The Creatures That We Are

Gao Yang took a shower and dried his hair, parting his hair to the side before putting on the autumn clothes he ordered online, which had arrived not long ago.

He wore a black t-shirt with a puffy, short brown jacket, paired with casual gray cargo pants. He shouldered a khaki messenger bag, looking a little on the slim side, but upright. While he still retained his boyish look to some degree, he didn’t look childlike.

Gao Yang considered his own reflection in the mirror. Good, I’m now a college student. I should have a new look.

He left and took a subway train to Dawan Square.

Night had fallen. The light and the neon sign boards in the city lit up one after another. People crowded the square on the ground floor of the mall, bustling with activities.

Gao Xinxin showed up at about seven, still wearing the white shirt and skirt of her summer uniform. She looked small carrying a large canvas on her back.

It was October, well into autumn. The difference between temperatures during the day and at night was big. It was still over twenty degree Celsius during daytime, but the temperature dropped to the tens once night fell. With the sweeping wind, a single layer of clothes wasn’t warm enough.

Gao Xinxin’s small face was pale from the wind, and she shook slightly.

Gao Yang frowned, going up to her and taking off his jacket to throw it to Gao Xinxin. Then he took the canvas on her back from her, chiding her, “You airhead. Why didn’t you bring a jacket with you? What if you catch a cold?”

“You think everyone’s like you? You’re such a wimp that you stayed in bed for three months after collapsing.” Gao Xinxin retorted, but her behavior was honest. She draped Gao Yang’s jacket around her shoulders, feeling herself warming up.

Gao Yang was just about to say something when a voice came from behind Gao Xinxin.

“Hello, Brother Gao!”

Gao Yang looked up to see a highschool boy in uniform coming up to them.

The bespectacled boy was about 175 centimeters tall with an average physique and shaved head. And he had a backpack on his back while he held onto Gao Xinxin’s bag. He looked a little nerdy.

Gao Yang’s radar buzzed.

—Beep! Beep! Beep!

—Level 1 emergency!

Gao Yang pulled a long face and glanced at Gao Xinxin. “Is this your classmate, Xinxin?”

“Yes,” Gao Xinxin said nonchalantly. “He’s my boyfriend now.”

“Hello, Brother!” The boy came up to him earnestly and nodded with a smile. “I’m Guang Huan. You can just call me Little Huan.”

Alarm blared in Gao Yang’s head.

—An unprecedented emergency!

Gao Yang maintained a poker face and smiled slightly. “Hello, Little Huan.”

Gao Yang patted Gao Xinxin on the shoulder. “Let’s go. We’ll shop around the mall to buy something. Then we’ll have dinner together with your boyfriend.”

Guang Huan quickly caught up with the two of them, breaking into a gullible smile. Gao Xinxin’s brother is quite easy to get along with. Whew, didn’t expect meeting the family to go so well.

Gao Yang and Gao Xinxin walked at the front. He asked coolly, “When did you get a boyfriend? You didn’t tell me.”

“Just last week,” Gao Xinxin said carelessly.

“Didn’t you say you ain’t gonna date in high school?”

“That was the plan.” Gao Xinxin pouted and shrugged. “You were unconscious back then. Of course I wouldn’t be in the mood for romance. But now you’re awake, and Guang Huan keeps chasing after me. I think he’s a good guy, so I said yes.”

“Do you like him, are moved by him, or are you just playing around?”

“Is that important?” Gao Xinxin asked.

“Of course it is.” Gao Yang couldn’t help but speak in a harder tone. “You’re young, sis. You should be careful with matters of the heart.”

“Many of my classmates are dating. I’m just having a casual relationship so that I’d have things to talk to the other girls about.” Gao Xinxin put on a careless look. “Stop being nosy.”

Gao Yang almost choked, but it would be inappropriate to get into it with an outsider here. He tamped down his grievances.

“It’s Mom’s fortieth birthday tomorrow, and it’s Saturday. We’ll find a good gift for her and celebrate her birthday,” Gao Yang said. “Don’t worry about the money. I’ve been working part time at a milk tea shop, and I asked for the month’s pay in advance.”

“Tsk.” Gao Xinxin gave him a haughty look. “Who are you looking down at? I may be earning more than you are now. We’ll each pay half.”

Gao Yang huffed inwardly. Making more than I do? I can exchange one jinwu for what you’ll need to advertise countless dresses to earn. You’ll be so tired of putting on dresses at the end of it.

“Good for you. You’ve grown.” Gao Yang smiled.

They spent the next thirty minutes looking around the shopping mall. Of course, they skipped the luxury brands, but they checked out many of the shops for regular brands.

While Guang Huan was Gao Xinxin’s boyfriend, he might as well not exist. He followed them around like a little errand boy.

In the end, the siblings both settled their eyes on a brown wool scarf.

Gao Yang touched it. The texture was soft and refined, comfortable to the skin. It was 880 yuan, though, a little expensive.

It’s gonna be winter soon. Mom gets cold easily. She’s been working night and day at the gold jewelry shop. The wool scarf will keep her warm, and she’ll look good with it.

The siblings bought the scarf, having the employee wrapped it up and put in a birthday card with blessings written on it.

Gao Yang paid 480 yuan, and his sister 400 yuan.

Mission accomplished. Gao Yang treated his sister and the son of a bitch called Guang Huan to dinner.

Gao Xinxin picked a trendy restaurant frequently visited by online KOLs. There were many cats kept in the restaurant. They either slept in their beds or lazed around on the cat trees, calmly letting the customers pet and harass them like true professionals.

While waiting for the dishes to be served, Gao Xinxin went off to pet the cats, making sure to snap many pictures.

Guang Huan was itching for some cat petting, too, but the moment he stood up, Gao Yang stopped him with a pointed look.

Guang Huan froze.

Gao Yang looked at him impassively. “Sit, Little Huan.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Guang Huan nervously sat down, his heart pounding and racing with burning anxiety. Wait, why does Brother Gao Yang seem like a different person? It looks like he’s gonna skin me alive.

Gao Yang eyed Guang Huan closely, leaning forward to reach his right hand across the table, grabbing Guang Huan’s three fingers. He said in a cold voice, “Oh, your electric watch looks good. Let me see.”

“Owwww...” Guang Huan whined, feeling stabs of pain from the three fingers in Gao Yang’s grasp.

Gao Yang relaxed his grip a little, but not completely. He leveled Guang Huan with a sharp icy gaze like he was interrogating a criminal. “I’ll ask the question, and you’ll answer.”

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