Miracle Cutie Chapter 511: Clear and Bright

While Nina drank her water, Benjamin and Tanner checked their phones.

Benjamin messaged Amelia first, then read texts from Lester.

Nina didn't try to grab his phone for once—she'd lost interest in Benjamin's device.

She was far more curious about Tanner's.

When she saw him typing, she leaned in and pressed her chubby cheek against the screen.

Nina babbled, "Nina look?"

Tanner didn't push her away.

He was chatting with someone and asked as he typed, "Can you read words?"

Nina lied boldly, "Yes!"

Tanner chuckled softly, "That impressive? Read what I typed, then."

Nina couldn't read at all.

She barely knew her numbers, let alone actual words.

Nina stared at the screen for a long time, then poked the profile picture of the person Tanner was messaging.

Nina said, "Pwetty."

She had sharp eyes and could tell it was a pretty girl.

Tanner smiled wider when she tapped the photo.

He asked, "Really pretty?"

Nina nodded vigorously. "Pwetty!"

She added at once, "Mommy pwetty."

In Nina's eyes, Amelia was the most beautiful of all.

Amelia's looks were famous even in the entertainment industry—she was even more stunning in person than in photos or videos.

Tanner had met her, so he didn't argue with Nina.

He kept his eyes on the screen and asked, "Do you like her?"

Nina said casually, "Yeah!"

She liked pretty much anyone who was good-looking.

Plus, the girl in the profile picture looked a little familiar.

Nina thought hard but couldn't remember where she'd seen her.

The two chatted back and forth, and eventually, Nina started calling her "auntie".

She said it randomly at first, but when Tanner didn't correct her, she kept using it.

With Tanner keeping Nina occupied, Benjamin had a quiet ride all the way.

When they reached Tanner's apartment, Benjamin sat on the living room sofa and didn't go see the bugs with Nina.

Tanner carried Nina, and the two went to check out his insect collection.

Nina exclaimed, "Wow, so many!"

She'd been amazed by the bugs on her last visit, and she was just as shocked this time.

Tanner had so many bugs.

She thought he was super cool and looked up to him completely.

They stayed in the bug room the entire afternoon.

Tanner took out every non-poisonous insect and let Nina hold them one by one.

Nina was almost dizzy with happiness.

Tanner even filmed videos of her playing with the bugs. The clips looked striking—a soft, pretty little girl holding big, creepy bugs, grinning sweetly at the camera.

He thought it would go viral if he posted it online.

Even though Tanner looked like a serious, bookish student, he watched online videos, too.

At first, he only watched animal science clips and documentaries.

He also watched food and sports clips, liking and saving some of them.

Tanner never liked or watched many videos of random pretty girls online, though.

He saw too many beautiful girls in real life, so he was skeptical of online ones.

But the girl whose profile picture Nina clicked on—the one he was talking to—was someone he met online.

Her name was Lucille Frye. She was a sophomore at a college in a freezing-cold small city far up north.

She posted videos often: cooking, crafts, and faceless daily vlogs.

Her videos were low-quality and had very few likes.

One day, Tanner had accidentally favorited one of her clips. Right as he was about to undo it, he got a message and a follow-back from her.

She sent, "Wow! You favorited my video! You're the first person to do that—thank you so much!"

Tanner froze; his finger, which had been about to undo, paused momentarily at the words of thanks.

He replied politely, "You're welcome."

That made her even more excited.

She messaged, "I have another edited video I'm posting soon! You should watch it!"

Tanner replied shortly, "Okay."

Even though his replies were cold, she kept talking enthusiastically.

The two kept their chat streak going—one rambled nonstop, the other answered with one or two words now and then.

Neither knew what the other looked like, but they kept talking anyway.

Lucille was bright. Even living in such a cold city, she was full of energy.

After chatting for a while, Lucille sent voice messages instead of just texts and stickers.

Her voice was lovely—clear and bright, just as Tanner had imagined.