Chapter 46

Chapter 46

A gentle breeze brushed past his fingertips.

Xiaobai Nuo, who had been happily looking up to see Grandma's reaction, hesitated slightly. His soft, childish voice was light, tinged with uncertainty: "Grandma?"

Why did Grandma seem even unhappier?

Cen Zhi, who had been lost in thought for a moment, snapped back to reality. She hastily concealed the slight change in her expression and forced a smile again. "Nono, you're so amazing. How do you know how to do all this?"

Xiaobai Nuo was actually a little confident about that. His eyes sparkled as he wanted to say something, but everything about the apocalypse—just like the dreams he had about his family's fate—couldn't be spoken out loud.

The little one tried to say something but gave up, and his gaze fell on the back of his own hand. He suddenly found a new way to express himself, raising his hand high for Grandma to see.

"Nono used to bandage himself before."

Xiaobai Nuo continued, his eyes curving into crescents.

"Nono saw that other people always do this. Grandma, does blowing on it like this still hurt?"

Xiaobai Nuo genuinely didn’t know—because no one had ever blown on his wounds for him.

The Bai Family immediately understood this.

Even Bai Jin, who had been idly chewing on a blade of grass and twirling it in his mouth, stopped his pointless fidgeting.

Cen Zhi held Xiaobai Nuo's hand and looked down at it.

Cen Zhi wasn’t typically an overly sentimental omega. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to calculate the benefits of a marriage alliance and use it to further elevate the Cen family.

Unlike the Bai family, which was rife with internal competition, the Cen family, though also a major clan, couldn't reach the Bai family's level. Over the years, during the critical window of information explosion, the Cen family had grown rapidly. That was impossible without exceptional ability, and to accomplish it, she needed to stay rational during critical decisions.

Cen Zhi felt that, despite not being as formidable as these top alphas of the Bai family, she wouldn’t make any wrong decisions either.

Although she seemed like the easiest-going person in the Bai family, the fact that the little one considered her the top of the Bai family food chain meant she didn't cry easily.

But at this moment, Cen Zhi's eyes stung. She genuinely felt like crying.

Had he been bandaging his own wounds this whole time? Kids recover fast, yet these scars were still so obvious even now—how deep must those wounds have been back then?

Xiaobai Nuo didn't speak, so the family couldn’t truly empathize from the vague reports sent by the Federation government.

And the little one, though usually cautious, was still an incredibly adorable and well-behaved child, always smiling softly without any gloom. Only now, from his actions, could the family see the impact the past had on him—it was a deep imprint engraved on him.

Cen Zhi looked down to compose herself, then looked up again, speaking in that coaxing, surprised tone to cheer him up: "It really doesn't hurt anymore."

With that, Cen Zhi lowered her head and gently blew on the little one's hand—as if to travel across time and space, to make up for the envy that the scarred, hiding little one once felt for others.

Xiaobai Nuo felt a ticklish sensation and pulled his hand back a little. He glanced at the scars on the back of his hand, then said to his family, "Grandma, Nono is already better. It doesn't hurt anymore."

But as he finished speaking, a shadow fell over him from behind. Xiaobai Nuo froze, feeling someone hug him from behind.

The little one tilted his head back and saw his father—the man who had seemed incredibly tall from their very first meeting, who even when crouched down could completely envelop him.

Bai Sheng gently took the little one's hand from Cen Zhi's.

He wasn't smiling, but it was clear that, unlike Cen Zhi and Bai Jin, who had been caught off guard, Bai Sheng was more mentally prepared and knew more about what had happened.

Bai Sheng helped the little one pack up his small backpack. The little bear crossbody bag was actually very small—it only held small bandages, coins, candies, snacks, and some ointment.

Compared to when Bai Sheng first brought the little one back, the scars on Xiaobai Nuo's hands had already gotten much better. Every night after his bath, they would apply ointment to his scars.

The new dad squeezed out some ointment and applied it to the little one's hands again before letting out a breath of relief.

The pain was gone.

"These scars will disappear."

Cen Zhi froze for only a second, then smiled and nodded. "Yes, speaking of which, your cousin is really too slow. Why isn't he here yet?"

As she spoke, Cen Zhi straightened up. Bai Jin, who had no idea what was going on and had only caught snatches of the conversation, leaned in. His tone was hard to read.

"Those guys actually laid a hand on a kid?"

"What else would they do?"

Cen Zhi lowered her voice, glancing at her most rebellious fifth child. After a moment, she said, "Don't go provoking Nono. Watch out, your brother will beat you up."

Bai Jin: ...

He already beat me up, okay?

Still, he clicked his tongue in irritation and glanced around restlessly.

He couldn't quite figure out why he was annoyed—whether it was because those guys were so classless as to target such a little kid, or because this little guy wasn't what he'd imagined. Either way, no matter how far he went in his own antics, hurting a kid was the lowest of the low.

Xiaobai Nuo had his ointment reapplied. Listening to his father's words, he looked up at him, then patted his little hands together like the nurse auntie had done, helping the ointment soak in.

The little one didn't think it was a big deal—because Nono didn't hurt anymore, and Grandma had just blown on his hand for him.

The little one's eyes were full of wonder at the new place, along with a vigilance to keep an eye on Grandma.

After patting, he looked down at the back of his hand again.

The scars looked a lot lighter.

A gust of wind blew by, making Xiaobai Nuo's curly hair fly around. A crisp, quick jingling sound reached his ears—the stronger the wind, the louder the jingle.

Curious, Xiaobai Nuo turned to look, quickly spotting where it was coming from.

Above a row of colorful flags, there were several colorful pinwheels. The sound came from them.

Used to dark, monochrome colors, the little one was totally attracted to these bright, colorful things. His eyes reflected the spinning pinwheels, and he let out a soft, childish "Wow."

Bai Sheng turned around to look.

They weren't yet at the more bustling specialty shopping street—this was the entrance of the Lishan Nature Reserve, with just a few scattered decorations and some little specialty stalls.

"You want that?"

Bai Sheng glanced at the pinwheel, asking the little one as a formality. Without waiting for Xiaobai Nuo's answer, he stood up and said, "Wait here."

Of course, buying a windmill was something he didn't really need to do himself.

Any of the assistants by his side could have gone.

But Bai Sheng felt that for something the little one liked, it would be more rewarding to buy it himself and give it to him. Besides, he needed a moment to compose himself.

After all, Bai Sheng was the first to notice and the first to change his expression.

So, before Xiaobai Nuo could say anything more, Cen Zhi picked up the little one and headed toward a public bench nearby in the scenic area.

"Come on, let's wait for your dad over here with Grandma."

The bench had already been wiped clean. Cen Zhi lifted the little one and set him down, sitting beside him, lightly guarding him.

Bai Jin kept his distance. It was clear he wasn't interested in sightseeing, but the conclusion he'd just drawn left him grumpy. He absentmindedly plucked at leaves nearby, staring at the little one with an unreadable expression.

Xiaobai Nuo, with his small arms and legs, sat on the bench, his feet dangling above the ground, swinging back and forth. Grandma had tucked a carton of milk into his hands, and he was holding it carefully, sipping through a straw, gulping it down noisily.

Bai Jin thought: If that's the case, he could understand why his third brother had been acting like a completely different person lately.

But of course, even if he thought hurting such a small kid was despicable, it didn't mean he would be like the rest of the Bai family.

...Even if the little one was indeed a bit cute.

Just as Bai Jin was thinking this, his gaze shifted slightly, looking past the bench where they sat.

Besides the three of them and the kid, there were also several assistants handling luggage that had been sent to the hotel. But with so many people, they were still conspicuous here.

Then, as a new shadow loomed over them, Cen Zhi looked back.

Just then, Cen Liu came rushing over. He wasn't late—it was just that the Bai family hadn't gone to the hotel first, choosing to wait for him here.

When Cen Liu saw his aunt Cen Zhi, he was still rushing, but as he drew closer, he noticed the small figure sitting beside her.

Xiaobai Nuo heard the sound, still sucking on his straw, and turned to look.

Their eyes met.

Cen Liu was stunned.

He had already thought the kid was incredibly cute in photos, marveling that no child star could compare.

But seeing him in the sunlight, the little one's eyelashes seemed to dance with golden light, his eyes showing a flicker of curiosity. Cen Zhi leaned down and whispered something to him.

The little one blinked, obediently clutching his milk carton, and spoke sweetly: "Hello, cousin. I'm Nuo Nuo."

Cen Liu, who adored little kids...

Cuteness overload!!!

He couldn't handle it.

"Oh, it's Nuo Nuo! Hello, hello. I'm your cousin, Cen Liu."

Cen Liu's voice involuntarily softened, making Bai Jin shudder.

Bai Jin and Cen Zhi watched as he reached out to shake the little one's hand, then held onto it, refusing to let go.

Completely overwhelmed by the cuteness, Cen Liu stared with dazed puppy-dog eyes, thinking deliriously: I guess nobody wants this little human.

He spoke seriously.

"Aunt."

Cen Zhi looked at her slightly confused little one, then at her nephew, and let out a confused sound.

Without hesitation, Cen Liu tried to give Xiaobai Nuo a hug.

"The rule for cute little humans is: first come, first served!"

I've already caught him, Aunt. He wants to go home with me!

Cen Zhi: ???

"Are you a kidnapper?!"

Just as Cen Zhi was about to pull her little one's hand back, Cen Liu suddenly snapped out of it, let go, and took two steps back.

Cen Zhi followed his gaze—Bai Sheng was walking over expressionlessly, holding a colorful windmill, and stopped in front of Cen Liu. He looked at the kid, then at Cen Liu.

Bai Sheng asked silently: What did you just say?

Cen Liu, who was always most scared of this cousin: ...Nothing, nothing at all.

Author's note:

Cen Liu: Give me the kid—

Bai Sheng: .

Cen Liu: I'm sorry. *bows*