Chapter 282: Stranger

“Wait a minute, your hair isn’t dry yet.”

“Lin, hurry up, hurry up.”

“You’re really something. Alright, it’s done.”

“Thank you.” After saying that, the little girl, wearing a small bathrobe, couldn’t wait to rush out of the bathroom.

Seeing the man sitting on the chair, smiling as he watched her, she felt a surge of excitement in her heart. She immediately ran over and jumped onto his lap, excitedly saying, “Lei, I’m done with my bath.”

“Yes, I know.” Lei Yin smiled lightly, gently rubbing her little face as if kneading dough.

The little girl became even happier, sitting on his lap and giggling.

Lei Yin pinched her nose and said, “You’re already this big, yet you still need Ailin to help you bathe. You really haven’t changed at all.”

Looking at his familiar and affectionate smile, the little girl’s eyes slowly turned red, and she couldn’t help but hug his neck, saying, “Lei, I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too.” Lei Yin smiled and gently stroked her still-wet hair at the back of her head.

Amy seemed to enjoy his touch, closing her eyes like a little kitten and resting her head comfortably against his chest.

At that moment, Ailin, still wearing her blue set, came out of the bathroom and sat down on the chair beside Lei Yin, smiling.

Lei Yin looked at her and said, “Have you thought about staying a few more days?”

The brown-haired, green-eyed beauty shook her head and said, “The primary school in Finland has already started its summer vacation. I asked for an extended leave from the company, planning to go over there to spend time with Bruno. These past two years, I’ve been so busy with work, I’ve barely had time to be with him. I feel really guilty, so I want to make it up to him. I’ll leave Amy in your care.”

Lei Yin played with Amy’s little hand and said, “It’s also good to go back and relax.”

Ailin suddenly sighed with a sorrowful expression, saying, “I never thought he would die like that. I still can’t fully believe it.”

Lei Yin spoke softly, “He was part of your past. People should look forward.”

At that moment, Amy, who had been resting in his arms, suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked at him with a strange gaze.

Ailin smiled bitterly. “You’re not a woman, so it’s hard for you to understand. Even if he were alive, I could never reconcile with him. But when I heard the news of his death, it felt like my heart was torn apart. Only then did I realize that I really couldn’t forget him.”

Lei Yin shrugged and said, “Having a child hurts, but it will pass.”

Ailin smiled wryly, “Your way of comforting people can sometimes be hard to deal with.”

“Cheer up. Maybe in Finland, you’ll meet a good man, a chief from Papua New Guinea, with a strong physique and a bright smile. He’ll be willing to trade thirty cows for you to be his wife. You’ll give up your high-paying job and the Rolex on your wrist to go back with him, expanding his tribe, creating an exotic couple. Sounds like a nice idea, right? Life may lack passion, but there’s always a reason to exist. You’re a smart person. I believe you’ll pull through.”

Ailin laughed. “It’s strange. After talking with you, I do feel better. Looks like you have a talent for being a psychologist.”

“I’m working part-time. When you’re back from vacation, I’ll send you the bill.”

The mixed-race beauty stretched and said, “I’m not going to talk to you anymore. I’m going to take a shower. Come join us for dinner later.”

“Whatever. But you’re quite bold, aren’t you? Knowing there’s a young man in the room, you still leisurely go for a shower. Isn’t that a bit too tempting for a healthy man?”

“Fool.” The mixed-race beauty gave him a playful glare, then took out her change of clothes and walked into the bathroom.

Lei Yin smiled, then casually turned on the old TV in the room.

He looked down at the little girl in his arms, only to find her staring at him with a surprised and unfamiliar expression.

Lei Yin froze for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

As if afraid of scaring her, Lei Yin gently asked, “Little one, are you scared of me?”

The little girl didn’t respond, just staring at him without blinking.

After a while, she suddenly shook her head vigorously, then hugged his neck tightly and said firmly, “No, I like Lei. I really like you, a lot.” After that, she hugged him even tighter.

A wave of emotion surged in Lei Yin’s heart, and he couldn’t help but return the tight embrace of her small, tender body.

Amy, who was born with the ability to sense others’ emotions, had indeed felt a suppressed, slightly unfamiliar feeling from Lei Yin earlier. It was a strange emotion she had never sensed from him before, making her feel unsettled for a moment.

However, Lei Yin knew that the reason Amy had noticed the change in his emotions was because Ailin had mentioned Murphy. He hadn’t been cautious enough, which caused the emotional shift.

In fact, a month ago, Murphy had not died from a simple traffic accident.

For Amy’s family, the scheming Murphy was like a time bomb, waiting to explode at any moment. Although Lei Yin had spared him years ago due to Ailin, he didn’t intend to leave that ticking bomb there indefinitely.

After Murphy left Switzerland, Lei Yin had secretly arranged for someone to infiltrate Murphy’s large house as a servant.

Years had passed, and the pawn remained obedient, doing the job expected of a servant. Such a person was difficult to notice. The reason Lei Yin had dragged things out for so long was to avoid raising any suspicions from Ailin or Rolando.*  [*The raw mentioned Montreux, but I think that’s a typo.]

Only in the last few months, Lei Yin felt the timing was right, so he instructed his pawn to take action.

Though the pawn had taken action, it wasn’t a bloody affair. The person merely tampered with the brakes of Murphy’s usual sports car, making it hard to detect.

So, a regular traffic accident happened unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard.

Then, after two days of rescue attempts, Murphy Defoe, a distinguished member of the Defoe family, passed away silently like an ordinary victim of a traffic accident.

When Lei Yin heard the news of his death, he only smiled faintly and then waited for Ailin’s call.

A while later, Lei Yin gently lifted Amy’s little face and smiled helplessly, saying, “You, really are a troublesome little one.”

Amy stared at him blankly for a moment before suddenly laughing with joy. He had turned back into the familiar person again.

…

“Little Amy, say it again, say it again.”

“Hello, my name is Amy, nice to meet you.” Although the little girl’s Japanese pronunciation wasn’t very accurate, her voice was pleasant and sweet.

“Ah, so cute!” Takeshima Shinobu couldn’t resist hugging the little girl tightly and kissing her small face.

Takeda, who was standing nearby, couldn’t stand it and interrupted, saying, “Hey, you’re so noisy. Little Amy, let me teach you to say that Takeshima Shinobu is a pervert.”

Takeshima Shinobu clenched his fist and said, “You bastard, don’t teach Little Amy to say bad words. Little Amy, don’t listen to him. That person is a bad guy.”

Takeda, very dissatisfied, retorted, “You’re the one teaching bad things, calling me a good young man with pure character a bad person!”

Takeshima Shinobu sneered and said, “You’re wrong. You’re not pure in character; you’re just pure in breed. Clearly a champion dog.”

“Bastard, dare to say that again?” The rebellious youth instantly exploded. When it came to verbal sparring, Takeda was no match for Takeshima Shinobu who was influenced by Kazumi day and night.

While they were arguing, Amy quietly broke free from Takeshima Shinobu’s embrace and ran to Lei Yin.

Seeing him talking with Yoshikawa and the others, she immediately grabbed his arm and shook it.

Lei Yin turned to her and said, “What’s wrong?”

“Lei, hug me,” Amy said, stretching out her arms and looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Lei Yin helplessly pinched her little face, then lifted her up and placed her on his lap.

The little girl was overjoyed, smiling as she rested her head on his chest.

Kazumi, sitting next to him, couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, it looks like Amy is getting more attached to you.”

Lei Yin gently stroked the little girl’s hair and said, “She’s not as scared of strangers anymore. That’s quite an improvement. By the way, tonight I want to take her to have dinner at your place. I’ll drive you to buy groceries afterward.”

“Okay.”

At this moment, Kazumi noticed that the kendo girl across the room was looking enviously at the little girl sitting in her brother’s lap. She almost burst out laughing.

Yoshikawa asked, “Masashi, will you be going on the school’s study tour this summer?”

Takeda chimed in, “Where are you going this year?”

“It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but I heard from the student council that this year the first and second years might go to Kochi.”

Lei Yin replied, “I haven’t thought about it. Rumi, do you want to go?”

The kendo girl gave a wry smile. “Every summer vacation, the Kendo Club holds a two-week-long training camp. First and second-year students are required to participate. I can’t go.”

Takeda glared at Shiraishi Akira indignantly. “Your Kendo Club is too inhumane, not even sparing your summer vacation.”

Shiraishi Akira said, “Yelling at me won’t change anything. I didn’t set the tradition, and besides, I have to attend the training too.”

“Which idiot set such a stupid tradition?”

“I heard from the seniors that it was established by a former principal. Actually, it’s not just the Kendo Club. The Karate Club, Gymnastics Club, Tennis Club, and several other high-performing clubs also have summer training camps.”

“Tch, why does anyone still care about that old relic? Wait, you said the Gymnastics and Tennis Clubs will join the camp too. Does that mean you’ll be staying in the same accommodations as their members?” Takeda asked, his eyes gleaming with interest. He was well aware that the Gymnastics and Tennis Clubs had the most beautiful members.

Shiraishi Akira smirked. “Although the training venues are different, we do stay at the same lodging. Because of this, many of our members don’t actually dislike the summer training. Some even join the club specifically for the training camp. By the way, I’ve heard that both the Gymnastics and Tennis Clubs recruited a lot of beautiful newcomers this year. But since you’re not in the Kendo Club, it doesn’t matter to you.”

“You jerk! Why didn’t you say so earlier? Is it too late to join your club now? You might not know this, but I’ve always loved kendo. Back in elementary school, I even took lessons for a while. You can ask Yoshikawa if you don’t believe me. I’ve finally found my calling—I’m determined to become the next kendo star. That settles it; I’m officially joining the Kendo Club starting now,” Takeda declared, thumping his chest.

Rumi couldn’t help but laugh as she listened.

As Takeda’s long-suffering friend, Yoshikawa felt embarrassed and pretended not to hear.

Takeshima Shinobu mercilessly commented, “Idiot.”

“Shut up, you busybody! Akira, when does your training camp start?” Takeda asked with a fawning smile.

Shiraishi Akira laughed. “If you want to join the Kendo Club, you’ll have to talk to our president. Telling me won’t help. But I should warn you, our president is very strict with members who join with… questionable motives.”

Hearing this, the smile on Takeda’s face froze.

Lei Yin turned to the kendo girl and said, “Rumi, would you like to go out and have some fun?”

Rumi looked a bit regretful. “I’d like to, but since we have the training camp, I don’t think it’s possible.”

Lei Yin smiled. “When your training camp is over, how about we organize our own trip to Okinawa?”

At this suggestion, everyone immediately turned to him.

“Senpai, are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking? We’ll invite Naoko, Aiko, and the others too, as well as that old man—though who knows if he’ll come. The idea is for everyone to go and have a great time together. Of all the places I’ve been, I still think Okinawa has the most beautiful beaches.”

Before Rumi could respond, Takeda was already shouting, “Masashi, count me in! If it’s Okinawa, I’ll skip the school trip this year.”

Lei Yin shrugged. “Suit yourself. Yoshikawa, Akira, what about you two? Want to come?”

Yoshikawa rubbed his chin. “Can we bring other girls along?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Alright, I’m in. Akira, you should come too, and bring your sister.”

Shiraishi Akira thought for a moment. “I’ll have to ask her.”

“Kazumi’s bro, I want to go too!” Takeshima Shinobu said excitedly, eager to join the lively plan.

Lei Yin smiled. “Anyone who’s listening is welcome. Kazumi, since all your classmates are coming, you’re not going to refuse, right? Should I buy you a few new swimsuits?”

Kazumi rolled her eyes at him.

Lei Yin turned to the kendo girl and said, “Come to think of it, this will be our first time traveling together. Once your training camp ends, we’ll head out.”

“Senpai…” The kendo girl’s eyes reddened slightly with emotion as she looked at him.

“Silly girl.” Lei Yin lightly tapped her head with a smile.

Watching everyone suddenly become so cheerful, the little girl was a bit puzzled as she looked at them.