Wo Hai Neng Ji De Duo Shao Ge Di Yi Ci… Wo Zhi Zai Hu Wo Men Yi Qi Zou Guo De Mei Yi Bu, Dou Hui Liu Xia Shen Ke De Jiao Yin…

Chapter 35


“Eh, what you trying to do la?” Fang Qi stared smilingly at the guy sitting on the bed. She watched him fiddle with the necklace around his neck. She couldn’t help but smile. Before they left for his mum’s house, Wei Lian had dragged her out of bed early in the morning over to the accessories shop opposite his beach house.

“Hello hello! We’re here!” Wei Lian chirped cheerfully. The shop owner beamed at Fang Qi, then back to Wei Lian. “Here is your ring..” The guy took out a ring and placed it on the glass showcase. He pushed it in front of them. Wei Lian reached out to feel for the ring. But another small hand was quicker than him. His palm hit the empty glass surface.

What was his ring doing here? Fang Qi had recognized the ring immediately and picked it up before he could get to it. She felt the strangely uneven surface of the ring as she held it up to take a closer look. There were small dots in the outer side of the thick ring band. Then she broke into a wide smile, her eyes glistening. The Braille alphabets read “WL luv FQ”.

When she was in the States, she never stopped thinking about him. She wondered what he was doing every day and every night, how he was living his life. She really wanted to know more about him, the time they shared were too short. Too short. Then one day, she came across an internet website on Braille and she decided she wanted to learn his language. After two sleepless nights, she had memorized all the Braille alphabets and even learnt how to form simple sentences.

“This is mine hor.” She swiftly took down the ring necklace she wore around her neck and took out the ring with her name on it and strung his ring back into her necklace and clasped it back in place around her neck. Then, he stood still and allowed her to remove his chain and strung her ring through it, replacing it around his neck. “Nah. Yours.” She patted his chest and stood away, pleased with seeing the ring with her name around his neck, as she felt his ring that was hanging on her necklace.

“Eh, why you anyhow take mine? You know what’s on it meh?” Wei Lian asked quizzically. He had specially asked the shop owner to Braille those special initials on his ring instead of engraving it. He knew the dots were going to be too small to be felt. But he wanted Fang Qi to go and decipher it for herself. He did have the intention to let her wear his ring on her necklace. So that she would carry him close to her heart always. And the silly girl actually beat him to it…


“Haha! Why I dunno lay? Of course I know! I’m a clever girl what!” Fang Qi interrupted him, pranced happily to his side and hooked her arm into his.

“Eh! Let’s take a photo leh! Your hand phone leh?” She didn’t wait for him to reply and reached into the side pocket of his cargo pants. She retrieved his hand phone and held the hand phone camera in front of them. Gently she positioned his face next to hers, cheek to cheek and said “Smile!” Ka char! Went the hand phone camera. There it was, a picture of both of them smiling happily into camera.

Fang Qi smiled at the sight of the picture. Finally he is smiling. “You want me to make that photograph into a 2R photo for you? Complimentary from me okay?” The shop owner chirped happily at his two customers.

“Err, Mr Lim, remember that time, what I promised you?” Wei Lian asked softly. "I will bring her back and let you sketch her again when she is happy." That is a promise. He definitely will. And he had brought her back.

“Oh yes! Give me a minute.” The shop owner went into the storeroom and emerged with drawing paper and a few small pieces of charcoal. He sat a bewildered Fang Qi down on one of the stools at the counter and begun sketching. Before Fang Qi could say anything, Wei Lian, who was standing behind her, put his warm hands on her shoulder and went “Ssshhh…” And within ten minutes, the shop owner presented Fang Qi with a beautifully sketched charcoal portrait of herself. And she had the sweetest smile she had ever seen of herself.

“Ah boy ah, dinner will be ready in half an hour hor! Fang Qi can you please help him pack his messy room ah? His things all over the place and not packed since he moved to stay at the beach house. I dare not touch his things la. If not he will scold me one. Iyo! I don’t know got cockroaches anot! “ Mrs Tan shouted out from the kitchen. Wei Lian was finally moving back home today after his long stay in the beach house. Fang Qi knew that his family missed him at home and had persuaded him to go home. He knew he had stayed out long enough, so he agreed.

“Iyo, jialat la, I just came home and she is nagging already,” He said jokingly. He knew his mother’s pattern. Thinking back, he kind of missed her nagging. Haha, I must be nuts, he thought.

“Wah, your things ah, can pack a bit or not ah? How come so messy one! Your cds all over the table, your….Eeeeeeeeee! Your table and your computer! So dusty!!!!!!!” Fang Qi shrieked in mock disgust as she examined his room.

”Eh, you want to take over my mother issit? Can don’t nag or not?” Wei Lian gave her a bear hug from behind, pretending to be irritated. He bent down to give her a peck on her cheek.

Fang Qi smiled. “Eh eh eh, wah, you anyhow attack me like that one meh? She slipped out of his hug and tickled him at the waist. Wei Lian was most afraid of being tickled. He let out a loud laugh and collapsed onto the floor, pulling Fang Qi along.

“Ouch! Pain leh!” Fang Qi complained. “Haha sorry la, who asked you to tickle me?” Wei Lian put his hands on her head and brought her face close to his. He loved the feel of the soft hair and the smell of her face.

“Sorry only ah? I don’t care. I want you to say that.” Fang Qi acted annoyed. All of a sudden she remembered what Mrs Tan said to her last time. “Girl ah, you must forgive him hor, that boy is not good at expressing his feelings one hor. Which day he go and say I love you to you ah, you must tell me hor!"

“Huh? Say what? Say what?” Wei Lian acted blur. She always liked to force him to say this. He had not said it ever since Christmas Eve. No matter how much she forced him, tickled him, he just couldn’t bring himself to say it. To him, these three words are special and can’t be used too often. Otherwise it would become meaningless.

“I love you, ni dong bu dong?” She suddenly whispered into his ears. “Hmm.” Was his curt response.

“I love you, ni dong bu dong?” She refused to give up, saying once more. “Wo dong la.” Again came his short and sweet answer.

“I love you, ni dong bu dong? I love you, ni dong bu dong?”

“I know ah. You love me mah.” He refused to give her the answer she wanted to hear so much.

“No!!! You say! Say, I love you, ni dong bu dong? I love you, ni dong bu dong? I love you, ni dong bu dong……..I love you, ni dong bu dong…….I love you….ni dong bu dong…….” Fang Qi repeated her words in exasperation.

“Eh dear, say lay. You only said it that day to make me feel touched only issit? Oh, so you don’t mean it one la?” Fang Qi gave him a kick in the leg. Then she fell quiet and moved away from him to sit in one corner. Wei Lian thought he heard her sniffing.

“Huh, eh, you don’t cry lay. I…I….iya you know I don’t know how to say such things one mah.” No response. “Eh…don’t like that lay…” Wei Lian got worried and crawled over towards Fang Qi, feeling for where she was sitting. As he reached her, he pulled her into a hug, cradling her like a baby. He felt for her face and tucked her hair behind her left ear. “I love you,” he whispered quickly into her ear.

“Hah? What you say?” Fang Qi teased. “I love you, ni dong bu dong?,” Wei Lian knew she was torturing him as usual but the feeling felt right at the moment. He quickly slipped the ring he wore on his neck onto her third finger. He had taken down the ring. He wanted her to wear it on her finger. Looking at his action, Fang Qi glowed with joy, hugged him back tightly and gave him a peck on the lips.

Who dare says he is unromantic? He does have his own way of giving romantic surprises. “Aren’t you supposed to say something lay?” He asked smilingly. Silently, she removed his ring from her necklace and slipped the ring onto his finger. “Wo dong la.” She whispered, smiling widely at him.

Just as Wei Lian moved in for a kiss, Fang Qi’s hand phone suddenly rang. Wei Lian was baffled as she broke away from his hug to answer the call. “Eh, why are using the song I wrote for Cherie as your ring tone? Where you get it from one? Who is that la?” Who is that disturbing them?

“Ah Ma la. Hmm..I found it by chance lor.” She answered as she hangs up the call. Ah Ma had called to say she is coming back to Singapore for another short stay. She has been feeling real excited about her and Wei Lian getting together as a real couple finally.

“You don’t use that song as your ring tone la. Change la.” Why use that song when she got a song of her own?

“You mean this one ah?” She played the song he penned for her on her hand phone’s MP3 player. “Ya la….” He smiled softly, playing with her smooth hair as he slumped against the edge of his bed. “I love you, ni dong bu dong?” He tried to hold her face close to his once again. “Wo dong la…” She replied him for the second time. He felt her warm breathing on his face. He knew she was close. He bent down, wanting to kiss her.

Suddenly, Fang Qi jumped up and ran out of his room, shouting at the top of her voice, “Auntie!!! Your son just said I love you!!!”. “Girl ah, you must forgive him hor, that boy is not good at expressing his feelings one hor. Which day he go and say I love you to you ah, you must tell me hor!"

Wei Lian slapped his forehead in exasperation. But the smile on his face gave him away. This was his special someone. This was his barbaric girl. This was his Fang Qi. His finger slightly traced the 2R photograph that had slipped out of her jeans’ pocket. His lips broke into a huge and contented smile. Fang Qi. This is his Fang Qi.

Two hours later. A loud voice shrieked out from Wei Lian’s room. Fang Qi was hiding in a corner crying bitterly when Wei Lian’s parents dashed in. “Iyo Ah boy, you bully your girlfriend ah? You block of wood la! Wait you chase her away again how?!” Knowing that he had chased her away the previous time with his hurtful words, Mrs Tan chided and warned him.

Wei Lian had wanted Fang Qi to move in to stay with him but she refused. After seeing his disappointed face, she finally relented. But she made him agree to her condition. “Sometimes, I want to go back to my own house or the beach house and stay. Can or not?”

“I where dare not to let you go home? But I want to go with you lor.” He agreed but insisted that he should be allowed to follow. Half a year. They have already wasted half a year apart. He was seriously scared of not having her by his side.

They came to a compromise and just as Fang Qi was going to give him a hug,
“Ai Shi Ni Yan Li De Yi Shou Qing Ge” came on the radio and Wei Lian automatically started singing along. Fang Qi stopped in her tracks as if something hit her. This voice. “You bluff me!!!” She shrieked as she remembered hearing his singing voice. A scene in the streets of her crying and begging a blind guy to sing her…… He knew it all along! She assumed as she slowly recalled the familiar voice singing the song. Cannot, must teach him a lesson for bluffing me.

“Huh! I bluff you what?” Then he realized what he was singing and knew the reason. She hadn’t realized that he was the guy who sang her this song in the streets four years ago. Up till now. The silly girl la.

“Auntie! Your son bluff me.” Fang Qi complained while burying her crying face in between her knees. Mrs Tan knew she was throwing a tantrum to get back at Wei Lian. As usual her son must have done something to upset her. “Err, you both settle yourself ah?” she chuckled and walked out of his room, pulling a baffled Mr Tan along.

Fang Qi stomped her feet on the floor and pretended to weep louder. “Good luck to the next guy that comes along lor. He sure will be in for a hard time man.” Jake’s words rang in Wei Lian’s mind. A resigned smile broke out on his face as he moved towards where Fang Qi was sitting.

Too bad, this is the girl he loves and nothing can change the fact. The moments they shared together previously were too few, too short. He doesn’t wish to go through the torment of missing her again. He doesn't want to be left only with the memories he had of her. He doesn’t want to waste any more time quarrelling and making her angry again. He just wants her by his side forever, to create more wonderful memories together.

Feeling the top of her head, he bent down and quickly embraced her before she could resist. Her protests sounded muffled against his chest.

As Fang Qi melted into his hug, he reached for her hand, held it tight and said, “Iya, now you are my girlfriend, nothing else matters ok? I never bluff you la. I love you, ni dong bu dong…”