Chapter 170: Meeting

“Kazumi, your brother is looking for you outside,” Takeshima Shinobu said to the girl who was placing a stack of new books on the shelf.

“Thanks.” Kazumi quickly finished arranging the books and followed her friend out.

In the customer lounge of the bookstore, she indeed saw Lei Yin sitting leisurely in a chair, watching her approach.

What surprised her, however, was that there was a little girl sitting on his lap, chatting happily with a smile. She was a pretty little girl Kazumi had never seen before.

“Brother, who is this little girl?” Kazumi asked as she approached, giving Amy an odd look.

“She’s my daughter,” Lei Yin said seriously.

“What?” Takeshima Shinobu gasped in surprise.

Kazumi, feeling a bit powerless, said, “Really? So, I’m already an aunt. Mom must be delighted to have such a cute granddaughter. But seriously, have you ever met an 8 or 9-year-old boy who can have a child?” The last part was directed at Takeshima Shinobu.

Hearing her friend’s words, Takeshima Shinobu quickly realized that this little girl looked around eleven or twelve years old. Even if Kazumi’s brother was very mature, it would be impossible for him to have a child of that age.

“Are you kidding me?”

Lei Yin laughed. “You don’t need to doubt it at all—I am indeed lying to you.”

“Damn it.” Takeshima Shinobu glared at him with clenched teeth.

Amy, noticing the sudden appearance of two unfamiliar older sisters, looked at them nervously.

Takeshima Shinobu had no resistance to cute things. Seeing Amy, who looked like an oversized doll, especially with those big, innocent eyes staring at them, she couldn’t help reaching out to touch her face.

Amy felt a bit annoyed at the outstretched hand and quickly ducked into Lei Yin’s embrace to avoid it.

“Hey, you scared her,” Lei Yin said as he comforted the little girl in his arms.

“Come on, I just wanted to touch her face. She’s so adorable,” Takeshima Shinobu said, bending down to look at Amy’s milk-like, fair skin with envy.

Lei Yin looked down at the little girl and said, “Don’t be scared, little one. They’re good people. The sister with glasses is my sister, and the one with extra hands is her good friend. She doesn’t mean any harm; she just thinks you’re very cute and wanted to touch your face.”

This was the first time Takeshima Shinobu had heard Lei Yin speak in English, and she couldn’t help but stare at him in surprise.

Although Japan is an economic powerhouse, its foreign language proficiency rate is as low as in other Asian countries. Even the Miss Japan contestants need a translator to go on stage at international beauty pageants. Hearing Lei Yin speak fluent, native-level English, it was no wonder she was surprised.

Amy, upon hearing him, lifted her head and looked at the two older sisters again. After a moment, she suddenly smiled and nodded to greet them.

Seeing Amy smiling cutely, Takeshima Shinobu barely managed to resist the urge to reach out and touch her again.

“Are you all done for the day? How about we go get dinner together?” Lei Yin said to Kazumi.

“Mm, wait here for me. I’ll go tell the manager,” Kazumi said, finally pulling her gaze away from Amy.

“No need, I’ll just wait here for you to finish. It’s nearly time anyway,” Lei Yin thought, considering that she had only recently started working part-time and didn’t want her to come off as someone who likes to leave early.

“Alright, I’ll bring you a couple of books,” Kazumi said, turning to find some books she thought he would like.

Lei Yin noticed Takeshima Shinobu still staring at Amy with wide eyes and said irritably, “Hey, if you keep staring, I’ll charge you a fee.”

“Is she a relative’s child? Can I touch her face? I really want to; I’ve never seen such a pretty little girl before. Compared to her, my cousins look almost like monkeys,” Takeshima Shinobu said, looking at him with pleading eyes.

It seemed that if he didn’t grant her wish, she would keep bothering him, so Lei Yin decided to ask Amy for her consent.

“This sister with extra hands really likes you. Can you let her touch your face?” Even Lei Yin felt awkward saying it.

Amy glanced at Lei Yin and nodded obediently.

Seeing her agreement, Lei Yin looked up at Takeshima Shinobu and said, “She agreed to let you touch her face, but don’t be too rough; she’s still just a little kid.”

Takeshima Shinobu cheered and immediately took Amy’s small hands in her own, playing with them.

“So soft and comfortable. I want to have a child like her in the future. She’s just so adorable,” Takeshima Shinobu said, finally rubbing the little girl’s hands against her face, savoring the warm, tender feel of her skin.

Looking at the excited older sister, Amy asked Lei Yin in confusion, “Lei, what’s wrong with her?”

“She’s just happy to be friends with you,” Lei Yin said. He had almost said, “She’s an eccentric woman,” but decided against it.

After dinner with Kazumi and the others, Lei Yin took Amy back to the apartment.

“Little one, are you tired? Do you want to take a nap?” Lei Yin said as he turned on the TV.

“Okay,” Amy said, accustomed to napping and feeling a little sleepy.

“When you wake up, I’ll take you to meet someone.”

“Who is it?” The little girl asked, curious.

“It’s a secret for now. Go to sleep like a good girl.” Lei Yin smiled and pinched her cheek.

Seemingly fond of this familiar gesture, which reminded her of two years ago, Amy hugged him happily and kissed his cheek.

“Amy is so happy, finally getting to see Lei again,” the little girl said, her eyes slowly reddening.

“I’m sorry for making you wait so long,” Lei Yin said, feeling a pang of guilt. He had promised to see her two years ago, but he had never fulfilled it until now because he had been saving Lei Li.

The little girl shook her head and whispered as she leaned into his embrace, “As long as I can see Lei again, that’s enough.”

Lei Yin didn’t know what to say and could only silently stroke her hair.

***

“Hello, Amy, my name is Hasegawa Naoko. It’s nice to meet you,” Naoko said in English, a little nervously.

Amy didn’t respond; she just stared at the beautiful woman in front of her without blinking.

Noticing her lack of response, Naoko felt a bit awkward.

Seeing the two beautiful women, one big and one small, in an awkward stalemate, Lei Yin found it a bit amusing.

“Little one, what would you like to eat?” Lei Yin placed the menu with English translations in front of Amy.

After glancing at Naoko again, the little girl finally shifted her attention to the menu.

Lei Yin looked up at Naoko and said, “I had planned to take you to Switzerland to visit this little one during the summer, but she suddenly came to find me, so it looks like it won’t happen now. I was even thinking of taking you skiing there.”

“It’s okay, we can plan for next time. By the way, this is the first time I’m meeting Amy, and I didn’t expect her to be so adorable.”

“You were also very cute when you were little,” Lei Yin said, remembering her childhood photos.

Hearing his casual compliment, Naoko’s face turned slightly red.

Watching the shy beauty, Lei Yin couldn’t help but reach out and hold her delicate hand.

“Lei…” Naoko’s face turned even redder.

At that moment, Amy suddenly slammed the menu down on the table and pulled at Lei Yin’s arm. “Lei, I want ice cream.”

“Ice cream is for dessert after dinner. You need to finish your meal first. Pick something else,” Lei Yin said.

At this, Naoko quietly pulled her hand out of his.

“Can you help me choose?” The little girl asked with her usual voice, acting a bit spoiled.

“Alright,” Lei Yin said, lowering his head to find dishes she might like in the menu.

Naoko felt that maybe it was just her imagination, but Amy seemed to dislike her a lot.

Dinner proceeded in a relaxed atmosphere, but Amy barely paid attention to Naoko. Even when Naoko asked her questions, Amy responded with as few words as possible or simply pretended not to hear.

From Lei Yin, Naoko knew that Amy had been diagnosed with autism, so she didn’t think too much about the girl’s distant reactions.

When Lei Yin went to the restroom, Amy, who had been ignoring Naoko as if she were invisible, suddenly spoke up. “Have you known Lei for a long time?”

Naoko was surprised by Amy’s question and quickly replied, “I used to be his high school teacher. It’s been over three years, I guess.”

“Do you like Lei?” The little girl stared at her intently.

The question, though simple, left Naoko unsure how to respond. Although she wanted to say yes, she felt it wasn’t appropriate to convey certain feelings to such a young child.

“I… actually…” Naoko stammered, trying to find the right words.

Before she could finish, Amy spoke first, “Lei is mine. I won’t let him go to anyone, including you.”

The little girl’s tone was very determined.

If her uncle Rolando had been there, he would have surely praised his niece, saying she was truly a member of the Defoe family, possessing the same decisive character as her father.