpse.
"System notice: Player Windy has learnt selfless patience, reputation has gone up +10."
I was startled for a moment. But I quickly decided that I was not the least bit happy about the earned points. "Selfless patience" Earning something like that so fast would make anyone think that they could take advantage of me. I would rather be considered a bitch that an easy prey.
I had to amend my mistake.
In the end, after some insisting on both parts I got fed up and shoved the map to him and I ran away from his shop before he could retort. "System notification, the player used Merciful Stubbornness, charisma +3 intelligence +2 reputation+5"
Damn.
"I can't believe it! I will get my reputation down for the world to see," I declared determinedly, clenching my fists. And with that I set off to find some NPC's to annoy, after all, it didn't feel right to make trouble for other players.
I peeked behind a tree as an old woman with a basket full of apples walked past me. She was walking alone on a desolate road. She was the perfect target, and I was sure she wasn't a player since she looked extremely old and people never made themselves that old in here despite the fact that it didn't go against the rules.
Letting a mental evil laugher I readied myself to push the old woman, and push her I did when the timing seemed right. Unfortunately, some stones fell to where she was standing until then, which was exactly the place I was standing now. Instantly I felt a huge pain as the stones hit me hard.
How I didn't die there and then, it was a mystery.
The old NPC healed me, then helped me stand up, and gave me a golden apple as thanks for saving her life.
"System notification, Player Windy has saved the old fruit traveler. Charisma +5, Intelligence +5, Reputation +20, you are now level 13.
"Level 13…" I muttered, amazed. How is it possible to gain 2 levels just for increasing something as useless as charisma, reputation and intelligence? Those things were totally useless! Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…
"No." I shoved that train of thought aside. I can't give up now, I have to become infamous. There are only a few players right now in the village and I haven't interacted with any of them, so I still have a chance to get my reputation down before I meet someone who would try to make fun of me or hit on me while thinking I'm a pansy.
I stood up and ran to find more NPCs. According to the map, that I shoved back to the old man in the store, there was a place with some quest, and that meant that I could get another chance to lower my reputation.
I killed some mobs, using my bow as a makeshift blade, as I advance further into the forest. Soon I reached a tiny house that was entirely made of wood; Inside of it there were a couple of cute kids laughing and playing games. This was perfect; if I killed them and burned the house to ashes I would soon be basking of the glory or a negative reputation!
I got closer to the house but as soon and peeked through a hole in the door, I didn't see the kids anymore. Well, there was still that humble-looking grandma sitting next to the fire, killing her and burning down the house should do the trick somewhat. I stormed inside the house through the window with a loud bang, and, getting a small knife out of my pouch, I stabbed her chest with a swift move. I felt pretty bad about it… But oh well, if it works…
"Huh?" the woman stood up and took the knife out of her chest and began throwing small spells at me.
"A witch" I screamed, as I avoided her black magic.
I hid behind the table that fell to the floor in the commotion, and looked around for something I could use as a weapon since I doubted my wooden bow would last more than a blink under the black fire that NPC kept on firing.
Her reflex on a piece of crystal, that used to belong to the window, revealed her possition and I soon picked it up and threw it on her general direction successfully distracting her long enough for me to use the fallen metallic table as shield and using it to push her towards a big oven which door seemed to be conveniently open.
Suddenly a small girl appeared, closing the door and trapping her inside. Then she pulled my hand and led me to a room with a little boy in locked in a cell. Feeling grateful to the small NPC, I opened the door of the cell to let out the little boy she wanted me to save. As soon as the boy got out the two kids hugged each other and then disappeared along with the house, and the only thing left in front of me was a big treasure chest.
System Notification: Player Windy has helped Hansel and Gretel, and defeated the Old Witch.
A dizzy spell hit me as I saw my rep, luck and charisma going up once again. "I quit!" I yelled in frustration. I can't believe that a person who has always avoided making friends can get such a good name as me while trying to be bad. Feeling tired I opened the chest, and inside it was a witch's wand, a beautiful white dress and a necklace with the symbol of wind on it.
I couldn't help to smile at the reward, at least something good came out of this mess. With a smile I the put the wand, among other things, in my pouch before trading the blue dress I was wearing for the white one. This dress was not only more fashionable, but it also had: +15 defense, +20 speed. I wore the necklace too. It seemed to have a symbol of the wind element.
By the end of the day I was a level 15 players (though I'm not sure if the last 4 levels should count), nevertheless it was quite the accomplishment for a newbie to go so far on the first day, even if the first 10 levels are always the easiest and other 4 out of 15 were mostly an accident.
I would fix that rep thing though, but not right now. The system clock announced that it was time for me to get up.
As soon as I took off the game helmet the next morning I saw my brother grinning like an idiot in a chair next to my bed. "This is the first time that you have ever used a present of mine! I'm glad… Did you like the present?" he asked, his messy curls swayed as he removed his elbow from the arm-restler. He was obviously pleased.
Recalling the events of that night: the meeting with the nice GM, the appearance of my new avatar, and the incredibly good reputation that I accidentally built overnight, I couldn't help but chuckle. Looking at my brother with a childish expression that I probably had never showed in front of him before, I exclaimed "Thank you Dage. I had an unexpectedly good time." Then I got out of bed, as he stood there in shocked stillness.
I took my time getting to the dressing room to change my clothes, bush my hair… Once I was ready I couldn't help but feel get close to my brother who looked very dumbfounded as he followed me with his eyes.
The happy expression died as the sense of reality caught up. Yet, I decided to use the last bit of dreamy sensation to fuel my resolve so I could kiss my brother on the cheek before bidding him farewell.
Chinese wordings for new readers:
Dage is a respectful way to address one's older brother.
"Meng Alice" In China last names come first, even when you are talking with them. There will be instances in which I switched the last names and first names, but I will fix them as I edit the problems slowly.
To make things easy for you to know which chapter is a re-do I will put a note clarifying it, like the one on top right before the chapter.
Please read and review. The more reviews I get the more likely I am to update, or re-edit the next chapters.