"Ring, ring, ring..."
The bubble tea shop's door swung open, and a woman who looked about forty hurried inside anxiously. She spotted little Xu Xinmeng at once, then rushed over and hugged her.
"Mengmeng! Your auntie finally found you! I'm sorry. I'll definitely come earlier next time!" Looking deeply guilty, the woman held Xu Xinmeng, who had been playing with Noibat, tightly in her arms and kept rubbing her cheek against hers, pushing up the little girl's chubby cheeks.
"Hello," Cheng Tian greeted her politely. "You're her guardian, right?"
"Ah! Hello, hello!" the woman hastily replied. "I'm the person who spoke to you on the phone just now, Mengmeng's aunt. I'm so sorry for the trouble Mengmeng caused you!"
"No, no, not at all." Cheng Tian smiled and waved a hand. "She and Noibat had a lot of fun playing together."
"All right, Mengmeng, it's time to go home." The woman took Xu Xinmeng's little hand. "Say goodbye to your big brother."
But Xu Xinmeng clung tightly to Noibat, refusing to let go no matter what, her big eyes blinking.
This was putting Noibat through the wringer. It could barely breathe!
"All right, Mengmeng," the woman crouched down and coaxed her patiently. "We can't keep troubling other people. I'll bring you to play with the Pokémon again tomorrow. Let's go home for today, okay?"
But Xu Xinmeng's eyes held only reluctance, and she did not loosen her grip.
"Uh..." Cheng Tian asked with some curiosity, "Um, could I ask what's going on?"
"Sigh." The woman stood up, looking rather troubled, and apologized to him.
"I'm sorry for the trouble."
"The truth is, this child has had some autism since birth. She usually doesn't like playing with other children or talking. She only seems happier when she's playing with Pokémon. The