Please Take Me Home, Daddy - Chapter 363: Chapter 363

Laura had just crawled a few steps when she turned back to call out to Phil, "Come on, Phil! A chance to play in the mud doesn't come every day! It's super squishy here!"
Phil's eyes widened at the sight of the muddy ground. He was itching to try but was a little worried about getting dirty. "But isn't this going to get us all filthy?"
Laura spun around, her chubby little face caked in mud, smiling with her eyes crinkling, "It's okay! We'll get cleaned up! After all, this punishment is meant to be shared with Dad. I don't want to leave my dad to face this alone. What about you? Can you bear to let him do that?"
Phil looked at Matt with uncertainty, who could only offer a wry smile. Phil furrowed his eyebrows, and a determined thought suddenly struck him. He decisively lay down on the muddy ground, slowly crawling toward Laura.
"Let's race to see who can get there faster, okay?" Laura challenged as Phil waited from his spot.
Getting a feel for the mud, Phil nodded in agreement, "Okay!"
Laura, ready to spring into action, declared in her babyish voice, "Ready... go!"
Phil surged forward, picking up speed towards his target. Laura was hot on his heels!
Bella, Shawn and Aaron stood on the sidelines, cheering, "Go, Laura! Go, Phil!"
Bella jumped up to cheer, "You can do it, Laura! Beat Phil!"
Shawn shouted, "Come on, Phil! As boys, we can't lose to girls!"
Matt watched in astonishment as his son rolled and crawled in the mud, unable to hold back his amazement, "Oh man, I thought he would cry for half an hour. He usually hates mud, but Laura actually convinced him."
Derrick approached with a grin, "I don't think it was all Laura's doing. She just knew exactly what to say."
Carter nodded in agreement, "The way she framed the question, asking your son if he could stand to see you punished alone, must have pulled at Phil's heartstrings. That's why he took to the mud."
Matt was moved, a grin overtaking his features, "I didn't expect my boy to have my back like that." Turning towards Evan, he said, "Buddy, we can't let our kids show us up. Let's join them."
Evan's lips twitched, his whole body screaming reluctance, "But, I..." He trailed off, unable to articulate his hesitation.
The live comments were exploding with excitement: [OMG, OMG, Laura is killin' it! She's so freaking awesome!]
[Who was it that said our Laura couldn't do it? Show yourself! Feeling the burn now, huh?
[Our Laura is on fire. When she says she'll do it, she does it without any fuss. What about Evan, huh? Can Evan crawl? If he can't crawl, get a donkey to pull him!]
[Evan can't do it! Evan can't do it!]
[LOL, Evan's face is turning green with envy!]
[Looks like it's not Laura who can't crawl but Evan. What's up, Evan? Why aren't you crawling already?]
Bert watched with intense focus as Laura bravely moved forward. Her movements were obviously not as quick as Phil's—after all, physical strength was a factor—but she crawled forward like a plump little caterpillar in the mud, full of vitality. He was mesmerized.
People had said that the kid was cute, strong, and liked to think outside the box, even brave. Seeing her now, he believed it.
He glanced sideways at Evan. "Evan, you said Laura should be punished just the same. She's on the winning side and she went. You can't possibly stay behind, can you?"
Evan's mouth twitched, and a look of bitterness was directed at Laura, leaving him at a loss for words. Right then, Laura and Phil had reached the finish line. Phil even jumped up from the ground, his mood flipping completely, "I won, I won!"
Laura stood up clapping, genuinely happy for him, "Phil, you're amazing! You took on the punishment with your daddy. You're the best man out there!"
Phil's eyes shone as he turned to her, "Really? Was I brave?"
Laura didn't skimp on the praise. "Absolutely! You were crying just a moment ago, but you've conquered your fear. You're so brave!"
Derrick and Carter came over with compliments, "You two are both brave! Especially you, Laura!"
Derrick squatted down in front of Laura and pinched her nose gently, "If you hadn't encouraged Phil, he probably wouldn't have wanted to come down. You're the MVP here!"
Laura beamed with joy, "It's nothing. Since my trainee daddy took the punishment, I had to as well!"
Carter was curious, "But you didn't lose, don't you think it's unfair for you?"
Bert listened from a distance, watching her. Suddenly, Laura looked straight at him. Her eyes crinkled like crescent moons under the radiant sunlight, and she said cheerfully, "My trainee daddy won but still took the punishment, and I want to do it too because we're teammates. Plus, I love trying new things. It's not often you get to roll around in the mud and not get scolded for it. It's fun!"
Overcome by a feeling he hadn't noticed before, Bert was stunned. Derrick and Carter were speechless, instantly charmed by Laura, "OMG, you're just too good with words!"
"Right, right! To say it's nothing, how can you be so chill?"
The dads gathered around Laura, with Carter teasing, "Whose precious little sweetheart are you?"
Laura pondered for a moment, her smile growing, "Today, I'm Mr. Yale's precious sweetheart!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Bert stared at her, his smile involuntarily growing. Evan, however, scoffed, "Fake through and through. This girl sure knows how to put on a show, sickening."
Bert's face darkened in an instant, and he glared at him, "What did you just say?"
Evan changed his tune, forcing a laugh, "Nothing, nothing... I was just saying Laura's a great kid. Maybe she just doesn't like me that much. Could be that she doesn't take to me."
[Oh, here we go again with Evan's 'innocent act.]
[How can he say she doesn't like him? How could Laura possibly not like him when she's so easy-going? Anyone can tell from the way she treats Phil; she's genuinely nice!]
[She's caring, doesn't push or shove, and even at her young age, she's got that tomboyish vibe. I can't believe a girl like that would lie or deceive.]
[Let's get real here. Laura doesn't gain anything from lying. Right now, it's obvious she couldn't care less about winning or losing. Even if Evan loses, she'd still join in on the punishment with a smile. A kid like that, with such a great temper and no fuss, calling out Evan has gotta mean it's his fault.]
[I don't know about you all, but I've had enough. I bet Laura's not lying!]
Soon enough, Laura's name popped up again in the entertainment section.
[Who's lying? Laura or Evan?]
The poll showed support for the two was split right down the middle.
[Kids lie for attention, so I'm betting on Laura.]
[I'm taking a wild guess on Evan. I'm not really a fan of Laura, but kids also lie when they're pushed to the limit. There are rumors galore about Evan loving to throw his weight around, and they're not just talking.]
[Our Evan didn't do anything, okay?! He's been nothing but nice to Laura from the start, and she's the one who didn't appreciate it! It seems like Laura doesn't have a mother to teach her!]
[LOL, Laura's mother had died. That's not even an insult. It's just the truth.]
[Screenshot this. Evan's fans are just showing their true colors. As a fan of Laura's, we're not gonna stoop to your level and argue. Anyway, the clock's ticking, and soon we'll have the security footage. Then everything will come to light.]
[But what if someone deleted the footage? Who would do this?]