Chapter Eleven: The Plot Begins, The Disguise

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He thought it was a wise decision to bring Louis back home at Emma’s urging. Now, the two children seemed to have a very good relationship.
Because he was often busy with work, he sometimes couldn’t take care of Emma as much as he wanted. Although the school teachers said Emma had friends, she never brought any friends home, which made him suspect that his daughter might not have any close companions.
But now things were better—Emma finally had a companion, which should be beneficial for her growth. Although Louis was sensible, he was still a year younger than Emma, and being a boy, they probably didn’t have many common topics.
So, should he adopt an older girl to be Emma’s playmate?
At this moment, David, wholly focused on his children, pondered the necessity and feasibility of this idea.
Financially, there was no problem. Though it would be more exhausting, he owned two factories and could support it.
The issue was that he had no wife now, so adoption would be complicated. Angela had said she would introduce someone, but there was no news yet; it seemed unlikely they would find a suitable candidate soon. (The adoption process required a stable family with both husband and wife.)
However, he recalled the community committee mentioning an orphanage nearby...
...
It’s well known that cats can swim.
But today, in the pond at the Grossman residence, an orange tabby cat, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, fell into the water. It struggled desperately but couldn’t get out.
On the second floor, at the windowsill, Emma sipped her water while staring intently at the scene, as if waiting for something.
Finally, the orange cat seemed exhausted; its thrashing slowed until it was gradually submerged beneath the water and fallen leaves, its body sinking without movement.
Seeing this, Emma smiled—she had been waiting for this moment. Now, she could go have a snack.
Entering the living room, she saw that detestable figure, but sadly had no way to deal with him; she could only force a smile.
“Hi, Louis, good morning.”
“Hmm, good morning, Emma.”
They began breakfast. Emma glanced at Louis from time to time, but Louis remained expressionless, even offering her a teasing smile.
Just then, David, who had been frequently going out these past days with mysterious errands, returned. “You two eat first. There was a cat drowned in the pond at home—I have to take care of it.”
With that, he took a net and went outside.
After a while, he came back, placing the net down and saying to Emma and Louis, “You won’t guess what I’ve been up to these days. Look forward to it—you’ll see a surprise in a few days.”
“Oh, did you find a new date?” Emma said calmly.
“What’s wrong? Are you worried about that?” David asked, surprised.
“No.”
“Alright, I just want to find someone who gets along with me and is good to you. But if you don’t want it, then I won’t.”

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Louis pondered silently. Being a single father was a challenging role. Taking care of a daughter was manageable when she was young, but when she grew up, many things became inconvenient. Finding a new wife—aside from personal physical and psychological factors—the biggest consideration should be for one’s daughter.
Emma gave no direct response, only saying,
“Recently, Teacher Ellis is awarding the Citizenship Medal. Recipients must embody the values of Saint Alden: faith, honesty, refinement, and compassion. The prize is a large gold medal, which I think is wonderful.”
“Oh, Emma, you’ll definitely get that medal. Of course, so will Louis. Whoever wins, I’ll be happy,” David said, smiling as he patted Emma’s head.
Emma’s left fist clenched slightly as she continued to think about how to earn that medal.
Louis, quietly eating his snack nearby, understood—this medal contest was about to turn into a disaster.
Sure enough.
The next day.
During class, a wasp suddenly flew in from somewhere. In the unfamiliar environment, the large wasp frantically buzzed around, its sharp hum attracting everyone’s attention.
Soon, a series of screams broke out, and the children scattered in all directions.
“Calm down, children. I promise it’s more afraid of you than you are of it,” Teacher Ellis said.
At that moment, Emma calmly stood up, holding a glass and a piece of paper. She approached, carefully trapping the wasp under the glass with a focused and serious expression. Then, with steady steps, she walked to the window and released the wasp outside.
No panic, no violence—just calm resolve throughout.
To all the children, she was a superhero.
To Teacher Ellis, Emma was the perfect embodiment of kindness and courage.
“What a good child,” she smiled gently. “Thank you, Emma.”
“You’re welcome, Teacher Ellis.”
Louis, who had been sitting quietly, yawned, thinking the script was dull. There was no surprise in the play—it was boring.
In truth, if one looked closely, there were many flaws: Where did the glass come from? How did the wasp get in?
At that moment, Emma suddenly looked at Louis with a gaze full of challenge and pride.
Louis smiled but said nothing.
For the next several days, Emma’s performance was flawless.
She was helpful, empathetic, proactive in assisting classmates, caring for animals, and even helped the janitor maintain the lawn...

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Meanwhile, Louis did nothing, watching as if observing a ridiculous clown show, often laughing at Emma.
There was no helping it.
Children were children; no matter how clever, they had their limits. Right now, Emma had no idea she was overdoing it.
Her behavior was far from what a normal girl’s should be.
It seemed insincere and pretentious.
To adults who frequently interacted with them and had more social experience—familiar with all the hypocrisy in society, like elections, speeches, and performances—this was painfully clear.
Emma was headed for a fall, about to embark on a path of innocent destruction. Yes, it was time for him to take action.
Louis stretched. To protect David and prevent him from losing his daughter, he had to act preemptively and reshape her.
To reform such an antisocial child, correction and discipline must occur before serious mistakes are made. Otherwise, things will only worsen and hope will fade.
“What a hassle,” Louis muttered, continuing to immerse himself in his crude research. On the table lay some special snacks he had concocted, like mung bean cakes mixed with various ingredients.
It turned out that shortcuts were easy to start but hard to master.
In the afternoon.
A girl nearby had just received a new watch, exquisite and beautiful, drawing a crowd of classmates admiring it and chattering excitedly.
“Your watch is so cool.”
“I have one too. It was a birthday gift, but I don’t wear it much.”
“...”
Emma listened quietly from the side, looking at her empty wrist.
Soon after, while playing tag on the lawn, Emma accidentally bumped shoulders with the girl, who cried out and fell. Emma quickly helped her up, concerned. “Katie, are you okay? I’m sorry.”
The girl shook her head and ran back to her friends.
Standing in the center of the lawn, the Black female teacher Ellis frowned as she watched the scene unfold.