Chapter 28

Right now, the sun outside the window hadn’t fully set yet, but the weather was starting to look bad.

The early spring wind carried catkins or tiny petals from somewhere, swirling in the air, as a patch of dark clouds slowly gathered over Ang City, making the golden sunlight dim a few shades.

The room went quiet for a few seconds.

The only sound was the soft ding of the oven timer in the kitchen as the cookies finished baking—crispy, low-sugar, a faint warmth mixed with sweet fragrance—a sight that was rare in the Bai household.

Bai Sheng, who had been acting all indifferent, widened his eyes a little when Xiaobai Nuo hugged him.

A soft little body pressed against him, and he spoke so earnestly—the Bai family had never seen anything this tender or affectionate.

And if Bai Sheng said he wasn't moved at all, that would be a lie.

He really did think those people were foolish—just like back when he stood out from the other kids and looked down on all their childish nonsense. He couldn't get why they'd only look at one angle of a problem, thinking they were so impressive, then getting all smug about it.

You could say Bai Sheng was at his most arrogant and hardest to deal with before he grew up.

So now, didn't they get whose feelings really counted? Oh, of course, they had no idea that from when he thought Xiaobai Nuo was an Alpha, to when he thought he might be a weak Alpha, to finally confirming he was a little Omega, he'd been trying to make the kid not care about the ABO thing. No matter what, Bai Nuo was Bai Sheng’s child—that wouldn’t change. And all the moments they had shared before wouldn’t change because of it.

So Bai Sheng couldn't be bothered. Feeling wronged by the gossip? He'd been through way worse from the people he pissed off and the shit he stirred up. Not long ago, someone tried to ram their car into his—a suicide move. If he let every little thing get to him, he'd never get anything done.

But now—probably because of this kid—Bai Sheng tightened his arms around the little one—he'd been holding him loosely—and hugged him back properly.

The corners of his mouth finally lifted into something other than a sarcastic or lazy smirk. He lowered his eyes and let out a very soft laugh.

The best father?

He wasn't at first.

But in the days that followed, he had tried his best to be one. A new dad is bound to be clumsy sometimes, and Bai Sheng had come to realize he wasn’t good at everything… and this little one knew that.

How could this little guy, brought back all covered in injuries, be the one comforting him now?

Cen Zhi sat on the soft cushion, watching this warm and harmonious father-son scene.

It was rare—she never thought she'd live to see a sight like this.

But still, she couldn’t help marveling—how did the Bai family's ancestors pull off such good karma?! They had never had a little Omega before, and now that they finally had one, it was an adorable little one unlike any she'd ever heard of.

Even Bai Sheng seemed a little more bearable.

With your terrible personality, kid—you'd better thank your little one properly!

“The new little pastries are ready, little master.”

The old butler of the main house smiled kindly, poked his head out of the kitchen, and said softly.

“Didn’t you say earlier you wanted to help with the packaging?”

The little guy looked at the old butler, then back at his dad.

“Daddy, Nono will wrap up the cookies and give them to you later!”

Bai Sheng let go and grunted in acknowledgment, but added, “We’re going to have dinner soon, so no more cookies for now.”

“Okay!”

The little guy pattered off toward the kitchen, with the little drone chasing after him, chattering, “I've got several packaging methods available. Would you like to check them out?”

Bai Sheng watched the little guy run into the kitchen, followed by a chattering little drone. Probably due to the algorithm, the drone was getting just as chatty as the kid it spent all day with.

“Pretty lively, huh?”

Cen Zhi put the two small cakes for Xiaobai Nuo on the side table to save for after dinner, and handed the rest to a passing servant.

Not only was it lively, but even the main house, which she had long grown accustomed to, seemed softer, warmer.

But Bai Sheng didn’t answer. He stretched his limbs, stood up, and went to grab some documents to work on again—the price of coming in late and leaving early while sticking to his kid was a pile of backlogged work he had to squeeze in whenever he could.

“When are you planning to send the little one to kindergarten?”

Cen Zhi asked again.

Bai Sheng frowned a little, clearly not into the idea. Over the past few days, he'd gotten used to having the little guy glued to him. But obviously, letting the child spend all day with just the little drone wasn’t ideal.

So the new dad thought for a moment and answered with some difficulty, “In a while, once he’s a bit healthier. I’ve already introduced him to a new friend to play with later. But they have trial classes over there, so I'll have Nono try them out.”

Cen Zhi was a bit taken aback by Bai Sheng's reaction. She didn’t really want Xiaobai Nuo to go to kindergarten either, but her reluctance was more about wanting to spend more time with him—couldn't Grandma keep him a while longer? Bai Sheng, on the other hand, seemed genuinely resistant.

It had only been a few days, and just the thought of kindergarten already made Bai Sheng weirdly anxious. Cen Zhi didn’t dare imagine what Bai Sheng would be like when the little one grew up and brought home a partner. This was a civilized, lawful society—he wouldn't go for a back-alley assassination, right? Right?

With that thought, Cen Zhi stood up and went to the kitchen to watch the little one help with the cookie packaging, smiling and chatting with him.

Bai Sheng continued working.

About an hour later, the sky had turned completely overcast, and rain began to fall.

Xiaobai Nuo had already packaged the cookies. He had been eyeing them eagerly, but when he heard it was raining, he climbed onto the sofa near the window and pressed his face against the glass to look outside.

The morning had been so sunny and warm, but now the wind was shaking the trees violently, flowers in the garden were toppled, and a dull rumble of thunder came from the distant sky. A flash of lightning illuminated the little one’s face, startling him. He flipped over and dashed straight into his father’s arms, then cautiously poked his head out again under his grandmother’s amused gaze.

Xiaobai Nuo patted his chest, looking adorably frightened.

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

The tablet in Bai Sheng’s hand was knocked askew by the little one’s impact. He patted Xiaobai Nuo’s curly hair, checking if he had bumped himself.

“It’s just rain, not the end of the world….”

But Xiaobai Nuo, who had actually experienced the end of the world and had seen lightning and thunder turn into a catastrophic disaster, looked up at his father, craning his neck.

“Daddy, Daddy, if there’s a flood… Nono will work hard to fish you out too!”

Even though he was terrified of water because he had drowned in the apocalypse.

Bai Sheng: …

“Thank you, Daddy?”

“You’re welcome… woof!”

Before the little guy could finish his baby-voiced sentence, Bai Sheng pinched his cheeks again.

“Kids don’t need to think about things like that. Just focus on your own business—stay away from cars, dodge in time when something’s wrong, come to Daddy if you see something suspicious. And even if there is a flood, you stay put in a safe place and wait for Daddy to come find you. Having a little kid save me makes the adult look too stupid.”

Bai Sheng spoke, watching the little one nod in a daze. He lifted his chin slightly and continued.

"Do you think Dad is stupid?"

The little one raised his small hands high.

"Dad is the smartest!"

Bai Sheng nodded arrogantly: "Right."

Cen Zhi: ...

Jeez, she found Bai Sheng's behavior of getting the little one to 'flatter' him a bit childish.

Xiaobai Nuo came back to the window again, pressing his little face against the glass to look outside.

Not long after, he turned his head and said, "Dad, Uncle is back."

At this moment, the Bai family members were returning one after another. Bai Jingyun, having left the company early to go to the mall, was at the front.

He entered carrying two bags, and the assistant holding the umbrella behind him left. Part of his black trench coat was inevitably wet from the rain. He put down the shopping bags and looked toward the sofa, where a small head peeked out and said softly, "Uncle."

Bai Jingyun nodded.

He was very satisfied. Thanks to Grandpa, he could now hear the little one call him 'Uncle' on his own. As expected of Grandpa—when it came to making the little one dislike him, the older generation certainly has its tricks!

Bai Jingyun's face remained expressionless: "I brought you a gift."

Huh?

Xiaobai Nuo blinked his eyes.

The little one had never received gifts before, but since coming to the Bai family, he had received several. The gifts Cen Zhi brought back from abroad were still in the break room at Bai Sheng's company, and the little cub hadn't even opened them all yet.

Now, the little cub, who had already started to question whether 'Uncle' was really 'bad,' tried hard to lean out, only to be grabbed by Bai Sheng sitting nearby.

"Careful, you might fall."

Bai Sheng picked up the cub and set him on the floor, then glanced at what Bai Jingyun had brought back.

"It's almost time for dinner. Don't eat snacks."

Bai Jingyun looked at Bai Sheng with a strange expression, feeling that Bai Sheng's attitude was unusually different today. He hummed in response and suddenly stared at Bai Sheng, making him feel uneasy.

Bai Sheng raised an eyebrow: "Are you crazy?"

Bai Jingyun was satisfied. He withdrew his gaze—that attitude was just normal for him.

Coming in next was Bai Qian, who greeted them and went upstairs. The last to enter was Bai Qi.

When not at banquets, Bai Qi dressed casually, with cold features and a lazy air. She looked around the room and, not seeing Bai Liang, nodded slightly in satisfaction. Then she glanced at the bags in Bai Jingyun's hands, and then at Bai Sheng and Bai Jingyun standing together, her expression went blank for a moment.

Has the oldest brother gone crazy?

Bai Qi looked at Xiaobai Nuo, who had already come to Bai Jingyun's side and was curiously peering into his bag.

To be honest, she was really puzzled. How could this cub, who had only been at home for a few days, make everyone's attitudes so different? Especially the tense atmosphere between the oldest brother and the third brother seemed to have dissipated quite a bit.

He's very cute, but that's all—could it be...

Bai Qi frowned in confusion.

Are both the oldest and third brother secretly suckers for good looks? For cuteness?

Of course, Bai Qi also had no intention of targeting the little one. After going back, she had carefully thought about yesterday's incident and felt that although she was used to mocking the third brother, she shouldn't have said that in front of the little one.

Bai Qi stared at the little cub, who was happily circling the bag twice with wide eyes. Seeming to notice her gaze, the cub cautiously looked up at her for a moment, then took out his phone and looked away.

Well, clearly, she was not a sucker for good looks, nor for cuteness.

At the dinner table.

Wherever the old man was, it always seemed solemn and severe, and they rarely communicated.

The Bai family members were actually all used to it.

But still, it was a bit different after all.

"Grandpa, you have to eat that dish!"

Xiaobai Nuo sat in his baby chair and instantly turned into a little supervisor during meals with Grandpa, holding up his spoon and urging him in a small voice.

Bai Qian's eyebrow twitched as he looked at the food he had picked out. He exchanged a glance with Xiaobai Nuo.

The little cub, who had already kept an eye on Grandpa's eating during several meals, knew the routine, so he also tried to open his eyes wide.

Even if Grandpa is like this, Nuo won't let Grandpa escape! Grandpa, you still need to eat more to stay healthy and watch over Grandma!

Xiaobai Nuo also stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth, silently saying to Grandpa: Look, Grandpa, you should eat big mouthfuls like Nuo.

This silent showdown ended after a few seconds. Bai Qian expressionlessly put the food he had picked out back into his mouth.

Huh?

It actually worked?

Cen Zhi came back late and hadn't seen this many times. She clicked her tongue in amazement.

Clearly before, no matter how much she said, this guy was unwilling to eat a few more bites.

Cen Zhi watched curiously, then suddenly picked up a chopstickful of vegetables and put it into Bai Qian's bowl.

She had long disapproved of Bai Qian eating only that little per meal. Even if his stomach was bad and he needed to eat small frequent meals, he still ate far too little.

"Eat up."

Bai Qian: ...

Since he had already eaten that mouthful under Xiaobai Nuo's watchful eye, one or two more bites wouldn't hurt.

Bai Qian expressionlessly ate it.

Cen Zhi added another chopstickful.

Cen Zhi added yet another chopstickful.

Cen Zhi was about to add more...

"That's enough, isn't it?!"

Bai Qian felt that his face was about to turn green from eating.

"There's no need to only pick the dishes I hate every time, is there?"

Cen Zhi finally stopped what she was doing, barely holding back a laugh—she had to admit she'd done it on purpose.

She looked away and placed a spare rib in the little one's bowl.

The little guy was still hard at work, finishing his rice in no time, then clutching the rib and starting to gnaw on it.

It was genuinely a joy watching him eat. Even the old patriarch, who had been stone-faced and silent the whole time, couldn't help but glance over.

Little Bai Nuo swayed with each bite, tiny and totally content, looking like he was having the best time.

Bai Sheng had been watching too. He saw the little one finish the meat, then hold up the bone with a earnest little expression.

Wanting another piece?

He'd already eaten enough for the evening and wanted other snacks—he couldn't eat anymore.

Bai Sheng was about to take the hard part of the rib from the little one's hand when he saw the kid open his mouth, take a big bite—and start gnawing on the bone itself.

Bai Sheng: ...

"Are you trying to break your little teeth?! Bones aren't edible."

Bai Sheng jumped up so fast no one else even had time to react. The first-time dad had already yanked the bone out of the toddler's mouth.

Bai Sheng's head was pounding. From the shrimp shells before to this bone now, he was more determined than ever: until he'd fully taught the little one what was edible and what wasn't, he'd have to process everything properly before handing it over.

Bai Jingyun watched Bai Sheng's furrowed brow and pained expression, then noticed how smoothly he moved. The corner of his mouth twitched; he looked away, amused despite himself.

Kids explore the world with their mouths—it's only natural. Bai Sheng must have done this a thousand times, grabbing things from Xiaobai Nuo's mouth.

And how strange—

Bai Jingyun thought: usually he detested Bai Sheng's effortless superiority, his condescending attitude that screamed, "You're all trash, none of you measure up to me—even looking at you is charity." He knew many people were stirring the pot between them.

But he truly did hate it—until now, watching Bai Sheng frustrated enough to jump, Bai Jingyun suddenly wondered: had he been hating a phantom all along—something that never existed but had still managed to trap him?

Meanwhile, Bai Sheng said, "If you don't want to waste it, give it to your uncle."

Bai Jingyun whipped around.

What the hell?!

Is Uncle a trash can or something?!

The only one who wasn't annoying was Xiaobai Nuo.

Bai Sheng was as insufferable as ever, and even more irritating was—why did that group have to target Bai Sheng in the first place? Why didn't they look at someone else in the Bai family?!

At the same time, in the teaching building of Sheng'ang University.

Bai Liang sat in his office, chin resting on his hand, staring at his phone.

He knew Bai Qi didn't want to see him, so he didn't bother going back to join the party.

Besides, it was just a small family dinner. Bai Jin was still out of province and couldn't make it back.

Just as he was looking over his students' experimental data, his phone buzzed.

Bai Liang glanced at his Moments.

It was a post from Bai Sheng—a guy who never used to post anything but now regularly showed off his kid every couple of days.

Bai Liang wasn't sure: did fatherhood change a person, or was Bai Sheng just enjoying the flood of likes on his kid's pictures?

The picture showed a gnawed bone with teeth marks, captioned: "This little one's got some sharp teeth."

But whether out of genuine fondness or sycophancy, Bai Sheng's post was racking up likes and comments fast. Bai Sheng's partner, a Mr. Xie, was hopping around in the comments, then—wait—

He claimed his own kid had almost swallowed the whole thing whole and then praised Xiaobai Nuo for eating so politely.

Then he went on about how his kid had made him a "meal made with love" earlier today, using tiny fish from their small garden pond—without scaling or gutting them—then lit their precious walnut charcoal to cook the fish, and served it to him all covered in grime.

The urge to vent was strong.

Bai Liang: ...Dude, is that even Chinese?

No wonder he was losing it.

"How can it be this tragic?"

Bai Liang laughed out loud, leaned back in his chair, held his phone up, and looked out the window. The moderate rain had turned into a torrential downpour, hammering against the glass as if to tear apart all order, leaving the world feeling isolated and cold.

He thought: How lively.

With a warm smile, Bai Liang raised his eyes and silently liked Bai Sheng's post.

Back at the main building of the Bai family estate.

Since it was raining too hard outside, the group lingered after dinner.

Xiaobai Nuo was buzzing around with his little minder, darting to the kitchen, coming back for a bite of cake, then heading to the sealed balcony to watch the rain clatter on the tiles. He wasn't doing much of anything, but he looked very busy.

With the old patriarch present, the Bai family rarely gathered like this, discussing their various fields. Of course, there were still jabs and sarcasm, but compared to before, the atmosphere had relaxed.

Especially when the little one pattered over. He was clearly still holding a grudge, giving his great-grandfather a wide berth.

Since his father was sitting on one side of the couch, the little guy circled around to the other side when coming to find him, making sure to stay as far from the great-grandfather as possible, peeking his head out.

Bai Sheng was obviously distracted—as were the others. They watched as he scooped a bit of cake and fed it to the little one whenever he popped his head up.

The little guy squinted in delight. He was so short that even the sofa arm was high for him. To peek over, he had to grip the armrest and stand on tiptoe.

After finishing a bite, his little head vanished from the other side of the sofa again.

Like a little groundhog, only coming up for cake.

It was almost unbearably cute.

Bai Qi had been watching for a while. She really should have left, but she held off.

Soon, a servant from her building came through the rain with an umbrella, carrying a few bags, and handed them to Bai Qi.

Bai Qi dismissed the servant, took the bags herself, and blocked the little one's path. He was pressing his face against the glass door of the balcony, watching the rain.

Xiaobai Nuo blinked his eyes, tilting his head curiously: "Aunt?"

Bai Qi shoved the bags in her hands toward the little one.

"Gifts."

Her voice was stiff, cold and haughty, like that of a top-tier alpha female—as if she were some kind of large predatory beast.

"Some nice jewelry from various places, and a few interesting toys."

Bai Qi had observed for a long time but couldn't understand what the rest of the Bai family was up to.

But not understanding was fine; she no longer cared to figure it out. When it came to such matters, she charged in almost recklessly.

She always pushed herself to be the best at everything.

Of course, she didn't care about this cute little omega cub.

But she had to prove that she would do better than any of her brothers—her ambition and ability could carry her through anything.

The little one blinked, with a pile of gifts thrust into his hands. He was already somewhat immune to gifts, yet still said in a soft, sweet voice: "Thank you, Aunt."

The little one wasn't very familiar with Bai Qi, only remembering from stories that Aunt Bai Qi had apparently taken her own life.

Bai Qi nodded slightly: "Take a look. Auntie's gifts are definitely better than everyone else's."

She was confident about that.

But, but—

Xiaobai Nuo blinked again.

Hesitating a little as he looked at the bags in his hands, he thought for a moment and said to Bai Qi: "Nono loves the gifts, but you don't need to compare whose are better—Nono is happy with all of them."

In the little cub's world, no one's gifts needed to be compared.

Bai Qi, who had been crouching in front of the little one with a serious expression, was momentarily stunned.

And the next second, the lights overhead flickered, a loud crash sounded, and amidst the heavy rain, everything around plunged into darkness.

"What's going on?"

Bai Qian's voice rang out.

A servant answered.

"The thunderstorm is too heavy today, the wind's too strong. Something seems to have snapped off over there. I'll go switch on the backup generator; it'll be up in a second."

Before Xiaobai Nuo could turn around, his aunt suddenly grabbed his hand. Her grip was too tight, and her fingers went icy cold in an instant. The gift bags fell to the floor. But Bai Qi quickly snapped out of it and let go—because of a kidnapping incident in her childhood, she had an instinctive fear of the dark, but as the top alpha of the Bai family, she couldn't have any weaknesses. She usually hid it very well, but being caught off guard now, she couldn't help but show a bit.

"Aunt?" Xiaobai Nuo's voice sounded.

Bai Qi didn't have time to speak, didn't have time to feel annoyed; her ears were ringing, and she could barely react. At that moment, the only thought that came to her was: at least it was in front of this little one.

Xiaobai Nuo was fumbling for something. In those few seconds, Bai Qi held her expression steady. She opened her mouth to speak, when she felt something round, about palm-sized, pressed into her hand. Had this little one just slipped it to her? What was it...?

She heard Xiaobai Nuo's babyish voice say: "Hello, Dou Dou, turn on the lights."

Author's note:

Dad: Don't bite everything! That's not food!!

Eldest uncle: Hold aggro, grandpa!

Aunt: I don't care about this little one. Not one bit.