The road unspooled like a gray ribbon as her dad drove, his question drifting back warm as spring sun. “My sweet girl, were you good at school today?”
“Uh-huh, I even had a heart-to-heart with our homeroom teacher...” Little Loli flipped through her textbook in the back seat, pages fluttering like sparrows, her voice soft as milk.
Unease pricked him like an ant bite, and his thoughts tightened like a knot. That “heart-to-heart” sounds off.
“Alright then, your mom made something delicious. Let’s hurry home.” He pressed the gas, and the Benz shot forward like an arrow leaving the string.
The door swung open like a breeze. “Mom, I’m back!” Little Loli’s twin golden ponytails swayed like banners. She dove into her mother’s arms like a small deer and nuzzled close like a kitten, cheeks rosy as dawn.
“Enough, Xiaoxue, don’t make trouble. Eat first. School must’ve drained you.” Mom’s smile was gentle as moonlight on water.
The phone burst out chirping like a startled cricket. “Xiaoxue, looks like your homeroom teacher,” Dad said, setting his chopsticks down. He swiped to answer, and a lion’s roar blasted through the speaker. “Are you Xiao Qianxue’s guardian? I’m her homeroom teacher!”
His heart jolted like a dropped cup. “Y-yes. What is it?” His voice wavered like a candle flame.
“Not a little thing—many things,” the teacher hammered on, words like drumbeats. “Your daughter is very ‘sensible.’ She came late, broke dress code, refused to admit fault, and talked back. In the end she even flicked her hair into my face. How do you raise a child like that? You figure it out.”
Dad stared, stunned, as Little Loli nibbled her food like a squirrel. She felt his gaze and looked up, eyes round as new moons, innocent as fresh snow.
He exhaled and shook his head like a leaf in wind. “That can’t be right. Our Xiaoxue is obedient and quiet. She wouldn’t do what you said,” he replied, spine straight as bamboo.
“Great. A prankster for a daughter and an unreasonable father,” the teacher answered, voice cold as frost.
Fire flashed in him like summer lightning. “Say that again and I’ll file a complaint with the principal tomorrow. We’ll see.” He hung up, the line cutting off like a guillotine blade.
“Dad, you’re the best!” Little Loli’s eyes curved like crescents as she flew into his arms like a sparrow. He stroked her golden hair, smooth as silk, and laughed like a fool under warm sun.
But gravity settled like dusk over water. “Be honest with me, Xiaoxue. Did you really do that today?” His gaze held steady as a mountain.
She burrowed into his chest like a shy hedgehog, her voice rubbing soft as fur. “Mm. He was harsh today, so I gave him a splash of color.”
“Ah, this child.” His sigh floated out like mist. “Don’t do that again. Try a bit of grace, like a young lady.”
“Alright, I get it. Forgive me, okay?” She pleaded with starry eyes, bright as a night sky, and he surrendered like snow to sunlight.
“Okay, okay. Finish dinner and get some rest.” He looked at his treasure, heart soft as warm rice.
“Got it. I’m going to my room.” Little Loli hopped away like a spring rabbit, twin ponytails chiming like bells, brimming with life.
Dad watched her back recede like a tide and smiled. Mom leaned against him, smile gentle as a breeze among willows. “Our girl still hasn’t grown up.”
“Yeah,” he said, voice sinking like a stone into a well.
The door clicked shut, quiet as falling snow. Little Loli flopped onto the bed like a tossed pillow. Joy beat in her chest like drums. Stealing the spotlight felt perfect, and it’d been ages since trampling someone felt this good.
Wu Hao thought so, then rose slowly like dawn lifting fog. Facing the floor-length mirror like a still lake, Little Loli reached for her headband. She slid it off, and golden hair spilled down like a silk waterfall, draping over back and shoulders like light.
“So comfortable,” she murmured, fingers combing through strands like a breeze through wheat. Eyes half-lidded, she grinned at her reflection like a dazed cat.
At first light, Little Loli sat in the Benz on time, bright as a new coin. Her dad glanced back and smiled, sunshine filtered through leaves. “Ready, sweet girl?”
“Mm...” Her head stayed low, thumbs tapping her phone like sparrows on grain. Today her ponytail tied to the right, the left side loose like a stream. A knee-length skirt met knee-high socks like twilight meeting sea, with a strip of pale leg like porcelain. Her delicate face stayed flawless, warmed with a faint blush like peach skin.
The sight dazed her dad like a struck bell. His daughter had grown into a beauty who could spin heads like a comet. He shook it off and faced the road like a steady boat. “Xiaoxue, you’re growing up. Learn to protect yourself. Don’t let anyone bully you at school.”
“I know, Dad. You don’t have to say it.” She huffed, proud as a little fox.
“We’re here. Hop out. I’ll pick you up after school,” he said, voice solid as oak.
“Got it. Bye, Dad.” Little Loli smiled like a crescent moon, rose on tiptoe, and pecked his cheek like a bird. Then she bounded toward the school like a skipping stone.
“This child...” Dad touched the kissed spot, warmth lingering like an ember. He got back in, pressed the gas, and the car glided off like a swift cloud.
