At the sight of Nora staring at him expectantly, Pete gave a resigned reply. To be honest, he wasn’t very interested in such things.
It was rare to see Mommy interested in something other than sleeping, though, so he would just accompany her there.
Jimmy was still hospitalized, so he didn’t come to class. The children were still very concerned about Pete.
"Cherry, Jimmy is still unwell. His mother won’t let your mother off. You have to be careful!"
"Cherry, will you have to drop out of school when Jimmy returns? I’m so worried about you~"
Their kindness warmed Pete’s heart very much. He said, "Don’t worry. Everything is fine..."
But right after he spoke, he met Mia’s curious eyes, so he quietly added, "... yeah."
The other children didn’t believe him, though.
"How can that be? I heard that the big tiger in Jimmy’s house is really fierce and menacing. It can eat a child with each bite!"
"I’ve also heard about it! They say Jimmy’s mother is a tigress, and that his father has three legs, four arms, and five pairs of eyes! He’s even fiercer than a tiger!"
Some of the children even started to cry. "Cherry, I can’t bear to part with you. Sob..."
Was it really alright for children to be so ignorant?
The corners of his lips spasmed a little. He was about to speak when Mia said, "Don’t worry, everyone. Cherry will be fine, yeah!"
"Because Cherry’s father is Justin Hunt! Jimmy’s father is afraid of Cherry’s father!"
Mia replied innocently.
The other adorable children congratulated him one by one.
"Have you found your Daddy, Cherry? That’s great!"
"Wow, Cherry, so you have a father. I always thought that you didn’t have one. Did your mommy give birth to you with a rock?"
"Huh? Wasn’t Cherry given to her mom as a gift with purchase? When I asked Mom who Cherry’s dad was, she told me that her mom got her free of charge when she bought something!"
Pete was rendered speechless by how everyone was digressing from the topic.
However, there were also some who didn’t believe it. They asked, "Cherry, is your father really Justin Hunt?"
Pete wanted to deny it, but when he met Mia’s innocent eyes, he could only silently reply, "I guess you can say that."
As Justin’s son, Pete had always taken his safety very seriously ever since he was a baby.
He didn’t have any bodyguards with him here, so he mustn’t expose his identity so casually!
The bell finally rang, and the children scattered.
Mia sat next to Pete and asked softly, "Don’t you like your father, Cherry?"
Pete nodded. "Yeah, the tyrant is too fierce."
Mia rested her chin on her hands and said, "Your father won’t be so fierce anymore if you become a girl~"
Pete was taken aback. "Why?" he asked.
Mia looked at him and replied, "Because that’s what my father says. He says that girls should be pampered and brought up lovingly! You must have gone to your father as a boy, right?"
So, was the tyrant so strict and harsh on him because he was a boy?
A few children from the higher grade came to the classroom.
The person leading them was very big and well-built, which made him look very domineering. A few people followed behind him.
The height difference between children who were even just a year older was very obvious. Moreover, Pete had always been in rather poor health all these years because he had stopped breathing once when he was an infant, so he was about the same height as Cherry. Therefore, those children were a whole half a head taller than Pete.
They gathered in front of Pete. The one leading them pushed Pete and said, "I heard that you bullied Jimmy? I’m so happy to hear that!"
Pete frowned. "I didn’t."
"What didn’t you do? Do you know who I am?" The burly kid said, "My father is Paul Quinlan. He’s enemies with Jimmy’s father! It makes me happy that you bullied him! I hereby announce that you can be my little sidekick from now on."
He looked at the person in front of him lazily, bypassed him from the side, and said, "I’m not interested."
The child immediately grabbed his sleeve and said, "You’re Cherry Smith, right? Don’t you dare think that I won’t beat you up just because you’re a girl. Do you know how great an honor it is to be my sidekick? I heard that you don’t have a father, right? Do you know who my father is?"
The child patted his chest and said, "My name is Terence Quinlan, and my father, Paul Quinlan, is even more impressive than Jordan Hoffman! He’s very amazing! If you choose to follow me, you won’t have to be afraid of Jimmy’s father anymore! You can ask the people behind me—who doesn’t know that I’m the most awesome around these parts?"
Mia took a step forward and said, "Terence, you’re not allowed to bully Cherry!"
Terence looked at her and curled his lip disdainfully. He said, "Go away, you invalid! It’s only on account of your father that I’m not holding it against you. Otherwise, I’d have beaten you up long ago!"
As he spoke, he pushed Mia and said, "You invalid! My father said that out of everyone in the entire kindergarten, your father is the only one he’ll show some courtesy to, so he told me not to bully you. But everyone else has to listen to me! Heh, I heard your father has driven away your mother, though? You’re now a motherless child! Your father will marry another woman after this. When they have a few sons, you’ll become an illegitimate daughter, and your father won’t care about you anymore!"
Mia stumbled quite a few steps backward before she finally steadied herself.
Upon hearing that her mother had been driven away and that she would become an illegitimate daughter, Mia’s eyes reddened and she said, "That’s not true. Don’t you spout nonsense."
Pete frowned and stepped in front of Mia. He said, "Apologize to her!"
Terence sneered, "Who do you think you are? You don’t even have a father. What makes you think I should listen to you and apologize to her?"
Pete was about to speak when Brandon rushed over and said, "Terence, his father is Justin Hunt! He’s someone that even your father cannot afford to offend!"
A look of disbelief appeared on Terence’s chubby face. Then, he guffawed and said, "Are you daydreaming? Justin Hunt...? Don’t you even think a little before you brag? Or do you think you can scare me with just a few words? I’m not a three or four-year-old kid anymore!"
Mia pouted and said, "His father really is Justin Hunt!"
Terence sneered, "That’s impossible! My father said that Justin Hunt only has a son, and he keeps him super protected. He has bodyguards with him everywhere he goes, and no one can see what he looks like! Cherry is a girl, so how can she possibly be Justin Hunt’s child?"
Mia got anxious and argued, "Cherry is a boy today!"
Terence burst into loud, raucous laughter at once. He said, "By the way, didn’t they say that Cherry can become a boy? I can’t believe you guys will actually believe something like that! You’re so naive! So, Cherry Smith, your father is Justin Hunt, right? Do you dare to call him right now?"
Without a second thought, Brandon stood beside Pete and said, "Cherry, call your father now!"