Chapter 37: A Surprising Encounter with Hao Yang

When Wang Jian saw the adorable and unreal Hao Yang beside him, he was momentarily stunned. It was the first time he had seen such a cute little girl. Her long hair cascaded carelessly over her shoulders and back, perfectly complemented by her bangs. It struck Wang Jian right at his weak point.

A dangerous thought suddenly surfaced in Wang Jian’s mind: Why not kidnap this child and make her his daughter? But reason quickly suppressed that impulse.

“Wang Gege, why are you staring at me like that?” Hao Yang couldn’t help but ask. Wang Jian’s gaze was unsettling, almost creepy, making her feel uneasy.

“Xiao Xiao, is that you?” Wang Jian’s expression showed genuine surprise.

Only after carefully observing did Wang Jian confirm that the girl before him was indeed Hao Yang. He hadn’t expected that a simple haircut and style change would make her almost unrecognizable. Although he knew Hao Yang would look much better after getting her hair cut, he hadn’t anticipated she would look so adorable and cute.

“I didn’t expect that a little haircut would make you so adorable. I couldn’t help but look a few more times,” Wang Jian said, extending a hand that had been eagerly waiting to touch Hao Yang’s small head.

Some of the male customers on the first floor occasionally glanced in their direction. Seeing Wang Jian so easily touch Hao Yang’s head, they couldn’t help but show envy in their eyes. However, when they noticed the police uniform, any inappropriate thoughts were quickly suppressed.

In that instant, Wang Jian felt his life was complete.

Hao Yang slightly lifted her head, seeing Wang Jian’s satisfied expression as he touched her head. Hao Yang thought she could understand his feelings. If she were still the boy she once was, touching such a cute little girl’s head would probably make her feel the same satisfaction as Wang Jian.

After about a minute, Wang Jian reluctantly withdrew his hand. He then noticed the snacks Hao Yang was holding and asked curiously, “Where did these snacks come from?”

“Earlier, a few sisters said they wanted to take photos with me. After we took the photos, each of them gave me a pack of snacks,” Hao Yang answered honestly.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Wang Gege, do you want to eat some snacks? I have plenty here,” Hao Yang said, holding the snacks.

“Uncle… I’m too old to like snacks. You keep them,” Wang Jian said, standing up from the sofa, intending to pay for Hao Yang’s haircut.

Hao Yang didn’t ask further. She understood that this police uncle was going to pay for her haircut. Looking at the snacks in front of her, Hao Yang decided to keep them for later.

Thinking this, Hao Yang slowly put the snacks into her backpack.

“How much is the bill?” Wang Jian asked Miss Toni.

He had already mentally prepared himself, knowing that getting a haircut at a place like this wouldn’t be cheap. Especially since Hao Yang’s haircut looked so good.

“I’ll give you a discount. It’s 550, but I’ll charge you 500,” Miss Toni said with a smile.

“That’s so expensive?” Even with his mental preparation, Wang Jian was shocked by the price. He usually got his hair cut at an old man’s stall for only five yuan. He hadn’t expected that a simple haircut for a child would cost 500 yuan, enough to cover 100 of his own haircuts.

His monthly salary was only around four or five thousand yuan, most of which he had to save for the bank, planning for future marriage and a house. Spending 500 yuan on a single haircut felt like a huge waste.

“This is already quite cheap, Officer. Look how beautiful and cute we made that child. I actually think 500 yuan is quite reasonable for her,” Miss Toni said.

Wang Jian glanced back at Hao Yang and suddenly felt that the price was indeed worth it.

“Sure, I’ll pay with my Super Wallet,” Wang Jian said, taking out his phone to scan the QR code beside him, transferring 500 yuan.

“Super Wallet received, 500 yuan,” the Bluetooth speaker announced.

“Xiao Xiao, let’s go,” Wang Jian said, turning to Hao Yang.

“Okay,” Hao Yang replied, quickly putting on her backpack and running to Wang Jian’s side, taking his large hand.

Wang Jian held Hao Yang’s small hand and walked out. As they exited, Hao Yang pulled up her hood, afraid that passersby would stare at her.

Outside, Wang Jian checked his phone and saw that it was already around 1:00 PM.

“Xiao Xiao, let’s go eat a bowl of noodles,” Wang Jian said, his stomach rumbling with hunger.

“Okay,” Hao Yang agreed without hesitation.

Wang Jian took Hao Yang to a nearby noodle shop that looked clean and had good business. They sat down inside.

“Boss, one bowl of beef noodles, three ounces. What would you like to eat? Choose whatever you want,” Wang Jian said to Hao Yang.

“I want a bowl of braised noodles,” Hao Yang said, smelling the enticing aroma in the air and swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

“Boss, one bowl of braised noodles, please,” Wang Jian called out to the boss.

“Coming right up,” the boss replied.

The two sat quietly at the table, waiting. Soon, the boss returned with two bowls, one large and one small, placing them on the table.

Hao Yang looked at the bowl of noodles and couldn’t help but swallow. Since becoming a little girl, she hadn’t had a proper meal. Sometimes, she didn’t even eat. Today, she finally got to have a good meal.

Eagerly, Hao Yang took a pair of chopsticks from the nearby chopstick holder, mixed the noodles and braised sauce in her bowl, and began to eat eagerly.

Wang Jian also ate his noodles in large mouthfuls.

After some time, Hao Yang rubbed her slightly bloated stomach, looking helplessly at the soup in her bowl. She had barely managed to finish the noodles, and drinking the soup would make her stomach feel even more uncomfortable.

Yet, she felt it was a waste not to finish the soup, leaving a small knot in her heart. Usually, whenever she ate out, she made it a habit to finish the soup after her noodles.

Wang Jian, on the other hand, ate every last bit of his noodles, leaving no soup behind.

After eating their fill, Wang Jian let out a satisfied burp and slowly stood up to pay the boss.

After paying for the noodles, Wang Jian hadn’t said anything yet when Hao Yang ran to his side.

Wang Jian held Hao Yang’s small hand and slowly walked towards the parking lot.

The snow outside was still falling, and no one knew when it would stop.

They reached the car, and Wang Jian saw the snow accumulated on the police car. He began to clear it off with his hands. They got into the car, which wasn’t as cold as an icebox anymore but had a slight warmth left from the previous heating.