“How is it?”
Meeting Aurora Rivers’s bright, intelligent gaze, Winston Wyatt nodded again and again to show his approval of the milk tea.
Suddenly, two plump, chewy crystal boba slipped into his mouth.
Gripping the milk tea cup with his large hand, he stared intently at it, a strange light unconsciously glinting in his eyes.
Aurora Rivers chuckled.
“Yours has toppings in it.”
Winston Wyatt chewed and chewed, swallowing the crystal boba, and replied earnestly, “It’s good to eat, and it’s good to drink.” ‘He wanted to experience everything his teacher liked, over and over again.’
The figures of a family of three suddenly entered his line of sight, and Winston Wyatt’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to them.
A father and a mother flanked a six-year-old boy.
The three of them held hands, their faces beaming with happiness.
The little boy’s eyes lit up when he saw someone selling tanghulu by the side of the street.
“Mommy, Daddy, I want to eat tanghulu!
Can you buy me one?”
The boy’s father immediately responded with an indulgent smile.
“Of course.”
At the same time, the boy’s mother pointed out the downside.
“Sweetie, eating tanghulu can give you an upset stomach.
And it’s especially easy to get cavities.”
Hearing his wife say that, the boy’s father instantly retracted his “Of course” and chimed in with righteous agreement.
“No, you can’t.”
“Aww…” The little boy’s brow furrowed, and his cheeks puffed out in extreme disappointment.
The boy’s mother ruffled his hair.
“But, you know, it’s okay for a little one to have it every once in a while.”
At these words, the little boy was instantly re-energized, and he jumped up in excitement.
“Mommy, can I have tanghulu now?
Thank you, Mommy!
I love you so much, Mommy!” As he spoke, he planted a big kiss on his mother’s cheek.
Seeing this, the boy’s father quickly vied for attention.
“You only love Mommy and not Daddy?”
The little boy spread the love evenly and gave him a kiss too.
“I love Daddy too, but I love Mommy the most.” The little boy shot his mother a fawning smile, because he knew that in this house, his mom was the one in charge and had the final say.
“Hey, you little stinker,” the boy’s father said with a laugh, though in his heart, he completely agreed with his son.
He started walking toward the tanghulu stand, asking over his shoulder, “What flavor do you want?”
The little boy trotted happily after him, skipping and running.
“I want the green grape one!”
This kind of warmth and affection from a loving family of three was something Winston Wyatt had never experienced.
Never mind kissing his parents—even a hug had been a luxury.
He stared darkly at the little boy, stung by the other’s happiness.
A feeling of jealousy mixed with wistful envy rose in his heart.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because the little boy noticed him.
The big one and the little one—their gazes met.
The little boy tilted his head, innocently licking the tanghulu in his hand.
Winston Wyatt narrowed his eyes dangerously, put the straw in his mouth, and drank his milk tea.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
It was as if the two were suddenly competing.
Winston Wyatt began to inhale his drink like a storm.
GULP, GULP, GULP.
His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed continuously, and he finished the entire cup of milk tea in a few short moments.
The little boy stared, dumbfounded, the half-chewed grape nearly falling out of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Winston Wyatt looked rather smug about his “victory.”
‘What’s so great about tanghulu from your parents?
I have milk tea from my teacher.’
‘Besides, in his heart, his teacher had long since become his mother…’
“Want some tanghulu?
How about strawberry?” Aurora Rivers asked.
She had noticed the colorful fruit tanghulu over there a while ago.
Winston Wyatt nodded.
“Okay.” He glanced at the little boy, the corner of his lip twitching into a slight smile this time.
‘Now I have milk tea *and* tanghulu.’
The little boy gazed at the big, red, heart-shaped strawberries.
When he looked back down at the tanghulu in his own hand, it suddenly didn’t seem so sweet anymore.
Aurora Rivers picked up two skewers of strawberry tanghulu and scanned the QR code with her phone, her attention focused on the payment.
Suddenly, the tanghulu in her left hand was violently snatched away.
Aurora Rivers was stunned for a moment.
‘This isn’t the apocalypse.
Are people really out here snatching tanghulu?’
Another hand swiped at her, this time aiming for the milk tea she was holding.
Realizing she was being targeted, Aurora Rivers took a few steps back to create some distance and get a clear look at the person.
It was a woman covered in large, elaborate tattoos.
Her style was alternative, and her makeup was incredibly dramatic and over-the-top.
She was glaring viciously at Aurora, her posture aggressive and domineering.
She charged forward like a madwoman.
Her hair was rainbow-colored, and as she lunged, her menacing appearance was terrifyingly similar to a giant, seven-colored mother cockroach that had gained sentience.
Fortunately, having survived the apocalypse, Aurora Rivers had seen all kinds of monsters, so she remained perfectly calm.
She dodged a few of the woman’s attacks, but seeing that her assailant wouldn’t give up, she simply took the lid off her cup and swiftly splashed the milk tea in the woman’s face.
The milk tea was iced.
Seeing herself in such a mess, with sticky liquid dripping down her clothes, Victoria completely broke down.
She stomped her foot.
“Ah!
You bitch!
How dare you splash me!” She frantically wiped at her face, her eyes blazing with fury.
The heavy smoky makeup on her face began to dissolve.
Her full-rim black eyeliner streamed down her cheeks in two inky trails.
One of her false eyelashes was askew, while another had fallen off completely and was stuck clammily to her skin.
“Your goal was to ruin this cup of milk tea, wasn’t it?
I was just helping you out.” Aurora Rivers accurately tossed the empty cup into a trash can several yards away.
“You—!” Provoked, Victoria Sutton was about to lunge at Aurora Rivers again, but she was stopped by Kian Blackwood, who had just rushed over.
Seeing Kian Blackwood, Victoria Sutton looked as if she’d found her savior.
“Mr.
Kian, this evil woman bullied me!
Look what she did to me!
You have to teach her a lesson for me!”
“Who are you going to teach a lesson?” Winston Wyatt stepped out from behind Aurora Rivers.
Though it was broad daylight, his presence seemed unusually dark and profound, like a terrifying beast that had crawled out of hell.
His eyes were icy and sinister, enough to make one’s blood run cold.
Victoria Sutton flinched but still stuck her neck out stubbornly.
“Whoever is acting like a homewrecking substitute and stealing other people’s men, that’s who!”
“Victoria Sutton, who are you calling a homewrecker?
Who are you calling a substitute?” Winston Wyatt’s expression grew even more grim and terrifying.
Seeing that these people knew Winston Wyatt, Aurora Rivers began to pay more attention.
Sensing the oppressive atmosphere, as if dark clouds were gathering to crush the city, Kian Blackwood immediately spoke up to defuse the tension.
“Lord Wyatt, there must be some misunderstanding here.
Victoria, stop messing around.” He turned his head, trying to stop Victoria Sutton’s provocations.
Victoria Sutton was displeased that Kian Blackwood wasn’t taking her side.
She had always been spoiled and arrogant, used to being the one who dominated others.
Although she was a little afraid of Winston Wyatt, she steeled herself and spoke defiantly.
“Was I wrong?
Isn’t this woman the substitute you found?
Is it just a coincidence that she bears a slight resemblance to Isla?”