A Paranoid Alpha Childhood Friend is Acting Spoiled Again - Chapter 2

Every child is a treasure to their parents. Knowing that their daughter’s well-being was at stake, Tao Wanqing and Nuo Lin felt a pang in their hearts the moment they heard Nuo Fanxi’s accusation. They looked at Tang Mo, who was hiding behind the teacher clutching her hem with tears welling in her eyes, and then at the fierce, unreasonable parents of Zhou Kai, who had just been insulting their child. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Nuo Fanxi wasn’t lying.

Now it was Nuo Lin and Tao Wanqing’s turn to be furious. Who could stand by while their child was bullied by another parent?

Despite their anger, the two remained rational. They didn’t immediately descend into a shouting match like shrews; instead, they sought the truth first. If their child had truly started the fight for no reason, the other parents’ anger would be justified. But if the other child had picked the fight and the parents were now slandering and attempting to hit their daughter, then they had every reason to fight back.

In short, they had to make sure their child was in the right first.

Tao Wanqing knelt down, patted Nuo Fanxi’s head, and asked gently, “Xixi, tell Mommy what happened. Why did you hit another student?”

Nuo Fanxi turned and pointed at Tang Mo, huffing, “I didn’t want to hit him! He wouldn’t stop pulling Momo’s hair, and he even ripped off the ribbon Godmother Zhu tied for her! I told him to apologize, but he just made a face at me and didn’t think he did anything wrong. That’s why I got mad and taught him a lesson. Look, the ribbon on Momo’s braid is gone, and she has to hold it with her hand or her hair will come undone.”

The culprit was obvious now; they didn’t even need to see the surveillance footage.

However, Zhou Kai’s parents had spoiled their son to the core. They refused to believe he was at fault, stubbornly insisting that the “little brat” must have ripped the ribbon herself to frame their son. Their unreasonable behavior was the definition of “dead duck stubbornness”—refusing to admit the truth even when caught.

Teacher Li criticized them in her head at least eight hundred times. Like parents, like child, she thought. With parents this barbaric, the child would surely follow suit. How dare they claim someone else’s child would be a “menace to society” when their own son acted like this?

As a teacher, however, Li had to be objective. She knelt down and asked Tang Mo directly, “Momo, tell teacher—is it just as Xixi said?”

Tang Mo was introverted and timid. She could usually manage a few words with the teacher, but before she could speak, she was startled by Mother Zhou’s loud, aggressive shouting. She instinctively gripped Teacher Li’s clothes, her tiny body shaking uncontrollably.

“What are you asking her for?! She’s obviously in cahoots with that other girl! They’re clearly teaming up to bully my Kaikai!”

Tao Wanqing and Nuo Lin had never seen such savage parents. Realizing words were useless, they demanded the school play the surveillance footage. Who did what would be clear at a glance.

At first, Zhou Kai’s parents were quite arrogant, loudly proclaiming their son was “always obedient” and “never looked for trouble.” But once the footage played, they were rendered completely speechless.

Nuo Lin and Tao Wanqing weren’t about to let it go. Tang Mo had been scared witless; if they let it slide now, these people would think they were “soft persimmons” that could be squeezed at will.

Once the truth was out, they demanded that Father and Mother Zhou apologize—and that they bring Zhou Kai to apologize in front of all the children as well.

Initially, this could have been settled quietly if they had just talked it out. Had the Zhou parents confirmed the facts and apologized, it wouldn’t have been so embarrassing. But they were used to throwing tantrums and assuming other parents would just back down and apologize first. This time, they had kicked a steel plate. They ended up becoming a laughingstock, making it impossible for their son to hold his head up in front of his classmates.

“Don’t be afraid, Momo. Godmother is here. No one dares bully our Momo,” Tao Wanqing said, hugging Tang Mo, who finally felt safe enough to cry out loud. “Be good, it’s over now. Godmother and Uncle Lin already taught that bad lady a lesson. No one will ever bully you again.”

Tao Wanqing and Tang Mo’s mother, Bai Xiaozhu, were best friends who grew up together. When Nuo Fanxi and Tang Mo were still in the womb, the two women had already agreed to be godmothers to each other’s children. Seeing Tang Mo bullied, Tao Wanqing naturally wouldn’t stand by.

“Come, be a good girl and stop crying. Godmother will fix your braid for you.”

Nuo Fanxi was wiping Tang Mo’s tears. Hearing her mother offer to braid the hair, she immediately raised her hand. “Mommy, I want to do it too!”

Tao Wanqing tapped her on the head. “You? Do you even know how? Who was it last time who tangled Momo’s hair so badly she almost had to cut it? Stand over there and stay out of trouble.”

“Oh.”

Nuo Fanxi stood by obediently, her bright eyes tracking Tao Wanqing’s hands intently, observing exactly how she braided the hair.

When the braid was finished, Nuo Fanxi requested to tie the ribbon back on herself. Tao Wanqing gave in and held the end of the braid while the girl tied the knot. Tao Wanqing expected it to be a mess and planned to redo it, but to her surprise, Nuo Fanxi tied it quite well.

“Done!” Nuo Fanxi leaned in front of Tang Mo with a proud look. “How is it, Momo? Does it look good? Is it better than Godmother Xiaozhu’s?”

Children can never hide their thoughts. It was obvious Nuo Fanxi was fishing for a compliment. Tang Mo looked at the two ribbons and hesitated—she clearly had a different opinion—but she still nodded vigorously. “Mmh! Xixi is so amazing!”

Nuo Fanxi immediately turned to her mother. “Mommy, see! Even Momo says I’m the best at this!”

She’s just being polite! Tao Wanqing thought. She debated telling the truth but worried it would crush the child’s confidence. In the end, she decided to nurture that self-esteem. She clapped and said, “Xixi is so great!”

Nuo Fanxi’s nose practically tilted to the sky with pride. She put her hands on her hips and boasted, “Of course! I secretly learned this from Godmother Xiaozhu.”

Tao Wanqing asked instinctively, “Why did you learn that?”

Nuo Fanxi’s eyes darted around. She tilted her head and said, “It’s a secret. I can’t tell you.”

“Not even Mommy?”

“…No.”

“What about Momo? Not even her?”

“Momo? Of course I can tell her, but I’ll whisper it to her when you guys aren’t around. Not now.”

Tao Wanqing squinted at her precocious daughter. Why do I suddenly feel like giving her a swat?

“Ah Qing, it’s settled. We should get going,” Nuo Lin called from the door.

“Coming!”

Tao Wanqing patted both little heads and kissed their foreheads. “Xixi, your father and I are leaving. You and Momo listen to the teacher. If anyone bullies you again, tell the teacher to call us, understand? And Nuo Fanxi—if I hear the teacher complain about you again, no snacks for a week. Got it?”

Tang Mo leaned into Nuo Fanxi’s ear and whispered, “It’s okay. If Godmother Tao doesn’t give you snacks, I’ll ask Uncle Chen to buy them for you.”

“Momo, I heard that!” Tao Wanqing teased. “If you keep spoiling her and encouraging her rebellion, I’ll tell your mother to tell Uncle Chen not to listen to you and to cut off your allowance.”

Tang Mo immediately lowered her head and apologized. “Sorry, Godmother. I was wrong.”

Tao Wanqing smiled and patted her head. “Alright, just this once. I won’t tell your mom. Listen to the teacher, okay?”

Tang Mo waved her small hand vigorously. “Bye-bye Godmother! Bye-bye Uncle Lin!”

Once they were gone, Tang Mo turned to Nuo Fanxi immediately. “Xixi, even if Godmother tells my mom and I lose my allowance, I still have lots and lots of New Year’s money! Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll buy it for you.”

Nuo Fanxi had New Year’s money too, though most of it had been “confiscated” by her mother for “savings.” But Nuo Fanxi was clever and had hidden some.

“I don’t need you to buy it; I have plenty too!” Nuo Fanxi said proudly. “Daddy secretly gave me some that Mommy doesn’t know about. But I’m only telling you this secret—you can’t tell Mommy!”

Tang Mo nodded frantically. “Don’t worry! It’s our secret!”

Nuo Fanxi lunged forward and hugged her, nuzzling against her face. “I really do like Momo the best! We’re the bestest friends in the whole world!”

After a moment, Nuo Fanxi pulled back and held out her pinky, grinning. “Let’s make a pinky promise.”

Tang Mo nodded and hooked her tiny finger with Nuo Fanxi’s. “For a hundred years, it will never change.”