The little child finally gave her a positive response.
His small head nodded, and his eyes became bright.
Shen Anran sat up and opened the bedside table, grabbing another handful of treats, and was about to hand it over to the little boy when she hesitated.
"Uh… just a little bit, okay?" Her hand released a few back inside.
The little child noticed her action, and his eyes became sad.
He looked so pitiful, like a cat denied treats. He even glanced up at her and slowly blinked his eyes.
With such a cuteness overload attack, how could Shen Anran not admit defeat?
In the end, she grabbed a handful and gave it to the little child.
"Little one, you can eat these, but don't tell anybody."
The little boy tilted his head slightly, not understanding her. But he soon buried his head to fill his mouth with chocolates.
Shen Anran took the chance when he lowered his guard and placed her hand on top of his head.
It's so soft. Shen Anran ruffled his hair, finding it enjoyable to touch. Maybe they were softer than a cat's fur.
The little child somehow didn't reject her touch after being bribed with sweets.
After a while, the little child finished everything and went back to glance up at her, begging for more.
"This…" Shen Anran was speechless. "You want more?"
There were a lot of wrappers littering the floor.
Yet the boy didn't seem to be satisfied.
Shen Anran wanted to harden her heart, but no matter how much she wanted to reject the little child, she couldn't do it.
"Alright, I'll give you a few more if you tell me who you are."
The little guy stared at her without answering her question.
Shen Anran noticed that when she spoke, his eyes were fixed on her lips. She frowned.
A sudden realization struck her.
Shen Anran finally understood what was wrong with the little guy.
It turned out that the little guy was mute!
It was no wonder that when she opened the closet, he didn't hear it and continued playing on his Gameboy.
A normal child would have noticed the sound, and when Shen Anran spoke to him earlier, he didn't answer her because he couldn't understand what she was saying.
Shen Anran signed with her hands.
"Can you not hear me?"
She didn't know if the boy could communicate with her through sign language. He was so little and being taught how to might not have been possible.
So, she used the simplest way to convey what she wanted to tell him.
She pointed to her ear and then shook her finger side to side.
The little guy blinked and became thoughtful. His eyebrows gathered together as he finally replied for the first time!
He shook his head.
Shen Anran felt pity for the little boy.
Was he mute since birth? She wondered.
Back at the mental hospital, she had a friend who also could hear and speak. That person had been reclusive and refused to befriend anyone, always staying inside their room. Feeling that she needed to do something, Shen Anran asked one of the doctors there to buy her a sign language book so she could learn.
Back then, she was still an amateur using simple sign language without meaning, only signing objects and mimicking actions. But now, she could expertly understand and execute it.
But the little boy was different. He hadn't been taught yet.
Feeling mad that the little boy's parents had been too careless.
How could they leave their son alone for a long time?
Were they even looking for him?
Something warm touched her leg. She looked down to see the little child looking up at her.
"Why don't we clean up first, Hammy bear?" she signed for him.
The little guy showed little reaction. It seemed this was a little too much for him to understand. So, she grabbed a few tissues and signed again.
This time, the little hamster showed a bit of hesitation. But ultimately, he allowed her to do it.
Finally cleaned up, the little guy pointed a finger at the bedside table.
He hadn't given up yet.
Shen Anran sighed and grabbed a small amount. But she didn't give all of them to him.
She signed to him.
"I'll give you one for now."
"Let's go out, and when we find your parents, I'll give the rest to you."
She didn't know if he understood her, but if this child continued staying here with her, his parents probably wouldn't find him.
Shen Anran got out of bed and stood beside him, holding a hand out for him to grab. She didn't have any expectations since this child was still timid and wary of her.
But to her surprise, the little guy grabbed her hand tightly.
Huh, I guess those sweets had some use after all.
With him looking at her expectantly, Shen Anran kept her promise.
She gave him a chocolate and couldn't stop herself from pinching his cheeks.
"Hammy bear, stay close to me when we go out, okay?"
The kid blinked and obediently followed her outside.
If the people who knew him could see this, they'd be shocked.
Shen Anran didn't know how long she had slept, but seeing that the sun was still outside, it seemed that it hadn't long.
But it seemed that it was also not too short as she saw guests leaving from the window.
At this time, something was happening downstairs.
"Mr. Lu, are you sure your son is here?"
Han Beichen frowned as he looked at this domineering and powerful man.
Although he couldn't afford to offend this man, Han Beichen couldn't lose his position as the Shen family's son-in-law.
Besides, this man has been demanding to get his son back. But who knows whether his son was truly in there?
Shen Yulan stood beside him and frowned.
She shared the same thought as Han Beichen, but she was also afraid of speaking. Fortunately, most of their guests had already left. She didn't want anyone to see them being pressured by this man.
"Mr. Lu, I've already had our servants look through the entire house, but they did not find your son. Can it be that he did not come with you?"
"Are you saying I'm lying then?"
This silenced everyone.
They shivered at the deepness of his cold gaze.
"But—"
"And your servants sure know how to lie."
"What do you mean, Mr. Lu?"
"If they didn't find my son… then who is that child?"