Taken aback, AiLin stared at LiAi in surprise. The little girl before her had two small buns perched atop her head, her smile wide and gleaming as she clung to AiLin as if she had just spotted Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
Her little arms squeezed AiLin's waist, her warmth seeping through the fabric of her coat. AiLin hesitated, uncertain of how to react. Did the child just mistake her for—?
Behind LiAi, a woman appeared, breathless and ragged as if she had been chasing after someone.
"I see! So you found your mom, little girl."
AiLin blinked. Mom?
Before she could correct the woman, the stranger placed a scarf in her hands, small, pink, and patterned with teddy bears, obviously belonging to the little girl.
