Lin Ze called out while vigilantly looking around.
It was his first time at this park, and he had no idea if setting up a stall was even allowed!
Suddenly, he spotted them.
Not far away, hidden among the bushes.
A young couple was glued together like Siamese twins.
Their lips seemed stuck together with super glue, impossible to pry apart.
At the sight, Lin Ze couldn't help curling his lip.
He shook his head and sighed, "My word, in broad daylight!"
"These kids these days, they really care less and less about the occasion!"
He moved to another secluded corner.
Lin Ze took off his mascot head and hurriedly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He pulled out a few animal balloons and got ready to inflate them.
Just as he was busy blowing them up.
"Mister~"
A milky voice suddenly sounded right beside his trouser leg.
He looked down.
A little dumpling of a girl dressed in a pink sequined puffy dress was tilting her head up to look at him.
Her skin was as white as snow, her large eyes clear and bright, and her thick, long eyelashes fluttered.
The little rabbit hairpin tucked into her hair swayed gently with her movements.
She looked up at Lin Ze, two flushes of red blooming on her fair cheeks.
"You're so handsome."
Lin Ze was a little flattered by the compliment.
He tossed his sweat-soaked bangs aside.
And said with a smug smile, "I didn't expect someone as young as you to have such a sharp eye, little one!"
The little girl tilted her head, her face full of confusion:
"Mister, is 'sharp' a bad word?"
Lin Ze squatted down to be at eye level with her. "It means you have great taste! You're really good at judging people!"
"Well, of course!" The little girl's eyes sparkled.
She lifted her little chin proudly. "I think my taste is super awesome, too!"
Lin Ze looked at her cocky little expression.
And couldn't help laughing.
Whose kid was this? She was quite cute.
……………………………
Lin Ze squatted down, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his chin.
His gaze sized up the exquisitely carved little doll in front of him with growing interest:
"Little one, where are your grown-ups?"
"Why are you wandering around here all by yourself?"
The little girl lifted her round little face.
Acting like a miniature adult, she said solemnly, "Mommy got lost. She plays too much."
With that deadpan delivery.
She made it sound completely true.
Her blatant reversal of blame left Lin Ze amused and speechless.
He leaned forward again to ask, "Do you know where you lost Mommy?"
"Mister."
The little girl blinked her big eyes.
Her tone dripping with helplessness.
This handsome mister didn't seem very bright.
"If I knew, would Mommy still be lost?"
Seeing this child acting like a little adult, Lin Ze couldn't help teasing her:
"Could it be that your mom threw you away?"
The little girl stomped her foot indignantly: "Mister, don't you know the law! Abandoning kids is illegal. You'll go to prison!"
Lin Ze was left completely speechless.
He stared at the tiny tot radiating an aura of absolute authority.
And half-imagined this little girl ruthlessly crushing people in a boardroom ten years from now.
Noticing that the little girl showed not the slightest trace of anxiety.
Lin Ze asked, "Do you need me to help you call the police?"
"No need to trouble you, Mister!"
"There's a security camera right over there by that pillar. My mommy will be here to find me soon."
……………………………
The little girl suddenly stretched out her chubby little hand.
Trying her best to reach Lin Ze's shoulder.
Alas, the height difference was simply too great.
So she had to settle for gently patting Lin Ze's knee: "Mister, can you stay with me until my mom gets here?"
"Sure."
Even though there were security cameras around.
Leaving a child all by herself.
Still didn't sit entirely right with him.
"Don't worry, I'll pay you the going market rate!"
This domineering CEO-style declaration.
Left Lin Ze amused:
"Kiddo, I'm expensive."
The little girl's round eyes widened instantly.
Her small face tightened up.
"Are you saying you earn more than my mommy?"
"Definitely!"
The little girl swallowed nervously: "How much?"
……………………
Lin Ze calculated inwardly.
Foot traffic in the park was heavy today.
His WeChat payments alone came to two hundred and twenty.
Add in Alipay and cash.
Minus costs, he'd net at least three to four hundred.
If every day was like this.
Plus his other side hustles.
And his fixed salary from his regular job.
Making twenty thousand a month wasn't a dream!
Of course, that assumed every day was a great day like today.
If he ran into wind and rain...
Heh, that number would take a massive hit.
Lin Ze raised an eyebrow at the little girl: "So, how much are you planning to pay me?"
To his surprise, the little girl suddenly crossed her arms, looking like an experienced HR manager.
And bounced the question right back at him: "Then you should introduce yourself first."
"Let's see your resume, and tell me what services you can provide."
Lin Ze froze on the spot.
This textbook interviewer tone.
Gave him the bizarre illusion.
That he wasn't coaxing a child, but rather sitting through a corporate job interview.
He looked closely at the little person in front of him again.
Those expressive brows, that proud demeanor...
There was a strange, lingering sense of familiarity.
…………………………
Forget it!
He couldn't figure it out, so he wasn't going to think about it!
Seeing that Lin Ze remained silent,
a flash of confusion crossed the little girl's eyes: "Mister, aren't you going to name your price?"
Playing a prank, Lin Ze held up two fingers.
He only meant to tease the kid and had no intention of actually taking any money.
"Two thousand?" the little girl probed tentatively.
Seeing Lin Ze's eyes widen,
she quickly corrected herself, "Twenty thousand?"
Lin Ze's expression gradually distorted.
Before he could even react, the little girl timidly upped the ante: "Two hundred thousand?"
Looking at the aggrieved, pitiful expression on the child's face.
Lin Ze: "!!!"
Lin Ze's defenses shattered.
Were children's allowances this wild nowadays?
It turned out this kid actually had two hundred thousand to throw around.
He suddenly understood those kidnapping cases in the news—
The world of the wealthy.
Was truly unimaginably extravagant!
This wasn't a child; she was a walking ATM!
If not for his strict grip on reason and morality.
He might have blurted out, "Come away with me, then."
He waved his hand weakly: "Never mind, keep your money. I'll be leaving as soon as your mom gets here."
"Mommy!" The little girl suddenly leaped down the steps.
And waved frantically toward the distance,
"Mister, that's my mommy! She'll pay you in a minute."
Lin Ze looked in the direction she was pointing.
And saw a woman in a white dress walking leisurely toward them.
With a slender figure and an air of effortless elegance about her.
All the surrounding passersby instantly faded into the background.
As the distance closed.
Lin Ze's heart suddenly hammered wildly in his chest.
Those eyes, that bridge of the nose, that touch of red lips...
Every single detail matched his memories to absolute perfection.
The instant he clearly saw the newcomer's face, Lin Ze felt as though he'd been struck by lightning!
………………………
Panicking, he snatched up the mascot head and shoved it over his own, his voice entirely warped: "That's your mom?!"
"Morphed" in shock, he stammered.
"That's right."
The little girl blinked her grape-like eyes and nodded proudly.
"Your mom's name is Su Qingqing?!"
Lin Ze's fingers clawed desperately at the rim of the head, his voice sharpening to an unnatural shriek.
"Mister knows my mommy?" The little girl blinked her innocent, wide eyes. "My mommy is super amazing!"
…………………………