Tang Xiaonan jumped. ’Holy crap,’ she thought. ’Did I act so cute that this big shot can’t bear to part with me?’

She couldn’t help but feel a little smug. ’As expected of someone practically raised on a diet of pure cuteness, I’m universally adored. No one, young or old, male or female, can escape my cuteness attack.’

Although her material life would surely ascend to Everest-like heights with the Madman, and her future prospects might be even better, Tang Xiaonan was still unwilling. She loved the Thorne family, loved Phoebe Huxley and her husband, and she loved her three older brothers, as well as her grandpa, grandma, second uncle, and youngest uncle. She’d even grown attached to Millstone Peak and didn’t want to leave.

So—

"I have a mommy and a daddy, and they’re very, very good." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Tang Xiaonan looked up at the Madman very seriously.

"Can your parents buy you Coke? Pretty clothes?" the Madman asked pointedly.

Tang Xiaonan shook her head. "No."

"If you become my daughter, you can drink Coke and eat ice cream every day. You’ll get to wear pretty clothes, too," the Madman continued to tempt her. He refused to believe the little girl could resist.

He felt conflicted. Part of him hoped the chubby little girl would agree, but if Tang Xiaonan actually did, he knew he’d be displeased. He couldn’t even figure out what answer he truly wanted.

Tang Xiaonan blinked, her eyes immediately misting over. She looked at him pitifully. "I want to go home. I don’t want pretty dresses anymore, and I don’t want to drink Coke."

Although the Madman felt a twinge of disappointment, he also breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t misjudged her; the chubby little girl had a good heart.

Will couldn’t help but chime in, "Boss, don’t scare the little kid. How could a child her age leave her mom and dad?"

"I was just joking with the girl! What the hell do you know?"

The Madman glared at him irritably. If he really wanted to keep the chubby girl, he wouldn’t have needed to ask. He could have just taken her, and that would be that. Who would dare to say no?

Will pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "It’s not like you can’t have your own. Why are you always after other people’s kids? Just have one yourself."

"You looking for a beating?"

The Madman’s face darkened. Will didn’t dare mutter another word, lowering his head and playing dead. The Madman snorted, then turned back to Tang Xiaonan and squeezed out a "benevolent" smile. "Uncle was just joking with you. You don’t have to be my daughter."

Tang Xiaonan breathed a sigh of relief and broke into a sweet grin, though her mind was buzzing with curiosity about the Madman’s past. From the way Will had spoken, the Madman had no wife or children. With his wealth and power, getting married should be a piece of cake. So why wasn’t he?

’And he’s so self-conscious about the scar on his face. I must be right—nine times out of ten, he’s suffering from a broken heart. It’s a shame the author of the book never wrote about this Madman character, or maybe they did and I just didn’t pay close attention. I have no idea what his final outcome was.’

Tang Xiaonan held the Madman’s hand as they walked slowly, her mind occupied. After a while, her scalp suddenly tingled as a crucial plot point hit her. There was a period when Adrian Hawthorne was in a terrible mood because his much-older friend, who was also a key business partner, had gotten into trouble. The author never described this person directly, only mentioning that he was Adrian Hawthorne’s great benefactor and that Adrian had built his entire fortune thanks to this older friend.

About ten years from now, this older friend would be thrown in jail on charges of speculation and profiteering. He’d receive a heavy sentence. Adrian Hawthorne would pull every string he had but would fail to save his friend, who eventually died. Adrian was depressed for a very long time after that.

The author never mentioned this older friend’s name, but they did say he was from the south and was very powerful. All of this matched the Madman perfectly. If she wasn’t mistaken, that older friend was the Madman himself.