Host, Please Be Honest! What Exactly Are You?



"What's the matter, kid?... Don't want your ice cream anymore?"

Big Ben stared at Uncle Ice Cream Man, feeling a wave of fear penetrate his body. 

Something was off.

Don't ask him why he felt something was off today, but this Uncle Ice Cream wasn't the same as their usual uncle they see. 

Don't think just because they are children, they can't sense malice. 

Typically, when Uncle ice cream man is here, everyone jumps and screams happily, talking to him about his day. 

But look all around. 

Although everyone is eating ice cream gluttonously, no one dared to strike up a conversation with uncle ice cream man. 

They got their ocean cream and ran away, feeling something was off but not knowing exactly what it was.

Many only shrugged their shoulders and continued eating ice cream as far away from the ice cream man as they could.

They couldn't even raise their faces to meet this uncle's eyes. 

But for Big Ben who was last on the line, the moment he looked deeply at the uncle, he instinctively knew the 2 were not the same. 

Was it Uncle Ice cream man's evil twin brother here today? 

Big Ben was smarter than his peers and also resourceful. 

He knew it seemed ridiculous to suspect a worm in his ice cream, but he still chose to believe it. 

Getting the ice cream, he put on an innocent and simple front, thanking Uncle Ice Cream happily, before skipping behind his friends with a side eye while watching the ice cream van drive off out of their block. 

"Everyone drop it now!"

"What? Why?"

"Nau-ugh!~"

"Big Ven, you can't bully us like this! I'm... I'm going to tell my mommy." 

"Yeah, yeah... I'll tell my daddy you want my ice cream too." 

In a flash, it became a crying zone outside, as parents and elder siblings who were tasked with watching them quickly came out to investigate the matter. 

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"Little sister... why are you crying so much on a nice Saturday like this?"

.

Children will be children. 

Very quickly, they plunged into the arms of their loved ones, though miraculously holding their ice cream well without letting it drop. 

While crying rivers they wasted no time telling on Big Ben, labeling him as a bully. 

Inwardly, most parents and elder siblings did not believe it. 

Who doesn't know big Ben, this smart kid? 

In normal times Big Ben was too lazy to roll over, talk less of rising to put up a front and bully their children. 

How to say it? 

He was just lazy at everything, including the energy to force others to bend to his will.

One day, one of their children asked Big Ben why he isn't their Boss.

Do you know what Big Ben did?

He brought crayons and paper, detailing why it was troublesome.

From security costs to hire them and keep all children obedient to his leadership, to the paperwork it took to ensure all employees in his management were well fed and looked after.

He described it as running a company. 

Many parents were shocked by how far his thinking was. 

No wonder he is always the best in school too. 

He could do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division like a pro. 

When asked what he wanted to be growing up, Big Ben said he wanted to be a salted fish, who just laid down, enjoyed his life and did whatever he wanted to do whenever he felt like it. 

He even stated that he understood money was necessary to maintain such a life, and he would grow to own many businesses in the future to secure his life as a salted fish. 

When others said they wanted to be presidents of the country, astronauts, heroes and so on... Big Ben already knew his dreams of being a billionaire. 

He never made any unnecessary moves, was extremely smart, and liked maneuvering around life as if he was playing chess.

The surprising thing about it was that his parents were very ordinary, but very honest people.

You wouldn't think of them birthing such a smart child.

They didn't look like it at all.

.

Big Ben… 

Everyone also saw that this boy's potential was limitless. 

You have to know that many have tried teaching their children on learning how to save at such a tender age, but even when their children save, the moment temptation flies in, like adverts on the TV or the sounds of the ice cream truck, all caution is blown to the wind. 

These children would buy even when they didn't have to. 

Yet, Big Ben had so much control that there were times he didn't take his weekly ice cream.

He was extremely wealthy among the children, sometimes lending them money to buy toys and comics, but they must write down their names with crayons and signed, promising to pay him back before the appointed deadline.

If they paid late, Big Ben gave them a sanction of 1% added payments they had to give. 

He knew everyone's allowance pay dates and would send 2 of his best friends to go collect the money one by one. 

With his laziness do you think he would do it himself? 

Of course, the amazing thing was that he also ensured his best friends never did it for free.

He would pay them with a portion of the 1% interest collected from everyone.

Sometimes, he would pay them off using new toys or limited edition items he knew were hot sellers. 

Another amazing thing to note about Big Ben was that, in addition to his savings maxed from his allowance, he had another 55 Vyn savings from money gifts throughout the years. 

Every holiday, each grandparent gave him 5~10 Vyn Bills. Aunties and uncles have also been giving him Bill for the last 2 and a half years now.

His savings from his allowances added up to 81 Vyns, and his savings from holidays added up to 55 Vyns. 

In total, he had 136 Vyns! 

Do you know how big that amount is for children? 

F***! 

That was like hitting the jackpot, and that's why Big Ben was sort of the bank around here.

Whether you were a cute girl or a burly boy, Big Ben showed no favors in the face of interest and a comfortable life.

He was a very fair person. 

So though he might be lazy, he had the true workings of a future Boss.

.

All in all, every parent and guardian somewhat understood what he could do and what he could not. 

That's why when they heard Big Ben bullied their children, many instinctively felt there should be a misunderstanding somewhere. 

It's not that they didn't want to believe their own children, but who made their brats at home very unreliable and dramatic?

Seeing how calm Big Ben was, and then looking at their children who were crying with some rolling on the grass while still miraculously holding their ice cream well... the parents and guards were once again convinced there should be a misunderstanding somewhere.

One of them coughed, showing a friendly smile to Big Ben. 

"Benjamin, Aunty knows you are a good boy. But can you tell us why they say that of you?"

"MOM!" 

Instantly, the boy rolling on the ground underneath the woman was in shock, grabbing her ankle with a betrayed look.

"I just said he bullied us and you're asking him what he did? Mon, are you slow?"

"_" 

You know... the woman felt more and more that her son should've been thrown into a river when he was born since his head was always flooded with nonsense. 

Pfft~

Many couldn't hold back their chuckles, feeling that innocent children were the most savage.

But soon, their expressions changed when they saw their own children and siblings look them in the eyes as though betrayed too.

"Daddy, has Aunty's ear been affected by her old age? Is that why she didn't hear us when we said we were bullied by Big Ben?"

"Yes, yes, sister. Can it be that because Aunty is 215 years old, she can't hear well anymore?" 

Many guardians looked at the young 31-year-old woman awkwardly, wishing they could find a hole to bury their children in. 

What was the point of sending them to school if they didn't understand simple math? 

How does she look 215?

(-_-)

Well, perhaps to them, it seems all adults might look ancient in their eyes, excluding their parents and grandparents.

.

Soon, the boy who looked at his mother betrayed, couldn't help sobbing even more. "Mom! I think you're what Grandpa calls in his stories a blue leg!"

"I think you mean black leg."

"Blue, black, white, orange, what's the difference? All is a leg! They are all rats!"

"Moles." The mother corrected again, feeling her patience running thin.

This idiot son of hers was complaining while crying and licking the dripping ice cream he felt so well in one hand while making his point rolling on the grass. 

Now with such a son, she was sure Big Ben had been misunderstood. 

How dare her brat call her a black leg? That's the term meant for betrayers! 

Rolling her eyes the woman tried to get rid of the annoying fool latched on her leg while staring at fat Ben as warmly as she could... though everyone could see veins popping out her forehead.

"Don't be afraid. Aunty is here. Why don't you tell us what really happened?" (Emphasis on the REALLY)

Big Ben nodded, explaining his facts in a well-organized manner. 

And the parents heard, the more and more suspicious they became. 

That's Right.

Their children all sensed someone off with the ocean cream man before but they were all too dumb to pinpoint it clearly as Big Ben.

Every parent's face turned grim. 

They didn't believe there was any worm swimming in the ice cream. 

What they suspected was that there might be poison or someone deadly inside instead.

"Throw it down now!"

Pah! 

The woman smacked the ice cream cone out of her son's hand, forcing him to cry. 

"Blue leg! Blue leg! Mom, you are a betrayer and a bully!"

"Shut up! We are going to the hospital now!"

In a flash, many did the same, smacking the ice cream out of the children's hands while carrying the crying idiots away for checkups. 

They soon paused and gave a deep bow to Big Ben. 

"Thank you."

Big Ben was fine, but his older sister still threw him in the car and drove him to the hospital. 

One can never be too sure.