A Paranoid Alpha Childhood Friend is Acting Spoiled Again - Chapter 8

Nuo Fanxi’s little face momentarily went blank, her expression a mix of shock and being unexpectedly flattered. It took her a good while to snap out of it; she slowly set down her milk cookie, wiped her tiny hands, and held Tang Mo’s face to kiss her back.

Between children, there are no complicated emotional layers. It is pure: if they like playing with someone and want to be close, they express that “like” by kissing a cheek. After the kiss, they simply sat face-to-face, looking at each other and laughing happily.

The tutor, watching this scene, was completely charmed. she pulled out her phone to snap a picture and sent a copy to Bai Xiaozhu.

When it was almost time to start again, the tutor had the two little ones put away their unfinished snacks. Worried that Nuo Fanxi might be a distraction, the tutor originally intended to have her do her homework or play on a phone; usually, if you redirect a child’s attention, they’ll forget their original goal.

However, Nuo Fanxi shook her head. She stated she wouldn’t disturb Tang Mo’s studies and sat down nearby to be Tang Mo’s “very first audience member.”

The tutor had worked with many children and didn’t believe a five-year-old had that kind of stamina. Piano practice was dry and boring—to a child, it was no different from a book written in a foreign tongue.

But she couldn’t win an argument with Nuo Fanxi, and she couldn’t force her out—that would only make Tang Mo lose focus or throw a tantrum. So, she let Nuo Fanxi stay.

“Eldest Miss, let’s review what we learned this morning. Do you remember how to play that piece?”

Tang Mo glanced at Nuo Fanxi sitting beside her and nodded with a smile. “I remember!”

The tutor was satisfied. She patted the girl’s head and said, “Then play it for me again. Let’s hear how it sounds.”

Tang Mo placed her ten fingers lightly on the keys. Mimicking the tutor’s earlier instructions, she took a deep breath with her eyes closed, then opened them, looked at the score, and began to move her fingers.

Because she was young and her fingers were short, this piano had been custom-made by Bai Xiaozhu so Tang Mo could reach all the keys without struggling. Having memorized the score, Tang Mo was able to fully display her talent.

Ting, ting, ting—

The prelude began.

Nuo Fanxi quickly moved a stool to sit nearby. Seeing Tang Mo’s small hands pressing the keys to create sounds she didn’t quite understand, she immediately sat up straight. She straightened her back and kept her eyes bright and focused; she looked incredibly serious.

But a child is a child. Playfulness always wins eventually. Tang Mo hadn’t been playing for long before Nuo Fanxi’s eyelids began to battle. She couldn’t control it, and soon she was falling into a drowse.

However, Nuo Fanxi told herself that as Tang Mo’s first audience member, she had to endure. She couldn’t let Tang Mo down. After an internal struggle, she used her fingers to physically pry her own eyelids open.

Unfortunately, she was just too sleepy. Even prying her eyes open couldn’t lift her spirits. Added to the fact that she had woken up far too early due to over-excitement, the piano music acted like a lullaby. She couldn’t hold out.

Slowly, Nuo Fanxi slid off the stool, used the seat as a pillow, and fell fast asleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already noon.

Tang Mo leaned into her ear and whispered, “Xixi, wake up. It’s time to eat.”

Nuo Fanxi sat up and rubbed her eyes. Seeing Tang Mo sitting nearby with her beautiful floral skirt spread across the floor, she said dizzily, “Momo, why are you sitting on the floor? You’ll get your pretty skirt dirty.”

“It’s okay, the floor is clean,” Tang Mo said. “Besides, weren’t you sitting on the floor too, Xixi?”

Nuo Fanxi smiled. “That’s different. I’m wearing pants, but Momo is wearing a beautiful little skirt. Pants don’t get dirty easily, but skirts do—and once they’re dirty, they don’t look good anymore.”

Tang Mo thought that made sense, so she shifted from a sitting position to a squat, tucking her hem over her knees. But fearing that Nuo Fanxi’s pants would get dirty on the floor anyway, she pulled Nuo Fanxi up and had her sit on the stool.

“Sorry, Momo, I fell asleep anyway.” Nuo Fanxi rubbed her eyes again to wake herself up.

Tang Mo knew she had fallen asleep, so during the break, she hadn’t woken her. She had just sat quietly nearby, reading a children’s book. Now that it was lunchtime, she had to wake her.

“Are you still sleepy, Xixi?”

Nuo Fanxi had slept all morning, so she wasn’t tired anymore. Shaking her head, she said, “I’ve slept enough. But Momo, you’re amazing! You were so serious about such a boring thing, and you didn’t even get sleepy. You’re really incredible!”

It wasn’t that Tang Mo wasn’t sleepy—she was exhausted. But if she didn’t study hard, Nuo Fanxi wouldn’t be allowed to visit anymore. She had promised the tutor (and effectively her mother), so she had to do it.

Furthermore, Tang Mo could have slept during the 15-minute break, but she was afraid that if she fell asleep, Nuo Fanxi might leave. She wanted to keep watch over her friend.

“No way, I’m not as amazing as Xixi says.” Tang Mo stood up. “Let’s not talk about that. Let’s go eat. The aunties have already made lunch. We can talk more after we eat.”

Nuo Fanxi had been here many times and knew exactly where the dining room was. She remembered several aunties here who cooked delicious food and made all kinds of dumplings. Last time, she had found a massive shrimp in a dumpling and a delicious golden fish—though she still couldn’t remember the name of that fish.

“Okay! Let’s eat first!”

The two went downstairs hand-in-hand. The tutor followed behind. When they reached the ground floor, they saw an Omega woman sitting in the living room. She seemed to be a guest of the family. Beside her was a boy about eight or nine years old who was unceremoniously grabbing large grapes from a fruit bowl on the coffee table and stuffing them into his mouth.

The Omega mother didn’t see any problem with her son’s behavior; she even told him to eat more if he liked them, acting as if she weren’t a guest at all.

Seeing the tutor lead Tang Mo and Nuo Fanxi downstairs, the Omega immediately stood up and rushed over to Tang Mo, reaching out to pull her over.

But Tang Mo was unwilling. She ducked behind Nuo Fanxi and the tutor, her eyes showing a clear dislike. Her tiny hands gripped Nuo Fanxi’s clothes tightly, and she had no intention of letting go.

Nuo Fanxi immediately stepped forward to block the woman. “Auntie, you can talk to us, but don’t start grabbing people the moment you see them. Can’t you see Momo is scared of you?”

The Omega woman recognized the tutor. She was the one Bai Xiaozhu had hired for a fortune—a music PhD from a famous overseas university who had won numerous awards. Bai Xiaozhu liked her so much she reportedly gifted her luxury cars and watches.

But she had never heard that this young Omega tutor had a child.

“Teacher Zhao, is she your daughter?”

The tutor denied it. “No, she is the Eldest Miss’s best friend. She came over to play today.”

The wealthy socialites in this circle knew that Bai Xiaozhu was extremely strict with her daughter. Usually, Tang Mo wasn’t even allowed to play if she were slightly behind in her studies; there was no way a random child would be allowed over during lesson time.

Is this the daughter of some powerful family? the woman wondered.

If she were, the woman should have recognized her. But she had no memory of this face.

“So she’s here for the Eldest Miss. Auntie meant no harm; I just haven’t seen the Eldest Miss in a while and wanted to give her a hug.”

Nuo Fanxi was young and might not have understood family politics, but the tutor saw right through it. These people didn’t care about Tang Mo; they just wanted to use her as a stepping stone to climb the Tang family tree.

Moreover, although Tang Mo was young, she was raised by her parents and could sense these people’s intentions. Naturally, she didn’t like these kinds of adults.

“But didn’t you see that Momo doesn’t want you to hug her?” Nuo Fanxi said, her childish honesty piercing through social pretenses. “You scared her! We kids hate adults like you the most—you clearly don’t like us, but you keep lying about it.”

Being called out in front of a stranger made the Omega’s face turn incredibly ugly. But with the tutor present, she had to endure it. “I don’t know whose child you are, but making baseless claims is slander! Didn’t your parents teach you that while a child can eat anything, they shouldn’t say just anything?!”

The Omega’s gaze was fierce, her eyebrows arched, and her eyes nearly bulging. Her tone was heavy and threatening. Normally, a child would be terrified by an adult acting this way, but Nuo Fanxi’s upbringing was different. She wasn’t afraid at all. Instead, hearing the woman talk like that made her own little face puff up with anger.

“Auntie, that saying about ‘not saying just anything’ isn’t just for kids—it’s even more for adults! Besides, my Mommy and Daddy taught me that adults who lie aren’t worthy of a child’s respect.” Nuo Fanxi glanced back at the frightened Tang Mo and said righteously, “You just scared Momo. You need to apologize to her!”

The Omega had never been humiliated like this, especially not by a little brat whose teeth hadn’t even finished growing. She was a “wealthy wife,” after all. Unable to take the insult, she swung her hand to deliver a slap.

But before her hand could land, her wrist was caught mid-air by the tutor. “Mrs. Wang, this is the Tang residence. If you strike the Eldest Miss’s best friend and Madame Bai finds out, I doubt you’ll be able to explain yourself.”

Tang Mo didn’t hide behind the tutor anymore. She pulled Nuo Fanxi close and stood in front of the Omega socialite, saying angrily, “I don’t care if you’re a relative or friend of my uncles. If you dare lay a hand on Xixi, I will call my Mommy and Daddy right now!”

The Tang family was currently led by Tang Guanqing and Bai Xiaozhu. The other siblings only held minor shares. If they offended the main couple, they wouldn’t just lose their connection—their future business would suffer as well.

The Omega panicked instantly, her face changing like a mask. “Eldest Miss, you misunderstood! I didn’t want to hit her; I just wanted to help her parents educate her! Look at her attitude toward your Auntie Wang. Children should be polite to adults, right?”

Tang Mo was young, but she wasn’t stupid—especially when someone tried to bully Nuo Fanxi. “Xixi just said it: adults who lie don’t deserve respect! You lied first, then tried to hit Xixi, yet you want her to be polite? You are going too far!”