Chapter 59: Eccentric
"Come on, don't be afraid."
"There are cream puffs to eat here."
The mother sat the little girl on the sofa, putting some warm fried pastry into her hands from the oven.
The father and the cousin sat aside with worried expressions, as if they were really concerned about the little girl's situation.
"My dear, let's call the police as soon as possible. The little girl's parents must be really worried."
The father sat on the sofa and said, looking at the adorable and pitiful little girl.
For some reason, maybe because he was scared, the little girl didn't say anything. She just sat there with teary eyes, not intending to eat the cream puffs in her hands, just squeezing them.
"Of course I know, do I need you to remind me?" The mother looked at the father with a hint of annoyance.
Then, she turned to Hoàng Tuân and said, "You go call the police, and also ask downstairs if any of the neighbors know whose child she is."
Hoàng Tuân nodded and headed towards the fixed telephone next to the TV.
In this emerging era, mobile phones were not yet as ubiquitous as they are in the real world where almost everyone had one.
Except for the father who frequently went on business trips and needed a mobile phone, others used landline phones installed at home to make calls.
Hoàng Tuân dialed the police number, lifted the receiver, and prepared to make the call.
In the phone, the dial tone sounded, but there was no answer.
He waited, but there was only silence on the other end of the line, and no sound came through.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Hoàng Tuân said again into the phone.
Still, there was no response from the other end.
He checked the phone carefully, the cord, and the socket, but found nothing wrong, yet there was still no sound from the police reception.
It was eerily quiet.
"Hello, anyone there?" Hoàng Tuân said once more into the phone.
But there was still no response.
He was about to hang up and try calling again when a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
He looked up and saw his mother standing beside him with a strange expression on her face.
"Stop it, don't call the police. I'll take the little girl directly to the police station," she said.
"What? Wouldn't it be more convenient to call the police directly?" Hoàng Tuân asked confusedly.
"Don't call anymore. Just stay inside. I'll take the little girl," his mother said, leaving a weird expression on her face.
Hoàng Tuân wanted to say something, but seeing his mother's annoyed expression, he eventually swallowed his words and didn't say anything further.
After hanging up the phone, Hoàng Tuân returned to sit by the fireplace.
His mother calmly tidied up the stuff and then led the little girl out of the house.
Only the father, the cousin, Hoàng Lan, and Hoàng Tuân remained in the house.
The atmosphere seemed a bit awkward for some reason.
The advertisement break on TV continued...
On the not-so-clear screen, the host's voice still loudly screamed and repeatedly asked if anyone knew the correct answer, to call the hotline immediately.
Hoàng Tuân took a bite of the sweet and fragrant cream puff.
He felt as though someone was watching him.
So, he glanced at his cousin and then looked away.
"What's going on?" Trần Thiên Nga avoided his gaze, pretending not to know, and replied, "Huh? Nothing."
After saying that, she fixed her eyes on the TV screen boredly.
Hoàng Tuân lowered his head slightly.
He felt that his cousin was looking at him strangely, but when he looked up, she quickly looked away.
"What's wrong? Everyone's acting strangely today..." Hoàng Tuân wondered to himself and shook his head, not caring about these things anymore. He went back to his room, thinking of reading the comic book he had secretly bought before.
In his room, Hoàng Tuân locked the door out of habit.
Then, he took out the comic book hidden under the bed.
Flipping to the page he hadn't read before...
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...
Meanwhile, in another place.
A young man in a neat suit.
Standing under the stone with the four words "Trần Hưng Đạo High School" engraved on the school wall, he put his hand in front of his face to block the wind, slowly lighting a cigarette for himself.
The dim evening light cast upon him, making him appear somewhat lonely and frail, like a lone street lamp.
He checked his wristwatch.
It was close to midnight, just five more hours...
Passersby walked past him on the street.
Perhaps it was because there were so many half-burnt cigarettes scattered on the ground at his feet that people passing by hesitated for a moment and looked at his incongruous combination of white sneakers and the formal suit he was wearing, with a puzzled expression asking, "What's going on?"
The young man paused and greeted, somewhat hesitantly.
The passerby hesitated for a moment, looking at his white sneakers not matching the suit he was wearing, with a puzzled expression on their face, and asked, "What's up?"
The young man didn't say anything...
He just exhaled a deep puff of smoke from the cigarette.
Then he blew the smoke towards the passerby.
The other person couldn't react in time, and the smoke choked them, making them cough incessantly.
"Hey? What are you doing?" The man cursed, wanting to punch the strange guy in front of him!
But thinking he still had something to do, he withdrew his hand and hurriedly moved away from this eccentric guy.
While the passerby walked away, the young man continued to mutter and curse.
The young man didn't seem to hear anything, he just looked at the stream of cars continuously moving on the street and ignored the reaction of the passerby.
"The first time I've seen such a rich and colorful world..."
Lost in thought, he noticed something on the personal board floating beside him that had not been closed yet.
There seemed to be something on the display of his information control panel...
[Name: Dương Khánh Vĩ]
[Character: Supporting Role (Golden)]
[Description: A person with an unusual worldview.]
[Items: ...]
[Talent: ...]
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