Chapter 11

Qi Chao was speechless. This Little Fatty was being completely unreasonable. His own kid had bullied someone and was still standing there looking lost and helpless, yet he had the nerve to cry?

Qi Chao was a grown man, so although he was angry, it was hard to bicker with a child. The little doll in his arms kept his head lowered, his expression hidden from view. Qi Chao's heart ached terribly. He reached out and soothingly rubbed the little doll's head. "Where are your adults?"

Little Fatty bawled noisily as though he had suffered some enormous injustice. The children playing in the sand a few meters away gathered around, each of them trying to comfort him.

"Xiao Jiu, don't cry! I'll go get your dad! He won't dare bully you!"

"Why are you crying?! The swing was ours to begin with! Who told him to use it without asking?"

"Don't cry..."

These children all knew one another, and from their words, Qi Chao understood what had happened. It turned out that they had always treated the park as their territory. Today, they saw an unfamiliar child daring to use their swing, and the little brats were unhappy about it.

Seriously.

What a joke.

The swing was public property. Why could they use it while his child could not? Qi Chao simmered with anger and tried to reason with the little brats.

But the three or four children refused to listen. They stubbornly believed Little Fatty had done nothing wrong and kept comforting him. Little Fatty, who had been crying so hard he could barely catch his breath, wiped his nose and immediately grew smug.

"You're not allowed to use it!" Little Fatty shouted at Lan Luo between hiccups. "My brothers all said so. It's ours! No one's on your side!"

As he spoke, Little Fatty smugly glanced at Lan Luo, then at the friends around him. The meaning was obvious: he had four people on his side, while Lan Luo had only one—and that one was even an adult.

Qi Chao laughed in anger.

So you're bullying my Little One because he doesn't have any brothers?

Fine, Dad would start making dolls as soon as he got home.

Then he'd show this little bastard whose brothers were tougher.

Chapter 11

Trying to reason with little brats was pointless.

Qi Chao was furious. The little doll was still buried against his shoulder, unwilling to raise his head. It was easy to imagine how wronged his Little One must have felt. Qi Chao clicked his tongue irritably, stood up with Lan Luo in his arms, grabbed the smug Little Fatty beside him, and prepared to find his guardian for an explanation.

This was great. Seeing the bad guy tuck Little Fatty under his arm and carry him off somewhere, the little brats immediately began yelling in a frenzy.

Their shrill voices nearly pierced his eardrums.

Qi Chao's expression did not change. Scream all they wanted. If they screamed themselves hoarse, all the better—it would bring their parents over and save him the trouble of looking for them.

Sure enough, the little brats' guardian arrived soon after.

It was Little Fatty's grandmother. She was dressed richly and had a kind, scholarly appearance. Once she learned that her grandson was at fault, guilt flickered in her eyes, but she still stiffened her neck and said, "What, your child looks eleven or twelve. Is he really that upset over one fall?"

"Look at them. The oldest of these children is only eight. Your child is so much older—shouldn't he know to give way?"

Qi Chao laughed in anger, his low voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're several decades older than me. Don't you know to give way to me?"

Besides, these children were eight.

His child was not even two. Who should be giving way to whom?

Qi Chao remembered that at the auction, the host had clearly said that although the little doll had passed through three owners, his actual age was only a year and a half.

The old woman's face reddened with anger, and she cursed Qi Chao for being shameless.

"My child was playing on the swing in the corner. Your child came over and yanked him straight to the ground, and now you're calling me shameless?" Qi Chao refused to yield an inch. His gaze was utterly arrogant, and he curled his lips with a roguish air. "Ma'am, you really are unreasonable."

As he spoke, Qi Chao noticed how stiff Lan Luo's slender back had become. He cursed inwardly. Sure enough, his Little One was scared.

Qi Chao reached out and patted the little doll's back. "Don't be afraid, Little One. Your dad has never lost an argument. Just wait—I'll definitely make them apologize to you." After thinking for a moment, he added, "I've never lost a fight either."

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed the little doll relax considerably. Qi Chao felt relieved and turned back to the battle.

After all, he had once fought shameless bloggers and all kinds of keyboard warriors for days and nights. Arguing with an old woman was naturally no challenge for Qi Chao. He even deliberately held back a little for the sake of her health.

What he did not know was that Lan Luo, whom he assumed was pitifully hiding against his shoulder, was currently narrowing his azure eyes and staring intently at his heart like a beast studying its prey.

What a strange person.

Lan Luo thought.

After falling from the swing, Lan Luo had been furious—so furious that he had nearly lost control of his emotions. He could only hide in Qi Chao's arms to conceal his killing intent. But after seeing Qi Chao's actions, those dark emotions gradually faded away.

Lan Luo watched the human's rising and falling chest, his expression growing darker. Now, he understood even less why Qi Chao was angry.

"What parent wouldn't feel sorry when their child got hurt? Is your child the only treasure in the world?" The man sneered. "Ma'am, in my eyes, my child is far more precious than yours."

He was more precious than human children?

Lan Luo's eyelashes trembled slightly.

That was wrong.

Even if his clothes concealed his ball joints, Lan Luo still was not a human child.

Dolls would never be more precious than human children.

Qi Chao was wrong.

Lan Luo thought so, yet his eyes brightened.

He replayed Qi Chao's words over and over in his mind, his heart filled with joy. His azure eyes curved into crescents.

A doll's body temperature was very low. He could feel faint coldness, but he would not fear the harsh chill of winter. Sitting on Qi Chao's arm and held in his embrace, Lan Luo discovered that human body heat was truly high, like a great furnace—warm and toasty.

His master was very good.

If Father came, Lan Luo thought happily, he could discuss it with Father and let his master live a few more days.

As six o'clock approached, more and more people gathered in the park, and naturally, more people came to watch the spectacle. Qi Chao was completely unfazed by the onlookers' pointing and whispering. The old woman, however, was ultimately thin-skinned. Since she truly had no ground to stand on, she finally dragged her grandson over to apologize to Lan Luo, and only then was the matter settled.