Chapter 103: I guess we’re not friends

"Haha. Okay, then I’m forty-two."

A playful laugh escaped Penny because she thought Renren was joking. There was no way this kid was seventeen. He was too small to be seventeen. Considering all the seventeen-year-olds she had seen and been around, she didn’t believe him.

He was not kidding, though.

When she noticed his ears droop, her brows knitted. "You’re serious?" she gasped.

"I look smaller because of my health."

"Oh..." her lips formed an O-shape. ’He’s the same age as Atlas and that crazy Ray, but he’s just as small as Slater!’

Penny wanted to hurry away when she heard his age. However, considering Ray and Atlas, this guy was a lot better. He didn’t seem as crazy as Ray to pursue a thirteen-year-old.

"And you?"

"Thirteen."

Renren then gazed down at his fingers and counted.

"What are you doing?" she asked, only to see him smile.

"Just counting," he said. He glanced at the other block and saw a car slow down. Just as he was about to tell her that he had to go, Penny perked up.

"Oh, my uncle is here to fetch me!" Penny flashed him a smile and hurriedly placed the cub in its cage. She then quickly took Chunchun from him. "I gotta go!"

In the blink of an eye, Penny gathered everything and stood up.

"Hi, Uncle!" Penny didn’t idle and jumped in the backseat with her pets.

The moment she settled in, the car sped away before Renren could even stand up. As usual, he gazed at the car’s rear while holding the carrier before another car stopped in front of him.

"Young Master!"

Renren ignored the butler and kept his eyes in the direction Penny left. "Hubert, if I eat more... will I get to live longer?"

The butler’s breath hitched, taken aback by the young master’s inquiry. Renren slowly faced him, his eyes swirling with curiosity.

"Of—of course, Young Master," Hubert nodded vigorously. "As long as you’re willing, you will be fine!"

"Alright."

The butler discreetly observed the young master while the latter took out the cub from his carrier to carry it. Every Thursday, the young master’s complexion always looked better. He didn’t know where it started, but the young master was actually more active now than he used to be.

First, Renren changed his mind and wanted to take care of Amanda’s cub. He used to dislike it. And now, he was asking about food. Renren disliked food, always. Though the butler understood his reasons because of the medicines Renren had taken, his taste buds had turned bitter.

Thinking about this, the butler was a little excited to report to the Old Mrs. Pierson.

"Ahem," the butler cleared his throat to get Renren’s attention. He rubbed his hands and walked over to Renren’s side. "Young Master, that little girl... is she your new friend?"

"Friend?" Renren looked up at him. "I’m not sure."

The butler frowned. "How come you’re not sure?"

"She hasn’t said we’re friends."

"Ah. Hehe. But she’s meeting you here every Thursday, right?"

Renren nodded.

"Then, I guess she sees you as a friend!"

"Oh, is that so?"

The young master’s dull reaction didn’t dampen the butler’s enthusiasm. "What is her name and which family does she come from?"

"Why are you asking?" Renren frowned.

Sensing his displeasure, the butler quickly explained. "Young Master, if we know which family she’s from, maybe we can invite her to the residence! If they knew the invitation was from the Pierson Family, they would happily send the little girl to our house. Instead of Thursday, you could meet up every day."

Renren’s expression relaxed, but then it stiffened once more. "I don’t know her name."

"Huh?"

"I forgot to ask her again."

"Young Master, you’ve been meeting her and you still don’t know her name?"

"I don’t think she knows mine either." Renren frowned at the thought. "I guess we’re not friends."

His shoulders lowered as his ears drooped, and he dragged his feet to the car. The butler frowned, witnessing the young master’s mood reach the skyline only to crash violently.

’Don’t worry, Young Master! I will find out for you!’

****

Meanwhile, Penny glanced up at Haines from the backseat.

"Uncle Haines," she leaned forward a little to the driver’s seat. "My teacher, Miss Sandford, is very kind."

Haines looked in the rearview mirror and said, "Penny, who was that kid with you?"

"Uncle, are you going to scold me?" she pouted, thinking this was Haines’s way of deflecting. "He’s the boy who found Chunchun and asked me to take care of her."

"Didn’t you say Chunchun is a stray cat?"

"She is, but he found her first. He seems unwell and very sick, Uncle. So, he can’t take care of Chunchun himself."

"Ahh..." Haines nodded and kept his eyes on the road. "That’s strange."

Her brows creased a bit. "What’s strange, Uncle?"

"He looks familiar. I wonder where I’ve seen him before?" Haines wondered about it for a while, but he couldn’t remember any events where he could’ve seen the boy.

Haines had been in the country since the start of winter. There were only a few events he attended throughout the season. Thus, it should be easier to narrow down where he had seen the boy.

"Could it be somewhere else?"

"Uncle, he is always around the neighborhood. Maybe you drove past him once or countless times before."

Haines glanced at the rearview mirror again and smiled. "You’re probably right."

Penny smiled in satisfaction, pleased that her uncle’s attention was completely diverted. The thought of setting him up with Ms. Sandford was something she tossed to the back of her mind. She could try again later.

As Penny happily drew back in her seat, Haines constantly glanced at her from the rearview mirror.

"Penny, do you know what day it is today?" he asked out of pure curiosity.

She looked at him innocently and said, "Thursday!"

"I mean the date."

"Hmm..." Penny rubbed her chin as she thought about the date. When she realized it, she froze a little.

Slowly, she gazed up at the driver’s seat. At the same time, Haines stopped as they reached the Bennet Mansion. He looked back at her and smiled affectionately.

"Happy Birthday, Penny."