The Creatures that We Are

Gao Yang quietly watched from the side, doing his best to follow every line they said to each other. However, just like Liu Qingying, Gao Yang was utterly lost about what Ba Qiuchi was up to. He could tell that the Sweet Dream was still going to continue, though.

As expected, the girls’ laughter soon faded, and the night wind gliding across the surface of the river was replaced by a humid chill, mist, and rain.

Gao Yang’s vision refocused. He found himself standing on the hilltop where the Taiping Bridge Cemetery was. It was drizzling from the dark cloudy sky.

Dressed in solemn black clothes, Liu Qingying held a black umbrella, standing before a newly made tomb, her complexion sickly. Ba Qiuchi’s photo was embedded in the tombstone, and a summary of her life was etched into the stone.

Beside Liu Qingying stood a man in a black suit. He didn’t have an umbrella. It was Dead Pig, his big burly frame drenched from the rain and his eyes dark with pain.

“How did Little Ba die?” Dead Pig asked.

Liu Qingying shook her head, her tone so composed that it sounded numb. “I only know that it couldn’t be suicide, and it wasn’t an accident.”

“Then it must be murder.” Dead Pig’s eyes ignited with hatred. “Whoever it was, I will find them and tear them to pieces!”

Liu Qingying said in the same even tone, “Count me in.”

She turned to leave as she spoke. Falling silent, Dead Pig remained before his ex-wife’s tomb, like a statue frozen in time by the cold rain and sorrow.

In Gao Yang’s eyes, Dead Pig and everything around him became a still frame. He knew that the scene would no longer give him more information. He turned to follow Liu Qingying down the mountain.

On the concrete clearing at the foot of the mountain parked a black car. Liu Qingying closed her umbrella and entered the driver’s seat.

Gao Yang opened the door to the passenger seat. As soon as he bent down and got in, there was a flash, and he found himself going through a small wooden door instead. He entered a low attic that was no more than 1.5 meters in height.

The attic was warm and bright with a soft rug covering the floor and anime and celebrity posters plastered all over the walls. Small bookshelves and boxes stacked up in a corner, filled with manga books, magazines, and mixtapes. There was a small electric fan next to them.

Liu Qingying curled up in a corner, having fallen asleep. Judging by her messy hair and the wet streaks on her face, she must have had a good cry earlier.

“Little Ba!”

Suddenly, Liu Qingying woke up with a shout. She looked around and realized that she had been dreaming.

She stared at her palms with disbelief, muttering, “50, Sweet Dream…that was Little Ba’s Talent…”

Tears burst out of her eyes. She broke down again with her hands covering her face.

Gao Yang’s chest tightened, remembering similar moments in his past.

It took a good while for Liu Qingying to stop bawling and get her emotions under control. She looked up and saw a paper box sealed with plastic tape in a corner of the attic.

She stood up with her back bent and picked up a boxcutter from the floor, using it to open the paper box.

Gao Yang went up to her. He had thought there would be used items and books in the box, but instead, there was a small safe made of pure Black Gold.

Liu Qingying was surprised for a moment. With some difficulty, she extracted the safe from the paper box and closed her eyes in remembrance. The code Ba Qiuchi left with Sweet Dream escaped her lips, “1998323.”

Liu Qingying paused. That was the day she met Ba Qiuchi.

She turned the lock and opened the safe in no time. Inside was a thick black leather diary and a Black Gold fountain pen.

With some confusion, Liu Qingying took out the diary and fountain pen and sat down cross-legged. Gingerly flipping through the diary, she started reading from the very first page.

Gao Yang got closer. There were writings on the diary, that was for certain, but all he could see were blurred blotches.

He knew that it was Liu Qingying redacting the information while creating this Sweet Dream.

Liu Qingying flipped through the diary with full concentration. She started out confused, then she was in turn lost, surprised, and shocked. In the end, her expression became impassive. She went over page after page like a reading robot as she consumed the information.

Gao Yang waited by her side. It wasn’t a long wait for him.

The passage of time was quickened in the Sweet Dream. The light coming down from the skylight of the attic quickly changed angle and color. Soon, the attic became dim. Liu Qingying had to turn on a small desk lamp to keep reading.

Late at night, Liu Qingying finally finished the last page. Her gaze was broken yet determined. She put the diary and fountain pen back into the Black Gold safe before putting it into the paper box and resealing it.

Then she took out her phone and made a call.

It went through quickly. Dead Pig’s nasal voice said, “Little Liu?”

“Old Zhu, I need a favor.”

“Go on.”

“Lend me money.”

“Okay, but tell me what you’re doing with it first.”

Liu Qingying said, “I want to start a business in the Walled City of Ten Dragons. I think it’ll be a restaurant. The more traffic it sees, the better.”

“Why?”

“I want to collect information, all kinds of it. I’ll be an information broker.”

Dead Pig asked, “To find Little Ba’s killer?”

“Yes, but not just that. I can’t tell you the rest.” Liu Qingying was frank with him.

On the other side of the line, Dead Pig was silent for a few seconds. “You should give it a second thought, Sister Liu. Being an information broker attracts danger. If anything happens to you, how am I going to face Little Ba…”

“I don’t need anyone to take responsibility for my life,” Liu Qingying cut him off impatiently. “Just give me an answer. Are you helping me or not?”

After another moment of silence, a sigh came through. “How much do you need?”

“Thanks. I’ll contact you once I decide what business I’m going to start.” Liu Qingying hung up and lifted the paper box containing the safe. Lowering her head, she nudged the door to the attic open. Then her footsteps could be heard going downstairs.

Gao Yang immediately followed. The scene changed again the moment he opened the attic door.

He had entered a dark, narrow corridor lined with doors of different colors, styles, and designs. There were shoe racks and cabinets at most of the doors.

Gao Yang guessed that it was an old apartment building of single rooms.

Liu Qingying wore all black with a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a mask. Clearly, she didn’t want to be recognized. With swift, light footsteps, she made it to the end of the corridor with something in her arms.

Gao Yang jogged up after her and started. Liu Qingying was holding a sleeping baby.

The baby was about six months old, cute and chubby. They were wearing a pink one-piece with a pacifier in their mouth. Their black hair was fuzzy. And they were holding a small name plaque with the character meng, lovely, written on it.

Gao Yang could guess that she was Ba Qiuchi’s daughter, Ba Youqi.

It turned out that Lovely Lamb from the Twelve Zodiac Signs was a child of Dead Pig and Ba Qiuchi’s. But why must Ba Qiuchi hide her daughter’s identity and make the Twelve Zodiac Signs adopt her in such a roundabout way?

There were too many unanswered questions.

Liu Qingying reached the door to the innermost flat. She gave the baby one last reluctant look before making up her mind. She left the baby at the door and quickly took her pacifier away, turning to leave.

Gao Yang was wondering if he should chase after Liu Qingying again when the baby started wailing loudly at his feet.

“Wah…wah…”

Houseau3's Thoughts

I think someone guessed that Lovely Lamb would turn out to be a child of Ba Qiuchi and Dead Pig.

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