Chapter 5

Chapter 5

This was the first good night's sleep the little cub had gotten since arriving in this time period.

It was a normal night—a completely soft bed, a warm blanket, no need to keep his nerves constantly tense.

Probably because he had relaxed, Xiaobai Nuo began to drift off, his thoughts fuzzy.

The fragmented memories from that story, those vague images, appeared in the little cub's dream.

In the dream, Xiaobai Nuo was still holding his father's hand, walking in the courtyard at night. The air had no strange smell, the wind was pleasant, and the big hand holding his felt very warm.

There was no moment better than this.

The little cub thought.

He really had a family now.

But the next second, the warmth in his hand vanished instantly. The urgent blare of a car's horn pierced the sky, and Bai Sheng lay battered and bloody after a car crash.

This was the fate the villain family was destined to face in the book.

Within the Bai family, there was internal strife. Bai Jingyun, the eldest son of the Bai family, took advantage of Bai Sheng's eccentric and ruthless nature, which had earned him many enemies. When Bai Sheng suddenly had a cub, bringing unexpected changes to his schedule, Bai Jingyun 'accidentally' tipped off Bai Sheng's enemy. The enemy, hell-bent on taking him down with him, caused permanent damage to Bai Sheng's brain, making Bai Sheng even more violent and ferocious, showing no mercy to his siblings. What had been internal squabbles and rivalry escalated, kicking off the Bai family's downfall.

The little cub had just thought there was no better moment than this, but the scene suddenly reminded him of how the villain Bai family wound up. In the dream, Xiaobai Nuo grew anxious.

He reached out his little hand, reaching out desperately toward Bai Sheng.

Dad!

Dad!! Nono's hands are so cold... Daddy, please hold Nono's hand, okay?

The little cub shouted in his heart, and murmured it out loud in his sleep.

Someone gently shook him.

"Bai Nuo? Bai Nuo?"

The little one, who had been sleeping restlessly, opened his eyes all at once, still groggy, but with fear lingering in his big, watery eyes.

"...Dad!"

Little Bai Nuo looked up and saw Bai Sheng sitting on the bed, looking down at him. Bai Sheng had pushed aside the bed's guardrail, and his hand rested on the little cub.

The small monitor by the bedside was quietly working, and the warm night light next to it cast a glow that softened Bai Sheng's usually sharp features, even his harshness seeming to melt into something gentle.

"Awake? Had a nightmare?"

Bai Sheng gently shook the little cub awake, hesitated, then picked up the tiny cub and held him in his arms. He grabbed some baby wipes from the nightstand to wipe the sweat off the little one's head.

He had to admit that raising such a little one was not what he had imagined. The word 'dad' had never meant anything to him before, but when this little guy called him that, it felt like some kind of magic.

Bai Sheng's body was very warm.

The little cub, drenched in sweat, was held in his arms, and his hands warmed up, and so did his whole body.

Kids run out of steam quickly. He was still groggy and sleepy. He instinctively grabbed Bai Sheng's clothes with his little hands, his big eyes wide, dazed and slow to snap out of it.

Bai Sheng reached under the little one's clothes, felt the sweat and frowned. "Change your clothes before going back to sleep."

Even a first-time parent knew a kid couldn't sleep all sweaty like that.

"Dad."

The little one slowly came back to his senses, still clinging to Bai Sheng's clothes, looking up at him obediently and asked.

"Dad, can you always be okay? And never get hurt?"

It hurts a lot, and Nono doesn't want Dad to be hurt.

Bai Sheng, who was wrapping the little one in a blanket to go get a towel and clean clothes, raised an eyebrow.

"What's gonna happen to me?"

The little cub didn't know how to describe the blurry, scary scene from his dream. He stretched out his little hand, gesturing vaguely, but he didn't really know much. The dream just brought back hazy memories of the Bai family's tragic downfall, but now, these things hadn't happened yet.

So after gesturing for a while, Bai Sheng caught his hand and tucked it back under the blanket. Finally, all he could do was puff out his cheeks and, sleepy and mumbling, blurt out the answer: "Dad's big brother is bad."

Uncle is a bad guy!

Bai Sheng, who had fetched the small clothes prepared by the servant, looked puzzled.

Bai Sheng couldn't follow the little one's random train of thought. He was amazed at how tiny the clothes in his hand were, feeling like they were only as big as two of his palms. He was still holding them up, wondering if the size was right, when he heard this unexpected remark.

He had to agree, but where did the kid get that idea?

But it was probably because of the nightmare.

Bai Sheng didn't bother trying to correct the little cub's thinking. He lifted the little one out from under the blanket, wiped off the sweat, clumsily dressed him in new pajamas, and tucked him back into the blanket.

Bai Sheng yawned lazily. He lowered his eyes, leaned against the headboard, and subconsciously lowered his voice, meeting the little one's gaze.

Somewhat awkwardly, copying what he'd seen on TV and online, he reached over and gently patted the little one's back.

"Alright, go to sleep."

The little cub, now in new pajamas, held the edge of the blanket with both little hands, listening to Bai Sheng's drowsy voice.

The little one pursed his lips—family was so wonderful and warm. He'd finally found it, and he didn't want to lose it.

His years in the apocalypse had taught him that others couldn't be relied on; he had to protect himself at all times.

But now—

"Dad."

The little one's eyes were barely open from sleepiness, but he still spoke seriously in a baby voice.

"Nono will protect Dad from now on." Dad was a big villain, so Nono was the villain's cub, and Nono would protect Dad.

Huh?

What was he saying?

Bai Sheng looked at his cub, who was stubbornly fighting off sleep, and heard the little one's words. He wanted to laugh. He reached out and pinched the little one's cheek.

So soft.

After saying this, the little cub finally couldn't hold on. Children fall asleep in seconds. The next moment, his breathing became steady and even.

Bai Sheng leaned against the headboard with a smile, his attitude casual, with the arrogance typical of the Bai family, and gently poked his little one’s cheek again.

"Don't joke around."

It's obvious: Dad protects the baby.

I'm not joking.

The little one woke up very early the next day.

The sky was just barely getting light when the little one had already climbed out of bed.

He had slept early, slept a lot, and had a rare good night's sleep, making the little one look energetic; the usual weakness and pallor on his face seemed to have faded.

The little one didn't know exactly when or under what circumstances Dad would get into trouble.

So there was only one way.

Wherever Dad is, Nono will be! Nono will watch over Dad to make sure he stays safe!

The little one had just grabbed the railing on the high-sided bed, still trying to figure out what to do.

The moving monitoring light on the other side flickered again, and in less than half a minute, the room door was pushed open.

Aunt Feng stood outside, somewhat surprised.

"Young Master, are you already awake?"

"Grandma Feng."

The little one blinked his eyes and reached out his small hand.

"Help Nono, help Nono! Nono can't get out! Pick me up!"

Seeing the adorable little one with messy curls asking for a hug early in the morning, Aunt Feng quickly stepped in and scooped up the little one, thinking there couldn't be anything happier in the world.

Once on the ground, the little one looked up and sweetly thanked her: "Thank you, Grandma Feng. Where is Dad?"

"Third Master is still asleep."

Aunt Feng said, taking the little one's hand and leading him to the wardrobe to pick out clothes.

It wasn't that Bai Sheng got up late; the little one had simply woken up too early.

Aunt Feng helped the little one get dressed and asked with a smile.

"Do you want breakfast now? Or wait a bit?"

"Nono will wait for Dad to eat together."

The little one said in a sweet, milky voice, tugging at Aunt Feng's clothes.

"Alright, when Third Master wakes up, Grandma will come and call Nono, okay?"

"Mm, mm."

The little one nodded vigorously, beaming a big smile.

After the smart home system detected that the person in bed was up, the curtains slowly opened, letting in rays of sunlight. Outside in the yard, the servants were watering the plants, and clear droplets splashed into the air, catching the morning light and shimmering.

Xiaobai Nuo blinked: "Grandma Feng, what are they doing out there?"

"Watering the plants. Would you like to go out and see?"

A moment later,

Xiaobai Nuo was led by Aunt Feng into the yard, with a small auto-following camera trailing behind him.

The little one pattered ahead, and the monitor rolled along behind.

It was not yet fully summer, and the yard was mostly filled with flowers blooming at the end of spring. Some precious summer roses had already budded, covered in crystal-clear dewdrops, and a fresh scent filled the air.

The little one had actually seen very few ordinary plants, let alone ornamental flowers of this kind. As he looked around, he greeted the servants in the yard, his tiny form so adorable it made everyone's hearts melt.

Aunt Feng watched from a distance, not following too closely.

Today, there were no dangerous power tools or farm implements in the yard, just some water hoses. And there were servants all around, plus the little camera trailing after the little one, so there was no safety concern.

After wandering around for a few minutes, the little one heard noises coming from outside the yard.

He curiously peered out.

At that moment, a tall man with a towel around his neck was jogging slowly from the other end of the road toward them.

The man's facial features were somewhat similar to Dad's, but he looked fiercer and burlier, with no expression on his face.

The little one curiously stuck out his head to watch, then heard someone greet him as "Eldest Young Master."

Bai Nuo thought for a second—Dad is Third Master, so Eldest Young Master must be the Big Uncle!

The bad Big Uncle!

Instantly alert, the little one's already round eyes went even wider.

The passing top-tier alpha sensed a gaze locked on him. Bai Jingyun turned his head and saw a soft, adorable little one who was shorter than the ornamental flower pot in the yard.

The little one seemed to want to hide behind the flower pot, but his soft, fluffy curls swaying in the breeze completely gave him away.

Not to mention now...

The little one: Stare—

There was nothing unpleasant about that stare. The little one's eyes were so clear, without any competitive edge—just soft and adorable.

Bai Jingyun, momentarily unsure how to react: ...

What the hell? Ha, so this is what Bai Sheng's genes spit out?

Bai Jingyun's expression was cold, tinged with irritation.

He didn't like children, and among his siblings, he despised Bai Sheng the most—the one who always outshone him.

Knowing that Bai Sheng had been set up and ended up with a kid that came out of nowhere, he was sure that the rest of the Bai family, except him, was laughing at Bai Sheng.

Isn't he capable and perfect in every way? So how did such a screw-up happen?

Yesterday, catching just a glimpse, he only saw the little one's profile.

Today, seeing the full face, Bai Jingyun stared at that pathetic little face for a few seconds and gave a slight sneer—nothing special.

Bai Jingyun, out for his morning jog, slowed his pace, jogged in place a few times, and asked coldly, "What are you looking at?"

"Ah woo!"

The little one was startled and instinctively stepped back a step.

He was essentially a well-behaved kid, and he had just been staring at someone and even called his uncle a bad guy. At this moment, he wanted to act tough, but he was still soft-hearted.

"B-big uncle, Nono is looking at you."

Nono will watch you. You're not allowed to hurt Daddy.

Bai Jingyun fell silent for two seconds after hearing the little one's words.

Of course, he just felt that his conflict with Bai Sheng was not worth taking out on a little kid.

Bai Jingyun suddenly changed direction and jogged closer to the little one.

Xiaobai Nuo didn't react in time; Bai Jingyun suddenly lifted him. The little cub's feet dangled in the air. He let out a surprised yelp and was then set down behind him.

Bai Jingyun withdrew his hand, glanced at the rose branches now farther from the little one, silently cursed Bai Sheng again, then turned around and ran away coldly without another word, ignoring the child.

The servants were all watching, so nothing could go wrong.

And Xiaobai Nuo blinked his eyes, let out a puzzled "huh?", looked at the thorny branches beside him, then at Bai Jingyun's retreating back.

Bad big uncle? Is this... right?

"Don't move. Stay right there."

Behind him, Bai Sheng's voice suddenly came.

The little one's eyes lit up: "Daddy!"

He turned to look—huh?

No one.

The little one looked around. Bai Sheng spoke again, this time from the small camera following behind Bai Nuo: "What did he say to you?"

This was Bai Sheng, who had just woken up and groggily checked the surveillance, only to find that his child was already awake and wandering around the garden.

He saw that Bai Jingyun guy's back and jerked awake.

"Wow, Daddy!"

The little one crouched down and held the small camera high with both hands.

"Daddy, are you trapped inside this?"

The sweet little voice was irresistible.

The villa door swung open.

"I'm here."

Bai Sheng was still in his pajamas, his voice sleepy, his fluffy curly hair—the same fluffy, messy curls as Xiaobai Nuo's—soft in the sunlight.

Obviously, he had rushed over right after waking up.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

Xiaobai Nuo had been staring at the small camera, but when he heard the voice ahead, he put down the camera and toddled over to Bai Sheng, his arms already outstretched for a hug.

"Slow down. Why are you up so early?"

Bai Sheng yawned again and crouched down.

The little one bumped into him, wrapped his arms around his neck, and said in a milky but serious voice.

"Nono wants to protect Daddy."

So?

Bai Sheng raised an eyebrow.

"Wherever Daddy is, Nono will be!"

"...But what if I have to go to work?"

The little cub said in a milky voice, "Nono will go to work too, just like Daddy!"

What job can such a little kid do? Bai Sheng pinched his cheek: "Are you a little sticky candy?"

Author's note:

The early-to-bed, early-to-rise healthy kid: Nono protects Daddy!

The dad who doesn't eat on time and wakes up later than his kid: ...Are you a little sticky candy?

Kid: Candy? Is it yummy? (Eyes lighting up)

Self-disciplined big uncle: (cold face) (display) (light cough) Bai Sheng's genes are nothing to write home about.