Sitting next to Edward Baldwin, Baby Duke instead fell silent, her little face raised in a huff, breathing heavily through her nose, yet from time to time sneaking glances out the window at Edward Baldwin.

“Hmph!” Baby Duke jabbed Edward Baldwin hard with her elbow, then looked up at the car ceiling with an expression of pride.

“Baby Duke, why did you hit me?” Edward Baldwin turned his head and asked.

“Because I wanted to!” Baby Duke crossed her arms and propped up one leg, making a disdainful sound.

“Oh.” Edward Baldwin responded, then timidly handed all the Want Want rice crackers to Baby Duke, and said nervously, “Baby Duke, c-c-could you play with me?”

“Why should I?” Baby Duke shook the rice crackers onto the floor, glaring at Edward Baldwin and said, “I don’t play with crybabies.”

Edward Baldwin stared blankly at Baby Duke for a while, then bent down to pick up the rice crackers one by one, putting them back into Baby Duke’s arms. Then he looked at her hopefully, his lips moving but no words coming out.

With a “crash,” Baby Duke once again shook the rice crackers onto the floor.

Edward Baldwin immediately bent down to pick up the rice crackers and put them back into Baby Duke’s arms.

“What are you doing!” Baby Duke shouted impatiently, and with great force shook the rice crackers off again.

Edward Baldwin didn’t hesitate to bend down, pick them up, and put them back into Baby Duke’s arms, only for Baby Duke to shake them off again, and he picked them up again.

The two of them repeated this action, over and over again...

“Giggle giggle giggle...” By the thirteenth time, Baby Duke burst out laughing. She thought this crybaby was actually pretty fun.

“Baby Duke,” Edward Baldwin said longingly, “can you play with me? Can we be good friends?”

“Guess.” Baby Duke’s eyes spun around mischievously. She laughed as she tore open a rice cracker and started munching on it.

Edward Baldwin turned to face Baby Duke directly, and said very seriously, “Baby Duke, you’re my first friend. From now on, all my Want Want rice crackers are for you.”

“No way!” Baby Duke refused immediately, grabbing Edward Baldwin’s ear and threatening, “Not just the rice crackers—everything you have is mine from now on, and what’s mine is still mine. Otherwise, I’ll beat you up and won’t play with you.”

Edward Baldwin grinned and nodded vigorously.

In his mind, his father was scary, Uncle Changsheng was trustworthy. That male teacher said that once he truly left this place, he would never be beaten again, and he believed it. Because the male teacher was Uncle Changsheng’s friend, he definitely wouldn’t lie to him.

Edward Baldwin didn’t really understand how to leave, but he knew that as long as he did, his dad would never hit him again.

Once he firmly believed this, the fear from his father was suppressed, allowing him to take the first step in human social behavior with a relaxed mindset: making friends.

Baby Duke was the first person to talk to him, so he wanted to be friends with Baby Duke.

Chapter 0008: Special Test

The bus wound its way along the mountain road, turning again and again, its speed slowing down. The earlier high speed was just to complete a test. Special Class A military unit tests were everywhere, involving every detail of life.

The noise inside the bus gradually faded. After sitting for so long, the children were all tired. One by one, they drooped their heads, lying on the seats with their eyes closed, sleeping.

Baby Duke took up two seats by herself, lying there asleep. Edward Baldwin stood wide-eyed in the aisle, not feeling bullied at all, but instead looking as if he was protecting Baby Duke while she slept.

Besides Edward Baldwin, there were two other children in the bus who weren’t sleeping. One was a little girl with pigtails, the other was the tallest boy among them all.

The little girl kept eating the snacks she’d brought, while the boy sat up straight, his childish face already showing a hint of a soldier’s demeanor.

“Children, wake up, we’re almost at our destination.” The female officer’s crisp voice rang out, waking the sleeping children.

Almost all the children woke up, except for Baby Duke, who was still sleeping comfortably.

“Baby Duke, the teacher wants us to wake up.” Edward Baldwin patted Baby Duke on the shoulder.

“Thud!”

Baby Duke kicked Edward Baldwin hard in the stomach, shouting angrily, “Don’t wake me up when I’m sleeping, so annoying!!!”

“Hahahahaha...”

A burst of cheerful laughter erupted in the bus. The children looked gleefully at Edward Baldwin, who had been kicked over, thoroughly amused.

Faced with the laughter, Edward Baldwin didn’t react at all. Under the gaze of the male and female officers and all the children, he got up, walked over again, and said, “Baby Duke, don’t sleep anymore, or you’ll get your palms smacked and have to stand as punishment.”

“Ah!!!...”

Baby Duke tossed and turned on the seat in frustration, her little face full of nothing but annoyance.

“Baby Duke.” Edward Baldwin called out to Baby Duke.

“Annoying! Annoying! Annoying!” Baby Duke opened her eyes and yelled at Edward Baldwin, “Don’t you know you can’t wake me up before I’m fully awake? Don’t you know a girl will get wrinkles if she doesn’t sleep well? Hasn’t anyone told you not to touch a girl’s body without permission? Edward Baldwin, are you looking for a beating?!”