Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Bai Sheng was speechless for a few seconds, staring at this group of 'little mudballs'.

Xiaobai Nuo had always been too good and obedient; even playing alone in the small garden, he never got himself dirty, which shocked the newbie dad at first sight.

But Bai Sheng couldn't help but feel—letting Xiaobai Nuo play more with kids his age was probably the right move.

Kids, after all—if they stayed clean, well-behaved, and sensible all the time, would they even be kids?

Sure, he was a bit dirty, but he looked like he was having a lot of fun.

So Bai Sheng just said, "It's nothing. I'm just checking on you. I'll be done here soon. What are you guys going to play next? I'll come pick you up."

"Uncle, we're going to play with polymer clay later, right next to the sand."

Yu Chuyan, standing behind Xiaobai Nuo, leaned in too.

The Xie Family Twins had already made up after their fight and now crowded around chattering, these little alpha kids, fearless of anything—they hadn't even been scared of Bai Sheng himself when he was around, let alone through a little camera. They jabbered on, describing the area.

"Uncle, the beach is huge! When you come in, look to the left and you'll see us!"

"There's only one polymer clay spot here, Uncle. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on my little brother."

Xie Yue slapped his little chest with a loud thump, sending a puff of dust flying with each slap.

Bai Sheng, done watching, silently pinched the bridge of his nose. He really didn't have much experience dealing with kids.

Keep an eye on your brother? Better keep an eye on yourselves first, you little mudballs.

Then Bai Sheng picked up his phone to look up how to give a young child a bath at home.

It wasn't that Xiaobai Nuo had never been cleaned before, but the little guy had just arrived and wasn't familiar with anyone yet, so they hadn't dared to give him a full bath—just wiped him down with a wet cloth. By the time they started getting along, and a warm bath was planned, the little guy came down with a fever, and they still hadn't dared to bathe him until now.

Thinking of his dusty little boy, Bai Sheng's expression turned serious—tonight, when they got home, he was definitely giving him a bath!

This was during a break in business negotiations; the details were mostly finalized, and tea and snacks had been brought in while the discussion on the next cooperation hadn't started yet.

Bai Sheng's slight distraction caught the attention of the man opposite him. The foreign client was a tall, brown-haired, blue-eyed gentleman named Halle Garrison. Although they hadn't worked together on a big project before, Halle had made a point of learning about Bai Sheng before coming.

Third in line to inherit the largest family in Ang City, Country Z, Bai Sheng was known for his ruthless and decisive actions in the business world, with few equals even among his siblings. A 3S-level top-tier alpha and the most likely next head of the Bai family, crossing him was a high-risk move—important to note.

In short, he was a man of great ability but emotionally detached. Cooperation wasn't a concern—he was professional and sharp, and so was his team, totally different from those bossy, incompetent bosses.

But to be honest, Halle didn't really like dealing with this cold, tough personality. He'd also seen the rumors from Ang City, and he was curious how such a top alpha would raise a kid.

For the first half of the negotiation, Bai Sheng was exactly as Halle remembered—until now.

Halle raised an eyebrow, his Chinese was good but with odd intonation and word choice. "Dear Mr. Bai Sheng, may I ask what you're looking at? You look, um, very soft right now."

It wasn't something he couldn't show.

Bai Sheng met his eyes and showed him the phone.

How to give a four-year-old child a bath?

Halle was a bit dazed.

"Oh, I've heard you have an omega child now. Do you handle all these things yourself?"

"Not entirely, but as a father, you should know a little of everything, shouldn't you?"

Bai Sheng was in a good mood now, chuckling as he looked at Halle.

The somewhat stiff, businesslike atmosphere softened between them because of Xiaobai Nuo. This alpha, with his romantic foreign flair, said with a sigh, "That's true. I'm single and don't plan to marry, but I truly love adorable children. They're the purest, cutest little angels in the world. Just watching them play makes my whole day better."

He smiled, thinking Bai Sheng had experienced the same pure joy of kids.

"I heard Boss Bai's little one is a precious, cute little omega."

Then this newbie dad spoke, with a calm tone devoid of any hint of boasting, as if still in a business negotiation.

"Being an omega is just a small, insignificant quality of Nono's."

Halle: ...

Why so smug? Just how likable is your kid? Sure, little omega kids were rare, but he'd seen plenty—none as adorable as this, though.

He saw the photo album on Bai Sheng's phone.

Halle was stunned. How did this guy, who looked like nothing mattered, have so many photos of his kid? And what was different about these dozen or so photos? Just a finger twitch or a blink?!

"Mr. Halle, I'm sure you know about the recent incident," Bai Sheng said with a smile, putting away his phone for the next round of talks. "It's all just minor stuff, but the little guy heard about it and seriously told me I'm the best dad. So, since I'm the best dad, I have to know how to do everything."

What? Is he really a little angel who came down to earth?!

Halle snapped back to reality, barely keeping his smile as a pang of jealousy struck him.

Alright, he needed to revise his thoughts—he really didn't want to deal with someone who had an adorable kid. So, Mr. Bai, your cold, indifferent attitude earlier was perfect. Let's get back to that.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The kids had come out of the sand pit, washed their hands and faces with the caretakers' help, and were soon sitting outside the polymer clay shop.

After two hours of play, they were now sharing cookies and snacks.

They sat in a small circle, faces and hands clean, but clothes still dusty.

Xie Qing and Xie Yue each had a small bag of snacks, munching away, and telling Xiaobai Nuo about other fun things to do around here—one day wasn't enough to do it all. They also casually mentioned activities from kindergarten.

"At the last parent-child sports day, Dad and I got first place!"

"Hmph, that's only because Dad ran with big brother first. By the time it was my turn, Dad was too tired to keep up with the other parents. Next time, I'll make Dad run with me first!"

"Hmph, that's because I'm older than you."

"Want to fight?! Am I scared of you?! Whoever loses has to draw a turtle on Dad's face tonight!"

The twin alpha kids were about to throw down again when their caretaker separated them. Aunt Feng and the others exchanged looks of disbelief and sympathy for the Xie family's assistant.

Mr. Xie, he's got it rough. And was he used as two people at the sports day? That's quite a life.

Draw a turtle?

Xiaobai Nuo listened blankly to the twins' argument, then opened his own snack bag. His little hands picked up a cookie and handed it to Yu Chuyan, who sat next to him.

"Brother, here you go."

Yu Chuyan took the cookie, watching Xiaobai Nuo blink his big eyes at him.

"And what place did you get, brother?"

Yu Chuyan paused for a moment, took a bite of the cookie, and gave a light hum: "I don't care about rankings. My brother is very busy and didn't come that day, but he's amazing—he can do anything."

Xiaobai Nuo didn't know about Yu Chuyan's family situation, but the little one was sensitive about such things. He blinked, held up his little cookie with both hands, and spoke softly with a smile: "Nono's daddy is also amazing, and he can do anything too. Brother has a brother, and Nono has a daddy—both are awesome." That's enough, no need for anyone else.

Hearing this, Yu Chuyan turned his head sharply, then shifted his gaze away, lifted his chin slightly, and gave a small nod: "Mm, Nono, you're right."

The top-tier alpha twins, who came from happy families, had no way to join this topic. They exchanged a glance and decided to forcefully insert themselves even without the right conditions. They squeezed over, still with cookie crumbs on their faces.

"I've got Mom, that's enough!"

"Me too!"

Xie family assistant: ... Young masters, don't you both say 'me too'!! That's way too sweet—President Xie is gonna cry!

But before the assistant could wallow in his misery, he heard Xie Yue speak again: "But brother, if you choose Mom, then I'll choose Dad. Having Dad is enough too—Dad always plays with us."

Xie Qing, a bit more reserved than Xie Yue, lifted his chin slightly: "Hmph, that's right."

Xie family assistant: ...

Is the video recording? Where's the record button?! Dumb hand, hit record! The chance to make the boss tear up and get a raise is right in front of us!!

After finishing the snacks, the little ones' faces were wiped clean, and they lined up to enter the polymer clay section.

This clay needed to be shaped and then baked in an oven at low temperature for twenty to forty minutes to set.

Xiaobai Nuo had never seen this kind of "mud" before and curiously pinched and kneaded it. After following the teacher's instructions to make a small flower, he got to work.

The finished pieces made by the little ones here could be taken home.

Xiaobai Nuo placed the little cam on the table and said softly, "Hello, Dou Dou."

"Please speak."

"Can Nono make a clay figure of Dou Dou?"

"Of course. Do you need multiple angles? I can turn like this, and like this, and also like this—"

The little cam showed off its different angles, then tried to flip itself over, lying flat on the table, its wheels whirring underneath.

"Sorry, I fell. Can someone help me up? Help me, help me!"

"Whoa, it trips itself!"

Xie Family Twins were curious too. They didn't have the patience to shape things bit by bit, so they were mixing colorful clays into a weird color while learning the jar-making technique from the teacher. But then they had a brilliant idea and started adding things to the jar—little horns, little hands, little feet. That already oddly colored jar was racing toward a bizarre direction.

Xiaobai Nuo's eyes curved into crescents as he smiled: "Dou Dou, wait a moment. Nono will help you after he finishes molding."

He wanted to make Dou Dou's wheels too.

Xiaobai Nuo made several Dou Dous in one go, each in different colors. Yu Chuyan, who wasn't interested in making things himself, kept running back and forth to bring various colored clays for the little one.

After finishing, Xiaobai Nuo counted them one by one. It was his first time doing such a craft, and he wanted to give them to his family.

After all, Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt had all given Nono gifts, so Nono needed to return the favor.

The little cam had been whining for a while, but after hearing Xiaobai Nuo's words, it lay on the table looking totally defeated. Luckily, from that angle, its cam could still see Xiaobai Nuo's figure, so it didn't send an alert to the parents.

Just then, at the table behind the four little ones, a tool clattered onto the floor, followed by a dissatisfied complaint: "Look at what you made—it doesn't look like it at all! And you had the nerve to claim you're good at crafts and can make anything look real, just like Auntie, always lying!"

The four little ones turned around. At the table behind them, a child about seven or eight years old was staring discontentedly at a kid their own age.

The tools were scattered on the floor, and the five-year-old kid—recognized by the Xie twins and Yu Chuyan—was Liu Du from the neighboring class.

They remembered that Liu Du had an older cousin in elementary school named Liu Guang, who had come to the kindergarten before.

But since they were in different classes with different interests, they weren't familiar with Liu Du. They only heard other kids say he was very capable and smart. The Xie twins had been annoyed by that for a while because in their eyes, the smartest was Yu Chuyan, who could outshine them in every way—he just didn't like participating in activities, making Liu Du stand out.

Now, five-year-old Liu Du was startled. He stood up from his chair and heard the other kid call his mom a liar. He wanted to argue back.

"Cousin..."

But before he could finish, the sturdy seven- or eight-year-old directly shoved him, with the bratty arrogance of a spoiled kid.

"What do you got to say? You're just a beta, and I'm an alpha. The Liu family will be mine in the future. If you don't listen to me, I'll make Dad kick Auntie out!"

A seven- or eight-year-old is already pretty strong. A five-year-old kid couldn't get out of the way. Liu Du was pushed backward, crashing into their little table, making it tilt and shift. The table that got pushed nearly hit Xiaobai Nuo, who was sitting in front of it.

Xiaobai Nuo was startled – he'd just jumped off his chair when Yu Chuyan reached out, grabbed his clothes, and yanked him behind himself.

The caretakers also freaked out. The children playing here were all young, the tables and chairs had no sharp edges, the floor was padded, and there were safety checks at the entrance—it seemed like danger was impossible. So the three families' caretakers had been sitting nearby, chatting and watching the four kids. By the time they heard the argument, looked over, and stood up, it was already a bit late. But luckily, nothing had hit anyone.

They hurried over.

The clay shop owner also rushed over: "Oh dear, kids, we're all friends here. Let's play nice without any fighting. If it doesn't look good, you can try again—there's plenty of material."

"Hmph."

Liu Guang lifted his chin, his tone dismissive, totally not caring who he might've hit.

"This place is boring. Not as fun as the arcade."

Meanwhile, Xiaobai Nuo was hidden behind Yu Chuyan. Yu Chuyan looked at him and asked, "Nono, you okay?"

Xiaobai Nuo nodded: "I'm okay, big brother."

Once he was sure the little guy was okay, Yu Chuyan turned to Liu Guang. He was the tallest of the five-year-olds, but still shorter than Liu Guang. However, he didn't back down. He wanted to step forward boldly, but his brother's assistant blocked him. He could only speak discontentedly from behind the assistant: "You almost knocked Nono over! Apologize!"

Aunt Feng had already reached Xiaobai Nuo, frantically checking him over and muttering, "How can there be a kid like this?"

"Grandma Feng, Nono's fine."

Xiaobai Nuo smiled, patting the little sunflower embroidered on his clothes.

After patting, he peeked out.

The Liu family had adults with them too, but their secretary, who didn't know the Bai family, didn't recognize Xiaobai Nuo. He glanced at the scene, recognized the Xie and Yu young masters, and stepped forward with a polished smile.

"The kids are still little. No one got hurt, right? I'll apologize for the young master. Let's drop it."

The Xie family was a rising star; it wasn't clear which family was bigger, Xie or Liu. The Yu family, however, was massive, but completely split into two camps—Old Master Yu's camp and the current head's camp. As it happened, the Liu family was close to Yu Chuyan's father, and Liu Guang usually hung out with the Yu family's illegitimate young master, who was a few years older than Yu Chuyan.

So the situation became delicate.

Liu Guang obviously knew Yu Chuyan, but since he was in the same grade as Yu Chuyan's illegitimate older brother, he snorted: "Who's gonna apologize? I didn't even touch them! If anyone should apologize, it's Liu Du. Besides, your brother's just a beta – no matter how hard he tries, he'll never be better than an alpha."

"Say that again!"

Yu Chuyan clenched his fists.

Liu Du opened his mouth, his expression somewhat complex as he glanced toward Yu Chuyan. Then he looked at Xiaobai Nuo, feeling a sense of familiarity—he had been too far away during that banquet back then and hadn't recognized him now.

Besides, whenever his cousin spoke, he was never allowed to interrupt, or else he'd get reported.

"The kindergarten teacher has said many times that alphas, betas, and omegas are all equally important. It's obvious you're the kind who doesn't pay attention in class."

"No manners."

The Xie Family Twins began chiming in together.

"Brother Yu Chen is way better than you guys."

Xiaobai Nuo also stepped forward and said seriously, "Apologize."

The situation was at a standstill. The adults were all present, so no real fight could break out, but neither could they just leave.

The Liu family secretary was already sweating. He wasn't sure which family the little one playing with Yu Chuyan and the Xie Family Twins belonged to. He was frustrated that his boss had insisted on sending the two young masters here to play, under the pretense of getting them away from video games—it would have been better to just let them play video games.

By then, the secretary noticed the people opposite him had pulled out their phones to send messages, so he quickly sent a message to Liu Dong as well.

It was in that brief moment he lost focus. Liu Guang, furious after losing the argument with the Xie Family Twins, suddenly charged forward and shoved the nearby table hard, sending the items on Xiaobai Nuo's table clattering to the floor.

"I'm not apologizing to any of you!"

And that was when the small surveillance camera, which had been lying on the table, fell with a *thud*. In Xiaobai Nuo's wide-eyed gaze, it bounced a couple of times on the ground, its round casing cracking slightly in the middle, followed by a faint electrical crackle.

"Alert—Emergency notification to parents! Emergency notification to parents!"

"Doudou!"

The little cub's eyes went round. Aunt Feng couldn't hold him back as the already nimble little one shot straight out. Aunt Feng's eyes widened—how did he even dart out like that?!

Xiaobai Nuo shoved Liu Guang hard, then, as Doudou had taught him, scratched a line on Liu Guang. Then he ran over to pick up the surveillance camera. Fearing her young master might get hurt, Aunt Feng hurried after him.

As soon as Xiaobai Nuo moved, the adults were startled. Seizing the opportunity, Yu Chuyan—the fastest of them—pounced and tackled Liu Guang to the ground, with the Xie Family Twins right behind him.

But the whole scuffle lasted only a few seconds before the adults intervened and broke up the sudden fight among the little cubs.

This time, the Liu family secretary had to forcibly restrain his own young master, who was still raring to throw a punch. His head throbbed; sweat was practically dripping off his face.

This is bad. This might blow up.

He thought to himself, but still tried to maintain a professional smile.

Now, neither side's caretakers dared to let go. The shop owner in the middle was also at his wit's end.

Xiaobai Nuo hugged the surveillance camera, staring at the damage on it. It had fallen in just the right way, revealing a break inside. After sending a message to Bai Sheng, Aunt Feng immediately called him.

Xiaobai Nuo, clutching the camera, was held in Grandma Feng's arms but still leaned out: "Apologize! Apologize to Brother, and apologize to Doudou!"

Nono is the big villain. Nono will scratch you!

The other cubs were also restrained, but now no one could leave.

The Liu family secretary quickly pulled out his phone, hoping to settle things quickly.

"We'll certainly compensate you for this. No need to worry about that."

Meanwhile, the parents, now outside, were gathering.

Bai Sheng had received the surveillance camera's alert and was frowning as he walked inside, then took Aunt Feng's call. Catching wind that there was a squabble among the cubs, Xie Yu raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself: "Please don't tell me it's my cub?"

The next second, his phone rang. He smiled serenely. "What is this?"

This, is what they call reputation.

Xie Yu followed closely behind Bai Sheng.

At first, he didn't take it seriously.

It wasn't uncommon for little cubs to have disagreements and fuss, especially the little alpha cubs—they were always causing trouble, bouncing off the walls.

That was until he reached the storefront and saw what was going on inside.

Bai Sheng hadn't thought much of it at first either. As for losing the camera feed? With that little artificial idiot, it was normal for it to break itself. But after taking Aunt Feng's call, Bai Sheng only listened for two sentences before quickening his pace.

Until he saw his baby, being held in Aunt Feng's arms, still struggling and demanding in a babyish yet stubborn voice that the other cub apologize.

Xiaobai Nuo was dirty all over from playing.

"Nono?"

Bai Sheng was stunned.

Hearing his voice, the cub who had been so tough just a moment ago immediately looked over.

The 'little dirty bun' clutched the surveillance camera, his tone suddenly soft and aggrieved. He called out to him in a small voice, his voice trailing off with a sob: "Daddy, wuwu..."

Author's note:

Old father's anger bar and power gauge charging up fast.

Xie Yu: This, is what they call reputation... wait, no.