Chapter 763: Qingying

Name:The Creatures That We Are Author:
Chapter 763: Qingying

That was the happiest day in Liu Haoqiang’s life and a day she would never forget as long as she lived. Outside of the morning when despair hit her, the rest of the day was perfect.

Liu Haoqiang and Ba Qiuchi skipped class together and stayed in Ba Qiuchi’s cousin’s shop. Above the second floor was an attic and Ba Qiuchi’s secret base. Sunlight shone diagonally through the skylight, bathing the attic in a warm, bright light.

The wooden floor was covered by a soft rug and piles upon piles of mangas, magazines, and novels. There was also a radio and many mixtapes. Posters of different handsome male celebrities covered the walls of the attic.

The girls lay on the rug listening to pop music, read shojo mangas that made the hearts skip, and talked about what girls talked about.

Ba Qiuchi even borrowed her cousin’s cosmetics to put makeup on Liu Haoqiang.

They fought playfully and fooled around like best friends who had known each other for years.

“Hey, stop moving! I’m gonna make your lips so red and sooooo kissable...” Ba Qiuchi laughed and suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I haven’t gotten your name yet.”

“Liu Haoqiang.”

“Huh?” Ba Qiuchi thought she had heard wrong.

“Liu Haoqiang,” she repeated.

“Why would a girl like you have such a name? It sounds terrible[1],” Ba Qiuchi said bluntly.

Liu Haoqiang lowered her head reflexively.

“Don’t!” Ba Qiuchi lifted her chin and continued to put lipstick on her. “Why don’t you give yourself a name?”

“Can I do that?”

“Why not?”

“Names are given by parents...”

“Forget about it!” Ba Qiuchi said easily. “Had my old man given me a terrible name, I would’ve changed it for sure.”

“Yeah.” Liu Haoqiang smiled, but her gaze was uncertain. “I don’t know what to change my name into, though.”

“How about Liu Qingying?”

“Qingying?”

“Yeah, I noticed you when you walked out of the apartment building this morning.” Ba Qiuchi put the lipstick away. “Done! Perfectly kissable red lips! Wait, something’s missing. Right, your eyes aren’t captivating enough now. I’ll do your lashes...”

She took out a mascara and said, “You were in a red dress and dancing on the road barefooted like a fairy, beautiful, light, and elegant...”

Liu Haoqiang blushed. It was her first time being complimented like that. “Stop it. I wasn’t...”

It really did get better.

...

Liu Qingying woke up on the recliner in her office. She took a nap every noon. Covered in a thin rug, the warm sun of the winter day shrouded her in a warm glow.

She always quickly fell asleep, and without the need to use Sweet Dream consciously, she always returned to the day she met Ba Qiuchi, to the warm, bright attic.

Today, though, her dream was interrupted.

Liu Qingying slowly rose to her feet and said politely, “Who is it?”

The window to her office opened by a crack, and Can’s voice said, “It’s me, Miss Liu. Sorry for bothering you when you’re napping. Are you free tonight?”

Liu Qingying didn’t say anything, but a white petal appeared on her long, delicate fingers as she smiled.

Whoosh. A breeze swept into the room and swirled around her fingers, gently lifting the petal and bringing it outside before disappearing.

“Got it. Goodbye, Miss Liu.”

The window closed then as if nothing had happened.

...

Gao Yang ‘woke up’ to a pleasant springtime breeze kissing his face and rustling by his ears. Before him was an empty balcony in a tube-shaped apartment building, where white bedsheets hung under the bright sunlight glowed with pure, clear light.

Dressed like a countryside woman from the Middle Ages, Liu Qingying wore a blue headband with white polka dots to put her hair up, two strands of hair running down her freckled cheeks. Wearing gloves and boots for starch washing, she held a basin of clothes with both hands.

She looked like a beautiful, gentle, and diligent country girl.

“Leader of Nine Scions, it’s been a while.” Liu Qingying even smiled innocently to match her character.

“It’s been a while.” Gao Yang walked into the sun. “Let’s get started.”

“Haha, you’re as direct as ever.” Liu Qingying lowered the basin and waved a hand, conjuring a finely crafted small round table and two wicker chairs. There was a pot of flower tea and a basket of waffles on the table.

They each took a seat. Liu Qingying poured Gao Yang tea. “Got any intel for me?”

Gao Yang nodded. “An S-class one and an S+ one.”

Liu Qingying’s eyes lit up. “I can always expect a big trade with you.”

1. Haoqiang 昊强 is a very old-fashioned and typically macho name, with qiang meaning “strong” and hao being the same pronunciation as “very”, only in a different tone. ☜

2. Qingying means delicate and light in a graceful way. ☜