Even hybrid monsters have their day

She squatted there, subtly observing Lu Shuaishuai, wondering to herself, "Is my method really not working? Why can't I elicit even the slightest reaction from him after all this time..."

Geng Miaowan let out a long, almost inaudible sigh.

"Didn't your friend come either?"

Suddenly, a childish voice rang in her ears. Geng Miaowan was startled, somewhat unable to believe what she had heard. She gently turned her head to look at Lu Shuaishuai, only to find that he was still staring at the shadow, not moving an inch, as if the voice she had just heard was just her imagination.

"Didn't your friend come either?"

The voice rang out again, and this time Geng Miaowan was certain it was Lu Shuaishuai asking the question, because she saw his lips moving. She didn't know what she had done that had triggered his reaction; she only knew that her heart was pounding incredibly fast. She felt that even if a top male celebrity confessed his feelings to her, she wouldn't feel this nervous.

But she didn't know how to answer that question, or what the implications might be.

At that moment, she really wished she knew a little psychology, so she could at least know how to talk to him in a way that would spark his interest in communicating.

Geng Miaowan had finally gotten the chance to speak to him first, so she naturally didn't want to give up the opportunity. She thought about it and figured that continuing his line of dialogue couldn't be wrong.

She said with a regretful tone, "Yes, I've been waiting for several days, but he hasn't come..."

After asking the question, Lu Shuaishuai stopped talking and didn't show any other reaction on his face when he heard her answer.

Another ten minutes or so passed, and just when Geng Miaowan thought that what he had just said wasn't actually directed at her but rather a monologue, he spoke again, "The friend I'm waiting for hasn't arrived either..."

His tone sounded very forlorn.

Upon hearing this, Geng Miaowan felt a glimmer of hope and her heart leaped with joy. However, she tried her best to remain calm, not wanting to ruin the hard-won atmosphere. She turned on the recording function on her phone where he couldn't see her, thought for a moment, and said, "My friend's name is Chen Xiaoqiu. And your friend?"

Lu Shuaishuai paused for a moment, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes, and hesitated before saying, "My friend... is called Xiaoming..."

"Oh, so your friend's name is Xiaoming. My friend hasn't come yet. If your friend comes, could you introduce him to me?"

Geng Miaowan didn't know how to get useful information out of him, so she could only speak based on her intuition. Moreover, she felt that the key to Lu Shuaishuai's problem lay with 'Xiao Ming,' so it couldn't hurt to talk about Xiao Ming.

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Shuaishuai turned to look at her. This was the first time he had looked at her directly, directly into her eyes. A hint of surprise flashed across his face, and his eyes revealed a complex emotion that even she couldn't quite understand.

"You believe Xiaoming is my friend?" For so long, no one has ever believed Xiaoming is his friend. Everyone tells him there's no such person as Xiaoming and tells him to stop thinking about playing with him. The children in kindergarten laugh at him, saying he's just talking to himself and pretending to have friends when he doesn't.

He originally thought that if he told her his friend's name was Xiaoming, she would laugh at him or even warn him like those other people. But he didn't expect that she not only believed that Xiaoming was his friend, but also said that she wanted to be friends with Xiaoming.

"Of course I believe you," Geng Miaowan replied without hesitation.

"That's great." A faint smile appeared on Lu Shuaishuai's small, delicate face, as if he had been relieved. He said, "Xiaoming loves making friends. He'll be very happy if I tell him you want to be friends with him."

Geng Miaowan smiled too, "Really?"

"Yes!" Fearing she didn't believe him, he added, "Really."

But after a while, a slightly embarrassed expression appeared on his face, and he hesitated and said, "However... Xiaoming has never been here before, so we may not be able to be friends."

"That's such a pity..." she said regretfully, then asked casually, "Is he at school? Is that why he can't come here?"

“Xiaoming said this is the kindergarten he goes to, so I’ve been waiting for him here.” Lu Shuaishuai’s tone became dejected again. “But they all told me that Xiaoming isn’t here, and the teacher also said that Xiaoming isn’t here.”

Looking at the indignant expression on his little face, Geng Miaowan wondered what she should say next, but he suddenly became agitated, "Why doesn't Xiaoming come to kindergarten? If he came, I could tell them that Xiaoming really exists!"

At that moment, he seemed like just a child who needed others' approval.

She patted his back to calm him down. He was startled for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

Geng Miaowan asked softly, "Has Xiaoming told you why he doesn't come to kindergarten?" Seeing a hint of wariness in his eyes, she added, "Tell me, and I can help you think of a solution. Maybe Xiaoming will be able to come to kindergarten in the future."

Lu Shuaishuai fell silent, seemingly considering her words. Finally, unable to resist the temptation of Xiaoming being able to come to kindergarten, he leaned close to Geng Miaowan's ear and whispered, "Xiaoming said he's afraid of the sun."

"Huh?" Geng Miaowan's surprise made Lu Shuaishuai shrink back, looking at her timidly, afraid that she would deny such a strange reason in the next second, or even deny the existence of Xiaoming.

Geng Miaowan noticed his unintentional action, quickly suppressed her surprise, and gave him a gentle smile. She looked at the umbrella in his hand and finally understood why he squatted here with his back to the sun every day. "So you hold this umbrella here every day just to wait for Xiaoming to come?"

Seeing that she didn't refute him and there wasn't even a hint of disbelief in her eyes, Lu Shuaishuai finally felt more at ease. He nodded and said, "Yes, I shielded him from the sun so he wouldn't be afraid."

So that's how it is!

Geng Miaowan felt a sudden sense of clarity. She gently patted his head, her expression warm and gentle, her eyes as soft as the luster of fine black jade under the sunlight. This feeling of being misunderstood must have been incredibly painful for him at such a young age. "Then let's wait here a little longer. If Xiaoming doesn't come, we'll go play with some other children, okay?"

"Will Xiaoming be angry with me if he comes?" A naive glint appeared in his doe-like eyes. Xiaoming was his good friend, and he didn't want him to be angry. (To be continued.)