Chapter 11

The coffin shop was soon reached, and An Xiang led An Zimo inside.

After several years, the coffin shop looked even more run-down. An Zimo could not help doubting what he saw. Could this really be a place that sold beds?

An Xiang pushed open the door. Two paper effigies leaned crookedly against either side of the entrance. The interior was dim, and the idle owner sat in a rattan chair with a cigarette in his mouth, flipping through a newspaper.

"Customers can look around themselves. We have coffins and urns."

An Xiang looked around. "Boss, do you take custom orders? I want a children's model."

A children's model...

The owner looked up from the newspaper and stared at An Xiang's face for quite a while. Customers came and went from the coffin shop every day, but he remembered this face.

Then the owner noticed An Zimo beside her.

"Make a coffin according to his measurements." An Xiang showed the owner a picture she had saved beforehand. "I want this kind of cartoon pattern. It'll be very cute."

The owner: "..."

Was this girl serious?

"The price is negotiable, but please use the best materials." Children had delicate skin. She could save money on anything except a coffin.

The owner had seen his share of storms. Though he thought there was something wrong with An Xiang's head, only an idiot turned down money. As long as she could pay, forget Peppa Pig—he could even paint Dragon Ball on it.

After paying and leaving her address, An Xiang left the coffin shop feeling much lighter.

"The coffin will be ready in a few days." An Xiang patted the round back of An Zimo's head. "Momo, don't be in a hurry. You can sleep with Mommy whenever you want."

Who was in a hurry?

Who wanted to sleep with her?

Over the past two days, An Zimo's ability to accept things had grown stronger by the day. Although he still thought sleeping in a coffin was insane, he quickly accepted the reality.

It was only sleeping in a coffin. It was better than sleeping in a childish crib.

**

Their next destination was Star City Mall.

The children's clothing section was on the first floor. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, colorful children's clothes in all kinds of styles dazzled the eye.

Almost every girl had a dream of dressing someone up, and An Xiang was no exception.

Excitedly, she took An Zimo's hand and entered one of the stores, taking down little denim outfits, tiny pants, all kinds of jackets, and T-shirts from the racks.

"Momo, try these on." An Xiang held the clothes in her arms, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

An Zimo did not move.

His brows drew together slightly, and there was a faint hint of resistance in his eyes.

Obviously, he did not like them.

That look was like a basin of cold water poured over her head, instantly deflating An Xiang. Her lips pursed, and her voice fell. "If Momo doesn't want to try them on, then he doesn't have to."

She did not like forcing children to do things they disliked. Though disappointed, she did not make things difficult for him. Compared with an adult's happiness, her son's happiness mattered more.

"Hello, please pick out sizes that suit him, then wrap them all up." An Xiang also chose several pairs of shoes, piling the large and small bags together.

After she paid, the sales assistant said, "We provide free delivery service. If it's inconvenient for you, ma'am, we can ship everything directly to your residence."

"Sorry for the trouble."

It was getting late, and she had bought almost everything she needed. An Xiang planned to take An Zimo out for a meal before heading to the milk tea shop.

The mall was crowded with pedestrians, and the main entrance was right ahead.

When she looked down, all she could see was the swirl of hair on An Zimo's head. Without thinking, she knew the child's expression was cold at that moment.

"Does Momo really not want anything?" An Xiang stopped and pointed at the toys in the display window beside them. "Look at those. You can have anything you want."

An Zimo swept his gaze over them, then his eyes settled on one item.

A Mecha Warrior collaboration mecha, priced at 388.

The red-and-white mecha toy was sealed inside a plastic box, with the animated logo printed on it.

His eyes went blank as memories filled his mind.

[An Zimo, you actually dared to steal money!!!]

[You're already this old, why are you playing with toys!]

[I'll let you play!]

She raised her hand and used the toy to strike the top of his head again and again.

An Zimo withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and slowly pulled his hand from An Xiang's palm.

To him, there was nothing in this world that could make him like it.

Watching the small, thin figure walking alone ahead of her, An Xiang blinked and turned to look at the toy thoughtfully.

"Momo!"

An Xiang ran after him and called out to him. Bending down to meet those pitch-black, shadow-filled eyes, she said, "There's an ice cream shop over there. Mommy will buy you one. Can you eat it and wait for me?"

Afraid he would feel uneasy, An Xiang added, "I want to use the restroom."

An Zimo neither showed acceptance nor resistance.

She led An Zimo back, placed the ice cream she had bought into his hand, and finally settled him onto a rest bench.

An Xiang crouched down, her warm palm rubbing his soft hair. Her smile was gentle and faint. "Be good and wait for Mommy. Mommy will be right back. Remember, don't go with strangers."

An Zimo licked the ice cream and watched An Xiang's figure walk away before quickly looking elsewhere.

Idiot.

The restroom was not even in that direction.

She probably could not resist abandoning him after all.

The strawberry ice cream was far too sweet and cloying. He had never liked rich sweets, so he frowned, stood up, and threw it into the trash can ahead.

Just as he turned around, an old woman who had appeared from nowhere hunched over and crouched in front of him.

The old woman was plainly dressed and looked kind, but she wore a pained expression as she grabbed An Zimo. "Child, Grandma's stomach hurts. Can you help Grandma over there to sit down for a while?"

An Zimo shook off the old woman's hand with a dark expression and coldly said two words. "No."

His refusal could not have been more decisive. The old woman had probably never encountered a child like this, and she froze for a moment before immediately taking out a bag of candy from her pocket. "Good boy, do you want some? This candy is really tasty."

With both hands in his pockets, An Zimo remained unmoved.

He walked around the old woman and headed off by himself. Because of his height, he did not see the way clearly and rammed his forehead straight into a long leg.

A muffled grunt escaped An Zimo's throat. He raised his head and glared fiercely at the person he had bumped into.

"Child, don't go!"

The old woman was still relentlessly chasing after him from behind.

An Zimo was extremely irritated. He said to the person he had bumped into, "She's a human trafficker. If you have a phone, contact the police."

He had not wanted to bother with such a low-level scammer, but she had pestered him beyond his limit.

The old woman had not expected to be exposed so quickly. Her back no longer ached, her legs no longer hurt, and she bolted toward the entrance.

"Security—!"

"Catch that person, quickly!"

Hearing the shouts, the security guards patrolling nearby reacted swiftly and subdued her in one move.

An Zimo withdrew his gaze and returned to his original seat.

The two people from earlier had not left. They remained where they were, staring at him.

An Zimo looked up, his eyes meeting the lead man's head-on.

His gaze was like a wild beast's, forming a sharp contrast with the coolness in the man's eyes.

The assistant standing behind him reminded him, "President Pei, the meeting is about to begin. This child..." He carefully examined An Zimo several times and inexplicably felt that the boy resembled President Pei.

No, that could not be possible.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on the assistant's back. Their President Pei was abstinent and indifferent to desire. How could he possibly have such a grown son?

But there were many similar-looking people in the world. Besides, this child looked so rustic and lacked any air of nobility. It was probably just a coincidence.

Having figured it out, the assistant immediately felt relieved.

Pei Yizhou lowered his eyes and raised his wrist. Less than five minutes remained before the meeting began.

"You stay here." His voice was cool and light. "Find out where his parents are. If he got separated from his family, send him directly to the security office."

"Understood. I'll come over shortly." The assistant answered and walked straight up to An Zimo.

Pei Yizhou gave the ill-tempered child on the bench one last look. That guarded, wary expression inexplicably struck him as amusing. He withdrew his gaze and walked directly into the elevator beneath those watchful eyes.

A moment after Pei Yizhou left, An Xiang finally returned.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

An old-fashioned melodramatic story needs this kind of perfect near-miss plot. (doge)

Don't ask why the male lead didn't suspect anything. There really are lots of similar-looking people in this world. I once saw a girl who looked exactly like me, but I wouldn't suspect she was my long-lost sister!

With the male lead's personality, even if he thought the boy looked like him, he would not connect it to himself.

I specifically revised the author's note to explain it once.

**

Red envelopes for the first hundred comments. Today's Orange is a short one.