The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 549: Reward

Happy Zhou Gold Jewelry, November 11th, 6:30 in the evening.

Wearing a suit dress and light makeup with her hair in an updo, Lin Yue stood at the counter, glancing at her watch every once in a while. Despite her calm expression, she actually felt quite anxious.

It was her and Gao Shou’s twentieth anniversary. Gao Shou had made a reservation at a high-end restaurant, the couple planning to have a romantic candlelit dinner. The reservation was 6:30 in the evening, and Lin Yue would be able to easily make it on time after getting off work at six.

However, Little Li, who worked the night shift, was late since she had to take her kid to her mother’s house first. She had yet to arrive at the shop at 6:35.

“Sister Lin, I’m here, I’m here. I’m sorry.” Finally, Little Li entered the door.

“It’s okay. As long as you’re here.” Lin Yue immediately took off the name plaque on her chest and took quick strides into the changing room inside. It took only a few minutes for her to get changed.

Her slim figure was hugged by a soft, light beige wool turtleneck and a brown fitted wool skirt, and she wore a pair of white heels and, holding a small white bag.

Her hair was let down naturally, the tips slightly curled, permed in the morning before she came to work.

She looked elegant and beautiful in a reserved way.

“How do I look?” Lin Yue asked Little Li.

Little Li gave her a thumbs-up. “You look no older than thirty! Your husband is gonna fall head over heels for you again tonight!”

“Stop it.” Lin Yue was a little embarrassed. “I’m going now...”

“Lin Yue!” Sister Ho came up to her with an anxious expression, holding a gift bag. “Here, take this to President Tan. You know, she’s the rich lady we received together last week.”

“Sister Ho, I...”

“Quickly! Or she’s gonna be mad. She’s an important client of ours. Whatever plan you have, deliver this to her first!” Sister Ho insisted and produced a name card. “This is the address and the contact. Hurry!”

“Okay.” Lin Yue didn’t dare delay things further, and she grabbed the bag and left.

She glanced at the namecard. At least the address wasn’t far from here. Since there was bound to be heavy traffic at peak hour, Lin Yue called Gao Shou while walking.

“Hello?”

“Old Gao, are you there yet?”

“I just arrived.” Gao Shou sounded a little apologetic. “I was gonna pick you up, sweetheart, but I have to come to the restaurant first, or we’ll lose our reservation. I was in too much of a hurry. I’ve made the order. How much longer is it going to take you...?”

“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Later...” Lin Yue hung up.

She went up to the shared electric bicycles by the road and rented one with her phone, hopping on it. She used to ride bicycles all the time when she was young, but rarely an electric one. Thus, she wasn’t very skilled with it and kept wobbling, almost hitting a few obstacles.

Slowly, though, she got used to it and started having fun. Picking up pace, she rode against the pleasant night wind, feeling a little like a superhero.

Night had fallen, and the city lit up with light. Lin Yue rode along the riverside scenic route.

Boom! Suddenly, she heard a loud bang from her side. Then the dark night lit up like daylight a second later.

She jumped and slowed the bicycle while keeping the head steady, turning to the side.

On the shoal by the river, someone was releasing fireworks, and ones that wrote words in the sky at that. Lin Yue looked up to see the message: Lin Yue!

Lin Yue started, braking without thinking. My name?

She turned to the shoal and broke into a smile, seeing her answer in the man standing by the river. He had his back to her, and she couldn’t make out his appearance in the dark.

“Old Gao?” Lin Yue called out, a little hesitant.

The man didn’t respond. Instead, he crouched down and seemed to be lightning up something with a lighter.

Pew—

Two seconds later, cool white sparks sputtered at his feet before shooting to the sides, drawing a giant heart on the shoal to encircle Lin Yue too.

The man stood up and turned around, smiling at her.

It was Gao Shou.

He was dressed in a fitted white shirt and suit pants with his hair combed to the back, holding a bouquet of red roses. The flickering cold light of the fireworks illuminated his face.

Unlike his usual shameless self, he looked serious and earnest as he walked up to Lin Yue. There were still traces of the young man he used to be on his face.

Lin Yue was going to laugh and tease him for getting cheesy after they had been married for so long, but when she parted her lips, she couldn’t say anything, and she felt her eyes prickle.

“The first time I saw you, Lin Yue, I fell in love.” Gao Shou came up to her. “In white uniforms, you looked as beautiful as a painting. At the time, I thought shamelessly to myself, if only the girl would fall for me too.”

“Thank you for choosing me, Lin Yue, and for building a family with me, sticking with me through thick and thin. I’ve been so happy all these years.”

“There’s something I’ve never said to you properly over the past twenty years, however, and I have to say it now.”

Gao Shou handed the rose bouquet to Lin Yue.

She accepted it blankly. Then Gao Shou took the gift bag from her, inside which was a rose red ring box.

Gao Shou dropped to one knee, opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

“Will you marry me, Lin Yue?”

Lin Yue looked down at him, unable to speak.

“Say yes!” someone shouted.

It was Guang Huan. Holding a phone to record everything, he ran out in excitement, followed by Gao Xinxin, Gao Yang, Qing Ling, as well as Lin Dajian, Qiu Qiu, Can, and Zhou Jing.

Originally, Gao Yang was going to call Wang Zikai to witness this festive moment, too, but in the end, he decided against it and made an excuse for Wang Zikai, convincing his sister out of the idea too.

The group called out enthusiastically, “Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!”

“You never cease to surprise me, Old Gao...” Lin Yue cried and laughed at the same time. Wiping the tears on her face, she took a deep breath and looked down at Gao Shou with a serious look in her eyes.

“Yes, I will marry you.”

She extended her left hand to him.

Gao Shou took her hand and put the diamond ring on her ring finger.

“Yes!”

“Ahh!”

“That’s so sweet!”

“I’m getting a cavity here!”

The group shouted one after another.

Bang, bang bang!

Gao Yang lit the line of fireworks by the river, and they launched into the air with fizzing sounds, blooming into colorful flowers of sparks.

“Kiss!” Zhou Jing hollered.

“Yeah, kiss!” Can chimed in.

“Enough already, children! Don’t ask for something you shouldn’t see!” Gao Shou blushed.

“Geez, we’re all adults! And we’ve spent so much effort on the proposal plan. You should reward us with something only adults can see!” Qiu Qiu yelled shamelessly. He was here only to witness the whole affair, and the plan had nothing to do with him.

Lin Dajian got into it too. “That’s right! You have to kiss!”

Making up his mind, Gao Shou pulled Lin Yue into his arms and turned around, pretending to kiss her. Lin Yue blushed from her face all the way to the back of her ears, covering her face, too embarrassed to look at the young ones around them.

“That doesn’t count! We didn’t see anything!” Zhou Jing whined in disappointment.

“Stop it!” Gao Shou waved them away. “I’m taking my wife to a candlelit dinner. Have fun on your own. Come to our place for a meal someday, and I’ll let you have my wife’s cooking.”

Amid the chatter and laughter, Gao Shou took Lin Yue away.

Watching his parents walk up the levee lovingly, Gao Yang broke into a satisfied smile.

After a moment, he turned to the others. “Thanks for tonight. Come on, I’ll buy you dinner.”

Qiu Qiu was the first to respond. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”