A Paranoid Alpha Childhood Friend is Acting Spoiled Again - Chapter 15

“What are you crying for? You have nothing to cry about!” Nuo Fanxi yelled, her voice rising. “You really are the kind of bad kid my Mommy talked about, spending all day thinking of ways to bully other students. I absolutely will not forgive you this time. When Teacher Zhu gets here, I’m going to make sure she punishes you severely!”

This incident had happened in broad daylight in front of everyone, and since Nuo Fanxi was drenched to the bone, Fang Xiaoyu’s excuses fell flat. Fang Xiaoyu insisted she hadn’t intended to throw the book—claiming Nuo Fanxi had tried to snatch it, causing her to lose her grip. Furthermore, Fang Xiaoyu complained that Nuo Fanxi had pushed her down, causing “serious injuries” to her body, and that the wet workbook slammed into her face, making it hurt.

Thinking her words weren’t enough to convince the teachers, Fang Xiaoyu put on a performance in the office, wailing at the top of her lungs and claiming she was gravely injured from the fall. This made Teacher Zhu, the head teacher, quite panicked, fearing Fang Xiaoyu might actually be hurt. Even teachers from other grade levels in the office began to doubt the truth of the matter.

However, Nuo Fanxi had classmates as witnesses, and there was surveillance footage. These children might be young, but they weren’t stupid; they knew that lying in this situation would be easily exposed. To be caught in a lie meant being disliked by the teachers—and for a child, that is the ultimate fear.

“Xixi, put my coat on first. Don’t catch a cold.”

Teacher Zhu wrapped her own jacket around Nuo Fanxi and asked another teacher to pour her a cup of hot water. Fearing she was still chilled, she had Nuo Fanxi stand under the warm air vent of the air conditioner to try and dry her clothes.

Fang Xiaoyu was there too, clutching her bottom and claiming it ached. But after a subject teacher checked her over, they found no injuries; her skin color was normal, indicating the fall wasn’t heavy at all.

Seeing that the teachers were still siding with Nuo Fanxi, Fang Xiaoyu decided this wouldn’t do. She used her smart watch to call her family.

The result was predictable. Hearing Fang Xiaoyu cry so pitifully, the Fang family didn’t even bother to learn the facts. Mr. Fang called the Principal’s office directly, demanding that Nuo Fanxi be expelled. He even threatened to make the school go bankrupt if his demands weren’t met.

The Principal was both angry and helpless. He couldn’t afford to offend the Fang family, especially since they had donated over a million yuan; they had every reason to make life difficult for the school.

To protect his “official career,” the Principal didn’t hesitate to call Nuo Lin and Tao Wanqing.

However, Nuo Lin and Tao Wanqing were currently meeting important clients out of town and weren’t checking their phones. After several failed attempts, the Principal resorted to calling the butler who was responsible for picking up Tang Mo and Nuo Fanxi.

That phone call changed everything. Originally, this was just a spat between two children that required a teacher’s mediation and an apology. But as luck would have it, when the Principal called the butler, Bai Xiaozhu was at home hosting a high-society lady for afternoon tea. When she heard the news, her face went dark, and she specifically ordered the butler to make a trip to the school.

“Momo, are you still cold? I have more tissues in my backpack; I’ll get them all for you.” Tang Mo had accompanied Nuo Fanxi to the office. She had been using tissues to wipe the water off her friend, but they were clearly insufficient; Nuo Fanxi was still damp. “Just wait a little longer. I already called Uncle Chen; he’ll be here soon.”

Nuo Fanxi had been caught in the rain once before when she was only two or three years old. Her parents had taken her to the countryside to see her grandparents. Fascinated by the pitter-patter of the rain, she had wobbled out from under the eaves while the adults were inside, trying to “catch” the rain with her tiny hands. She ended up soaked. When Tao Wanqing saw her, she was both angry and amused, and promptly gave her a “lesson” in the bedroom. Since then, her curiosity hadn’t gotten the better of her—until now.

To Nuo Fanxi, the rain itself was no big deal. The only problem was the drop in temperature. Even wrapped in a jacket and standing under the warm air, her small body couldn’t stop shivering.

Tang Mo stayed by her side, refusing to leave despite the teachers’ prompts. It was only when the butler arrived that Tang Mo finally agreed to move.

“Young Lady, please go back to class first. I’ll handle Xixi’s matter,” Uncle Chen, the butler, said.

“But Xixi…”

“If you don’t go back to class and your studies fall behind, the Madam will surely blame you when she finds out.”

“…Alright then.”

Tang Mo left the office reluctantly, looking back over her shoulder several times. Only after seeing Nuo Fanxi wave at her did she finally head back downstairs to her classroom.

Once Tang Mo was gone, the butler handed a bag to Teacher Zhu. “Please have a teacher help this child change her clothes. It wouldn’t be good for her to catch a cold.”

Teacher Zhu was very familiar with the butler, as she saw him often at the school gates. She understood he wanted to talk to her privately. She took the clothes and handed them to the subject teacher next to her.

“Teacher Zhao, please take Xixi to the restroom to change. I’ll have a word with Mr. Chen.”

Suddenly, Butler Chen spoke up: “Teacher Zhu, could you help me call that other child’s parents? My Madam has asked me to meet with them and have a proper talk about this incident.”

The Fang family was wealthy, but there is always a taller mountain. The Tang family was in a different league entirely.

Teacher Zhu didn’t hesitate. She picked up her phone to call Fang Xiaoyu’s parents immediately. Even as an ordinary teacher, she knew exactly what kind of status the Tang family held in City B. Nuo Fanxi herself might be considered “insignificant” in terms of background, but the fact that she was best friends with Tang Mo meant the two families were close.

This time, the Fang family had truly kicked a steel plate.

Perhaps she had worn the wet clothes for too long, or perhaps it was the blast of the warm AC; whatever the cause, when Nuo Fanxi finished changing and returned to the office, her head felt dizzy. She lacked the strength to walk, and her whole body felt miserable.

The subject teacher noticed something was wrong and touched her forehead. It was burning. “Teacher Zhu, Xixi seems to have a fever!”

“What?!”

A fever in a child is no small matter; if left unattended, it could lead to serious complications.

Teacher Zhu stood up to take her to the hospital, but the butler declined the offer. After a few brief words, he scooped Nuo Fanxi up, carried her downstairs, and drove straight to the hospital.

Nuo Fanxi remained in a daze throughout the process. She didn’t even react to the nurses she usually feared. She was better behaved than ever when they inserted the IV, letting the nurses move her however they needed.

But the fever was so high that she soon fell into a deep, heavy sleep.

“Uncle Chen, when will Xixi wake up?”

“The nurse gave her a fever-reducing shot. She should wake up soon.”

“But it’s been so long. School is over, and Xixi is still asleep.”

“Don’t worry, Young Lady. Xixi is just sleeping because of the fever. She might wake up a bit late, but the nurse checked her just now and said she’s fine.”

Tang Mo stayed huddled by the edge of the hospital bed, her eyes fixed on Nuo Fanxi’s face. She had never seen Xixi look so sickly. Her little face was filled with melancholy. She gently held Nuo Fanxi’s hand—the one without the IV—carefully avoiding the needle by just grasping her fingers.

“Xixi, wake up soon. I bought you so many snacks. If you don’t wake up, I’m going to eat them all myself.”

Since there were still classes in the afternoon, the butler had tried to take Tang Mo back to school, but she refused to budge. She insisted on staying by Nuo Fanxi’s side. The butler eventually had the family chef prepare a meal and send it to the hospital so Tang Mo could eat and rest there without the hassle of traveling back and forth.

By the time the IV was nearly empty, Nuo Fanxi’s temperature finally began to drop. She remained in a semi-conscious state, aware that someone was holding her hand but unsure who it was.

She finally woke up an hour later. Her back was soaked with sweat, making her feel sticky and uncomfortable. Her throat was parched. The first word out of her mouth was: “Water…”

Tang Mo, who was just preparing to head back to school, saw Nuo Fanxi open her eyes. She leaned over the bed excitedly. “Xixi, you’re awake!”

“Momo?”

Nuo Fanxi tried to sit up but had no strength. She could only speak while lying down. “Where… where am I?”

Everything was white, and there was an IV bag hanging above her. It clearly wasn’t home.

Tang Mo replied, “You had a fever. Uncle Chen brought you to the doctor. This is the hospital.”

Oh. She hated hospitals. The sight of nurses with syringes was terrifying.

Nuo Fanxi said weakly, “Momo, I want to go home. I don’t want to stay here.”

Tang Mo thought for a moment, then turned to the butler. “Uncle Chen, Xixi doesn’t want to be here. Can you ask the nurse when Xixi can go home?”