The Creatures That We Are-Chapter 1104: The Best of Times

The room was small. The walls were surprisingly clean with no posters. A faint fragrance lingered in the air; it was the smell of Gao Xinxin’s usual shampoo.

The bed in the corner alone took up half of the room. The muted blue pillow and the blanket were a little rumpled, a sign that she had gotten up late and rushed out. The drawers at the bottom of the bed were Gao Xinxin’s wardrobe. Inside were her undergarments and favorite Lolita dresses. Her everyday clothes were in the bigger closet in their grandmother’s room.

A small desk stood at the window. Sunlight shone through the swaying curtains. There was a circular laundry rack with metal clips hanging from the metal grid outside, drying a few pairs of socks.

The white art kit by the desk was filled with paintbrushes and paints. Gao Yang used to carry it for her. It was quite heavy.

In another corner of the room was an easel and a canvas. Pinned to it was an unfinished sketch of inanimate objects.

Gao Yang turned to the desk and saw a small framed photo. It was the family photo they had taken on the beach in Naldives. Wang Zikai was also included.

His grandmother and Gao Xinxin had their arms hooked together, standing in the middle. His parents sandwiched them protectively. Wang Zikai and Gao Yang stood in the back since they were the tallest, their arms draped across each other's shoulders.

The sky was clear, and the ocean a deep blue. The six of them beamed under the sun.

There was also a thick sketchbook on the desk. Gao Yang picked it up and flipped through the pages. The sketches were of strangers: an old lady basking in the sun on a bench in the park, an older woman dozing off behind the counter in a supermarket, an older man making a call on a bus, a couple strolling along the riverside at night—most of the subjects were old woman and middle-aged men and women.

Gao Yang’s heart clenched. He suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

He lowered the sketchbook. A photo suddenly slid out and fell onto the desk; it was the photo he, Gao Xinxin, Wang Zikai, and Fresh Snow had taken together on the Lunar New Year’s Eve.

The sunset had been beautiful. An unexpected gust had rustled all of their hair and wrinkled their smiles, creating ripples in their hearts. It was a "failed" photo capturing a hectic, imperfect moment.

Neat handwriting could be seen in the back: the seemingly imperfect moment is the best of times.

Gao Yang wanted to pick the photo up, but his hand felt heavy. He couldn’t lift it.

He blanched, his breathing quickening. His vision narrowed as a faint ringing began in his ears. Before the sound could drown out the world, he turned on his heels and rushed out of the room.

The doorbell rang as soon as he returned to the living room.

He tensed, pushing his senses to the limit.

There was someone standing outside the door, not a threat based on the energy signature. Still, Gao Yang didn’t relax his guard. He put on a Golden Armor and prepared to fight or flee.

The doorbell rang again. A few seconds later, a voice called out, “Are you home, Gao Xinxin?”

Gao Yang recognized the voice: Guang Huan, his sister’s high school classmate.

“You haven’t been at school for days. I can’t reach either you or your brother. Everyone’s worried.”

“When I walked past your place, I noticed the curtains parted. Are you home?”

“If you are, would you please respond to me?”

Gao Yang stood in the living room, quietly gazing at the door.

“Gao Xinxin, if you’re there, please listen to me. I’m not a stalker or anything. I’m just worried sick, so I swing by before and after school every day...”

“I blacked out suddenly that day. When I woke up, you were already gone. Did something happen?”

“Gao Xinxin, you can tell me if you’re in trouble or facing a problem. Although...although I may not be of much help, I—”

The door opened. Guang Huan jumped. Then he saw Gao Yang at the door, his face pale and cold.

“Brother Gao Yang! You’re home? Wonderful!” Guang Huan's face lit up with relief. “Gao Xinxin hasn’t been at school for days. Did something happen?”

Gao Yang nodded, speaking in a steely voice, “She dropped out.”

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“Huh?” Guang Huan's expression crumpled in disbelief. “Why? It’s...it’s so sudden.”

“We’re going abroad.”

Guang Huan shook his head, unable to accept it. “Why?”

“We have a distant relative there,” Gao Yang said. “We are going to live there with him.”

“Oh...” Guang Huan lowered his head, a little heartbroken. Why didn’t Gao Xinxin tell him about something like this?

He looked up with a heated gaze and asked, “May I say goodbye to Gao Xinxin, Brother Gao Yang?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“She’s gone abroad already. I only came back to take care of something. Then I’ll join her.”

Guang Huan was visibly shaken. He insisted, “Then would you give me a way to contact her—”

“Guang Huan,” Gao Yang interrupted coldly. “Gao Xinxin’s never coming back. Pretend that she’s gone.”

Eyes reddening, Guang Huan raised his voice, “What are you talking about, Brother Gao Yang?! How can you say that?!”

“Goodbye.”

Gao Yang slammed the door shut.

Guang Huan pounded at the door, his fists making hollow thuds against the metal. He had never felt such raw anger before. “Brother Yang! Open up! Explain! Explain to me what happened!”

“What do you mean I should pretend she didn’t exist? We went to school and got off school together every day, ate and painted every day, and she confided in me all the time. She even asked me to go shopping with her to buy you your birthday gift!”

“Yes, I have feelings for her! And I know she doesn’t return my feelings! But we’re friends! Why is she doing this to her friend?”

“It was the same last time. She just disappeared without a warning. How could she be so heartless?!”

Guang Huan bawled, knocking on the door incessantly.

“Open the door! Open it!”

“Why did she do this to me?!”

“Does she not care at all? Doesn’t she have a heart?”

“Why? Just why?”

“Tell me why!”

...

In the entryway, where the sunlight couldn’t reach, Gao Yang slumped on the floor with his back pressed to the cold metal door, frozen like a statue.