The Billionaire's Little Dumpling

"Gege! My ice cream is melting!" The little girl's distressed voice echoed through the shopping mall. Lu Jinyan stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. Bai Lu stood a few steps behind him, holding a chocolate ice cream cone with both hands. Her pink dress was slightly wrinkled, her little white shoes were untied, and there was chocolate on the tip of her nose. Her eyes were already filling with tears. Lu Jinyan stared at her for a moment. Then he sighed. "Little Dumpling, why are you crying?" Bai Lu looked up at him as though he had asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "My ice cream!" He glanced at the cone. "And?" "It's melting!" "Then eat it." Her lower lip trembled. "But I don't want it to melt!" Lu Jinyan closed his eyes briefly. He had homework waiting at home, a piano lesson scheduled for the afternoon, and a grandfather who still believed children should spend their time learning useful things rather than running around shopping malls. Yet somehow, he had spent the better part of the day accompanying a six-year-old girl who believed the world revolved around her. And the most ridiculous part? He didn't even mind. "Little Dumpling," he said patiently, crouching in front of her. "Ice cream always melts." "Not if it's cold." "That's why it's called ice cream." She stared at him. He stared back. Then her eyes filled with fresh tears. "Gege is mean!" Lu Jinyan immediately regretted opening his mouth. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry." "You're not sorry!" "I am." "You're not!" He looked at the ceiling as though silently asking the heavens why he had been given such a troublesome little girl. Then he reached into his pocket for a tissue. "Come here." Bai Lu sniffled but obediently stepped closer. He wiped the chocolate from her cheek and carefully cleaned the tip of her nose. "There. Better?" She nodded. "Good. Now let's get you another one." Her eyes widened. "Another ice cream?" "Yes." "The big one?" "Yes." "With chocolate?" "Yes." "And sprinkles?" He looked at her in amusement. "Anything else, Your Highness?" Bai Lu considered the question. "Strawberries!" She said seriously. Lu Jinyan laughed despite himself. "Fine. Chocolate, sprinkles, and strawberries." She immediately slipped her little hand into his. "Gege is the best!" Of course he was. At least, that was what he thought whenever she looked at him with those bright, trusting eyes. The ice-cream shop was crowded, and Bai Lu had to stand on her toes to see the colourful flavours displayed behind the counter. She pressed both hands against the glass. "That one!" The shop assistant followed her finger. "Chocolate?" Bai Lu nodded enthusiastically. "And that one!" "Strawberry?" "Yes!" "And those!" Lu Jinyan looked down at her. "Little Dumpling, are you planning to eat the entire shop?" She shook her head seriously. "No. Just the ice cream." The shop assistant could barely contain his smile and burst out laughing. Lu Jinyan rubbed his forehead. "One large chocolate ice cream with strawberries and sprinkles, please." "And a cherry!" Bai Lu added. He glanced at her. "A cherry too?" She nodded. "For decoration." "Of course." He handed over some money to the ice-cream seller and then carried the ice cream to a small table near the window. Bai Lu had climbed onto the chair and waited impatiently. When he placed the enormous cup in front of her, she gasped. Her mouth fell open. Her eyes sparkled. "Gege!" "What?" "It's beautiful!" "It's ice cream." "It's a beautiful ice cream!" Lu Jinyan shook his head, smiling at her cuteness. She picked up her little spoon and took a bite. For several seconds, she said nothing. Then she closed her eyes. "Mmm!" Lu Jinyan watched her with amusement. "Good?" She nodded vigorously. "The best! Here gege, have a taste" she tilted the spoon towards his direction and he leaned forward taking a bite. "Sweet, right?" "Very" He agreed as she continued eating her ice-cream. "Better than the one that melted?" Bai Lu paused. Then she gave him a suspicious look. "Gege, are you making fun of me?" "No." "You are!" "I'm not." She narrowed her eyes. Lu Jinyan leaned back in his chair, fighting a smile. "Eat your ice cream, Little Dumpling." She stuck out her tongue at him. He laughed. And for a little while, they were simply two children sitting by a shopping mall window, sharing an ordinary afternoon When they returned to the car, Bai Lu was sleepy. She had eaten most of her ice cream, though some had somehow found its way onto her dress. Lu Jinyan noticed the stain. "Little Dumpling." "Hmm?" "Look at your dress." She glanced down. Her face changed. "Oh no!" He pressed his lips together. "How did you manage that?" "I was eating!" "I noticed." She reached towards the stain with her little fingers, but he caught her hand before she could make it worse. "Don't touch it." "But Gege, my mummy will see!" "Then we'll tell her the ice cream attacked you." Bai Lu giggled. "Can ice cream attack people?" "Of course, it can". He answered with firmness. She laughed harder. Then, as though remembering something important, she turned towards him. "Gege?" "Hmm?" "When I grow up, I'll buy you ice cream." He looked at her. "Really?" She nodded solemnly. "Every day." "Every day?" "Yes." "What if I want something else?" Bai Lu frowned. "Like what?" "Maybe a car." She thought about it. "Okay." "Or a house." "Okay." "Or a plane." Her mouth fell open. "Gege! Planes are expensive!" He burst out laughing. Bai Lu folded her arms. "I'm still buying you ice cream, though." He looked at her little face and felt something warm settle in his chest. "That will be enough." She smiled, satisfied. Then she held out her little finger. "Promise?" He hooked his around hers. "Promise." At six years old, Bai Lu believed promises were unbreakable. At eleven, Lu Jinyan believed he could keep every promise he made to her. They had no idea how difficult growing up would make things. The following morning, Bai Lu arrived at the Lu family residence with her mother. She rushed through the entrance hastily shouting greetings at the elders who laughed at her antics already used to it. "Gege!" Lu Jinyan was sitting in the living room with a book open on his lap. He looked up just in time for a small white blur to crash into him. "Bai Lu!" She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I missed you!" "You saw me yesterday." "That was yesterday!" He stared at her. She stared back. Then he closed his book and patted her head. "Fine. I missed you too." Her face brightened instantly. "Really?" "Really." "How much?" He sighed. "Very much." She beamed. Then she climbed onto the sofa beside him, took one look at his book, and frowned. "Why are you reading?" "Because I have to." "Why?" "Because I have school." "I have school too!" "Then shouldn't you be studying?" Bai Lu went quiet. Lu Jinyan slowly turned his head towards her. She was looking at him with the expression of someone who had just been deeply betrayed. "Little Dumpling." She sniffed. "Don't call me that." He raised an eyebrow. "Why?" "I'm not little." He glanced at her short legs dangling above the floor. "Of course not." "I'm serious!" "So am I." She grabbed a pillow and hit his arm with it. He caught the pillow before she could strike again. "Behave." Bai Lu pouted. "I don't like you." He returned to his book. "Okay." She waited He didn't look at her. After a few seconds, she shuffled closer. "Gege?" Silence. "Gege?" Nothing. She tugged his sleeve. "I'm sorry." He lowered his book. "For what?" "For hitting you". He remained quiet focused on his book. "Gege, I'm sorry". She said again this time her mouth in a pout. "For what?" "For not liking you." He stared at her. Then he laughed so hard that she started laughing too. That was how it always was with them. They fought over the smallest things, but Bai Lu never stayed angry for long, and Lu Jinyan never seemed capable of ignoring her for very long. Everyone who knew them believed they would remain close forever. Even the adults joked that Bai Lu would eventually become Lu Jinyan's wife. Whenever they said it, Bai Lu would clap her hands excitedly. "I want to marry Gege!" Lu Jinyan would pretend not to hear. But secretly, he always remembered. The first sign that their world was about to change came several years later. Lu Jinyan was fourteen when his father announced that he would be leaving China for his education. It wasn't a sudden decision. The Lu family had discussed it for months. His grandfather wanted him to attend a prestigious school overseas, where he could receive the education and training expected of the family's future leader. The departure date was already arranged. The tickets had been purchased. The adults had agreed on everything. Everyone except Bai Lu. She was nine when she heard the news. At first, she didn't understand. "How long will Gege be gone?" she asked her mother. Her mother hesitated. "Several years, sweetheart." Bai Lu blinked. "Several?" "Yes." "How long?" "We don't know exactly." Bai Lu looked towards the garden, where Lu Jinyan was speaking with his father. The world several seemed to echo on her mind. It sounded like forever. That evening, she refused to eat dinner. The next morning, she refused to speak to him. By the afternoon, she was following him around the garden with a miserable expression. Lu Jinyan finally stopped walking. "Little Dumpling, what's wrong?" She stared at him. "You're leaving." He went quiet. "Who told you?" "Mummy." He sighed and crouched in front of her. "Bai Lu—" "Don't go." The words came out so quickly that he couldn't respond immediately. She grabbed his hand. "Please, Gege. Don't go." His chest tightened. He had known she would be upset, but seeing her little face crumple made the decision feel much more difficult than it had that morning. "I have to go to school." "I'll go with you." "You can't." "Why?" She asked confused. "Because you're still in school here." "I can change schools!" He almost smiled. "Little Dumpling, it doesn't work like that." Her eyes filled with tears. "Then I'll wait for you." He brushed a tear from her cheek. "I'll come back." "When?" "As soon as I can." "Promise?" He hesitated for only a second. Then he took a small silver pendant from his pocket. It was shaped like a dumpling. He had chosen it for her several weeks earlier, long before he knew how difficult leaving would be. He fastened the chain around her neck. Bai Lu looked down at it. Her tears paused. "For me?" "Who else would I buy a dumpling for?" She touched the pendant carefully. "I'll keep it forever." He smiled. "Good." Then she threw her arms around his neck. "Don't forget me, Gege." Lu Jinyan held her tightly. He was fourteen years old, but he understood one thing with absolute certainty. He didn't want to leave her. "I won't forget you, Little Dumpling." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise"