"I don't want to."
The girl blurted it out.
She'd lied because she didn't want anyone worrying about her. She thought she was a nuisance.
Besides...
It was only a minor injury.
It'd heal in a few days.
"Then from now on, Little Man Tian Xing, you have to be honest and tell us when you're uncomfortable or hurt, okay?"
Xiao Xiao's lips curved slightly.
His gaze was calm.
It seemed that what had happened in the past still affected the child.
She was at an age when she should have been able to act spoiled and throw tantrums to her heart's content. There were so many people who cared about her, yet because of what her stepmother had done...
When something happened, her first instinct was still to hide it instead of talking about it.
But she had to remember: no one would threaten her anymore...
"Mm."
The little girl answered quietly.
Her head drooped.
She looked a little dejected.
Seeing how heavy the mood had become, Xiao Xiao smiled.
There was a hint of amusement in his voice, too.
"But Little Man Tian Xing is amazing."
Huh?
The girl looked up, confused.
She was amazing?
What was so amazing about her?
She wasn't amazing at all.
The girl pressed her lips together.
"Because you still recognize me."
Xiao Xiao smiled.
He was genuinely a little surprised by that.
The child was young.
It was hard for children to remember someone they hadn't seen in a long time.
When he'd spoken up earlier, he'd been wondering how to help her remember him quickly.
He hadn't expected...
He didn't need to.
Just as he'd recognized her at a glance, she'd recognized him at a glance, too.
And she'd called him by that rather unusual name.