A tinkle of laughter escaped her as Edith stared at the little girl. Edith glanced at the tag in Assistant Shawn's hand and smiled. "The next game you're joining is the Princess's Race, right?"
"Un," Hazel nodded. "Teacher Sun said that I need three people to join the race." She lowered her gaze and continued, "I don't have my mama and papa around, only my uncle. Teacher Sun said I can ask anyone to join the team. As long as I have three people, I can enter this race."
Edith watched her and a helpless sigh escaped her. "Why don't you ask Assistant Shawn to join the race with you? Since I'm a teacher, it wouldn't be fair if I join the race, right?"
"Teacher Sun said that I can ask you to join," Hazel said. She lifted her head to meet her teacher's gaze and there was a hint of stubbornness in the little girl's eyes.
"Uh," Edith found that she had no way to reject the little girl's request.
Hazel blinked her eyes and suddenly, her expression changed. Her mouth was slightly pursed and she was looking at her teacher with her eyes wide. "Moreover, one of the grownups is required to help me put on a dress and style my hair. I cannot ask Uncle Shawn to do that, can I?" Her head tilted to a side, looking all adorable and cute.
"You should agree." Lily, who was beside her friend had listened to their conversation, nudged Edith's shoulder. "Look at how adorable Hazel is. How can you have the heart to reject her request?"
"Why don't you go and team up with President Mo?" Edith grumbled to her friend in a low voice.
"I'm married." Lily looked at her friend in triumph. "My husband would get jealous if I team up with another guy."
Hazel started at the two grownups in front of her and her lips to pout a little bit. "Teacher Qian, you really can't join us?"
Edith stared back at the little girl and Hazel's pitiful gaze was starting to making her resolution waver. She tilted her head down and took a deep breath. "Alright," she spoke a while later. "I will join your team."
Hazel's cute attack was very efficient!
Hearing her agreement, Hazel lurched to hug her teacher, and the bright smile on her face returned.
Edith tilted her head and saw that Neil was staring back at her. She did not know how it was going to be to team up with Neil to help Hazel win the race.
The man always had a serious expression on his face. She had been watching the uncle and niece in their trust game and the man had a stoic expression throughout the game. No one knew whether he was enjoying the game or not.
At this time, Edith was worrying about the final task from the race.
The last task will require them to get close. When Edith found out that Hazel had signed up for this game, her wild imagination was envisioning that President Mo and his assistant will get close together. The two men were good looking and this scene would definitely drive a few of the spectator crazy.
If she joined the race, she will have to get close to Neil?
A soft sigh escaped her.
Why did Teacher Sun even recommend Hazel to chose this game?
Forget it...
She should just treat him as an iceblock, an inanimate object, and stop worrying.
The most important thing is that Hazel will be having fun and she was going to stay and help the uncle and niece grew closer.
"Teacher Qian, remember to come over later," Hazel said before she went over to her uncle.
Once the little girl had gone farther, Lily nudged her friend at her waist again. "Alright, tell me. Just what kind of activity that Hazel had signed up in?"
Edith stared back at Lily and another sigh escaped her.
…
While waiting for Hazel's next activity to start, Edith walked around the field and helped to hand out drinks and snacks to everyone as she was assigned to.
In the middle of the field, Alex He and his father were patiently building a tall tower with plastic cups and it looked like the pair was ahead. After building Gundam robots with her father a few times, Alex has become a meticulous person, and stacking plastic cups as this was easy for him.
The surroundings were noisy with the cheering crowds, but it doesn't seem as if this was affecting the duo's concentration.
At the side, Hazel and Tyler were watching the games and cheering for Alex and his father. Megan and a few others tagged along to watch them.
Not far away, President Mo and his assistant stood farther than the crowd. From their expression, Edith guessed that the two of them were discussing something about work. After a while, Assistant Shawn nodded and walked away with his phone in his hand.
Edith stared at the drinking water and a pack of sandwiches in her hand and walked over to Neil.
"President Mo, would you like something to drink?"
Neil looked up at hearing her voice. He stared at her stretched hand and took the drinking water. "Thank you." He swiftly uncapped the bottle and took a swig. Then, he searched for his niece among the crowd and his gaze deepened when he finally found her.
Edith followed his gaze and heard his voice.
"How is Hazel in school?"
"She's doing well," Edith turned to look at the man beside her and smiled. "Hazel has been isolating herself from others after that last incidents, but her close friends had pulled her out of it." She pointed towards the girl beside Hazel and spoke, "That was Megan Xiao, Hazel's best friend. When Hazel first returned to the kindergarten after the accident, Megan had stayed by her side even when Hazel would give her a short reply."
Neil continued to listen to Edith's words and soon shifted his gaze towards the little boy who was taking part in the game.
"You remember Alex He," A chuckle escaped her when Edith recalled the look on Neil's face when he saw the boy was holding hands with Hazel. "The two have only become closer recently. Alex has always been looking after Hazel in class."
His expression change as Neil heard from Edith that it was Alex who reported that Hazel went missing not too long ago.
"Hazel is a quiet girl, but she's pretty popular in school." Edith pointed towards another boy and continued. "You see that boy? He is one of the boys who had a crush on Hazel, but Hazel would always ignore him."
A rare smile curled on his lips as Neil continued to listen to Hazel's relationship with the people around her. At this time, Neil began to realize why Edith was against him taking action to the school when his niece was having trouble at school.
Hazel had a good relationship with her small circle of friends. It would do Hazel no good if he chose to withdraw Hazel from the school or take action against the other girl.
Hazel was facing a little setback the last time but had bravely faced everything and overcome her problem with the help of her friends. They helped her gather her courage to bounce back.
As an adult with certain power and influence, there were various ways he can do for his niece, but in the end, Hazel had to face certain things and deal with them herself. Everything was necessary for Hazel so that she can grow up normally, healthily to become a better person.