Chapter 113

Chapter 113

These past two days were incredibly happy for the little cub.

From the birthday to the cake to the gifts.

A birthday party like no other, complete with the chance to play with other children, was already a huge surprise for Xiaobai Nuo. But to his delight, after everything was over, he got to blow out his own candles.

The gifts were still being unwrapped even by mid-August.

One day he’d open a set of small racing car models, the next he’d get a big castle puzzle, and he even unwrapped a collector’s edition of his favorite picture book, a gift from Grandma.

Bai Sheng had bought even more, so many that they piled up in the storage area, as if he wanted to make up for the five years Xiaobai Nuo had missed all at once.

Xiaobai Nuo loved the gifts, cherishing them like blind boxes, opening a few each day so he’d always have something to look forward to.

Probably because he’d experienced too much fear in the past, where everything led to bad outcomes, this little one had grown to appreciate surprises even more.

That wasn’t a bad thing, of course.

Listlessness would be concerning, but looking forward to life’s surprises was actually a good sign.

Especially for this cub, who tended to put others before himself. This tendency was very clear—whether it was when he first came home and stood in front of a reckless driver, or when he rushed toward Cen Zhi and Cen Liu during a rockslide. In moments he deemed extremely dangerous, he considered family more important than himself.

That, of course, annoyed Bai Sheng a little. After raising him for over half a year, he'd finally made the little one feel that he himself mattered too.

But Bai Sheng wasn’t sure what the little cub’s instinctive reactions would be in the future.

Because after that, whether it was Bai Jin’s gland issue or Bai Jingyun’s problem, to the little one, they didn’t seem as intense or terrifying as the earlier crises.

Yet it seemed that if he kept raising him this way, nothing would go wrong.

After half a year of raising the cub, seeing other children, and reading almost all the parenting books, posts, and videos available on the market, overall, he was on the right track.

Bai Sheng watched every move the little cub made, indulged him, and even added a few more gifts to his pile occasionally.

In August, Anshi became even hotter.

Except for some flowers that bloomed brighter in the sun, most plants had turned into a deep, lush green.

There were just over ten days until kindergarten started, and after that, he’d go to the city’s competition venue for the children’s idiom contest.

In the half-month since Xiaobai Nuo’s birthday, the little one had been living a very fulfilling life.

Reading picture books, playing games, occasionally going out with his older brothers to various children’s theme parks to broaden his horizons, then checking in at Great-Grandpa’s place. Recently, even the leopard cat Anu would rub against Xiaobai Nuo. But there was one thing that puzzled the little cub: whenever he played with the cat, the blue-eyed uncle would appear in some corner, but he never spoke a word to the little one, and Bai Wan would just leave on his own.

Apart from that, he also trained with his father.

The little one didn’t have much stamina, but he made up for it with quick reflexes.

So whether at the company or at home, in the afternoon activity room, you could always see Bai Sheng moving methodically while Xiaobai Nuo was exhausted.

Like today, Bai Sheng had a cross-border meeting near the end of work, so he moved the training time up a bit. Now the little one had run out of energy, lying limply on the soft mat, at eye level with Dou Dou.

Xiaobai Nuo clutched the mat with his little hands and tried to lift his head to look at his father, then let out a soft “mmm” and pressed his face into the mat.

—The cub’s battery was totally drained.

He would wait for his father to finish and come carry him away.

Bai Sheng caught this from the corner of his eye and felt like laughing as he put down his exercise equipment.

But after lying there for a while, the little one fell silent.

When Bai Sheng wiped his sweat with a towel and walked over to look, the little cub was lying with his cheek pressed into the mat, his round face slightly squashed, pale with a hint of pink. His big eyes were closed, and his breath gently stirred the slightly curly strands of hair pressed beneath him.

He looked like a little angel, fast asleep.

Although he still couldn’t keep up with training for long, he had improved from yesterday.

Bai Sheng crouched down beside the little one and mischievously reached out and poked his cub’s cheek.

Disturbed, the cub shifted his little body a bit, stretched out his hand and grabbed Bai Sheng’s finger, letting out a faint dissatisfied grunt. He blinked groggily, as if doing a facial recognition check.

Once he confirmed it was his father and not his little uncle, Xiaobai Nuo held his father’s finger and rubbed his soft cheek against it.

Mumbling, he muttered, “Dad, Nono feels sleepy. Nono is a little tired.”

Training was so, so tough.

“Want to sleep a bit more?”

Bai Sheng asked, glancing at the weather outside.

The summer days are long; the little one had already napped for half an hour after lunch, but clearly, it wasn’t enough.

The little one nodded, closed his eyes and reached out his little hand, silently signaling—Carry me, Dad. Nono has no strength left.

After his birthday, Xiaobai Nuo still hadn’t actually started sleeping alone. He had started decorating his room little by little, but at night, he still had all kinds of strange and bizarre dreams. In those moments, he felt safer sleeping in his father’s arms.

And since the idea of sleeping alone had only just come up, Bai Sheng indulged the little one.

After all, there was still a year until elementary school. Even if they waited until after New Year's, it wouldn’t be too late to start trying.

Bai Sheng picked up the little cub and headed upstairs, thinking about all this.

Wherever he went, many employees stuck their heads out to look.

In that hour, countless messages were flying in various employee group chats.

And Xiaobai Nuo, having fallen asleep in his father’s arms, started dreaming again, half asleep and half awake.

He saw a house blackened with smoke, saw a panicked crowd of people.

He saw his Second Uncle among the crowd.

Bai Liang was looking at the house, still smiling, but his eyes were dark and sinister. That expression startled the little cub, because he wasn’t expecting it.

Xiaobai Nuo instinctively called out, “Second Uncle?”

He wanted to get closer and take his uncle’s hand.

But as soon as he called out, Xiaobai Nuo froze, his eyes widening just a little.

In his eyes, he saw a knife piercing through Second Uncle’s right hand. The blood wasn't gushing out in a terrifying way; it just dripped, drop by drop, onto the ground. Beside him, panicked people were calling for an ambulance, and someone was holding someone down. All kinds of sounds flooded Xiaobai Nuo’s ears—a scene that could be a nightmare for any child, but for a little one who had lived through the apocalypse, it felt like the apocalypse all over again.

…

When Bai Sheng laid Xiaobai Nuo down on the bed, the little one jolted awake with a start.

Xiaobai Nuo was in a daze for a moment, then raised his hand to rub his eyes.

Now he was wide awake.

The sunlight outside fell on him, warm, almost hot.

Xiaobai Nuo blinked, then looked up at his father, who was holding his little hand.

"Dad."

"What's wrong?"

Bai Sheng thought for a moment, thinking he'd moved lightly enough not to wake the little one.

"Still want to sleep?"

Xiaobai Nuo shook his head.

The little one looked up, thought for a moment, and asked his father.

"Second Uncle hasn't said when he wants Nono to pick him up yet?"

Bai Sheng answered quickly: "No."

Then Bai Sheng saw that the little cub was a bit pouty.

"Second Uncle doesn't come home, and he doesn't rest properly."

But Second Uncle didn't seem like he'd die from exhaustion—it looked really painful. Even when Nono got scratched but not cut all the way through, it hurt so much...

Nono can't take care of Second Uncle.

The little cub was a bit anxious.

Ever since Bai Liang cured his little fish last time, Second Uncle had long become an important family member in Xiaobai Nuo's inner circle.

Bai Sheng's brow twitched slightly.

He simply sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Then tell Second Uncle to rest well and take care of himself?"

Xiaobai Nuo looked at his father, seemed a bit surprised, then nodded.

Even if Xiaobai Nuo didn't fully understand the internal strife and rivalry in the Bai family at first, only knowing that the Villain Family was unstable internally, after being brought back for over half a year, even a slow cub would roughly sense the undercurrents between family members, let alone Xiaobai Nuo, who was a perceptive cub.

So Xiaobai Nuo didn't expect that his father would pass that message to Second Uncle like this.

The tiny cub climbed up and reached out to hug his father's neck.

The little cub's voice was soft: "Dad is the most amazing."

Nono knows that Dad is the most amazing, the most resourceful, and understands Nono best.

As expected of Dad!

His big eyes sparkled, and this look of adoration made Bai Sheng's lips curl up involuntarily. He was completely smitten by the cub, took out his phone, and started sending a message to Bai Liang.

Of course, even if Xiaobai Nuo hadn't said it, he would still remind Bai Liang.

Bai Sheng still couldn't figure out the logic behind it.

He didn't know if it was really some kind of mysticism or magic.

Although this cub had never said anything, basically, whoever he paid attention to seemed to get jinxed.

Bai Sheng tried to investigate and analyze, but over the past half year, he had found nothing. He could only let it slide for now and hadn't specifically asked the little cub about it.

Perhaps it was intuition.

Bai Sheng simply felt that if the little one really knew something and could say it, a cub who cared more about his family than himself wouldn't stay completely silent.

Sheng'ang University, Research Lab.

Bai Liang sat in his office, eyes closed, massaging his temples.

After several consecutive days of staying up, even an apex Alpha was feeling the strain.

But fortunately, he had found a new direction.

With his eyes closed, the students outside the office were mostly quiet at their workstations, occasionally glancing at Bai Liang with eyes full of respect and admiration.

These students saw Bai Liang like mice seeing a cat, but unlike other advisors, there were almost no negative comments about Bai Liang. He was a workaholic and led by example, and always put in more hours than his students and stayed up later.

The experimental direction was determined through his long hours, the special expression was something he figured out after monitoring for days. Although Bai Liang's students were also busy and worn out, compared to Bai Liang, they were just handling odds and ends, and he also ensured they got enough rest. Even though he sometimes scolded people, seemed moody, and sarcastically laughed at you, no professor in the entire school was more responsible than Bai Liang.

Students who truly wanted to achieve something would not dislike such a teacher.

At this moment, Bai Liang's phone vibrated and lit up.

Bai Liang opened his eyes, weariness in them, glanced at the screen, then yawned and picked it up with a smile.

"Bai Sheng?"

What message did that guy Bai Sheng send him again?

Was it that little one asking when to pick him up from work again?

Sorry, he's been very busy lately; he hasn't left work.

Bai Liang rubbed his chin, smiled, and swiped open his phone. But after only two glances, he straightened up slightly and squinted.

Bai Sheng only had one sentence.

'He suddenly mentioned you today, just like how he talked about Bai Jingyun and Bai Jin back then.'

Some people in the Bai family were slower to catch on, and they hadn't spent enough time with the little one, so they didn't sense it clearly.

But the more perceptive ones had all sensed something.

If it weren't for Xiaobai Nuo, Bai Jingyun and Bai Jin would probably not be living a normal life and doing well right now.

Bai Liang had some inkling, but he didn't take it to heart.

Until now, as he rubbed his chin and looked at the line on his phone screen.

Strange bad luck?

Bai Liang was still smiling; he leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes.

He didn't care about any bad luck at all.

Or rather, his luck had never been good to begin with.

Targeted at him? No big deal, he didn't care; after all, no matter how bad things got, how much worse could it get?

Bai Liang's gaze turned a little unfocused as he thought this.

But after a moment, he snapped back to reality.

He glanced again at the students outside.

Bai Liang let out a soft breath.

He sent a message back: 'I understand. Lately, I'll have security stay alert and double the protection measures.'

Things had indeed been rough on their end lately.

Troublemakers kept showing up to cause trouble, and even holding the leaker responsible was useless.

Adding some extra protection wasn't a bad thing.

He had to go make arrangements.

Bai Liang sat up straight and was about to stand.

Then he saw Bai Sheng send another message.

Bai Sheng: 'Oh, right. He asked when you're coming to get him. He said you don't go home or rest, that you're an idiot.'

Bai Liang: ?

Bai Sheng: 'He also said that Dad is the best after all.'

Bai Liang: ???

Did you look carefully at the name?

The contact name says Bai Liang, not Bai Jingyun.

Do you think showing off to me does any good?

Ha, not one bit...

Bai Sheng: '"Picture"'

The picture showed Xiaobai Nuo sitting on the bed with a puffed-up face, his dad poking his cheek.

The delicate, porcelain-doll-like five-year-old, fair-skinned with rosy cheeks, stared out with big eyes, as if looking right through the screen.

Bai Sheng: 'He's adorable even when he's scolding you.'

No other reason, just to let you know the kid 'scolded' you.

Bai Liang: ...

Bai Liang stood up, expressionless.

He briefly replied to the message and then walked out.

"Professor?"

"Going back to the lab now?"

"Or to the research institute?"

"I'll pack up right away."

"Teacher? This data is already processed. There are seventeen more sets left, I can finish them tonight."

As Bai Liang came out, a group of students immediately spoke up.

Bai Liang raised a hand, his expression calm again, and said with a smile.

"It's nothing. You guys continue. I have some things to handle. Also, no shift tonight—everyone head back and rest."

After saying that, Bai Liang walked out the door.

The students inside exchanged glances, all a bit confused.

"No shift today?"

"I heard it too, so I didn't mishear."

"Oh, then let's book a place for dinner tonight—it's not often we get a break."

"Yeah, yeah, junior? Ning Ting! Snap out of it. Tell your parents not to come pick you up tonight—we seniors will drop you off."

"Alright, I'll send them a message. But since they've got nothing to do at night, they'll definitely still come…"

"What a happy problem—it's like I've gone back to the days before I turned into a bitter old hag."

"But junior, you'll be on night duty in a few days, right? Won't your parents think studying under Professor Bai is bad for your health?"

"They've mentioned it, but my parents know I can really learn something here with Professor Bai. I want to learn, and they support me."

"That's great."

At Bai Sheng Company.

When Bai Sheng went to find his kid again,

The little one was sitting on the lounge carpet.

He was on a video call with his Brother Xiao Yan, paintbrush in hand. The two little ones chatted away, complaining about how the adults 'never listen'.

"Brother is the same. He sneaks off to work again after I fall asleep! No wonder he's been so drained all the time—last time I saw him, he looked like he was ready to pass out," Yu Chuyan said on the other end, holding his phone, bad-mouthing Yu Chen right to his face. "He can't take care of himself at all. I have to call him from my watch every so often."

Yu Chen: ... Hey! I'm right here!

Then the little one let out a soft sigh: "Adults, such a handful."

Little Cool Guy agreed: "Adults, such a handful."

Hearing that, Yu Chen reached over and ruffled Yu Chuyan's head vigorously.

Bai Sheng, who had just walked in, also overheard this.

He walked over, crouched down, and gazed at his little one.

"Your second uncle said he can pick him up from work today."

Huh?

The little one, who had been softly complaining about how adults never listen, turned to look at his dad, blinking his big eyes.

"Today?"

But the little cub remembered.

"Daddy has a meeting today."

Little Bai Nuo had already agreed with his dad that he would eat dinner in the lounge and wait for his dad to finish the meeting before going home.

He always carefully kept his promises to the adults.

"Yeah, but your uncle has a club nearby, and he's over there."

The little one caught that detail, his eyes widening.

"Uncle isn't staying home like he's supposed to."

Bai Sheng felt a hint of amusement: "Want Daddy to go catch Uncle and bring him back?"

Bai Jin's pheromone instability period was almost over, and the effects were already minimal. Bored of staying home, Bai Jin couldn't wait to get out.

Little Bai Nuo blinked, touched his own little face, and then obediently shook his head.

"Is Uncle almost better?"

Bai Sheng hummed in agreement.

"Uncle can take you over there, then come home for dinner, and wait for Daddy to get back."

"Daddy won't come with Nono?"

The little one pointed at himself.

Bai Sheng nodded, giving the little guy plenty of time to think.

"Mm."

The little one thought for a moment, then finally nodded: "Nono can do it."

Finally, the little one ended his call with Brother Xiao Yan and waited for his uncle to pick him up.

It was still early, nowhere near the time for professors at Sheng'ang University to leave work, but the office was too confining. Bai Jin said his club had some electric carts and an indoor track, and he'd already bought a cart in the right size for the little one. He asked if they could bring Little Bai Nuo over to play first.

The cub was clearly curious about new things, so he decided to go to his uncle's club to wait for his second uncle to finish work, then go home for dinner.

Bai Jin arrived quickly, driving straight up to the rooftop. He let out a soft tsk, glanced around, and spotted the little one stretching out his little hand for his dad to help him arrange his sun-protective jacket.

Bai Sheng still didn't trust Bai Jin, that reckless guy, so he had Assistant Li go along to keep an eye on things, with hired security around for protection.

The previous experiences had clearly scared the new dad badly, and he hadn't yet shaken off his stress response.

The little one was already dressed, holding Dou Dou, and looked toward his uncle as he entered. He spoke softly: "Uncle."

"All set?"

Bai Jin asked, and then, unusually, glanced at Bai Sheng.

Usually, he guarded the little one like the apple of his eye, taking him everywhere he went. Especially after Mount Li, it wasn't that Little Bai Nuo was clingy, but that Bai Sheng was clingy with this cub.

Of course, he understood. As someone who had been protected by the little one, Bai Jin sometimes thought that if this were his own cub, he might care even more than his third brother, who was usually so nonchalant about everything.

Maybe he'd even go overboard with protective measures.

Of course, Bai Sheng's current protective measures weren't exactly normal either, and he still held his cub to sleep every night.

The little one nodded.

He was too short, so the adults always had to bend down or lean sideways to hold his raised hand, which was uncomfortable. So most of the time, the adults in the Bai family just picked him up and carried him.

But today, the little one took a lollipop from his little bag. He held one end and offered the other to his uncle, letting his uncle hold it.

Bai Jin let out a "ha," then chuckled and took hold of the lollipop.

He looked at Bai Sheng with a hint of defiance: "Come on, say goodbye to Daddy."

Little Bai Nuo looked at his uncle, then at his dad. He waved a little reluctantly at his dad.

Bai Sheng nodded: "Go ahead."

Watching the little one walk out of the office, Bai Sheng looked down at his documents. He read a few lines but couldn't concentrate, frowning in irritation.

He had wanted to give the little one space to move around when he wasn't with him.

But this cub was really too well-behaved and independent. And with Bai Jin's comment, Bai Sheng felt clearly unhappy.

He decided he'd hit a little harder next time he needed to teach Bai Jin a lesson.

But then, quick footsteps came running back.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

The little cub ran to his dad's side, looked up, and grabbed his dad's clothes with his tiny hand. His big eyes fixed on his dad.

"Daddy, what time does your meeting end?"

Bai Sheng was a little surprised, turning to look at his cub: "Around seven-something."

Little Bai Nuo got the exact answer, let out an "mm," and nodded.

Then he said happily: "Then at seven-something, Nono will come pick Daddy up. Nono is going to play with the little cart now."

Bai Sheng slowly came back to himself, then responded, rubbing the little one's head, and glanced at Bai Jin, who was poking his head in unhappily while holding the lollipop. He smiled, regaining his composure: "Go ahead."

Bai Jin's club wasn't far; they were there in a few minutes by car.

It wasn't some intense place, mostly a hangout for Bai Jin's teammates from competitions.

During summer break, everyone was off. Those usually busy guys were all idle now, mostly gathering there to hang out.

Hearing the door, Ma Chengpeng put down his game controller.

"Huh? Is the boss back? Let me go check—why did he leave in such a hurry? What was he up to?"

And at the door, Little Bai Nuo was curiously looking at the building in front of him.

This area is already pretty big for being in the city center.

“How is it?”

Bai Jin chuckled, biting down on the lollipop that Xiaobai Nuo had given him, crunching it in his mouth as he explained to the little one.

“There’s everything inside—they organize activities here regularly. Of course, the serious competition clubs aren’t here, they just come over to hang out sometimes.”

As he spoke, Bai Jin looked at the little guy in a sun-protective jacket, the oversized sleeves making his arms and legs look even shorter, making your heart melt.

Bai Jin bent down and scooped up Xiaobai Nuo in one smooth motion.

The little guy, startled by being picked up, saw it was his uncle.

As if some trigger had been activated, he instinctively let out a yelp, holding Dou Dou with one hand while grabbing at his uncle’s hair with the other.

That’s when Pepper Imp Ma Chengpeng came out. He saw Bai Jin holding a little guy, with a lollipop in his mouth, and the little guy instinctively yelping and tugging at Bai Jin’s hair while squirming.

Ma Chengpeng: …???

“Boss, did you really go out and become a human trafficker???”

Is this the loot you brought back? You actually stole him from your brother, and even snatched the kid’s snacks—that’s so you!