Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 87: A Little Spat

The rich aroma of brown sugar made Tang Xiao’nan’s stomach rumble. She hesitated, wondering if she should accept a snack from another kid, but Emmitt had already stuffed the fried dough twist into her hand, beaming at her. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Thank you, big brother."

Tang Xiao’nan took it without hesitation and flashed a sweet smile. Emmitt’s grin grew even wider. He just loved it when people called him "big brother"—what a sense of accomplishment! ’Too bad my mom couldn’t manage to give me a little sister,’ he thought. ’All I got was a noisy little brat of a brother who drives me crazy.’

Adrian Hawthorne’s eyes flashed. ’There it is again,’ he thought, ’that familiar feeling of having my toy stolen. Why is Tang Fatty grinning so wide? That huge gap in her teeth is hideous.’

"The movie ends in half an hour. Let me treat you to some wontons."

Adrian Hawthorne actually quite admired Emmitt. The boy was much sharper than Gentry Chapman, and Adrian wanted to befriend him. Coincidentally, there was a wonton shop right near the theater.

"Let me treat you all. You’re my guests, after all," Emmitt offered generously. He wasn’t short on cash these days.

But there was no arguing with Adrian Hawthorne. As soon as they arrived at the shop, Adrian pulled out grain ration coupons and money, quickly paying the bill before anyone else could. When Emmitt saw him whip out national grain ration coupons so casually, his eyes flickered, and he no longer insisted on paying.

’Anyone who can use national grain ration coupons for a treat must come from a well-off family,’ Emmitt reasoned. ’Accepting a bowl of wontons is no big deal.’

The steaming wontons were incredibly tempting, and Tang Xiao’nan was drooling. However, she scooped out more than half of her portion for Adrian Hawthorne and Gentry Chapman, leaving just two wontons for herself. She drank the soup while nibbling on her fried dough twist. The brown sugar twists back then were so substantial that one was enough to fill you up.

"You have something you want to talk about, don’t you? Go ahead," Emmitt said, sensing Adrian Hawthorne had a reason for seeking him out.

Adrian Hawthorne smiled faintly and got straight to the point. "I want to source my stock from you. Don’t worry, I won’t be selling in Wraven. I’ll be selling in Vessaria, so I won’t be stealing your business."

Emmitt was a bit surprised. "You want to sell these too?"

"Yes, and postcards of other movie stars."

Adrian Hawthorne wasn’t actually interested in the movie stills. ’I could just take a few photos of the movie posters at the theater and develop them myself,’ he thought. ’Emmitt’s mom must be doing the same thing. Plus, I have a camera my father left me.’ What he really wanted to know was the source for the postcards. They looked more professional and promised a much larger profit margin.

Emmitt hesitated. "I’ll have to ask my mom about that. I don’t really know the details."

"You can talk to her about it. I’ll source my stock directly from her."

"Okay, I’ll ask her at lunch. Come back this afternoon."

Emmitt was efficient and agreed to go home and speak with his mother about it.

With his goal accomplished, the corners of Adrian Hawthorne’s mouth lifted into a slight smile. In his great mood, he couldn’t resist pinching Tang Xiao’nan’s cheek. Tang Xiao’nan was still wrestling with her brown sugar twist. She shot him an irritated glare and went back to the difficult task of chewing it. ’It’s so sticky,’ she thought, ’but it’s also so delicious. I’m going to eat it even if it sticks to my teeth.’

They waited until the movie let out, and Emmitt went off to sell his stills and postcards. Tang Xiao’nan waved with a sweet smile. "Bye-bye, big brother!"

Emmitt’s eyes crinkled into a smile, though he felt a fresh wave of regret. ’My mom really dropped the ball,’ he sighed internally. ’Sigh!’

After Emmitt left, Adrian Hawthorne whispered in Tang Xiao’nan’s ear, "Stop grinning so widely."

Tang Xiao’nan looked at him in confusion. ’Why?’

"It’s hideous," Adrian Hawthorne said mercilessly, pointing at the gap in her teeth.

Tang Xiao’nan’s face flushed crimson, a mixture of shame and anger. She shot him a fierce glare, pressed her lips together, and turned her back on him to sulk. Adrian Hawthorne rubbed his nose sheepishly. ’This little girl sure has a temper,’ he thought. ’But I wasn’t wrong.’

The two stood apart, and the atmosphere grew a little awkward. In truth, Tang Xiao’nan wasn’t angry anymore. ’I’m an adult,’ she reminded herself. ’There’s no need to get angry with a little kid. I’m not that petty.’

Goldie Thorne and his nephew, Patrick Thorne, came out as well, looking rather strange. They walked with their necks hunched, timid and furtive. Gentry Chapman breathed a sigh of relief. ’They’re finally out,’ he thought. ’I didn’t dare say a word just now. My cousin is terrifying when she’s angry.’

"Was the movie any good?" Tang Xiao’nan asked deliberately.

"It was good."

The uncle and nephew nodded repeatedly. It was genuinely good, but it was also genuinely terrifying. Good heavens... Even knowing it was all an act, they were still scared half to death, especially during the scene where a heart was ripped out of a living person. It looked so real that some of the girls in the audience had burst into tears. But scary as it was, they had watched with rapt attention, unwilling to miss a single second.

Tang Xiao’nan chuckled to herself. ’They’re obviously terrified but are trying to act tough.’ She decided not to call them out on it. Patrick Thorne ate the other half of the fried dough twist. He needed the sugar to soothe his fluttering heart. That movie had nearly been the death of him.

Adrian Hawthorne bought a few skewers of fried rice cakes from a nearby vendor and had them slathered with sweet bean sauce. The golden-brown, glistening white cakes were coated in the sweet, fragrant sauce—crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Tang Xiao’nan had loved fried rice cakes since she was a little girl and could never get enough of them. Her mouth began to water the instant she saw them, but she was still holding a grudge. She turned her head away haughtily. ’I’m an adult. I have to have some integrity.’

"It’s not hideous at all. I was just teasing you. Here, eat up."

Adrian Hawthorne held the skewer of rice cakes to her lips, forcing himself to say something nice. ’I’m the older one, so I have to indulge Tang Fatty,’ he thought. ’It’s only right to say a few nice things I don’t mean.’

The tempting aroma kept wafting into her nose, and Tang Xiao’nan couldn’t stop drooling. In the end, her pride was no match for the fried rice cakes. She let out a small huff, took the skewer, and began to eat.

’I won’t stoop to a little kid’s level,’ she decided. ’I’ll eat first and settle things later.’

’Mmm, it’s fried perfectly. The sweet bean sauce is so savory. Delicious!’