The little girl was indeed a true acting talent. From a young age, she already started appearing on television to help her father make money. But, this was, in essence, very different to acting in a film.
Even though Coco was born into a mixed culture family, in reality, she only had her father. Because her mother viewed her father as weak and useless, she ended up leaving him and marrying a rich businessman as his second wife. But, little Coco was very mature. As soon as her father realized that she had acting talent, she decided to help lighten her father's burdens by working. As a result, she was now quite famous within the industry.
Tangning was, after all, a mother. So, when she heard that Coco Lee was so mature, she couldn't help but sympathize with the little girl. Hence, when they finally met, Tangning subconsciously patted her on the head.