Chapter 41

In the end, their battle ended with Pei Yan admitting defeat.

With an hour left before afternoon dismissal, Pei Nuo pressed against the window and spoke to An Zimo. "Zimo, look, your mommy came to pick you up."

The children who heard her all crowded over.

"Yeah, yeah, she really came."

"An Zimo, your mommy came to pick you up so early."

"You're so lucky. I'm so jealous..."

Most of the parents in this class were busy. Every time, they only arrived late after all the children from the other classes had left. This was the first time they had seen a parent come so early to pick someone up.

An Zimo frowned and got up, heading to the door.

Not far away, An Xiang was gripping the gate bars and peering inside. The moment she spotted An Zimo, she excitedly jumped up and waved at him.

Her eyes were bright, as if the word happiness were practically written across her face.

"An Zimo, your mommy is so pretty."

"An Zimo, is your mommy a fairy?"

The children around him chattered nonstop. With a dark expression, An Zimo ran out of the classroom and stopped in front of An Xiang.

Seeing her son come out, she immediately squatted down, and the two looked at each other through the bars.

"Momo, how was your day?" An Xiang asked as she looked him over from head to toe. Her son was as clean as when he had left home. His little face was fair and tender, without a single scratch. He did not look like he had been bullied, and the worry she had carried all day finally eased.

"Why did you come so early?" An Zimo knitted his brows. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the children from the class had gathered behind him at some point, sneaking around as though afraid of being caught.

"I was worried about you, so I came two hours ago."

Two hours ago...

An Zimo's breathing caught, and his expression turned strange.

"It's okay. Momo, go play with the other children. Mommy will wait here for you." An Xiang tapped her legs, which had gone numb from squatting too long, and waved with a bright smile. "Go on, go on."

"..." That was not the point at all.

An Zimo stepped closer, raised his head, and lowered his voice slightly. "You don't need to come anymore. I can go home by myself after school." Home was only a few steps away. There was no need for anyone to pick him up, let alone wait here in advance.

An Xiang immediately refused. "How could that be okay? What if someone kidnaps you?"

"Children, go back to the classroom. We'll be getting out soon."

An Zimo gave her one last look before turning and running back to the classroom.

With a little over ten minutes left until dismissal, more and more adults gathered outside. When the bell rang, the children formed a long line and came out hand in hand.

After waiting for so long, An Xiang eagerly took her son's backpack. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly felt a gaze full of envy from the corner. Following it, she saw two little children squatting amid a pile of blocks, playing with toys. Their expressions were envious, faintly tinged with loneliness amid the cheerful atmosphere of dismissal.

An Xiang pressed her lips together and walked straight over to the teacher. "Hello, may I ask when Pei Yan and Pei Nuo's family will come pick them up?"

The teacher said, "Usually, they wait for their older brother to pick them up after school. On Fridays, their driver comes."

High school ended late, so the two children often had to stay at kindergarten for a long time.

They had long since gotten used to it, but whenever they saw parents picking up their own children, they still showed deep envy.

An Xiang lowered her eyes in thought, then called Pei Yizhou.

"Hello."

The voice on the other end was very low, with the sound of others talking in the background. He was obviously busy.

An Xiang did not dare ramble and hurriedly said, "Sorry for bothering you. I just wanted to ask whether you want me to take Yanyan and the others home with me."

"Hm?"

"I'm at the kindergarten picking up Momo. The two of them have been sitting over there waiting the whole time. They look kind of pitiful." As An Xiang spoke, she could not help glancing at the twins again.

The little girl had turned away and was sobbing. Yanyan held her and kept comforting her. The sight was both adorable and heartbreaking.

"Okay. Give the phone to the teacher."

An Xiang handed the phone to the teacher. After the two spoke for a few moments, the call ended.

"Pei Yan, Pei Nuo, come here quickly." The teacher waved, and the two children ran over eagerly.

The teacher bent down and said to them, "Zimo's mommy is going to take you home with her. Do you agree? Or do you still want to wait here for your older brother?"

Two pairs of large eyes landed on An Xiang at once.

Pei Yan's eyes flickered. Then he saw An Zimo's cold, mocking expression. He gritted his teeth and was about to refuse when Pei Nuo jumped up high and ran into the classroom to fetch her little backpack.

The little girl's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were full of lively joy as she looked at An Xiang.

How could Pei Yan bear to disappoint his sister? Glumly, he went back inside to put on his backpack, then waved goodbye to the teacher.

"Big sister, can Nuo Nuo hold your hand?"

The sunlight was gentle. The little girl with pigtails lifted her face high, her eyes glistening and filled with anticipation.

"Of course." An Xiang generously held out her hand.

Pei Nuo eagerly grabbed it. The way she smiled with her lips pressed together was innocent and content.

An Xiang's hand was very small, her palm warm and her skin soft. She also carried a sweet, pleasant scent. Pei Nuo could not help rubbing her little cheek against the back of An Xiang's hand and sticking close to her.

"Then can I hold this hand?"

Seeing how satisfied his sister looked, Pei Yan was tempted too.

"Sure~" An Xiang agreed again.

Pei Yan trotted to her side and took her right hand. One adult and two children walked side by side.

"That mommy is so young..."

"Those two babies are so pretty too. They look exactly alike. They must be boy-girl twins..."

Two young women passing by whispered about An Xiang, occasionally glancing at the twins.

The shadows of the trees dappled the ground, and the midday sun was just right.

The three people being discussed looked like a perfect family of three, harmonious and happy.

An Zimo had been left behind. Tugging at his backpack strap, he slowly walked after them.

He felt uncomfortable, but he did not know why. The stifled irritation in his chest made him restless, and his expression grew darker.

Her hand is so soft. It smells like Mommy.

It would be nice if she were my mommy.

Hehe, let An Zimo become an orphan.

An Zimo stopped walking. A raging storm brewed in his eyes as he stared at Pei Yan.

His hands slowly clenched into fists. Finally, unable to restrain his hostility, he gritted his teeth and charged between the two tightly clasped hands.

Pei Yan staggered from the impact, then fell down the steps with a thud.

He stared blankly at his scraped palm, then blankly at An Zimo, who stood arrogantly not far away. Thinking of all the grievances he had suffered today, he finally could not hold back his sadness. His mouth opened wide, and he let out a loud wail.

"Oh no, Yanyan, don't cry." An Xiang hurriedly picked Pei Yan up from the ground, then frowned at An Zimo. "Momo, you can't suddenly bump into people like that."

An Zimo said nothing. His anger swelled as he turned around and strode away, leaving them behind.

"Momo, come back!!"

An Zimo did not stop, and Pei Yan was still crying.

An Xiang's head was about to split in two. She hurriedly carried Pei Yan in her arms, took Pei Nuo's hand, and chased after him.

"An Zimo, that was very rude." Panting, she blocked An Zimo's path and looked down at his gloomy little face. "Everything was fine, so why are you throwing another tantrum?"

An Zimo raised his head and glared at her, then said nothing as he walked into the residential complex.

"Big sister, m-my hand hurts." Pei Yan tearfully held out his hand for her to see, looking utterly wronged.

An Xiang took his little paw and examined it carefully. It was not serious, just a little scraped. It had not even bled.

"It's okay, it's okay. When we get back, Big Sister will put some medicine on it."

"It hurts. Blow on it for me."

Pei Yan seized the chance to act spoiled.

Pei Nuo could not stand watching anymore and suddenly said in a childish voice, "Pei Yan, stop pretending. Before, when you hit your head so hard it bled, you weren't this dramatic."

His expression changed as he looked at his sister. "Nuo Nuo, how can you talk like that?"

"I'm just stating facts." The little girl pouted and crossed her short, chubby arms over her chest. "Asking someone to blow on it too. So gross."

Pei Nuo snorted disdainfully and ran after An Zimo on her short little legs.

She ran fast and soon caught up with An Zimo.

"Momo, are you jealous?" Pei Nuo tilted her little head. Her lashes fluttered like two tiny fans.

An Zimo gave her a faint glance and distastefully moved away from her.

Pei Nuo did not mind at all and continued sticking close to him. "Don't be jealous. Even though I really like Sister An Xiang, we can only call her Big Sister. Only you can call her Mommy."

"I'm not jealous. Shut up," he snapped fiercely.

"Okay, okay." Like a little adult, Pei Nuo patted his fluffy little head, her sweet voice soft and tender. "Starting tomorrow, I won't hold Sister An Xiang's hand anymore, okay? You can hold it."

"Shut up."

"So don't be jealous, and don't be mad at Yanyan either. That kid is just like that. He's not mature at all."

Her voice was childish, but her tone was serious. Combined with that little face, it was inexplicably amusing.

An Zimo's originally irritated mood instantly eased at her expression. He let out a snort of laughter.

Pei Nuo tilted her little head again and asked curiously, "Momo, did you laugh?"

An Zimo suppressed his smile and returned to his expressionless look. He turned his head away so the little girl could not see his face and said coldly, "I didn't laugh."

"Then can I hold your hand?"

"No."

"But I already gave Sister An Xiang's hand to you."

An Zimo glared back at her. "I don't need you to give it to me. That was my mommy's hand to begin with."

The little girl chewed on her finger, looking dejected. "But if you don't hold my hand, what if I get lost walking behind you?"

"Not my problem."

This little brat was seriously annoying, chattering endlessly.

An Zimo gave the little face filled with disappointment a faint look, then pursed his lips and put his backpack strap into her hand.

Pei Nuo froze for a moment, then broke into a wide smile. "Momo, are you willing to let me hold on?"

An Zimo gave an almost inaudible snort, slowed down as he walked ahead, and said, "The backpack was being nosy. Remember to thank it."

"Then... then thank you, Momo's backpack!" Pei Nuo gripped the thin backpack strap and skipped along behind him like a little tail.

Pei. Angel on Earth. Nuo: No one can resist adorable me, not even Grandpa Momo QWQ!

First update.

Two hundred red envelopes.