Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Twain still decided to give Shania a call to have a good talk with her. He should not have been responsible for this sort of matter as her parents were still alive and well. But looking at the current development, her parents were clearly not in charge. In that case… Twain felt that since he was really like one of Shania’s elders most of the time, so it was a matter of course that he stepped forward to say a few words.
Listening to the ringing tone coming from inside the cell phone while he waited for his call to be answered, Twain let his imagination run wild. While he was busy preparing for the Champions League final against Chelsea during this time, he had not made another call to Shania. But was it really because he was preparing for the Champions League final?
Maybe he did not want to make that call.
This was good. She had made a new friend over there, and it was a man. He did not have to worry about whether she was lonely over there. Shania had to grow up sooner or later. He could not always take his first memory of when he first met her as the permanent impression. She was only thirteen years old at that time, and now fast forward five years later, she was almost eighteen years old. In China, one would be considered an adult at the age of eighteen … So, she should live her own life and have her own social circles. These things had nothing to do with him.
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily not in service. Please try again later …”
“Strange.” Twain mumbled to himself as he looked at the phone screen.
He had wanted to put the phone down like this and get busy with other things. But looking at the name behind that string of numbers on the screen—“Little Girl”, he stubbornly pressed the call button again.
In fact, … I’m aware of all the reasons above, but why do I just feel awful? Is it due to that Colin Farrell? Ah, yes! It must be because of that guy with the bad reputation. Ah, I’m still so worried about this little girl in the United States. Why she can find young handsome guy with a nice character? Hollywood is full of young handsome people. Why does she take a fancy to an old guy who is about to be thirty-two years old! With a kid in tow! Oh my God… This world is too crazy!
Alcoholism, drug use, playboy … My little girl cannot be companion to that kind of man. I feel scared just thinking about it!
I absolutely forbid this kind of thing! Right! This is a major life decision; she cannot be hasty! She’s only a young girl with no experience and that shameful old man is an old hand at the affairs of the heart. He must have used charming words to deceive Shania. I have to make it clear to her that love is not like this … Definitely not!
Love should be … Love should be … Love should be …
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily not in service. Please try again later …”
“Bastard!” Twain cursed and pressed the green button on his cell phone again.
How should love be like … Ah, this is really a profound philosophical question. Anyway, it will not be a young girl who’s not even eighteen in embrace with an old man who already had a child and appeared intimately in front of everyone! It’s not in line with … common sense!
Twain gnashed his teeth at the thought.
What if she gets mad at me? But she’s never been an obedient girl who listens to me… Then I can only be a little fiercer. I must act angry and not back down! Yes, I can’t let her do whatever she pleases! Can’t let her have her way according to her temper. I hate spoiling kids this sort of thing the most hate! You’re going to get it from me this time, Shania …
“Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily not in service. Please …”
“FUCK!”
※※※
Shania sat cross-legged on the couch, looking very seriously at the cell phone on the coffee table. The tiny pink cell phone rang out with melodious music and vibrated on several times as it slowly moved to the edge.
She wanted to see if the cell phone would jolt itself off the edge.
Half the body of the phone was suspended in the air. One more jolt and it would lose its balance. It was at this time that the sound of the music and vibration stopped at once.
Shania pursed her lips.
Just as she was about to pick up her cell phone, the music came on again! This startled her as her fingers touched the cell phone. The small phone did a somersault in the air and then fell straight to the floor.
“Ah!” Shania exclaimed.
Fortunately, the floor was carpeted, and the cell phone avoided the fate of smashing into smithereens. Shania hurriedly picked it up from the floor and accidentally touched the answer call button.
“Sha-ni-a–!!” Full of anger, Uncle Tony’s voice, crossed the Atlantic and American continents, ignoring the barriers of time and space and broke out.
He was furious.
“Why didn’t you answer my call!!”
Shania took her cell phone in front of her and did not put it to her ear. Even so, it did not prevent her from hearing Tony Twain’s clear voice.
“Uh … Uh …”
Shania was a little frightened when she heard Uncle Tony’s angry voice. She thought she had to find an excuse for herself this time, or she would have been scolded by Uncle Tony …
Shania anxiously scrambled on the couch and unwittingly hit the power switch on the television remote control.
A “beep” sound came on and the television in front of her was turned on. It was the Fox Sports channel, which was just showing the F1 race. Shania’s eyes lit up and turned the volume up.
“Ah! I’m sorry, Uncle Tony! I’m out shopping. It’s so noisy here, so I did not hear the phone ringing …”
The television speakers transmitted the “buzz buzz buzz buzz—-” noise of the F1 race cars zooming past the cameras at a high speed. It totally corroborated …
※※※
Twain did hear the roar of the engine, but he was a little puzzled because the noise sounded so strange. There were no cars with such horsepower on an ordinary street …
Just as he was wondering, a faint voice loomed in his ear, “… Alonso overtook Button and now he’s in the pole position …”
“Click—” Twain’s hand gave a hard press, and the cell phone in his hand gave a whine.
※※※
Shania covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed as she was betrayed by her television so quickly.
“Shania …” He did not yell, but this low voice made Shania even more frightened. “You even dare to fool me …”
“Er, hehe—” Shania could only giggle.
“Turn off the TV and don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.” Twain said coolly.
Shania had to obediently turn off the television, and the room was restored to peace again. Now the voice on the phone was clearer.
“How … have you been lately?”
※※※
Twain wanted to properly criticize Shania, but when he spoke, his words turned into “How … have you been lately?” type of greeting. It was a disgrace, and the momentum he had gathered deflated as soon as he made this remark.
He could only sigh with frustration.
※※※
She originally wanted to keep a cold face to deal with Uncle Tony’s rant, but did not expect to be faced with a greeting and sigh.
That sigh crumbled Shania’s psychological defenses instantly—she was supposed to be angry with Uncle Tony, but now she could not even work up her anger.
“I’m good. I’ve got a boyfriend.” Although she was no longer angry inside, she did not intend to let go of the nasty Uncle Tony in words.
“Ah …” Twain froze. He’s really her boyfriend …. Son of a bitch!
“That won’t do.” He startled Shania with a sudden roar.
“Why not?”
“I said that boyfriend of yours won’t do!”
“Why not? He is good to me, a very gentle man and very romantic too … He’s so nice! Why ever not?” Shania asked with pursed lips.
“Tut! Is that kind of playboy considered good too? Gentle? Romantic? That are just moves an old hand at love uses to pick up girls!”
Shania covered her mouth and giggled, “It looks like Uncle Tony is also an old hand at love. Where’s your girlfriend, Uncle Tony?”
“Don’t divert from the subject!” Twain cried, “I’m now educating you and not you giving me a lesson! I’m telling you, Shania, Hollywood is one big corrupted place. If you’re not careful, you can just …” He could not continue as the words that followed were not very nice sounding to a girl.
“What’s the matter, Uncle Tony?” Shania was unwilling to let go.
“Ahem, ahem.” Twain coughed a couple of times before he changed the subject, “Anyway, Shania. I think, you’ve just arrived there, so you’d better seriously learn first and focus on your career first. As for dating and relationship, you can take it slowly … And to be honest, I don’t feel at ease about that Colin Farrell. I don’t think he has the best of intentions…” Twain was justifying his actions. After all, interfering in the private lives of others was a bad thing in the Westerners’ views. Instead, he heard laughter which sounded like silver bells coming from the other end of the line.
“I still remember what I said to you at Armani’s dinner party—if I was going to find a boyfriend in the future, I would definitely come to you first and ask for your advice. If you’re not satisfied with him, I’ll let him go. What did you say at that time, Uncle Tony?”
“What did I say at the time?” He did not recall clearly what happened a year ago. Twain was confused and did not know what Shania meant by suddenly mentioning the past.
“You yelled at me and said, ‘I’m not your father!’” Shania rather accurately captured Twain’s flustered and exasperated tone and said, “You see, now that I have not asked for your advice, you came calling on your own, Uncle Tony.”
“Are you blaming me?” Twain asked with a frown.
“No.” The corners of her lips curled up as she spoke into the phone, “You don’t like Colin Farrell?”
This time Twain replied without hesitation, “I dislike him very much!”
Shania leaned against the couch while a soundless laugh played on her pair of slightly parted and alluring soft red lips.
“I tell you, Shania … You must be inexperience in this area. Your Uncle Tony is an old hand! You have to listen to me this time. Just from the looks of that Colin Farrell, you know he’s not a good guy!” Twain did not whether Colin Farrell was really a good person or not. Anyway, this was for the sake of Shania’s “lifelong happiness.” What did it matter if he had to discredit a person who had nothing to do with him? He was best at blurting things out without thinking.
“Ah, for a thing like love, you have to find a man… who has a sense of security which is the most important thing. He must be able to make you feel safe! Do you know that? Ah, Shania, the so-called sense of security is when you are with him, you will not be nervous and afraid. You won’t worry about getting hurt and be inexplicably upset … In short, you will feel safe and at ease as if you’re leaning against a wall … No, a mountain!” Twain clenched his fist and raised his voice as if he made an impromptu speech to his players in the locker room. “He can accommodate your everything. No matter what difficulties, setbacks and grievances you encounter outside, you can at least rely on him and sleep in peace! It cannot be replaced by some pretty words and sending nine hundred and ninety-nine bouquets of roses! He may not speak beautifully, do very romantic things, but he loves you, is willing to take care of you, dependable, willing to help you weather the ups and downs in life …”
Shania listened in a daze.
Twain was totally unaware that he had gushed out bits and pieces from his mind of how a man should be, observed from various places in his past. As he spoke, he even felt he should work towards the goal, because …
“This kind of man is too perfect …” Shania exclaimed.
“Listen, Shania. Love is for a lifetime. You can’t rush it, so you naturally have to have high standards and strict requirements.” Twain deliberately ignored the difference between “love” and “marriage.” In fact, marriage was probably a major lifetime decision…
“In a nutshell, I hope you will be happy all your life, Shania.” Twain meant these words from the bottom of his heart. He added, “But Colin Farrell cannot give you a lifetime of happiness. I do not approve of you with him, absolutely … absolutely not in favor!”
After she listened to Twain’s remarks, Shania was silent for a moment.
Just as Twain thought Shania was still unwilling to accept his opinions, he heard her gentle voice said, “Thank you, Uncle Tony.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean ‘huh’?”
“There’s no ‘but’?”
“Why should there be a ‘but’?”
“General, isn’t ‘thank you’ followed by a ‘but’? Such as:
—-Thank you, Twain. You’re a good man. But we can’t be together. I only think of you as my brother (uncle)!
“There’s not a ‘but’!” Shania did not know whether to laugh or dry, “Thank you, Uncle Tony, thank you!”
Twain finally breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared as if Shania was going to accept his advice. He had just sighed when he thought of another question: am I being too thoughtless when I so roughly interfere in Shania’s private life? I should still apologize to her, right? Is it right for me to do this? Is it my place to do this? Do I have the right to say these things?
“Are you angry, Shania?”
“Angry? Why?”
“Because … Well, I interfered with your … private life …”
“Why would I be angry?” Shania happily said with a laugh, “You are my Uncle Tony. I can be angry with everyone, but I will not be angry with Uncle Tony! Besides …”
I’m actually very happy.
Shania did not say this. Instead, she replaced it with another reason.
“… Besides, you’re showing me concern. You’re being kind, Uncle Tony.”
Twain was really relieved now. He said, “If you feel lonely and alone, just call me and don’t mind the time difference. Even if it is in the middle of the night in London, you can still call me. Or… when you’re not busy, come back once in a while for a break.”
Shania did not respond to this invitation. She just asked, “Do you miss Me, Uncle Tony?”
This time, Twain did not repeatedly stress how much he missed her. He just uttered once, “Yes.”
“That’s good. Whenever I’m lonely, I will think that Uncle Tony misses me, so I won’t be lonely!” Shania said happily.
“Silly girl …” Twain smiled.
※※※
It was lunchtime on another training with two sessions of practice.
Dunn sat across from Twain and lowered his head to eat his seafood risotto, while Twain only drank coffee and ate sandwiches.
Kerslake came up to Twain with the papers and said, “It’s really strange that Shania dumped that Irish playboy overnight. It’s too soon for the rumored couple to break up, isn’t it? The papers stated that guy, Fasal, couldn’t figure out why Shania rejected him. I couldn’t figure it out too. Didn’t they seem to be getting on quite well before, did they?”
Twain did not grab the newspapers this time. He just drank his coffee and said leisurely, “Who knows? Who can tell with a thing like love? Maybe Shania thinks Farrell’s hair is too long?”
“What kind of reason is that?” Kerslake did not know whether to laugh or cry at Twain’s response.
Dunn, who was busy eating, glanced at Twain. The demon tail behind this man seemed to be swinging complacently.
