The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 406: Test

“We talked a lot that night and exchanged numbers,” Su Xi said. “We became friends.”

“Just friends?” Gao Yang asked with a smile.

Su Xi nodded, chuckling. “While Old Huang can be frivolous right now, he was very serious back then.”

“Don’t cut her off,” Qing Ling complained.

“Haha.” Su Xi looked at Qing Ling. “We did have feelings for each other, but neither of us confessed, staying as friends with a little something between us.”

“A year passed then. On my twenty-second birthday, Huang Qi asked me to have dinner with him, saying it was for my birthday.”

That day, Huang Qi took Su Xi to the tallest building in Li City at the time, having candlelit dinner at the restaurant on the top floor.

For the meal, Huang Qi spent half a month worth of living expenses, and he had made the reservation a month early.

It was Huang Qi’s first time having western food. He didn’t even know how to use a fork and a knife well, and he was awkward when cutting the steak, even clumsy.

That, however, only endeared him to Su Xi.

“We don’t have to come to a place this expensive,” Su Xi said. “A meal anywhere is fine.”

“This isn’t posturing,” Huang Qi said honestly. “It’s just that the birthday gift I’d like to give you is here.”

He looked at his watch again—he had been checking the time during the meal.

He put down his knife and fork with a mysterious look on his face. “I’m giving you the gift now. Close your eyes.”

Su Xi didn’t know what Huang Qi was planning, but she closed her eyes with a smile all the same.

Then Huang Qi quietly parted the curtains covering the window wall. On the other side, half of the entire Li City was on full display. The sun had set, the sky darkening. Only a couple lights were on across the entire city. It was the time of day when the city was darkest.

Su Xi paused when she opened her eyes and saw that.

“Don’t look away, don’t blink. It’s coming.” Huang Qi looked out of the window at the dim Li City with Su Xi, counting down, “Five, four, three, two, one.”

Suddenly, the entire city lit up.

Su Xi knew that every day at seven o’clock in the evening, the streetlamps and the lights of other public facilities would lit up at the same time. This had nothing to do with Huang Qi.

Under his careful arrangement, though, it seemed as if the city lighting up was a grand, romantic magic trick he had prepared for her.

“Only you would think of...” Su Xi laughed and trailed off suddenly.

Huang Qi had gotten down on one knee with a beautiful silver ring. “I can’t afford a diamond ring yet, Su Xi, but when we get married—if you are willing to be with me, I mean—I’ll give you everything you deserve. I, Huang Qi, will never disappoint you.”

The ring, the candlelit dinner, the thoughtful confession—although she was happy, something seemed to be missing.

Until Huang Qi said the words that shook her to the core.

Looking outside at the beautiful city, at the countless lights coming alive, Huang Qi said, “I used to love sitting somewhere high at this time to look at the windows lighting up. I said to myself that one day, I would have a family too.”

“Would you be my family, Su Xi? Let’s build one together. Then every day at night, ours will be one of the windows lighting up.”

Two seconds later, Su Xi broke into tears silently.

She offered her right ring finger. Huang Qi gently put the ring on her.

“That’s a promise,” said Su Xi.

“That’s a promise,” Huang Qi answered.

...

“That’s it.” Su Xi finished with their story. “We got together then, building a relationship, graduating from school, finding a job, getting married, and saving for a house. Our days pass in mundane and trivial moments, and without us noticing, we’ve gotten so far.”

Su Xi looked at her pronounced belly and stroked it tenderly, her expression loving. “Once the child is born, Old Huang and I will have a real family. His promise will become reality.”

Gao Yang and Qing Ling fell silent for a moment.

Both Officer Huang and Su Xi had become orphans at different points in their lives, and they both craved a family.

They were going to have one.

If Officer Huang hadn’t awakened, he would’ve been incredibly happy, for certain.

His awakening, however, changed everything.

Could humans and monsters really have children? It was a question that had been bothering Officer Huang, and Gao Yang too.

“You must really love Officer Huang, Ms. Su,” Gao Yang said with feigned envy.

Su Xi paused. She didn’t expect Gao Yang to be so blunt, and she smiled bashfully. “We’ve been together too long to talk about love.”

—Activate Lie Detection.

The target lied, and she was benevolent.

It seemed that Su Xi did love Officer Huang.

Gao Yang let out a silent sigh of relief. Sorry, Ms. Su. As a companion of Officer Huang, I can’t not test you even though you’re the person he loves.

“Time for dinner,” Officer Huang called out from the kitchen. “Hm? Why did you run off to the study?”

“I was showing them the marriage gift you gave me back then,” Su Xi raised her voice to answer from another room.

When she walked out of the study, she turned to look at Gao Yang and Qing Ling, saying quietly, “Please don’t talk about his past as a problem student during dinner. He gets embarrassed easily.”

Gao Yang smiled. “Of course.”

Officer Huang was quite a good cook, and he made a table full of his specialty dishes.

The four of them ate. Officer Huang talked a lot, mostly about how talented and charismatic his wife was, about how well and efficient he was in investigation, and his glorious achievements in catching villains and thugs—with a healthy dose of embellishment, of course.

Su Xi didn’t expose him.

Gao Yang played along and chimed in every once in a while.

Even Qing Ling showed appreciation, but for Officer Huang’s cooking instead.

From start to finish, she ate with single-minded focus, one hand holding the bowl and the other hand holding the chopsticks, her back upright and her expression devoted. Her mouth had not been doing anything but eating.

When she finished a bowl of rice, she glanced at Gao Yang.

Gao Yang immediately stood up and took her bowl. “I’ll fill it for you.”

“Have more,” Su Xi said with a smile. “Gao Yang, you eat too little. Even Qing Ling eats more than you do.”

“She’s a student athlete and consumes a lot of energy,” Gao Yang explained.

Qing Ling took the bowl full of rice from Gao Yang and went back to eating without saying thanks.

“Don’t just talk about them, darling. You should eat more too. You’ve got a heavy burden on you and are eating for two.” Officer Huang picked up a piece of steamed sea bass and plopped it into Su Xi’s bowl.

Seeing them being all lovey-dovey, Gao Yang was reminded that he and Qing Ling were an item in their eyes too. He quickly picked up a piece of braised short rib and put it in Qing Ling’s bowl. “Here. Have more.”

Qing Ling paused, looking at the short rib in her bowl before turning to Gao Yang, her movement a little stiff and her expression strange.

Shoot, she’s not angry, is she?