In the sweltering summer of 1985, the sparrows were so hot they had nowhere to rest, huddling together and chattering nonstop.
“That couple argued every day, and this time they finally separated.”
“Wanwan is so pitiful, no one in her family likes her.”
“I heard Tong Qianqian talking in her sleep yesterday, saying she wanted to exchange fates with her.”
“I heard it too! Tong Qianqian wants Wanwan to be her scapegoat. It’s absolutely outrageous!”
Suddenly, a tiny hand reached out from the windowsill, and a cute little girl climbed onto the window.
She wore a red floral jacket, her big glassy eyes blinking. Her chubby little face looked like a plump white steamed bun—so adorable that anyone would want to take a bite.
“What are you talking about?” the little girl asked in a sweet, innocent voice full of curiosity.
The sparrows on the eaves chirped for a while, then fluttered away as the door opened.
“Wanwan.”
The one who entered was her fourth sister, Tong Qianqian. She looked at the little girl leaning on the windowsill, her eyes dark and gloomy.
“Your father and brothers don’t like you, so you’re going to Hong Kong with your mother.”
Tong Wanwan clenched her small fists, puffed out her cheeks angrily, put her hands on her hips, and snorted.
“Sister is a bad girl!”
“What did you say? Say it again?” Tong Qianqian’s face turned pale, then flushed.
She thought to herself that Tong Wanwan was only three and a half years old—there was no way she could have discovered her secret.
That’s right, Tong Qianqian was reborn.
In her previous life, she went to Hong Kong with her divorced mother to pursue a better life. Even though she tried her best to please the elders and her six brothers, she was still disliked. Until one day, while trying to curry favor, she offended someone and was thrown into the sea in her sleep.
A shark devoured her body, and she died full of resentment.
In contrast, in that life, Tong Wanwan became the little princess after their father’s business expanded, and her biological brothers all achieved success.
If she didn’t go to Haicheng, then everything Tong Wanwan enjoyed would become hers!
“If you don’t go, believe it or not, I’ll beat you!” Tong Qianqian raised her hand to strike Xiao Wanwan.
Suddenly, several swallows flew in through the window and pecked at Tong Qianqian’s head.
She flailed her arms and retreated, but accidentally tripped over a table leg and fell flat on her face.
The commotion quickly alerted the people outside. The door opened, and their mother, Zhang Nan, scolded sternly, “What are you two doing?”
“Mom! Wanwan wanted to go to Hong Kong with you, but I wouldn’t let her. She threw stones at me and broke my head, boohoo.” Tong Qianqian covered her head and stood up from the ground.
Seeing the red, bloody wound on her face, Zhang Nan believed her.
“Wanwan, how could you hit your sister?”
Little Wanwan was too young to defend herself after being wronged. She could only pout her lips so high it looked like they could hold an oil lamp.
“Wanwan didn’t… sister is naughty.”
“Mom…” Tong Qianqian seized the chance to grab her mother’s hand and cried, “I don’t want to be separated from Dad and my brothers. Since Wanwan wants to go to Hong Kong with you, please take her.”
Zhang Nan frowned slightly. She didn’t like this youngest daughter either—nor did she like any of her ex-husband’s children.
But the people in Hong Kong insisted she bring a girl back with her…
Zhang Nan sighed, walked over, and picked Wanwan up.
…
Little Wanwan boarded the ferry to the port city with her mother. As the ship’s long whistle sounded, it sailed away from the harbor. Seagulls swooped low over the river, brushing past her tiny hand.
“Hee-hee!” Wanwan laughed happily, her rosy lips revealing neat little teeth, her bright eyes full of innocent joy.
Looking at her carefree expression, Zhang Nan suddenly felt that bringing her along might not be a bad idea.
At that moment, the captain announced over the loudspeaker for all passengers to return to their cabins.
Zhang Nan frowned impatiently and led Wanwan back to the VIP cabin.
As the hatches closed, a blond, blue-eyed Western man appeared in the public area with the captain.
His interpreter, a woman, announced through a megaphone, “Our VIP has just lost a pair of priceless parrots. Any passenger who helps find them will be richly rewarded!”
The sudden incident caused an uproar.
“A parrot worth a fortune? Isn’t that exaggerated?”
“Exactly! If it flies away, how are you supposed to find it?”
The Western man looked at the murmuring crowd and asked the translator beside him.
After hearing the translation, he frowned and ordered the captain, “The ship will not move until my parrots are found!”
When the captain relayed the message, it immediately caused strong protests.
But despite the noise, the cruise ship still stopped. Clearly, the captain was cooperating with the Western man, forcing everyone to search.
Zhang Nan grew even more anxious. When she looked down, she realized her daughter, who had been beside her, was gone.
“Wanwan!”
She had no idea when the child disappeared. Even if she didn’t like her, Wanwan was still her own flesh and blood. She rushed through the crowd like a headless fly.
“Has anyone seen my child?” she asked desperately.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wanwan squeezed through the crowd and ran to the center of the cabin on her short legs. On her arms and head perched a rare parrot with bright, colorful feathers.
“Handsome uncle, here you go!”
The Western man’s eyes lit up when he saw his parrots.
He personally took them, checked that they were unharmed, and handed them to his subordinates to place in a birdcage.
Then he crouched down and gently patted the little girl’s head.
“Little girl, why are you alone? Where are your parents?” the captain asked.
Wanwan raised her hand and pointed to where Zhang Nan had been. “Mom is over there.”
“There are so many people. Which one is your mother?” the captain asked again.
Wanwan turned her head, only to find that her mother was no longer there.
She blinked in confusion and touched the tuft of hair on her head. “Mommy is lost.”
The captain: “……”
After learning Wanwan had been separated from her mother, the Western man immediately asked the captain to help search for her. At the same time, he carried the three-year-old girl to the cruise ship’s luxury restaurant.
When Wanwan saw the table full of delicious food she had never seen before, she exclaimed excitedly, “Wow!”
“Delicious? Good?” the Western man asked in broken Chinese.
As Wanwan ate the shrimp peeled by the waiter, she paused, then smiled sweetly.
“So tasty and soft, very yummy!” With her mouth stuffed full, her words came out unclear.
“Good, good?” the Western man repeated.
He then raised his hand, signaling his subordinate to inform the captain to continue searching for her mother.
By now, half an hour had passed since Wanwan went missing.
Zhang Nan had searched almost the entire cabin but still couldn’t find her.
Just as she was about to collapse in despair, an announcement came over the loudspeaker:
“Which passenger is the mother of ‘Guanguan’? Please come to the restaurant to pick up your child.”