The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 294: Grown Up

“Seriously?” White Rabbit couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d refrain from saying anything about you shouting your invitation, but at least make it a candlelight dinner. What’s with a seafood hot pot?”

Wu Dahai didn’t deem that a response. What do you know! I sought out Teacher War Tiger for advice! He’s said that if I want to take her to dinner, I should focus on the food rather than the extraneous things around it.

Since he knew that Qing Ling loved malatang and hot pot, he decided to start with that.

Originally, he hadn’t had much hope that it would work, but Scarlet Fox had succeeded in inviting Vermilion Bird to dinner! That gave him hope that he could secure a date as well. He immediately invited Qing Ling when the mood seemed right.

“It’s really good, I promise,” Wu Dahai said earnestly. “You don’t have anything to lose, right?”

The others turned to him. Although none of them liked the guy, they couldn’t help but pity him a little at this moment. It was so obvious that he was chasing after Qing Ling while wagging his tail.

Qing Ling thought for a few seconds. “Okay.”

“Huh?!”

Wu Dahai paused. Wait, what’s happening?

Qing Ling said yes!

Fuck, I’m not dreaming am I? Did she just say yes? So easily?

“What, what did you say? Would you say that again?” Wu Dahai nervously asked for confirmation.

“Okay,” Qing Ling repeated.

“YES!”

Wu Dahai clenched his fist, overjoyed. “That’s a date then. I’m going now. See you later!”

Then he rushed into the rain in excitement and jumped onto a jet ski, speeding into the humid fog over the ocean.

He was so excited that his heart threatened to jump out of his throat!

He had to head back to the villa at once for a shower and some hairstyling. Then he would change into better-looking clothes! Ah, he should call War Tiger too. He needed advice from the man on the next steps to take in order to win Qing Ling over.

The others stayed under the parasols as Wu Dahai left, feeling conflicted.

“Green Snake.” White Rabbit was a little worried. “Are you...troubled by something?”

“What do you mean?” Qing Ling didn’t understand.

“I know that you and Dark Horse used to date, but the damn bastard abandoned you and joined the Guild, breaking your heart.” Her tone was earnestly concerned. “But you can’t just give up on yourself and go for Electric Mouse!”

“Do you think that by choosing someone who isn’t as good as Dark Horse, he’ll be angry and turn around? No, you’re only hurting yourself!”

“Men are all pigs! It doesn’t matter what you do when he doesn’t like you anymore. What you should do now is love and respect yourself, living the best time of your life! Only by living even better will he regret his decision for real!”

Qing Ling stared at White Rabbit in confusion. She tried to stop her many times, but White Rabbit insisted on continuing with her spiel.

Only after White Rabbit was done did Qing Ling get the chance to explain, “I just want to have seafood hot pot.”

“Huh?” White Rabbit blinked.

“Little Qing Ling too,” Qing Ling added.

“Huh?” White Rabbit’s jaw dropped. So in the end, she only agreed to the invitation for the food?

“Wait a minute.” Vermilion Bird, having been listening in on the conversation, perked up at the exciting revelation. “You and Seven Shadow were a thing, Green Snake?”

“Really?” Chen Ying’s curiosity was piqued as well.

“No.” Qing Ling denied.

“Haha, be honest with me!” Vermilion Bird gave her a prying smile. “Hey, how’s Seven Shadow? Tell me. Why does my radar register him as somewhat of a playboy?”

“That’s not what Captain Seven Shadow is!” Can yelled vehemently.

“Do you like him too, Can?” Vermilion Bird glanced at her and grinned. “Whoa, the boy sure is popular.”

“What, what do you mean?” Can came to the realization. “Are there other people in the Guild who like Captain?”

“Oh yes!” Vermilion Bird’s instinct as a matchmaker was tingling. “There are so many girls who asked me about Seven Shadow, telling me or implying to me that they want to be introduced. I have to be careful with this, of course. I can’t have the girls getting hurt because of my matchmaking.”

“I don’t think Seven Shadow is a playboy.” Chen Ying thought back to the time Gao Yang saved her. She had a good impression of him. “Still, it’s surprising that Seven Shadow and Green Snake used to be a thing.”

“I told you we weren’t,” Qing Ling denied again.

Vermilion Bird’s smile grew suggestive. “It’s alright, Green Snake. The three major organizations are now one big family. Why don’t you tell your sisters about it? Perhaps there’s a way for you to get him back...”

“Get him back?!” White Rabbit interjected angrily. “Let’s not! Dark Horse is free to break more hearts in the Qilin Guild...”

The women chattered away around Qing Ling, somewhat against her will.

Green Tea, Ronnie, Joker, and Scarlet Fox shared a look. It was a conversation they couldn’t get into at all.

Green Tea picked up a volleyball from under one of the loungers and turned to the other three. “It’ll take some time for the rain to stop. Why don’t we play some volleyball in the rain?”

“Sure.”

“I, agree.”

“Okay.”

The four men happily rushed into the pouring rain.

...

When Gao Yang returned to the beach he had been surfing at earlier, it was still raining, and there was no one around.

His father had gotten back onto his wheelchair with the help of some other tourists, returning to the lobby of the hotel with them to take shelter from the rain.

When Gao Yang rushed into the lobby, his father was wheeling around through the crowd, his expression panicked and anxious. He grabbed everyone he passed by the hands and forced them to hear him out.

“Hello, hello! My son is missing! Will you help me look for him...”

None of them could understand the language he was speaking, so they shook their heads at him apologetically.

The thought that Gao Yang might not have returned to the hotel at all and might have gotten swept into the sea made his eyes turn red.

Helplessly, he called out and searched around. “Gao Yang! Where are you, Gao Yang! Gao Yang...”

Gao Yang’s nose prickled, on the verge of tears.

Where had the father with a wide back, bright and confident personality, and a penchant to start a conversation with anyone and everyone gone? When did he turn into such a frail-looking man?

Gao Yang rushed up to him. “Dad! I’m here.”

“Gao Yang!”

His father almost broke into tears when he saw him.

Then his face darkened, and he snapped, “Where the heck did you go? Why didn’t you pick up your phone? I was just taking a nap, and you were gone when I woke up. Do you think you’re your own man just because you’ve grown older? If you run off again like you did today, we’ll never take you on any trip!”

“Dad, I’m sorry...” Gao Yang smiled apologetically. “I got a stomach ache when I was surfing, so I went to the restroom. And my phone’s dead...”

His father had always been good-tempered, and he lost all his anger after reprimanding him a little.

He went up to grab Gao Yang’s hands tightly, his body still shuddering. “Fine, fine. Let’s go back to the villa, son.”

“It’s still raining outside. Why don’t we wait...”

“No, we go back now. Xinxin and your mom and granny have gone back too.” His father sounded old at that moment.

“Okay.”

Gao Yang pushed him out of the lobby.

Soon, they returned to the villa, walking along the long, narrow road to their temporary home, located on the left side of the end of the road.

Although the rain had let off significantly, there was still quite a humid fog by the sea, brought to them by the sweeping wind.

His father had been silent all the way. Gao Yang knew that he had done something wrong, and he wasn’t sure what he should say.

Only when they were about to get home did his father look up suddenly and say, “I’m sorry, Yang Yang.”

“No, I was the one in the wrong.”

“I wasn’t...angry with you,” his father said hoarsely, sounding remorseful. “I was angry with myself. Dad can’t do anything now. I can’t take care of you properly...”

“I’m an adult now, Dad.” Gao Yang put his hands on his father’s shoulders. “I’ll be the one taking care of you from now on.”

Silence lingered for three seconds.

“Haha, brat. That’s bold of you to say.”

His father reached out to pat Gao Yang’s hand with a smile.

Then he fell silent. He worried that if he opened his mouth and said another word, he would burst into tears again.