Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Wanting to eat the shrimp shell along with the meat was clearly not the correct way of thinking for a normal child.

But Xiaobai Nuo was not a normal child; he still had many shallow scars on his body.

Bai Sheng saw them and understood this, but after confirming that Bai Nuo had truly never experienced a normal child's life, and might never have eaten proper meals even in the lab, Bai Sheng couldn't help but frown.

He did know that these illegal research institutes often kept a low profile to avoid detection, with daily meals consisting of instant canned food, nutrition supplemented by pills, and brainwashing slogans about enduring hardship to make money. If that was the case for them, then it was even worse for a child like this little one, born there as an unregistered child.

Of course, before bringing the little one back, Bai Sheng had already gone through all the procedures, and the child's household registration was now under his name.

Although he hadn't planned to care much about the child at first, he had looked into the basic information, but he still felt a bit angry.

Bai Sheng was handsome, but not in a soft and sunny way; he had a certain sharp, indifferent, and commanding presence of someone in control. When he frowned, the atmosphere around him would involuntarily grow heavy.

But his low mood didn't last long.

The little one had already scooped a spoonful of rice with his own spoon, trying to feed it to Bai Sheng.

Bai Sheng's attention was forced to shift, and as he opened his mouth, he thought to himself.

Since he was now the father, he should indeed get a clearer understanding of this little one's past.

And a more thorough medical check-up was needed.

After a moment.

Bai Sheng had already eaten his fill. He put down his utensils and looked down at the little one, whose eyes were still bright, and asked tentatively.

"Are you full?"

Bai Sheng belatedly realized that this little one ate quite a lot, and very quickly. This was even with him controlling the pace; if the little one had been left to eat on his own, he would have gulped it all down in two mouthfuls.

The little cub, still holding his spoon, blinked hesitantly.

The little one had never eaten his fill before. If there was food, he would stuff as much as possible into his stomach. In fact, Bai Nuo could still eat more, but he wasn't sure if he should say he was full now.

But it smelled so good and tasted so delicious.

Xiaobai Nuo's eyes were still bright, licking his lips and looking on eagerly.

Bai Sheng reached out and touched the little one's belly.

It was already round and full.

He was definitely full.

Maybe even a bit too full?

Bai Sheng stopped asking.

He took a tissue, wiped the little one's face, picked him up, and placed him on the soft sofa in the living room. The Third Young Master of the Bai family, a man of precision and planning, glanced at his watch.

"Sit still for thirty minutes, then move around to help you digest."

Bai Sheng's place wasn't decorated in the old mansion's retro style; it leaned toward a comfortable, minimalist modern style. The black-and-white genuine-leather sofa was so soft that the tiny cub sank into it.

The little one blinked his big eyes curiously; little cubs always have many questions about the world.

"Daddy, why do I need to sit still?"

"Exercising immediately after a meal is bad for the stomach."

Seeing the innocent, questioning look on the little one's face, Bai Sheng casually stroked his curly hair.

"It means if you don't rest after eating, your stomach will hurt."

Xiaobai Nuo nodded, his eyes sparkling, looking even more adoring. His small voice rose, and he generously praised, "Daddy, you know so much!"

Bai Sheng, who had planned to leave the little one there and have the servants take him for exercise when the time came, ended up sitting with him for the full half hour, then holding his hand and walking around the yard to help with digestion.

Summer hadn't officially started yet, so it got dark early. Outside, it was pitch black, and the streetlights of the Bai family's old mansion illuminated patches here and there.

In the small garden outside Bai Sheng's residence, warm light cast two shadows—one long, one short—as they circled the garden.

Outside the garden, a white luxury sedan slowly passed by from the perimeter, the windows were tinted and rolled up. Only a pair of dark eyes quietly watched the scene, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise at Bai Sheng's actions.

The car quickly drove away. Bai Sheng didn't even look up.

After all, he knew who was inside.

The grandparents didn't live here. His parents were abroad, his second brother was out of the province, his younger sister rarely came back, and his youngest brother was only eighteen, in a competition training camp. The only one who could be coming back at this hour was his eldest brother—Bai Jingyun.

As luck would have it, the two most at odds among the Bai family's current generation were Bai Sheng and Bai Jingyun.

So Bai Sheng didn't even bother acknowledging him.

He led the little one around in circles, his expression turning colder.

Xiaobai Nuo was holding his hand. At first, his steps couldn't quite keep up with Bai Sheng's pace, but Bai Sheng quickly adjusted his stride, watching the little one trot beside him with his short legs.

His hand was held, and it felt warm.

The little one looked up at this parent who was so enormously tall to him.

No one had ever been this good to him. Being able to eat his fill was already a huge blessing, and no one cared whether he felt comfortable or his stomach hurt after eating—in the post-apocalyptic way of thinking, being able to eat your fill was enough; what more could you ask for?

Just then, Bai Sheng's phone buzzed. He glanced at the message.

"Aunt Feng, watch him. Let him exercise for the full time before doing anything else. When it's time, put him to bed. I have work to do."

"Yes, Third Master."

The older, kind-faced servant spoke, smiling softly and gently at Xiaobai Nuo.

"Young Master, my surname is Feng. You can come to me for anything. The Third Master has work to do now, so he's asked me to take you for a walk, all right?"

When the stranger suddenly spoke, the little one hid behind Bai Sheng, blinking his big eyes and staring curiously at Aunt Feng.

Bai Nuo wasn't good at interacting with others, but Aunt Feng looked very kind and approachable, much like the adults who had helped him during the apocalypse.

The little one looked up at his dad, then back at Aunt Feng, and broke into a smile, showing two dimples and calling out in his sweet voice, "Grandma Feng."

Aunt Feng paused—good heavens! How could such an adorable little thing exist?

She felt like she was walking on air as she took the soft little hand from Bai Sheng.

And the tiny cub looked up at her, still soft and cute, not quite understanding the meaning of work, but reluctantly gazing at his dad: "Daddy, go ahead with your work. Nono can take care of himself!"

Aunt Feng's face was almost sore from smiling.

Little Master! Too adorable!

She had never seen such a cute and well-behaved child!

Bai Sheng indeed had urgent documents to deal with, so he casually ruffled the little one's curly hair and walked towards the study.

After Bai Sheng's figure disappeared, the little cub withdrew his gaze, followed Aunt Feng, walked a few more circles around the area, and also got a general idea of who the servants were.

When it was about time to go inside, Aunt Feng took the little one's hand and led him inside.

"Does Young Master want something to drink? Juice? Honey water? Or would plain warm water be enough? Oh right, there's also milk..."

Bai Nuo could even understand the concept of juice, after all, in the post-apocalyptic world, the probability of plants mutating was the lowest.

But honey water?

The little one blinked. He thought for a moment — it came from bees, right?

Xiaobai Nuo had seen mutated bees, and they were terrifying.

Could something like that produce anything tasty here?

The little one was still new here and a bit nervous, so he answered softly.

"Nono wants warm water, Grandma Feng."

Then he blinked again.

"The rest are for Daddy. Nono will bring the juice to Daddy, okay?"

Aunt Feng: ...

Good heavens, what good karma did the Third Master have to suddenly bring back such an adorable and well-behaved child?

Her voice unconsciously turned syrupy, while the servants behind her craned their necks to watch, and she spoke in a gentle tone.

"Of course, Young Master. The juice is freshly squeezed. Would you like to come to the kitchen and see?"

Most of the fruits here were ones the little cub had never seen before. He watched in amazement as the juicer made a 'whirr—' sound, turning all the pulp into a paste, and even held up the strainer to help with the filtering.

After the orange juice was ready, the little one took a tiny sip, and his eyes instantly lit up. His little hands leaned on the edge of the kitchen counter, and he looked at the juicer with admiration.

So delicious!

Wow! This world is really too good, isn't it!?

How can it be this tasty and delicious?! This is heaven!

After a moment, there were two knocks on the study door.

Without looking up, Bai Sheng said, "Come in."

The door was pushed open.

Bai Sheng quickly dealt with the matter at hand and looked up at the door.

There was no one at the door. Bai Sheng blinked slowly as he remembered there was a little person in the house now. He shifted his gaze downward and saw the little one holding a baby silicone cup, with big eyes sparkling as he trotted over to him.

The servants stood nearby, watching from the study doorway.

Since the silicone cup wouldn't hurt him if he dropped it, Bai Sheng didn't get up. He just reached out and pushed against the desk edge, letting the swivel chair roll back a bit: "What's up?"

"Daddy, juice!"

The little one held the cup up high as if offering a treasure.

"Nono made it, Nono held the strainer! For Daddy."

Bai Sheng was stunned for a moment before taking the cup of orange juice.

Bai Sheng wasn't interested in this kind of sweet, sugary juice drink.

But he still took a sip, and the sweet and sour taste spread in his mouth. It wasn't unpleasant.

What should he say at this point?

Should he offer some praise?

Bai Sheng wasn't very sure.

But before he could think of what to say, after delivering the juice, the little one obediently left Bai Sheng to his work, trotted out of the room, and even closed the door behind him.

The room fell silent again.

Bai Sheng, holding the cup of juice, pinched the bridge of his nose.

He felt a bit dazed. Was a child of this age supposed to be like this?

He thought for a moment, picked up his phone, scrolled through his business contacts, and selected a contact.

Meanwhile, in another upscale villa area in the city center.

Xie Yu, who was watching his two little Alphas cause havoc, had veins bulging on his forehead.

He cleared his throat, about to assert his paternal authority, but the next second, a special notification on his phone surprised him, making him raise his eyebrows.

He had set special ringtones for his major business partners, and at this hour, no one should be sending him messages.

Xie Yu ignored the noise of the two mischievous five-year-old Alphas behind him and glanced at his phone.

It was Bai Sheng... Wait? At this hour? Bai Sheng?

Bai Sheng was Xie Yu's biggest business partner. They had also been classmates before, but their relationship wasn't particularly close, not to the point of discussing personal matters.

But—

Bai Sheng: 'I heard you have a pair of five-year-old twin sons? And they're both Alphas?'

Xie Yu: 'Yeah? Bai San, why are you just suddenly asking about this?'

Bai Sheng: 'Are children of this age all very well-behaved?'

Xie Yu paused, unable to believe his eyes and looked at the message on the screen again.

At that moment, a toy flew right over his head.

His two dutiful sons were arguing: "I threw it higher! I even threw it right over Dad's head!" "I threw it higher! Just you wait, I'll throw it and show you—"

Xie Yu tilted his head slightly as a toy flew past his shoulder.

His expression didn't change. He lowered his head and replied with absolute certainty.

"Ha, don't joke around! A five-year-old Alpha cub is a little devil! LITTLE DEVIL!!!!"

Bai Sheng finished his work three hours later, well into the night.

He stood up, stretched his body, and then looked at the message on his phone with suspicion—Did Xie Yu get a bootleg Alpha cub? He's clearly so well-behaved.

He put his phone aside and walked out of the study.

"Third Master."

"Has Bai Nuo gone to bed?"

"The young master went to sleep over an hour ago. He's in his room."

"Mm."

Bai Sheng responded with a hum and walked toward the little one's room.

Bai Sheng had only intended to take a quick look.

Little Bai Nuo was indeed asleep, but he was still curled up in that insecure posture, like a cub without much sense of security.

At that moment, his soft curly black hair was damp with sweat, sticking pitifully to his forehead.

Why is he sweating so much? Is he having a nightmare?

Bai Sheng frowned and sat down by the bed. The next moment, he heard a very soft, sob-like babyish voice.

His heart felt like it was hit.

In his nightmare, he was softly calling out: "...Daddy."

Author's Note:

Dad was so dazed by how good the cub was that he actually questioned it. The reply he got: "You're raising a bootleg Alpha." (He said it with conviction.)

Xie Yu: "????? Ha, I don't know who's the one raising a bootleg Alpha! That's completely backwards!!"

Later, when he found out Bai Sheng was raising a cute little Omega. Xie Yu: ...Damn!!!!!!