Sweet May-December Marriage

Chapter 118 I Could Adopt It

Chapter 118 I Could Adopt It

"You worthless thing! I already took you in out of my kindness, and now you want to keep another worthless thing at home? Let me tell you, forget about it!"

"If you don't listen to me, then don't bother to come back! I'd be better off without you!"

"Immediately get rid of this damn animal!"

The woman's sharp voice was accompanied by the cries of the child, creating an inexplicable sense of sorrow.

The young boy held a dirty little puppy tightly in his arms while tears were streaming down his face. He endured the woman's scolding without resistance and instead protected the little puppy in his arms with great care.

More and more people gathered to watch the scene. The woman seemed to be embarrassed by the attention and spat angrily, "Let me tell you, if you don't get rid of this animal, you can forget about coming home today!"

After saying that, she pushed through the onlookers and left.

The surrounding children laughed and teased, "Arthur, your mom doesn't want you anymore! She has gone home without you!"

"Why do you like this dirty dog so much? My mom says only the same kind likes to be together. Are you also a dog? Haha!"

"Why aren't you saying anything, Arthur? Try to bark!"

"Did you become dumb after being beaten up by your mother?"

"She's not my mom!" The young boy hoarsely replied, "She's not!"

The group of children was startled by his appearance, and they made mocking faces, "You're just a homeless stray dog!"

"How could you have the nerve to threaten me? Just wait until I tell my dad when I get home, you'll get what's coming to you!"

"Arthur, your mom doesn't even want you!"

Words spoken by children could be the most hurtful. Tears streamed down the boy's face, but he didn't let out a single cry. He simply held the little puppy tightly in his arms, and the puppy seemed to sense his sadness, emitting a soft whimper.

The children left after they were done mocking him.

The onlookers offered a few words of advice, feigning some goodwill, and an elderly person stepped forward to help the young boy up. She said, "Boy, stop crying and go home now."

The boy wiped his dirty face and said, "Granny... can you help me take care of this puppy? Its mother passed away, and my family won't let me keep it..."

The elderly person glanced at the little furry creature and hesitated, "Well, my daughter-in-law is allergic to dog fur..." Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

The light in the boy's eyes dimmed, but he quickly looked at others, "Miss... can you help me?"

"I have to work usually, and I don't have time... I can't take care of it," said the office lady, feeling embarrassed.

The boy then turned to a middle-aged man, "Uncle! The puppy is very well-behaved! Please..."

The man shook his head, "Sorry, I can't keep pets at home!"

No one said anything.

The goodwill shown by those people earlier seemed to be false. With just a gentle push, the mask of hypocrisy shattered entirely.

Even if the young boy held a clean and tidy puppy in his arms, very few people would be willing to take it. After all, pets were more of a source of occasional joy for most people. When it came to actually taking responsibility for them, including the expenses for food, supplies, and vaccines, not many were willing to bear the burden.

The light in the boy's eyes flickered, and the onlookers were afraid he would turn to them for help. They quickly left, leaving the young boy sitting in place, holding the puppy silently and crying. It was as if the world, vast as it was, could no longer accommodate him and that little puppy.

He gently touched the puppy's head and whispered, "Don't worry... I won't let you become a stray dog. If nobody is willing to take care of you, I'll stay with you."

The little puppy whimpered softly, seemed like it was comforting the young boy.

Arthur smiled, wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, and said, "You're the only thing my mom left for me... I'll protect you with all my heart."

A gust of wind passed, and his thin body shivered, revealing his prominent ribs. He looked incredibly emaciated.

Just as he was about to go to another place to ask around, a pair of snowy-white, clean sports shoes appeared before him.

He slowly looked up and saw a pair of beautiful eyes gazing down at him. "Hello, little one," a gentle voice spoke.

Those were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen in his life.

They resembled the dazzling morning star hanging in the sky.

"Hello," Arthur stammered, "What... What's wrong?"

Charlotte glanced at the puppy in his arms and smiled, "Are you trying to find a new owner for this puppy?"

Arthur's eyes brightened and he hurriedly said, "Yes! Miss, would you be willing to adopt it? It's from our old dog. After my mom passed away, the old dog died too. My stepmother won't let me keep it, and she wants to get rid of it... I really have no other choice..."

Charlotte replied, "I can adopt it."

Arthur immediately felt overjoyed and lifted the puppy's front paws to hold it up, saying, "That's fantastic! You have an owner now!"

He wanted to put the puppy in Charlotte's arms, but he was afraid of dirtying her pristine white clothes. He felt embarrassed and said, "Miss, let me find a place to bathe it first." He was worried that Charlotte might not want to adopt the little dirty dog, he quickly added, "It's very cute! Super cute! It's just that it hasn't had a bath in a long time..."

Charlotte smiled and didn't mind at all. She hugged the puppy in her arms and said, "It's okay. I'll take it home and bath it." She gently touched the young boy's head and asked, "Was that woman your stepmother?"

Arthur lowered his head and replied, "Yes. She doesn't like me."

Charlotte said, "It's common for stepmothers not to like their stepchildren."

Arthur's eyes welled up with tears, and he continued, "But even my dad doesn't like me anymore! They used the compensation money from my mom's passing to buy a new house and have a new baby brother. They threw away all of my mom's things and even the dog, they wouldn't let me keep it..."

Charlotte sighed inwardly and recalled there was a saying, "Where there's a stepmother, there's bound to be a stepfather." The ancients were so right.

If the stepmother didn't have her own child, it might still be alright, but once the stepmother had her own child, the previous child was basically living a nightmare.

Charlotte softly said, "It's alright, I'll take care of the dog for you. Don't worry. If possible, you can come to see the dog in the future."

Arthur was excited, "Really?"

"Of course," Charlotte replied, "How old are you?"

"I...am fourteen years old."

Charlotte was surprised because the child seemed so small and skinny that she thought he was only ten years old. She couldn't believe that he was already fourteen.

"Study hard, and you'll have a bright future," Charlotte said with a gentle smile, "Once you become stronger in the future, there will be no one to stop you from doing whatever you want."

"Really?"