```
Crack!
Hao Jian was visibly confused, digging at his ear!
What?
What did you say?
"There's a parent-teacher conference at school this afternoon where all the students' fathers and mothers will come together. But I don't have a father, can you pretend to be my dad?"
Tongtong pouted, her eyes red and teary within her vibrant gaze, her little face conveying a mix of dejection and hope as she spoke.
She didn't want to be labeled as the child with no father. Even if she never voiced it, in her heart, she still cared, more or less.
"Tongtong, what are you talking about? Uncle Hao Jian just got off work and is really tired, how can you bother him with this?"
Sister Lan had just brought out a bowl of porridge from the kitchen when she overheard Tongtong's request to Hao Jian and immediately chided her angrily.
Tongtong pursed her lips again, tears glistening in her eyes as she hung her head and fell silent, looking wronged.
