The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 960: I Love You

Gao Yang prepared seafood braised noodles using ingredients from the fridge.

Fresh Snow's appetite was small – her hunger usually meant mere snacking. Gao Yang made a single portion, setting out two small plates with chopsticks and a fork, knowing she still struggled with the former.

As expected, she finished after just two bites.

She settled on the rug by the tea table, chin propped in her hands, lost in watching Gao Yang eat.

When he finished, he looked up to find her gaze still fixed on him.

He wiped his mouth with a tissue. "What is it?"

Fresh Snow's eyes sparkled like stars as she asked with disarming directness, "Gao Yang, Stupid Kai said that back in Naldives, you seriously considered being my food. Weren't you afraid of death?"

Gao Yang considered the question. "I was afraid."

"Then why did you want to save me?"

"Because we were good friends."

"Liar." Fresh Snow tilted her head with a smile, no anger in her voice. "Gao Yang and I weren't friends then. I was the only one wanting to be your friend."

Gao Yang froze.

"Can you be honest with me, Gao Yang?" Fresh Snow's gaze held his, utterly earnest.

Silence stretched between them before Gao Yang admitted the truth.

“I don’t remember, Fresh Snow.”

“You don’t remember?” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Yeah." A wry smile crossed his face. "I don't remember why I had that thought. Perhaps I never had an answer."

"One thing is certain, though. I didn't want you to die then. That feeling still burns clear in my memory. The thought of your death terrified me—greater than my fear of death."

Fresh Snow lowered her head, seeming disappointed. Then she looked up with a smile. "So Stupid Kai does know you best."

"Huh?" Gao Yang's confusion showed plainly.

"Gao Yang's smart, but you're dense in many ways, too." Fresh Snow leaned forward, placing her hand on his head, fingers gentle in his hair. "There are knots in your mind, things you're too scared to face."

Gao Yang stared at her.

Fresh Snow settled back, holding his gaze. "You wanted to save me because you wanted to save yourself, Gao Yang. I reminded you of yourself."

"Because we were alike."

"You were scared. I was, too." Fresh Snow pressed a hand to her chest. "I've known about my curse since childhood. It gives me my second form, making me neither human nor monster."

"When I was too young to understand, I thought it was fun. Then I lost my family one by one, and I learned the curse's other name: death."

"Fear took hold. I lost sleep often. Sister would comfort me. I asked her why the others weren't scared—why was I alone in my fear?"

"Sister said it was because she grew up. We stop being afraid after growing up. So I wanted to grow up too, as if that would fix everything."

"Haha, Sister lied. The fear never leaves. Even Master Spring and Waking Insects felt it. Adults just pretend not to be scared."

"But Gao Yang, knowing you make me less afraid. I didn't understand why at first, but now I do."

Gao Yang watched her, struck by the depth of her words.

Fresh Snow reached out slowly, covering his hand with hers. "You must know that I love you, Gao Yang."

"Whether you're human, the Divine Scion, a leader, everyone's hope, or nightmare—none of that matters to me."

"To me, you're just Gao Yang, the one I love most."

"Because of that love, I no longer fear anything."

Gao Yang trembled.

It was a fleeting, discreet tremor lighting up the nerve endings all over his body, like the way a cold, impenetrable wall felt a brick getting chiseled away. His very soul shook.

Joy and grief crashed through his rational mind. The revelation hit him: Fresh Snow hadn't been the one needing care. She had been caring for him.

He hadn't stayed at the mansion to give Fresh Snow a home. He'd stayed to find sanctuary, a brief escape from the weight of responsibility and guilt crushing him.

His soul had been trapped in a bottomless abyss, buried under endless guilt, sorrow, and hope...

His soul screamed for help, but Gao Yang heard only the endless ringing in his head.

Yet Fresh Snow had heard him. Like a beam of light piercing the abyss, she had illuminated his darkness.

How ironic. Fresh Snow had been the sun warming everything, while he was snow, afraid of melting.

Gao Yang caught her hand in his.

But then his phone buzzed. He pulled back and checked his phone. Hong Xiaoxiao was calling.

He picked it up.

"Captain..." Her voice broke with sobs. "Something happened to Zhong He..."

"Zhong He?" Gao Yang frowned. "Isn't he at the S Base?"

His heart plummeted even as he spoke. "Tell me what happened!"

"I...I gave Zhong He a hairpin. The energy just...disappeared. I felt it. Something's wrong..."

Gao Yang could no longer hear another word out of her mouth.

Color drained from his face as his hands began to shake. His breathing turned rapid and shallow.

He looked at Fresh Snow, panic rising. "Something might have happened at the S Base. I have to go."

"Yeah." Fresh Snow nodded. "Don't panic, Gao Yang. Sister always says we need to stay calm at times like this. If something has happened, we need to find a solution."

"You're right."

Gao Yang steadied his breathing, his resolve cementing as he stood.

Fresh Snow stood up too, blinking at Gao Yang. “Go.”

Gao Yang nodded and vanished from the living room, reappearing in the front yard.

With replicated level 6 Fly, he shot into the sky like a missile and disappeared into the night sky.

...

Zhong He was at the S Base. If Zhong He had really met his demise, the others at the base could have fallen to the same fate! That would be Gao Xinxin, Vermilion Bird, Gregor, Wang Weiyan, Lovely Lamb, Zhang Wei, and Quiet Book!

The thought sent ice through his veins. Even at five hundred meters every five seconds, he wasn't moving fast enough.

Replicated Fly had a short use time. Then he would have to fly with a large Absolute Barrier. Not only would it take too long, it would also exhaust a lot of his energy, making it difficult for him to fight later.

Once landing, Gao Yang had to keep teleporting to minimize the time wasted on the complicated sewage system. It would take him at least eight minutes to get to the base.

No!

That’s too slow!