Chapter 125: Not Yet a Father, but Already a Mother
The thought scared Chen Dong half to death, simply because the little girl before him was completely naked.
Even though she looked to be only five or six years old, Chen Dong was still terrified. He quickly took off his own shirt and put it on her.
The bloodstained shirt was huge on her, dragging on the ground like a dress. She held up a sleeve, sniffed it, and said with a look of disgust, "Ew, it stinks!"
Chen Dong managed an awkward yet polite smile. "Little girl, how did you get here?"
The little girl pointed to the cave entrance. "I walked in."
Chen Dong glanced over. The ancient sword was stuck in the ground at the cave entrance, having chopped his alarm trap to pieces. This made him even more certain that the girl was the master of the Fuyuan Tomb.
Suppressing his panic, he asked the little girl with a beaming smile, "Is that sword yours?"
The little girl nodded. "I found it on the road." Then, blinking her big, innocent eyes, she said, "If Mommy wants it, I can give it to Mommy."
Chen Dong fought back the tingling of his scalp. 'It doesn't matter what she calls me, even 'Mommy.' I have no idea how this woman in red turned into a child, but what if she regains her memories in the future? Wouldn't she kill me on the spot just to save face?'
'I should just get out of here.' The thought crossed Chen Dong's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He didn't dare leave the little girl by herself. 'If she's just a normal kid, this is the middle of nowhere—it's way too dangerous. A wild beast could eat her the moment I leave.'
'But if she really is the master of the Fuyuan Tomb, that's even more dangerous. I don't know how much power she has left, but I'm sure she can survive on her own. Still, she looks so dazed and innocent. If someone with ulterior motives got their hands on her, or if she ran into someone truly evil... the consequences would be unthinkable. She could end up destroying the world.'
Chen Dong felt a sense of responsibility. 'I have to take care of her. After all, I'm partly to blame for waking her from her slumber.'
With this in mind, Chen Dong picked up the girl, ready to leave.
The little girl cooperatively wrapped her arms around Chen Dong's neck and asked curiously, "Mommy, where are we going?"
Chen Dong smiled. "To buy you some new clothes." He was already starting to get used to being called "Mommy."
When the little girl heard she was getting new clothes, she beamed. "That's great! I don't have to wear this stinky shirt anymore."
Chen Dong felt a little insulted. 'But I can't blame her,' he thought. 'The shirt is covered in sweat, water, and blood. Of course she thinks it stinks.'
Chen Dong picked up the ancient sword from the cave entrance, and the two of them began to move through the mountain forest.
Along the way, Chen Dong asked, "Don't you have a name?"
The little girl shook her head. "I don't know what my name is!"
Chen Dong wasn't great at coming up with names, so he just said, "How about we call you Fuyuan from now on?"
'It's just the name of the tomb,' he thought, 'but Fuyuan must have some connection to her. Maybe hearing it will jog her memory.'
To his surprise, the little girl shook her head firmly. "I don't like the name Fuyuan." She puffed out her cheeks, thought for a moment, and said, "Li Wang. Yeah! Just call me Li Wang!"
Chen Dong faltered. "Li Wang? What's the 'Wang' from?"
"The 'Wang' in 'absurdity'!"
Chen Dong frowned. "People don't use that for a name. That's no good. Let's use the 'Wang' that means 'hope' instead."
The little girl's eyes curved into crescents as she rested her head against Chen Dong's chest.
"Mm! We'll use the 'hope' one, then."
"In that case, you should stop calling me Mommy, too. Just call me Chen Dong!" Chen Dong said, afraid that even being called "Mommy" would eventually get him killed by her sword.
"Okay, Mommy!" Li Wang replied.
"It's Chen Dong!" Chen Dong corrected.
"I know, Mommy!"
Chen Dong felt a headache coming on. He decided to drop the subject.
Chen Dong moved quickly, and in just over an hour, they were back in Jiangzhou. He bought Xiaoli Wang a whole new outfit, from her underwear to her dress, and picked up a few spares. He changed into a fresh set of clothes himself as well.
After a busy morning, Chen Dong carried Li Wang as he walked toward the Li Group. In her cute little dress, Li Wang looked like a beautiful, delicate doll, turning heads all along the street.
Chen Dong, who had always considered himself quite handsome, had never experienced this level of attention before.
'This is making me even more nervous, and annoyed,' he thought. 'I don't get these people. What's so great about looking at a human-shaped nuclear bomb? Aren't you afraid she'll blow you all to smithereens!'
He patiently explained the sights and sounds of the city to Li Wang, but eventually, he couldn't take her endless stream of questions anymore. He tossed her his phone and let her entertain herself.
Sure enough, the phone's allure was absolute for a child. With it in hand, Li Wang stopped pestering Chen Dong with questions.
Just as they arrived at the entrance of the Li Group, Chen Dong's phone rang.
Chen Dong answered the call. Li Huiran's voice came through, cold as ice. "Chen Dong, where did you run off to now? You disappeared yesterday without a word, and your phone was unreachable."
Chen Dong glanced at his phone. 'No missed calls?' he thought. 'I must not have had any signal down in the tomb.'
Li Huiran's voice continued, "And today you didn't even come to work. I'm telling you, if you're not at the company in thirty minutes, I'm docking your pay!"
Chen Dong was speechless. 'How did I piss this woman off again?'
He stammered into the phone, "I..." but couldn't get the words out.
He glanced at Li Wang. 'I can't exactly tell her I went out for one night and came back with a daughter!'
On the other end, Li Huiran heard Chen Dong's stammering silence. She scoffed and hung up. Gripping her phone tightly, she fumed. 'That guy disappeared all night, and now he's skipping work. He must have been with *that woman*. This is just too much! Just wait until he gets back, I'll teach him a lesson!'
