Volume One, Chapter 16: The Robot Daddy Gave Me Broke

“My robot!”

Lumingxi ignored the pain and didn’t dare to cry. He scrambled up and staggered toward his backpack.

Behind him, the girl who had been knocked down stopped crying at his shout and looked in his direction.

Lumingxi grabbed his backpack, hurriedly unzipped it, and pulled out his treasured “Megatron.”

He turned the robot over and over in his hands, murmuring, “Luckily it’s okay. You scared the baby so much. Don’t be afraid, Xiaoxi will protect you.”

Meanwhile, Lumingman, seeing her son could run, jump, and call out, felt relieved and wanted to help the crying little girl on the ground.

“Little one, where did you hurt yourself? Auntie will take a look...”

Before she could finish, the little girl suddenly scrambled up and, with her two short legs pumping hard, ran forward.

She had two braids and wore a pink princess puff dress with a very fluffy hem, making running especially difficult for her.

Yet she ran surprisingly fast, huffing and puffing, until she reached behind Lumingxi.

Lumingxi’s full attention was on the robot in his hands; he didn’t notice the gaze fixed on his precious toy from behind.

“Do you really like it?” came a sudden childish voice.

Lumingxi nodded lazily and proudly held up “Megatron.” “Daddy gave this to me. He’s mighty and very expensive.”

“How expensive?” the little girl asked curiously.

Lumingxi glanced at her, surprised by this unexpected doll-like child.

“Well... it’s worth a lot,” he replied vaguely, unsure of the exact price.

The girl didn’t ask more and suddenly raised her hand.

“Ah!”

The robot in Lumingxi’s hand was forcefully swung by the girl and fell to the ground.

The hard shell cracked loudly, joints that had been tightly connected shattered, and metal limbs scattered at odd angles across the floor.

Lumingxi stared in shock at the broken pieces, heartbroken beyond words.

“What are you doing!” he yelled at the girl.

The girl froze for two seconds, then pouted and burst into tears.

“Wah, Mommy! Someone’s bullying me, Mommy!”

Lumingman rushed over, looking at the shattered robot on the floor and her son, eyes red but holding back tears, while the girl’s heartbreaking cries echoed around her.

Her headache started again.

“Xiaoxi, come to Mommy.”

With her left hand in a cast, Lumingman used her right hand to pull her son into her arms, worried he might hurt himself picking up the fragments.

“It’s okay, Mommy will buy you another one tomorrow,” she comforted him.

Lumingxi nodded softly, then shook his head. “I don’t want a robot anymore, Mommy.”

The robot was expensive, and he didn’t want Mommy to waste money.

Lumingman stroked her son’s head, then turned to look at the little girl, only to meet a pair of strikingly clear black-and-white eyes.

The little girl was peeking through her fingers at her.

That earlier scene clearly showed the girl had deliberately broken Lumingxi’s robot.

But since she looked a little younger than Lumingxi, probably just over four, Lumingman didn’t intend to scold her.

“Little one, where’s your mommy?”

The girl shook her head, her chubby face still streaked with tears.

She’d been crying for so long with no sign of her mommy, who was probably off buying another handbag again.

Whenever they went shopping, her mommy would get so fixated on bags she wouldn’t care about her at all.

Lumingman had to ask again, “How about Auntie takes you to the mall’s announcement room to wait for your mommy?”

The girl shook her head again.

Her uncle told her never to go with strangers, and he said pretty women are the most deceitful. This lady in front of her was very pretty—could she be lying?

Lumingman sensed the girl’s strong distrust; she wouldn’t listen, but abandoning such a small child was out of the question.

“Do you have your mommy’s phone number? I can call her to come get you, okay?” Lumingman asked once more.

At that moment, Lumingxi grew impatient.

He’d held back for a while now.

The bad girl had broken his robot, yet Mommy still wanted to help her find her mother.

“Mommy, I don’t like her,” Lumingxi stared straight at the girl.

The girl glared back, pouting as if about to cry again.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” Lumingman, who hated children crying the most, dug into her pocket and finally found two lollipops.

These were special treats she reserved to soothe Lumingxi.

“Who wants orange flavor?” she deliberately held up an orange one.

The girl glanced, her eyes settling on the strawberry-flavored one in Lumingman’s palm.

Lumingman noticed and asked, “You like strawberry, right?”

The girl nodded.

Lumingman handed it to her.

A few minutes later, Lumingman held the girl’s hand, who held Lumingxi’s; the two little ones sucked on their lollipops as the three of them walked steadily toward the mall’s announcement room on the fifth floor.

But before they reached the announcement room, the girl finished her lollipop and looked at Lumingman expectantly.

Her large eyes were full of longing, as if asking, Auntie, do you have more?

Lumingman shook her head.

Disappointed, the girl lowered her eyes and suddenly blurted out a string of numbers: 1688888...

What?

Lumingman was puzzled.

“That’s my uncle’s phone number,” the girl said clearly.

Lumingxi, still chewing his lollipop, felt the number sounded familiar but was too immersed in his sadness over the broken robot to think more.

Lumingman took out her phone and dialed the number.

At first, no one answered, so she kept trying. Just as the ringtone was about to time out, a voice came through.

“Hello?” A low, magnetic male voice.

Lumingman, focusing on the children, didn’t listen carefully and said, “There’s a little girl named... Oh right, what’s your name, little one?”

“Xinxin,” the girl answered without thinking, admiring the lollipop in Lumingxi’s mouth.

“Xinxin says she’s your niece, and she gave me your number. We’re on the fifth floor of Haiya Department Store...” Lumingman spoke carefully, worried he might not find them.

But after she finished, there was no response on the line.

Was the call disconnected?

She looked at her phone; the call was still ongoing.

“Hello? Are you there?” Lumingman asked in confusion.

“I know.”

The voice fell, and the call was abruptly ended.

That voice...

Lumingman’s heart jolted.

Why did the man sound so much like Shang Linyuan?

This was bad.

Or was she just imagining it?

Lumingman felt uneasy standing there, while Lumingxi grew impatient.

“Mommy, she’s found her family. Let’s go.”

Lumingman snapped back to reality, about to nod. She didn’t want to stay here any longer either.

Suddenly, the girl tugged at her dress and gently shook it.

Lumingman bent down. “What’s wrong, Xinxin?”

“Auntie, please don’t go. Stay with Xinxin.”

Seeing no reply, the girl hurriedly added, “When my uncle comes, I’ll have him give you lots of money. He loves me very much and will definitely give it to you.”

“Your uncle...”

Lumingman tried to ask his name but was interrupted by Lumingxi.

“Mommy, I suddenly feel sorry. The little girl is so lonely. Let’s stay with her, okay?”

Lumingman: ...

The one who just wanted to leave was him, and now he’s the one wanting to keep the little girl company. That little rascal—what strategy is he playing at?