The Creatures that We Are

“That’s about what happened.” Gao Yang briefly explained everything.

By then, Nainai had already restored Gao Yang’s body fully and gone back to sitting on Qing Ling’s lap. She was so stiff it was as if she had been paralyzed by a hit to her acupuncture point.

“Dang, my head itches…” Can stuck out her tongue and said in self-mockery. “I think I’m growing a brain.”

“Hmph, this Empress put on an impressive act and secured our victory.” Although Nainai was under the pressure of the greatest bane in her life, she still couldn’t help but ask for praise proudly.

Nainai is reliable, and she suffered a lot for the plan.

Gao Yang felt guilty and was about to compliment Nainai, but then he realized that it would be more effective coming from someone else. He gave Qing Ling a smile.

Without missing a beat, Qing Ling said coolly, “Good work.”

“Huh?!” Nainai cried out and froze. Her head rang, a voice repeating in her head, She complimented me again! She complimented me! She did!

“Captain Gao, I really want to open your head up to see what’s inside.” Chen Ying had been hearing them talk while driving, and she couldn’t help but voice her admiration.

At the same time, however, she noticed that the tendency toward madness under Gao Yang’s gentle front seemed to be getting more and more pronounced.

She wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing for the Nine Scions to have a leader like him.

…

Half an hour later, Gao Yang escorted Chen Ying and Little Tian to somewhere near the base of the Hundred Rivers Union.

Chen Ying bowed to Gao Yang in gratitude again, handing him the small briefcase with Support Rune Circuit. “As per our agreement, the Support Rune Circuit will be lent to you for ten days. Please keep it a secret! And I’ll report to Madam Li about what happened. The Hundred Rivers Union will not forget the help the Nine Scions offered us. Please wait for more good news from me.”

Great. Now both Gray Bear and Ke Yo can level up their Talents. Gao Yang nodded with a smile. “I’ll wait for the good news.”

Chen Ying and Little Tian drove away. Gao Yang and the others “borrowed” a car from the mostly abandoned street nearby and headed back to the Li River Community in Shanqing District.

Gao Yang had been so busy with the plan that he didn’t have the time to check his phone until now. Indeed, White Dew had sent him a message at seven at night: eight o’clock, amusement park, under the Ferris wheel.

Gao Yang paused. It was where Fresh Snow and Gao Yang had met for the first time. It wasn’t far from where they were now.

He checked the time. It was eleven already, later than he had expected.

“I’ll get off here, Nainai,” said Gao Yang. “I have something to attend to. You should return with the Rune Circuit now.”

“We’ll go with you,” said Qing Ling.

Gao Yang explained, “It’s not a mission, but a personal matter.”

Qing Ling nodded and didn’t say anything.

Nainai parked by the road. When Gao Yang was going to get out, he realized that he was still wearing Can’s red coat. It was too small for him and struggled to fit him. It looked a little silly.

“You should change, Captain.” Can came prepared. She took out a folded gray parka from her backpack.

“Thanks.” Gao Yang took off the coat and put on the parka.

Can grabbed the coat and put on a casual smile. “I’ll consider this your Christmas gift to me.”

“It’s all messed up,” Gao Yang said. “I’ll buy you a new one later.”

“Nah, it’s fine. That’ll be wasteful. I can just iron it out.” Can waved a hand at him.

“Alright.” Gao Yang opened the door. “Safe trip back.”

Once he left, Can sat in the back with the red coat Gao Yang had just taken off in her arms. After a while, she looked around and realized that Nainai, who wasn’t a skilled driver, was fully focused on driving, and in the passenger seat, Qing Ling had closed her eyes to rest.

Can was compelled to lift the coat to her nose and take a slight whiff.

She realized what she had just done two seconds later. She flushed red. Why am I acting like a pervert?!

She lowered the coat nervously and pretended that nothing had happened. She was still clutching onto the coat tightly.

A few seconds later, she relaxed a little.

…

When Gao Yang reached the abandoned amusement park as quickly as possible, it was nearly midnight.

Under the quiet moon, he vaulted over the worn metal door and made it across all sorts of snow-covered facilities like he was crossing the snowy forest in a fairy tale. He made a beeline for the Ferris wheel. When he was just about to reach it, fireworks emerged in the distant sky, accompanied by the meandering ring of a bell.

It was twelve. It was no longer Christmas Eve, but Christmas.

Gao Yang stood in the pouring snow and looked at the distant night sky illuminated by the boisterous city. His mind strayed for a moment. It felt like he was looking at another world.

A few seconds later, he continued to hurry to the Ferris wheel.

Snow dusted the top of the wheel. It quietly slumbered in the land of white, looking lonesome.

There were two snowmen about half a meter tall on the concrete clearing under the Ferris wheel.

The one on the left was a little taller and wider, with two branches as arms. On its head was a red winter hat. Three black pebbles made up the eyes and mouth, and the nose was a blue bottle cap.

The snowman on the right was shorter and thinner with branches as arms, too. The facial features were similarly made with pebbles and bottle caps, but the cheeks had been applied with blushes. It looked like it was done with a lipstick.

It didn’t have a hat on, but a red scarf.

Gao Yang could tell from first glance that the one on the left was a boy, and the one on the right a girl, representing Gao Yang and Fresh Snow.

Between the snowmen was a square gift box of red and green, tied with a pink ribbon shaped like a heart. It must be Fresh Snow’s Christmas gift for Gao Yang.

A firework launcher could be found near the snowmen. It was the same as the one Gao Yang and Fresh Snow had shot from a boat on the Li River. It was exactly the same product, in fact.

Gao Yang took a careful look. The fuse was extracted, but the firework hadn’t been lit. He felt a pang in his chest, and his bad habit of imagining the scenario acted up again.

Once he agreed to the invitation, Fresh Snow must have rushed home all giddy, telling her sister, White Dew, first thing.

White Dew prettied her up and gave her tips. They decided that Fresh Snow would meet Gao Yang at the amusement park where they had first met each other.

Fresh Snow wanted to look pretty, so she put on a nice dress and some makeup, applying lipstick too. Bringing fireworks and her Christmas gift, she arrived at eight…no, probably seven.

She was happy, and she ran around in the snow.

Soon, it was eight, yet Gao Yang didn’t show up. Fresh Snow wasn’t disappointed. She thought that Gao Yang must have been delayed by something. And the amusement park was far away. It was likely that he would be stuck in a traffic jam.

Fresh Snow continued to wait. Excitement quieted down into boredom. And she started making snowmen.

Then it was already nine when she realized it. Gao Yang still didn’t show up.

Fresh Snow was anxious, but there was nothing she could do but to wait.

Had something happened to Gao Yang? Fresh Snow would think. No, he would be here. He promised. Gao Yang wouldn’t break his promise.

Fresh Snow reassured herself and continued to wait.

The snow fell harder. The two snowmen seemed lonely and a little cold. Fresh Snow gave them her hat and scarf.

She was getting even more bored, and she started chatting with the snowmen.

Then it was eleven. Fresh Snow knew that Gao Yang wasn’t showing up. He must have been occupied by something else.

She had wanted to wait for Gao Yang to come so that they could light the fireworks together. Then she would give him the Christmas gift, but getting angry, she took out the firework and decided to launch it herself, not allowing Gao Yang the view.

Only then did she realize that she didn’t have a lighter with her. After all, Gao Yang had been the one to light the fireworks before.

Fresh Snow deflated. She was suddenly sad and dejected, a little heartbroken.

She crouched down and stared at the two snowmen.

After a while, she took the gift out of her bag and placed it between the snowmen.

She rose and dusted the snow from her hair and dress, turning around quietly and disappearing into the snow.

…

Stop! Stop already!

Gao Yang interrupted his thoughts and picked up the beautiful box, gently wiping the thin layer of snow away. He untied the ribbon and opened the box.

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