The bench had plenty of room, and the little boy was sitting on one side. Tangtang hugged her toy and gift box, settling down next to him.

As soon as she sat down, she wanted to continue talking to the little boy, but his gaze fell on her scraped knee, which was swollen and tinged with red, showing faint traces of blood.

"Does it hurt?"

His voice was soft but crystal clear.

"It hurts!" Tangtang scrunched her little nose and let out a whimper, making the boy look at her with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Wait for me."

Suddenly, he closed his book, stood up, and walked away, leaving his black cat behind.

The cat fixed Tangtang with its wide, curious eyes as if sizing her up, while she looked at him in confusion.

The little boy didn't seem to dislike her; he had even asked her to wait for him. So, she decided to wait.

After all, it gave her the perfect chance to pet the cat that, surprisingly, stayed put instead of darting off as most cats did around her.

Tentatively, she reached out her small hand and placed it on the cat's fluffy body. The cat merely lifted its eyelids and cast her a lazy glance before closing them again to bask in the sunlight.

When Meng Chenzhou returned with gauze and antiseptic, the scene that greeted him from afar was this: a little girl swinging her legs, lightly poking the cat's ears with her fingertips.

As he approached, the sound of his shoes on the grass caught Tangtang's attention.

She turned her head and called out sweetly, "Big bro!"

Meng Chenzhou paused for a moment before continuing his steps.

Once he reached her, he knelt on one knee and took out a cotton swab. "Don't be scared. It won't hurt much, " he reassured her.

Tangtang bit her lower lip gently and nodded firmly.

Meng Chenzhou gave her a glance, dipped the cotton swab into the antiseptic, and carefully dabbed it onto her wound. Then, he applied a clean white bandage over it.

The process didn't hurt as much as she expected. In fact, the cool sensation of the antiseptic soothed the initial sting of her injury.

Tangtang stared in wonder at the bottle of antiseptic in Meng Chenzhou's hand. It was completely different from what she had used before— it was almost magical.

Just like him. With that thought, she shyly held out her other scraped hand for him to tend to.

A couple of black cat hairs clung to her palm.

Meng Chenzhou held her tiny fingers and gently blew the cat hairs away.

The gentle touch of his breath on her skin made her sit quietly on the bench, her gaze unintentionally lingering on his long, straight eyelashes. She was so mesmerized that she didn't even notice when he finished bandaging her hand.