Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Poor little gummy bear.

Cen Liu felt sorry for the gummy bear in his heart for a few seconds.

Bai Nuo puffed his cheeks.

Clutching the delicate gummy bear, he chewed it with an angry, hurt look on his face.

He really did look furious; nobody expected the gummy bear to be the one to take the hit.

Cen Liu, who had originally wanted to help Bai Jin coax the kid, was also affected by the sight of Xiaobai Nuo like that, and wanted to yell, 'Bai Jin, you've done all kinds of bad things!'

Cen Zhi also hadn’t expected this; she found the little one both funny and heart-wrenching, then looked at the flustered Bai Jin.

She couldn’t help but whisper, 'I should have bought more, I knew it.'

Anyway, if they didn’t let Xiaobai Nuo eat them, he's a good baby who definitely wouldn't eat them.

But there was another problem: because Xiaobai Nuo was too well-behaved, parents couldn’t help but give him extra.

So only buying a little wasn't just because Lishan was too humid—it was also meant to keep the parents in check.

But there was no use saying more now.

Luckily, the little one’s attention was easily diverted.

Because there was a child, the hotel had specially adjusted the meals.

The aggrieved baby, having finished his gummy bear, was already sitting in his dad's arms with a little spoon in his hand.

Steaming hot rice topped with egg custard in sauce, fresh shrimp and sweet corn neatly arranged on it, quickly made the grumpy little cub all distracted by the deliciousness.

For Xiaobai Nuo, eating was the top priority.

The little one was already burying his face in his food, eating with gusto, while Bai Jin over there also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Bai Jin did want to make amends; he was isolated at the seat farthest from the little cub, and because of his bad mood, he was now stuffing food into his mouth listlessly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the wicker bear he'd brought back, then thought about the gummy bear that had just had its head bitten off in the little cub’s mouth.

Bai Jin: ...

'Hey, if I casually throw that wicker bear to him later, will he try to bite off the wicker bear’s head too?'

Although he thought it impossible, and Third Brother wouldn’t let the cub do that, he, the uncle who'd made the cub cry, was still feeling guilty.

Bai Jin didn't dare to make a move just yet.

'Otherwise... wait a bit?'

Bai Jin thought to himself.

In the end, this meal finished in this slightly strange atmosphere.

Xiaobai Nuo had already started eating his post-meal fruit.

The little one seemed to have been coaxed; sitting in his father’s arms, his soft cheek still round with baby fat, his eyes lowered, eyelashes thick and dark, his curly hair a bit messy.

It wasn’t quite summer yet, but some varieties of watermelon were already on the market. The little one used his blunt little fork to stuff small pieces into his mouth one by one.

After finishing the watermelon, Xiaobai Nuo took out a small fruit that some uncles and aunties had given him when they were browsing the specialty street earlier.

This should be a fruit unique to Lishan here, with a greenish-red skin and a special fragrance.

The cub blinked and took a bite.

An intense sweet-and-sour taste suddenly filled his mouth, and Xiaobai Nuo’s face instantly scrunched up.

Although it was sweet, the accompanying sourness was too high, overpowering the sweetness.

Bai Sheng was handling some urgent documents and didn’t pay attention to what the little one was doing.

His face puckered from the sourness, the cub instinctively held the fruit up high wanting to show it to his father.

But after realizing that Dad was busy, he blinked a few times, pulled his little hand back, and looked down at the fruit he had taken a bite of.

Xiaobai Nuo thought to himself.

'Big Uncle isn’t here.'

'Can’t give the sour fruit to Big Uncle.'

The little one was still a bit conflicted, but when he looked up, his eyes met Bai Jin’s over there.

Bai Jin was still observing the little cub from not far away; he thought the little one seemed to have calmed down a bit, but before he could make any further moves, he saw the little one instantly become alert, then snuggle into Bai Sheng’s arms, looking up at him and then down at the fruit in his hand.

'What is this cub thinking?'

Bai Jin was a bit confused.

Then he saw Xiaobai Nuo as if finally resolved, open his mouth again and start munching on the fruit, his round face all scrunched up.

'Little uncle is looking this way; little uncle wants this fruit?'

'Even if this fruit is terribly sour, I won’t give little uncle a single bite!'

The cub gritted his teeth and forced himself to eat it.

When Bai Sheng, as usual, lowered his head slightly to check on his own cub, he glanced once and then looked back at his tablet, then realized something was wrong, lowered his head again, and snatched the remaining half of the fruit from the little one’s mouth.

'What's with that painful face over a piece of fruit?'

Bai Sheng forked another piece of watermelon and stuffed it into Xiaobai Nuo’s mouth.

Seeing the little one react as if he'd been parched for days, he quickly chewed and swallowed, then let out a long sigh of relief.

Bai Sheng, finding it a bit funny, pinched the cheek of Bai Nuo: 'If you can't take it, just stop eating. Didn't the shopkeeper say it might be sour and only told you to try it?'

Xiaobai Nuo blinked a couple of times, then leaned into his father’s arms and whispered, 'Because little uncle was looking at Nono, and Nono wasn't about to give it to little uncle.'

Bai Sheng took a moment to glance at the restless Bai Jin.

Because he was in front of Xiaobai Nuo and had been holding the aggrieved cub, Bai Sheng hadn’t taken any action against Bai Jin aside from Cen Zhi giving him a talking-to.

Moreover, it could only be said that this situation was too coincidental; Bai Jin himself didn’t actually bear much responsibility.

But Bai Sheng had to say—Bai Jin sure is something, making Nono cry. Is his younger brother just jinxed when it comes to his son?

Every time Xiaobai Nuo meets Bai Jin, it always ends with him tattling to his parents.

"Alright, do you want to go upstairs and play with Dou Dou?"

"Yes," the little one finally distracted, "and I want to call brothers to show them the lights. Brother Xie said he would show me the flowers made from Uncle Xie's clothes."

The little one didn't understand how the Xie Family Twins did it, but he was very supportive.

Bai Sheng: ...

That Xie Yu really is unlucky.

He stood up, picked up the little one, gave him a bounce, and went upstairs.

Dou Dou had already recharged and was following Xiaobai Nuo again, rolling and trundling along.

Today, the little one didn't have Dou Dou read a picture book. Instead, he hugged a pillow and held Bai Sheng's phone in the other hand, waiting to call his brothers and gossip about his uncle with Dou Dou.

"Really? He's so mean. I specifically saved one for him, how could he eat both?!"

"Nono did the right thing. No matter how bad it tastes, don't share it with him anymore."

Now that Xiaobai Nuo's fit of grievance had passed, after talking with the overly supportive Dou Dou, he reflected a bit and whispered to Dou Dou, "But Nono didn't tell uncle either, so maybe I can't blame him."

"Then do you want to make up?"

"No, uncle puts Nono on his shoulders, it's too high for Nono to get down. Nono doesn't want to go find uncle."

The little cub said with a babyish voice, puffing out his cheeks.

"Alright, alright, don't be mad. Do you want me to play a cheerful children's song for you? I have lots of songs to recommend."

Bai Sheng, overhearing: ...

"Hello, Dou Dou."

Bai Sheng spoke.

"Yes, I can hear you. Go ahead, please."

The voice of the little monitor came through.

"Can you reduce the frequency of playing songs?"

"May I know the reason? And for user feedback, my behavior logic is based on each user's habits and big data analysis. You really like listening to music, especially the first line of every song, so I'm always finding suitable songs for you."

That's because I can't stand even the first line and I turn you off immediately, you understand?

Bai Sheng: ...

What the hell is this stupid AI recording?!

Just then, the Xie family called in, and the little one got happy again. Happily holding the phone, he tugged at Bai Sheng's clothes and went to the balcony to show his brothers the lights outside.

By the time the little one was done playing, he was so sleepy he couldn't keep his eyes open. He got washed up, and Bai Sheng carried the little cub and placed him on the soft bed.

The little one turned slightly, hugging the blanket with both hands and feet, struggling to open his eyes, but finally seemed to fail. With half-closed eyes, he rubbed his little head against his father's hand and said softly, "Dad... uncle didn't know either. Maybe Nono shouldn't have said mean things about uncle?"

Bai Sheng, now skilled at gently patting the little one's back, looked down at his lawful good cub.

The chaotic evil dad took only two seconds, trying to brainwash his cub: "Saying it is fine. He deserves it. And Cousin is also bad. Stay away from him in the future—"

That thing is too scary. He doesn't learn his lesson after one or two times. When he sees the cub, he'd actually reach out.

But before he finished speaking, the breathing in his arms had already slowed to a steady rhythm.

The tiny cub, with soft curly hair, rested on his hand and had already fallen fast asleep.

Bai Sheng paused his words, then poked his little cub's cheek after a moment, doting and amused: "Did you hear what Dad said?"

Don't get taken away.

...

The next morning.

"Those guys still not up?"

Cen Liu lived on the first floor. Yawning, he came out of his room, wearing only a white T-shirt and loose pants that came past his knees, with slippers casually on his feet. Scratching his head, he looked at Cen Zhi, who was already sitting in the middle of the living room drinking coffee.

Cen Zhi was flipping through a colorful magazine. The air around her was filled with the rich smell of latte, mingled with a faint vanilla scent she unconsciously gave off while fully relaxed, which dissipated in the next instant.

"Xiao Wu is awake, already left. Probably exercising. San'er hasn't stirred, but Nono is probably awake and will wait in the room for San'er to wake up."

"What's with Bai San? Waking up later than Nono?"

Cen Liu, who had been beaten by Bai Sheng yesterday, jumped at the chance to tease him mercilessly.

"Children this age do wake up early, but I think Nono might be alert, so he always wakes up very early."

Cen Zhi took another sip of coffee.

As for why he's alert...

That can only be traced back to his past living environment—if he always slept soundly, something bad would happen.

Cen Liu only asked once. Hearing that, he lost his teasing mood. He talked with Cen Zhi about the day's schedule while walking to the window, pushing it open, and looking at the drizzle outside.

He frowned.

"Still raining today? Luckily it's not heavy, otherwise we wouldn't get a lot of shooting done."

Then Cen Liu remembered what Cen Zhi had said earlier. He whirled around in surprise.

"Bai Wu went out at this hour of the day? In the rain, at this time, where is he going to exercise?"

Cen Zhi glanced outside: "Who knows? Anyway, I've never understood the fitness of these Bai family Alphas."

A little later, Xiaobai Nuo was carried down by Bai Sheng.

Cen Liu casually asked Bai Sheng if, since it was raining but their shooting work had to continue, the little one is delicate, so maybe he could stay nearby and play instead of following along.

But for Xiaobai Nuo, this trip was all about keeping an eye on his grandmother, so he shook his little head vigorously and clung to his father.

"Alright then. It's a bit cold today, remember to dress warmly," Cen Liu said, then noticed that Bai Sheng, holding the cub, was at least ten meters away from him.

If Cen Liu took a step closer, Bai Sheng would back away three steps in disgust.

Cen Liu: ...Hey, you!

After breakfast, everyone got ready to leave.

The little one looked around but didn't see his uncle.

The little one looked up at the other adults, opening his mouth to ask.

But in the end, he pursed his lips, thinking his uncle must be up to some mischief again. He opened his little umbrella and followed the adults out the door.

Meanwhile, at the specialty shopping street at the foot of Chestnut Mountain.

Early in the morning, many shops were just starting business. A figure walked briskly in the light rain, arriving at the rice cake shop following the address.

Bai Jin's black hair was slightly damp. He casually brushed it aside, one hand in his pocket, and looked up at the shop sign.

He had indeed found a spot nearby to exercise for a while, timing his arrival to exactly when the commercial street started operating.

As for why he came out in the drizzle?

If pressed, it was because he was used to morning exercise, not because he was afraid the little one would see him, remember yesterday's events, and cry his eyes out.

"Tsk... such a little tattletale is such a hassle."

Bai Jin ran his hands through his hair in frustration, messing it up. He didn't care and stepped into the shop.

"Boss, is the first batch ready?"

The old man was unhurriedly working through the final steps. Startled by the voice, he turned to look at Bai Jin.

"So early? There are breakfast shops around; no one usually eats this in the morning. The first batch won't be out for another hour. Do you want to wait here or come back in an hour?"

An hour?

Bai Jin checked the time and jutted his chin toward a stool. "Boss, can I sit there? I'll just wait here."

"You can sit. But what's the hurry?"

The old man chuckled.

"You young folks stay up too late these days. If you're on vacation, you'd normally be asleep at this hour, right? And you came in the rain. Over there are disposable towels provided by the scenic area for each shop. Grab one to dry off, or you'll catch a cold."

Bai Jin pulled out a chair, sat down, and leaned back with a hint of resignation. After a moment, he spoke. "...Yesterday, the little one at home came here to buy some, but I didn't know. I finished them off, and it had him in tears."

"Oh, oh, the little one from yesterday? I remember him. Wasn't he especially cute?"

The old man burst out laughing.

"I've lived most of my life, and I've never seen such a cute kid."

"...He is a bit cute, I guess."

Bai Jin looked away unconsciously.

The old man continued his work.

"Your family sure spoils him. Yesterday the whole family came along, and today you came specially this early. Even though it's a local specialty, it's not something you absolutely have to eat. You could have given him something else to calm him down. Are you his brother?"

"Little uncle."

"Oh, oh, you're an alpha, right? You didn't tell the little one you were coming here?"

"Huh?" Bai Jin looked over, confused. In front of the old man, he toned down his usual swagger, appearing somewhat quiet.

"You young single alphas really have no clue how to deal with kids."

The old man sifted the rice flour into the mold, smiling.

"Your little one is so well-behaved. If you just explained it clearly, he wouldn't have let you come out in the rain this early."

This dumb alpha probably didn't say a word and just focused on making it up to him quickly, right?

Bai Jin, who excelled in everything at school and brought home gold trophies, didn't know he was being called a dumb alpha. He touched his nose, noncommittal.

After all, yesterday that little thing had gnawed on the gummy bears like they were him. He felt saying more would only make it worse, and who knows what that little tattletale would go and tell.

So Bai Jin sat on the chair, waiting, looking down at his phone.

"I'm not trying to coax a kid, I'm just making it up to him."

Oh, that tone.

He's still fighting with that sweet little kid? Like he's sulking.

The old man heard that but didn't want to meddle in family matters. When the rice cakes were done, he packed them up hot for Bai Jin, watched him tuck them inside his jacket, and leave in the drizzle.

Of course, the alpha probably didn't even consider that light rain to be rain.

But the old man watched Bai Jin's retreating figure and muttered under his breath, "I told you, your family really dotes on him."

Today's filming location was really tough on Xiaobai Nuo.

Because it was close to the river bend near Chestnut Mountain. From here, he could see the wide expanse of water shimmering under the wind and rain.

The sky was overcast, no sun, and it was drizzling. Xiaobai Nuo held his little umbrella and stood there nervously.

Not far in front of him, under the cliff of Chestnut Mountain, the natural landscape blended harmoniously with various ancient designs, and their filming continued.

Bai Sheng sat on a chair behind, handling some urgent documents. He looked up and saw the little one staring at his grandmother. He raised an eyebrow, surprised that even though he was scared of the large water, the little one insisted on holding his umbrella and staring at her without even blinking.

What was this little one thinking?

Bai Sheng lazily doodled on the tablet with a stylus. Unconsciously, in the margin of the document, he drew a round little blob holding an umbrella.

Bai Sheng snapped back to reality.

The new dad tapped the undo button repeatedly to "destroy the evidence" of the drawn chubby figure.

Just then, he heard a sound behind him.

Bai Sheng looked back.

Behind him was Bai Jin, standing a little higher up than them.

Bai Jin was wearing sportswear. Spotting their group, he looked over and quickly found his target not far from Bai Sheng.

Like many young alphas who would rather use a window than a door, even though there were stairs ahead, Bai Jin took a shortcut, vaulting down from above to a closer staircase, then taking them two at a time.

His landing was light, but due to the rain, it kicked up a small splash, instantly drawing Xiaobai Nuo's attention.

The little one turned his head a little and saw his uncle.

The little cub holding an umbrella instantly puffed up his cheeks, almost letting out a huff.

But—

Even though it was just a light rain, after being in it for a while, Bai Jin's hair was completely drooping, and the drizzling raindrops on his sportswear made a clear line where the rain had soaked him and where it hadn't.

The cub, his cheeks still puffed, glanced at the towel wrapped in plastic nearby, then looked at his uncle.

Although the little one was soft-hearted, he wouldn't always come running over eagerly. He shifted to let his uncle see the towel, and then started to turn back to his grandmother.

But as the uncle came closer, he didn't head for the box of disposable towels; his shadow fell over Xiaobai Nuo.

The little one looked up at his uncle.

Bai Jin unzipped his jacket, pulled out a kraft paper bag just like yesterday's, crouched down, and shoved it directly into the little one's hands.

He had been running fast, his breath coming in short gasps, but he still sounded gruff.

“Nono, happy now? Little snitch? Eat up, it's hot.”

The cub was stunned for a moment, looking at the kraft paper bag in his arms, then at his uncle.

Bai Sheng had already stood up. He wasn't surprised Bai Jin had gone to buy rice cake, but as the older brother and Xiaobai Nuo's dad, he wasn't happy with Bai Jin's tone right then.

It made it sound like Nono had thrown a tantrum yesterday, demanding he go buy it first thing in the morning.

Bai Sheng had already told them—not just Bai Jin, but Bai Jingyun and their grandpa too—that if they couldn't talk right, they should keep away from the little guy. As his dad, he could make sure the kid grew up healthy.

But just as Bai Sheng came closer, he heard Xiaobai Nuo's voice. The little cub was a bit down, not even happy about getting the rice cake, and his little voice carried a hint of disappointment: “Uncle... do you really not like Nono?”

“Huh?”

Bai Jin didn't react immediately, and couldn't help thinking—Aren't you the one who's mad at me? You didn't say a single word to me last night, hey!

Then he watched the little cub look up, meet his eyes, and whisper, “Nono doesn't like being called 'little snitch'.”

He didn't want to be called 'little snitch'.

The cub mustered his courage, his eyes dark and bright, and then said with a hint of grievance, “Yesterday, Nono didn't explain clearly and just said Uncle was bad. That was Nono's fault. Uncle, can you please not call Nono 'little snitch'... Nono saved some for Uncle yesterday... I really did.”

Who the hell would hold that against him?! All he could think about was 'don't cry'.

He was an adult, but how come every time it was this little one who first admitted fault? How did his third brother raise him? Couldn't he raise him to be a little tougher and more stubborn? What if he gets bullied by others outside?!

Bai Jin, who had been staring at the cute little face in a daze for a few seconds, slowly looked away and said, “...Uncle won't call you that anymore. Nono, I'm sorry.”

For someone as arrogant and unreasonable as Bai Jin, apologizing was really awkward.

“Mm, Nono heard it.”

The little one nodded, then looked at the bag in his hands and spoke softly.

“Thank you, Uncle, for the rice cake.”

Bai Jin, who had looked back, thought: ...

Dammit, why do I kind of want to pinch his little face?

Author's note:

Bai Jin: I think I'm sick! "scratches head"

Others of the Bai family: "popping their heads in" It's only natural.

Eldest uncle & Great-grandfather: Wait, you've got to hold on!