The Wave

"Shalalalala——"

"Splash——"

"Hmm hmm hmm, siblings are so fun, no need to live apart, forget the generation gap and…"

From the bathroom, accompanied by the sound of the shower, came the sound of a girl humming a song, as sweet as a nightingale.

Alice was scrubbing her hair with shampoo, occasionally sneaking a look at herself in the mirror out of vanity, but perhaps because she hadn't fully grown yet, she could only be described as having just the beginnings of something.

"It's fine, this young lady isn't in a hurry." Alice continued humming, saying it to herself as a form of self-comfort.

The moment she thought of Tang Keke's smug face, a sense of unwillingness to lose welled up inside her.

As a perfect person, she had to completely defeat the other in personality, ability, and figure. Alice believed she had already achieved two of those, and the remaining one just needed time.

"Lady Alice, your skill is so amazing."

"Lady Alice, why is your figure so good?"

Alice role-played to herself, flicking soap bubbles everywhere with the bath puff in her hand.

And just outside the bathroom door, a figure as solid as an iron tower stood silently, wordlessly guarding the safety within.

The one outside was, of course, Bobo. Despite the racket Alice was making inside the bathroom, Bobo wore a look of having seen it all before—after all, he had been looking after this child since she was in diapers.

In fact, compared to the average guardian of a child, Bobo had spent even more time with Alice than most parents or elders, almost never leaving her side.

At this moment, Bobo quietly stared straight ahead. Even though it was just a plain white wall, his gaze did not waver for a moment, as if he was pondering something.

"Buzz." The sound of a vibration came. Bobo glanced down at his pocket, and as if he had expected it all along, he slowly paced over to the balcony.

The wind on the rooftop was a bit scorching, and even his massive frame felt the stuffiness. Leaving the air-conditioned living room, this place was like a sauna, where even the evening breeze offered not a trace of coolness.

But Bobo's mind wasn't on that right now. He pulled a pair of black earpieces from his pocket—

Putting them on, he pressed a button. "Master."

"Bo, you have disappointed me." On the other end of the earpiece came a calm voice—a woman's voice, one Bobo knew all too well.

"I'm sorry." A thousand words, and in the end, all Bobo could say was that.

"Why did only one piece of that screen fall? It should have been the whole screen coming down at once, shouldn't it? Then those kids would have burst like meat paste, like squashed rotten tomatoes." The woman's voice carried a note of discontent, as if she was upset at not having been able to enjoy a piece of art.

Bobo: "..."

"A slight deviation occurred. Please punish me, Master." Bobo said.

"It's a bit of a letdown not seeing something fun." The voice on the other end sighed. "Since you're asking for punishment, then go to the kitchen right now and chop off three of your fingers. Remember, it has to be now—I can see you. I can always see you, Bo."

"..."

After two seconds of silence, Bobo replied, "I understand, Master."

He walked to the kitchen, then took the cleaver from the knife block. He didn't turn on the lights, but the faint glow from the living room fell upon the blade, making it look especially cold.

At this moment, Bobo placed his hand on the cutting board. Although he appeared calm, the fine trembling of his little finger betrayed his inner state, and even his breathing inevitably began to quicken.

"Do it, Bo." The cold command came through the earpiece.

Bobo raised the cleaver high—

"Bobo!"

"Bo—bo—"

Accompanied by pattering footsteps, Alice appeared in the living room wrapped in a towel, her hair still dripping wet. "Where is he? Bobo?"

At that moment, Bobo walked out of the kitchen. "Miss Alice."

"Why did you run off to the kitchen? I was just calling you to grab me some clothes." Alice said with her hands on her hips, seemingly a bit annoyed that Bobo hadn't responded to her.

"My apologies. I just wanted to peel some fruit for Miss Alice..." Bobo said, and by then, there was no more sound coming from his earpiece.

"Fine then, I forgive you." Alice reached out her hand. "My hair is too long—dry it for me."

"Very well."

Inside the room, after Alice changed into her pajamas, she sat by the bedside and let Bobo take care of her hair. Bobo picked up a strand of her golden hair, which looked strikingly vibrant against his dark palm.

"Bobo, do you think if I hadn't switched spots back then, that screen would have crushed me to death? Even you wouldn't have been able to save me in time, right?" Alice was still thinking about the incident at the concert some time ago, and couldn't help bringing it up.

"That wouldn't happen. Miss Alice has always been very lucky." Bobo paused for a few seconds before saying.

"Right, this young lady has always been very lucky." Alice giggled, then flopped down directly onto Bobo's lap with her phone in hand. "Hurry up and blow-dry it—this young lady wants to go to sleep."

"Very well." Bobo skillfully blow-dried Alice's hair.

Noticing that Alice was texting Ye Shuang, Bobo spoke up, "Miss Alice, have you considered going out for a bit recently?"

"Out? Where? Are there no more plans after this?" Alice asked, confused.

"Miss Alice could consider taking a break from work and getting back in touch with others." Bobo said. "Making some friends your own age."

"I'm not interested in kids." Alice waved her hand dismissively. People her age were all still in elementary school—a bunch of childish brats.

"Or perhaps a trip somewhere to clear your mind." Bobo paused before saying.

"Bobo."

"Yes."

"You're really talkative today." Alice looked puzzled. "What's got into you? You're not thinking of quitting, are you?"

"Quitting..." Bobo was momentarily taken aback.

"I feel like you're acting like you're about to hand in your resignation, all mysterious like that. Did I guess right?" Alice crossed her arms and continued, "You're not even at retirement age, you know. You've got to be my bodyguard for life, got it?"

"Of course, I can share some of my earnings with you. If you're short on money, just tell me." Alice flashed her white teeth. "How about it? Am I generous or what? You get to enjoy double pay."

Bobo looked at the girl smiling in front of him, and a faint smile crept onto his face as well. "Miss Alice, please rest assured. As long as my body can still move, I will continue to be your bodyguard."

"That's more like it."

"Now keep drying my hair, and give me a shoulder and back massage too—I'm exhausted today."

"Very well."