Hands intertwined, the mother and daughter dragged their suitcases behind them as they walked along the empty walkway.
Fang Ruoye glanced at the darkening sky above their head and sighed. It was a lie to say that she did not expect it, but she still felt a little sad about the ruined birthday dinner.
"Mommy, are you sad?" Luo Xianxian carefully probed.
"No, I am just glad that I no longer have to cook and clean for your father," Fang Ruoye lied on the spot. His daughter did not need to know the extentof her heartbreak. "What about you, darling? Are you sad?"
Luo Xianxian pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"Why must I be sad? Someone like Daddy can be found at every corner of the street."
Luo Xianxian nodded toward a garbage can with conviction. In her eyes, her father was no better than the stinky trash that filled the garbage cans.
"Besides, Mommy loves me. As long as I have Mommy by my side, I can get a new Daddy anytime."
Fang Ruoye burst into laughter.
"Aren't you a confident little thing," she said while pinching her daughter's cheek gently. "Your mother is a divorcee. If anything, you are my only asset now. If any man wants to marry me, then surely it's because you are too adorable and he wants to be your father at all cost."
Fang Ruoye did not think much when she said those words, but they resonated with Luo Xianxian deeply.
That's it, the little girl thought to herself.
Her mother lost her father because she could not give birth to a son. Because Luo Xianxian chose to be a girl. Therefore, Luo Xianxian needed to do her best to properly compensate her mother.
Since her father already set the bar pretty low, it must be easy to find a new man for her mother! Mentally, Luo Xianxian already listed out a bunch of requirements for those, who dared to even consider dating her mother.
"Now, where should we go?" Fang Ruoye pondered loudly while tapping a finger at her lips in contemplation.
"Mommy, Mommy…"
Luo Xianxian tugged at her mother's hand.
"Hmmm?"
"Xianxian is hungry…"
The little girl wielded her puppy eyes like a tiny, adorable sword against her mother's defenses. Fang Ruoye quickly melted into a puddle.
"Awwww. Of course, my baby. Now that I think about it, we haven't had our dinner yet."
Luo Xianxian's face darkened. She murmured in resentment while kicking an innocent pebble, "And Mommy worked so hard to prepare a birthday dinner, too. Too bad we couldn't even get a bite. And the lemon meringue cake looks so good too…"
"Oh, no, darling, actually…"
Fang Ruoye grinned.
"I put a lot of ground pepper in all those food. And that cake has a lot of peanut butter inside."
Luo Xianxian frowned.
"But Aunt Yinling hates spicy food," she said, a little confused. "And I thought that Daddy was allergic toward peanut butter."
Fang Ruoye shrugged nonchalantly.
"Now that you say it… it completely slipped my mind. Oops… but we are not going back to tell them, are we?"
Luo Xianxian shook her head.
"No, Mommy. I am so tired. My suitcase is soooo heavy. And I am only a little girl…"
"That's right, my darling. And we are hungry, too. We need to feed you first, hmm?"
Fang Ruoye did not usually take her daughter to a fast food joint, but tonight was special. Losing a husband she once loved with all her heart is a huge blow to her, but she could not imagine the pain that Luo Xianxian harbored inside.
Although she was only five years old, she was very intelligent and perceptive.
She understood many things that kids older than her had yet to comprehend.
Luo Xianxian was too mature for her age. Having such an understanding daughter was a blessing for every mother, but Fang Ruoye's heart ached for Luo Xianxian's ruined childhood.
"Xianxian…"
Fang Ruoye wiped cheese sauce off the edge of her daughter's lips. Luo Xianxian looked up from her burger and beamed at her mother.
"Yes, Mommy?"
Fang Ruoye smiled at her daughter.
"If you are sad, you can just tell Mommy," she softly said. "You don't have to act strong all the time. You are just a little girl, after all and your Daddy, he…"
He was the biggest scum on earth. He did not deserve a daughter as awesome as Luo Xianxian.
But Luo Xianxian shook her head fervently and squeezed her mother's hand in reassurance.
"Mommy, I am really alright. You don't have to worry about me. If you want to comfort me, you should buy me another cup of fruit punch."
"Alright, alright, be back soon."
"And another serving of ice cream?" Luo Xianxian readily tested her luck.
"… No, sweetheart. You had enough."
Fang Ruoye left the table to pick up Luo Xianxian's additional order. Luo Xianxian waited until her mother was queueing at the counter before she whipped out her phone and wrote urgently in the chat group.
"Uncle Jiang, we are eating dinner at McTilly Burger Joint right now. I am sending you our location right now. Are you coming or not?"
Sitting in a black shiny limousine that zooms across the relatively empty street some distance away, a handsome man in three-piece suit received a message on a private chat group. He looked down at Luo Xianxian's last message and typed a reply in the chatbox.
"Coming soon. Don't go anywhere."
And then, he pushed his clear-rimmed glasses higher up his nose and told his chauffeur to hurry.