Chapter 99

Chapter 99

Xiaobai Nuo has always been an honest child; he really isn't good at lying.

When he nervously covered for his grandma, his big eyes darted left and right, looking out the window, then at the door, but never at Grandpa.

Bai Qian had originally kept from the little one that he was going to the hospital and felt a bit guilty, but seeing the little one like this now, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

Cen Zhi laughed.

How could he be so cute?

Cen Zhi walked in.

Bai Sheng followed behind casually, greeted everyone, then walked straight to the sofa and sat down, waiting for the little one to finish talking so they could head home.

Bai Qian couldn't help glancing at Bai Sheng, looking puzzled about what on earth he was doing here.

Does he automatically appear wherever his son is?

Meanwhile, Xiaobai Nuo started rummaging through his little backpack.

But the things he brought this time were far fewer than what he had brought for his uncle.

Xiaobai Nuo laid them out one by one for Grandpa, then hugged his little bag and said in a soft voice, "Nono gave all the things he liked before to Uncle, and now these are what Nono likes, all for Grandpa."

The little one nodded.

Bai Qian looked at the various children's toys pushed over to him, several of which were obviously ones that Xiaobai Nuo really liked; Bai Qian had seen the little one play with them many times before.

Now he had pushed them over as if offering treasures.

And putting himself in Grandpa's shoes, he thought Grandpa would surely like them too.

It was enough to melt anyone's heart.

Bai Qian finally spoke.

"Grandpa kept from you that he came to the hospital, but it's just a minor issue, nothing to worry about."

Xiaobai Nuo blinked and tilted his head.

Bai Qian thought to himself,

Last time he was unwell, the little one had a strong reaction and looked a bit pitiable, so Bai Qian wanted to hide it this time, choosing to act as if nothing had happened.

After all, it really wasn't a big problem.

So there was no need to let this little cub worry about him; in fact, because this cub was around, he had become more disciplined in his routines, and some conditions were improving.

He just didn't expect Cen Zhi to completely give him away.

Bai Qian couldn't help glancing at Cen Zhi again, reproach in his eyes.

Cen Zhi looked over and gave a helpless shrug.

Come on, even if she didn't want to say it,

Don't you know how perceptive this little guy is?

Xiaobai Nuo is very sensitive. Even the slightest change in his surroundings can be instantly detected by him, including that carefully selected fish—which even Bai Liang, the detail-obsessed, said was only a little thinner after comparing it to a photo. But this little one had just glanced at it a few times and naturally said "Huh?".

Better to tell him now than have him find out later.

Bai Qian let out a breath, reached out, and lifted the little one onto the bed.

The little one had been thinking after hearing Grandpa's words, but after being lifted onto the bed and set down, he spoke: "There are no minor issues with the body, Grandpa."

"Grandpa understands. It won't happen again. Grandpa will remember his promise to you."

Bai Qian readily agreed.

The little cub sat beside him, nodded, then shook his head.

"Even though Nono really doesn't have magic, Grandpa has been eating well, resting well, and taking good care of himself. So Grandpa has remembered the promise and hasn't broken his word. Grandpa being unwell this time, he has tried his best to do well, and even coming to the hospital is not because Grandpa didn't do well or didn't keep the promise. Grandpa also saw the doctor properly."

Xiaobai Nuo gestured with his small hand, then held up his pinky and looked at Grandpa.

Bai Qian was stunned for a moment, then reached out and gently linked his pinky with the cub's soft pinky, then looked at the little one's warm smile.

As for why he insisted on visiting Grandpa—

Besides worry,

Xiaobai Nuo also remembered a dream he had long ago.

Grandpa was lying alone in the hospital room, with no one around.

Xiaobai Nuo arranged the things he had brought: a beautiful, whimsical decorative painting placed at the head of the bed, a small car built from LEGO placed on the table, and colorful picture books, carefully chosen by the little cub, arranged beside Grandpa's pillow.

In just a moment, amidst the endless rain, it seemed a slightly livelier atmosphere had been added here.

This way, when Grandpa is here alone, it won't feel so gray and gloomy, right?

Xiaobai Nuo sat beside Grandpa and continued, "Grandpa, rest well and come home early. Only then can Nono see you eat."

The little one nodded emphatically.

Bai Qian: ...

Bai Qian was silent for two seconds. Upon hearing this, he almost straight up told Bai Sheng to go back and let the little one stay.

He now fully understood Cen Zhi.

He didn't want the big one, only the small one.

Oh, and if that even bigger one wants you to come back...

Bai Qian frowned slightly in distaste.

Bai Sheng, who had walked to the window to make a quiet phone call and then walked back: ?

Meanwhile, in Country J.

The father-son duo Bai Qian was currently sick of—Bai Zhize and his son—were driving on the road.

Although their assets would be monitored and their movements reported, it's still easy to shake them off with a few tricks.

Bai Zhize was muttering to himself under his breath.

"Seriously? They want to bring me back? Are they insane? What's wrong with Big Brother? After all these years of taking medicine, did he finally pop the wrong pill and lose his mind? ... But if I get taken back like this, does that mean I can finally eat local food again? Ah, I still bet Big Brother will mess with that, since he's petty enough to make me survive on nothing but bland white-people food..."

Bai Zhize mumbled, his mood all over the place.

Then he heard Bai Wan speak.

"Dad, a car is following us."

"Can we shake them?"

Bai Zhize glanced back and frowned.

"Tough—this is a mountain road."

The area they lived in abroad was sparsely populated, with many mountain roads.

Bai Wan's expression didn't so much as flicker, his delivery flat and robotic, like a programmed machine. He glanced in the rearview mirror, gave it a try, and answered fast.

Bai Zhize felt the car swerve as the cliff edge whipped past.

His eyes went wide.

Bai Zhize said, barely hiding his irritation, "You trying to drive us off a cliff?"

Bai Wan thought for two seconds, then asked out of nowhere.

"May I?"

Bai Zhize: ????

"Of course not!"

"But Dad, you taught me before that a person should have backbone."

Bai Wan said seriously, a look of pure, honest directness in his ice-blue eyes.

Clearly he still remembered the 'die before getting caught' move.

Bai Zhize: ... Since when is dying before being captured having 'backbone'?!

Damn! Seriously.

Bai Zhize yelled in frustration—if he weren't in the car, he'd have jumped up. "What the hell is your brain even made of?!"

A moment later, sure they couldn't lose the tail, Bai Wan finally stopped the car and gave up going to another place to confuse the Bai family's trackers.

Bai Zhize shoved the car door open and stepped out, rubbing his temples, annoyed, staring at the car behind them.

Several people got out of the opposite car. Bai Zhize recognized a few faces and let out a cold, sarcastic laugh, locking eyes with the one in front.

The guy was all business.

"Third Master, the boss wants you to come back."

Bai Zhize's face went cold as he stared at the other side. In an instant, he figured out the situation and started laughing, shoulders shaking. "Come back? Just to keep his heirs busy. Big Brother's arm sure is long. I never knew he was such a doting dad."

Even though he knew the Bai family had a new kid, Bai Zhize didn't buy that Bai Qian's change was all because of that little one.

He also had businesses abroad; even if he returned to the country, it wouldn't affect him too much—just that every little move he made would be right under Bai Qian's nose.

He just couldn't figure out why, of all times, the reaction this time was so overblown.

The guy in front simply stepped aside, making way.

"Third Master, right this way."

Bai Zhize's face went cold again instantly. He took two steps forward, then dropped his gaze, a bit sarcastic.

—the loser in the Bai family game has no right to say 'no' to the winner?

Bai Zhize glanced back at Bai Wan, who was following.

Bai Wan's ice-blue eyes gave him a determined look, like they could still pull off their big plan anytime and mess up their scheme.

Bai Zhize: ...

He always felt his kid was a whole different species from Big Brother's five kids. Did the mixed blood turn him into an idiot?

Bai Zhize stopped.

"I'll leave him as collateral for Big Brother. Can I bail?"

Bai Zhize pointed at Bai Wan behind him.

Bai Wan: ?

He's wired differently, but he's not actually stupid.

The guys standing in front of Bai Zhize: ...

Bai Zhize could swear he saw 'no thanks' written all over those cold, deadpan faces.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital in their home country.

Bai Sheng figured it was about time and got ready to take Xiaobai Nuo home for dinner.

The little guy still remembered his fishy—he wanted to stop by Bai Liang's to check on it before dinner.

Cen Zhi stayed to make sure Bai Qian ate.

On the way home, the sky hadn't darkened yet, and the rain hadn't fully stopped. The drizzle fell like silk threads on the little cub's bear-shaped raincoat.

Seeing the little one having fun,

Bai Sheng didn't bother to call the car.

He just followed behind, keeping pace with Xiaobai Nuo as they walked out.

Xiaobai Nuo took a few steps, then looked back to see if Dad was coming.

Apparently this temperature was perfect for him—cool with a nice breeze.

As they walked out of the hospital entrance.

Bai Sheng had Assistant Li bring the car around, watching the little one tugging at his clothes.

A five-year-old’s attention gets pulled in a million directions by all sorts of new things. Right then, his eyes landed on a cluster of bright red fruit in the distance.

"Dad, Dad."

Xiaobai Nuo tugged on his dad's shirt, tilted his head back, and pointed.

"What's that?"

Bai Sheng glanced over.

"They're cherries."

There were all kinds of shops by the hospital entrance.

Fruit shops like this were a dime a dozen.

He picked up Xiaobai Nuo and walked over.

The little one had seen cherries in picture books but had never eaten them. He usually ate berries like strawberries and blueberries—things without a choking hazard from pits—or sliced fruit.

Now, under the overcast sky, that bright red patch really stood out.

"Buying fruit? Looking at cherries? This variety just came on the market—crisp and sweet, really delicious."

The shopkeeper, who’d been sitting on a chair outside to cool off, stood up with a smile and asked, then gave the little one in Bai Sheng’s arms an admiring look.

"Oh my, such big eyes! So cute, aren’t you?"

Xiaobai Nuo was caught off guard by the compliment. He instinctively hid in his dad’s arms first, then poked his little head out and replied in a milky voice, "Thank you, auntie."

"Your kid is so well-behaved! I’m so jealous. Here, try some—buy them if you like."

Hearing that, the shopkeeper beamed and quickly grabbed two cherries strung together from the foam box in front, rinsed them under the nearby running water, and handed them over.

The cherries were a deep, beautiful red and big. When Xiaobai Nuo held them, they almost filled his whole hand.

But before he could eat them, his dad took the cherries out of his hand and set him down.

The little one snapped at nothing, still fixated on the cherries. He pressed up against his dad, grabbed his clothes, and looked up at him.

"Hold on."

Bai Sheng found it a little funny. He crouched down, poked his little boy’s cheek, still holding the two cherries. Then he carefully split them, removed the pits, and stuffed half a cherry into the little one’s mouth.

The shopkeeper couldn’t help saying, "You’re really attentive as a dad."

Because Nono's dad is the best dad.

He wanted to say that.

But the sweet juice filled his mouth, blocking his words. The little one had to chew with his cheeks puffed, crunching loudly. Then his big eyes lit up and he reached out to hug his dad’s neck.

"Daddy, the cherry is yummy."

It tasted different from strawberries—also delicious.

Then the little one pushed the other cherry toward his dad’s mouth.

Bai Sheng caught the cherry, took a bite, and nodded.

He asked the shopkeeper for a bag and let Xiaobai Nuo pick out the big cherries he liked one by one, putting them in the bag.

Of course, fruit shops don’t usually let customers pick cherries one by one like that.

But Bai Sheng bought the shop’s entire stock of cherries so the little one could pick.

Li Zhilin came out of the hospital and didn’t see anyone right away. He hurried over from the car, straightening his cuffs, and then noticed the scene at the fruit stand in the distance.

The boss was crouching behind the little master, looking at him with an incredibly tender gaze. The little master was picking them one by one, telling his dad how this one looked exactly like the one in the picture book, and soon he had a small bagful clutched in his arms.

Bai Sheng held the little one, and the little one carried a small bag of cherries.

The little one was still thinking about the fish at home, and his little legs couldn’t help swinging a bit.

"Have the procurement department come and pick up the remaining stock. Count it as today’s employee benefit."

Bai Sheng got into the car with the little one.

Li Zhilin snapped back to reality at Xiaobai Nuo’s "Uncle Li." He responded, sent a message with the location to the procurement department, and then drove father and son back to the family estate.

After Assistant Li left, he found the cherries Xiaobai Nuo had left for him on the back seat.

At the Bai family estate, the car pulled up to the main building.

It wasn't yet dinnertime, so only a few people had arrived at the main building.

The little one set the cherries he’d been carrying all the way on the table, then tugged his dad to go see the fish.

The little fish had indeed recovered quite well. It no longer needed to be tied to the float that had been stabilizing it and could now swim normally in shallow water, wagging its tail. Probably in a few more days it would be ready to go back into Xiaobai Nuo’s small fish tank.

But Bai Liang wasn't there at the moment—he was probably still in his lab doing experiments.

Leaving Bai Liang’s place, Bai Sheng led the bouncing little one back to the main building to have dinner with Great-Grandpa.

Xiaobai Nuo had never dreamed of Great-Grandpa, but in the story he’d heard, Great-Grandpa died young from illness.

Xiaobai Nuo couldn’t be sure whether Great-Grandpa would get sick. He’d had a thorough checkup before with no issues, but the little one still couldn’t help paying a little extra attention to Great-Grandpa when he was around. Then, happily, he made plans with Great-Grandpa that once Great-Grandpa was done with his work, they would go see the small animals.

After dinner and a rest, his dad took the little one for a walk.

It wasn’t even fully dark yet. The little one hopped and skipped alongside his dad.

Bai Sheng glanced at the lively little one, then bent down slightly, reached out, and grabbed the hood of his short-sleeved sweatshirt, ‘steering’ him like that.

"Are you that happy?"

The little one nodded vigorously.

"Because the little fish didn’t die today. I’m going to see lots of fish later. I already visited Grandpa, and I made plans with Great-Grandpa to see the small animals."

The little one ticked off each point on his fingers.

“I also got to eat some super yummy cherries. Daddy, Nono is so happy today.”

“What a happy, joyful day!”

Dad was holding the little one by the hood of his sweater, and he tilted his head back to look up, his big round eyes meeting his dad’s.

as if to tell his dad that this was exactly how he felt.

Bai Sheng paused, then replied, “That’s true.”

For the little one, it was indeed a happy day.

For the parents, too.

After the activity ended, Bai Sheng took Xiaobai Nuo back to the main building.

He simply went upstairs to handle some documents, while Xiaobai Nuo was watched by the servants. Mainly, he was waiting for grandma to come back so they could read picture books together.

The little one was still moving around indoors, running back and forth—first to the kitchen to see what tasty treat the chef uncle was making, then to the open balcony to check out the pretty summer flowers, and then he was startled by a bug flying from somewhere, letting out a yelp before running back.

Only then did the little one remember his big cherries.

That was when Bai Jin returned.

Since they weren’t sure what the little one had planned, the servants hadn’t touched the bag of cherries on the table.

Just as the little one took the bag down from the table, Bai Jin was already right in front of him.

“Little uncle?”

Xiaobai Nuo looked up at Bai Jin, showing a big smile.

“Welcome home.”

“Are you the only one in the activity hall?”

Bai Jin looked around, then rubbed his chin, and stared at the little one.

The little one nodded.

“Grandma will be back soon, and Dad is upstairs.”

Then he opened the bag, handing it to his uncle. The always-generous little one tried to share.

“Little uncle, do you want some cherries?”

“You bought cherries today?”

Bai Jin muttered, pulling two out of the bag, tossing them into his mouth casually, mumbling indistinctly.

“Aren’t you not supposed to eat these since the pits could get stuck in your throat? Shouldn’t we split them all open before eating? ... Mmm, pretty sweet.”

Bai Jin was about to take two more when he saw Xiaobai Nuo hesitate, as if remembering something, and then suddenly closed the bag.

Bai Jin: ?

What are you doing?

You let your uncle eat them first, and now you're going to tell him they're poisoned??

"Uncle, Nono is going to wash them..."

Xiaobai Nuo held the bag, his voice trailing off.

He wanted to share but had forgotten to wash them.

Bai Jin: ...???

Watching the little guy trying to flee the 'crime scene' with the baby monitor.

Bai Jin laughed in exasperation. In three strides he easily caught up with the little one and directly scooped up Xiaobai Nuo.

"Ah, ah, Uncle! Hahaha, Uncle stop tickling Nono! Hahaha, bad uncle haha, Nono didn't mean to—"

The soft little one squirmed in his arms, just as warm as the warmth he had felt at the university gate that day.

Bai Jin was on holiday, but he had a lot of club business; many events and competitions were scheduled for the start of summer break. Bai Jin, who still hadn't gotten rid of the nickname 'Crispy Jin', had been very busy these days and under a lot of pressure.

He looked at the little one in his arms and suddenly remembered what Yu An had told him before: that little kids smelled so good, and burying your face in a little one's chest and taking a deep breath could effectively relieve stress.

Bai Jin stared at the little one in his arms, hesitated for two seconds, put the little one down, and then buried his head in the little one's chest.

The little one, who was holding both the cherries and his uncle, was stunned. He instinctively wrapped his arms around his uncle's head, blinked his eyes, and was held still by his uncle as he took a big sniff.

The little one was completely dazed by it.

When his uncle looked up, Xiaobai Nuo, holding the cherries in confusion, looked at his uncle suspiciously.

Then he looked down at himself — Uncle, are you teasing Nono again?

Uncle, meanie!

Bai Jin was satisfied.

Xiaobai Nuo indeed smelled wonderful, with a fresh, sweet-tart fruity scent and a hint of milk fragrance—probably because he had had sweetened milk after dinner.

Soft and clingy, one sniff was truly soothing; no wonder Cen Liu always wanted to cuddle him.

But then Bai Jin looked at the little one who was staring blankly at him.

He subconsciously waved his hand in front of Xiaobai Nuo.

What's wrong? Dazed from that sniff?

Xiaobai Nuo slowly came back to his senses, blinking his eyes. The little one was simply stunned by his uncle and for a moment forgot to call his dad, but soon Xiaobai Nuo heard the sound of the door opening from the front door.

It seemed Grandma was back.

Bai Jin reached out and gently placed his hand on the little one's shoulder: "Really, not on purpose?"

Knowing he teased this little one the most, Bai Jin had reason to suspect this little one did it on purpose.

Then he was about to turn and greet Cen Zhi, when he saw the little one in front of him slowly put down the cherry bag he was holding, and then slowly, under Grandma's gaze, fall backward.

It looked like Bai Jin's hand, which was on Xiaobai Nuo's shoulder, had pushed the tiny one down.

The little one lay on the carpet, looking at his uncle.

Bai Jin was dumbfounded: ...

What are you doing?

Why are you suddenly lying down?

A voice came from behind. Bai Jin turned to face Bai Sheng walking down the stairs, who was staring right at him.

Bai Jin felt a pang of guilt...

"I didn't do anything!"

Meanwhile, Cen Zhi, standing at the door, hadn't yet put down the electronic key, and suddenly made a startling remark.

"Bai Jin, did you push Nono down?"

Xiaobai Nuo, lying on the ground, blinked his eyes and on cue, called out "Dad" and "Grandma," then continued to look at his uncle who had just sniffed at him and tickled him.

Bai Jin: ...

"You're faking it?!"