XG 46 - She was another version of him

Wong Xue Guo was pretty sure her father was answering her question. But she does not understand the second sentence. Why would he buy chicks, other than letting them grow up to be eaten by them, and even say to let her play with them?

She did not ponder over it for long as Chen Yibo finished his shower. It was time to take hers.

It was not that she did not think about the dangers of letting a guy into her room while she showers. Of course, she would not let any guy guard her while she showers. Even Kang Xunsu, who she viewed as an elder brother, does not earn her full trust regarding it.

Yet her heart strangely feels relieved having Chen Yibo as her guard and confident he will not do anything to her. Perhaps it was not only her mother that Chen Yibo managed to conquer with his good boy and law-abiding image.

Even so, she did not take a long shower even when the hot water did quite a good job of relaxing her sore muscles.

After blow-drying her hair, Wong Xue Guo asked, “How is Chen Jiang An? Did he manage to get out of the country?”

The internet line may be down in Penang Island and some countries, but not everyone uses the same line, such as Wong and Chen’s family. Thus, there was still news uploading into social media.

Currently, the Malaysian government has imposed a severe lockdown after seeing the infection cases could not be slowed down. It was the same decision by most countries too.

Even if the citizens wanted to run, where could they go? Most populated countries had also been infected by human rabies diseases, so why run there to join the fun? As for those countries that were still safe, they would likely refuse to take in refugees to avoid risking bringing in infection.

But that did not stop people from rushing past the police barrier and escaping to wherever they thought was safe. To be logical, only places with low population and cold climates would be safest.

Wong Xue Guo does have a slight itch in uploading whatever she knew about the virus to social media so that some people that believed her would have a chance to survive. But she resisted her impulse, knowing that she could not risk exposing herself and her family to the mastermind behind the gene attack.

Chen Yibo answered, “Yes, they are now heading straight to China to meet up with the rest of the family. As for my father and brother, I still could not contact them. But Mrs. Wong is confident that they are safe.”

“… I did not ask about the latter.”

Chen Yibo does not mind her words, knowing that she was just angry on his behalf. With a soft chuckle, he commented, “You look much at ease with your father’s arrival.”

Annoyed, Wong Xue Guo refused to meet his understanding and empathetic gaze. “Of course! I’m just a seventeen-year-old tender girl. What do I know about leading people? Such things should be left to those with experience.”

“You are right.”

A bit uncomfortable at his rather understanding and agreeable behavior, she started her tirade on his behalf. “Huh, without calling back to check about his son’s safety, what an ass. Even if my parents did possibly pass on the news of your safety to your father, he should still call you! Did your brother not send you any message as well?”

“He must still be busy with father to look for the cure.”

“One message won’t waste much of their time, right?” Wong Xue Guo sneered. “If they don’t want you, my parents can have you!”

Chen Yibo: (•_•)?

“They like you very much. Did you not hear what my mother said? She trusts you a lot. Perhaps she even prefers having you as her godson than the person named Chin Chun.”

“That’s because Mrs. Wong just trust me to keep you safe-”

Wong Xue Guo sighed. “Really, your modesty is good, but right now is the apocalypse era, where everyone can die anytime. Stand up more for yourself. Just because my mother told you to protect me you would do it? Do you even want to do it? Won’t you feel angry for protecting a weak chicken like me and dying before reuniting with your family?”

“I won’t feel angry protecting you.”

Wong Xue Guo nearly went out of her mind hearing that. “Whatever for?! I’m not your family or girlfriend. There’s no need to do so much just to secure a flight to Korea. In fact, you could actually follow your grandpa to China and then secure a flight to Korea yourself. It won’t be overly difficult with your family’s connections.”

Just as Wong Xue Guo thinks that Chen Yibo was a reflection of another her, he also thinks she was another version of him. She secretly pitied him but did not know he also felt the same towards her.

Both of them have similar family circumstances, yet were also different from each other.

Chen Yibo experienced loneliness when his father and brother were mostly absent from his life because their work base was in Korea. They only came back to visit him during long holidays. Calls were also rare, with both of them busy with their research, but they never forget to visit him during his birthday.

Time felt so long during the nights where he was alone in the large, silent house.

As for Wong Xue Guo, she may have her mother staying with her, but they rarely interact other than during meal times. Even when they do, it was rather formal, unlike the normal family where they would joke around while having their meal. It was also especially painful when her mother only looked forward to her husband’s return as if she was an unwanted extra. The relationship with her father was also almost non-existence when his time back home was always spent with his wife.

With her parents not paying attention to her, she felt as if she was invisible, a shadow that people were used to ignoring.

None of them could say who was more pitiful.

Chen Yibo slowly smiled at the frustrated Wong Xue Guo. “I just want to.”

“What the heck.” Wong Xue Guo was bewildered. “Why?”

“I don’t want to tell you.”

“It makes me want to know more about it.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t want to say it.”

“Come on. Spill.”

Their conversation was interrupted when there were three short knocks coming from the door.

Huffing in frustration that their conversation was disturbed, she watched as Chen Yibo went to open the door.

It was Charles Wong.

“Ah. The hard disk.” Wong Xue Guo went to her backpack and dug out the well-hidden hard disk among her clothes.

Chen Yibo opens the door wider to let the older man enter if he wanted to. With a stiff expression, Charles Wong remained standing outside the room as he gazed at his daughter and Chen Yibo. He silently took the hard disk when his daughter passed it to him, but did not immediately leave.

“Father?”

“I approve of it.” His tone was much heavier than usual despite the positive words.

“Pardon?” Wong Xue Guo asked, not understanding what he meant.

But Charles Wong did not explain. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

He turned around and walked away. Still, his daughter understood that he wanted them to follow him, which they did. Returning to the living room, they saw there were additional two people, their clothing looked shabby and threadbare when they stood beside others.

Not only were their clothes shabby, but both of them also looked terrible, resembling war survivors. But what had Wong Xue Guo’s steps subconsciously slowed down was the woman with her head full of white hair and shrunken flesh.

Was she a survivor of a zombie bite?

Charles Wong did the introduction. “Miu has the ability to see the past and future. She will be working with us.”

He only said that sentence and everyone left to eat their lunch without further question as if aside from the gang members, the others were not surprised that Miu had an ability or where she came from.

Wong Xue Guo eyed the person beside the woman, a young boy that no one bothered to introduce.