The Substitute Bride

Autumn had earlier planned to go to the temple to burn incense today, but now with the new chain of events leaving Cindy with her, she made a temporary adjustment and decided to go to an amusement park, where she supposed all children liked.

When she told Cindy the plan for the day and watched her eyes light up with sheer happiness and excitement, she knew she had made the right decision.

"Autumn, I want that..." Cindy demanded pointing towards ice cream. Autumn didn't have the heart to say no to such a lovely girl, but after considering Cindy's health she firmly refused despite her moment of hesitation.

"Cindy, I know you want ice cream but, you just got out of the hospital and if you fall sick after eating it, you will have to return to the hospital. Besides, if you're sick, your parents will blame me again, won't they?" she said.

"But..." While cutely tilting her head, Cindy reevaluated her options. Eventually the fear of an injection conquered the temptation of ice cream. She nodded her head helplessly and said, "Okay, I won't eat it."

"Now that's a good girl. I'll reward you with some delicious cotton candy, okay?" Once they entered, Autumn saw a vendor selling cotton candy right at the gate. The soft cotton candy looked just like clouds in the sky.

In that moment, she recalled a unique memory from her childhood. Whenever she was upset and cried, her beloved grandmother would buy her some cotton candy in a bid to cheer her up.

As a child, she loved watching cotton candy being made from scratch. Once the cotton candy machine was stepped on, the white cotton candy would get bigger and bigger, almost like silk from silkworms and butterfly pupae. It was a fluffy cloud of happiness as each bite would have pulled strands of filaments which would slowly melt in the mouth. It was a sweet delight.

Cindy took a glance at the cotton candy, and nodded happily.

This was her first visit to China and her first encounter with cotton candy here. She liked to eat cotton candy in Chinatown back where she lived abroad.

"Does it taste good?" Cindy took and gobbled down a huge chunk of the cotton candy, leaving her lips coated

the restaurant, but Andy hadn't come yet. Autumn asked rather curiously, "Abby, where's Mr. Xu?"

"He has a work dinner plan tonight, so he will not be able to join us." Abby smiled at Autumn, and added, "Order whatever you like, Autumn."

"It is only the three of us for dinner. Why don't we eat at a restaurant near the hotel?" Autumn asked with a puzzled look.

"No, not only did you get Cindy back for us, but you took care of her all day long and bought her so many toys and beautiful dresses. For all of that and so much more, I have to treat you to a big meal in an attempt to thank you, " Abby smiled and added, "And besides this big meal, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise? What is it?" Autumn asked, with a cloud of confusion in her mind.

"You'll know in a minute, " Abby said in a rather mysterious tone.

Autumn ordered two dishes and retired to the bathroom. Soon after, a figure appeared at the door. Abby turned to look at the person and said, "You're finally here! We've been waiting for you for a long time now."

"Mrs. Xu, how are you doing this fine evening?" The person was Sam. Abby had earlier mistaken him for Autumn's boyfriend. Sensing that something seemed to be wrong between Autumn and Sam, she arranged the dinner so they could work their conflict out.

"I'm fine. Have a seat please." Abby urged him with a smile, and then asked about him and Autumn, "Mr. Lin, how long have you known Autumn?"