Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Billy’s words resonated throughout the entire venue due to the microphone attached to his collar.

Everyone could not help but gasp in surprise. No one expected the boy to say something like that so suddenly.

Samantha was the only one who did not seem shocked. She had a little smirk as she looked nonchalantly at Harmony, whose smile had suddenly stiffened onstage.

Billy’s mother was elated that the child was finally willing to speak, but a second later, she could not contain her shock and whispered, “What are you talking about? Harmony is the one who saved you! You shouldn’t be so rude to someone who saved your life.”

Harmony reacted quickly and forced another smile as spoke in a very understanding tone, “I’m really happy that Billy can finally speak. He must’ve misspoken after finally coming out of that severe trauma. Don’t worry about it. I’m still very thankful that he came today and gave me a flower.”

She knelt down and stretched out her hand to Billy. “Thank you for the flower, Billy.”

Billy, however, took a step back. He hugged his mother’s leg in fear and insisted, “She’s not the lady who saved me. She smells different.”

“Smell? What do you mean smell different?” Billy’s mother frowned and was a little embarrassed too.

A gleam of cold light flashed in Harmony’s eyes. She did not expect the little kid to expose her at such a critical moment. Walter had clearly told her that the kid had been receiving treatment because he could not speak. Why was he capable of speech at such a time?

If he was allowed to speak any more nonsense, all of Harmony’s glory that night would be ruined! She must ensure that she would never be embarrassed.

Harmony still maintained a smile on her face and looked tenderly at Billy. “Hey Billy, maybe you can’t recognize me because I changed my clothes, put on some makeup, and used some perfume today. It’s okay. I’m happy enough that you’ve recovered and are able to talk again.”

She turned to Billy’s mother again and smiled, “Thank you so much for coming today.”

Billy’s mother was afraid that her child was not feeling well, so she nodded and said, “I’m sorry. Congratulations by the way. I’ll take Billy down now.”

“Okay.”

Billy’s mother bent down to carry Billy up. “Come one, Billy. Let’s go down.”

Just as she was about to carry Billy up, he started crying. “Mommy. It’s not her. She didn’t save me. It’s not her!”

Everyone could not help murmuring to themselves after the child denied it three times and burst out in tears.

“What’s going on? Could it be that Harmony isn’t the one who saved the boy? Why would the boy resist her that much otherwise?”

“Isn’t the child just traumatized and in a bad state of mind? Maybe he’s just talking nonsense?”

“I don’t think so. Children’s reactions are very genuine. They develop affection for anyone who treats them well. If Harmony saved him, he ought to be more affectionate toward Harmony.”

“Then who else could it be if it isn’t Harmony? Why would the person keep quiet even after getting their credit robbed of them? Is that person a modern-day saint or something?”

Harmony was starting to have difficulty maintaining her expression.

Everyone was looking at her and the cameras were all pointing toward her too. It was a live broadcast after all, and despite her anger and desire to stuff a sock in that little boy’s mouth, there was nothing she could do about it.

In the audience, Walter felt cold sweat run down his spine when he noticed that the general manager’s expression had soured.

He organized the dinner on a grand scale and specifically invited Billy over to put up a front. Little did he expect that such an accident would happen, and if he messed it all up, his bright future would be popped just like a bubble.

He got up immediately, rushed onto the stage, then held the microphone and said, “My deepest apologies to everyone in attendance. I failed to consider Billy’s mental state and it seemed he uttered some nonsense because he hasn’t fully recovered yet. We will now escort the child to get some rest for the sake of his health.”

Billy’s mother was far from happy when she heard that. Although she was worried about her child’s health, she was driven to protect him when his mental state was called into question. “My child won’t talk nonsense. He’s recovering very well and is well-behaved too! There’s nothing wrong with his mental state!

“Perhaps the anchor who saved my boy really wasn’t Harmony.”

Billy’s mother paused for a moment and seemed to remember something. “Oh yes, I did meet the anchor who saved my child that day, but I was so anxious that I didn’t see her face clearly. Her body shape was similar to Harmony, but… I…remember she was injured at the time. Her waist was bruised. I saw it clearly because she took off her coat to bandage the wound on my child. Harmony’s waist doesn’t look injured…”

When she said that, everyone unconsciously turned to look at Harmony on stage.

It just so happened that her dress was designed in such a way that her waist was exposed. The skin on her waist was as fair as snow and there were no bruises whatsoever.

The discussion became even louder at that moment.

Harmony clenched her hands firmly and instinctively lowered her arms to cover her waist.

Cold sweat continued to drip from on Walter’s forehead but he still explained insistently, “It’s been more than half a month and the bruises have already healed. This isn’t how you should treat the woman who saved your child’s life.”

Harmony maintained her smile and blinked her eyes pitifully. She did not speak up to defend herself because it was better to stay silent.

While it was true that the mother did not see the anchor clearly, she could not accept it when they accused her child of having mental problems. In the end, she could only freeze for a moment.

It was then that Billy moved his little legs and dashed off stage all of a sudden.

Everyone was surprised at first but they soon turned their gazes and followed him. Even the videographer pointed the camera at Billy, curious to see where the boy was going.

In one breath, Billy darted across the audience, walked up the bleachers to the fifth row, and finally ran to a particular seat.

He lifted the flower he had been holding in his arms and said to the woman in the seat, “This flower is for you, Miss. Thank you for saving me.”

The videographer aimed the camera right at the woman’s beautiful face.

The woman was none other than Samantha.

Samantha smiled at Billy and reached out unhesitatingly to take the flower. She replied, “Thank you, Billy.”

She then bent down and hugged Billy. He even stretched out his short arms and placed them around her neck, rather than avoiding the hug and showing an aversion to her.

There was an uproar in the audience.

“What’s going on? I’m lost here. So the woman who negotiated with the madman alone and saved the child wasn’t Harmony? It was Samantha?”

“It can’t be it, right? Are you serious? How could it be Samantha? Did she use her wealth as Mrs. Barker to bribe the mother and the child into putting on a show?”

“Samantha’s being a sore loser, isn’t she? Did she decide to humiliate someone powerless like Harmony just because she didn’t win the competition?”

As the negative conjectures were getting louder and louder, a picture appeared on the big screen onstage..