SFTD -Chapter 118 Little Loli Charlotte

Following that soft, sweet voice, Zhou Hai looked over and saw a petite Eastern girl—less than 1.5 meters tall. She wore a white down jacket and a short skirt. Her large eyes were bright and clear, and her slightly wavy shoulder-length hair had a pink plush toy tied on top of her head. She looked extremely sweet and adorable. Seeing her appearance made the worry in Zhou Hai’s heart ease a little.

The girl was bouncing along while tugging at a blond man wearing sunglasses, pointing in Zhou Hai’s direction. She must be Charlotte O’Neill.

Zhou Hai walked toward them, trying his best to keep his expression gentle.

“I’m Zhou Hai, a student of John O’Neill. I assume you’re the ones I’m here to pick up today?”

The lawyer, William, removed his sunglasses and gave Zhou Hai a warm hug. On the other hand, Charlotte didn’t move—she only gave Zhou Hai a calm, faint smile.

“Hey! Zhou, hello! John always talks about you. Finally I get to meet you in person.”

“Welcome to China. Let’s go home first!”

William waved his hand, took out a tablet, and handed it to Zhou Hai.

“Don’t rush. I’ve arranged for a local lawyer and a notary officer to meet us at the airport café. We need to sign some documents there.”

“We still have to follow Chinese law. Besides, once this is done, I’ll fly straight back to the United States.”

Zhou Hai paused, then nodded. Adoption procedures in the United States were very strict; it could take years for a family to formally adopt a child. So bringing the child to China would likely involve even more complicated paperwork.

“Alright, I know where the café is. Let’s go.”

The three of them arrived at the café, where the relevant personnel were already waiting. Seeing a table full of documents made Zhou Hai’s head ache slightly. After listening to their explanations, he roughly skimmed through them—they were all English contracts.

The general meaning was that John entrusted Zhou Hai to be Charlotte’s temporary guardian for six months. During this period, the guardian would be responsible for Charlotte’s safety, education, and so on.

At the end, there was also a declaration that Zhou Hai didn’t initially notice.

Declaration: During Zhou Hai’s guardianship of Charlotte, if the original adoptive guardian dies unexpectedly, Zhou Hai will become Charlotte’s successor adoptive guardian. The related documents will take effect immediately without requiring additional registration. This is hereby notarized.

Declarant: John O’Neill

Zhou Hai saw this clause and thought it was just a necessary legal procedure, so he signed it.

William then stamped all documents with John O’Neill’s seal and took photos together with the domestic lawyer and notary officers.

“Alright, my job here is done. Now we just wait for Lawyer Hao to send me the notarized documents.”

“My flight is also about to depart. Goodbye, little Charlotte!”

Charlotte stood up and hugged William for a moment.

“William… what about you and John?”

William shrugged.

“Hey, Charlotte, you’re already fifteen in another thirty days. I believe you can take care of yourself.”

“Besides, don’t you have Facebook? Just post your updates there and I’ll like them!”

“Your new room—Zhou has made sure it’s perfect. Aren’t you curious?”

Hearing this, Charlotte’s sad expression eased a little.

“Alright then. You can go. We’ll meet again in six months.”

William smiled and pushed Charlotte’s luggage toward Zhou Hai.

“Alright, I’ll leave her to you, Zhou Hai. See you!”

Zhou Hai wanted to see him off, but he was stopped. There were still a few Chinese documents left to sign, so he could only wave goodbye helplessly.

Twenty minutes later, Lawyer Hao exchanged contact information with Zhou Hai.

“Alright, Mr. Zhou. The notarized certificate will take about ten days. I’ll notify you when it’s ready. We will also file it with the embassy, so you can contact us if there are any issues in the future. We’ll also help coordinate Charlotte’s school enrollment, so don’t worry.”

“Then we’ll take our leave.”

After seeing them off, Zhou Hai suddenly felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. He glanced at Charlotte, who was sitting on the sofa playing on a computer, and sighed deeply.

On the way home, children raised in the United States tended to be quite independent. Charlotte helped carry her own luggage without needing Zhou Hai to instruct her.

After arriving home, Zhou Hai opened the door. Charlotte walked straight in. Zhou Hai quickly stopped her.

“Hey, Charlotte. In China, we have different habits than in the US. You need to change into indoor slippers when entering. Come, let’s see your room.”

Fortunately, she didn’t object. She obediently put on a pair of black-and-white cat slippers, looked around the blue-toned living room, and took off her thick coat.

“Where is my room?”

“Follow me.”

“Because your arrival was a bit sudden, I only did a simple setup. If you don’t like it, we can rearrange it.”

Charlotte nodded without much reaction. She didn’t seem very enthusiastic toward Zhou Hai—completely different from her obedient persona at the airport.

He opened the door to the second bedroom: a private bathroom, a shower, and a sky-themed design. There was no obvious excitement on her face—just a slight nod, as if it was acceptable.

“Not bad. Thank you.”

Zhou Hai glanced at his watch. It was almost 11 o’clock.

“Do you need to wash up? It’s almost lunchtime now. You can think about whether you want Chinese food or Western food.”

“Alright, I’ll wash up. I want Chinese food, is that okay?”

“No problem.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow at his immediate agreement.

“Alright, wait a moment.”

She quickly closed the door.

Zhou Hai let out a long breath. Although Charlotte looked Chinese, she had grown up in the United States, and had experienced the trauma of losing her family at a young age. There might be some unstable factors in her personality. His tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

It seemed she wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined.

He pushed another large suitcase to her door, changed into a more casual cotton jacket, and sat in the living room waiting.

Not long after, Charlotte came out of the room and suddenly jumped in front of him.

She was wearing open-toe short high-heeled boots, a leather skirt, and a low-cut leather jacket. On her head was a colorful wig. Her makeup was exaggerated—thin arched eyebrows, purple-black lipstick, heavy colored false eyelashes, and multicolored bead necklaces. She had nearly twenty earrings. It was a full Western punk style.

Zhou Hai froze for more than ten seconds.

The girl in front of him was clearly trying to make herself as off-putting as possible—either to be sent back quickly to John, or to test his limits.

Zhou Hai said nothing. Instead, he typed something on his tablet. After a while, he pulled up some photos and information and handed it to her.

“Dressing like this is considered a form of individuality in the United States, but in China, people may think you are involved in certain occupations. As for what kind, you can read it yourself.”

Charlotte glanced at the screen. Zhou Hai had even “considerately” translated the difficult Chinese text using a translator.

After reading it, Charlotte nearly exploded in anger.

She snorted, turned around, and stormed back into her room. A loud “bang” followed as she slammed the door shut. Then came a series of furious screams and crying.

“I don’t like being sent to China! I don’t like you! I don’t like leaving John! I don’t like any of this—none of it!”