“Can’t catch it…”
Once again, Dong Xue watched the stuffed animal slip from the claw halfway, her frustration mounting. This was the tenth try, and she still hadn’t caught one.
“Try a few more tis~” Ling Ning encouraged.
But Dong Xue shook her head and tugged on Ling Ning’s skirt, making her wishes clear—it was ti for Ling Ning to step in.
Ling Ning looked down at Dong Xue’s hopeful eyes and felt the pressure. She wasn’t good at claw machines either! She rembered a ti in her previous life when she’d spent three hundred yuan trying to win a plushie for her girlfriend but hadn’t caught a single one, eventually resorting to buying one at a nearby shop. The mory was a little painful.
“I told you, this claw machine is rigged. Anywhere else, you’d get sothing every ten tries or so, but here? You’d be lucky to get one with thirty,” said a young man nearby, who had been watching. After all, the woman was beautiful, and the little girl beside her was adorable—sticking around might earn him a few points in her favor.
“You punk, back to bad-mouthing my business again, are you?” A hefty man suddenly appeared, glaring at the helpful young man. This was the arcade owner, and the claw machines at the entrance were his.
Seeing the arcade owner appear, the young man fell silent but didn’t leave. He just stood back and continued to watch.
“Don’t worry, miss. Our claw machines haven’t been tampered with—just play as much as you’d like,” the owner said with a grin. In his eyes, young girls like Ling Ning were easy to fool.
“Alright, I’ll give it a few more tries~” Ling Ning replied with a smile. She wasn’t ready to give up—she didn’t want to disappoint Xiao Dong Xue.
The young man sighed in resignation. It looked like this beautiful girl was in for a scam today.
Without responding, Ling Ning simply took out a few coins from her purse and inserted them. She carefully controlled the claw, trying to position it over one of the plushies Dong Xue wanted.
But in her nervousness, Ling Ning slipped and pressed the button too early, causing the claw to graze the toy instead. Just as she was about to insert more money, she saw the claw catch the edge of a plushie near the exit, which then slipped into the prize chute.
The arcade owner clicked his tongue in annoyance. What a fluke! And the young man, too, looked surprised—he hadn’t expected her to catch sothing like that.
Before anyone could react, the plushies inside the machine started to shift, as if removing one had unbalanced the pile. Within seconds, more plushies tumbled into the prize chute, and Xiao Dong Xue quickly scooped up a handful.
At this, the arcade owner couldn’t take it anymore and began to step forward, only for the young man to speak up, “Boss, those ca out of the exit fair and square. Are you really going to say it was a machine error?”
“Bah! I may be a bit of a cheapskate, but if they co out on their own, I’m not going to argue. Still, I never thought I’d see the ‘Niagara Falls Claw Technique’ happen in my own shop again. Last ti I saw it, it was years ago, also thanks to a little girl.” The arcade owner looked off, reminiscing.
Ling Ning overheard him and felt a strange pang of embarrassnt. The so-called “Niagara Falls Technique”? She’d never heard of it—she’d just accidentally pressed the button too soon! She hadn’t expected that many plushies to fall out!
“Ling Ning, you’re the best,” Xiao Dong Xue said, hugging a bundle of plushies, looking up at her with adoration. To Dong Xue, anyone who could get so many toys at once was way cooler than her mom.
“Just a stroke of luck, that’s all. Haha~” Ling Ning laughed awkwardly and pointed to the nearby machines. “See anything else you want?”
Of everyone there, the most nervous was the arcade owner. If this girl really had mastered the “Niagara Falls Claw Technique” and set her sights on another machine, he’d be in trouble.
Dong Xue shook her head. “These are enough.”
“Alright, but if you ever want more, don’t be shy to ask~”
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“Mom, I’m ho!”
Ling Ye was in a great mood. Tomorrow was the weekend, and her mom had the day off, so they could finally spend so quality ti together.
But when she opened the door, she saw an unexpected guest. Sitting on her mother’s lap was Dong Xue, her mother’s ntor’s daughter.
Dong Xue was happily nestled in Ling Ning’s lap, watching Little Knight Miruko on TV. Ling Ning held a bag of chips, feeding the little girl as they watched together. Ling Ning found that feeding her little guest was actually quite fun.
Turning at her daughter’s voice, Ling Ning smiled and said, “Welco ho, Ye Ye~”
“Oh, by the way! Xiao Xue will be staying with us for a little while. Be sure to get along, okay?” Ling Ning added with a cheerful smile.
“Huh?!”
Ling Ye froze at her mom’s words. She knew how clingy Dong Xue was with her mom. This ant she’d be competing for her mom’s affection for the foreseeable future… so much for enjoying her mom’s undivided attention.
As Ling Ye mulled over her predicant, Xiao Dong Xue quietly walked up to her, holding out a plushie of a girl in a cow costu.
“Is…is this for ?” Ling Ye asked.
Dong Xue nodded and said softly, “Let’s get along.”
“Thanks. I look forward to it,” Ling Ye replied, finding herself unexpectedly chard by Xiao Dong Xue’s gesture.
Watching this, Ling Ning nodded with satisfaction. Her ti spent tutoring Dong Xue had clearly paid off. She rembered the first ti Dong Xue had t Ling Ye—she was so shy it was like eting a different person. Now, she’d beco much more open, and maybe, soon, she’d be ready for school.
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Author’s Note:
Six hours for one chapter—guess I really am a washed-up writer~
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