In friendship, what matters is not how many friends we have, but how well we understand each other
as friends. True friends are hard to get. One true friend in life is lucky enough. We know a friend is a
true one not by how much time we spend with them but by how much we can open our heart to them.
Mark stopped washing his hands and looked up at the person who was staring at him.
Daniel was surprised. Fluster flitted across his eyes. He pulled the mask off and revealed his face. "You
can recognize me even if I am wearing a mask. Good for you, little guy," he said with an awkward
smile.
"Hee hee," Mark giggled. "Uncle Daniel, why are you in my school?" When Mark realized that Daniel
was wearing a uniform, he pointed and asked, "And why are you in a uniform? Do you work here now?"
Daniel shook his head. He looked around warily. When he was sure that no one was around, he said,
"Shh! I'm here for a program."
"Huh?"
Daniel nodded, "We have five groups of people on this program. The task is to take a kid to an
appointed place within a limited time."
"Really?" Mark's eyes brightened. He seemed interested. Kids are curious after all. "Uncle Daniel, have
you found the kid yet?" he asked.
Daniel shook his head again, just much more dejected this time. "Not yet." He twisted his mouth in
frustration. As he was looking at Mark, his eyes lit up like he just had an idea. He asked excitedly,
"Mark, can I take you instead?"
Mark nodded, looking excited too. But then something occurred to him. "Oh, I am sorry Uncle Daniel. I
am afraid I can't go with you. We have to take a nap at half past twelve," he said.
Daniel squatted down and said, "It's okay. It takes only five minutes to get to the camera crew. All you
need to do is show up. I can bring you back right away after that."
Mark thought about it with his head tilted. Seeing the expectation on Daniel's face, he chewed his lip
and said with a nod, "Okay then."
A touch of coldness flitted across Daniel's eyes. He checked the entrance of the bathroom and said to
Mark, "Let's go from the window. It will be faster." Mark looked towards the window. As if he was scared
that Mark would change his mind, Daniel added quickly, "Then we can get there earlier and I can bring
you back earlier too."
Mark agreed.
At this moment, there was nobody else in the bathroom except them. Daniel slid the window open and
jumped over. He stood outside the window and put out his hand, saying, "Mark, come on. I got you."
Mark drew closer to the window. Daniel picked him up, closed the window, and ran northwest of the
kindergarten with Mark in his arms.
Mark put his arms around Daniel's neck. He stayed in his arms quietly, thinking Daniel was running
because he was trying to save time and get him back to the school earlier.
Daniel kept running. The school was farther and farther from them. He looked back every now and
then. He was relieved a little when he saw that no one was chasing them. He looked back once again,
swallowed hard, and continued running. He didn't slow down until they arrived at a rundown two-floor
building. He checked one more time behind them and headed to the backyard of the building.
Some people were already waiting for him when he made the turn. His body stiffened in shock, his face
drained. After a few seconds, he started to withdraw in fear. Sensing something was happening, Mark
turned his head and saw six men standing there and...
"Mrs. Ling? " Mark's eyes lit up the moment he saw Shirley. He wanted to go to her, but Daniel held him
tight. "Uncle Daniel, put me down."
Only Daniel wouldn't. He stared at the people in front of them and said, "Mark, those are bad people."
"..." Mark was speechless and confused.
Shirley rolled her eyes angrily and said, "Only you're the bad person here. No, your whole family is. Oh,
right, except for Little Molly." With a twist of her mouth, she went on, "Daniel, release Mark. Maybe I
can ask Richie to go easy on you."
"Huh!" Daniel sneered, "What do you think I am? Stupid? You'll never let me go if I release Mark."
"Well, you're wrong," Shirley said simply.
Mark looked at Shirley and then at Daniel. He sensed the awkwardness in the air. He pressed his lip
and watched silently.
Daniel kept withdrawing, looking around warily and trying to figure out a way to escape.
"Daniel, you won't be able to run away," Shirley said calmly, hands shoved in her pockets, looking at
Daniel with cold eyes. She continued, "You've been under our watch since you walked into that school.
We knew what you were up to as soon as you left the rehabilitation center."
"So what?" Daniel's mouth twitched, "As long as I have Mark, there's nothing you can do to me."
Shirley shrugged. "If you say so..."
"Ah!"
Bam! "Ow!
Get away from me! Let me go!"
Suddenly Mark was gone right before his eyes. His arms were twisted behind his back. Daniel was
stunned. He had no idea where those men had come from.
He was struggling, his eyes burning, "What are you going to do to me? What do you want?"
"Uncle Daniel..." Mark was already with Shirley. He looked at Daniel with bright eyes.
Daniel's eyes were red with anger. He hadn't expected the plan would fail. He wondered how Shirley
had found out about it. What went wrong? The plan had been made with care. He had gone right to the
school after he had left the rehabilitation center. He had waited until noon. He had thought everything
went so well. It turned out that they'd been watching him the entire time.
Daniel clenched his teeth. He looked at Mark, trying to explain. "Mark, I am your uncle, your family.
How can you trust these strangers instead of me?" Seeing the confusion in Mark's eyes, he stopped
struggling. "Mark, you don't know these people. Look at them. There is no doubt that they are
gangsters. Even the teacher is one of them. How can you be with them? How can you let them treat
me like this?"
"Uncle Daniel, they're not bad people," Mark said, "Mrs. Ling is Papa Brian's mom and this is Papa
Brian's dad. They say you ran away from the rehabilitation center and they're just going to take you
back. Mommy also says you have to quit doing drugs."
Daniel was shocked to find out who Richie was. He had thought he and Brian were alike when he had
seen him just now. They even assumed the same cold presence. But Daniel had refused to think
further about the connection. And Mark's explanation made the connection all clear to him.
"Uncle Daniel," Mark uttered hesitantly, wriggling his fingers with lowered head as if he had done
something wrong. "Actually, I knew you were lying when you said you were on a program." He raised
his head. There was sadness in his eyes.
Richie got the wind the moment Daniel ran away from the rehabilitation center. He immediately
arranged bodyguards in Mark's school and ordered Antonio to protect Mark in the villa. He could have
caught Daniel the minute he had showed up at Mark's school, but he hadn't. Daniel was Molly's
brother, Brian's brother-in-law, and Mark's uncle after all. He had hoped Daniel could realize his
mistakes eventually. However, now he was hurting Mark, his own nephew. Obviously, Daniel was
hopeless.
Richie gestured to his men to take Daniel away. Daniel kept cursing.
Mark watched Daniel being taken away. He raised his head to look at Shirley with sadness written all
over his face. She squatted down and stroked his hair, trying to comfort him, "Mark, this is the best way
to help your uncle. Your uncle didn't mean to hurt you. Someone made him do that. He loves you and
you know that, right?"
Mark nodded. His eyes reddened. Shirley pulled him into her arms. His eyes watered. With his head on
her shoulder, he looked at Richie through misty eyes, whose face was so like Brian's.
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