More talents of Nai He Da Shen are revealed!
I tried to paste this directly from word rather than notepad so there are italics. Hopefully, nothing went missing in the process. When I tried with previous chapters, my headnotes went missing most of the time.
Nina, your question gets answered in this chapter!
[1] Shidi (younger “brother”) versus shimei (younger “sister). Basically accusing her of pretending to be female while really a male.
[2]振聋发聩: is an idiom which is to shock those who are confused or apathetic. The literal meaning is to cause the deaf to hear.
Chapter Twelve White Robes, Red Shadow
Yu Gong came up after a while and weakly said: “I’m injured.”
Mo Zha Ta mocked him: “Just falling down on your ass a bit is also called an injury.”
Yu Gong’s embarrassment turned to rage: “Internal! What I meant was internal injury.”
Wei Wei: “>o<, so you guys live together.”
Even before, Wei Wei had perceived from their conversations that they knew each other in real life. All four of them seemed to be in year four in university because they mentioned once that they were graduating and need to find internships. But Wei Wei was never nosy about the real lives of other people outside the game and hadn’t asked before. This time her questions came out surprisingly natural.
Hou Zi Jiu replied: “We’re in one dorm.”
As expected!
Wei Wei unconsciously turned to look at Nai He. Then Da Shen was the same as her, an university student? Why did she feel that it was a bit unbelievable, Da Shen should be … …
>_<
Couldn’t think of anything … …
Yu Gong said: “Sansao, Nai He usually never returns to the dorms at night. You should control him better.”
Mo Zha Ta: “He doesn’t return during the day either!”
Wei Wei jiong.
Nai He said: “Whenever the dorm doesn’t have half a month unwashed socks that you guys left around, I’ll return immediately.”
Mo Zha Ta promptly said: “Just keep living outside in that case.”
Wei Wei sweated. She had heard that before male students would accumulate tens of pairs of socks before washing them together. She hadn’t realized that these people did it too. She suddenly remembered that Yu Gong had mentioned blacking out somebody’s computer and asked suspiciously: “You guys are studying Computer Science?”
“Correct!”
What a coincidence = =
Wei Wei said: “… … me too.”
“. . . . . .”
“It’s actually a little shimei!”
Yu Gong Pa Shan: “It’s over. It’s nine to one in the CompSci department. Little shimei is so strong and bold, unless she is really a little shidi?”[1]
Wei Wei: “>o<”
Wei Wei was a bit embarrassed by their word: “Really that bold and strong? The opening lines I just said… …”
Actually managed to shock Yu Gong to an internal injury.
Yu Gong said: “It’s okay, it’s okay, that result even the deaf could hear.” [2]
Even the deaf could hear … …
Wei Wei thought she was getting internal injuries herself. Using “the deaf could hear” this way, if Yu Gong’s previous Chinese teachers knew, they might actually cry.
Hou Zi Jiu made a suggestion. “It’s good, but that “leave behind the men” should be changed. There’s four males here, who knows which one you want to kidnap. The audience might get confused.”
Nai He said: “There won’t be any misunderstandings, it doesn’t have to be changed.”
Hou Zi Jiu: “? ? ?”
Nai He said: “You guys have nothing of value.”
And therefore … …
A PK started noisily again. This time it was three-on-one.
Wei Wei looked speechlessly at the sky. She hadn’t even started the kidnapping, the “victims” had already started to having internal conflicts.
In the end, under Yu Gong’s weakness due to his injury, after many hilarious situations, the video finally was preliminarily completely after two days.
The story after the kidnapping was still written by Wei Wei. To lengthen the time, Wei Wei added in as many contrived and melodramatic situations as possible, using material from TV dramas.
The basic plot was as below:
The white-clothed musician was kidnapped back to the bandit’s village (the game had landscapes of robber’s towns and nests.) The female bandit fell in love with his refinement and elegance and tried all possible ways to make him happy. The musician was unmoved and never spoke, just stayed at the lotus pond behind the mountain playing his instrument.
The female bandit decided in the end to release him but still couldn’t leave him so she followed behind him and saved him when the musician met a monster. In the moment before the musician was killed, the female bandit managed to save him. The musician was moved and decided to accept the bandit. So the female bandit started to prepare for her wedding. Right before the wedding night, soldiers (Yu Gong and the others went into the nest and announced they were going to mentor newbies. A large crowd came and became free background actors). The soldiers attacked the mountain village and the bandits (the pitiful NPC’s who were only level 20) were drunk and defenseless and therefore were slaughtered. The female bandit was strong and couldn’t be taken down by the soldiers who diverted the attacks onto the musician. The bandit tried to defend the musician but the he took out his jian from his instrument and, without any hesitation, thrusted it into the heart of the bandit.
Originally, the musician was actually an imperial official. Because the bandits had the advantage of the landscape, they were not able to be eradicated. He came to be a double agent.
The end therefore was the most melodramatic part of it all.
After the female bandit died, the musician finally realized he had already fallen in love with her. So the musician decided to take her corpse and leap off the peak of Sunset Mountains.
… …
Okay, Wei Wei admitted, this was just her satire >o<
Wei Wei thought that her plot would have been rejected by everybody. Unexpectedly, everybody thought it was pretty good. After deeply examining it, Nai He Da Shen’s reason that it was good was – he didn’t have many lines.
Yu Gong and the other’s thought it was good because – they hadn’t thought they would be in the further scenes, and as important characters. Bursting with joy!
Wei Wei was even more speechless. Of course this crowd of CompSci student had no art cells.
But a few days late, when Nai He finished editing the video and sent it over, Wei Wei regretfully took back the label of “no art cells”.
The one with no artistic sense was her, Yu Gong, and the others. Definitely not including Da Shen!
Da Shen Da Shen, he could accomplish anything!
The day she received the video, Wei Wei had a night class. After she returned to her dorm, Nai He had already gone offline and left her one sentence.
“Have something so off early, video’s in your inbox.”
Wei Wei frantically opened her inbox.
The video’s editing process included editing the scenes, the music, the words, the photoshop etc. At the beginning, Wei Wei thought she learn and do it herself, because she was only in year two and definitely had more time than those who were graduating this year. However, Nai He said he would do it. Out of her unconditional confidence in Da Shen, she had no problems with that.
After downloading ten minutes of the video, Wei Wei couldn’t resist opening it already. After watching for a few seconds, jus the header was enough to amaze her.
It was too exquisite.
In reality, it was still very simple, just a black background with red words. But she didn’t know where Nai He had found such an appropriate font, the strokes was both full of weight yet exuded a sense of freedom. The strokes were written on screen one by one. A glow effect followed and a layer of light floated off the characters. Simple but elegant. It was very eye-catching.
Wei Wei repeated the beginning several times before reluctantly moving forward to watch the rest.
Da Shen definitely put his heart in. The cuts, the words, the music. All of it was perfect, especially the background music. What surprised Wei Wei was that it didn’t use any of the popular music like the other videos in the contests but it used mostly folk music. The beginning of the kidnapping used cheerful flutes. After that was the guzheng which was appropriate for the musician.
En, this type of sparkling sound should be the guzheng. Wei Wei had no musical sense. Before, in high school, she used her music appreciation periods to furtively write homework. This was the first time she was focusing on music.
There was nothing that was out of place for her to report back. Wei Wei decided to just watch and appreciate.
Even though the ending was a tragedy, but it started as a satire. Through the process, there was a lot of fun and that came out in the video. Wei Wei maintained a very cheerful mood throughout the video. But the moment the musician unsheathed his sword, the guzheng music arose in a murderous peak, and as the jian unhesitantly entered the female bandit’s heart, the music abruptly stopped.
Wei Wei’s heart jumped a beat.
Before Wei Wei could recover, the scene suddenly changed.
Originally, the scenes after should have been the musician leaping down the cliff at Sunset mountains with the corpse. However the scene playing was the musician and the captain of the troops that attacked the mountain (played by Yu Gong) in front of a grave, standing silently.
The soldier said: “You didn’t have to kill her.”
The musician was silent for a long while before saying: “Rather than letting her live and hate me, better to have her die.”
Wei Wei stared.
She finally realized, from the start of this line, the musician in the video wasn’t the one from the story.
He had turned into a mysterious and strange person.
The musician retreated to a small shack at the bottom of the mountain. Wei Wei recognized it was a minor location in the game. Nobody actually lived underneath the Sunset Mountains. Beside the shack were bamboo woods where the musician stayed day after day with his guqin. Otherwise he would walk up to the top of Sunset Mountains, standing there to look at the sunset.
The captain of the soldiers appeared once again.
“You did a great deed. Titles and riches are within your reach. Why are you hiding in this middle-of-nowhere?”
The musician didn’t answer, only played the qin, which his immortal-level tiger cheerfully ran around him.
The bamboo woods suddenly rippled and broke and the scenery changed to the lotus pond. It seemed to be a memory of the musician, carrying a sepia tone. The musician was handling his qin, while the bandit sat by his side. There was no music in the background and everything was silent except some birdsong. After, Wei Wei heard her own voice.
A few days ago, Nai He had asked her to record some lines that he said he might need to use. What was recorded was what the female bandit said before releasing the musician. Wei Wei hastily recorded in embarrassment and sent it off. She didn’t think it actually would be used.
The voice seemed to have been treated, it sounded very vague and distant, like coming from the air itself.
“My grandfather was a bandit, my father was also a bandit, so from when I was born, I was a bandit. Other than being a bandit, I don’t know what to do, and I don’t know how to do anything else. There’s also this whole village of people depending on me.”
“You hate me so much but I have never killed anybody. I’m not the worst, but still bad.”
“I want to be like the other girls too. Raise some chickens and ducks, work during the day and sleep at night. Some quiet and peaceful days, but that’s just a dream. It won’t ever happen.”
“Go, I’m letting you go.”
The view returned back to the captain angrily asking: “You have such a good future, why are you wasting it in this wilderness.”
After was a clear and distant voice: “This is my dream too.”
The entire video was done using words on the screen, but only the last few words where done with actual voices. The voices suddenly appeared and disappeared just as quickly. The guzheng music started, mourning, before disappearing.
The last scene was the female bandit in red and the musician in white beside the lotus pond. The musician playing his qin and the bandit practicing with her blade. The two were vibrantly colored and full of life. After, the scene started to fade to black and white.
Stop.
The scene stilled with the musician still clothed in white.
The red robes of the female bandit had turned stark white.
Wei Wei’s heart shook and her eyes turned wet.
wah..the first thing i check every morning..thanks for this..
Thanks for reading! Does this make getting up easier?
hahaha…yup..thanks for that..
thanks for the quick updates
Wow, such a romantic guy. No wonder she’s falling for him. Thanks for entertaining us with your awesome translations.
Another amazing chapter T T I wouldn’t even mind if Gu Man decides to write a story about that musician and the female bandit (and i actually quite adore the altered ending.) Nai He is quite the complete package x)
Well now that he at least knows her voice, I hope he’d recognize it in real life when they meet <3
I tried but I don’t think I conveyed how poetic Gu Man was during this chapter. Her tone is usually light, especially during the comedic parts, which seem to be her preference and her talent. But this section was a lot heavier and much more descriptive. There are videos fans have made of the kidnapping so if you search up the title in Chinese on google in the video section, there are lots.
Nai He is the complete package. I like him better than Yi Chen from Silent Separation. Something about the fact Yi Chen was so emotionally stunted and the stupidity of the female in running off made me really irritated. I also like Wei Wei much better, she’s more assured of herself and makes rational decisions.
They’ll meet up. We’re getting closer … …
Thank you !
Another sweet chapter. : )
I wonder, how do they even know that they are in the same university? I thought online games can be played anywhere so the players can be students of ComSci from any universities, right? Did they tell her that they are from which university? Did I somehow miss that? ^^
Somehow I think they are all from same university. I can’t wait till they meet for real..Great chapter as usual. Thank you for the really fast translation. I do the same thing, check it everyday..several times a day.hehehe…
Thank you for reading! Wei Wei is pretty observant! ;D
Yeah, the story won’t be logical in the sense that if they are from uni far away from each other, the likelihood of meeting is less. Anyhow, I think most likely they are from the same place to meet each other sooner or later hahahaha. Wei Wei seems pretty absorbed in the online game world. I wonder if she is a game-nerd hahahaha!
She could probably be categorized as one. The focus on the game is pretty intense now. It slacks off in the later half but it is always in the background. Wei Wei is still studying and preparing for her exams.
Hi, I’m back! It was so lovely to have several chapters waiting for me! Yi Xiao Nai He is so awesome. I think he would make a very captivating male lead in his own wuxia story, someone who is cool, suave, and ruthless enough to add some spice to his character.
The description of the video and its bandit-undercover musician storyline blew me away. I cried at the end, perhaps because I found it more heartbreakingly romantic that the musician had chosen to live on and keep his memories of the red-robed bandit alive in his heart rather than just commit suicide at the end. The dead no longer feel, no longer hurt. It is the living who must bear the wounds of the past and carry the burden of loneliness. And since he chose to live, then it must mean that he loved her enough to want to keep on living, to keep on remembering her in his heart even if it meant that he had to live in pain. In a way, I think the red-robed bandit and the white-robed musician did finally find their happiness; they were separated by life and death, but they will forever be bound by one dream, and in this dream, they will always be together, he playing his qin and she practicing her sword technique. *cries* 🙁
I think I have a soft spot for well written sad endings. There is something about them that just makes me cry and want to read them over and over again.
I would love to see the fan MVs of this musician-bandit story. Which keys words do I have to type into google to find the MVs?
On a cheerier note, I think Wei Wei and Nai He will totally win this video contest! Their story of the bandit and musician is too heart-wrenching and memorable with that kind of ending. What is the prize?
I can’t wait until tomorrow for the next update! I almost want to hold you hostage until you hand over the rest of the translated chapters. Any other readers want to join me in kidnapping wyhcwe? Haha. 🙂
Welcome back!
There’s a lot of videos. I really didn’t finish any of them because I have slow internet. But if you type 微微一笑很倾城 白衣红影 or 微微一笑很倾城女贼抢亲 then you can find some.
I can’t stand tragic endings myself. I usually stick with sweet and fluffy. Hence why I like this novel than Silent Separation. It was too angsty. I think I got through reading Thousand Snowy Mountain because I read the outtakes where it was already a happy ending and then went back to read the beginning.
One of the prizes that was mentioned in Chapter nine is a set of seven-colored clothing for the couple. So matching clothes you could change the colors off. There’s other things also awarded.
As its own story, I admit that it was a good one despite its tragic ending. Gu Man did a good job but I’m suspicious as to her motives. Melanie, you might not like how the next chapter goes if you were very touched. Gu Man is very evil, just like the game system.
Oh, no! What will happen in the next chapter?! WIll something happen to Wei Wei in real life?
The matching colored clothes sound kind of cool. But seriously, I cannot imagine Yi Xiao Nai He caught wearing matchy matchy outfits. It’s too sissy for him. 😀
I like both angsty and fluffy stories. The most important thing is that the story has to have likable leads. If the leads are jerks, then there isn’t anyone to root for or cry for.
Right now, I’m really curious about whether Xiao Nai already knows Wei Wei in real life, or maybe if he doesn’t know her personally, he has noticed her around campus. So far, we just know that he is very sweet and chivalrous to his wife as Yi Xiao Nai He, but is he like that because he is already interested in Wei Wei in real life or is he simply like that because he is a sweet, chivalrous guy in general?
If you like fluffy stories, then you must like Come and Eat, Shan Shan. How do you like Feng Teng in comparison to Xiao Nai?
I love Come and Eat, Shan Shan. Feng Teng is another version of the cool, perfect guy (Gu Man has a type she likes to write). I don’t like Shan Shan as much as Wei Wei though because Shan Shan was a bit too clueless for my liking. The radiodrama for Shan Shan was very funny. I watched the drama so a few things are a bit mixed up but I did like Shan Shan’s best friend. Feng Teng’s sister was very amusing too. What I liked about Shan Shan that WWYXHQC does not have is how Feng Teng went to meet Shan Shan’s parents. Not-really-spoiler: as far as the outtakes and the novel, there is no described meeting between Wei Wei’s future significant other and Wei Wei’s parents.
But I will say one thing, the outtakes that Gu Man has written between WWYXHQC and Let’s Eat Shan Shan are hilarious. But I can’t post that up before I posting the novel translations. 😛
I think we can say that Nai He is “chivalrous” to everybody or that’s what his image implies. As far as being sweet … … Yu Gong and the others definitely do not think so. Wei Wei is special. As for being interested … … Gu Man doesn’t say … … but the hints are not of a romantic nature exactly, precisely, at the moment … … it’s an “impulse”. (and this will only make sense later. Sorry :))
At this moment, let’s just say Yi Xiao Nai He’s brain doesn’t work the way normal people’s brains do.
I think the chapter after the next one, you will find out more about the couple’s clothing.
I just watched one of the MVs of the bandit-musician story and cried my eyes out. In the MV, the red-robed bandit had given the musician the name “White Robes” because he never spoke to her, nor did he tell her his real name. After her death, his friend came by to encourage him to return (to the capital?) and accept his reward for destroying the bandit lair, but he told the captain that the person he is looking is no longer around and that he is only “White Robes.” I cried when I heard that. What use is it to keep the name she had given him when her red shadow has already long faded into white?
Wow, I hope the next few chapters are cheerier, because I could sure use some laughs.
Right now, what university year is Wei Wei in? Will she meet Yu Gong and company in real life? And why did you previously mention that we should be pitying Wei Wei?
I may actually be one of the few people who did not like the drama adaptation of Come and Eat, Shan Shan. I loved the novel, but the I found the drama adaptation a bit disappointing. I thought Yuan Li Shu’s role expansion annoying. The actress playing Shan Shan’s best friend was a little too exaggerated with her acting. And worse part of all was that the cool, suave Feng Teng from the novel was destroyed by the actor playing Feng Teng. Instead of appearing cool, he seemed wooden and sullen most of the time. Also, he could have used a better wardrobe person and hairstylist. The bowl cut killed any traces of coolness he had left, and what was up with his jewelry? I never imagined Feng Teng (in the novel) to wear so much jewelry! I never finished watching the drama because I wanted to preserve some bit of the cool Feng Teng from the novel in my heart. 🙁
Hm, I agree to your points about the drama. Feng Teng was a bit *weird* in his clothing and it repeated a lot (I don’t know how much the wardrobe budget was). A lot of the clothing was actually really expensive or brand name, I just think the wardrobe master or the directer had a different sense of “rich”. I would have been fine with just suits and a tie for him through the whole drama. And he could have switched ties and had funny ones. And the bowl cut … … they should have gotten Harwick Lau from Sealed With A Kiss to come over and play his character again. He would be much better as a blood-sucking capitalist.
I don’t know if they are going to make a movie/drama of WWYXHQC. It might be harder because of the game part but they could all wear masks. So the viewers know who they are in the game through voice/body shape and the characters could be hand-waved to only see the mask and not note the body.
Um, Wei Wei is in year two. Yu Gong and the others are in year four so they are graduating and going out to work.
Pitying Wei Wei? You’ll see in the next chapter. It’s a funny thing.
Thanks so much for the fast updates!
Thanks for reading!
I have decided to wake up early instead of staying up late in the wee hours of the morning to read your next update haha! Thank you!
Haha. That’s good. You get more stuff done that way! I’ll try to keep them constant-ish since holidays are over. +/- one hour of my usual posting time.
Ohhhhh…… i dont know how i feel, this is so heart shattering. Even when its just a one time video.
The video is important. You could search for the fanvids they made. Lots of people made really good versions.
Thanks for the translation! I teared reading the description of the video even though I already read it before. Off to watch the videos you mentioned in the above comments!
the intro of this chapters makes me bit my pillow to avoid noise pollution in the middle of nite xD
naihe is very romantic, its makes me wonder if weiwei will fall in love with naihe even before they meet face to face. is it possible to genuinely fall in love with someone online?
Hi first time reading this and can I just say, it’s A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! Thank you so much for translating them! I read on weibo that this novel is being adapted into a drama this year, and lots of popular actors and actresses are listed as candidates.
I want to watch that video!!!!! Thanks for translating^^
You’ll get to once the TV drama comes out.
Hehehe, I hope whatever video the drama comes up, it doesn’t negatively destroy the one I imagined hehehe
I’m sure they are aware of the pressure. It’s the third Gu Man drama they’re producing.
thanks a lot!
‘started to having’ have->have
that video—-! it makes me sad! what!such an awesome drama! -sobs-
Thanks for the chapter, so teary eyed ;-;
Eh? W… What a good director!! What is that last line!! Oh No!! It became a super good vedio now!
I know it’s too late but I started reading this novel today and I really appreciate your hard work in translating this awesome piece <3 Thank you!
I found a video that looks like the story of the bandit and the musician here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET9cw80SvIo
I can't seem to find the movie though :'( If anyone find it, please tell me the link…
*cries* Its my 2nd time reading this and I know what will happen, yet I cried again in this chapter.
Thank you very much
This chapter really moved me…most of all the last part with the really sad ending…I could clearly picture it before me…
Thank you so much for translating this novel!
So dreamy omyfuckinggod