The middle-aged man’s eyes twitched as he tried to remain calm. He glanced at the woman behind Gao Ming uncertainly. Yes. His son was home, and he brought with him a literally-broken woman.
The middle-aged man’s brain spun as he tried to come up with something to say, but he was stumped.
The sound of meat chopping came from the kitchen. The mother was urging him. The man opened his mouth and could only manage to squeeze out, “Come in?”
Gao Ming, in his school uniform, stood at the door. He was fazed for a moment when he saw his father. It was as if he had returned to that rainy night after he came back from the class field trip. He returned home in shock and confusion.
Holding the woman’s wrist, Gao Ming entered the rental home. Everything looked the same as he had left it. Time seemed to have frozen.
“Why did you suddenly come to find me?” Gao Ming stood under the light. Listening to the sound of cooking from the kitchen, he looked at his awkward father. None of the previous Gao Ming had asked this question before. For the middle-aged man, this was a brand-new ‘script.’
“We called you many times, but you didn’t answer. We were worried about you, so we came to find you.” The middle-aged man’s actions were smooth since they were already parts of his muscle memory. He reached to take the schoolbag from Gao Ming, but he realised that Gao Ming didn’t carry a schoolbag.
“Give me your dirty clothes.” The middle-aged man switched tactics. “How old are you already? Look at how dirty and wrinkled your clothes are. It looks like you’ve come from a war.”
“It’s fine. I can wash them myself.” Gao Ming looked at his father silently. The faces from his memory overlapped with the one before him. The man was different from his fathers, who were bound by curses. He was special. However, Gao Ming didn’t dare to put his guard down inside the God of the Future’s world. He had lost too many things to reach this stage. He couldn’t reveal any flaw.
The kitchen was cooking the special dishes. Gao Ming’s mother minced the meat until there was nothing left. The middle-aged man started to hesitate. The middle-aged man moved his gaze to the ‘woman’ beside Gao Ming, “Is this your classmate?”
Gao Ming shook his head. He didn’t know how to explain it.
“Girlfriend?” The man’s face darkened. The authenticity of Gao Ming aside, for a man to bring a ghost girlfriend home was something else.
When the woman heard the term girlfriend, she was embarrassed. She let go of Gao Ming and turned her face slightly away. Some of Xuan Wen's facial features were still stuck on her face. A normal girl would blush from shyness, but the woman only had bones to show through her rotting flesh.
“She is my friend,” Gao Ming said seriously, “She has helped me a lot.”
The man’s brows furrowed together. He scanned the school uniform Gao Ming was wearing. He didn’t even know what to say then.
The man took a deep breath. He told himself, ‘No matter what. This Gao Ming is fake. Even if he has a baby with a ghost, it has nothing to do with this family.’
That was what he thought, but the man still felt uncomfortable. The other Gao Mings tried to act normal once they entered the door. However, their goal was evil. This Gao Ming didn’t even try to present himself as normal. His fatherly instinct kicked in, and he wanted to lecture Gao Ming.
“I’ll go to the kitchen to fetch the dishes. You should wash your hands. Bring your friend…” The middle-aged man glanced at the woman’s bloody hands. “Never mind. We should have disposable bandages and gloves in the cupboard.” The man shook his head and left. He entered the kitchen. Gao Ming could hear the conversation in the kitchen.
“We should swap a few dishes out.”
“Your son brought a friend back this time.” The middle-aged man’s voice was low and conflicted.
“How does the girl look like? What is her family background?” The mother, who was previously serene, suddenly became excited.
“She looks… interesting. I have no idea about her family background. I’m trying to warn you. Don’t be shocked later.”
“Is she that impressive?”
“Just focus on your cooking.”
The conversation was every day and warm. His parent’s shadow landed on the kitchen curtain. Gao Ming’s gaze became gentle. He thought about the things from his childhood. His father was very serious about his work and disliked anything that was untidy. Gao Ming remembered his stern face the most. One day, his father encountered a drenched kitten on his way home at the bus stop. He removed his suit and hugged the kitten before his chest as he ferried the kitty to the vet. He was soaked, but the cat was warm.
His mother had a nice personality. She had a good relationship with all the neighbours. She looked fragile. But one time, when their family was fishing by the lake, a child accidentally fell into the water. His mother jumped into the lake to save the child without any hesitation.
Gao Ming’s parents would argue occasionally. However, as long as they were together, there was no problem.
“Are they actors employed by the God of the Future? Or are they real?”
The fragrance of food came from the kitchen. Soon, Gao Ming’s mother came out with a dish. She parted the curtain with a big smile. When she saw the woman beside Gao Ming, her smile froze. The girl was definitely interesting-looking. Gao Ming’s mother could technically look into her brain.
The female ghost noticed Gao Ming’s mother’s reaction. She lowered her head. Xuan Wen’s shell had shattered. This was the real her.
“Come and eat! Do you know how worried your father and I are since you won’t accept our calls?” Gao Ming’s mother removed her apron. She hauled Gao Ming up from the couch. She then looked at the woman.
In the end, Gao Ming’s mother held the girl by her hands. “Child, you must have had a hard life…”