Now, Nancy had become a well-known talent worldwide that she was being sought by all the major pediatric hospitals in the country.
However, even then, she couldn't help but come back to her own country. Even with everything that had happened, this was still the place she'd call home.
"Nancy!" A familiar voice called out from the crowd.
"Doris, you came early!" She'd know that voice from anywhere. Nancy walked over and gave her best friend a hug. It had truly been so long since she'd last seen Doris He.
Doris He rolled her eyes. "Obviously. I'm your best friend. I left my job the moment you told me you were coming!"
Nancy pulled away. "Thank you!"
During the five years of her mother being ill and her not being in the best mental state, Doris He had always been there for her, listening to her rants and stories.
"You're my friend. Let's go." Holding on to Nancy's arm, Doris He walked towards her second-hand Volkswagen Beetle.
"Miss, could you please give me some money? I'm hungry."
As they were chatting about their lives, a little dirty hand grabbed the hem of Nancy's shirt, causing for her to stop.
She looked down to see a disheveled boy who was bringing up a hand to ask for a few coins.
A pang went through her heart. The kid must be around his age by now.
"Where are your parents?" Nancy crouched down to look at him.
The boy could only shake his head in reply.
"You're too kind, Nancy. Usually, parents ask their kids to beg for them these days. Haven't you heard? It's their new thing." Doris He snorted, shaking her head.
"I'm not! Stop it!" The little boy stomped his feet in frustration. There was anger evident in his eyes as he stared up at Doris He.
Nobody could say no to such a cute kid.
But Doris couldn't really care less.
"I don't have a mom or a dad, Auntie." He tugged Nancy's arm, eyes blinking rapidly like a doll. "Please, could you take me out to eat?"
"Fine." Nancy had always been good with kids.
"You always choose the kind ones, don't you?" Doris snorted, shaking her head. She was never the one to give these people a chance to explain themselves. After seeing all the trickery that some of them were up to, she put it up in herself to not trust them.
The little boy made a face at her in reply.
"It's just one meal, Doris." Nancy waved it off, holding the boy's hand affectionately. "What's your name?"
"My name's Bobby." He thought for a while. He usually didn't tell people his family name because a lot of newspapers were looking for him now.
"Bobby. That's a good name." Nancy ruffled the young boy's hair.
"Your name's Nancy?" he asked.
"How do you know?" Doris called out just before she could respond herself.
"You really are stupid. I just heard you called her by her name," Bobby stated.
"What... Listen boy, I'm Doris, the smartest person in this country, if not the world. Why don't you come here so I could kick your ass!" As she was speaking, Doris was raising her hand, making a motion as if she was about to hit him.
Bobby quickly hid behind Nancy, sticking his tongue out a
t Doris.
Just as they were playing around, the electronic screen on a mall flashed a notice. 'Mr. Bobby, a young master of the Fu Family, has been missing for twelve hours. Here is his photo. If you see him, please call the number below. In return, you will receive millions in cash.' It read.
"What's on the electronic screen?" Doris furrowed her eyebrows, about to turn around. However, Bobby shouted at her before she could see it.
"You must love stinky tofu, don't you? Huh?"
"What?" The electronic screen was already gone from her mind as Doris turned back at him, hands on her hips.
"Well, I heard that the fat people like eating stinky tofu, and you are fatter than good auntie, so I guess you must like to eat stinky tofu." Bobby kept on talking as he took another secret glance at the screen. The notice was already gone. Luckily, they didn't get to see it.
"You rascal! I'm fat because I'm... I... Well it's not because of stinky tofu!" Doris flushed red.
She had always been chubby on the sides, but that was because she'd eat anything given to her.
She also liked stinky tofu, but it wasn't as if she'd admit it to that child!
Nancy smiled, teasing, "Well, he's right about one thing. You loved stinky tofu for years!"
Doris crossed her arms, snorting. "You just met him and now you're already teaming up. You've always been fond of young boys, as if they're sons to you."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Nancy laughed, avoiding her gaze. This had always been a topic that she'd kept hidden for five years, so she never really spoke about it until Doris brought it up. She turned back to Bobby. "Tell me what you like to eat."
"Abalone... abalone porridge, Australian lobster... and..." Bobby had been fed with all these food in the past, so he hadn't really eaten anything other than that. Now that he thought about it, these food had always been his first choices.
However, before he could finish, Doris cut him off. "Boy, are you kidding? Abalone? Lobster? Do you think we're rich or something? Listen, you either have steamed breads or stuffed buns, and that's it!"
"Good aunt, don't worry. I'm a good boy. I'll take it." Bobby never thought of how hard it was to beg for money, and now that he'd finally met someone as good-hearted as Nancy, he didn't want to let her go.
Besides, he didn't understand the difference between stuffed buns and abalone. They were still food.
Even if he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he never really understood the prices of those meals.
"It's okay. I can take you to eat abalone porridge and Australian lobster. They are also my favorite," Nancy stated, smiling.
"Really?" His eyes gleamed. If only she was his mother.
The sky gradually darkened.
Although it was summer, in the Fu's household, the atmosphere was cold as ice.
In the brightly lit villa hall, Angelina Huang was pacing anxiously in the living room. "Charles, why won't you say anything?" she said, bringing her hands up to her face. "What happened to him? Do you think that he might have been abducted and sold by human traffickers?"