The Creatures that We Are

Because Fresh Snow was a Spectre, Gao Yang assumed she must be strong.

If she was a simple cat when she was in cat form, though, it was entirely possible that she would get a heatstroke staying in the suitcase for so long given the weather.

Gao Yang felt a pang of guilt. “You could’ve made some sounds to let me know that you were uncomfortable, Fresh Snow. I would’ve heard you.”

He lifted Fresh Snow out of the suitcase and placed her under the AC, pressing the iced cola Wang Zikai gave him to her head as cold press.

The white cat blinked and meowed softly.

Gao Yang melted immediately. “I’m sorry, Fresh Snow. I was wrong…”

Fresh Snow meowed again. At the same time, its white hair grew and expanded messily like seaweeds before melting into odorless white fog.

Is she…transforming?!

“Wait! Just wait a moment…”

Gao Yang scrambled to his feet and ran, his pinky toe slamming into the foot of the bed. He tripped and almost fell.

Hissing in pain, he stumbled into the bathroom inside the room and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Two seconds later, Gao Yang covered his mouth with both hands.

Owww—

What could be more painful than kicking the bed with your pinky toe?

It took half a minute for Gao Yang to settle down and recover from the pain.

He called out to the other side of the door, “Fresh Snow?”

“Yeah.”

The girl’s weak voice came.

Gao Yang sighed in relief and picked up a bathrobe, leaving the bathroom with his eyes closed.

He guessed at the general direction Fresh Snow would be in and threw the bathrobe at her. “Put this on.”

“Don’t wanna,” Fresh Snow said petulantly. “It’s uncomfortable.”

“Do it!” Gao Yang hardened his voice like an adult chiding a child.

“Fine.”

There was the rustle of the bathrobe sliding on skin, followed by faint footsteps. “Alright.”

Gao Yang opened his eyes to see Fresh Snow sitting cross-legged on the bed. The bathrobe was too big for her petite body, and her pale shoulders and delicate collar bones were left uncovered.

She was covered in sweat, her silver hair drenched and sticking to her almost translucently pale skin in strands.

Her complexion was sickly, and her crimson eyes still beautiful, but much dimmer than usual, like they were obscured by fog.

“Fresh Snow,” Gao Yang said softly. “Are you alright? Did you get a heatstroke?”

Fresh Snow shook her head.

He sat down by her side and pressed a hand to her forehead. It was unusually hot.

“You’re running a fever?”

“Can’t be,” Fresh Snow blinked. “Ghosts don’t get sick.”

Gao Yang was worried. “Then what’s wrong with you? You don’t look so good.”

Fresh Snow stopped talking and fell toward Gao Yang, burying her face in his arms. “I’m fine. I just need some sleep.”

She slowly closed her eyes.

Gao Yang didn’t dare move lest he disturbed her rest. He simply looked down at her.

She fell asleep almost instantly, and her breathing softened and evened out. Her sweat was gone too, leaving her skin dry and fair.

After a while, Gao Yang gingerly touched her forehead again. Her temperature had dropped. He let out a sigh in relief.

Gently, he lifted her and placed her down on the bed, brushing aside her messy silver hair so that her hair wouldn’t be pressed against her skin in an uncomfortable way. ŘἈ₦ǒꞖĘṠ

Then he fetched a pen and a post-it note to leave her a message: ‘I need to go, Fresh Snow. I’ll check on you in the evening. Stay in the room and don’t go anywhere. Don’t make any noise either.’

He put the note on the bedside table, under the cup of water. Then he gave her a lingering look.

Finally, he closed his suitcase and opened the door, going downstairs.

Wang Zikai was getting impatient. “Why did it take you so long to sort out your stuff?”

“I went to the toilet as well,” Gao Yang lied. Still feeling anxious, he decided to grab Wang Zikai and go. “Come with me to the villa my family’s staying at. Let’s have lunch together.”

“Sure!” Wang Zikai agreed readily.

They went back on their jet skis.

When Gao Yang returned to the villa, his mother was going to lay in on him, but stopped herself when she saw that Wang Zikai was with him.

His father picked the wrong conversation opener. “How did you do at the entrance exams, Little Kai?”

“Oh, I was suspended and didn’t attend the entrance exams.” Wang Zikai wasn’t abashed at all.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

“Oh, haha.” Gao Yang’s father changed the topic with a smile. “Little Kai, are your parents busy with work? Why didn’t they come with you?”

Wang Zikai blurted out, “Ah, they got a divorce and each started their own family. They don’t have time for me.”

The smile on his father’s face froze. He dealt with clients on a daily basis before he got into a car accident, and he fancied himself an expert in conversing. It hadn’t been that long since he retired. How did he become this terrible at talking?

“Joining us for lunch, Wang Zikai?” Gao Xinxin walked out of her room in a tank top and a pair of shorts, her hair tied into twin tails.

“Sure.” Wang Zikai waved the cellphone in his hand. “I did the homework. There’s an underwater western restaurant. It’s near a spa we can swing by after lunch, and it’s not that expensive. You only have to pay 7000 yuan per person!”

The living room fell silent for a second.

Only 7000 yuan?

What the fuck do you mean by ‘you only have to pay 7000 yuan?!’

Gao Yang swallowed the curses threatening to escape his mouth. “Forget it. Let’s get lunch separately…”

His rejection was cut short by Gao Xinxin’s kick from the back. She beamed at Wang Zikai. “Sure. Your treat?”

“Xinxin!” His mother scowled. “How can we…”

“Sure!” Wang Zikai didn’t even think before agreeing. It wasn’t a big deal for him.

“It’s not about us. I’m just worried that you’ll get bored eating on your own. We’re keeping you company.” Gao Xinxin had the audacity to claim the moral high ground.

“You’re so considerate, Xinxin!” Wang Zikai was touched. He threw Gao Yang a disapproving glance. “You should learn from your sister, Gao Yang!”

Gao Yang ignored him and turned to exchange a glance with his father, feeling conflicted. From whom does the brat Gao Xinxin get her personality from?

His mother’s expression turned troubled. She still didn’t think it was right. “Little Kai, we appreciate the offer, but…”

“Little Kai! Granny wants ice cream!” His grandmother came out waving a colorful flier around. “This is the restaurant you’re talking about, right? Look, there’s free icecream. There are so many colors, and it’s all-you-can-eat. Haha.”

His mother nervously took the flier from her and got a closer look. “Mother, you need to buy a VIP voucher for all-you-can-eat icecream…”

“Then we’ll buy it! One for each of you!” Wang Zikai grinned brightly. “The thing that matters most is that granny is happy!”

Gao Yang exchanged another glance with his father. Now they knew where Gao Xinxin got it from!

His mother knew that there was no changing where things were going now. She smiled awkwardly. “Then thank you, Little Kai.”

“You’re welcome, Auntie!”

Wang Zikai put an arm around Gao Yang’s shoulder. “Gao Yang and I are real brothers born from different parents! No need for reservations between family members!”

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