Chapter 234 Chapter 234 [VIP]
Megan, Jason, and Arthur all had lunch in the company cafeteria. In the afternoon, the only adult among them still had a lot of things to do, so the two children played in and around the campus.
When Arthur got off work, Megan said to her father, "I invited Jason to our house for dinner."
She emphasized the word 'our family,' causing Arthur's lips to curl slightly. He was remarkably calm and composed today, not prone to large, exaggerated, or overly enthusiastic expressions. He nodded, "If that's your wish, then no problem."
So Arthur drove them back. As for Bob? He wasn't needed here, and he knew his job, so he got a ride home after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. But watching the two children skillfully trying to sit in the back seat together, Arthur kept his hands on the steering wheel and glanced at Megan in the rearview mirror. "You'll get carsick, Megan. It'll be better to sit in the passenger seat."
What he said made a lot of sense, so Megan got out of the back seat of the car, sat in the passenger seat, and consciously fastened her seat belt, which received praise from Arthur.
The three of them didn't talk much along the way. When they arrived at Damon's house, Bob had already prepared the meal. He usually didn't eat with the host family. After setting the plates and tableware and preparing drinks for everyone, he left.
During the meal, Arthur's movements were not like those of a poor man. He followed old-fashioned etiquette and had an elegant posture. However, he himself abided by this set of rules but did not restrict Megan much. When she saw something delicious, she liked to eat more. Arthur moved the plate in front of her, and when Megan finished her soup, he went to the kitchen to serve her another bowl.
It was obvious to the naked eye that he was used to taking care of the child. Judging from some details, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he spoiled her. He never asked her to do housework, and in Gotham, a city with cold and damp winters, she never had frostbite on her hands.
When their lives were just getting better, Arthur asked Bob, who was nominally a distant relative but actually worked as a male security guard, to take care of every aspect of her life. He himself was no less helpful, just like their summer vacation last year. He only came to help when Megan was naughty or wanted to help him. Arthur never made any demands on her.
The only exception is her wish, because that is her own business.
Just like after dinner, Arthur cleared the table himself. When Megan wanted to help, he said, "Aren't you going to entertain the guests you invited?" He pushed Megan back with just one sentence and let them sit on the sofa and watch TV without having to deal with these things.
Megan turned on the TV, and the first channel she tuned to was reporting on a banquet that Bruce Wayne, chairman of Wayne Enterprises, attended during the day.
Those upper-class affairs had never concerned Megan, but she looked at Jason twice more. That Bruce was very different from the gentle and good-tempered adults she had met. No matter where he was, he was the center of attention in the crowd. He was very adept at this kind of social interaction, and his expression seemed particularly frivolous.
While sitting and digesting her food, Megan remembered the information prepared by Jason and the toy design drawings mailed by Penguin. In addition, there were gifts sent by Nevya and Gordon who were absent from the White Bear's opening ribbon-cutting ceremony today due to something else. So she ran out and searched for something in the mailbox in front of the door. As expected, she brought it back.
Not paying attention to the program on TV, Megan began to open the gifts. The Penguin Man only gave her a small gift box, which was undoubtedly a USB flash drive when she opened it. She took the little thing into the kitchen to find Arthur and held it high for Arthur to see.
"Dad, here are the blueprints for the toys Os gave me."
She had no doubt that the Penguin was playing a trick on her or had planted a virus in the USB drive. When she received the gifts, she thought that there must be nothing wrong with them.
Will the Penguin do that? He was born into an old Gotham family and later embarked on a criminal path, building his business empire by any means necessary, committing crimes for this purpose and hiring many people who were called bodyguards but were actually thugs.
Judging from his repeated visits to Blackgate Prison or Arkham Asylum and his ability to find someone to take the blame whenever he had the chance, it was obvious that this criminal had no bottom line. However, he was not that bad to the child he had watched grow up. Not only was he tolerant, he also knew what kind of gift would make the child happiest.
As for why he didn't come to congratulate White Bear in person on its opening day, firstly, he didn't want to see the clown's debt-ridden face, and secondly, he wasn't interested in actors or dramas. But as for other reasons -
The Penguin cannot appear at the opening ceremony openly, otherwise it will only bring countless troubles to the newly established company, and may even cause Batman to notice them. Besides, he will not lower himself to do sneaky things and hide with those unpresentable guys. Just thinking about it makes him sick.
Arthur was clearly aware of his old friend's ways. He wouldn't do anything too obvious when he wasn't sure. Even if his gift was for Megan, wouldn't a parent take a look at it for themselves? If they found any problems, it would be a source of conflict and dispute between them.
Penguin Man would never do this when there is already a precedent and the benefits to him are not enough. He is a businessman and knows best what to invest in and what not to do.
Arthur wasn't worried about these things, but he had just put the plates and cutlery into the dishwasher, and his hands were still wet. He found a towel and wiped them. He reached out and saw Megan handing the USB flash drive to him. She was a busy person today because there were still many gifts waiting for her to open.
Before Megan turned around, he asked, "Aren't you going to thank me?"
The two of them, one big and one small, looked at each other. Megan raised her arms high and said, "Then give me a hug." But this was not a thank you, it was just a way of being coquettish.
Arthur pursed his lips and smiled. He seemed to have an incredibly good temper, very calm and peaceful. Because of Megan's request, he bent down, pinched Megan's armpits with both hands, and easily picked her up from the ground, letting her sit on one side of his arm as before.
Megan has grown into a big child, but whenever she looks at her father, the meaning in her eyes has never changed. They are serious and focused, and there is a lot of love that can be easily felt without having to express it in words.
She said, "I love you so much, Daddy." And she wasn't shy about expressing it with words.
"You only say nice things."
As soon as Arthur finished speaking, Megan put her arms around his neck. She liked physical contact and the love, tolerance and specialness she felt.
"No matter what, you are the best father in the world." This is what it means to act like a spoiled child. Megan wants to be held when she is thirteen years old, but when she is twenty-three, thirty-three... the things she likes will not change.
If Robin, who was taught by Batman, is loyal, then isn't Megan, who was raised by the Joker, the same?
Time flies. It has been almost five years since Arthur adopted Megan. Her condition has improved with the help of pills. When she goes to the wider world outside Arkham and receives education in school, she should know right from wrong and know what kind of vicious criminals imprisoned in Arkham are. But her attitude remains the same.
He had never asked Megan what she thought, but tonight he suddenly asked her. He said, "Meghan, you know what is right and wrong, but you still side with me and only make an insignificant request."
'Insignificant request' refers to Megan's wish and her White Bear Manufacturing Company. Arthur looked at Megan with a hint of inquiry in his eyes, but judging by his attitude, the answer might not be very important. Maybe he already knew the answer.
Megan: "Because I love you, and don't be a jerk and think a kid like me can fix something when adults can't."
She is aware of her own abilities and has already made her choice. The Joker, the 'source of evil' in Gotham, is bad, but Arthur accompanied her to establish a company and wanted to help more people, and that is enough.
She is a very soft-hearted child. Of course, you could also say she is greedy and unwilling to give up the Joker, nor does she want to be a villain like him and embark on a path of crime. Fortunately, her choice did not bring bad consequences because she has a father who loves her very much.
He would always compromise for her.
Megan's words made so much sense that Arthur smiled slightly. They didn't go into the topic further and walked out of the kitchen with Megan in his arms.
At this time, she was embarrassed and swung her legs and shouted at Arthur: "Daddy! Put me down!"
Arthur: "You asked me to hold you."
The angry little bear snorted at him the moment he landed. Sure enough, she was still the same as before. Her temper was only directed at her father, but it was difficult for others to make her angry. Who wouldn't think she had double standards? But this was her special treatment. People who were not worthy of her attention would not cause her emotional ups and downs.
Everyone present knew her temper and no one would misunderstand her expression. Arthur smiled and sat on the sofa, continuing to watch Megan open the gifts.
It was Jason's turn to prepare the initial planning and investigation analysis form. Megan opened the document and took a look. Finding that she had little understanding of it, she asked him, "Can you show it to my dad?"
Jason tilted his head, his movement exactly the same as Megan's, and Arthur saw it, but he remained calm as Jason suppressed his surprise and a little nervousness and nodded in response, "Okay."
He pretended to speak in a cheerful voice, but it sounded a bit strange to Megan. She stared at him for a long time, but still couldn't figure out the problem before handing the documents in her hand to Arthur. Then she saw that her master was also pretending, with a serious attitude, looking through them carefully, as if he valued this gift very much.
Both of them were pretending, leaving Megan alone at a loss.
But there was no need to delve into things that she couldn't understand, so Megan continued to open the gifts and took out a large bag of dolls, candies and snacks, and exquisite hairpin decorations given by Nevia.
What James Gordon sent was a letter, which described how he and Arthur met, and his blessings to Megan and the white bear. It also included a postcard and a necklace that Barbara gave to her because she found out that her father also knew Megan. Of course, girls would give each other small accessories.
The author has something to say:
Arthur/Someone Ugly: My child is obedient and can fasten his seat belt by himself (praise)
Others: Don’t force yourself to praise someone if you don’t know how to do it.
This ugly guy can be called 'Brother Lamb', the one in Chapters 187 and 188.
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