Chapter 510: Extraordinary (Part 1)
"I’m sorry for making you worry."
Little Tang Mo patted Tang Yuanxiao’s shoulder, comforting him silently as he apologized.
Tang Yuanxiao took a deep breath and awkwardly scrubbed at his face. He released Little Tang Mo, looking him up and down while touching and squeezing his small arms.
"What are you sorry for, you silly kid?"
’Thank goodness, thank goodness Little Tang Mo wasn’t lost for good. Thank goodness they found him. Otherwise, what would I have done?’
’I wouldn’t have been able to live in peace, and after I died, I wouldn’t have the face to see Mo Jianjun in the afterlife.’
Little Tang Mo smiled and looked over at Wu Sheng, who was standing to the side. "Uncle."
He spread his arms. "You look like you’re dying to hug me, so I’ll let you have one."
Listening from the side, Su Li let out a snort of laughter.
"Should I thank Your Majesty for this great honor? It’s obvious you’re the one who wants a hug."
Exasperated, Wu Sheng retorted, but his actions were without hesitation. He bent down, slipped his hands under Little Tang Mo’s arms, and lifted him up.
"No way! I just saw the desperate, pitiful look on your face, so I reluctantly decided to let you have a hug."
Little Tang Mo immediately fell into his usual back-and-forth with Wu Sheng.
"Well, well, I guess I should thank Little Point for his kindness, then."
Wu Sheng bounced Little Tang Mo to test his weight. "You’ve gotten a little lighter."
"It’s fine. I’ll gain it all back in a couple of days. Mom’s here."
Little Tang Mo wasn’t concerned.
"Oh, you’ve got it all figured out, huh?" Wu Sheng playfully rubbed his stubbly chin against Little Tang Mo’s face.
"Agh, that’s so itchy! Let me go!"
Little Tang Mo scrambled to get free and immediately dove into Su Li’s embrace. Rubbing his face, he huffed at Wu Sheng.
Watching from the side, a flash of envy passed through Tang Yuanxiao’s eyes.
Even though Little Tang Mo called him Dad, their closeness was nothing like the boy’s bond with Wu Sheng.
It was hardly surprising. Although Tang Yuanxiao had been Little Tang Mo’s father, if you actually calculated the time they had spent together, Little Tang Mo had been with Wu Sheng for far longer.
Tang Yuanxiao used to come home only once a year. When Little Tang Mo was younger, he was too young to form lasting memories. By the time he was old enough to remember, he finally had some time with Tang Yuanxiao.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t spent much time together, and their bond had barely had a chance to develop before the incident occurred. After that, the title "Dad" no longer brought Little Tang Mo a sense of security, but rather pain.
For a while, Little Tang Mo hadn’t called Tang Yuanxiao "Dad" again. Beyond all the other reasons, he had actually grown somewhat averse to the title itself.
The fact that he could say it today was not just because he was moved; it was also partly because he had grown up a little more.
Disasters always force people to mature. This incident had spurred another rapid period of growth for Little Tang Mo.
He had matured, become stronger, and could once again utter the word "Dad."
Likewise, though Little Tang Mo himself hadn’t realized it, when he thought of Mrs. Tang now, his fear had diminished considerably.
After all, he had already faced down human traffickers.
Little Tang Mo’s mental fortitude was now stronger than that of an ordinary adult. However, anyone with parents is forever a child in their presence, and Little Tang Mo was no exception—not to mention he was, in fact, still just a child of eight.
When Su Li wasn’t around, Little Tang Mo was the little adult, the big brother whom Little Tongtong and the others relied upon. He was a presence that made the police officers treat him as an equal, someone they even looked up to. But upon seeing Su Li, Little Tang Mo happily reverted to his childlike self.
"Mom, that tickles."
Little Tang Mo sought refuge in Su Li’s embrace.
Su Li hugged him and shot Wu Sheng a glare, though her eyes were filled with mirth. "You two are at it again."
Wu Sheng stood obediently, accepting the scolding.
’I really don’t want to cry,’ he thought. ’This is a happy occasion. It wouldn’t do for everyone to be hugging and sobbing.’
Su Li noticed a cut on the back of Little Tang Mo’s hand and quickly set him down. "Little Mo, are you hurt anywhere else?"
Little Tang Mo glanced at the small cut on the back of his hand and sighed internally.
He looked at Su Li and the others, shaking his head. "Mom, Uncle, Dad, I’m okay. I’m really okay. I’m perfectly fine."
"I didn’t get enough to eat or drink for a while, but other than being a little hungry, I wasn’t hurt at all."
Little Tang Mo pulled on Su Li’s hand. "I listened to you, Mom, and protected myself."
Looking at Little Tang Mo, Su Li felt an immense sense of pride, but her heart ached for him.
"Well done, Little Mo. Well done."
"Mhm." Little Tang Mo nodded firmly. "Mom, all of you, don’t just stand there. Please, come sit down."
Little Tang Mo led Su Li into the conference room, smiling at the police officers.
Su Li’s attention had been focused entirely on Little Tang Mo, so she only just now noticed the police officers. She immediately began bowing repeatedly.
"Thank you, thank you all so much. Thank you for saving Little Mo."
Behind her, Tang Yuanxiao and Wu Sheng bowed in unison.
The officers, who had been in a state of excited, dumbfounded confusion ever since Little Tang Mo arrived—a complete daze—all waved their hands frantically in response.
"No, no, it wasn’t us who saved him, he’s just that incredible... "
"Ah, wait, that’s not right. We did help save him, but you don’t need to thank us. We should be the ones thanking him. He’s really... a good kid."
As they spoke, they couldn’t help but run a hand over their faces, blinking as they looked at Little Tang Mo again.
’Oh my god, is this unbelievably well-behaved, smiling kid clinging to his mom’s leg really the same aloof, impossibly cool and badass genius from before?’
’They wondered if they were dreaming.’
The officers looked at each other, at a loss for words to describe the emotional rollercoaster they’d been on.
They had somehow, against all odds, come to accept his transformation from a kidnapped child victim into a miraculous, aloof young genius.
’And just when they had finally gotten used to the true face of this aloof little genius, he instantly transformed into this soft, adorable, and well-behaved little kid?’
’This is... this is really... a wild ride.’
Their minds were racing with a complex swirl of emotions, but they couldn’t help but smile fondly at Little Tang Mo.
The officers’ incoherent replies made Su Li pause for a second, and she immediately looked toward Little Tang Mo.
Little Tang Mo blinked, looking exceptionally innocent. "The officers saved me."
Hearing this, the officers’ hearts completely melted, and they felt a little embarrassed.
"Not at all, not at all. You’re the incredible one. You helped us so much."
These were their honest feelings. The way they looked at Little Tang Mo, you could tell they wished they could just take him home and raise him themselves.
Everyone’s inner thoughts could be summed up in two lines:
’Man, I wish he was my kid!’
’Man, I hope my kids turn out this smart and cute!’
Of course, these were just thoughts they kept to themselves.
The captain, acting as a representative, stepped forward to shake hands with Su Li, Wu Sheng, and Tang Yuanxiao. He was a perceptive man, and seeing how much Little Tang Mo relied on Su Li—who seemed to be his main guardian—he spoke to her with great hope.
"Little Mo’s mother, your son is so incredible, he’s a natural-born police officer! Do you think he’ll become one in the future?"
Su Li looked completely taken aback. "Huh?"
’This conversation has taken a strange turn,’ she thought.
The captain saw Su Li’s expression and pressed on.
"Of course, he’s still too young now, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to start working. I’m talking about later, when he grows up. He can be an officer then. It would be a huge waste of his talent if he didn’t join the force."
Su Li: "..."
She had a feeling that something incredible had just happened.