The sharp sound of three slaps cut through the quiet evening air, startling the stillness.
"Ugh.. Sniff... Sniff!"
The little girl stood there, her tiny frame trembling as tears streamed down her flushed cheeks.
She furiously scratched her delicate arms, now covered in large, angry red spots. The mosquitoes had mercilessly feasted on her, leaving her itchy and in distress.
Mo Fan crouched down, gently holding her tiny hands to stop her from scratching further. "Hey, don't do that. You'll make it worse!" he said, his voice laced with concern.
The little girl looked up at him with teary, glassy eyes, her lips quivering as she fought to hold back sobs. But the frustration was too much to bear, and her resolve crumbled.
"I can't believe you didn't wake us up!" Mo Fan snapped, his exasperated gaze shooting toward Qin Yu'er.
"W-what?!" Qin Yu'er stammered, clearly flustered as she scrambled to her feet. "Don't blame me! I didn't mean for this to happen!"
"How could you fall asleep?!" Mo Fan shot back, his tone more accusing now.
"I-I just closed my eyes for a second!" Qin Yu'er retorted, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"Yeah, right," Mo Fan muttered under his breath, turning his attention back to the little girl.
"Sniff... Uuugh.... Sniff...Hic....."
Despite his efforts to soothe her, the girl's frustration spilled over, and a tiny wail escaped her lips. Before long, it turned into full-blown crying. Her small body shook with every sob, and her hands reached out for Mo Fan desperately to carry her.
"Ahh, no, no, don't cry! It's okay, it's okay!" Mo Fan panicked, cradling her in his arms and gently patting her back. He rocked her side to side, whispering soft reassurances, but her sobs only grew louder.
Qin Yu'er crouched beside them, her expression softening. She felt a pang of guilt as she reached out to stroke the girl's hair. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's my fault... Please don't cry..."
But the little girl turned her face away from Qin Yu'er with a pout, snuggling deeper into Mo Fan's chest. Qin Yu'er's guilt deepened, and she looked at Mo Fan to help her.
Sigh...
Mo Fan sighed, shaking his head. "Great. Now she's mad at you too."
"I'm... I'm trying, okay?!" Qin Yu'er huffed, though her voice softened when she looked back at the girl.
Working together, Mo Fan and Qin Yu'er finally managed to calm the little girl down after what felt like an eternity. Her sobs slowed, replaced by soft sniffles and the occasional hiccup.
Mo Fan looked down at her red, tear-streaked face and sighed, his heart aching at the sight.
"Alright, alright, enough tears now," he muttered gently. "Yu'er Jie-jie, take her and head home. I'll grab something for these mosquito bites."
But when he tried to pass the little girl to Qin Yu'er, she clung tightly to his shirt with her tiny fists, burying her tear-streaked face into his chest.
"Nooo! No, go!" the little girl cried out in her baby tongue, her voice muffled. "No want! Bad pleety lady!"
Qin Yu'er froze, her expression faltering. The sting of the little girl's words pierced her deeply.
She had worked so hard to bond with her, to earn her trust, and now it felt like everything had crumbled in an instant.
Seeing Qin Yu'er's crestfallen expression, Mo Fan frowned. Patting the little girl's back. "Hey now, that's not fair," he said softly, his tone firm yet kind. "Yu'er Jie-jie didn't do anything bad, did she?"
"Mmhm! She... make mossiess bite me!" the little girl declared stubbornly, her words broken but resolute.
Mo Fan chuckled despite himself. "Oh really? You think she told the mosquitoes to bite you? Like, 'Hey, little mosquitoes, go bother this tiny troublemaker?'" he teased.
The little girl hesitated, peeking out from his chest to look at him with big, watery eyes. "...She no.. stwop dem..."
"Because she didn't see them, silly!" Mo Fan replied, tapping her nose lightly. "Mosquitoes are tiny sneaky bad guys. Even I didn't see them! Do you think I let them bite you on purpose?"
The little girl blinked, her pout softening slightly. "...No?"
"Exactly. And Yu'er Jie-jie was helping me keep you safe too," Mo Fan explained patiently.
Qin Yu'er crouched down, her voice soft as she reached out to the little girl. "I'm really sorry, sweetheart," she said gently. "I didn't mean for the mosquitoes to bother you. Can you forgive me?"
The little girl sniffled again, glancing between Mo Fan and Qin Yu'er. "...You pwomie... no mossiess more?"
"I promise," Qin Yu'er said with a small, hopeful smile. "Next time, I'll make sure those bugs stay far, far away. Deal?"
The little girl tilted her head, her tiny hands clutching Mo Fan's shirt. "...Deel!" she mumbled reluctantly, then slowly reached out to Qin Yu'er with one hand.
Qin Yu'er's heart swelled as she gently took the little girl's hand in hers. "Thank you, sweetie," she whispered, her smile growing as the little girl's grip softened.
Mo Fan smirked. "See? No need to be stubborn, hmm?"
The little girl frowned lightly but leaned into Qin Yu'er's arms this time. "...no like mossiess!"
"Don't worry, neither do I," Qin Yu'er said, holding her close.
She met Mo Fan's gaze and smiled, her earlier sadness replaced with warmth.
Ba-thump!
Mo Fan's heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of Qin Yu'er's radiant smile.
For a moment, he found himself staring, the world around him fading into a blur.
_No, no!_ But he quickly shook his head, snapping himself out of it.
_What am I even thinking?_
...
Later that evening, after stopping by a pharmacy, Mo Fan gently applied cream to the little girl's mosquito bites. "See? This will make it all better," he said softly as she flinched a little.
"It tickowws!" the little girl giggled, squirming in his lap.
"Stay still, you little troublemaker," Mo Fan grinned, holding her steady.
Qin Yu'er watched them. "She's tougher than you are, Mo Fan. I didn't hear her complain about the bites as much as you did when you got stung by that bee last month."
"Hey! That was different!" Mo Fan protested, glaring at her playfully. "That bee had it out for me. It was practically a declaration of war."
The little girl giggled even more. "Bee... went bzzzz!" she mimicked, waving her tiny fingers in the air.
"And it went bzzzz right into my arm," Mo Fan grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I'm telling you, it was a setup."
"Sure, sure," Qin Yu'er teased, shaking her head. "The bee probably had a vendetta against you."
"Finally, someone gets it!" Mo Fan replied dramatically, earning an eye roll from Qin Yu'er and a delighted laugh from the little girl.
Once the cream was applied and the little girl's giggles had settled, they decided to grab dinner at a nearby pizzeria.
...
At the restaurant, the little girl sat between them, her tiny legs swinging beneath the table as she happily munched on a slice of meat lovers pizza almost as big as her face. "Cheee~zyyy!" she exclaimed with wide eyes, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
"Slow down, you're going to choke," Qin Yu'er said, handing her a small glass of water.
Mo Fan smirked. "Hmm... she eats like you, Yu'er Jie-jie. Maybe you're rubbing off on her."
Qin Yu'er raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I eat like a civilized person, thank you very much."
Mo Fan leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "Oh really? What about that time with the hotpot? You were fighting the broth like it owed you money."
"That was because someone kept stealing all the meat," Qin Yu'er shot back, narrowing her eyes.
The little girl looked between them, her head tilting in confusion. "No fiht... Peeza, happy!" she declared, holding up her slice as if it were a peace offering.
Both adults paused, exchanging a look before bursting into laughter. "You're right," Mo Fan said, ruffling her light brown hair. "No fighting. Pizza is for happiness."
"Pwomie?" she asked, looking at them with her big, innocent golden eyes.
"Promise," Qin Yu'er said with a warm smile.
"Promise," Mo Fan echoed, raising his slice in salute.
The three of them laughed and enjoyed their meal.