The Creatures that We Are

There was an awkward silence.

Exasperated, Gao Yang said, “The hairpin.”

“Oh, right.”

Hong Xiaoxiao finally caught on. She took off the Black Gold hairpin on her head and marked it before handing it to Gao Yang.

Putting the pin on his sleeve, Gao Yang tasted every type of food in a sanitary manner, including the drinks, keeping his eyes closed to focus on his senses.

Half a minute later, he opened his eyes. “It’s all safe. You can dig in.”

Can finally understood what he was doing then, and she felt both ashamed and moved. Their captain wasn’t the type to care about hierarchy; he voluntarily tested the food out of his concern for everyone’s safety.

Gao Yang said, “Someone’s trying to kill me right now, and he may do it in every way possible. Keep that in mind.”

The others nodded.

“Should I go get Nine Frost and Lithe Snake?” Can remembered the two teammates braving the cold winds while on guard duty, and she couldn’t just sit there.

“I’m not against it,” said Gao Yang.

“Neither am I.” Hong Xiaoxiao didn’t think it would be too big a deal. “It should be fine for them to come in for a few minutes, right?”

Sitting upright, Six Rime thought for a few seconds before standing up. “Come to the kitchen with me, Elder Seven Shadow.”

“Yes?” Gao Yang asked.

“I can give them a few hours to rest, but I need to go to the kitchen.” Six Rime glanced at Gao Yang. “I can’t allow you out of my sight.”

“Right.” Gao Yang stood up, thinking, Learn from her, Can, Hong Xiaoxiao. This is what a pro should be. The attention to detail is important.

He followed Six Rime to the kitchen. She opened the tap in the sink. The stream of water made a sudden twist and dove out of the window like a snake, splattering onto the lawn in the yard and forming a pool. The pool continued to spread in all directions, and as it covered the walls and rooftop outside, the water froze over.

In three minutes, a thin layer of frost covered the villa's hundred meters radius.

Six Rime adjusted her breathing and said coldly, “I’ll be able to detect anyone approaching in the next three hours.”

Gao Yang nodded. “Thank you for the hard work.”

Lithe Snake and Nine Frost were relieved of their duty under the elements. They plopped down on the sofa and enjoyed the beer and roasted wings, looking leisurely like two office workers who had just gotten off from work.

“Doesn’t Xiaoxiu want to watch a movie? Why don’t we do it now?” Can, after filling her stomach, suggested. She had quickly taken a liking to the pretty girl throughout the day.

Most importantly, Fresh Snow was the only one whose intelligence was at her level, and she found a kindred spirit in her.

“Sure, let’s watch a movie!” Fresh Snow was the first to agree, and the others weren't opposed to the idea.

Gao Yang turned on the stereo system. After going through the collection, they ended up picking Tales of the Journey to the West, a classic comedy with incredible replayability, starring Steven Chow[1].

“Oh, I know him!” Fresh Snow called out in excitement. She had seen the man’s God of Comedy[2], and she recognized the actor immediately.

There was the original movie and the sequel. The first movie was an absurd parody and a hilarious comedy. Can and Hong Xiaoxiao reacted especially well to it. Although they had rewatched the movies many times, they still rolled around laughing whenever a classic bit came up. Even Lithe Snake, the king of sourface, and Six Rime, with the range of emotions of a robot, cracked a smile every once in a while.

Fresh Snow watched the movie more seriously than everyone else with her legs tucked and her arms around Gao Yang’s elbow. Although she laughed every once in a while too, she was more affected by the mood than really feeling the comedy. In fact, she didn’t really understand the punchlines, and there were many parts she didn’t get at all.

In the beginning, she asked Gao Yang what was going on nonstop, and Gao Yang always explained to her patiently, but everyone got immersed in the movie, including Gao Yang; Fresh Snow slowly stopped asking.

Then they put on the sequel. Although there were still funny bits, there were many more solemn moments. They were not so much laughing along as feeling regretful for the love story between the protagonist and his love interest.

At the end of the movie, the protagonist put on the tightening spell voluntarily and lost his love[3].

Can, Hong Xiaoxiao, and Fresh Snow were all tearing up.

Fresh Snow was both sad and happy. She was saddened by the tragic love story, but happy that she was finally fitting in.

The last scene was of the protagonist’s reincarnation standing on top of the city wall, looking at the back of Sun Wukong and laughing as he said, “He looks like a dog.”

“That’s a classic scene.” Nine Frost sighed.

“Some people say the movie was made for that line alone,” said Lithe Snake.

“Yeah.” Even Six Rime broke her silence to make a comment.

“I only knew to laugh when I watched the movie as a kid.” Hong Xiaoxiao grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “When I watched it as a student though, I cried every time. Now that I’ve started working, what impressed me the most is the single line.”

“Yeah,” even the always upbeat Can said solemnly with a hand propping her chin. “Who among us isn’t a dog?”

“Why?” Fresh Snow was confused. She turned to Gao Yang. “He’s Sun Wukong. Why is he a dog?”

Gao Yang paused. It wasn’t easy to explain, but he tried. “I think it’s because those who cannot escape fate are like dogs.”

“Heaven and hell are cruel, and all creatures in the world are treated like dogs,” said Lithe Snake.

“Ugh, stop it, Brother Lithe Snake,” Can said. “My good mood is gone.”

“Why?” Fresh Snow asked insistently. “I don’t get it.”

Can said, “You’re young, Xiaoxiu. You’ll understand once you grow up.”

“Yeah, don’t dwell on it. It’s time for kids to go to bed.” Lithe Snake stood up and glanced at Nine Frost. “Back to our post?”

“Let’s go.” Nine Frost emptied his beer and rose to leave.

“I’ll wash my mouth.” Hong Xiaoxiao stood up and headed to the bathroom.

“I’m going too. My mouth tastes like cumin.” Can followed her.

Six Rime returned to a seat in the corner quietly, continuing to keep an eye on Gao Yang.

The living room fell silent.

Gao Yang patted Fresh Snow on the shoulder. “It’s late. You should go to…”

“I’m not!”

Fresh Snow shook off his hand suddenly, jumping and dashing up the stairs to the second floor, huffing.

1. A reference to Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West. ☜

2. A reference to his King of Comedy. ☜

3. The protagonist of the actual movie is Zhi Zuen Bao, a reincarnation of Sun Wukong. He didn’t realize he was in love with Zixia until it was too late, and in the end, he chose to put on the tightening spell to become Sun Wukong to save her, thus losing his chance to be with her. ☜

Houseau3's Thoughts

I honestly never quite understand the negative connotations attached to dogs, especially in Mandarin. Dogs are great, oftentimes better than humans :P

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