The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 404: Visit

Qing Ling blinked in lieu of a greeting.

“Good for you. What did I say before? Focus on your study rather than your relationship.” Officer Huang patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, looking pleased. “See where that got you? You came to college together and can now be lovey dovey all you want. After graduation, you can get married and have a child, just like my wife and I.”

Gao Yang was still smiling, but inside, he was grumbling, It’s fine for you to flaunt your relationship, Officer Huang, but don’t pile more storylines on Qing Ling and I. We aren’t as good at acting as you are.

Officer Huang seemed to be in a good mood, and he turned to his wife. “Darling, remember the case of a highschool girl getting robbed I told you about? They were classmates with the victim. That was how I knew them. I didn’t expect them to become your students. Isn’t that fate?”

Ms. Su smiled. “I’m just the instructor of an elective class. Stop saying nonsense.”

“Gao Yang, Qing Ling.” Officer Huang turned to them. “This is my wife’s eighteenth birthday. I got a day off to pick her up from work. Why don’t you come with us to our place? Let’s celebrate your teacher’s birthday.”

Ms. Su huffed out a laugh and looked at Officer Huang with resignation. “That’s too sudden, Old Huang. They may have other plans.”

“What plans can the love birds have? Go to an internet cafe or karaoke? The kid Gao Yang is a sly one. Perhaps he’ll delay things on purpose at night and take the girl to a hotel...”

I’m a conservative man, thank you! Don’t just twist my image like that!

“Ah, isn’t that just like you back then?” Teacher Su arched an eyebrow delicately, deftly turning things around.

Officer Huang got into an awkward coughing fit and quickly glanced at his wife. Don’t say that! I have a reputation to maintain!

He put a forceful arm around Gao Yang’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go to our place. Promise I’ll take you back to school before lights-out.”

“Sure,” Gao Yang agreed readily.

Qing Ling nodded. Of course she would go. Only an idiot would say no to a free meal.

...

Gao Yang and Qing Ling sat in Officer Huang’s car as he drove home, noticeably slower than his usual driving speed.

Ms. Su was in the passenger seat. Officer Huang kept talking to her, asking her about what happened today at school, telling her about the case he was working on, and how they should raise their kid once they were born.

He had never once talked to Gao Yang or Qing Ling, as if the two of them didn’t exist.

Ms. Su, on the other hand, was considerate and thoughtful enough to direct the conversation to their studies and life, encouraging them to chime in.

Half an hour later, Officer Huang’s personal car drove into the underground parking lot of a gated community in the Shanqing District. The four of them got out of the car and rode the elevator to a higher floor.

It was over three hundred square meters big with three bedrooms and two living spaces, the design modern and the color soft and warm.

Once they were inside, they changed into slippers and sat down on the fabric sofa in the living room.

Officer Huang went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. On their way home, he had swung by a supermarket for quite a lot of ingredients.

Ms. Su gave Gao Yang and Qing Ling each a cup of honey lemon tea, paired with a plate of cookies she had baked herself.

Qing Ling had one. Then liking the taste, she reached out for another, only to be stopped by Gao Yang.

“Leave some room for dinner and cake.”

Qing Ling thought for a moment and agreed, putting the cookie back.

A few minutes later, Ms. Su emerged from the bedroom, having changed into loose comfortable pajamas.

With her large belly weighing her down, she slowly sat down on the sofa with a chuckle. “It’s more convenient to be in pajamas as a pregnant woman. I’ll forgo trying to stay dignified before you.”

“It’s fine. We don’t mind,” Gao Yang said, holding a cup of tea.

“I’m Su Xi, Xi as in the light of dawn. I’m not that much older than you are. You can call me Sister Xi.”

“Sister Xi,” Gao Yang said with a smile.

Qing Ling nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Gao Yang, your girlfriend is a little quiet.”

“She’s slow to warm up to people. She’s different with people she knows.” Gao Yang explained for Qing Ling since they were now a couple in Su Xi’s eyes.

Su Xi chuckled and glanced at Qing Ling, her eyes twinkling. “Who’s the one pursuing the other?”

“He is,” Qing Ling said immediately.

Wait, I know you hate losing, but is this where you should get competitive?

Gao Yang rubbed his head, laughing with feigned embarrassment. “Yeah, I asked her out.”

“I’ve guessed as much.” Su Xi smiled. “She’s so pretty. She must have a lot of suitors.”

“She does. Thankfully, I got there first.” Worried that they would be caught lying, Gao Yang quickly shifted the topic to Su Xi instead. “Sister Xi, I heard from Officer Huang that you met each other in high school, and that you were each other’s first love. That’s just like us.”

Su Xi’s eyes narrowed slightly in reminiscence. She brushed her hair back and picked up her cup of tea to have a sip. “We were schoolmates in high school, but we didn’t cross paths much. We didn’t get together until college.”

“Sister Xi, would you tell us your love story?” Gao Yang was genuinely interested.

Qing Ling put down her tea cup too to look at Su Xi. It seemed that she was curious too.

Su Xi paused. She didn’t expect Gao Yang to shift the conversation to her. She smiled wryly. “Ah, there’s not much to tell. It’s the same old story.”

“It must be different,” Gao Yang insisted. “Officer Huang loves you so much and often talks to us about you. I bet you have an epic love story.”

Su Xi waved a hand in denial. “Oh, no. We’re a mundane couple.”

“I’d like to know too,” Qing Ling chimed in.

Su Xi was surprised by their insistence. Perhaps they were looking for lessons to learn from an older couple’s story.

Su Xi turned to look into the kitchen. Officer Huang had taken off his jacket and put on an apron. Standing at the counter, he hummed as he peeled shrimps.

Su Xi waved Gao Yang and Qing Ling over. “Come on. Let’s take this to the study.”

Su Xi slowly stood up with her large belly and led them to the study. It was a spacious room with a large bookshelf and a window wall, before which was an expensive-looking grand piano.

Su Xi sat down before it. “Old Huang gets embarrassed easily. He doesn’t like me talking about his dark past.”

“Haha, now I’m even more curious.” Gao Yang chuckled.

Qing Ling quickly nodded too.

Su Xi reminisced about how the two of them got together.

Back in high school, Su Xi was in the music class, while Officer Huang was in the regular class.

Then, Su Xi was the undisputable school flower. She was beautiful and played piano well. Every year, at the evening gathering on New Year’s Day, she would perform a piano solo.

It was no exaggeration to say that Su Xi received at least one love letter from the boys at school almost every week. Due to the strict upbringing of her family of scholars, though, she would never have a relationship when in high school.

Her army of secret admirers, however, didn’t include Officer Huang.

Huang Qi had been a troubled student back then. A student of a regular class, he got terrible grades and was a delinquent who got into fights every day. Matters of the heart wasn’t even a concept he could grasp then.

Normally, the two of them should never cross paths.

Then in their third year of high school, the gears of fate stuttered, and something straight out of a soap opera happened.

On her way home, Su Xi got stopped by three delinquents from another school. The leader among the trio had been eyeing her for a while, wanting her to be his girlfriend for the acknowledgement that would win him.

Su Xi rejected him, of course, and in a fit of anger, the boy pushed her around, cursing her out for not knowing what was good for her.

It was then a hot-headed eighteen-year-old highschooler appeared, beating the three delinquents up and sending them fleeing.

It was, of course, Huang Qi.