182 The Free Babysitter Part 1 (2/2)

But he really did not have any experience dealing with kids… What was he supposed to do with a young teenage girl beside him?

While Tang En was still deep in thought and had not had any ideas at all, Shania walked down the stairs with a phone in her hand.

”My dad wants to speak with you.”

Tang En received the phone, and the sound of a man's polite voice came from the other end. ”Hello, Mr Twain? This is Shania's father. I'm so sorry that she's troubling you again.”

What ensued was just some idle chatter. In short, her father was saying that his daughter was rather mischievous, and that he hoped she wouldn't cause Tang En too much trouble.

After hanging up, Tang En looked at Shania and said, ”I feel like I've become your free babysitter.”

Shania smiled. ”You mean sugar daddy!”

Tang En raised his hands and made a knocking gesture towards her head. ”I'm not one of those old men who curry favor with girls by buying expensive gifts.”

Shania raised the Totoro soft toy high in the air, until it completely blocked her face. Afterwards, she shouted excitedly, ”This is the proof!”

Tang En shrugged his shoulders. ”But it is not valuable.”

”No!” Shania shouted. ”This is very valuable to me!”

This girl… Tang En did not continue to debate with her on the matter. ”Hmm, Shania… I don't think we can go to Spain anymore.”

”Why?” She replied dejectedly.

Even Tang En could not quite explain the specific reason for it. Perhaps it was because going to the same place for two consecutive trips would bore him. However, he could not say that to Shania. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he thought of a rather ingenious idea. ”Because I thought of an even better place than Spain.”

”And where is that?”

”China!” Tang En had decided to secretly pay a visit to his parents from his past life, and at the same time show Shania around to appreciate China's scenery. Sichuan Province had beautiful scenery, and was definitely a good place for them to spend their holidays touring.

Shania's reaction was beyond Tang En's expectations; she was very happy, and she exclaimed excitedly, ”Awesome! I've been wanting to go since forever!”

”Ah?”

”Because I'm of a Chinese descent! People say that I look like an Easterner all the time!”

”Resembling one doesn't necessarily mean that you're of Chinese descent…”

It would have to be such a distant Chinese descent that by the time it reached Shania's generation, there would be nothing much left to speak of. Aside from her facial features and her eyes still retaining some semblance of it, no matter which direction one looked from, they would not be able relate her to China.

However, this additional connection instantly made Tang En feel much closer to Shania. Even though he was currently British, that did not prevent him from taking a liking to everything related to China. After all, he was still Chinese through and through.

”That's right. I was worried that you wouldn't be willing to travel to somewhere that far.” Tang En started to call the airline company, making reservations for flights flying from London to Hong Kong in two days.

Shania laughed from the side as she watched Tang En make the call. It seemed like she was looking forward to the trip. Tang En stole a glance at her and thought, ”What a small kid...” She was just like Tang En when he was young. Whenever he heard that they were going to the city market, Tang En would become elated. As long as he could leave his house and go to an unfamiliar environment, he would be thrilled.

Although Shania had the height of an adult female, she was still a fourteen year-old girl. She still liked things that girls her age liked, and hated things that they hated.

Tang En had not expected that his soft-heartedness in the heat of the moment would have caused him to become a free baby sitter. But Tang En liked taking care of kids like her. That's right, he liked it a lot!

That night, the two of them went to the Chinese restaurant where the team had gone the other day to celebrate their promotion to the Premier League. Tang En told Shania that it was called a ”welcoming dinner” in China, a formal dinner hosted to welcome guests that had come from afar. At the dining table, Tang En took the opportunity to explain some China-related things to Shania: China's food and drink, China's local customs, the etiquette and taboos in China…Tang En regarded this as a cultural lesson that would be her tuition before they went China.

It was evident that Tang En, who had drank some red wine, had gotten a little too excited; he spoke much more than he usually did. He even started talking about the gimmicks he employed in the Cardiff Millennium stadium, causing Shania to laugh uncontrollably.

Tang En was surprised to find that the sight of Shania chuckling at the table had caused him to be a great sense of accomplishment. The feeling was actually comparable to the feeling of leading the team and winning a match!

Tang En scratched his head, thinking that he perhaps had had a drink too many.