4262 The Other Side 231

She was grateful to Hua Jin and Gong Jie for giving her a family, even though it seemed different from the other children's families. Everyone had a mother and a father. Unfortunately, her family didn't seem to offer such a combination.

Natalia leaned into his embrace, suddenly curious. "Say, if I address him as Daddy, how do I address you?"

"Uncle." Hua Jin raised an eyebrow. "Hasn't that been the case all along?"

"But, I also want a mommy." Natalia gave him a sudden wicked grin as she studied him. "Why don't I address you as Mommy?" she suggested coyly.

"Rejected." The actor made an awkward expression. "I'm a man. How could you address a man as Mommy? That's how you address a woman."

"But… you're prettier than most women!" Natalia blinked, looking very sincere as she made that remark.

The actor was speechless. On that point… He could not deny it. He was indeed more beautiful than many women.

"But that's still no reason for you to be addressing me as Mommy!"

"Haha!" Natalia didn't care, and started addressing the man as "Mommy."

The actor tried to correct her, but met with no success. Finally, under Natalia's cajoling, he gave in.

"But don't do this outside of home!"

"Then how should I address you?"

The actor was at a loss, too. Indeed. Then he suddenly had an idea. "Why don't you address me as 'Daddy' too?"

After a pause, he felt a tinge of guilt and asked the girl, "Would you like to address me that way?"

"I would! But…"

"But?"

"What if both of you are around?"

Natalia didn't make herself clear, but the actor knew what she meant. What she meant was that if both Hua Jin and Gong Jie were present, it would be easy for them to get confused.

"How about this…" Natalia said, "I call Gong Jie Daddy Jie and you Daddy Jin?"

"Pfft…" The actor burst out laughing.

It sounded as if he and Gong Jie were an item! It felt weird!

Overseas, it is common for adopted children of gay couples to use such a method of addressing.

If outsiders were to hear this, they would misunderstand that he and Gong Jie were an item!

"Daddy Jin, Daddy Jin! It sounds good when you call me that!"

After spending so much time together, Natalia was no longer as cold and distant as she had been when they first met. She was gradually becoming closer to him.

So, in the spirit of teasing, he pretended to be serious and asked her, "So, do you like me more or do you like Daddy Jie more?"

"Eh?" The question stumped Natalia.

She muttered, "I like both of you!"

"Don't you have a favorite?"

"You're both my family. I like both of you."

"Well then…" Hua Jin persisted. "If he and I both fall into the sea, who would you rescue first?"

Natalia scratched her brow, looking torn. "Well… I can't swim. If I were to rescue you both, I'd die too."

"Hahaha!" Her earnest reply amused him.

"I mean, assuming that you can swim …"

"Then I will surely save… you first!"

"Why?"

"Because, Daddy Jie can swim." Natalia looked obviously troubled.