Acting and Gamesmanship

In the living room, a man knelt on the floor timidly, under the scrutiny of two figures on the sofa—one large, one small. The man was Mu Chen, an eight-star Saint Craftsman, and he was currently being punished by his wife... His daughter's gaze made him feel as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

Only after a long while did Mu Xi's expression soften considerably.

"So, this little sister is Daddy's apprentice?"

Once her mother, Yuan Bao'er, returned home, Mu Xi finally understood the whole story after hearing the explanations from both her parents.

Because she had started learning forging some time ago, her father had gone out for a walk in high spirits, only to encounter this little girl with outstanding talent for forging.

"Yes, Xiao Xi! Your dad told me about it when he came back. I was the one who changed that child's clothes. I was just worried you might overthink it, so I didn't tell you..."

Seeing her daughter gradually come to understand, Yuan Bao'er immediately gave Mu Chen beside her a meaningful look: Leave our daughter to you for now. I'll go talk to that little girl.

Yuan Bao'er could actually understand it completely. The little girl had been forging peacefully, then suddenly fainted and was brought to an unfamiliar place. And that guy looked a little... wild.

Well, he was a forging master, after all. Once he got fired up, he could easily become immersed in it. He was also a man and was used to being sloppy in everyday life.

If Mu Chen continued talking to that little girl, he would definitely frighten her even more. She would most likely refuse to become his apprentice afterward, and it might even backfire. It would be terrible if she ran away; they might never encounter such a genius again.

So Yuan Bao'er planned to comfort her first and mention Mu Chen's circumstances along the way. After all, his status as a Saint Craftsman spoke for itself. The benefits of becoming a Saint Craftsman's apprentice were not something one could come across easily!

After receiving his wife's permission, Mu Chen immediately rose from the floor and sat on the sofa, soothing his daughter's emotions while bringing up a few topics related to forging.

His daughter liked forging, so naturally Mu Chen, as her father, knew that. If he changed the subject now, perhaps she would forget about it after a while?

Not bad. He was teachable!

Watching her husband's actions, Yuan Bao'er smiled and nodded before turning to leave the living room. A guest was still waiting for her in the study!

"Hello, little one!" As soon as she opened the door, Yuan Bao'er saw Herta sitting upright on the sofa, seemingly having waited for quite some time. "Sorry, I spent a while dealing with that 'bad guy' from earlier. He didn't scare you, did he?"

Since Mu Chen was already the bad cop in this child's eyes, then she would play the good cop!

Clearly, Mu Chen had been sold out.

"..."

However, Herta said nothing and merely looked at Yuan Bao'er silently.

The atmosphere seemed a little awkward, but Yuan Bao'er would not just sit there helplessly. She directly opened her arms and pulled Herta into her embrace.

"Mmm! You're just too adorable!"

"Where are your father and mother? How could they let such an adorable child like you go out alone? What if a bad person kidnapped you?"

"...Auntie, I don't have parents." Herta turned her head away and stopped looking at Yuan Bao'er, who was holding her. "They left long ago."

Yao Lan, as the original body, had already lost his parents before crossing over and had lived alone in the world. At this moment, Herta carried Yao Lan's consciousness, so her emotions were completely genuine.

Ah, this was troublesome.

Yuan Bao'er had accurately stepped on a land mine after only a few sentences. However, she did not look flustered, because there was still room to remedy it.

"I see..." Her expression turned somewhat regretful, but Yuan Bao'er quickly adjusted her mood and opened her arms again, pulling Herta into an embrace. "If you're willing, could you call me Mom?"

She used the same hugging method as Mu Chen, but a young mother like Yuan Bao'er was clearly more approachable than Mu Chen. She could invisibly lessen the girl's resistance.

Combined with that final sentence, she had not only played the emotional card, but also let Herta voice her own opinion, subtly respecting her wishes. It truly accomplished several things at once...

She really had a lot of tricks up her sleeve!

Even Herta could not help but be stunned for several seconds. Still, she had no intention of refusing. Wasn't she staying here precisely to obtain what she wanted?

Now, it seemed she would not merely become "Saint Craftsman Mu Chen's disciple." She had a chance to go a step further—"adopted daughter and disciple"... That identity was even better!

A red light flashed through Herta's eyes. This was precisely the sign of simulating Nous's calculations.

Both Yuan Bao'er and Herta were now displaying their acting talents to achieve their own hidden goals.

"Mom..."

"Hehe!" The instant Herta spoke, Yuan Bao'er pulled her into her arms once more. "Since you've already called me Mom... then Mom won't hold back! Sniff, sniff!"

A relaxed approach could ease the gloom in one's heart. Over the following period, Yuan Bao'er used playful antics to completely win Herta over.

"Oh, so little Herta is this amazing? You're only a little younger than my Mu Xi, yet you already have the skills of a level-five Forging Master, and you taught yourself? Even that big bad guy wasn't as impressive as you when he was young!"

Clearly, Mu Chen had been sold out again.

"If it's little Herta, you'll become a God Craftsman before long, right?"

"Hehe! Of course! Because I'm a genius!"

Amid Yuan Bao'er's astonished exclamations, Herta had completely shed her earlier unease and sorrow. Things were developing in a positive direction.

"But, little Herta, do you know anything about higher-level forging?"

"This... does Mama Bao Er know?"

From their earlier conversation, Yuan Bao'er had learned that Herta was a child from the slums. Although she possessed exceptional talent, her future development would most likely be limited by her surroundings. So now, Yuan Bao'er cast out the bait...

"Do you remember that big bad guy from earlier?"

"Of course I do. That bad... that uncle who didn't look like a good person brought me here without saying a word. Luckily, I met you, Mama Bao Er!"

She swallowed the original "bad guy" and replaced it with gentler wording. Herta had done so deliberately, and as for the effect...

She really was a child! Seeing Herta restrain her words, Yuan Bao'er was already certain that she had gained some standing in Herta's heart. That meant she could proceed to the next step.

"Yes, that uncle brought you here, but he was worried about you too! What if he had left you there alone and bad people caught you and sold you?"

"But it really was wrong of him to take you away directly, so how about having him compensate you? Don't let that uncle's rough appearance fool you—he's an eighth-level Forging Master! In the entire world, only one person is better than him at forging."

"How about he teaches you forging techniques as compensation?"

Yuan Bao'er cleverly presented "taking an apprentice" as "compensation," making it even harder to refuse. However, seeing Herta's hesitant expression, Yuan Bao'er knew she still needed to give her one final push.

"Don't worry. If that uncle bullies little Herta, just come tell me. I'll make him kneel on a washboard at night! Pinky promise!"

"Okay, pinky promise!"

Yuan Bao'er had gone this far, and Herta finally wore a brilliant smile as she held out her little finger toward her.

One side had gained a genius daughter, while the other had gained a perfect family. This round...

Yuan Bao'er: The advantage is mine!

Herta: No, it's mine!

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