“She?”
The boy couldn’t help but suspect that the girl must be referring to Alice or Romanka.
Could this pretty girl possibly be a patient of Professor Romanka’s? He and Gong Jie looked at each other, finding this quite incredible.
The boy was naturally curious about her. Intrigued, he crouched down beside her and looked into her bright purple eyes.
“What’s your … name?”
The little snow bunny tilted her head and gave a friendly smile. “Natalia,” she said in her soft voice.
“Natalia?”
What a nice and special name.
Youyou nodded and introduced himself, “My name is Youyou.”
The little snow bunny gave him a strange look and muttered, “I didn’t ask your name!”
The boy was greatly amused to hear that. This little lass was so cute.
Feigning sadness, Youyou asked, “Don’t you want to know my name?”
The little snow bunny shook her head gently. “No, I don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because, I don’t know you.”
The little snow bunny wasn’t nearly as friendly as the boy. She was still curled up in the tiny corner, obviously reluctant to talk. “Don’t you talk to me, or she’ll know where I am.”
“Know where you are?” The boy’s curiosity grew. “Who?”
Alice?
But the little snow bunny ignored him. She just hugged her knees and crouched in the corner, really looking like a furry snow bunny.
What a strange girl!
Just as Youyou was wondering about the girl, Alice opened the door and came in. She looked around and saw the boy and Gong Jie standing by the bed. “Did you see a little girl with chestnut hair, she’s about seven or eight?” she asked, not really expecting any useful answer.
“A little girl?” Gong Jie reflexively glanced at the hiding place under the table.
Alice didn’t catch the subtle movement in his eyes. “Well, I don’t think either of you saw her,” she went on. “It’s strange. The CCTV showed her coming this way, but after she turned the corner it was a blind spot that couldn’t be captured. How could a living person just disappear into thin air.”
The boy imagined that Alice was looking for Natalia, and the latter must be hiding from her. He turned to Natalia, and saw that she kept winking at him, clasping her hands together, obviously asking him not to reveal her “hiding place.”
Youyou pursed his lips, attempting to guard her secret as well, but Alice became suspicious when he kept staring at a spot under the desk. She came over and followed his gaze, only to find Natalia looking back at her in shock. The girl scrambled awkwardly out from under the desk and tried to run, but Alice was quicker and picked her up.
“Natalia, there you are! I’ve been looking for you.” Alice pinched the tip of her nose, but Natalia slapped her hand away unhappily, pouting angrily. She shot the boy an equally sour look, clearly blaming him for revealing her hiding place.
The boy looked somewhat innocent. He hadn’t given anything away! “Were you playing hide-and-seek?”
Alice nodded. “Yes, I suppose so! I’m taking her back to the ward now.”
Natalia’s smile disappeared at the suggestion of returning to the ward. She lost her temper. “I’m not going back to the ward!”
“No, you have to go back.”
