Chapter 41 Chapter 41 [VIP]
Megan was imitating her father - smiling, but on her young face, she didn't actually understand the meaning of the expression. She just saw the clown laughing and tried to imitate it.
This little girl was like one of those spoiled kids who would show off and brag to their parents any little gains they made outside. She tilted her face up, and used her hands to push the flesh on both sides of her cheeks upwards, trying to be naughty. Of course, it was more likely that she thought she had learned it herself, but in reality...
The Joker looked down at her condescendingly, a deep smile on his face. After a moment, he commented, "Not really, Megan. Your expression isn't up to par at all, and it's even inappropriate."
As he spoke, the corners of his mouth stretched to the sides, almost reaching his ears. He looked terrifying and distorted. If anyone else saw him, they would have been terrified, but Megan was just tired of looking up, so she lowered her head to rest for a while while continuing to pinch her face. Finally, she got smarter and poked the corner of her mouth with her index finger, pushing it upwards.
Megan maintained this posture without saying a word, occasionally looking up at the clown. She looked well-behaved and obedient, but she did not move a step, being so stubborn.
After about a few minutes, seeing that the clown was still standing on the high steps, Megan moved on her own. She continued to press her fingers on her face and climbed the stairs with her head down. However, her sense of balance did not support this action. After she staggered over two steps, when she was about to reach the last step next to the clown, she tripped and fell forward.
She was not afraid of external harm and did not know how to avoid or protect herself. When she was about to fall on the stairs, she was picked up by the clown. Although he held her collar unceremoniously, he did not let Megan bump into anything.
The clown carried her casually; she was so light that she barely weighed anything to him.
He asked her to stand beside him, and his scrutinizing eyes swept across Megan's blank and dazed face. She was almost hurt, but now she just blinked, not knowing what happened just now, but she was trying to reach out and express a "smile" on her face.
Her thoughts were clear, and the Joker thought that since she had shown some interest, she might deserve some praise. Isn't that what the best-selling parenting book by a psychology expert says? Children need to be given a sufficient sense of security and recognition from an early age, so that they can realize that they are loved. Only then will they grow into people with a strong core.
This is a very simple trick to trick children, and it doesn't need to be used all the time; just once in a while will do the trick.
The clown was not shy about finding some fun and putting on a casual performance after finishing his work. He leaned over and patted Megan's back, pretending to be concerned and said, "Megan, you just scared me!"
But seeing that Megan was still trying to smile, he pulled her hand down and kissed her forehead. "Okay, good girl, I know you tried your best, but this can't be rushed..."
"I'm so happy that you have such independent behavior. You are my proudest child."
He casually coaxed the child over, but before she left, the clown grabbed the end of her hair and asked Megan to turn around and continue listening to him, "Don't be too anxious, we all know that this is not something that can be done overnight, just let nature take its course." Otherwise, he didn't know how long he would have to watch her act up, and he would get bored.
His cloudy and strange green eyes stared at Megan's figure walking down the stairs. He felt that Megan should enter the next stage and face new challenges. After all, she had adapted to her current life.
As for why she suddenly behaved like this tonight, the Joker knew it very well -
The days she spent with people were all monotonous, and she couldn't learn anything new. But when she got along with animals, she would naturally understand the differences between humans and animals, and would be more clear about where she belonged and what she should learn.
Megan learned about emotions from cats. Cats express their emotions through sounds and behaviors. The differences in their sounds are obvious: high-pitched howls represent excitement, low purrs express comfort, and sticky sounds mean intimacy and dependence. However, humans and cats are different.
Human emotions are more complex. You may not be able to discern anything from their voices, and their behaviors are also difficult to understand. You can only pay attention to the expressions on people's faces. Megan's perception is dull, and she has almost never sensed or experienced emotions from people. She can only rigidly look at expressions, but she still seems to understand them. Human reactions are very complex, while cats' reactions are simple.
So her learning progress was not ideal, and it was strange for her to make expressions on her face.
What she doesn't have, she can't express.
…
The plan to take Megan out was quickly made. From the time they came out of Arkham to the time they went to the amusement park, the Joker had taken Megan to every desolate and deserted place in Gotham.
She always refuses to be in crowds, immerses herself in her own world, and doesn't like crowds. After going to the amusement park, she rarely goes out. This is only the second time.
The Joker was familiar with her mental and psychological state, so he gave her enough time to adapt and relax. Now it was another test for him. He had to keep pushing Megan forward, otherwise this little mouse would just hide in the corner motionless and would not take a step out at all. She was too timid and cowardly.
Before the trip, the image of Arthur Damon appeared again.
The Joker is serious and careful enough about the game he really cares about that he never makes mistakes in the details, and this is especially true when writing scripts for Megan.
Even without an audience—
No! Who says there's no audience? It's just that the audience for this play doesn't show up often and their presence isn't high, but they're watching! Megan is the most popular young actress and has already captured the hearts of many people.
So is the Joker proud of Megan? She's the work he's put the most effort into to date. Even though she has some minor issues, that's what he values from the beginning. Only a child who stands out can get the audience's attention without him stealing all the attention. And as the little star, she deserves to be loved.
Megan fits his bill perfectly, and she hasn't failed yet.
When they went out again, Arthur was still by Megan's side. The loving father slightly bent his back to accommodate her, holding her hand and walking slowly down the street, helping her adapt to the outside world.
Megan still didn't like being around crowds, so she almost stuck to Arthur's legs, moving forward one step at a time, but she would occasionally look up, keeping an eye on Arthur at all times to confirm his presence.
On the way, she saw another puppy being led out by someone else. When she looked up at Arthur, he rubbed her hair. He was quite helpless, but he couldn't hide his smile and said, "You can't imitate its barking, Megan. You are a good child, aren't you?"
Even though her habit of imitating animal sounds was a bad one, Arthur felt that she had changed greatly from her previous state. Her perception and cognition were constantly improving. Her imitation of external things meant that she was gradually developing self-awareness and starting to have independent behavior, which was also a manifestation of socialization.
All these changes in her were good, making Arthur's eyes bright. He could already see the hope ahead and was moving towards it.
Arthur was educating Megan, and suddenly a surprised cry came from the side, "Arthur! Oh, are you taking Megan out for a walk?"
It was the young man named Dick whom they met at the amusement park and who later accompanied them to the hospital. He was enthusiastic and measured. He also seemed to be strolling on the street, wearing casual clothes and holding a hamburger bag in his hand. He was very excited to see them.
Dick was surprised to see the person he had helped before, and so was Arthur. He didn't know how to thank the young man!
He helped them at that time. It was heard that Dick, who had just reached adulthood, and his classmates discovered a criminal gang of human traffickers in the playground. They seemed to be targeting Megan. Arthur learned the news from the police and was terrified.
He couldn't bear to lose Megan again. Even if it didn't happen, just thinking about it made him feel despair.
After that, Arthur was even more grateful to Dick. Unfortunately, they focused their attention on Megan on the way and after arriving at the hospital, and didn't leave any contact information...
Now that they finally met, Arthur thanked him repeatedly.
Dick saw the genuine expression on the father's face. He was still as enthusiastic as ever, but he felt a little embarrassed after being thanked. He scratched his black hair and said, "Don't be like that, Arthur. We all know Megan's situation at the time. I was just, uh, a little kind."
As for the sentence 'I believe I am not the only one who would lend a helping hand in the amusement park, it's just that I was one step ahead', Dick thought about it but couldn't say it. If it were someone else or in another city, this would be a good social statement, but unfortunately it doesn't work in Gotham, and it doesn't work to say it to someone at the bottom of Gotham.
After talking to Arthur, Dick looked down at Megan. It was obvious that she was in better condition. She was no longer suffering from somatization symptoms. Her eyes were wide open and bright. She looked at him carefully, holding her breath. After staring at him for more than three seconds, she looked away uncomfortably.
She was wearing a dress made of a completely different material from Arthur's clothes. The fabric was soft and the style was lovely. She was well taken care of, with clean and rosy cheeks and carefully groomed hair. Her fluffy black curly hair had grown past her shoulders and was braided into two fluffy braids tied with ribbons and bows.
Megan and Arthur held hands, and the other hand was behind her back, as if she wanted to hide herself.
She looked lively and cute no matter how she looked at her, which made Dick, who was looking at her, smile sincerely. This time he formally introduced himself to her: "Hello, Megan, I'm Dick, nice to meet you."
It didn't matter if Megan, who was getting better, didn't respond to him. Dick didn't mind that. But after he stood up, he looked a little embarrassed. "There's just one thing I might need to apologize to you for."
A look of surprise appeared on Arthur's face. He was shocked by Dick's words and waved his hands awkwardly, but his subsequent words might be related to Megan, so he looked at him with a conflicted look.
Dick suddenly realized from his slightly worried look...For Arthur Damon, he could no longer tolerate any accidents. Their lives could not withstand any external pressure or disruption. Even the slightest thing would scare him.
He then looked more apologetic but spoke directly, without using any of his learned social skills.
He needed to reassure Arthur while he talked.
"Don't be too nervous, Arthur. It's not bad news. It's just that maybe you don't know me. I mean, my name is Dick Grayson, and I'm Wayne's adopted son. I've met Megan before. She's on the funding list for the Special Children's Care Fund."
Even if Arthur didn't ask about his identity, Dick had been in the entertainment news many times since being adopted by Wayne, so it was possible that the other party knew him, but he still introduced himself seriously.
A gentle smile graced the young, still somewhat childish face. "I've also sponsored some children with special needs, so I recognized her then. Um, I wanted to say..."
But Arthur suddenly interrupted him. He apologized for his rude behavior, but smiled and said, "Mr. Grayson, I am very grateful to you. I really am very grateful."
An inexplicable stream of hot tears welled up in Arthur's eyes, and he couldn't help but turn his head to wipe the corners of his eyes.
"I'm very grateful to you, and Mr. Wayne, and..."
There were also many kind people he met later. If it weren't for them, his and Megan's fate would be unknown. Their predicament could not be resolved, and their misfortunes would continue.
But now all that bad stuff is gone, Arthur said, a hopeful smile on his face.
The author has something to say:
Too bad, the acting emperor (pointing)
As for the identity of the Damon family, it was discovered much later. After all, there was a foundation of trust from the beginning, and the Joker played the whole trick. Who knows...
I absolutely have to have a regular sleep schedule! (Shouts out about the baldness crisis) My hairline is balding, damn it, sob ...
I sincerely hope that everyone will not be bald.
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