XU WUTAO
I shivered as I frantically rocked on my toes, craning my neck to look down the streetlight-illuminated road. My black hoodie and sweatpants proved useless against the thickening cold—not to mention the relentless family of insects using my body as an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Not a single person or car had passed by in the nearly twenty minutes since I snuck out of the estate. Though that was a good sign and
all, there was no telling when someone behind the wall would decide it was a wonderful time to look behind the gigantic flower pot.
I checked behind me for one final confirmation. The patches of grass and leaves around it made the hole entirely nonexistent. I nodded to myself in satisfaction.
Soon, I heard the rumble of an engine and the cracking of gravel under tires. I poked my head above the tall grass, catching a glimpse of Mr. Lu's old pickup truck. About time! I thought, as I waited for it to get closer before standing to my full height.
My head was bent the entire way as I jogged toward the truck. Getting closer, I noticed Xueya's frown as she observed me, her lips saying something I couldn't make out. Something about the whole scene made me feel uneasy, so I lifted a questioning brow at her, only for her to quickly avert her gaze. Okay, that was weird right?
Anyway, I just shrugged and heaved open the car door. Who knows? Maybe I imagined it. "Evening, kiddo. How was your week?" Mr. Lu greeted once I settled in my seat at the back, the question immediately bringing back my initial excitement.
"Very productive," I answered, unable to stop the left corner of my lips from curving upward.
"I bet!" He chuckled. "And here I was, thinking I was about to blow your mind with my newest makeshift invention…" Xueya rolled her eyes,
and mine popped.
"Really?! What is it?" I inquired.
"You'll have to wait till we get home," Mr. Lu replied and cackled when I pulled a defiant pout.
"Aww…" I turned to the front passenger seat. Xueya would tell me—with a little incentive, of course. I pulled the biggest puppy eyes I could form.
"Xueya, you know what it is, right?"
She didn't respond. My brows quirked. Playing hard to get, huh? Fine… I rubbed my hands together, the promise of mischief too alluring to pass up. "Riiiight?" I stressed, grabbing her shoulder.
Still no response. "Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me…" I sang, swaying her along with every word.
Mr. Lu laughed uncontrollably in his seat, trying to keep his eyes on both the road and my self assigned challenge.
"…please, please, please, tell me, tell me, tell me tell—"
"Wutao, no!"
I quickly ducked, barely missing the daunting elbow that suddenly charged at me. I lifted myself to stare at the back of her head in shock, waiting for an apology or something. But it never came.
My ears thudded from how close I'd just come to a broken nose, while the perpetrator sat nonchalantly in her seat, not even offering me the decency of a spared glance.
Tension sucked out all the breathable air in the car. I looked up at the rearview mirror to find Mr. Lu, an apologetic look on his
face.
Was that it? Were we not going to talk about it? Mr. Lu gave his head a small shake, and I sighed, quietly sinking back into my seat.
I didn't utter another word the rest of the way, the vibe already too awkward. Even for me.
~
I burst through the green door as soon as Mr. Lu opened it,
immediately pulling off my hoodie and chucking it somewhere I didn't bother to
look.
"Where is it?!" I demanded, running around the small test lab. I had decided to put the car incident behind me, as I wasn't one to dwell. At least not when it came to the Lu family.
"In your room," Mr. Lu answered, and I immediately made a beeline to the tiny room. It was hard to miss—the seven-foot circular glass cubicle attached to one of the walls of the room. I tilted my head as I tried to figure out what it was.
Just then, Mr. Lu entered, Xueya right behind him. She said nothing. She looked straight ahead—and did her jaw just twitch?
"It's a tanning cubicle," he supplied, and I gasped.
"Are you serious?!" I exclaimed, quickly pulling open the frosted door to take a look at the interior.
"Instead of UV rays, this machine uses a micro-pigment mist to coat the surface of your skin to create an even, non-ashy tone—as you put it. Well, it should. I'm a biological scientist, not an engineer, so there's no guarantee that it's going to work. But we'll test it tonight," Mr. Lu said with a chuckle.
"This is so awesome! When did you get it?" I asked, walking around to check the sides of the machine.
"Just last week. The day after… you know." His face dropped.
"I just thought it'd cut down the time you take to apply body makeup every day. And now, you wouldn't have to worry about it coming off while you're at work." He lifted up a bottle he was holding. "Just come home, and we'll wash it off for you. We'll add that to the pheromone cleansing routine."
I nodded as he spoke. "Although…" His voice trailed off as his uncertain gaze went up and down my exposed skin. I frowned.
"Although… what?"
"Have you looked in the mirror recently?" What did he mean, have I looked in the mirror recently?
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well… how do I put this? You're—"
"You've changed, Wutao!" Xueya cut him off harshly, causing me to jump in surprise. Her look from earlier came back—this time, more
intense.
"Huh?" I asked, once I got over the shock of her statement. Or rather, her accusation.
"Look at you!" She gestured at me, and I looked down at myself. My hands, my slipper-clad feet… I didn't know what she wanted me to see. "This is pissing me off…" she scoffed.
Her words took me aback. "Uhh… Xueya, if this is your new way of complimenting me, I think I prefer the old, friendlier approach." I chuckled, nervously shifting under her icy stare.
"You're getting better!" What did she mean by that? She pressed her hands into fists. "You usually can't even walk from the main entrance to this room without going out of breath, but today you ran… you! And—and your skin… it looks better. Healthier!"
She screamed, her voice reverberating through the walls. Even Mr. Lu stiffened.
I didn't know what she wanted from me.
"What exactly is your problem?! You've been like this since the car. You barely acknowledged me when I spoke to you, and now this?! Get a fucking grip!" I let out heavy breaths as I returned her glare.
My pulse thudded with ferocity. I was very confused. I didn't think I had changed that much or whatever she said. But even if thatwere the case, this certainly wasn't the response I would've expected.
She should be happy for me. If I really was getting 'better' then this was good news. So why did it feel like I'd done something wrong?
I glanced at Mr. Lu. He shook his head, just slightly.
Okay. So it wasn't just me.I let out a breath. I didn't have the energy to fight anymore, and I was going to be late for work if this went on any longer.
"But even if I've really gotten better… is that such a bad thing?"
She looked startled by my question at first. But she quickly masked it. She didn't say anything else, quietly walking out of the room.