Chapter 45

Chapter 45

This family has felt really off while he’s been away.

Late at night, Bai Jin thought to himself as he faced a joint interrogation.

Bai Sheng was one thing—based on how often he posted on Moments, Bai Jin had already mentally prepared himself.

I can understand Mom too; Ms. Cen Zhi has wanted a little omega baby for a long time.

But big brother, Dad, and Grandpa—what’s up with you three?

Have you all caught some new kind of brain virus?

And it wasn’t just them.

His elder sister was always busy and never liked coming home, but today she specially sent a gift for Xiaobai Nuo. As for his second brother, Bai Liang, unlike his usual rowdy, provocative self, was actually a gleeful instigator who loved stirring up trouble. Aside from dodging Bai Qi, he would join in any excitement whenever he wasn’t busy.

But today he didn’t show up, seeming to avoid the old mansion, needing some time to think alone.

Bai Jin, who’d thought his second brother was the normal one, thought to himself: …What the hell are all these people doing?

You all upgraded without telling me?! And what kind of upgrade even is this? I can’t figure it out at all.

Before dinner, Bai Sheng dragged him into the gym for a round of freestyle boxing sparring, and Bai Jin felt sore all over.

Still, that wasn’t the main point. If you mess with your siblings and don’t escape quickly, it’s the natural outcome.

Cen Zhi came back after dinner, and as soon as she arrived, her precious grandson nestled in her arms and started tattling.

From lifting Xiaobai Nuo high, pinching his hands, rubbing his head, to snapping candid photos of Nono.

Bai Jin was truly a free-spirited guy, a top Alpha whose pheromones had just settled after differentiation, still radiating that youthful energy, and his behavior wasn’t as controlled as the rest of the Bai family.

Xiaobai Nuo had only heard of his little uncle before, never met him, but Bai Jin didn’t hesitate to express his curiosity about the little guy.

It was like a hyperactive big dog sniffing and slobbering all over a curious but wary little kitten that had just opened its eyes and ventured out of its nest.

Xiaobai Nuo was naturally scared into bristling—if he were a cat.

Cen Zhi listened, shooting daggers at Bai Jin sitting nearby, as if she wanted to stab him through.

Bai Sheng, however, was very calm.

Of course he was calm—anyone who beats someone else up without a scratch could stay that calm.

After all, he vented his anger on the spot.

Damn, he really didn’t hold back. Did his third brother hit harder now than before?

Bai Jin thought, pressing on the spots that still ached dully, and tried to explain.

His grandfather sat not far away, tapping his cane on the ground, looking over and speaking in a calm, flat voice without emotion: “Is that wrong?”

Bai Jin: …

It’s not exactly wrong, but why are you here too, Grandpa? And after seeing third brother’s kid, shouldn’t you be going back to enjoy your retirement?

Bai Jin remembered that the old man had only come for a quick visit, originally planning to leave soon.

The little guy was lying in Ms. Cen Zhi’s arms, at the top of the Bai family hierarchy, chattering away for a long time until there was nothing left to say. Xiaobai Nuo then thought hard and added, “Nono’s puzzle might have been hidden by Little Uncle too.”

Anyway, Little Uncle is bad!

Bai Jin: ?

That’s not it! You lost it yourself, didn’t you? Who would be so bored as to hide your puzzle?

Then Bai Jin watched his mother shift her gaze to Bai Sheng sitting over there.

Bai Jin: …?

The guilty party, with nothing better to do, Bai Sheng, coughed.

Bai Sheng bent down, lifted a corner of the carpet, and pulled out the puzzle piece he’d hidden yesterday and then completely forgotten, handing it to Xiaobai Nuo.

The little cub blinked and accepted it: “Hey! It’s Nono’s puzzle!”

Bai Jin thought: See! Vindication! Quick, tell on your dad…

“Dad’s amazing! You found the puzzle!”

No tattling?!

Bai Jin stared in a daze as the little guy finished his tattling, cheerfully climbed up, and hopped off with his little music-playing monitor to go put those two puzzle pieces together.

Bai Jin couldn’t help but rest his chin on his hand and mutter softly, “Little tattletale.”

The little guy, who had been hopping away, paused and turned his cute little face toward him.

Bai Jin raised an eyebrow: “Yeah? Heard that?”

Teasing a child, Bai Jin felt no guilt. Seeing him look over, he even curled the corner of his mouth into a smirk, exactly the same posture as when he used to climb over walls.

He’d heard it but didn’t care.

Unlike the rest of the Bai family—these people had only been with this kid for a few days, and they’d already changed. He’d never change!

But Xiaobai Nuo just glanced at his little uncle, pressed his lips together, and remembered something important.

The little guy scrambled back to his grandmother, asking to go with her to Chestnut Mountain.

“Going to play for two days? Of course. They’re filming there, and the whole area around the mountain is rented out. There aren’t many tourists on the mountain, but it’s lively below with some specialty markets.”

Cen Zhi gently squeezed the little guy’s cheek and smiled.

“I’ll let your uncle know. He likes kids too.”

“Grandma, Dad is coming too.”

“Oh?”

Cen Zhi looked at Bai Sheng.

“Is everything okay with your company?”

Then Cen Zhi watched as Bai Sheng gave a lazy smile, casually resting his chin on his hand.

Cen Zhi had pretty much figured out what Bai Sheng was about to say. She lifted an eyebrow and sure enough, heard Bai Sheng go on, “It’s just adjusting the work schedule. It’s easy. And besides, what can I do? Nono pleaded with his dad.”

Cen Zhi: ...

Showing off, aren't you?

You've been showing off all along, haven't you?

Where is the Bai Sheng who used to have no interest in partners, even less in children, who would frown so hard at other children that he could crush a fly, and would want to hide eight hundred meters away?

Did he forget where he came from that fast? Ever since he got his own cub, he's been showing off non-stop, hasn't he?

Even Cen Zhi thought that was a bit much.

Hmph, a silly dad. Just wait, in two years, Grandma will be the best in Nono's heart!

Bai Sheng's casual words indeed drew everyone's attention in the room.

Xiaobai Nuo, though, didn't see anything wrong with it.

The little one just stared at Grandma.

Truth was, the little guy wasn't sure if it was because of this accident. Just like before, when he used to cling to Bai Sheng all the time, he never knew when an accident would happen, and he couldn't tell the family he'd already accepted.

Of course, there might be other ways. As long as Grandma was going to those seemingly dangerous places, whether by acting spoiled or faking being sick, stopping Grandma should be possible, but he didn't want to cause trouble for others, nor did he want to be frightened again and again.

So it's okay, even if Dad doesn't have time next time, Nono will watch over Grandma until he can finally protect her.

Xiaobai Nuo never runs out of patience.

Bai Jin, who was over there, watched and suddenly spoke.

"Li Mountain? Then I'll also go join the fun and find a place to breathe some fresh air."

Then he saw the little guy whip his head around and looked over.

Bai Jin smiled again and made a funny face at the little one: "Can I go, little guy?"

The little one immediately hid behind his father, and his childish voice came from behind: "Nono can't tell Uncle what to do."

It's not the little one's fault for being cautious; he'd only met Bai Jin twice, and his uncle seemed to have an auto-loot feature—every time he sees the little one, he scoops him up.

Cen Zhi had no objections, and Bai Sheng didn't care where Bai Jin went. He finished the puzzle with the little one, and when it was about time, he carried the little one back to sleep. Later, they still had to prepare luggage for the three or four days of travel.

Although Li Mountain was also a remote high-altitude scenic area, from Ang City to Li Mountain, there was no need to fly. Cen Zhi had already asked her assistant to book first-class tickets on the express train. It wouldn't take too long to get there, and they would depart in five days.

Cen Zhi greeted her nephew Cen Liu in advance.

Cen Liu was already at a hotel near Li Mountain, and he responded with a grin.

The young man with dog-like eyes smiled very kindly, showing no sign of being the heir of the Cen family, the top family in showbiz. As for various show projects, since his professional expertise was in this field, he didn't want to just do project planning; participating in production and directing was also a kind of interest.

"That's great! Although I called Auntie before and saw Bai Nuo on your social media, it's not convenient for me to go back, and I won't be able to meet him for a while. The environment here is nice too. The little one hasn't started kindergarten yet, right? It's perfect to bring him for a visit before school starts. Once he's in school, he might not have as much time."

But after Cen Liu finished communicating with Cen Zhi and ended the call, he still thought: But that cub is Bai Sheng's child, right?

Cen Liu actually didn't have a good impression of the Bai family, especially the younger cousins, who were all eccentric and difficult to get along with. Among them, Cen Liu couldn't get along with Bai Sheng at all; they had even fought when they were young, and their relationship hadn't improved much since.

So initially, Cen Liu didn't want to go see the new cub in the Bai family, until he saw the photos in Cen Zhi's Moments.

This is a bit too cute, isn't it?

Even cuter than many child stars he had seen.

Because of his work in entertainment, Cen Liu instinctively made a judgment—he was cute and beautiful, a rare little omega cub, and he looked very photogenic. If he became a child star, he would probably blow up overnight...

Ah... what was he thinking?

That Bai Sheng guy, would he let his cub become a child star?

Cen Liu shook his head vigorously, shaking those instinctive thoughts out of his head.

Meanwhile, at the Bai residence, Bai Sheng left carrying the cub, Cen Zhi went to make a phone call, and Bai Qian finished checking domestic news trends and went upstairs as usual. Downstairs, only the old patriarch, Bai Jingyun, and Bai Jin were left.

Bai Jin was a bit confused: "Grandpa, big brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

Bai Jingyun snapped out of it: "Nothing."

He just thought that the Bai family actually had two 'geniuses' like great-grandfather. Once he discussed with Lin Ren how to increase the little cub's favorability, he was golden.

Bai Jingyun hurried off, and Bai Jin also stood up: "Grandpa, didn't you say you were going back in a couple of days? Are the plants and stuff you're growing okay?"

"It's fine, someone is watching them. I'll go back later."

Bai Yan also stood up to go upstairs, but paused as he passed Bai Jin. His cane clicked softly on the floor. Under Bai Jin's confused gaze, Bai Yan nodded slightly again.

"Good."

Bai Jin: ???

Probably because the age gap was too large, Bai Jin had never received any expectations from the old man. For his various rebellious and unruly behaviors, the old man mostly looked the other way.

But not today.

Seriously, from Bai Jin's perspective, this was all too weird, so he had to follow this little snitch and see what he was actually doing in the Bai family.

These days, Xiaobai Nuo had been living a full life—going to work with Dad, reading picture books with Grandma, playing more new games with his brothers, and then tagging along with Grandma Feng to pack.

So on the early morning five days later, before dawn, the little one, who was rarely hard to wake, was scooped up by his dad, who had set an alarm. The dad and son, both groggy, washed up, headed out to meet up, and the assistants and other staff were in the first-class car. Cen Zhi, Bai Sheng, and Bai Jin went in through the VIP entrance with the little cub.

Cen Zhi watched Xiaobai Nuo, all curled up in his dad's arms, with his little fists pressed against his father's chest, his cheek resting on his fists, dead asleep.

"Seems a bit early today, huh?"

"Yeah, he hardly ever sleeps in."

Bai Sheng had never seen the kid like this either, and he kept looking down at him.

What can you do; this kid usually gets up earlier than the grown-ups. Only at times like this could you see him being all sleepy.

Bai Jin stood aside, scratching his own head and watching. He stretched his back, a little stiff from sleeping, had his phone in his hand, let out a casual yawn, and there was a hint of a 'whatever' attitude on his cocky face.

No need to all crowd around and stare that long, right? This little snitch is just sleeping. What's so interesting about him sleeping?

Bai Jin glanced once, then again, and then a third time.

Hahaha, this little snitch's cheek has even left a print from his third brother's shirt on his cheek.

... He was just making fun, not staring.

Once they were seated, a high-speed train rushed past on the tracks with a roar.

The little guy had never heard a sound like that before. He groggily opened his eyes, and just waking up, his little voice was even softer: "Daddy?"

It was about the time the little guy usually woke up.

Bai Sheng, holding the little one, responded. He skillfully wrapped Xiaobai Nuo up in his own coat, covering his little head too. A moment later, a sleepy little head poked out from under the coat, and the little guy looked up and asked:

"Are we in a big train?"

"Mm."

Bai Sheng nodded and hitched him up higher so he could see out the window.

The platform lights were like little stars, shining into the little one's sleepy eyes. The sky was just getting bright, and sunlight was paving the tracks ahead. Then a speeding train shot past, making the little guy yelp, and he opened his eyes wide, again.

The little guy had train toys.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

His little voice grew excited. He pressed up against the window to look outside, then turned around, looking at the adults with that bright, childlike look that could make even grown-ups forget themselves. He stretched his hands out to show.

"As big as this—"

Cen Zhi watched with a smile, beside them. She brought over a cup of water.

"Sweetie, have some water. Are you hungry? Eat something."

The little guy took the cup automatically, but turned his head back, still staring wide-eyed outside.

"Thank you, Grandma."

Bai Jin sat to the side, watching. He didn't say anything, just looked down at his phone.

The first-class seats on this train had wide, comfy chairs that could rotate, and there was a prepared table beside them, making the ride quite comfortable. Food was set on the table, and this time Xiaobai Nuo sat in Bai Sheng's arms to eat.

But this time, the little guy wasn't as focused on eating especially once the train started moving.

After he had his fill, the little guy held the chip box Grandma had given him and leaned against the window, watching outside for a long time. Soon, the fast-moving scenery started to make Xiaobai Nuo drowsy—he hadn't slept enough.

The little guy was just about to doze off when his hand slipped.

Bai Sheng moved quickly and caught the chip box that was about to fall to the floor. He set it aside.

Cen Zhi, on the other side, found it amusing. Smiling, she picked up the little paper chip box and gently placed it on Xiaobai Nuo's head.

In theory a grandma shouldn't do this, but...

—Haha, it stayed balanced.

Bai Sheng, who usually loved to tease the little one, didn't stop her.

Even Bai Jin, sitting beside them, couldn't help glancing over, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Then, right on cue, the drowsy Xiaobai Nuo lowered his head a bit, and the chip box fell to the floor with a soft thud. The sudden shadow of the box flashing before his eyes startled him, and he snapped his eyes open.

The little guy blinked his big eyes, looked around in confusion—saw his dad, his grandma, and then his little uncle snickering off to the side.

The little one was confused. He thought for a moment, then looked up at his dad and asked in a small voice, "Daddy, is Little Uncle playing tricks on Nono again?"

Bai Jin, who was just breathing—oh no, just snickering beside them— "...Hey!"

It just goes to show that first impressions are very important.

"Sorry, sorry, Grandma just thought Nono was too cute."

Cen Zhi said with a smile. She picked up the chip box and set it aside, then held the little guy's hand.

Bai Jin snorted and sat aside.

He really wondered how this little tattletale could have turned the Bai family into what it was...

Then, the little cub's soft, sleepy voice sounded.

"Sorry, Little Uncle, Nono was wrong. Nono is sorry, Little Uncle."

His voice was soft and babyish, and even though he was so sleepy, he was very sincere—the kind of well-behaved, adorable kid who would truly apologize when he thought he'd done something wrong.

Bai Jin—

Bai Jin instinctively turned his head to look.

He saw the little guy digging in his small shoulder bag, pulling out a pack of snacks and handing it over.

"This is for Little Uncle."

After handing over the snack, the little guy burrowed back into his dad's arms, trying to disappear into his dad's clothes: "Daddy, Nono wants to sleep a bit more. Can Daddy wake Nono up in a little while?"

"Mm."

Bai Sheng responded, leaning back a bit to make the little one more comfortable.

"I told you not to stay up so late last night."

The little guy's voice was so muffled it almost came from his nose, soft and whiny: "Because I wanted to ride the big train with Daddy."

Nono had never ridden such a big train before.

Nono was so excited that he could barely wake up in the morning.

Bai Jin held the colorful pack of snacks, staring at the little lump in Bai Sheng's arms for a long time. After a moment, he slowly looked away and down at his phone.

'Brother Jin, want to hang out?'

'There are some exciting activities recently, Brother Jin, want to come take a look?'

...

The messages on his phone were just like always.

The group of college students who had gone to competitions with Bai Jin were still asleep. Most of the people messaging him were rich second-generation heirs of wealthy families, or, like Bai Sheng, guys who had older brothers or sisters supporting the family and would never inherit the main company.

The other members of the Bai family looked down on this group, but Bai Jin didn't mind hanging out with them.

Because... in a way, weren't they the same?

The train entered a tunnel, and the light on Bai Jin's face disappeared in an instant. His arrogant demeanor cooled slightly as he casually looked at his own reply.

"I'm out traveling. Some other day."

Now he didn't even want to go for those exciting activities, finding these chattering people, who had probably just come from some nightclub, quite annoying.

Their exchanges were insincerely polite and flattering; everyone knew the tricks of the trade.

There wasn't a trace of sincerity.

Sincerity?

Bai Jin slowly opened that snack package and casually dumped the contents into his mouth.

He even apologized earnestly when he realized he was wrong... This little tattletale isn't all just a cute little face, after all.

By the time Xiaobai Nuo was woken up by Bai Sheng, more than half the trip had passed.

Finally energetic, the little one leaned on the edge of the bed and watched the scenery outside the whole way.

By the time they got off the bullet train and arrived near the film set by car, it was still before noon. The sun was warm, but the surroundings were very humid. In the distance, the characteristic commercial street at the foot of Chestnut Mountain was decorated with all kinds of ornaments, and small colorful flags were fluttering up and down in the wind.

The group had just gotten out of the car. The little one was wearing a bear T-shirt today, with a light-colored denim jacket, and a bear bag slung diagonally over his shoulder, which was bulging with quite a few things.

At that moment, the little one was curiously looking left and right.

Actually, compared to the flatter Ang City, this kind of place with many mountains, many obstacles, and a place that was troublesome to move around in was exactly the environment the little one was better adapted to.

Such complex terrain in the apocalypse, though risky, also meant many places to hide; as long as you were fast and agile enough, you could avoid a lot of trouble.

The little one had also spent some time living in the crevices of ruins and rubble.

But thinking back to the past, Xiaobai Nuo felt a bit fortunate; this way, Nono should be a bit more useful, right?

"Hiss——"

The little one heard his grandmother's sharp intake of breath, and the little cub, who had been held by his father, instantly looked over.

"Grandma?"

"Grandma is fine, I got scratched by a leaf on the side."

Cen Zhi looked at her bleeding finger and smiled as she spoke to Xiaobai Nuo.

"Nono knows how to bandage it, let Nono help Grandma bandage it! It'll be fine once the bleeding stops."

The little one blinked his eyes, struggled a bit in his father's arms, got down from his father's embrace, pattered over to his grandmother, tugged at her clothes, and signaled for her to squat down.

The little one then opened his little backpack again, searched inside, and found some child-sized bandages, which he had asked Grandma Feng to put in for him.

Cen Zhi had been watching with a smile, thinking to herself that the little one was doing things properly. She had Bai Sheng get some water to clean the wound, and then the little one skillfully pulled open the bandage, wrapped it a few times, tied a knot, neither too tight nor too loose.

So skillful that he didn't seem like a four or five-year-old cub—hmm, Bai Sheng's expression over there wasn't right, and Cen Zhi belatedly realized.

...So skillful that he didn't seem like a four or five-year-old little cub?

Cen Zhi felt sad about Xiaobai Nuo's past, but had never truly registered it; but at this moment, a chill ran down her spine. She looked again at the scar on the little one's hand that wouldn't fade—in fact, Xiaobai Nuo had some on his body too.

Why was he so skillful?

...Was it because her precious grandson, when injured in the past, could only bandage himself?

But at this moment, Xiaobai Nuo had already finished bandaging.

However, the little one felt something was missing.

What was missing?

The little cub remembered the past, when he had watched enviously as children with families were held carefully in their parents' arms while their wounds were gently blown on—"Blow on the wound, pain flies away."

Xiaobai Nuo had no family, no one cared about him, so no one said that to him, and he wouldn't say it to others. Only when he was injured, the things he could find were limited; he used them sparingly, treating them as treasures. Back then, the clumsy little cub not only couldn't handle being sick well but also worried about injuries, often crying from the pain, and then could only whisper to himself—"Blow on the wound, pain flies away."

But the pain never flew away back then.

Was it because blowing on it yourself just didn't work?

If that was the case.

The little one held his grandmother's hand, gently blew on her finger, raised his round little face, his eyes bright, and said to her in a babyish but serious voice: "Blow on the wound, pain flies away."

Nono blows for Grandma, so Grandma won't feel pain anymore, right?

Author's Note:

Little uncle: Just breathing.

Nuozai: Little uncle is teasing Nono! "Definitely"

Little uncle: ???