The boy sported a neat short haircut and was dressed in a white long-sleeved tee and coffee-colored trousers. His face was clean as a whistle, with tender, thick eyebrows. Although he was young, he already exuded a cool and handsome air that set him apart from others.
This was Atticus who had Thalassa all tied up in knots.
âAtticus!â Thalassa hurried over with the other three kids in tow, let go of their hands, then she scooped Atticus up from his swivel chair and held him tight. With a mix of relief and lingering fear, she said, âBaby, you scared the living daylights out of me. I thought you got lost.â
Finally, her worries about Atticus eased up.
Thalassa fought back tears, stroking Atticusâ tender face non-stop.
Atticus could feel his motherâs concern and love. Although he wasnât the type to act cute, he wrapped his arms around Thalassa and rested his face against hers to reassure her, âMom, Iâm fine. Donât worry about me. I wonât get lost.â
The staff member who was about to reward Atticus chuckled, âThatâs right, maâam. Your kidâs super bright. With smarts like his, he definitely wonât get lost. Heâs only four, but heâs already fixed a computer that our staff couldnât handle. Heâs a real computer whiz.â
Thalassa calmed down, looking puzzledly at the staff member, then back at Atticus, surprised. âDid you really fix someoneâs computer?â
Atticus nodded earnestly. His words, though childish, were clear and coherent. âAfter I left the restroom and couldnât find you, I was going to look for you in the lounge. But then I heard a man on the phone, saying the computer for managing surveillance was broken and the repairman couldnât fix it. He was desperately looking for other repairmen. I heard this and offered to give it a shot. So, he brought me here.â
After saying all this, Atticus gave Dorian a meaningful glance and winked at him.
Picking up on his brotherâs hint, Dorian immediately straightened up and explained to Thalassa, âMom, Iâm ratting out my brother. He often reads books with computer graphics at night. Maybe thatâs why he can fix computers.â
Thalassa finally understood how Atticus learned to fix computers.
The boy had followed a stranger to fix a computer out of his instinctive inclination to help others.
Thalassa lovingly ruffled Atticusâ hair, then put him down and told the staff member, âMy son is a quick learner. He probably saw similar repair cases in books, which is why he could fix the computer.â
The staff member laughed in response, âA photographic memory. Thatâs genius too.â He shoved the reward into Thalassaâs hand, âJust a token of appreciation, please take it.â
âNo, we canât accept this,â Thalassa politely declined.
It took the staff member quite a while to stuff the money into her pocket. âWeâd have to pay for a professional to come fix it anyway. Compared to that, this is nothing. Consider it candy money for the kids, please take it.â
âMom, you said youâd buy us candies just now,â Dorian said, tilting his head, looking forward to the candies.
âRight, go get some candies for the kids. Look at them, each oneâs lively and adorable. They deserve a candy reward,â the staff member said, glancing around at the four children. They really liked these kids.
Thalassa no longer refused and smiled graciously, âThen, thank you.â
âDonât mention it. Itâs the least we could do.â
Thalassa left the broadcasting room with the children.
Each of the four kids held a candy shaped like an animal.
Atticus had a kitty-shaped one, Dorianâs was puppy-shaped, Elowenâs was a panda, and Sophiaâs was a raccoon.
Atticus and Dorian were up front, happily licking their candies, while Thalassa, hand in hand with Elowen and Sophia, followed behind. Sophia was also contentedly licking her candy.
But Elowen was just staring at her candy.
Curious, Thalassa asked, âElowen, why arenât you eating your candy?â
Comments(0)
Join the discussion — sign in to leave a comment
Sign In to CommentNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!