A Paranoid Alpha Childhood Friend is Acting Spoiled Again - Chapter 19

Last weekend, Tang Mo finished the lessons assigned by her tutors ahead of schedule. As a special reward, Bai Xiaozhu granted her permission to skip classes this weekend and go out to play with Nuo Fanxi.

Tang Mo was naturally overjoyed. After talking to Nuo Fanxi on the phone the night before, she woke up early the next morning. She had the domestic helpers prepare a large amount of delicious food to pack into her schoolbag, and as soon as breakfast was over, she headed off to find Nuo Fanxi with her bag full of snacks.

The distance between where they lived wasn’t very far—only about a twenty-minute drive.

Knowing Tang Mo was coming, Nuo Fanxi stood at the gate with her nanny, Auntie Li, around the expected arrival time. Spotting the familiar car approaching from a distance, Nuo Fanxi waved her arms frantically.

Tang Mo was too impatient to wait. Before the butler could drive the car into the complex, she asked him to stop, quickly pushed the door open, and ran over.

“Momo, slow down! Don’t trip.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t!”

Then, holding hands, the two walked inside.

Halfway there, Nuo Fanxi turned back and noticed the butler hadn’t driven the car into the residential area. She asked curiously, “Isn’t Uncle Chen coming in?”

Tang Mo replied, “Daddy had something for Uncle Chen to do today, so he just dropped me off. When I’m ready to go home, I’ll call him to come pick me up.”

“I see. Then let’s go up and play!”

“Okay!”

The two little ones walked upstairs hand-in-hand with Auntie Li following behind. While taking the elevator, they encountered some neighbors from the upper floors. The two girls politely greeted them as “Uncle” and “Auntie,” making the neighbors absolutely adore them. Some neighbors who had brought back fruit and snacks from their hometowns were so charmed by the girls’ sweet manners that they even handed some out to Nuo Fanxi and Tang Mo.

The girls thanked them in unison, waited for the neighbors to leave, and then took the elevator up to the apartment.

At home, there wasn’t much to do besides watching TV, playing with toys, or eating snacks together. After watching cartoons for the entire morning, Nuo Fanxi felt it was getting a bit boring and suggested to Tang Mo that they go downstairs to play on the seesaw.

Tang Mo actually had a seesaw at home—along with a carousel and all sorts of other playground equipment. Tang Cheng and Bai Xiaozhu had specially built a small park behind their villa to entertain the children of other elite families.

However, Bai Xiaozhu never allowed Tang Mo to go in and play, fearing she would become addicted and lose her focus on studying. So, despite knowing it existed, Tang Mo had never actually experienced it.

“Yes, let’s go!”

Nuo Fanxi immediately turned off the TV and ran to tell Auntie Li that she was taking Tang Mo downstairs to play.

Auntie Li wasn’t comfortable letting the two children go down alone. Even though it was a gated community with security and property management, there are many bad people in the world, and it’s hard to guarantee that everyone around you is good.

For safety’s sake, Auntie Li followed the two little ones down.

As soon as they stepped outside, they heard several cat meows from a distance. The cries were sharp and pitiful, sounding quite distressing. Nuo Fanxi knew there were a few stray cats in the complex that were very friendly; she bought a ham sausage to feed them every day after school. As soon as she heard the cry, she knew exactly which one it was.

“That’s ‘Chief’s’ voice!”

Chief was a very well-proportioned black-and-white “cow cat” stray. The residents of the complex had fed him until he was quite chubby, with a very large, round face. When he saw people approaching, he would even trustingly show his belly.

Today, a family in the complex must have brought over some visiting children. Seeing how cute Chief was, several of the boys were roughly pulling on his tail, making the poor cat howl in pain.

When Nuo Fanxi ran over, the boys were still tugging hard, showing no intention of letting go despite the cat’s cries. Nuo Fanxi was furious. She rushed over and shoved the “bad kids” to the ground, then gently shielded Chief in her arms.

“You aren’t allowed to bully Chief!”

The boys wanted to team up to bully Nuo Fanxi back, but seeing an adult following behind her, they could only run away dejectedly.

“Xixi, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Nuo Fanxi looked at Chief, who was huddled in her arms, and whispered while stroking him: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’ve chased the bad guys away. They won’t dare come back to bully you again.”

Sensing Nuo Fanxi’s kindness, Chief kept stretching out his head to nuzzle her and even licked her with his tongue. However, a cat’s tongue is like a series of tiny hooks; being licked on the skin actually hurts quite a bit. Nuo Fanxi had to dodge his tongue and stick to stroking his big head.

Tang Mo wanted to touch him too, but she didn’t quite dare to reach out. Her mother had taught her never to touch stray animals randomly; if she were accidentally bitten, there was no telling what might happen.

After hesitating for a long time, Tang Mo started to pull her hand back.

Nuo Fanxi saw her retracting her hand despite her longing expression and said, “Momo, you can pet him too. Chief is very good; he doesn’t bite.”

“R-really?”

“Try it. He’s very well-behaved, he really won’t bite.”

Hearing Nuo Fanxi’s reassurance, Tang Mo timidly reached out. Chief, snuggled against Nuo Fanxi, seemed to know this was her friend and wouldn’t hurt him, so he carefully extended a paw.

When Tang Mo saw the cat’s paw reaching out, her eyes lit up. She didn’t hesitate any longer and gently took hold of it.

A cat’s fur is exceptionally soft, unlike other animals; it feels wonderful to the touch and brings a sense of joy. After holding Chief’s paw, an expression of pure wonder appeared on Tang Mo’s face.

“See, Momo? Doesn’t he feel nice?”

Tang Mo nodded vigorously, let go of Chief’s paw, and slowly began to pet his large head.

Auntie Li knew that the strays in this complex had all been neutered and vaccinated. Some residents even paid out of their own pockets to take them to pet shops for baths and deworming. Even if children held them, there was no need to worry about fleas or hygiene.

“Xixi, does Chief have a home?”

Nuo Fanxi hadn’t expected Tang Mo to ask that. She thought for a moment and said, “Chief and the others are strays. They don’t have one fixed home, but the Uncles, Aunties, Brothers, and Sisters in the complex are very good to them. They often buy cans and cat food for them. This whole place is their home.”

Tang Mo shook her head. To her, this didn’t count as having a home. Cats and dogs with homes wouldn’t be bullied; they would have owners who bought them delicious food, toys, and all kinds of clothes. They wouldn’t have to suffer at the hands of bad children who might have tortured Chief to death if she and Nuo Fanxi hadn’t come down.

After a moment, Tang Mo said, “Xixi, let’s take Chief home and raise him, okay?”

That way, Chief would never have to roam outside or be bullied again.

Nuo Fanxi stroked Chief’s head, her expression becoming dejected. She wanted to take him in too, but Tao Wanqing and Nuo Lin were rarely home. A child like her couldn’t take proper care of a cat, and Auntie Li was getting older—looking after Nuo Fanxi was already enough work. Her mother would never agree to her adopting these strays.

“Mommy said I’m too little and can’t take care of him yet. If I took him home and didn’t look after him well, Chief and the other cats would blame me and might not let me pet them anymore. But here in the complex, everyone looks after him. Mommy said when I grow up a bit more and can take care of him myself, I can bring him home.”

Tang Mo didn’t think that far ahead; she just felt it was pitiful to leave the cats here to be bullied. She fell silent, her head lowered in thought.

A good while later, Tang Mo looked up. “Xixi, do you think… if I asked Mommy to let me adopt Chief, she would agree?”

Nuo Fanxi shook her head without a second thought. “Godmother Xiaozhu definitely won’t let you keep him. Think about it—she didn’t used to let me visit you, and she won’t let you go to the amusement park on weekends. Chief is so cute; she’ll definitely think that if you adopt him, he’ll distract you from your studies. What if she sends him away later?”

Hearing that Chief might be sent away, Tang Mo’s little face grew even sadder. “B-but… if he stays here, what if they bully him again?”

Nuo Fanxi said, “They won’t! The people here love the cats. If anyone dares to bully them again, the adults will definitely scold them! Don’t worry about Chief, Momo. You have me! I’ll definitely protect them!”

As she spoke, Nuo Fanxi patted her chest in a promise.

Tang Mo trusted Nuo Fanxi more than anyone because she knew Xixi always kept her word. “Okay!”

Nuo Fanxi spent a bit more time petting and comforting the cat before putting him back on the ground. Chief looked confused as to why he was being put down and stared up at Nuo Fanxi, then began rubbing his body and tail against her legs.

Tang Mo watched her curiously.

Nuo Fanxi said to the cat, “I’m going to play on the seesaw with Momo now. Chief, do you want to come?”

Chief seemed to understand. He gave a meow, rubbed against her one last time, and then began to trot ahead with a familiar swagger. Every few steps, he would stop and look back, as if telling them: Hurry up, two-legged pets, and follow me.

Tang Mo thought it was magical and cried out happily, “Xixi, Chief really understands you!”

Nuo Fanxi said proudly, “Of course, cats are very smart! Momo, let’s go play on the seesaw with Chief.”

Tang Mo hummed a “yes,” stood up, and took Nuo Fanxi’s hand. The two skipped toward the nearby playground.