The Pop-Ups in My Vision

I am the daughter of a tragic romance novel's female lead. At four years old, I finally understood the strange comments that floated before my eyes: 【The female lead is working herself to the bone to support her daughter, no idea she already has cancer. If she waits any longer, the kid’s gonna lose her mom!】 【If either of the main characters knew how to talk, the whole ‘secret baby’ plot wouldn't even exist.】 【I feel so bad for their daughter. She loses her mom at six, and the male lead never even finds out she died or that he had a child. He just ends up alone.】 【Our little baby has it the worst. She has a billionaire for a dad but ends up in an orphanage…】 Mommy is going to die? I stared at my beautiful, gentle mother. No way! If they won't talk, I will! One sunny afternoon, outside a towering skyscraper, I spotted a man in a sharp suit and immediately hugged his leg. "Daddy, give me money! I have to save Mommy!" 1 My name is Aria. Ever since I can remember, I knew I was different. Strings of strange symbols would always drift in front of my eyes. I thought everyone could see them, until the day I pointed at the air and asked my mommy about them. A look of confusion crossed her face. "Sweetheart, what are you talking about?" she asked. I soon realized that only my world had these scrolling, dense lines of text. After a while, I got used to them. Until I learned to read. The scrolling symbols started to look more and more familiar. My mommy knew I was smarter than other kids, so she had started teaching me to read and count when I was very young. This year, at four years old, I finally understood the strange symbols, the things called【The Comments】. 【The female lead is working herself to the bone to support her daughter, no idea she already has cancer. If she waits any longer, the kid’s gonna lose her mom!】 【If either of the main characters knew how to talk, the whole ‘secret baby’ plot wouldn't even exist.】 【I feel so bad for their daughter. She loses her mom at six, and the male lead never even finds out she died or that he had a child. He just ends up alone.】 【Our little baby has it the worst. She has a billionaire for a dad but ends up in an orphanage…】 Female lead? Like the main character in the shows Mommy watches? I didn't quite get it. I scratched my head with my chubby little hand. When Mommy came home from work that evening, she had a conflicted look on her face. "Aria, Mommy has to go on a business trip to another city for a few days. How about you stay with Auntie Carole? She can take you to kindergarten." The strange comments flared up again: 【I can't even watch. If she just went for a check-up now, they could definitely treat it in the early stages.】 【This business trip is her last chance to meet the male lead again, and she just walks right past him. I'm literally crying.】 【Evelyn, please go to the hospital! Forget about your stupid job! T_T】 【Little Aria is so good. She's worried about her mom working so hard, with no idea how loaded her real dad is.】 【OMG when she finally gets diagnosed with stomach cancer, it's already terminal. She gives up on treatment just to leave more money for her daughter. This is killing me, my tears are worthless…】 【…】 I froze. Evelyn. That's my mommy's name! Is my mommy the one who's sick? I whipped my head around to look at her. She was still as beautiful and gentle as ever, but… maybe she was a little thinner. And she hadn't been eating much lately. Is that because she's sick? Mommy's voice broke through my thoughts. "Sweetheart, you're zoning out again. Did you hear me? Is it okay to stay with Auntie Carole?" "No!" I blurted out. 2 Mommy didn't expect me to refuse. She opened her mouth to reason with me. "Aria, honey, Mommy has to go to work…" I threw my arms around her legs and looked up, my eyes red. "Mommy, can you ask for a day off for me from school? Take me with you. I promise I'll be good." "Aria," Mommy said, stroking my cheek. "Why are you so sad? I'll only be gone for a few days. You have to be a good girl and go to school." "I don't want to!" I insisted. "I already know everything the teachers are teaching. Please take me with you, Mommy, please…" Mommy could never resist when I begged. Her eyes lit up, clearly charmed by her own daughter. After a moment of hesitation, her resolve crumbled. She called my kindergarten to let them know I'd be absent. "Aria," she said seriously, "you have to promise to listen to Mommy. When I'm working, you can't run off, okay?" I nodded vigorously. And so, Mommy took me with her. It was my first time visiting another city. Mommy was always so busy that she usually hired a nanny to look after me. On the way there, the Comments scrolled across my vision: 【Little Aria is going on the trip! I hope she can find her dad and they can be a happy family.】 【I know, right? They're so in love but so stubborn. I wish I could just jump in there and ask them if their pride is more important than life and death!】 【The company she's visiting is right next to the Aytes Corporation headquarters! They have a chance to meet!】 【Ugh, I just really want the male lead to know he has a daughter!】 Find my daddy? I knew all the other kids at kindergarten had dads. Mommy told me my daddy was in a very faraway place. I thought that meant he was dead. But maybe not? It was okay not having a dad. But the Comments said Mommy was having a hard time raising me. Daddies are supposed to help raise kids, too! I made up my mind. I was going to find my daddy. If they won't talk, I will! "Mommy, what does my daddy look like?" It was the first time I'd ever asked. The smile on Mommy's face stiffened and faded. Her eyes held an emotion I couldn't understand. "Aria, why are you suddenly asking about that?" "I just want to know." After a long pause, Mommy finally said softly, "Your daddy is very handsome. But he has a bit of a bad temper." That must mean a very bad temper. If even someone as gentle as Mommy couldn't handle him. But having a bad temper doesn't get you out of raising your kid! 3 Mommy didn't feel safe leaving me in the hotel alone, so she took me with her to the office building she was visiting. She and her colleague had to go upstairs for a meeting, and it wasn't convenient to bring me. She checked my kids' smartwatch over and over. "Call me if you need anything," she instructed. "Don't trust strangers. If something happens, you can ask the nice lady at the front desk for help, understand?" I nodded seriously. The moment Mommy disappeared into the elevator, I hopped off my seat and walked out of the building. The Comments were scrolling frantically: 【Aria, see that black Rolls-Royce pulling up? That's your dad in there!】 【AHHHH I don't care if this isn't how the plot is supposed to go! Did the author rewrite this? Let her meet the male lead!】 【Aria! In a second you're going to see a man radiating pure CEO energy. Don't hesitate. That's your dad. Go and claim him!】 【…】 I looked toward another skyscraper that scraped the clouds. A black car was pulling up to the entrance. The car stopped, and two men got out. The one in front had a handsome, cold face and walked with the speed of a storm. The Comments: 【Kiddo! AHHHH that's him! Go, run, hug his leg! That's not just your dad, that's your ticket to a trust fund!】 I didn't hesitate. I sprinted forward on my short little legs and, with lightning speed, latched onto the man's leg. Then I tilted my head back and yelled: "Daddy!" "Give me money!" "I have to save Mommy!" Daddies raise kids. Kids save mommies. The logic was flawless. For a moment, the world went silent. Then, a gruff, impolite voice sounded from above me. "Where did this chubby kid come from?" Chubby kid? Me? I jerked my head up to see a man who seemed impossibly tall. He was looking down, meeting my eyes. Just like Mommy said, he was very handsome. But he also looked very mean. "I'm not chubby," I corrected him. Mommy said I was just growing, and that I was cute and cuddly. Another man in a gray suit beside him wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead. "Mr. Aytes, perhaps she's one of the employees' children." He crouched down to my level, his voice gentle. "Little one, can you tell me who your mommy and daddy are? I can help you find them." I looked back up at the man whose leg I was holding. "But my daddy is right here." "Who?" the man in gray asked, confused. He pointed at the man I was hugging. "You mean… Mr. Aytes?" I nodded emphatically. The man in gray stood up and stammered to his boss, "Mr. Aytes, I… uh…" The man called Mr. Aytes looked down at me and scoffed. "Hey, chubby kid, did your parents ever teach you that you can't just go around saying whatever you want? Since when do I have a daughter your size?" "Well, I'm telling you now, so now you know," I replied. "…I'm not." "But you are my daddy!" "Who told you that?" he asked, crouching down to look me in the eye. "Do you even know my name, or are you just picking random dads?" "Of course I know. Your name is Leo Aytes," I said. The Comment ladies told me. He blinked, surprised. "You know me?" "You're my daddy. Of course I know you." He stared at me for a long moment, then a smirk played on his lips. "Alright, chubby kid, who put you up to this scam?" "My name is not chubby kid. You can call me Aria." "Fine, Aria. Look, I don't have time for games. Go with this man, and he'll help you find your parents, okay?" "No. Are you abandoning your daughter?" I stared at him. "Mommy said you weren't that kind of person. Were you lying to her?" A few other adults, who I guessed were my dad's employees, were standing nearby, their faces lit up with the thrill of office gossip. He looked like he was about to laugh from sheer frustration. "Fine. You tell me who your mother is. I'd love to know who I supposedly had such a big daughter with." "My mommy's name is Evelyn." 4 The air went still again. "You said," he began slowly, his voice suddenly tense, "your mother's name is Evelyn?" I nodded. "Yup!" His gaze sharpened, studying my face as if searching for a ghost. The next second, before anyone could react, he scooped me into his arms and strode forward. "Mr. Aytes? Sir?" the other man called out, confused. I was carried into an elevator, my arms wrapped around the neck of the man who was supposedly my father. He wasn't very good at holding children, so I had to wiggle around to get comfortable. "What are you squirming for?" he grumbled. "Daddy, you're not holding me right." He fell silent and let me adjust myself in his arms. "There." The man named Leo Aytes stared at me. After a moment, he asked, "How old are you?" "Daddy, I'm four." He went silent again. Then he said, "Are other four-year-olds this heavy?" I got a little mad. "Mommy never says I'm heavy when she holds me. And I'm not complaining that you're bad at holding kids." The other man who had followed us into the elevator stood silently in the corner like a statue, though his eyes looked like they were screaming. The elevator doors opened, and I was carried into an office. We passed several people who stared with wide, shocked eyes. I heard someone whisper behind us, "Mark, whose kid is that with Mr. Aytes?" The man called "Mark" just shook his head. I was placed on a sofa, and the man and I stared at each other. He got a pen and paper. "You said your mom is Evelyn, right? Here. Write her name." The man who had followed us couldn't help but interject. "Mr. Aytes, a four-year-old might not know how to write…" Before he could finish, I picked up the pen and wrote "Evelyn" on the paper. The letters were a little wobbly, but I would never get Mommy's name wrong. My dad stared at the name for a long time, then his eyes returned to my face. "Did your mother tell you I was your father?" I shook my head. He scoffed again. "Then how did you know? Maybe she had you with some other guy. Why else wouldn't she bring you to me?" The Comments popped up again: 【He's so stubborn! He's totally freaking out with excitement on the inside, though.】 【This is why he's fated to be single forever. So damn stubborn.】 【Just get a DNA test, dude! Aria, honey, pull out a few of his hairs for him. Make sure you get the roots!】 【LOL he's probably already decided to keep her whether she's his or not!】 【…】 I thought for a moment, then reached up and started pulling at his hair. One. Ouch. Two. Ouch… My dad grabbed my hand. "What are you doing?" Tears were welling up in my eyes from the sting. I placed the small clump of hair in his palm. "Daddy, go get a test. Then you'll know if I'm your kid." He froze. "Who taught you that? Your mother? Where is she?" "Mommy's at work." "Do you know her number? Call her and have her pick you up." My dad seemed very insistent on seeing my mommy. I shook my head again, looking at him with disapproval. "I already told you, Mommy is working. You shouldn't bother her." "Is she at work, or is she just too scared to see me?" "Mommy didn't do anything wrong. Why would she be scared to see you?" I heard him scoff again. This dad really did have a bad temper. 5 His phone on the desk lit up. I glanced over and saw the screen was a photo of two people. "Wow," I said in surprise. "You have an old picture of Mommy!" The mommy in the picture looked so young, and she was wearing what looked like a school uniform. Before my dad could say anything, I showed him the wallpaper on my smartwatch. "Look, I have a picture with Mommy, too." On the tiny screen was a photo of Mommy holding me when I was two. She was looking at the camera with a gentle smile. My dad stared at the photo for a long time. Then he suddenly asked, "Why did you think I was your father, and not someone else?" "Because Mommy cries when she looks at your picture," I said, looking him straight in the eye. That part wasn't from the Comments. I'd seen it myself. Mommy had someone in her heart who made her sad. When I was younger, she would sometimes look at a photo on her phone late at night and cry. "Mr. Aytes," the man beside him prompted, "it's almost time for the meeting." He stood up, looking down at me for a moment before turning to his assistant. "Have Sarah from my office come and watch her. And don't let anyone pick her up until the meeting is over." Soon, I was alone in the huge office with a pretty lady. She brought me lots of snacks and smiled. "Hi, sweetie. Want me to play with you?" "Okay!" Sarah, the secretary, patted my cheek, and then patted it again, apparently liking how soft it was. "So, honey," she whispered conspiratorially, "what's your relationship with Mr. Aytes?" "He's my daddy." Her hand froze on my cheek. She cupped my face, her voice filled with a mix of envy and resentment toward her capitalist overlord. "Him? He can produce a daughter this cute?" I could tell Sarah suffered a lot under her boss. Mommy's work was taking longer than expected. When I got bored, I sent her messages on my watch so she wouldn't worry. About an hour later, my dad returned to the office, his face as cold as ever. "Mr. Aytes," Sarah said, standing up. My mouth was full of potato chips. "Daddy!" I mumbled. My dad looked at Sarah. "You can go." "Yes, sir." The office door clicked shut. He walked over and sat down in front of me. "Hasn't your mother contacted you yet? Don't tell me she abandoned you and just dumped you on me." Excuse me? I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "Leo Aytes, you are not allowed to talk about my mommy like that!" "No respect," he muttered, reaching over to wipe the chip crumbs from my mouth. "Weren't you just calling me 'Daddy' a minute ago?" "Mommy likes you, so you're my daddy. If Mommy liked someone else, he could be my daddy," I said, full of righteous logic. "Mama's girl," he sneered. Mommy's precious girl? I puffed out my chest and nodded. "That's right! I am a mama's girl!" "…" As dinnertime approached, I patted my tummy and tugged on his sleeve. "Daddy, I'm hungry." "Didn't you just eat a mountain of snacks? You're hungry already?" He poked my belly, as if to check if I was telling the truth. "Snacks are snacks. Dinner is dinner," I said seriously. "Such a little know-it-all," he mumbled, but he picked up his phone and ordered food to be delivered. It was the first meal my dad and I ever shared. For some reason, he kept staring at my face. He even tried to feed me at first, but I'm a big kid. I can eat by myself. After dinner, Mommy still hadn't come. Her work must have been really tough. I was getting sleepy and hadn't seen any new messages from her. I leaned against my dad and drifted off. Sometime later, my smartwatch started ringing. In a sleepy haze, I felt someone answer it. I vaguely heard Mommy's voice on the other end, but my eyelids were too heavy. Someone gently shook me. "Aria, your mommy is coming to get you." I instinctively snuggled closer. "Daddy, I'm so sleepy." The voice stopped. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted into a pair of strong, broad arms. 6 I woke up to the sound of arguing. I opened my eyes from the sofa and saw Mommy. "Leo, I already told you, Aria is not your daughter." In the dim light, Mommy looked so small and fragile standing across from my dad. "Not your daughter? Then why did she run up and call me 'Daddy'?" I heard my dad scoff. "She said she's four. If she's not mine, that means you cheated on me, Evelyn. So tell me, who's the bastard?" "What's the point of talking about this now?" Mommy's voice was weary. "It's all in the past, Leo. She's not your child. I'm taking her home." "You say she's not, and that's that? I took her for a DNA test this afternoon. We'll see who's lying when the results come in." Mommy flinched at his words. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. "Mommy," I called out. "Aria," Mommy's attention finally shifted to me. She rushed over and hugged me, her eyes red. "You scared Mommy to death." I snuggled into her cheek. "I'm sorry, Mommy." She kissed my face. "No, I'm sorry. It was my fault for being so busy with work. I should have watched you better." An ill-timed voice cut in from the side. "So, is this a touching mother-daughter reunion? What does that make me, the villain?" I looked over. My dad's handsome face was dark with anger. "Mommy," I asked her, "why did you ever like someone so mean?" "…" The silence was mutual. I blinked, looking between them. "Aria, let's go home," Mommy said, picking me up to leave. But my dad reached out, his voice still cold. "Let me hold her. I don't know how you've been managing these past few years, but you've gotten so thin. Don't you know how heavy she is? You'll throw out your back." "Daddy, I'm not heavy," I reminded him. He bounced me in his arms and snorted. "Looks like all your food money went to feeding this one." I decided not to talk to him anymore. Mommy walked silently beside us, her expression complicated as she watched me and my dad. In the elevator, my dad finally spoke. "Evelyn, you were the one who broke up with me without a word and disappeared. Why?" Mommy looked down, silent. "If you really didn't care about me, why did you have my child?" The Comments started scrolling again: 【AHHHHH MALE LEAD YOU FINALLY ASKED! FEMALE LEAD I'M BEGGING YOU, FOR MY SAKE, PLEASE TALK!!】 【My friend said she'll die with regrets if you two don't clear up this misunderstanding!】 【Because your mom gave her five million dollars to leave you, you idiot! And she didn't even take the money, that's what makes me so mad!】 【And do you remember your supposed fiancée from five years ago? Evelyn probably thinks you're married by now! Explain yourself!】 【…】 I blinked. "Daddy, are you married?" The arms holding me lifted, and I was suddenly face-to-face with my dad. His expression was flat. "Who taught you to spread rumors about your father like that?" "Daddy, are you not married because no one likes you?" I tilted my head. "Lots of people like my mommy." "Is that so?" He seemed to glance at Mommy. "And with so many admirers, your mom isn't married either, is she?" "That's different!" I corrected. "My mommy doesn't like them. You're the one nobody likes." "Okay, Aria, that's enough," Mommy said, covering my mouth with her hand.

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