Chapter 115

Chapter 115

"Ah... is that so?"

Ma Chengpeng, who had just been pretending, was genuinely dazed by Xiaobai Nuo.

Of course, the fact that this little one had lumped many people around him, including the Bai family, into the villain camp and said villains were all pitiful and fragile—let's set that aside for now.

"Mm-hmm."

The little one swung his little legs back and forth a few times, stuffed another bite of cake into his mouth, and in no time, half the small cake was gone.

The little one was checking out the uncles and aunties he had just met.

Nono didn't know who the protagonist was. He had never dreamed of him, nor had he learned about the protagonist from those researchers who only focused on the Bai family's downfall and discussed how many experiments humans could withstand if they really had such a gender and constitution.

But that was fine too.

Bai Nuo felt this was also good.

Without the framework of protagonist and villain, free from the story that everyone was focused on—that made Xiaobai Nuo very happy.

In other words, it was better not to be the protagonist or the villain.

Xiaobai Nuo's eyes curved into crescents.

He leaned against Bai Jin, with Doudou placed beside him, still holding a small spoon as he answered so softly.

Bai Jin, who had heard everything, turned with a questioning look.

That 'fragile' thing—you're not talking about me, are you?

And if this little one thinks villains are pitiful, fragile, and maybe even dangerous, then why does he label himself as one?

Bai Jin's mind raced. He stared at Xiaobai Nuo from the side, still picking up a subtle feeling from this cub, who had already become much livelier and more cheerful under Bai Sheng's care.

—It was as if, if the villains he had marked as part of his 'territory' met the kind of ending he described, then Xiaobai Nuo would also accept his own fate as a villain cub.

Bai Jin's eyes narrowed slightly, and his stare was so sharp that the perceptive little cub couldn't help but look up at his uncle, his curly hair almost seeming to sprout question marks.

But others who hadn't spent time with this little one and were less perceptive couldn't pick up on this.

Especially this group of innocent-looking college students.

They would only think—Where did Brother Jin find such an incredibly adorable little cutie?!

This was basically a wish for the uncles and aunties to always be well.

Earlier, Brother Jin had boasted to them that this cub had shared his luck with him, and he immediately got the character he wanted, so they were getting a taste of that luck too!

Awesome, that meant they were lucky too.

"Little Uncle?"

Noticing his uncle staring at him, lost in thought, Xiaobai Nuo raised his small spoon, thought for a moment, then scooped up another spoonful of cake and offered it to his uncle.

—Little Uncle, don't grab it, Nono will give you another bite.

Bai Jin could clearly read that thought in the little one's eyes.

Bai Jin: ...

"Little Uncle doesn't want any."

Really?

Xiaobai Nuo thought for a moment, still holding up the spoon.

The cub didn't believe it.

Bai Jin: ........

Bai Jin took a spoon from the side, scooped out a big spoonful of the little one's strawberry ice cream cake, and watched Xiaobai Nuo's reaction.

The little cub's expression seemed to say, "Uncle is finally back to normal," stuffed the spoonful of cake intended for his uncle into his own mouth, and then whispered to his uncle, "Strawberry cake is so good. Little Uncle is the best."

Bai Jin was taken aback, and the corners of his mouth started twitching upward uncontrollably.

He cleared his throat softly.

Although he had already resigned himself to being hopeless when it came to teasing this cub, could words like these boost his standing in the cub's heart by a huge margin?

Although he didn't care where he stood in this little one's heart—after all, the cub only had one little uncle, him, and it was fine to tease him into being livelier.

But indeed—Big Brother's constant obsession with making others hit rock bottom had some truth to it.

'Little Uncle is good' and all that—music to his ears, he loved hearing it, wanted to hear more.

The group watched as Bai Jin seemed to have flowers blooming around him.

Even Yan Han, who usually felt that his personality and values completely clashed with Bai Jin's, couldn't help but look over. At this moment, he even found Bai Jin somewhat likable because of Xiaobai Nuo.

He started to think that Bai Jin's constant dismissiveness of others and his flamboyant arrogance had some basis.

No other family could have a cub like this, right?

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

Hmm, was it normal?

After the little one finished his cake and everyone's 'afternoon tea' was cleared away, there was still over an hour until Bai Liang's usual quitting time.

Bai Jin then took the cub to the indoor racetrack activity room.

It was very large, occupying nearly half of the first floor.

It was a venue for small electric vehicles that couldn't be driven on the road, and it even had some simulated terrain with bumps and dips.

The garage in the distance had many cars—some for adults, and some tiny ones clearly meant for children.

Bai Jin loved the thrill of racing, but it had been ages since he had gotten his fix. This activity, which was kid stuff compared to a real track, wasn't something Bai Jin would take part in. But the group had been addicted to bumper cars before, and Bai Jin thought of Xiaobai Nuo, so he just set up this area.

Bai Jin brought the curious Xiaobai Nuo to the garage to show him the little cars.

Children naturally couldn't play bumper cars, so Bai Jin had prepared several kinds for the little one: a convertible car, a tricycle, and a small motorcycle with a sidecar.

Of course, at home, there were regular vehicles for daily transport. At other times, it was better to let this little one be more active, so for now, he hadn't considered getting him a personal vehicle. But if he liked them, he could play with them there.

“They’re so small compared to those cars, Uncle.”

Xiaobai Nuo circled around them curiously once, then looked up at his little uncle and gestured.

He had never seen such small cars before, nor had he been to an amusement park with rides like these.

This was Xiaobai Nuo’s first time seeing them.

“They’re just big toys,” Bai Jin said, placing a small helmet on Xiaobai Nuo’s head. “You need to put your helmet on right.”

Xiaobai Nuo was surprised when his uncle did that, tilting his head up while his uncle adjusted the strap.

He was so small that the strap was way too long, dangling under his chin.

Then he eagerly climbed into the car, clutching his little baby monitor.

Xiaobai Nuo chose the small car. He placed Dou Dou in the passenger seat, buckled Dou Dou’s seatbelt, and then listened as his little uncle explained how to drive the tiny vehicle.

The electric car was really simple: turn it on, figure out which pedal is the gas and which is the brake, step on it, and it starts moving.

Xiaobai Nuo gasped in surprise as the car started moving. His big eyes lit up, his small hands nervously gripped the steering wheel, and his little body instinctively leaned forward—the perfect picture of a beginner driver.

“It's okay, just step on the gas. Uncle's watching you.”

This kind of car didn't go very fast. Bai Jin could easily keep up by jogging, and if anything happened, he could just reach out and scoop the little guy out.

The car Xiaobai Nuo was driving slowly began to pick up speed.

The feeling of controlling the car for the first time was quite different from just watching from the sidelines.

At first, just making the car move, the little guy thought it was going really fast and felt a bit out of control.

But soon, he adapted to the speed. He gradually pressed the gas pedal harder, his little face flushing with excitement and joy as he drove the car recklessly around the course.

Since the car was slow, and he had his seatbelt and helmet on, and the area was padded, Bai Jin let the little guy experiment freely.

“Little uncle! Little uncle! Nono is going so fast!”

His soft, babyish voice drifted over.

The college students who had temporarily lost their chance to play bumper cars were all staring at him.

So what if they couldn’t play? Just watching this little fellow have fun could keep them entertained for an entire day!

Not long after, the little guy got used to the small car, found a spot to play by himself, and then called out to his big brothers and sisters watching nearby to come and join him.

The thrilling bumper car showdown officially began.

Ma Chengpeng, reeking of his Sichuan peppercorn pheromones, charged through the crowd, making everyone duck out of the way.

After riding the little bike with Dou Dou for a bit, Xiaobai Nuo curiously looked over.

“Want to give it a try?”

Bai Jin had a high threshold for fun—he found this stuff boring—but seeing how into it the little guy was, he raised an eyebrow.

The little guy hesitated for a moment, then looked up at his little uncle. “Nono can't drive such a big car.”

“I’m asking if you want to try.”

Bai Jin glanced over and chose a car.

The little guy looked up at his little uncle.

“Nono wants to try. Uncle, it looks so fun.”

“Uncle will take you.”

Bai Jin smiled. He scooped up the little guy with one hand, placed him in the passenger seat of the open-top bumper car from above, buckled him in, then circled around to the other side and jumped in effortlessly without even opening the door. Bai Jin was about to hit the start button.

“Let’s knock them all out.”

But the little guy paused and called out, “Uncle.”

“Want to cheer for your little uncle?”

“Seatbelt, helmet.”

The little guy pointed at his own helmet and seatbelt and spoke seriously to his uncle.

“Uncle, you’re fragile.”

So you can't skip the helmet or the seatbelt.

“You’re the one who’s fragile.”

Crispy Jin shot Xiaobai Nuo a look.

After about ten seconds of hesitation, he gave in and got fully ready.

Then, Bai Jin gripped the steering wheel with one hand and made a sharp turn into the arena. Even with this kind of car, Bai Jin handled it with ease.

The little guy let out a startled “Wah!” “Uncle, Nono's gonna fly out!”

Then Xiaobai Nuo watched as the two cars next to them were skillfully knocked out of the way by Bai Jin with minimal effort.

He let out joyful hoots and yelps, occasionally shouting things like “Uncle's amazing!” getting more and more excited.

This made Bai Jin think that this otherwise boring game actually had something worth looking forward to. He then targeted Ma Chengpeng, chasing him and knocking him out of the arena one by one.

Occasionally, Bai Sheng, who couldn’t help but check the surveillance footage while worrying about Bai Jin, saw the chaotic spinning scenes and heard Xiaobai Nuo’s excited shouts.

Bai Sheng: ?

What was Bai Jin doing?

The rookie dad closed the surveillance feed and began to wonder if leaving his son with Bai Jin was perhaps a bit too unreliable.

…

Playtime always passed quickly.

The small car, which already felt fast to Xiaobai Nuo, was actually still quite slow—probably even tamer than the bumper cars you'd find at an arcade.

And when the time was about up, Bai Jin let the others continue playing while he took the little guy away first.

But after sitting in the car so long, Xiaobai Nuo’s steps were a bit wobbly as he got out, clutching Dou Dou.

The tiny little guy tugged at the slightly uncomfortable helmet strap and took his helmet off.

Bai Jin bent down, pulled up the strap, and prepared to put it away for him, still laughing: "Did you have fun?"

Grandpa has animals and cats? That's nothing. He had even more fun games here.

But just as he tightened the strap, the little guy tugged on the other end. The neat little guy had been about to put the strap away, but with both of them pulling, the long strap on the helmet snapped taut in front of him. The little one took a step, tripped, and fell forward.

Bai Jin, holding the other end of the strap, knew something was wrong and instinctively reached out to grab Xiaobai Nuo's clothes, but he was a bit too late.

The little guy bumped into the rounded corner nearby.

Normally, Xiaobai Nuo could have avoided it, but he was still a bit dizzy from riding shotgun in his uncle's bumper car, stumbling and dazed. Then his uncle grabbed him by the clothes and lifted him up.

Xiaobai Nuo's little arms and legs kicked for a moment, then he let out a little "uh," slow to react, and covered his forehead.

The corners of the storage area here were all smooth and rounded, so Bai Jin had let his guard down.

Now he put away the offending helmet, held the little guy in his arms, pulled down the toddler's hand, and took a look.

Thanks to the thorough protection, there was no break in the skin, but a red mark had appeared, quite noticeable on Xiaobai Nuo's forehead, which was already as fair as a porcelain doll's.

Bai Jin's expression instantly darkened. First, he instinctively pushed the nearby table away with his foot, then carefully examined the mark on Xiaobai Nuo's head.

"It's okay, Uncle. Nono doesn't hurt at all."

Seeing his uncle's unhappy expression, the little guy reached out and gently wrapped his arms around his uncle's neck.

This kind of bump wouldn't even count as an injury in the apocalypse.

Bai Jin's tense face relaxed a little. He had someone find a fast-acting bruise cream and asked again, "Really doesn't hurt?"

The little one, who usually got dramatic over little things and called his uncle a meanie, now, with that red mark on his forehead, shook his head at Bai Jin and said, all soft and cute.

Even gestured,

"Because Uncle picked up Nono in a flash."

He was, comforting him.

But it was still a hard object. Even if no wound appeared, a bump that turned red would definitely hurt.

Bai Jin's smile faded. He frowned, looked around at everything, then down at the little one, and took Xiaobai Nuo back to put ointment on it.

Guilt? Some, but no need to worry.

Anyway, when Uncle got home, he was probably going to 'die.'

...

Bai Jin brought the little guy smoothly to the gate of Sheng'ang University.

During the holiday, it was very quiet here, and many of the shops on the campus commercial street had temporarily closed.

Assistant Li had sent the two of them here. Seeing the small red mark on Xiaobai Nuo's head that hadn't faded yet, Assistant Li kept shooting daggers at Bai Jin the entire ride.

As Bai Jin was getting out of the car with Xiaobai Nuo, there was still a commotion at the school gate, but the security guards had it under control. No one was around to watch, and from a distance, they could hear the sound of someone crying and pleading for a cure to save her son, who couldn't hold on much longer.

Bai Jin looked at his phone and muttered, "Instead of going to the pharmaceutical company for a cure, why come to the school?"

The little guy was held tightly by his uncle and looked over a few times, then whispered in his uncle's ear, "Uncle, does the medicine work for a specific disease?"

"Yes, it's a drug that's very effective for a specific disease."

Bai Jin explained to the little one.

The little one nodded, not fully understanding, looked again a few times, but even a small child knew that medicine isn't a cure-all, so he quietly asked, "When is Second Uncle coming out?"

"I'll ask him."

Bai Jin answered casually, grabbing his phone.

At that moment, Xiaobai Nuo looked around and suddenly turned his head toward a certain place. That place was empty.

Xiaobai Nuo blinked in confusion.

Was Nono mistaken?

Just now, it seemed like someone was staring at Nono?

Bai Jin also turned his head instantly: "What's wrong?"

...

Meanwhile, in a small alley, a man of utterly ordinary build and appearance leaned against the wall. He stood there, blending into the surroundings, unnoticed by anyone.

He was now quietly watching the alley entrance. After the wailing sounds from outside had mostly faded, the man straightened up slightly, raised his hand, and looked down at the watch on his wrist.

Sent a message: 'Found a suspected experiment failure near the Bai family. Confirmed it wasn't eliminated at the time and differs from the experiment report. He is very perceptive, always under the Bai family's watch. I will proceed with a cautious interference plan. — H'

Bai Liang was sitting in his office, expressionless.

During the student holiday, the security force had been reduced accordingly. He had just finished making the relevant arrangements.

He had planned to rest early today, but then the troublemakers outside wouldn't let up.

Bai Liang couldn't even be bothered to keep up his fake smile. The smile on his lips was as cold as the look in his eyes.

So he felt like his explanations fell on deaf ears and his warnings meant nothing.

What was once a request had turned into wailing, and the situation had escalated again. To keep that family from lurking around the institute and targeting the institute's students, security was still sweeping the area. They could only wait for it to be over.

But Bai Liang didn't get it. Why were they crying here? If crying a few times could cure these illnesses, his uncle wouldn't have passed away so soon.

So crying was the most useless thing of all. Explanations were, too.

Or did they think he would empathize? And develop another kind of specific drug in a few days? Give me a break.

Sorry to say,

Bai Liang mused.

He just happened to be a cold bastard without that kind of empathy. Unlike other members of the Bai family, he didn't have the energy to deal with them. Besides, Bai Liang felt he had already caused enough trouble for them, right? Yet they still took the time to come and make a fuss. What the hell were they all thinking?

The group of students outside, who had originally planned to go for a meal, went silent.

Then they looked at each other, all feeling Bai Liang's oppressive mood.

They started sending messages in the group chat.

'Probably have to wait a while. Are we still having dinner tonight?'

'If we have dinner, won't it be too late? Anyway, we've all been busy for so long. Maybe we should just go home and rest today.'

'I agree. Besides, Professor Bai seems really irritated. He's been staring at his phone nonstop since just now.'

'He's probably checking if security has kicked that family out. How many people are in that family anyway? They keep showing up every so often. Do other labs run into problems like ours?'

'We're the only ones dealing with this unreasonable nonsense, right? And this illness too—the two treatment directions are completely different, yet they belong to the same category.'

After the outside area was fully cleared and the students in the lab building could move freely, Bai Liang checked the time again.

It was almost past the dinner hour.

His chat with Bai Jin from half an hour ago was still on the screen.

He had said he'd be very late, so Bai Jin didn't need to pick him up, and he should take Nuo Nuo home for dinner first. He'd go back in the evening.

Bai Jin had just replied with a simple "Got it."

He must have left by now, right? Since he said that, there was no reason for him to stay.

Bai Liang stood up, pressed his fingers to his brow, and glanced sideways at the students. Then, he adjusted his expression. "Alright, everyone go back and rest. Contact me if anything comes up. If you can't reach me, find your junior advisor."

Bai Liang walked behind all the students, slowly walked toward the school gate.

His car was actually on campus, but somehow, he couldn't help walking toward the gate.

Without his glasses, he squinted his eyes and let out a low chuckle.

Picking someone up from work—what a strange phrase. He really couldn't understand that little kid's way of thinking.

At the school gate, the parent of the youngest student in the lab had already arrived, handing an iced milk tea to the child.

Bai Liang glanced at them, then asked the security guard for more details.

Without his glasses, Bai Liang had a commanding presence, and compared to the earlier fuss, one could clearly sense Bai Liang was a bit angry.

"Professor Bai, is there something urgent today? You've asked quite a few times. Hope it hasn't caused you any trouble?"

The security guard at the gate said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, no, not at all. It's just that now..."

Bai Liang said casually.

"Second Uncle!"

Suddenly, the little kid's voice rang out.

Bai Liang's eyes went wide for a second.

Wait.

No way?

Bai Liang spun around immediately.

He saw the little guy held in Bai Jin's arms, waving at him from the entrance.

Bai Liang: ...

What is Bai Jin doing? Why didn't he take him home for dinner? You itching for a beating? Want San'er to loosen you up?

"Oh, Professor Bai, your family came to pick you up, huh? No wonder you asked so many times."

Actually, Bai Liang could have driven himself home long ago, but the students staying in the lab still couldn't leave—especially those coming back to sleep at night. The security guard knew the situation and spoke to Bai Liang with a smile.

"You'd better go now. Don't worry about the students today. I've told the guards to keep an eye on them, and I've reported it to the police station. You can be assured."

Bai Liang responded with a grunt, turned, and walked quickly over.

Bai Jin was a bit impatient, "Why so slow?"

The little guy, holding Dou Dou, called out "Second Uncle," then noticed a parent who had come to pick up a child handing over milk tea and snacks. The little guy blinked. As Second Uncle approached, he pulled out a paper bag from behind him, as if by magic.

"Second Uncle, are you hungry? Here's some iced chestnuts—cool, sweet, and soft. They're really yummy."

Others came to pick up, and Nuo Nuo did too.

What others had, Nuo Nuo also had.

But others had milk tea and snacks; Nuo Nuo had iced chestnuts.

Xiaobai Nuo looked at Second Uncle, holding out the bag in his hand.

Bai Liang was taken aback.

The question he wanted to ask most—"Why didn't you go home for dinner?"—got stuck in his throat.

Finally, his lips twitched, but he didn't say anything. He took the bag of iced chestnuts.

After a moment, he exhaled: "Didn't I tell you I'd be very late? Why didn't you go back first?"

Of course, what Bai Liang really wanted to say was—Is there no cooldown on your charm?

But then, Bai Liang's gaze fell on the little guy's forehead.

Wait a second.