Chapter 5: Liang

Today I decide to go to the flea market. Maybe I can find some interesting souvenirs to take home with me. The flea market is just as beautiful as the hotel. There are pretty little fountains everywhere leading up to it.

I pick the souvenir side of the flea market and walk in. There are exotic vases and even swords on the wall. Everything's so pretty. When I see the employee, I wonder if he's the same guy who almost ran me over yesterday morning.

"Welcome to my store."

"Thank you."

I decide to buy a vase from him and then go back to the hotel before I spend too much money. Plus, I have to pee and I didn't see a bathroom anywhere at the flea market.

When I got back to the hotel, I saw this guy sitting in the dining room, looking down into his tub of ice cream. I wonder if he was sad that there was nothing left in the container.

I decided to take a chance and talk to him. He was wandering all over the hotel so I guessed that he might be a guest there too. I was feeling a strange confidence coursing through me today, probably because no one had made fun of me or ran away screaming since I got here. I really wanted to get my logic skill to level four, and I thought it might be nice to actually play chess with another human being for once.

"Hello. Would you like to play chess with me?"

"Sure."

He was kind of cute, although a little wrinkly. Despite that, he still looked a million times better than me. I wasn't complaining though because he was the first guy who wasn't treating me as a joke.

"Are you enjoying your stay in Shang Simla?"

"Yes, thank you. Do you live here?"

"I am from China but from a different city. I am visiting Shang Simla because my city is a boring place. I am thinking of moving here."

I ended up winning the game, and to my pleasant surprise he cleared the board and reset it. This was so exciting to me, he wanted to start a second game with me. Partway into our third game, my cell phone rang. It was the Shang Simla Welcome Center, offering me a chance to meet someone named Jiannan Lu who had a request for someone with guts. I found this weird because everyone has guts in the literal sense, but I figured it was a translation error and it meant they wanted someone brave. Since I had been so lucky with trying new things, I accepted.

"What was your phone call about?"

"I accepted a task from the Shang Simla Welcome Center."

"Oh, that is good. They always have fun activities for tourists. I am sleepy, if you don't mind, I would like to call this game finished?"

"Yes, that's ok. What is your name if you don't mind me asking?"

"I am called Liang Yat Sen. But you can call me Liang."

"My name is Nubby Tubby."

"Good night Nubby."

"Good night Liang."

I decided to go visit the Welcome Center to see what the task was all about. A lady was standing outside the building. It turns out she was the Jiannan Lu I was looking for. She gave me a key to a tomb. It sounded kind of scary but Jiannan reassured me that this was just a game for tourists to play and that was how tourists gained Visa Points so they could come visit for longer than three days. She told me I could go to the market and get some supplies for my adventure. I took the key and thanked her for the opportunity.

I went to the market again, and was hungry so I went to the restaurant to try some local food. I ordered a bowl of creamy rice pudding with fruit in it. I hoped it tasted good. It looked kind of like oatmeal.

Afterwards, I went into the tomb that Jiannan told me about, and she was right, it wasn't incredibly scary. At the entrance to the tomb, there was even a couch and some tables set up there. I returned the relic that was planted there to Jiannan, and she paid me 500 Simoleons! I didn't have any idea I was going to get paid for it. I had to leave Shang Simla in a few hours, and this was the best way to end my trip. Now I don't feel so bad for buying that vase yesterday morning.

I had stayed up all night, so I went back to the hotel. I was hoping to see Liang again. Luckily for me he was sitting on one of the couches reading a book.

"Hi, Liang."

"Hello, Nubby. Did you go play the tourist game?"

"Yes! I got the relic back to the Welcome Center."

"Good for you. Did you have fun?"

"Yes, I did. Liang, I like talking to you."

"Thank you."

"I have to go home today. My flight leaves at midnight."

Liang stood up quickly when I said that. He walked in front of me. I've never had a guy stand that close to me before.

"Nubby, would you think me strange if I said I wanted to come visit Simerica?"

"No, but it would be strange if you wanted to visit me."

Liang hung his head. Crap, he misunderstood me. Dang insecurities that make me awkward. I quickly tried to remedy the situation. He was the first guy who I'd talked to who was nice to me. I grabbed his hand out of nervousness and looked into his eyes.

"Liang, I didn't mean that I didn't want you to visit Simerica. I just- no one's ever been nice to me like you have and I don't know how to take it."

"Nobody is nice to you? That is so sad. You are such a beautiful person."

What the berry did he just say to me? Beautiful? Surely he couldn't mean that. I am definitely not that.

"Um, Liang? You don't have to be nice to me and call me beautiful. I know I am not."

"Nubby, your heart is beautiful."

There it is. He does think I'm ugly. Damn, why did I have to go and ruin that? Couldn't I have just left it as what he said earlier, that I am a beautiful person. Blah, why do I have to go and sabotage everything? Maybe I should tell him to come with me to Simerica. He is a very nice man.

"I would love it if you came to Simerica with me."

Liang smiled. I'm glad he doesn't hate me. I hate myself for trying to twist his words, even though I never told him the mean things I was thinking about myself. Maybe Liang could help me with that part of myself.