Chapter 233: The Day Amara Questioned Humanity
The Day Amara Questioned Humanity
Julian calmly raised one finger.
"Study hard first."
Then he pointed at the bouquet.
"And stop emotionally blackmailing people before elementary school graduation."
His barrage of soul-searching lecture left the little kid defenseless.
The kid opened his mouth, looking like he was about to cry.
His tiny face slowly stiffened.
His eyes became watery.
Even the roses in his hands seemed to droop.
[Children should be guided properly while they’re young.]
[If he learns to rely on tricks now, he’ll only stumble harder later. Better he remembers the lesson than the tears.]
"..."
Hearing Julian’s inner thoughts, Amara Ravenswood felt a headache coming on.
The corners of her mouth twitched.
This guy...
Why was he seriously fighting with a child?
She stared at Julian’s calm profile.
His golden eyes remained lazy and peaceful, carrying that same gentlemanly expression as if he had done absolutely nothing wrong.
Anyone seeing him for the first time would probably think he was some refined young master from a prestigious household.
Who would imagine the nonsense hidden inside his head?
Amara rubbed her forehead helplessly.
A headache was starting to creep in.
Because of a child.
Then she crouched down slightly, lowering herself to his eye level before speaking in a softer voice.
"Don’t cry, alright? How about I buy your flowers?"
The little boy’s watery eyes instantly lit up.
Like someone had switched on a light.
"Okay."
Amara blinked.
"...Huh?"
That change happened so fast it almost gave her whiplash.
A second ago the kid looked like the world had personally betrayed him. Tears hanging at the corners of his eyes, lips trembling pitifully.
Now?
Gone.
Not a trace left.
Still, Amara didn’t think too much about it.
After all, he was just a little kid.
And honestly... seeing someone that young standing outside selling flowers while people walked past him without stopping did make her feel a little bad.
Buying a few flowers wasn’t some huge sacrifice.
The little boy immediately grinned and lifted the flowers slightly.
"Sister, how many do you want?"
Amara thought for a moment.
"Nine."
"Alright!"
The boy moved instantly.
His tiny hands worked with shocking speed.
One flower.
Two flowers.
Three.
He skillfully arranged them together, wrapped them in paper, tied them up neatly, and then looked up with a bright innocent smile.
"It’s thirty-eight each, so that’s three hundred and forty-two. I’ll waive the two bucks. Just give me three hundred and forty."
As he spoke, he smoothly pulled out a payment code.
"..."
"...?"
"...???"
Amara froze.
Her hand, halfway toward her pocket, stopped completely.
She stared at the QR code.
Then at the flowers.
Then back at the kid.
Wait.
Hold on.
Something felt very, very wrong here.
Why...
Why was this child so practiced?!
No—
Forget practiced.
This little demon moved like he’d been running a business for twenty years.
Nearby, Julian lowered his head.
His shoulders started shaking violently.
Amara narrowed her eyes.
"...What are you doing?"
Julian pressed his lips together.
Nothing.
No response.
But inside his head—
He had already exploded.
[Laughing to death.]
[Naive. Far too naive.]
[Do you really think a kid selling flowers is harmless?]
[Learn from me. As long as you’re more shameless than a dog, even the dog can’t hurt you.]
The moment Julian’s voice echoed in her mind, Amara nearly choked.
Her beautiful face twitched.
Blood pressure rising.
How was she supposed to know?!
Who expects a child this small to be a natural-born businessman?!
Taking a small breath, Amara forced an awkward smile.
"Actually..."
"Hm?"
"How about just one flower instead? I don’t think I need that many."
The air suddenly became quiet.
Very quiet.
The smile on the little boy’s face slowly disappeared.
Completely.
His expression turned blank.
Then his eyebrows furrowed.
"I already wrapped them up, sister."
The innocent voice from before was gone.
He stared at her with narrowed eyes.
"If you don’t want them..."
"...how am I supposed to sell them to someone else?"
Amara: "..."
For a moment, Amara just stood there in silence.
A strange feeling suddenly hit her.
She felt like some evil villain from a story — the kind who cornered innocent children while standing there with a cold expression.
The thought itself was so ridiculous that even she almost doubted her own sanity.
Julian immediately turned around.
His shoulders shook.
His lips twitched.
Then—
"Pfft—!"
That was it.
He completely lost.
He hurriedly covered his mouth, but his body had already betrayed him. His shoulders trembled harder as he desperately tried to suppress his laughter.
Amara slowly turned her head toward him.
Her eyes narrowed.
"..."
The stare alone carried enough pressure to freeze someone in place.
Julian instantly coughed and straightened himself.
"Ahem."
As if nothing had happened.
As if he had definitely not almost died laughing a second ago.
Amara glared at him.
The look in her eyes practically screamed You think this is funny?
Julian looked away innocently.
Absolutely shameless.
A few seconds later, Amara suddenly grabbed Julian’s hand tightly.
"Ignore him."
Her voice was calm, but there was a faint hint of irritation hidden beneath it.
Julian looked down at their joined hands for a moment before smiling slightly.
"Alright."
Without saying anything else, he gently pulled Amara up and started walking away.
Seeing Julian about to leave, the kid’s eyes widened.
Then he suddenly sat directly on the ground.
And screamed.
"These two are bullying a kid! Buying things without paying!"
His voice was unbelievably loud.
The shout exploded through the street like a firecracker.
Instantly—
People turned around.
Heads moved.
Eyes gathered from every direction.
"What happened?"
"Bullying a child?"
"Really?"
"That handsome young man doesn’t look like that kind of person..."
"I don’t know... you can’t judge by appearance."
The crowd immediately started whispering among themselves.
Then suddenly—
A middle-aged woman rushed out from literally nowhere like she had been waiting for this exact moment.
She directly grabbed Julian’s sleeve and shouted dramatically,
"You’re bullying my son, aren’t you? I’m going to call the police to arrest you."
Amara’s brows instantly knitted together.
Her expression turned cold.
Wasn’t this just bullying?
"Then call them, lady."
Seeing the woman acting like a shrew, Amara also got a bit angry.
The woman ignored her completely.
Instead, she tightened her grip around Julian’s sleeve.
"Let go."
Julian frowned, tugging his arm in displeasure.
This old woman, Amara didn’t buy anything, why are you grabbing me? Taking advantage isn’t done like this.
"I won’t let go, so what? If you have the guts, hit me."
The middle-aged woman’s face became even more vicious, pushing Julian’s chest twice with a hint of smugness in her eyes.
Not happy? If you’re not happy, hit me.
As long as you touch me, you won’t get away with less than twenty thousand today.
Just as she pushed Julian, he staggered back two steps and fell to the ground.
"Julian, are you okay?"
