Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Because his little one was underdeveloped—nearly five years old but still looking like a two- or three-year-old—it would take a while to get him back to health.

Bai Sheng had even specifically looked up how to bathe younger cubs.

Things like water temperature, bathing duration, and so on.

A young cub of this age had delicate skin and needed to bathe in water stabilized near body temperature, with the bath ideally lasting between ten to fifteen minutes.

Non-slip mats, various safe cleaning products—Bai Sheng was just as meticulous about this as he was about everything else. He had even placed a little yellow duck-shaped clock nearby.

He had ruled out using a shower from the start because it was a bit tricky to control the water temperature, whereas a bathtub could keep the temperature completely stable and display it.

He just hadn't expected Xiaobai Nuo to dislike the bathtub.

He had been fine with washing up and having water poured over him before.

Why was he so terrified of the bathtub?

Bai Sheng couldn't figure it out.

But the tiny cub clung tightly to him, letting out a soft, startled yelp when the warm water streamed down, then held on even tighter. If the little thing had a bit more strength, he might have choked him.

Bai Sheng could only speed up, trying to ease the little one's fear.

He wet the hair, lathered in shampoo, then applied body wash, and finally rinsed both himself and the cub thoroughly.

In the end, Bai Sheng carried the cub out past the wet-dry partition of the bathroom, and only then did the tiny cub, still shaken, let go.

Bai Sheng grabbed a large towel and dried the cub back and forth, clumsily rubbing the little one's hair dry. It was different from drying his own hair—Bai Sheng couldn't quite gauge the right pressure, making the now-clean little white bundle wobble left and right. Finally, he wrapped him up in a fresh towel.

"Aunt Feng."

Bai Sheng called out from the bathroom.

He handed the wrapped cub out.

The moment Aunt Feng opened the door and took Xiaobai Nuo, she was startled to see Bai Sheng's wet hair and clothes.

"My goodness, Third Master, did you and the little master have a water fight in there?"

Soaked to the bone, Bai Sheng: ...

Water droplets pattered down from the tips of his hair.

Bai Sheng ran a hand through his hair and looked at the cub, who wriggled out of the towel and popped his little head out.

"Daddy."

After leaving the bathroom, the freshly washed, fragrant Xiaobai Nuo turned soft and cuddly again. His little hand reached out, but Daddy tucked him back into the towel.

Bai Sheng didn't understand just how fragile a young cub could be, but as a newbie dad with top-notch practical skills, he had one good trait: he strictly followed any guide, including the cub-bathing guide. Bai Sheng knew very well that in unfamiliar territory, even if he didn't understand why, it was best to follow the instructions.

The cub had just been bathed and couldn't catch a chill.

The newbie dad wrapped the little one up securely before speaking: "Put him in his pajamas. He'll go to sleep soon. I'll be right there."

After Bai Sheng finished his own bath and walked into the bedroom while drying his hair, Aunt Feng, who had been waiting by the door with the child, finally left.

Xiaobai Nuo, now in his little yellow duck pajamas, was sitting obediently on the bed, sniffing here and there. When he saw Bai Sheng come in, he scrambled up. "Daddy, Daddy, Nono smells so good!"

Bai Sheng picked up the little one and hummed in acknowledgment. He sat on the bed, checked the time, then lay down, placing the cub beside him.

"Daddy, can Dou Dou talk to Nono tomorrow?"

"At the latest by tomorrow evening, he'll be fine. And he'll be even more durable than before."

"No, no, no, I can't drop Dou Dou again."

Clutching his small pillow, the little one shook his head vigorously at Daddy's words, his eyelids already heavy with sleep.

"Thank you... Daddy... Dou Dou too, thank you, Daddy..."

Xiaobai Nuo wasn't a cub with abundant energy to begin with—after all, he hadn't fully recovered yet and was still weak. On top of that, he had gone through so much today and cried several times. He was completely exhausted. His small body naturally curled up next to Daddy, with soft black hair covering his forehead. This delicate little omega cub, who looked like a porcelain doll, closed his eyes.

His breathing slowly steadied—tiny, with his little belly rising and falling, carrying the fruity scent of body wash.

He was fast asleep.

Bai Sheng stared at the little one for a long moment, then reached out to stroke the cub's soft curls.

The cub, terrified of the bathtub, had naturally planned to sleep at the foot of the bed. Just what had he been through to have such a reaction?

Bai Sheng was in a terrible mood—worse than ever. He even felt like going out to cause trouble for the Liu family right now, just to vent.

But he abandoned that thought when the little one turned over in his sleep, his small hand wrapping around Daddy's arm and pressing his cheek against it.

Bai Sheng pulled the blanket up around the cub before picking up a tablet and starting to read.

Meanwhile, outside the province.

In a certain high-end apartment, it wasn't late yet for the elite class students of Sheng'ang University.

"Brother Jin, we're halfway through the competition. Should we start booking tickets to head back?"

A few teenagers gathered together. At this hour, the ones hanging out were all alphas. They had just come of age and recently presented, and their aggressive pheromones were far from fully controlled. Their beta classmates didn't want to get near them. Now, they were teasing each other while looking at the young man sitting on the sofa by the balcony.

"The teachers have already handled the bookings. Why are you worrying? Man, you reek of pepper—stay away from me, you pepper imp."

Bai Jin wrinkled his handsome, wild, and arrogant face slightly. His youthful voice was slightly husky as he turned his head.

"Your pheromones are burning my eyes."

"Alright, alright, I'll move over here. Can't mess with our esteemed captain's performance."

The speaker shrugged and stepped back, still grinning.

"Hey, when we get back to Ang City, let's rent a place and game all night."

"Brother Jin will take care of that, right? Brother Jin, how about at your club?"

"Whatever you guys want. You can play on your own when you get back. I've got things to do."

Bai Jin waved his hand casually, then looked down at his phone.

Bai Jin, the fifth son of the Bai family, was the youngest among the heirs of his generation. He was only eighteen this year, five years younger than Bai Qi. His older brothers and sisters had graduated early one after another, already cornered as much of the market as they could. He hadn't even finished his studies yet. Although internal competition within the Bai family was fierce, by the time it reached Bai Jin, he had become a bit lax.

Besides, he always felt there was a generational gap with his siblings and wasn't very keen on communicating with them. He was indifferent toward the family. While he didn't mind causing trouble for his brothers and sisters, he preferred to mess around with exciting and challenging things on his own.

Like car racing, e-sports clubs, and extreme sports.

And he has an extremely high IQ, being the main force in the extramural competitions in the elite program at Sheng'ang University, but his behavior is erratic, arrogant, and hard to read.

"Jin, what's up?"

"Oh, you guys don't know. It's my third brother, always wearing that mean expression. I don't know where he got a kid from. Grandpa's already back, so I'll have to head home early after this trip."

"A kid? Your brother isn't even married, is he? And it's a Bai family cub—is it a little alpha?"

Bai Jin snapped his phone shut: "No, it's a little omega."

"What?!"

"Wow, a real live little omega, must be really young, right? I'd love to see!"

"Speaking of little omegas, have you heard? Over at the elementary and middle school competition arena, there's an eight- or nine-year-old omega athlete who's really impressive. I think his name is... Jiang Liang? Born abroad, heard he's coming back to the country, and his family is also in Ang City."

"When this is over, wanna go check out that arena?"

"Not interested."

Bai Jin stood up, stretched his arms and legs, and raised an eyebrow. He had no interest in little omegas himself, let alone—

"I'll have one of my own to see when I get home. No need to look at others'. Alright, all of you, get out. Go to bed."

Early the next morning.

Xiaobai Nono woke up early as usual.

The little cub rubbed his eyes groggily, the sky outside was barely light.

Xiaobai Nono was still dazed, thinking about last night's dream.

Actually, Xiaobai Nono didn't remember the plot very clearly, but just like that night when he dreamed of Dad's car accident, this time he dreamed some vague scenes again.

They included things about Brother Xiao Yan's family, some about Brother Xiao Qing and Brother Xiao Yue, and also about Aunt who committed suicide by overdosing on medication, and Second Uncle who died early in a lab accident...

There weren't many images, and they were blurry, but it seemed like information was gradually filling in as the little cub grew.

The tiny cub held his little head in a daze.

It took him a moment to come back to his senses, and he looked around blankly.

His big, sleepy eyes widened.

"Daddy?"

Where's Daddy?

Where's the daddy who waits for Nono to wake him up every morning?

Xiaobai Nono looked around, confused, lifting the bedsheet here, lifting the pillow there, but in the end, he didn't find him.

The little cub struggled to climb out of bed, his bare feet padding on the floor, and padded over to the half-closed door and pushed it open slightly with his small hand.

The little cub, his curly hair slightly tousled, was a bit anxious—Daddy, his daddy was missing!

He padded along the hallway, calling out softly in his soft, childlike voice.

Then he heard a sound.

It came from Bai Sheng's study. The study door was pushed open, and the rising sun's light streamed through the open door. Bai Sheng walked out in his pajamas: "You're up even earlier than before? And why are you barefoot?"

He thought it would be okay for just a moment not to bother Aunt Feng to watch over him.

"Daddy! Nono woke up and didn't find Daddy anywhere."

Xiaobai Nono padded over and immediately hugged Bai Sheng's leg, looking up at him. In that moment when the morning light fell into the little cub's eyes, Bai Sheng bent down slightly and placed something into Xiaobai Nono's arms.

Xiaobai Nono looked down and saw the little monitor's camera lens turning. His eyes widened slightly.

Bai Sheng narrowed his eyes, glancing out the window at the old man who was standing outside the house early in the morning under the pretext of morning exercise.

Then he spoke.

"Hello, Dou Dou."

The little monitor immediately responded.

"I'm here. Please speak."

Bai Sheng patted the little cub on the head.

"I just told you, when we meet again, what should you say?"

"Yes, I have a record. Good morning, Nono."

The light on the little monitor blinked.

"Would you like me to turn on colorful lights and play a song? For example, the song 'Reunion' by XX singer?"

Bai Sheng: ... "I don't recall telling you to memorize that."

Little Monitor: "Based on big data analysis from previous commands, the probability of requesting this is extremely high. Now starting playback."

Bai Sheng: You artificial idiot, you better tone it down!

As the prelude started and the lights came on, Bai Sheng was about to reboot the monitor's voice system when the tiny cub ran into his arms as the prelude played.

Xiaobai Nono hugged Dou Dou, looked up, and his eyes were filled with the warm morning light that had just risen: "Daddy, you're amazing!"

Author's note:

Dou Dou: Don't pretend, you just like to request songs!

Dad: It's definitely not fixed. I'll take you apart and rebuild you!

Cub: Daddy, you're amazing!

Dad: (changing his expression) Yes, that's right. I fixed it for you.