In contrast to this little one, Ryan Cooper was not born with a lively personality. He didn’t like making noise or talking much. The elders and relatives always said his temperament was bad and needed to change, but Grace Miller would always argue for him, saying he inherited it from his grandfather, and let Ryan Cooper be himself from a young age.

He was very smart, and much more mature than other children. But no matter how mature you are, when faced with a strange child who might take away your share of affection, you’ll still feel at a loss. At first, Ryan Cooper didn’t like him, but he didn’t exactly dislike him either.

Most of the time, he just observed quietly.

How strange, his eyelashes are so curly.

Why does this little thing have such a hard time talking? He looks so clumsy.

Was I this clumsy when I was little?

But Ethan Clark was just so cute that every elder who saw him would praise him a little, and these compliments shook the impression little Ryan Cooper had in his heart. He had to admit, Ethan Clark was even cuter than the Pomeranian he really wanted to buy.

On the third day at his house, Ethan Clark suddenly started crying nonstop, crying for his mom and dad—his own mom and dad—and no one could comfort him.

“Stop crying.” As soon as Ryan Cooper approached, Ethan Clark stretched out his arms to be held, but Ryan Cooper couldn’t lift him, so he clung to him himself, like a sticky rice cake that couldn’t be pulled off.

“You’re giving me a headache with your crying.” Ryan Cooper was desperate and said to Grace Miller, “Mom, let’s send him back to find his mom and dad, let him go home.”

Grace Miller looked at him, wanting to say something but couldn’t get the words out. In the end, she just soothed Ethan Clark and carried him upstairs, leaving only Ryan Cooper and Mr. Cooper in the living room.

“Xiao Yu.” Mr. Cooper pulled him over and told him very seriously, “Little brother doesn’t have a mom or dad anymore.”

Ryan Cooper frowned and didn’t reply. He just thought about what that meant, and soon, Mr. Cooper gave him a more definite answer.

“His mom and dad are both gone. He has no home to go back to.”

He understood what “gone” meant.

Ryan Cooper frowned even deeper. He looked up at the upstairs, then turned back to look at his dad.

“Will he leave in the future?”

Mr. Cooper shook his head. “From now on, this is his home.”

Adults always instinctively judge children, thinking they don’t understand anything. But in fact, children’s empathy is often stronger than adults’. They’ll hold an umbrella for a stray puppy on the way home.

Ryan Cooper was the same, even though he was never a particularly empathetic child.

After returning to his room, he curled up on the little sofa with a pillow, his mind replaying what Mr. Cooper had said.

Ethan Clark is so cute, but he doesn’t have a mom or dad anymore.

This thought stuck in his heart, and he started to feel even more sorry for Ethan Clark. No matter how pretty a stray dog is, it’s still a stray. On rainy days, it has nowhere to go, only able to shiver in a tunnel, cold and hungry.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, interrupting Ryan Cooper’s stray dog adventure in his head. He looked up and saw Ethan Clark, small and huddled by the door, peeking in with half his little head, looking pitiful, and even hiccupping from crying.

Ryan Cooper glanced at him, putting on the air of a little host. “Why are you hiding?” Seeing the little one didn’t respond, he couldn’t bear it and waved him in. Only then did Ethan Clark slowly walk over. Kids are unsteady on their feet, stumbling with every step, as if he might fall at any moment, making Ryan Cooper nervous just watching.

After finally making it over, Ethan Clark just blinked his big eyes at him, his face red from crying, looking like a little peach about to burst its skin.

His eyes were all swollen. Ryan Cooper remembered what his father had said, so he made some room for him, letting him curl up together on the small beanbag chair.

It had been raining for days, as if the rain hadn’t stopped since Ethan Clark arrived.

He asked Ethan Clark why he came to his room, and suddenly a flash of lightning lit up outside the window. Before Ethan Clark could answer, a huge clap of thunder cut him off, and he immediately hugged Ryan Cooper, his whole body shaking.

Although Ryan Cooper was also startled by the thunder, Ethan Clark was much more scared than he was—not only shaking, but crying again.

Ryan Cooper was most afraid of him crying. He thought about calling his mom to take him back to his room, but Ethan Clark just clung to him, desperately burrowing into his arms. With no other choice, Ryan Cooper had to comfort him like a real big brother, but since he didn’t like talking, he just covered his ears and gently patted his back.

Thunder doesn’t go away easily. It always came back just as Ethan Clark was starting to calm down, and with every strike, all the comforting was undone.

He decided to find a way to distract the little pitiful one.

After thinking for a bit, Ryan Cooper took out a big box of madeleine cakes, chocolate lava ones, brought back for him by his dad from abroad. He’d never had the heart to open them.

Guess you get lucky.

With sweet cake and Ryan Cooper covering his ears, Ethan Clark wasn’t so scared anymore. He looked so cute eating, holding the cake in his chubby little hands and taking bites. Whenever thunder struck, he’d shiver, dropping the cake, then after a second of daze, pick it up and keep eating through his tears.

It was both funny and pitiful.