Chapter 69

Chapter 69

“…Crispy?”

What does it mean that little uncle is crispy?

The smirk had barely faded from Bai Jin’s face when he heard this overly cute description from the kid, and for a moment, he was baffled.

Then he quickly realized that what Cen Zhi had told Xiaobai Nuo must be about the stabilization period of pheromones after adult differentiation.

This period usually takes five to six months.

Bai Jin had only differentiated less than three months ago, and although his rating was already done, it would be another three months before his pheromones truly stabilized.

That’s why, despite grumbling about the restriction, Bai Jin didn’t resist Cen Zhi’s supervision much.

To him, it was just a little pheromone instability – no big deal. All his older siblings had gone through it just fine, so why should he be so careful?

Hearing his little uncle’s voice, the little one, still struggling to hold everything, blinked, thought hard about the right word, and then nodded firmly: “Little uncle, crispy!”

Bai Jin: …

Bai Liang, standing behind Bai Jin, reached out with a smile.

“Hey, Bai Jin, if I tap you a couple times, will you break?”

Crispy Jin.

Bai Jin: …

Bai Jin irritably slapped away Bai Liang’s hand, his already raised brows furrowing even more impatiently, and reached out to pinch the little one’s cheek: “Little uncle is *not* crispy!”

Seeing his little uncle’s hand coming for him, the little one immediately yelled, “Daddy!”

Defending the naughty little uncle was one thing, but now that the others were gone, it was another. Besides, the little one subconsciously covered his mouth—had he broken his earlier vow by talking to little uncle today? Would he end up being eaten like pudding?

Bai Jin stumbled as someone shoved him aside. He cursed under his breath, watching as Bai Sheng, who had somehow appeared beside him, scooped the little one away.

The ‘summoned’ father, who came whenever called, was already smooth and practiced at holding the kid.

He even kept his eyes on his phone.

Clearly, Cen Liu had replied.

Having seemingly brushed with death, Cen Liu hadn’t been too preoccupied with work since returning to Ang City, focusing instead on recovering.

Or rather, he had been taking it too easy lately. Despite looking honest and simple, he was full of schemes. He had already eliminated all the hidden risks in the company, and the other Cen family branches trying to take a piece had been dealt with. With Cen Liu in charge, no one dared to act rashly, so the entire Cen family business was thriving, unaffected by his recovery.

On the screen, Bai Sheng’s message had a few lines of text and a picture.

‘A live stream on platform xxx caught Nuo’s face. I had it taken down urgently. Check if I missed anything and help clean it up.’

In this regard, although Bai Sheng had some methods, he was certainly not as reliable as the professional Cen Liu.

‘By the way, “picture”’

It was a photo: Xiaobai Nuo had just hugged the big strawberry craft jar, his big bright eyes looking up. Even though the sky was clear and no stars were visible, it seemed as if all the starlight had fallen into his eyes.

The little one had barely calmed down from his earlier irritation. When he suddenly saw something he liked and looked up, the joy was so heartwarming that Bai Sheng couldn’t help but take out his camera and snap a picture.

Of course, that was only natural.

The newbie dad thought to himself, completely ignoring how many photos he had already secretly taken of the little one.

And he showed it off.

Cen Liu had probably finally started catching up on work he’d missed during his days of rest, so he replied a few minutes later.

Cousin: ‘Ahhh, I discovered a wild little human, waiting to be picked up!’

Cousin: ‘You guys are at that night market near Sheng’ang University?! Nuo, wait for me, cousin-uncle is coming right away!!!’

Cousin: ‘By the way, I’ve already handled it. This platform has too much mixed content. I’ll intervene on my end, but the rest will have to be reviewed by higher-ups.’

Cousin: ‘Hehehe, cousin-uncle’s adorable Nuo, wait for cousin-uncle! The cute little human wants to go home with cousin-uncle!’

Bai Sheng: …

Are you asking for it?

Who’s a wild little human?

You savage.

Bai Sheng snorted, his fingers tapping on the screen, then deleting everything before calmly leaving four words: ‘Daydreaming.’

Bai Sheng set the little one down, carrying the strawberry craft jar, the small wooden sword, and the goldfish, and watched as the little one gathered with the three A-rank kids Shi Lin had finally let go.

Bai Sheng tilted his head slightly, glanced back, and exchanged a look with Bai Liang: “Cen Liu will be coming later.”

Just in time—Ms. Cen Zhi has been worrying about him not working properly lately; he can take him back and let her educate him.

Of course, this wasn’t revenge. It was entirely for his own good.

Bai Liang paused, his smile seeming to freeze for a moment, but then it returned to normal: “His injuries are almost healed. It’s fine for him to come out and get some fresh air.”

Meanwhile, Xiaobai Nuo was surrounded by the three kids.

Xie Yue had gotten a black plastic bag from the balloon shooting range and was now waving it around, declaring, “If Mom hadn’t held me back, I would have put a bag over his head!”

Xie Qing, for once, agreed with his younger brother: “Why didn’t you run faster? Where’s Brother Yan?”

Yu Chuyan wrinkled his nose, still quite dissatisfied: “My brother grabbed me.”

Earlier, when the incident happened, Yu Chuyan had been closest to Xiaobai Nuo. He was already ‘flying’ through the air when his brother Yu Chen, standing nearby, grabbed him by the collar and handed him to Shi Lin.

Shi Lin smiled wryly and wanted to give each of the three kids a gentle tap on the head.

“You three little troublemakers, you’re too strong! I barely managed to hold you back. Why do you always rush forward? What if those people had something else in their hands? Is Nuo okay?”

Xiaobai Nuo patted his little chest and looked at Shi Lin: “Auntie, Nuo is fine.”

Then the little one smiled and thanked the three older brothers.

“Nuo’s okay. The bad guys were taken away by the uncles in uniforms.”

And the Xie family twins, who had been taught by Xie Yu to always protect themselves first, looked at the little one.

Yu Chuyan also didn’t look away.

Xiaobai Nuo was shorter than the three A-boys, with a more delicate and adorable appearance. The prickliness from earlier had all melted away, making him look sweet and harmless.

He looked like such an easy target, yet he'd rush to the front when danger came.

Though they were about the same age, a sudden urge to be big brothers sprouted in the hearts of the Three Little Ones.

What? Are you asking if Xie Qing felt any responsibility as an older brother toward Xie Yue? Haha, of course not—only the drive to compete and grab stuff.

"Nuo Nuo, you walk in the middle."

Xie Qing said casually, moving aside to make room.

Yu Chuyan took the spot on Xiaobai Nuo's other side and held the little one's hand.

Only Xie Yue, whose hands were still full with the bag, failed to squeeze in. He looked on, totally confused, as the other two put themselves on either side of him. In the end, he could only mumble to himself as he walked beside Yu Chuyan. Still holding the bag, he said excitedly to Xiaobai Nuo, "If some other bad guy shows up, I'm totally gonna bag his head this time!"

"Then I'll stab him with my wooden sword."

"Me too."

The parents walked behind, listening to the kids chatter away. The little incident earlier hadn't really bothered the kids—they went right back to looking for cool stuff.

Xiaobai Nuo was still thinking about bringing gifts for his family, so he spent a long time hanging around different stalls.

The little kid was cute and well-behaved, so he kept drawing attention from people passing by.

It was around then that Bai Sheng glanced at the time. He was thinking it was about time to head back so the little one could rest and get ready for bed.

Then a figure came rushing over like a whirlwind.

"First come, first served—Nuo—"

The person had only said half a sentence.

The A-boys, who had been ranting about what they'd do to those guys, all looked over.

Was that... a human trafficker?!

The alert A-boys jumped into action immediately. Xie Yue jumped up and shoved the black plastic bag over the newcomer's head, while Yu Chuyan and Xie Qing moved in unison, jabbing their little wooden swords at the person's weak points.

It was a smooth little combo—the parents behind them barely had time to react.

All they heard was a sharp yelp from Cen Liu: "Ow—"

The adults all turned to look at Xie Yu covering his face, silently asking, "What the heck have you been teaching them at home?"

Xie Yu: ...Nothing. These kids are self-taught, for god's sake!

Xiaobai Nuo was the first to react, tilting his head in confusion. "Uncle?"

Uncle?

The Three Little Ones all turned around in unison to look at Xiaobai Nuo.

Bai Jin reached over and yanked the bag off Cen Liu's head, revealing a confused, wide-eyed young man looking totally bewildered: "Did I just get bagged by three little kids?"

And pinned down with wooden swords, no less.

"Not a human trafficker?"

"He was coming to hug the little guy."

"Thought he was trying to snatch the kid."

The Three Little Ones were quickly whisked away by their parents, apologizing quickly.

But Cen Liu, who always went easy on kids, just waved his hands, saying it was his own fault for rushing over and causing the misunderstanding, and that none of it was the kids' fault.

Bai Sheng let out a snide laugh.

Cen Liu immediately shot him a look, dissatisfied: "Are you laughing at me?"

Bai Sheng raised an eyebrow lazily: "Do you even have to ask?"

Wasn't it obvious?

Cen Liu: ...That damn Bai San!

Meanwhile, Xiaobai Nuo stood next to his father.

"Uncle, are you here to play too?"

The little boy looked up, then glanced at the things his father was holding, and said softly:

"Nono also brought a gift for Uncle."

What? He hadn't been able to hang around the little guy during his recovery, and yet there was still a gift for him?

"Cousin-in-law is so moved! Come here, let cousin-in-law give you a kiss."

Cen Liu's voice turned all syrupy and baby-talk-like when talking to Xiaobai Nuo.

It gave Bai Jin goosebumps again, and he couldn't help stepping back.

Only Bai Sheng stepped forward, grabbed Cen Liu by the shirt, and pulled him aside. He tossed the things into Cen Liu's arms for him to carry, then picked up the kid himself. Bai Sheng glanced at his watch.

"It's about time to head back now. You wanna keep looking around here, or come with us?"

Of course Cen Liu was coming with them. He had been raised by Cen Zhi for a while, so he had his own room there naturally at the Bai family's old mansion.

Not to mention, listening to the Four Little Ones say their goodbyes and promise to meet at kindergarten tomorrow, Cen Liu raised an eyebrow: "So you're finally putting Nuo in kindergarten?"

Bai Sheng instinctively resisted the idea, but still said:

"First time. Tomorrow afternoon, a half-day trial. If it goes well, he'll start going to regular kindergarten."

What a meaningful first day of kindergarten!

He had to go along to see the little cub off!

Cen Liu kept chattering away as he got into the car with the Bai family, looking all innocent and harmless while listening to Xiaobai Nuo recount what had happened that night.

The car stopped at the main building of the Bai family's old mansion. It was a little past eight, and the house was brightly lit.

The little kid yawned, clutching two things in his hands: one was the strawberry craft that Bai Sheng had won for him at the balloon shooting range, and the other was the bag of goldfish Bai Jin had given him.

Although the oxygen bag was sufficient, the little cub still felt uncomfortable keeping the fish cooped up in the bag. He lay in his father's arms, and when they reached the door, he straightened up and urged in a soft, milky voice:

"Daddy, Daddy, get out of the car. We need to put the little fish in the tank."

Bai Sheng carried the child and got out of the car first, heading inside the house.

Bai Jin, Bai Liang, and Cen Liu all lagged behind.

Bai Jin, impatient with their pace, quickly strode past them, quite pleased with himself, eager to watch the little one put his caught goldfish into the tank.

Cen Liu naturally fell into step beside Bai Liang.

Bai Liang was still smiling. He glanced at Cen Liu. "Are you pretty much healed?"

"Pretty much," Cen Liu replied, also glancing at Bai Liang. He had once blamed Bai Liang for his father's death, and even after growing up, their relationship wasn't very close, which made their interactions awkward. But after resting for so many days, he had become more relaxed and raised a hand to pat Bai Liang on the shoulder. "Guess what I found during my recovery?"

Cen Liu never joked with Bai Liang, so Bai Liang was taken aback for a moment before asking reflexively, "What?"

"Turns out my own life is pretty important after all, Bai Er."

Cen Liu looked at Bai Liang with his puppy-dog eyes.

"I heard from Aunt that you still have that big of a conflict with Bai Si?"

Bai Liang was silent for a moment, clearly reluctant to answer such a question.

"Although I don't know the specifics, and you've never been willing to explain, Bai Qi isn't stupid. She's not like Bai San, that bastard who doesn't give a damn about anything. The more you clam up, the angrier she'll get."

Cen Liu chuckled again.

"Also, I heard your lab had a breakthrough in genetic disease research? Congratulations."

"...It's only in the experimental stage."

Bai Liang instinctively glanced at Cen Liu, his fox-like nature instinctively making him observe Cen Liu's expression, trying to tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic. All he saw was calmness.

"Not bad. If Dad knew, he'd definitely say—" Cen Liu patted Bai Liang's shoulder again. "This Bai Er kid is getting better and better."

As Cen Liu finished speaking, he heard Cen Zhi's voice from inside the house: "Xiao Liu? There are some urgent contracts and PR matters from the company. Come take a look."

Cen Liu yawned and called back, "Coming, Aunt."

Cen Liu walked past Bai Liang and entered the house.

Bai Liang stood still for a few seconds. Rarely without a smile, his always cold eyes flickered momentarily. Then he heard Bai Jin shouting inside, arguing with Ms. Cen Zhi about how he hadn't caused any trouble this time. Bai Liang snapped back to reality, glanced back at the path to his own place, and finally headed toward the main building.

Of course, there was another reason: he, the second uncle, was still carrying a lot of Xiao Bai Nuo's things.

The main building was fully occupied. Everyone was there except Bai Qi, who was abroad on a business trip and had messaged half an hour ago saying her plane had just landed and she'd be home soon.

All the members of the Bai family were present, though the old man was upstairs and the others were in the activity hall downstairs.

First, everyone watched as little Bai Nuo carried the fish tank, acclimated the water temperature, and changed the water, then happily admired the ordinary little red goldfish swimming in the tank for a while.

Then the little one started handing out gifts.

First was Bai Jingyun. Besides the carefully selected small souvenir from the little one, there was also the tanghulu (sugar-coated hawthorn on a stick) that had been carried all the way. Bai Liang, who had been carrying it the whole time, now took it out and handed it to a wide-eyed Bai Jingyun, smiling. "Nono said you like sour things. Here, try it and see if it's sour."

Bai Jingyun was speechless.

The little one looked up. "Uncle, Nono picked this especially for you!"

Bai Jingyun was speechless. "Thank you, Nono."

Under the little one's gaze, Bai Jingyun took a bite. His expressionless face involuntarily twitched slightly before resuming its usual icy demeanor.

Bai Liang watched from the side, amused: "How interesting—Big Brother's whole vibe went gray."

The little one continued handing out gifts one by one.

Meanwhile, Bai Sheng sat on the sofa, watching his cub move around. He looked up and noticed a group of people sitting nearby staring at him.

Bai Sheng, who never reflected on himself and only looked down on others, raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Will Nono do a trial day at kindergarten tomorrow afternoon?"

Cen Zhi asked directly.

"Yeah."

"I want to drop him off."

Cen Zhi immediately spoke.

Cen Liu, who was sitting beside her handling work, also looked up instinctively. "I'm going too."

Bai Jingyun looked over instinctively, as if wanting to say something, but didn't.

Bai Jin, holding his phone and checking his schedule, said, "I don't have class tomorrow afternoon."

Bai Liang smiled. "I'm pretty free these few days."

And Bai Qian, who was beside them holding a finance magazine, coughed lightly and said nonchalantly, "I just happen to be free tomorrow afternoon as well."

Huh?

Cen Zhi instinctively looked at Bai Qian.

"Convenient?"

Bai Qian's expression didn't change. "Convenient."

Cen Zhi was at a loss for words.

That guy's mouth is beyond help.

Clearly, the Bai family, though usually all over the place, were all gathered together now, each with their own 'little plans.'

After the little one finished distributing gifts, leaving those for Great-Grandfather and Aunt on the table, he happily bounced over, holding the strawberry craft jar, wanting to tell Grandma how awesome Dad was tonight.

Cen Zhi didn't find it surprising that Bai Sheng could handle anything. She didn't press further about what had happened tonight but cheerfully listened to the little one's story. Then she asked, "Will Nono be scared to go to kindergarten tomorrow?"

The little one blinked. "Dad, Brother Xiao Yan, Brother Xiao Qing, and Brother Xiao Yue are all there. Nono isn't scared."

The little one didn't fully grasp the concept of kindergarten yet and didn't think it was any different from going to other places to play. He spoke in a soft, sweet, childish voice.

But Cen Zhi noticed the first-time dad looking a bit anxious.

The baby was perfectly at ease, but the dad seemed about to have a panic attack.

No, it seemed the whole family was anxious. Cen Zhi hadn't expected Bai Liang to want to tag along too.

Cen Zhi looked around and spotted Cen Liu scratching his head and staring at his computer. She felt that at least the Cens—people with their last name—were normal.

It was kinda funny.

Cen Zhi set the little guy down on the floor and pointed at the puzzle on the rug.

"Nono's so good. Nono, play with the puzzle or the toys you brought back for a bit, and help Grandma keep an eye on Cousin and make sure he works properly. When you're done, let Daddy take you to bed, alright?"

The little guy tilted his head up and nodded happily. "Okay."

Cen Liu, working hard, looked up: ...What the hell? Now he needed a supervisor?

So when Bai Qi got back, she saw this weird scene.

The Bai family, except for the old man, were all sitting in the living room. Xiaobai Nuo was messing with a little wooden sword, then packing the trinkets he'd brought back into the strawberry-shaped craft jar his father had given him.

The little supervisor kept glancing up at his cousin.

Just then, Cen Liu leaned back in his chair and muttered, "Oh my god, Auntie, I just figured something out."

"What?"

Cen Zhi answered without thinking.

"When I close my eyes while working, it feels super comfortable."

Oh... wait, isn't that just sleeping?!

Cen Zhi looked at Cen Liu and saw her little supervisor had already crawled over, trying to pry his cousin's eyelids open.

He said in a baby voice, "Cousin, Cousin, that's sleeping. You gotta sleep in bed; you'll be uncomfortable here."

Cen Liu opened his eyes, ready to hug the little guy—such a cute kid!

But then Bai Sheng whisked the kid away. Xiaobai Nuo heard his aunt's voice, turned, and called out softly.

Bai Qi responded. She was carrying several bags, walked over fast, crouched down, and stuffed them all into Xiaobai Nuo's hands. Her pretty face was expressionless, but her eyes were warm and sincere: "Gifts Auntie picked out from abroad."

She'd mostly wrapped up the Liu family stuff too.

Even though Bai Qi didn't come home much and was close to the Liu family's second daughter, she was still a full-fledged member of the Bai family. She handled things like a boss, turning the Liu family upside down. Realizing Liu Sen was a lost cause, she found a professional manager to run what was left of the Liu estate, planning to hand it over to Liu Sen's youngest son, Liu Du, when he's older.

At least it was a clear conscience, and they'd be well-off.

Bai Sheng had been watching for a while, but clearly, he had no problem with Bai Qi's handling.

And now.

"Auntie gave Nono so many presents!"

The little guy looked at the colorful gift bags.

"Auntie, wait a sec. Nono went to the night market today, and Nono got a gift for Auntie too!"

Bai Qi watched the little guy patter away, with Dou Dou's clay figure still hanging on her clothes. Her eyes softened for a moment, then she noticed Bai Liang sitting on a single couch not far from her.

Bai Qi's face went cold again.

The Bai Qi who'd just been cheerful: ...

Not so cheerful now.

At the same time, the old man came downstairs, locking eyes with the little guy, who chattered about bringing him a gift too.

The old man thought to himself, all reserved: Young people's gifts, he might not get or need, but since it was offered, he'd take it.

Then, as he walked past the fish tank, the old man stopped dead. He turned his head and looked at the little one's tank.

Next to the dull little reservoir fish was a bright red little goldfish, happily wagging its tail and chasing fish food, making the gray fish look even duller.

Bai Yan, who'd been trying to add an even number of fish to Xiaobai Nuo's tank but never succeeded: ...

"What is this fish?"

"I got it at the night market."

Bai Jin snorted lightly. The uncle, still ranked last in the little guy's heart, was pretty pleased with himself, occasionally springing a 'surprise' on his competitive older brother and grandpa.

"Grandpa, isn't it cool?"

Xiaobai Nuo stuffed the gift into his aunt's hands, then stood on tiptoe to hand his great-grandfather's share to him. Seeing his great-grandfather's expression, he blinked: "Great-grandfather?"

The tiny little one tugged at his great-grandfather's clothes, remembering that he wasn't in great health either.

Bai Yan snapped back to reality, feeling the small tug on his clothes. He kept a stern face: ..."Nothing. Thank you."

Everyone else was watching.

Nothing? Really?

Dad/Grandpa, your eyes right now are like a cat staring at fish in a tank, looking like you want to reach in and toss that little red fish out.

Of course, we generally call this situation—the frustration of coming up empty.

Author's note:

One of the prerequisites for keeping Bai Er mentally stable is that Cen Liu has to stay alive.

By accident, Nono: Nono's family are all villains, but Cousin isn't. Cousin is weak, so he can hide behind Nono and Dad. Of course, Dad is the strongest!

Cousin: ?

Great-grandfather: This fish, this fish is a shameless interloper!! Not so cheerful.jpg

Past Bai family: Bai Sheng's kid? Ha, just mock Bai Sheng and move on.

Present Bai family: The kid's starting kindergarten? Top priority!!