Chapter 277 You Can't Be Friends with Her
The French minister—that is, Mr. Langdon—almost thought he had misheard.
Otherwise, how could he have heard his daughter asking him for a new father?
Mr. Langdon's heart was breaking as he hugged his little daughter: "Sophie, my little angel, why do you want to find another father?"
Sophie said truthfully, "I want a dad who can grill fish and take me out to play."
“Oh…” Mr. Langdon quickly remembered that he had promised to take her on a trip: “I’m sorry, baby.”
However, after arriving here, unexpected work trips held him back, forcing him to postpone his trip.
“It’s Dad’s fault,” Mr. Langdon assured her. “In a few days, I’ll take a whole day to spend with you.”
Sophie shook her head: "It's okay, Daddy, I can have someone else with me, like Miss Bailey."
Or a new father?
The thought of that possibility made Mr. Langdon feel terrible.
He was about to say something more when the telephone on the table rang first. Mr. Langdon gave his daughter an apologetic look, then quickly picked up the receiver and put it to his ear: "Hello?"
He immediately switched to work mode.
Without her father saying anything, Sophie obediently climbed off his lap and didn't disturb his work.
She walked to the door, glanced back, and saw Mr. Langdon on the phone. He could only give her an apologetic look and gesture a sleeping position to indicate that he would come to her before she went to sleep to continue their conversation. Then Langdon's expression turned serious, and he became fully absorbed in his work.
Sophie glanced at him, tiptoed, turned the doorknob, and quietly walked out.
Mr. Langdon did not show up for dinner either.
His subordinates brought him several official documents, leaving him with no time to spare.
Sophie finished dinner with Miss Bailey with impeccable manners, and Miss Bailey did not find any fault with her that evening.
She put down her fork. "Miss Bailey, may I have a piece of pastry?"
Miss Bailey: "Okay, which one do you want?"
Sophie said, "I want to eat what Mao Mao brought."
Miss Bailey frowned almost imperceptibly.
“We don’t have that,” Miss Bailey suggested. “How about a caramel apple tart instead?”
Sophie asked in confusion, "That's all?"
"there is none left."
"But there's still a lot left in the afternoon."
Mao Mao also brought a lot.
There were five kinds of desserts, and the portions were very generous. There were only three people in their family, so it would last them a long time.
Miss Bailey said calmly, "The remaining pastries weren't fresh, and I've already had them disposed of."
Sophie opened her mouth slightly.
She wanted to say something, such as expressing her fondness for the desserts, but Miss Bailey's stern gaze made her swallow the rest of her words.
“Okay,” Sophie said, feeling a little sad for some reason. “Caramel apple tart.”
She ate the whole thing.
Her favorite desserts, which she usually loves, were surprisingly unappealing today.
At night, Sophie lay on her soft bed, hugging her rag doll Anne, and listened to Miss Bailey tell her a bedtime story.
She struggled to keep her eyelids open, even though she was extremely tired, she still couldn't bear to close her eyes.
"Sophie?" Miss Bailey put down her storybook and asked, puzzled, "Why aren't you asleep?"
Sophie sank into the pillow: "Daddy said he'd come looking for me..."
“Mr. Langdon’s study light is still on,” Miss Bailey said. “He’s going to work again today, and I don’t know when he’ll finish. Go to sleep, Sophie. You can talk about it tomorrow. You need plenty of sleep.”
"..."
Sophie then asked, "Can I go play with Mao Mao?"
Miss Bailey: "Miss Lou?"
“She invited me to her house today.” Sophie looked at her expectantly. “She’s our neighbor, she lives in that red house next door, very close by. Miss Bailey, may I go and visit her?”
Miss Bailey said, "No."
"..."
“Sophie, you are a young lady of the Langdon family, a noblewoman. You should choose your friends carefully. That Miss Lou, she is just a lover’s child, and her mother is stupid and ignorant, a country peasant woman. Associating with her will not do you any good.”
Miss Bailey said sternly, “When Mr. Langdon’s term ends, he can return to our country, and then you can have many new friends, all of whom are equal to you.”
Sophie hugged the rag doll tightly. She seemed to have become like Anne, her heart filled with cotton, heavy and swollen, a tightness in her chest.
Miss Bailey tucked her in and placed a kiss on her soft cheek: "Goodnight, baby."
Goodnight, Miss Bailey.
Sophie closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Miss Bailey turned off the lights and went out without making a sound. Every step she took seemed to be measured by a ruler, and even the hem of her skirt did not sway much.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she saw Mr. Langdon coming out of his study, having finished his day's work.
Seeing the direction she came from, Mr. Langdon looked annoyed: "...Is Sophie asleep?"
Miss Bailey nodded gently.
"I'll go check on her."
Mr. Langdon also gently opened the door to his daughter's bedroom.
His daughter was already with the fairy in her dreams, her long, pale golden curls cascading over the pillow, like a little angel painted with romantic brushstrokes in an oil painting. But she wasn't sleeping soundly, and even in her sleep, she seemed restless.
"What makes you so sorrowful? Even in your sleep, you furrow your brow, my darling." Mr. Langdon's kiss landed on her brow as he whispered, "It's because I didn't get to see you before you fell asleep, I..."
Suddenly, he remembered the request Sophie had made to him earlier that day.
Find another father.
Mr. Langdon: "…………"
...
The next day, before the morning classes began, Sophie played with her big dog in the garden.
After playing for a short while, laughter drifted over from a red-brick villa not far away, as the door opened.
She looked up in that direction and, sure enough, saw a familiar little figure, dressed much the same as when she first met him.
Mao Mao put on her big straw hat, slung her small satchel over her shoulder, and led her big white cat, strutting off on an adventure up the mountain.
She was holding an insect net, and the childish, babyish music drifted from one end to the other before stopping in front of the yellow villa.
"Sophie!"
Mao Mao ran over, stood on tiptoe while holding onto the fence, and waved enthusiastically at her: "Good morning!"
The golden retriever wagged its tail and ran over first, enthusiastically rubbing its wet nose against Mao Mao's hand. As soon as it got close, the big white cat jumped in front of Mao Mao, arched its back, and hissed at it.
The golden retriever didn't mind at all, and licked its white fur, making all its beautiful fur fall to one side.
"Meow—!!!"
Sophie quickly turned around and looked into the house. Seeing that Miss Bailey wasn't paying attention, she ran over quickly as well.
"Maomao!"
Sophie glanced at her brothers behind her, and Lou Fengju and the others nodded to her as a greeting.
"Mao Mao, are you going out to play again?"
"Okay! I'm going to find a cave." Mao Mao waved the insect net in her hand and said happily, "I'm also going to catch butterflies."
"Oh...that's great."
Mao Mao tilted her head and looked at her, blinking her eyes in confusion.
"Sophie, are you unhappy?"
Before Sophie could say anything, she looked down, reached into her small handbag, and took out a snack that the chef had prepared for her, handing it to her: "Here you go."
It's a similar snack to the one I brought yesterday, but with a new flavor.
"Eating something delicious can make me happy!"
Sophie hesitated for a moment, then quickly looked back, took it, and immediately began to taste it.
Mao Mao asked, "Is it delicious?"
"tasty."
Mao Mao proudly raised her chubby chin: "My family's chef uncle cooks really delicious food."
“That’s great,” Sophie said again.
Mao Mao: "Sophie, do you want to come play with me?"
"I...I still have class."
Mao Mao blinked and looked at her for a while.
She looked down and rummaged through her small handbag again: "This is for you too."
Mao Mao handed over a stone with her small hand; her fingers were so short that she couldn't even hold it in her hand.
This wasn't just any ordinary stone; Mao Mao had picked it up on the mountain, and when they got back, Lou Hongjian painted a kitten pattern on it with brightly colored paint. Mao Mao loved it so much that she took it with her whenever she went out.
"When I catch a butterfly, I'll give you one too." Mao Mao patted herself confidently and said, "Sophie, wait for me to come back!"
"Um!"
The two little ones chattered for a while through a fence, then quickly waved goodbye.
Mao Mao, full of fighting spirit, led her brothers to find caves and catch butterflies.
There was an inconspicuous stone in the garden, which Sophie hid in a corner. She turned around and gave the big golden retriever a shushing gesture.
"Woof!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com