The kids looked at each other in disbelief. No one believed what Miaomiao said.
The chubby kid scratched his head. After hesitating for a long time, he swallowed back the words he wanted to say.
Forget it. It's normal for kids to have wild imaginations.
"Sure, we'll go with you. We can also memorize your address so we can ask you out to play later," Xiao Su said with a gentle smile as he stroked Miaomiao's soft hair.
The chubby kid grabbed his friend's sleeve and leaned in to whisper, "Hey, if we go with her and expose her lie in public, won't that be even worse?"
"As far as I know, Lin Yao doesn't have a good temper. We can't say anything about this, but her parents can. After we get to her home, we'll find a chance to remind her parents to prevent this little girl from getting into trouble in the future," Xiao Su adjusted his glasses and analyzed calmly.
"You're right," the chubby kid said.
The chubby kid seemed to have no opinion of his own. He was easily convinced by Xiao Su. He took Miaomiao's hand and said cheerfully, "Let's go. We're going to your home."
"Okay!"
Miaomiao happily led her new friends in the direction of her home.
Compared with Han Shuo, who got overly familiar with her out of the blue, Miaomiao preferred this kind of friendship she formed through communication.
The chubby kid and Xiao Su said goodbye to their fellow ball - players and followed Miaomiao out of the stadium.
When they reached the building, the two of them looked at each other in surprise.
This was really the building where Lin Yao lived.
It was rumored that Lin Yao liked peace and quiet. Even though the adults in the neighborhood knew where Lin Yao lived, they wouldn't visit him unless it was necessary.
By now, the chubby kid and Xiao Su were starting to believe Miaomiao. They followed the little girl into the elevator and watched as she reached up on tiptoe to press the button for the 11th floor. Their pupils dilated in shock.
"Y - you, are you really Lin Yao's kid?" the chubby kid blurted out first.
"Lin Yao? My daddy's name is Lin Yao, not Lin Yao the Big Shot," the little girl thought for a moment and retorted in a milky voice.
Fine, she was such a ditz.
The chubby kid's expression gradually turned into one of despair. He and Miaomiao were clearly not on the same wavelength. At this moment, only one thought was running through his mind.
Wow.
The elevator quickly reached the 11th floor. Miaomiao led her two stunned friends and knocked on the door of her home.
The door opened. Lin Yao, wearing his home clothes, opened the door and looked down at his little girl with tenderness in his eyes.
"Why are you back so early?"
"Daddy! Miaomiao just made two new friends. They said they wanted to come home and meet you!" the little girl explained concisely and held out her arms to be hugged.
Lin Yao shifted his gaze to the two stunned teenagers behind Miaomiao. He scrutinized them several times before putting away his wariness.
Good. He didn't recognize them. They probably weren't the people Miaomiao knew in her past life.
"Miaomiao is so amazing. You made new friends so quickly. Come on in," Lin Yao said.
The chubby kid and Xiao Su were stunned. The man they had only seen in magazines and heard about from others was now standing right in front of them.
They were incredibly in sync as they walked into the house side by side. They stood at the entrance, too nervous to move.
"Pfft. Relax. Come in and sit down," Lin Yao was amused by the two kids' reactions.
Right. This was how normal kids should react. Look at that Han Shuo. What a weirdo.
"Thank you, Uncle," the two kids said in unison.
Lin Yao's amiable attitude made the two kids feel flattered. They both bowed ninety degrees and mechanically walked over to the sofa and sat down.
"What are your names? Whose kids are you?" Lin Yao took out two bottles of water from the fridge and put them in front of the two kids, asking kindly.
"My name is Ling Xiaobao. My family owns Lingkong Electrical Appliances," the chubby kid said.
"My name is Xiao Su. My family owns Haima Electric," Xiao Su said.
Lin Yao double - checked his memory. In his past life, these two kids were three years older than Miaomiao, so they missed each other in kindergarten, junior high, and high school. They had never interacted.
This life, perhaps because he had picked up Miaomiao earlier, the butterfly effect had made the three of them friends.
"Okay, Uncle won't bother you. Go and play with Miaomiao. Make yourselves at home," Lin Yao knew that he had a fearsome reputation, so he tactfully left the living room and went back to his study to work, leaving the kids some space to have fun.
In his past life, the companies of the Xiao and Ling families had never had any bad press for over a decade. Their founders were also kind - hearted businessmen with good morals.
Kids raised in such families couldn't be bad. Lin Yao was extremely relieved that Miaomiao was playing with them.
Moreover, with new friends to distract her, given his daughter's short memory, she would forget about Han Shuo in no more than three days. Perfect!
He remembered that the Ling family would encounter a crisis in five years and almost go bankrupt due to being scammed. He'd have to check it out when he had time. He couldn't let anything bad happen to his daughter's playmate.
"Oh my god. It's so scary. You're really Lin Yao's daughter?" the chubby kid said, still in shock as he watched Lin Yao's retreating back.
"You've asked that three times already," Miaomiao rolled her eyes. This big brother was even dumber than her. He couldn't remember even after she'd said it so many times.
"Um, Miaomiao, how about we go out to play? It's kind of stuffy at home," Xiao Su, who usually acted mature and steady, was also a bit scared after seeing such a big shot.
"Really? Is it stuffy?" Miaomiao was a bit confused. She thought the air was quite fresh.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Xiao Su and the chubby kid nodded like chickens pecking at rice.
Seeing that her friends were so sure they felt uncomfortable, the considerate Miaomiao readily agreed.
"Okay then. Let's go out to play. But you need to wait a bit. I have to practice my kung - fu first."
Practice kung - fu?
A row of question marks popped up in the chubby kid and Xiao Su's minds. They nodded blankly.
For the next two hours, the two teenagers watched Miaomiao's martial arts performance. Their expressions changed from surprise to shock and finally to numbness. They didn't know whether to leave or stay.
Finally, when the little girl finished her routine, the two teenagers' eyes had turned into spirals.
"Okay, I'm done practicing. Let's go out and play!"
Miaomiao said and strode towards the door. The chubby kid and Xiao Su looked at each other for a few seconds, then got up and chased after her.
Finally, it was over. They had never stayed so quietly in one place for three hours. They were exhausted.
After they walked out of the building and breathed in the fresh air outside, the two kids visibly relaxed.
"Where shall we go to play?" Miaomiao turned around and asked, staring intently at them, waiting for an answer.
Xiao Su thought for a while. They couldn't go back to the stadium. If the big shot's daughter got hurt while with them, they'd be in big trouble.
"How about we go to the amusement park?" Xiao Su suggested tentatively.
"Sure," Miaomiao didn't know what an amusement park was. In her eyes, she was just being kind - hearted and having fun with her friends.