Tang Xiaonan's eyes lit up. 'It seems Adrian Hawthorne was pretty good to my predecessor after all.' Her original self had tried to get herself killed in every way imaginable, yet Adrian had still saved her. This gave Tang Xiaonan a surge of confidence.
She beamed at Adrian Hawthorne, her smile stretching from ear to ear. The gap between her teeth was especially noticeable. Face to face with her, Adrian saw it all too clearly. 'I wish I could stuff something in that gap,' he thought. 'It's so ugly.'
"Mr. Hawthorne!"
Tang Xiaonan called out, trying to curry favor. She unwrapped the candy and held it to Adrian Hawthorne's lips. "Have some candy. It's really sweet."
Adrian Hawthorne didn't open his mouth. He was still trying to figure out if this chubby girl was up to something. The little brat always offered a bit of sweetness before making trouble.
Even though it was always just minor trouble, it was still endlessly annoying.
Tang Xiaonan's arm was starting to ache from holding it up. 'He doesn't think I poisoned the candy, does he?'
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Tang Xiaonan stuck out her tongue, licked the candy, and said with a grin, "It's not poisoned."
'That should convince him, right?'
A look of disgust crossed Adrian Hawthorne's face.
'There's no way I'm eating this little brat's saliva.'
"Hey, don't be so ungrateful! Xiaonan, give that candy to me!"
Jim Thorne was overcome with jealousy. His little sister used to give him all the best snacks, but today she'd given them to this jinx. He squatted down too, opening his mouth wide and waiting for Tang Xiaonan to feed him.
But—
"No, the candy is for Mr. Hawthorne."
Tang Xiaonan turned away from him and looked at Adrian Hawthorne expectantly, holding the orange candy in her hands. Adrian's mouth began to water. It had been a long time since he'd last had candy.
He didn't actually like sweets all that much, but when you couldn't even get a full meal, candy became a luxury. Adrian Hawthorne's body was more honest than his mind; the smell of the meat and the sight of the candy made his stomach feel even emptier.
The spurned Jim Thorne stared at Tang Xiaonan in disbelief. His expression was a mixture of hurt and, more powerfully, anger as he shot a vicious glare at Adrian Hawthorne.
Adrian Hawthorne's mood suddenly brightened. He opened his mouth. 'So what if it has her saliva on it? I can just spit it out later,' he thought. Right now, all he wanted was to infuriate Jim Thorne.
Tang Xiaonan's smile grew even wider. 'Just as I thought, no kid can resist candy!' No matter how capable Adrian Hawthorne was, right now he was just a twelve-year-old punk.
'If I keep feeding him delicious things, I'll definitely be able to win over this future big shot!'
'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, after all!'
The sweet and sour candy entered his mouth, nourishing a body that had been deprived for four years. It felt as if every cell in his body was dancing, secreting something called 'happiness.'
Many years later, Adrian Hawthorne would learn that this substance was actually called dopamine.
For now, he just felt happy—incredibly happy. Even Tang Xiaonan and those three oafish brothers of hers seemed a little less annoying.
Tang Xiaonan pulled all the candy out of her pockets and pressed it into Adrian Hawthorne's hands. A fresh wave of jealousy washed over Jim Thorne. His sister had given all the good stuff to that Hawthorne kid, without saving a single piece for him.
Adrian Hawthorne was about to refuse, but when he saw the ferocious look in Jim Thorne's eyes, like a cornered animal, he changed his mind. He accepted the candy. 'Rosalind Green and Grandpa Tate both love sweets,' he thought. 'I'll save it for them.'
'I'll just hunt something in the mountains later to repay the Thorne family.'
Tang Xiaonan was bubbling with joy. She waved at Adrian Hawthorne. "Bye, Mr. Hawthorne! I'll come find you to play again tomorrow!"
Adrian Hawthorne's scalp tingled. Alarm bells went off in his head.
'I knew this chubby girl was up to something.'
'I'll have to be on my guard tomorrow.'
Tang Xiaonan had no idea her sincere words had sent his mind racing. She took the initiative and reached for Jim Thorne's hand. He shot her an irritated glare and pulled his hand away. A moment later, however, he reached out and roughly ruffled her hair until it was a tangled mess.