Seeing Jada and Ren looking at her, Claire instinctively took a step back.
But remembering what they had said about hiring an assistant, combined with her own guilt, she continued, "I... I know a bit about this stuff. Hiring an assistant must be expensive, right? I can do it for free."
Claire had seen many famous manga artists in magazines, but she had never seen one as handsome as Ren. This probably meant he wasn't a famous artist.
As for the Porter who had never shown his face?
How could it be so coincidental that she would meet her favorite manga artist, the Porter, just by going out?
If that happened, she would be willing to do a handstand and pee!
Given that, hiring an assistant must be quite an expense for Ren, especially since he had a child and a wife. Hiring an assistant would likely strain the family budget.
Although she had never actually been a manga assistant, she was good at drawing and had been practicing privately. Especially after her friend suggested she could become an assistant, she had been practicing whenever she had free time.
Now, she had confidence in her abilities.
So, upon hearing that Ren needed an assistant, she decided to repay him this way.
"No need," Ren waved his hand, "We can still manage..."
"But you need one!" Claire interrupted urgently, her voice filled with guilt as she looked at Ren's injured hand. "If it weren't for me, your hand wouldn't be hurt. So please, let me help!"
Ren, seeing Claire's earnest and guilt-ridden expression, was at a loss for words. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You look like a student. Wouldn't being my assistant waste your study time? At your age, it's better to focus on your studies. Plus, your family might not agree to you being a manga assistant."
Claire hesitated upon hearing Ren's words.
She wasn't worried about her grades; they were good, and she had spare time.
But as Ren said, this was her own decision and hadn't been approved by her parents.
Just then, she saw two figures hurrying towards her and quickly ran to meet them. "Dad, Mom, let me tell you..."
Soon after, Ren watched Claire talking to her parents, explaining everything.
After a while, her parents nodded and came to Ren and Jada. "Thank you for saving our daughter. She's our only treasure. If something had happened to her, we... we would..."
Claire's mother started sobbing uncontrollably, clearly deeply affected.
Her father almost knelt before Ren, but Ren stopped him in time.
Parents are always the most pitiful.
When they received the call from the police, the couple almost fainted. It was only after learning that their daughter was saved that they calmed down.
"We don't know much about manga, but our daughter's drawing is really good." Claire's father patted his chest and pushed Claire forward. "Let her be your assistant. With this incident weighing on her, she won't be able to concentrate on her studies anyway."
Well, now there's no refusing?
Ren looked helplessly at Jada, blinking repeatedly, seeking help.
"Let's give it a try," Jada stepped forward with a smile. "But she will still have to pass our test. Being an assistant isn't just about good drawing skills. Even if she passes, we'll still pay her."
Jada was just being polite.
She thought that a student's so-called good drawing skills were probably not that impressive.
Even if this girl had the skills of a manga assistant, what kind of company did she run?
Right, a manga company! Short of assistants? That's a joke!
So, this girl was destined not to become an assistant.
"I'll work hard!" Claire clenched her fists, her eyes burning with determination.
"Also, this is to show our gratitude."
At this point, Claire's parents came forward, holding a stack of cash.
"I can't accept this!"
"No, you must. You saved our child..."
After much back-and-forth, Ren and Jada finally managed to refuse the money from Claire's parents and left quickly.
...
The three walked side by side down the road.
Ren and Jada were on either side, with little Yueyue in the middle, holding both their hands. She kept telling Jada how brave her daddy was during the fight.
"But he's still not as strong as a magical girl," Yueyue sighed. In her mind, if a magical girl had intervened, she would have just used her magic wand to defeat the bad guy with a few bippity-boppities!
However, Ren seemed to remember something.
The reason he rushed to save Claire wasn't just because he was confident he could save her, but also for Yueyue.
He had once come across a question: Should we teach children kindness?
There were many answers, but the one that resonated with Ren the most was: While society teaches them harshness, it's up to you to teach them kindness.
So, Ren charged in.
But this kindness was not without wisdom…
He looked at Yueyue and gently asked, "Yueyue, what should you do if you encounter someone in trouble like that big sister today?"
"Of course, I'll be just like Daddy!" Yueyue kicked her little legs, "I'll beat up all the bad guys~~"
As expected…
But before Ren could educate Yueyue, Jada stopped and knelt down, placing a hand on Yueyue's head. "No, Yueyue, you should look for nearby people and ask for their help. Didn't Mommy give you a phone? If no one is around, find a safe place and call the police. Always ask the police for help first."
Some families tell their children that the police will take them away if they misbehave, but Jada strongly disagreed with this. It only makes children afraid of the police.
Normally, children should be taught to seek help from the police in times of danger.
"Yes, your mom is right," Ren smiled. "Don't just rush in blindly. See, you can't even beat Daddy. How could you beat a bad guy?"
As he spoke, Ren playfully squeezed Yueyue's cheeks, "See, Daddy is squeezing your cheeks, and you can't do anything about it. If it were a bad guy, you wouldn't be able to fight back at all."
"Also, if you see someone being bullied at kindergarten, don't intervene alone. Instead, tell the teacher immediately."
Yueyue looked at her parents and their serious expressions. Although she was young, she understood that they were doing this for her own good.
So, Yueyue nodded. "Uh-huh."
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