Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Although your uncle does enjoy excitement, he doesn't need this kind of thrill.

Why is he playing a life-or-death game in peacetime?

Bai Jin took the opportunity to pull off a thin little sock from Xiaobai Nuo's little foot.

The little guy has indeed grown a bit, but his small arms and legs are still far too tiny compared to the Bai family members, who are all over 1.8 meters tall.

Bai Jin watched as the little one lifted his head, his bare foot curling up and hiding in Bai Sheng's arms. Even though he was almost asleep, he still wrinkled his nose at his uncle.

Mumbling vaguely, "Bad guy."

Bai Jin quickly got up, dodging the pillow Bai Sheng threw at him.

He swiftly placed the little sock back beside Bai Sheng and retreated obediently.

Then he heard the little one continue mumbling, "Dad... Second Uncle, Uncle... Nono wants to go home."

Not here, wants to go home.

Bai Sheng replied softly.

"Mm, we'll go home after you wake up."

Xiaobai Nuo's little face was buried in his father's arms, and he nodded with a muffled sound.

The little one's breathing gradually steadied.

Bai Sheng arranged for Li Zhilin to ask about discharge preparations, then looked at Bai Liang.

This guy, who was usually good at stirring up trouble and watching the drama, had been unusually quiet today, leaning tiredly against the wall with a somber expression, deep in thought.

Seeing Bai Sheng look over,

Bai Liang finally spoke in a low voice.

"That research institute from before—they managed to operate disguised as a legitimate organization in Country Z for years, which shows how careful and cunning they are. The ones we caught were indeed human traffickers. Their contact is a trafficking ring in Country L, which chose the target after receiving a large sum of money. It has nothing to do with the institute. They said they don't know if the person contacting them is one person or multiple—each time they met, the appearance was different, but always very ordinary, with no distinguishing features. We checked the surveillance points near Sheng'ang University. Apart from normal faculty and students, no one matching the description appeared near Sheng'ang University more than three times in the past month."

This special research institute, surviving on illegal trade across countries, is as slippery as an eel—at the slightest sign of trouble, they disappear quickly.

"I've mostly finished up my side of things. How about I go abroad in a few days? For their lab to run smoothly, it must have some connection with major foreign research institutions. My clearance should allow me to find some clues."

Bai Liang smiled instinctively, then quickly stopped himself.

Compared to his usual composure, he seemed a bit impatient now.

Xiaobai Nuo's collapse and fever were clearly beyond what he expected, and he felt an urgent need to make up for everything.

"No."

But Bai Sheng said casually. He saw Li Zhilin enter and nod at him. Bai Sheng picked up Xiaobai Nuo and said softly,

"I don't need to know the exact result right now."

Bai Liang looked up a little.

He clearly saw the expression on Bai Sheng's face.

Meaning—

Not a single institute that matches the description will get away.

...

Xiaobai Nuo woke up at noon.

The effects of that special paralytic sedative had faded, but he still had a slight fever and was a bit slow to react, looking adorably spaced out.

The usually well-behaved little one sat at the table after waking up, appearing even quieter than usual, which made the Bai family members, who rarely gathered all at once, feel a pang of heartache.

They were truly heartbroken.

Even Cen Liu deliberately softened his tone. He had spent a day and a night at the police station laughing and joking, while smilingly dealing with the traffickers who tried to snatch the child, using underhanded methods countless times.

Compared to Cen Liu, who smiled while playing dirty, Bai Jingyun's direct, no-holds-barred approach—which was stopped by the police—seemed almost civilized.

Of course, when dealing with human traffickers, there's no need to worry about civility.

Perhaps after waking up, the past 'nightmare' made Xiaobai Nuo want to see his villainous family members as soon as possible. After waking up, the little one mumbled vaguely that he wanted to eat with everyone.

Though it was just a casual remark,

at noon, a group of busy Bai family members rushed back just in time for lunch.

The little one, still running a low fever, was a bit dazed. He didn't realize that everyone was watching him. He was holding a spoon and staring at his small bowl, which contained thick, fragrant millet porridge. Bai Sheng had placed some minced meat and vegetables on a plate in front of him.

Even when sick, the little guy ate with gusto, but much more slowly. He used his spoon to scoop up a green vegetable leaf, bit one end, and slowly stuffed it into his mouth, chewing with puffed cheeks, then swallowing and scooping up the next one. The lightly seasoned minced meat, fresh and without any odd taste, was carefully picked out piece by piece and placed on top of the porridge. Then he scooped it up along with the porridge and took a big gulp.

Finally, he squinted his eyes in contentment.

Oh, he really knows how to eat.

At that moment, seeing the lingering effects of the past sedative on the little one, the Bai family truly felt the reality of that incomplete past, barely recorded in writing.

"Want some chicken meatball soup?"

Cen Zhi was the first to snap out of it, picking up a small bowl and asking Xiaobai Nuo with a smile.

"Yes, Grandma."

Xiaobai Nuo took two seconds to respond, then nodded.

"How about stir-fried zucchini? Auntie thinks it tastes okay."

Bai Qi also chimed in.

The little one thought for a moment, pushed his small bowl over, and hummed in agreement.

Though his reactions were slow, he was still engaging.

The Bai family seemed to have discovered an interesting activity.

"Want some tofu soup?"

The little one turned his head to look: "...Nono wants to eat."

"Grilled meat patty?"

The little one, Xiao Nuo, nodded like a little bird pecking at rice: "Nono wants some!"

But...

"He's sick, so better not let him eat too much meat."

"You can't eat meat when you're sick?"

"Who do you think you are, Bai Jin? What if he can't digest it and gets sick?"

Bai Jin's attempt to feed him failed, and he said, "Oh, then what about green peppers?"

The little guy had developed a reflex from all the feeding, instinctively wanted to nod, but halfway through, he stopped and quickly pulled his little bowl back.

"No peppers!"

Green peppers—Nono's archenemy!

Not that it's right, but this dazed little guy was just too fun to mess with.

Even Bai Jin, who hadn't even healed up yet and already forgot the pain, grinned, then looked down at his mom stepping on his foot next to him.

Bai Jin: ...

Bai Jin gave up fast.

"No green peppers. Is there even any on the table today? In the Bai family, the only one who always has green peppers on the table is Grandpa."

The old man, who had just put on some glasses and was using serving chopsticks to drop a piece of steamed cod into the little guy's bowl, looked up, confused: ?

Usually, the ones good at stirring up trouble, like Bai Jingyun and Bai Liang, each in their own way, could easily shift the blame. Then there were the ones who couldn't be bothered to respond, leaving you speechless with one line, like Bai Sheng or Bai Qi. Finally, there was Bai Jin, who just liked getting a rise out of people. He loved taking on multiple people, but the only one he could beat was Cen Liu.

The meal ended with Bai Jin being the first to leave the table.

Nuo struggled to finish his millet porridge, still staring longingly at the food.

Bai Sheng thought for a moment, then leaned down and said to the little guy.

"You can't eat more."

The little guy blinked slowly, looked at his dad, said "Oh," and after a few seconds, reached out to be held.

Bai Sheng reached out and let him lean into his arms, feeling his temperature slowly drop. Bai Sheng's worried heart eased a little, and he asked again, "Still hungry?"

Besides that time he overate and got sick, this little guy would sometimes have this issue.

A feeling of not being full—maybe a side effect from the institute, at least Xu Chuan hadn't found anything wrong.

But no one dared to give him more.

The little guy thought for a moment, but this time he didn't answer. He just lay in his dad's arms, smacking his lips like he was savoring the taste.

"Dad, that was good."

As for still being a bit hungry?

That was normal. Little Bai Nuo had already kinda figured out a pattern: if he changed the "story" he dreamed about or had heard before, this would happen, but each time it was less severe.

So it was okay.

The honest little guy didn't answer, glancing at his second uncle.

He wiggled his little legs, thinking slowly.

It wasn't that being hungry was a problem—it was that being hungry was a good thing.

At some overseas research base, they were nervously getting ready to evacuate.

Their overseas branch labs set up in various countries had been systematically taken out over the past few days. And it wasn't just them; most research institutes following similar routes were in the same situation. Whether it was an international organization or someone acting on orders from a high-ranking official in some country, the trail all led back to the Bai family of Z country—that incredible family where every generation of heirs were top-tier alphas.

"Has H left Z country?"

"Not yet. Probably scared that contacting us would blow his cover, he hasn't sent a signal. But don't worry, he's a pro. However, the destruction plan seems to have completely failed. But looking at the summary, I agree with his recovery plan. If we can retrieve the materials, it will be a huge fortune for us."

"That seems to be the case, but it could also be a huge trouble. We can't stay here now; we need to leave quickly. Oh, and after backing up all data, destroy it completely. I don't want those guys to find this place and break in later, only to discover something that would push the Bai Family's fury even higher."

"You're right. But I originally thought that destroying or recovering the failed product would be easy. Although that failed product has always been the only one of its kind... maybe we shouldn't call it a failed product anymore. It's a pity that Bai Sheng's genes were only obtained that one time. But given the Bai Family's personality, the situation shouldn't be like this. Shouldn't the Bai Family be fighting among themselves now? Why are they so crazily united against external threats? This is a complete misjudgment. It makes me feel like our deductions are as amateurish as those from a shoddy outfit."

"But the good news is that the Bai Family doesn't seem to have fully confirmed it's us, otherwise they wouldn't be striking broadly."

"There's another possibility: some members of the Bai Family are simply venting their anger, showing off their ability to stand at the top of society. Although I want to say I don't care, unfortunately, that's not easy to say. The top alphas of the Bai Family are terrifying beyond expectations. I don't want to face them head-on."

The door there was pushed open again.

"We need to leave immediately. Drones have spotted mercenaries approaching."

Silence fell around.

"How could they be so fast? Have they confirmed the target? Are they analyzing and deducing all our positions and actions without rest?"

Or was this just the effortless deduction of those "geniuses"?

That wasn't a pleasant answer.

"Fortunately, we started reacting as soon as we learned the operation failed. Let's get out of here quickly. Let H take care of himself. If necessary, we may have to abandon H."

"You're right. But that experimental subject taken to the Bai Family—even though we treated it as a failed product for testing, it survived for several years. I've always said it was a miracle. Back then, no matter what, we should have had R take that experimental subject away. Then the Bai Family wouldn't have known. He looks like a normal child now. It's truly a pity."

"Maybe we can think of a way later."

"The peace in the Bai Family shouldn't last long, right? Look at the previous generation. At least that generation fell out, and there was even the death of an heir, wasn't there?"

The next day.

When Little Bai Nuo woke up, the groggy feeling had faded. It seemed he no longer had a fever.

The little one's curly hair was fluffy and messy. He tilted his head in confusion, reached out, and touched his own forehead.

—Couldn't tell.

Bai Sheng, who was still lying beside him with his eyes closed, stirred.

Little Bai Nuo turned his head and said softly, "Dad, good morning. Nono doesn't seem hot anymore."

Before the little one finished speaking,

Bai Sheng had already propped himself up and scooped Little Bai Nuo into his arms.

Snuggled in his dad's arms, the little guy looked up at his father and blinked.

“Dad?”

Xiaobai Nuo was under the weather, so the central air conditioning in Bai Sheng's room was temporarily turned off, only normal ventilation remained. The room was a bit hot, and a little sweat appeared on his forehead. His dark eyes, still a bit dazed, slowly focused, he looked down at his own cub, and answered in a hoarse voice.

Bai Sheng touched the little guy's head, then grabbed a thermometer from nearby and handed it to his little cub.

He watched the kid tuck the thermometer under his arm, and asked, confused: “Dad, did you have a nightmare?”

Bai Sheng had been quiet since he woke up, and his usual lazy air was gone, replaced by a barely contained emotion.

The dad, who usually kept up the 'super dad, nothing can stop him' image in front of his cub, rarely answered that directly.

“Yeah.”

“I had a nightmare.”

“I dreamed I didn't react in time, and my cub was taken away.”

“The cub he'd finally managed to put some weight on woke up groggy, saw the research institute again, and cried out for his dad in fear.”

Bai Sheng: ...

Bai Sheng rubbed his temple irritably at the thought.

“Was he seeing Xu Chuan so much that he was now giving himself nightmares?”

The tiny cub, one hand holding the thermometer and the other reaching out, said: “Then Nono will give Dad a hug. When Nono has nightmares, Dad's hug makes it all better.”

Bai Sheng looked up and glanced at his cub.

Clearly, he was feeling better.

Bai Sheng casually responded, and this shameless guy just buried his head in the kid's arms.

Xiaobai Nuo hugged his dad's head — Dad can sniff, that's fine, but if Uncle does it, he gets a smack!

The little cub smelled of the same faint laundry detergent as him.

And Aunt Feng, to make sure the kid liked it, had picked a sweeter-smelling detergent for his pajamas, which Bai Sheng found a bit off-putting at first.

Just like when he first started sharing a bed with this cub.

Finally, Bai Sheng 'got his energy back' and sat up, checking the temperature on the digital thermometer.

The fever had broken.

Bai Sheng put the thermometer down, got up, and took the kid to wash up and have breakfast.

The kid had a low fever the day before, so Bai Sheng just worked from home for the next few days.

The illegal research outfits abroad that could be swiftly dealt with had been taken care of in one round, but Bai Sheng still hadn't gotten the results he was after, nor was there anything worth him going abroad himself.

But it wasn't a total loss.

Because they'd discovered the organization that evacuated fastest and was most alert.

A research outfit that started in Country M, where money can solve almost anything, had racked up multiple illegal records. It was eventually shut down by Country M, but then broke away and kept running experiments elsewhere. Their ultimate goal is unknown, but the higher-ups seem to call themselves The Saviors.

“What a coincidence...” Bai Sheng's lips twitched expressionlessly.

His cub had confirmed that he was the big villain.

The little guy, full and happy, was taken for a walk outside by Aunt Feng. Bai Sheng lazily skimmed through the materials.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was Xie Yu calling.

Cen Liu had kept a lid on it, so aside from a few scattered rumors, almost nothing about what happened at the entrance of Sheng'ang University two days ago had gotten out.

For the past two days, Bai Sheng had been turning down Xie Yu's invitations. The kids who played with the little guy every day must have gotten restless.

They'd probably already driven Xie Yu up the wall.

Bai Sheng considered this and picked up.

“Hello.”

“What's been going on these past two days? Is Nono sick? That little brat Yu Chuyan showed up at my place, and my two little monkeys are raising hell. They're painting on the ceiling! My god, how did they even get up there?!”

It sounded like more than a question—there was venting and complaining too.

Bai Sheng tapped his Bluetooth earbud. “You're asking me? Nono's a good kid. How would I know?”

At the Xie family villa.

Xie Yu: ...

Xie Yu was about to explode, but then he heard Bai Sheng's next words, and his expression turned slightly serious.

“Then let Nono rest well.”

Xie Yu turned his head and looked at the three kids sitting in a row behind him, staring at him.

He thought for a moment and said, “Brother was almost taken away by bad guys. He needs to rest now.”

“Brother was almost taken away by bad guys?”

Yu Chuyan, who had just finished checking on his brother, suddenly stood up. “No.”

“Nono can't be taken away by bad guys.”

And Xie Qing instinctively grabbed his twin brother's head and quickly said, “No.”

“Although his brother is stupid, he can't be taken away.”

Xie Yue: ?

Then Xie Qing realized what he had done and let go of his own brother. “Did Nono encounter a bad guy?”

Xie Yue, who had originally wanted to say something but was grabbed by the head and then let go by his brother, thought: ...

“Hey!”

Xie Yu was about to respond and tell these little brats to also be careful.

Watching Xie Yue snort, he jumped up and grabbed a small umbrella nearby. “If there's a bad guy, I'll poke him in the belly like this and see if he dares to take brother away.”

Xie Yu, after getting poked in the belly: ...

You little brat!!!

...

Over at Bai Sheng's, after finishing the call with Xie Yu, the little guy came pattering back in from outside, all excited.

Behind the little guy came Cen Zhi and Bai Jingyun, and finally the slow-moving old man.

Bai Jin showed up a bit later.

After what happened two days ago, it's no exaggeration to say the whole Bai family was on edge. Even Bai Qi had put off a bunch of her work and stayed home for three days. Whenever she had to handle something, she'd check to make sure the little guy was still safe at home and hadn't been taken back to some research institute before she could relax.

What got the little guy all excited was—

"Daddy, Daddy, look, it's Anu! Great-grandpa brought Anu to play with me."

A sleek leopard cat with a beautiful spotted coat stepped gracefully, following close behind little Bai Nuo.

Anu shot a wary glance at Bai Sheng, then rubbed against the little guy, letting out a soft meow, but its eyes were following Dou Dou.

But Anu played it cool.

Hearing that soft meow, the old man couldn't help but glance at Anu, but he sat down, all 'calm'.

"Great-grandpa said when you come to his place, you can play with Anu."

Bai Sheng narrowed his eyes, couldn't help giving his grandfather a once-over, then seeing how happy little Bai Nuo was, he looked away and kept watching him.

Bai Qian came by to see the little cub before heading to work. Bai Qi and Bai Liang showed up a bit later, after the little guy had been playing with the cat for a while, and they ended up arguing outside again.

By then, the little guy was sitting beside the lounging leopard cat Anu, stroking its fur with his little hands, and said in a baby voice: "Anu, you're so cute. Can Nono give you a hug?"

The little guy reached out. Though Anu didn't understand what the cub was saying, seeing his gesture, it meowed once, stood up like a super elegant cat, slowly settled into the little guy's arms, and was picked up with some effort.

The little guy's face flushed a bit as he held Anu and turned toward his dad: "Daddy, look!"

The little cub was determined to show every family member how he was bonding with Anu.

Anu was also savvy, pressing its face against the cub's cheek, until Bai Jin got curious and reached out. It let out a growl and smacked its big paw down on Bai Jin's hand.

Then, looking back at little Bai Nuo, it meowed again.

Little cub: Huh?

Bai Jin: ...

Did you see that?! This cat just hit me!

And little Bai Nuo looked at his little uncle, then at the cat.

He hugged the cat and turned around with effort, heading out to show his aunt and second uncle.

He didn't forget to say softly: "So cute, Anu."

Bai Jin: ...

Uncle got hit, and you didn't see that?!

Xiaobai Nuo had already arrived at the door.

The little one peeked in.

Bai Qi's expression was very sour, while Bai Liang, as always, was smiling cheerfully, seemingly having returned to his usual self. It appeared they had just finished arguing.

These two were always like this—whenever they got together, they were at odds.

Bai Qi looked like she wanted to say more, but seeing Xiaobai Nuo peeking in, she took a deep breath and shot Bai Liang one last look. "Just keep going like this, keep imagining that everyone is indebted to you or holds a grudge against you. I don't have time to argue with you here."

Bai Qi walked over, crouched down, met the little one's eyes, and gently stroked the little one's head.

"Auntie?"

"Auntie has to go to work. If anything comes up, you can call me, okay?"

Xiaobai Nuo nodded.

He was still holding Anu tightly, and after his aunt left, he looked up at his second uncle, who had come to stand beside him. The little one looked up to show his second uncle.

"Second Uncle, look, a kitty."

Bai Liang crouched down. After arguing with Bai Qi, he was unusually unsettled, a complicated look in his eyes.

"I see it."

His voice was so much softer than before, but he once again concealed the emotions he had shown over the past two days, putting on that same cheerful smile.

He remembered hearing Bai Sheng ask the little one what he wanted.

Bai Liang looked at the little one, whose face was still a bit pale and the bruise on his forehead not yet faded, and couldn't help murmuring, "What exactly do you want?"

Bai Liang didn't really understand.

What was this little one trying to get from him by getting so close? And what could he possibly get? With Bai Sheng around, it seemed he had nothing special to offer Xiaobai Nuo.

So, as the little one put down Anu in confusion, he smiled and asked again, "What does Nuo Nuo want? If others won't help Nuo Nuo get what he wants, you can tell Second Uncle."

Consider it compensation for being dragged down by him—even if Bai Sheng beat him up for it, he'd take it.

Xiaobai Nuo looked at his second uncle and instinctively reached out to touch his eyes.

Bai Liang closed his eyes in slight confusion.

The little one looked down—his hand came away dry, but strangely, Second Uncle always seemed on the verge of tears. The little one couldn't really understand such adult emotions.

So the little one thought about it. What did he want?

The cat's tail brushed against his face, and his big eyes narrowed. "Nuo Nuo wants Second Uncle not to be sad anymore, okay?" He called this feeling "sadness." When Nuo Nuo was sad, he cried, but adults rarely actually cried.

Second Uncle always seemed this way. But look, his right hand was still fine, so Second Uncle, don't "cry" anymore.