Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Xiaobai Nuo felt himself being slightly "hoisted" and carried backward by his older cousin.

The little one's stubby legs instinctively kicked for a moment, and he looked confused: ?

Cen Liu: Isn't it just a squat-walk?

It's okay, just keep going and you'll win.

However, with his head hidden in Xiaobai Nuo's arms, Cen Liu—who looked rather like a man hiding his head in the sand with a baby in his arms—heard Bai Sheng's voice ring out very close by—most likely right beside him.

"What are you doing?"

Cen Liu: ...

Does this dude not make a single sound when he walks?!

Cen Liu silently set the child down, kept his head buried in Xiaobai Nuo's arms, and tried to pretend he hadn't heard anything.

Don't be so bothered, this older cousin is really gentle. After he finishes "eating" Nono, he'll go away on his own.

Then the child in front of Cen Liu was picked up, and he got smacked on the back, almost jumping out of his skin.

"Ow—! Bai Sheng, do you have any respect for your older brother?!"

Bai Sheng held the child, giving Cen Liu a look that said "you're a child trafficker," without saying a word.

He stared Cen Liu down until Cen Liu felt guilty.

"Nono, look, you almost got snatched away and eaten."

Bai Sheng suddenly let out a light laugh, tilting his head to speak softly to the child in his arms.

Xiaobai Nuo hadn't even figured out what was going on, holding onto his father's neck and looking at his older cousin.

Cen Liu tried to talk his way out of it, but Bai Sheng set the child down to the side and started rolling up his sleeves.

Cen Liu: ...Help! I'm not as tough as Bai Jin!

He had the desire but not the nerve—the older cousin who lost all reason the moment Xiaobai Nuo hugged him on his own—finally slunk off to work with his tail between his legs.

But Cen Liu thought it over carefully for a long while, cupped his face, let out a couple of goofy, good-natured laughs, and decided he hadn't come out on the losing end.

It's just that just looking at the kid couldn't compare to actually holding him when it came to recharging.

He'd definitely hug him again next time!

As for Bai Sheng, he gained a profound insight—was there a single normal person in this family?

The "kidnapper" had his hugging rights revoked!

Before Bai Sheng could finish his thoughts, his little one had already snuggled up against him again.

"Daddy."

"Hm?"

"Did Nono make cousin feel better?"

Xiaobai Nuo turned his head to meet his father's gaze.

"When Nono's sad, Daddy hugs him. Cousin misses his mommy and daddy, and he's sad. Did Nono help cousin's mommy and daddy comfort him?"

If he did, that'd be great.

Cousin's mommy and daddy can rest easy now, right?

It's okay, don't worry. In Nono's world, cousin will always be okay, and one day he'll walk slowly to meet his mommy and daddy again.

Bai Sheng snapped out of his thoughts, and after a moment, let out a very soft "mm" in response. He gently pinched his little one's squishy cheek.

This soft heart feels for others too easily—though that's hardly a bad thing.

This kid was made of soft, fluffy stuff like gentleness and cuteness, and as a dad, he had to protect those things and put up "fences" around these delicate feelings. One day, this kid would grow tougher, braver, and more decisive. Little Xiaobai Nuo was already showing signs of it—though Bai Sheng knew this wasn't about changing him; it was about growing up.

Bai Sheng thought: Raising a kid is truly a deep subject.

The next morning, mid-September, it was still warm even in the morning—not yet jacket weather.

Xiaobai Nuo opened his eyes early, blinking groggily.

This was his first time in a competition like this, and he was so excited he woke up earlier than usual.

Most of Xiaobai Nuo's stuff in this room had already been moved to his own room, but the little guy still hadn't started sleeping on his own.

Bai Sheng had planned to ease him into it slowly, hoping to get him used to it after the New Year. But then that whole "The Saviors" organization thing happened, and Bai Sheng, who'd never had a nightmare in his life, had several nights in a row of dreaming his kid got snatched.

So he figured there was no way the little guy would be sleeping alone before the end of the year. Bai Sheng would even panic if he woke up and didn't see the kid.

Xiaobai Nuo let out a soft yawn.

Then his dad pulled him back down from his sitting position.

Bai Sheng groggily opened one eye: "Hey, Dou Dou, report the time."

"Good morning—alright, the current time is 5:28 AM Ang City time. Weather: sunny, temperature 25-33°C, south wind level one, humidity 100%, air quality good. It's muggy during the day; please take care to protect against sun and stay hydrated to prevent heatstroke. Due to high humidity and temperature, please note possible rain tonight or tomorrow—bring rain gear. Would you like a more detailed travel plan and outfit recommendations?"

The small surveillance monitor charging by the bedside lit up with a mechanical electronic voice, quickly running through the day's time and weather.

Bai Sheng was annoyed by this little monitor that always answered before being asked. He stretched out a long arm, switched off the monitor's voice button, yawned again, and squinted at the kid lying on his chest, staring up at him with big eyes.

"Why are you waking up earlier and earlier? Can't sleep a little more?"

Bai Sheng closed his eyes again, his voice a little slurred.

Forget what time kindergarten starts—today's idiom contest doesn't even start until nine.

It wasn't even 5:30.

Xiaobai Nuo let out an "Mm" sound: "Nono had a dream last night."

"What dream?"

Bai Sheng was still half-asleep, asking groggily.

"Dreamed that Nono saw the idiom clearly, but just couldn't say it."

Xiaobai Nuo lay on his dad's chest, his voice soft and gentle.

"Dreams are always the opposite."

Bai Sheng said offhandedly.

"And even if you can't answer, it doesn't matter."

Bai Sheng naturally had high expectations for Xiaobai Nuo, but he was different from other parents.

Bai Sheng had his own adaptive logic: although the goal was to win first place, how long had his little one even been in this world? Being selected to participate was already impressive. Try sticking another kid in a lab for a few years and see what happens.

Bai Sheng didn't think any other kid was better than his own. The Newbie Dad wasn't having any of that.

"It's not like it doesn't matter."

The little one was pressed back down by his dad, nestled against his chest.

"Nono wants to win."

His competitive streak kicked in, and he mumbled sleepily.

Kid's got some ambition.

Bai Sheng opened his eyes again and chuckled softly.

The room's AC wasn't set too cold, but Bai Sheng still bundled the little one up in a small blanket and tucked him snugly against his chest.

"Get a bit more sleep, or you'll be sleepy during the competition later."

The little one's hands and feet were all bundled up.

Xiaobai Nuo squirmed but couldn't break free, so he burrowed deeper into the blanket and closed his eyes a moment later.

Once the little one's breathing evened out, the dad—who usually slept even more than the toddler—opened his eyes.

He looked down at his kid.

Xiaobai Nuo was asleep.

But the dad, who was letting his kid attend a competition for the first time, was wide awake.

About two hours later, though.

Bai Sheng was in a black short-sleeved shirt and light-colored pants, looking more laid-back and lazy than usual, propping his chin on his hand, yawning lazily as he watched the little one get dressed.

Today, Xiaobai Nuo was wearing a light tan pinstriped shirt with a dark brown tie that had a little bear plush on it, and matching loose shorts with bear embroidery. He was eating, his curly hair neatly combed, looking cuter by the second.

The kid at home was just too cute—even someone like Bai Sheng, who never paid much attention to fashion, could appreciate the joy of "Miracle Nuo."

Bai Sheng looked him over, feeling like something was missing.

The Newbie Dad, who'd already wolfed down his meal, headed upstairs first and came back down a moment later with a child-sized pair of chunky black glasses frames.

Most of the little one's clothes and accessories were picked out by his grandma. The Bai family's style was always comfort, simplicity, and expense.

Bai Sheng set the glasses frames on the little one's nose.

Xiaobai Nuo awkwardly adjusted the frames with his little hand, tilting his head and looking at his dad in confusion.

He looked extra well-behaved.

Bai Sheng couldn't help but seriously rub his kid's chubby cheeks, then took a photo and posted it on his social feed, racking up a bunch of likes from Bai family members who couldn't go to the idiom competition with Xiaobai Nuo.

Satisfied with his daily bragging quota, Bai Sheng headed out with Xiaobai Nuo to the Ang City Education Activity Center.

Meanwhile, at the Bai family's side residence.

Probably worried that Bai Zhize might try to bolt in the middle of the night, the old master made sure to see Bai Zhize and Bai Wan every morning.

Once the father and son left the old man's place, Bai Zhize pulled his phone out of his pocket. He glanced at the people watching him and let out a soft chuckle.

"Did you see the look on your grandpa's face back there?"

Bai Wan turned his head calmly, but his clear blue eyes were totally confused.

Clearly, his mind was only on the steamed buns from breakfast.

Bai Zhize: ...

What good are you?

Bai Zhize snorted: "Staying cooped up like this isn't going to work. I refuse to believe they can keep me trapped forever. This little kid is now the Bai family's weak spot—I need to figure out how to use that. I can't keep letting big brother lead me around by the nose."

Bai Zhize couldn't help but glance down at him again.

Cute is cute, but can you eat cute?

A bunch of people acting like they're hypnotized—when did the Bai family ever have such an obvious 'weakness'? He needed to figure out how to use this 'weakness' to get out of this mess. Of course, hurting a little kid was the kind of low-class move Bai Zhize wouldn't stoop to—mainly because he was scared Bai San would lose it and kill him without a second thought.

But he'd heard someone tried to snatch the kid before. How convenient was that? Bai Zhize basically had no domestic business—he mostly worked with foreign partners. Using something like that to stir up chaos and distract his big brother was totally doable. He'd been under his big brother's watch this whole time—if he actually escaped this time, he'd like to see where Bai Qian would catch him and drag him back to the country.

No way in hell!

But before he could put his plan into action, he needed to find a few loyal chefs.

Bai Zhize schemed quietly in his head.

Meanwhile, Bai Wan leaned over, watching Bai Zhize somehow snap a photo of the old master looking at his phone from some angle. On the old man's phone was a post from the social feed—and the little kid was right there in it.

And the ID of the person who posted it was clear as day—Bai San.

...Was he really about to mess with Bai San?

Bai Wan pulled his head back, looked up at his dad—who, as always, had no expression—and thought for a moment.

"Dad."

"What now?"

Bai Zhize said impatiently.

"Based on my analysis and judgment, I think we can still execute the original plan—go all in, one step."

What original plan?

Bai Zhize looked at Bai Wan again, catching the seriousness in those blue eyes.

Suddenly remembering something, Bai Zhize: ...

Just go die already and save us all the trouble, right?!

"Can you have some ambition?! Go fight him, who's afraid of who?!"

Bai Wan: ...?

Dad, isn't it obvious? I can't beat him, I'm scared of him.

Bai Zhize was hopping mad over there by himself.

Bai Wan finally shrank obediently to the side, letting out a soft breath after a long moment.

It wasn't that he didn't dare to fight, just that after analyzing it, the odds of winning were too low, and he often felt bored in daily life, maybe because he had no peers his age, and his only family was his constantly fuming dad.

In Bai Wan's day-to-day, everything was predictable at a glance, and he habitually went for the easiest, most efficient option that saved effort, energy, and worry, with a bit of a 'whatever, I give up' attitude, like he wanted to 'tear down' the family.

It was only after coming back to the country that he found things interesting for once.

Bai Wan's blue eyes shifted quietly, looking toward the house behind him.

Yeah, probably 'cause.

—Chinese food is really good, and he didn't feel like running off.

He thought, then couldn't help glancing again at the photo of the little kid who called him 'uncle'.

Ang City Education Department Activity Center.

Xie Yu had already arrived with the two little ones.

Yu Chen showed up a bit later with Yu Chuyan.

Today, Yu Chen could only drop off Yu Chuyan, leaving the family assistant to watch over him. He still had to go back to work and squeeze in time for his exams.

Before he had full control over everything, Yu Chen could only rely on his grandfather's help to stay on his feet. But with a better mindset now, he wasn't as anxious as before, and lately he didn't need sedatives to sleep.

Watching his brother's eyes go wide, then awkwardly look away, and finally hold hands with that little rice cake kid, Yu Chen smiled and said goodbye.

"Big bro will pick you up this afternoon."

"Mm."

Yu Chuyan nodded, and the little cool guy raised his wrist. He wasn't wearing his phone watch—it was packed in his small bag—just reminding his brother.

"I'll call you anytime, big bro. If you don't answer and I can't reach you, I'll have the police find you."

"Okay, okay."

Yu Chen responded, then exchanged a few words with Xie Yu and Bai Sheng before hurrying off.

Xie Yu watched and couldn't help muttering, "That bastard from the Yu family is a real piece of work, always stirring up trouble for Yu Chen. What kind of father does that, just because Xiao Chen is a beta..."

Bai Sheng stayed quiet.

He didn't think much of the busyness at Yu Chen's age.

After all, at Yu Chen's age, most Bai family heirs had already found their own path. Bai Sheng remembered being even busier at that age. Various technologies for expanding the business empire were just starting to take shape.

But unlike Yu Chen, Bai Sheng always drained others externally, never exhausting himself internally, aside from his strong physique.

But of course, other people's advice was basically useless in such matters.

Bai Sheng had no plans to leave. He still had the psychological shadow from when his kid was almost taken. He'd arranged his work in advance and decided to stay here to keep an eye on his little one.

The morning was for the team competitions.

The little ones were ready to head in and work together.

But before it started, there was a commotion from that direction.

Xiaobai Nuo glanced over.

It looked like someone was holding a microphone, doing an interview.

"Who is that?"

Xiaobai Nuo curiously asked Yu Chuyan, who was standing beside him.

Yu Chuyan, who didn't pay attention to others either, shook his head, confused.

The little cool guy held Xiaobai Nuo's hand, looked down, and even swung their joined hands, not caring about the commotion. He glanced over and said, "Dunno."

"His name's Cheng Mo. This is his second time in this kind of competition. Last time, at three, he won first prize—a real little genius, right?"

The voice came from behind them.

Xiaobai Nuo turned around to see a man smiling down at him.

Before the little one could react, Yu Chuyan had already looked up warily and pulled Xiaobai Nuo behind him.

The Xie Family Twins immediately followed suit, moving in sync to pull straight wooden sticks from their backpacks and point them at the man.

Xie Yu, watching from the sidelines: ...?

Wait, when did you two stuff those in your backpacks?!

And Ye Jiu, startled by the kids' smooth combo, instinctively stepped back two steps, hearing Yu Chuyan seriously tell Xiaobai Nuo, "Nono, don't talk to strangers, or you might get taken away."

The little one instinctively nodded his head.

Nono can't get taken away.

Ye Jiu: ...No need to make me sound like a kidnapper, right?

Ye Jiu was amused, looking at Xiaobai Nuo.

"Don't you remember me? Uncle Ye, I gave you a little fish before."

And also swiped your origami, which made his grandfather regret sending an 'insider' to deliver the fish.

He now serves as the director of the Talent Development Department of the Z Federation.

He usually kept tabs on competitions everywhere. Though this idiom competition was more for entertainment, since the content far exceeded what a kindergartner could handle, it was also a focus for their department.

Xiaobai Nuo looked up at Ye Jiu, and with that, he remembered where he recognized the man from. His eyes lit up: "Hi, Uncle Ye."

"Hey there."

Ye Jiu crouched down with a smile.

"You're so cool."

Ye Jiu remembered that half a year ago, when he went to the Bai residence, this little guy wasn't even in kindergarten yet—he mostly just flipped through picture books looking at the pictures. And now, just a few months later, he's already in a competition like this.

Are the Bai family genes really this insane?

Ye Jiu looked up and spotted Bai Sheng standing not far away. When he caught Bai Sheng's eye, he felt a little pressured and quickly looked away, then turned his attention back to the little one, who had a totally different vibe from Bai Sheng. The kid got all shy after just a couple of compliments, his big eyes shining behind those big glasses frames, looking especially well-behaved.

How can two people have such totally different personalities? Little omega pups are just too cute.

Ye Jiu sighed to himself, finished his greetings, and got ready to head out.

"Alright, it's almost time to enter. Good luck."

Their conversation carried over to the other side.

The five-year-old pup, surrounded by a crowd, tilted his head to glance over, his eyes dark and deep, with a calm, proud look.

He recognized Ye Jiu, so he couldn't help but take a closer look at the little white pup talking to him.

He'd never seen him before.

He snorted softly and looked away, not caring at all.

Next to this five-year-old pup, Cheng Mo, his father Cheng Dian was smiling like a manager, dealing with the media attention around them, talking about plans to have his little genius skip grades and serve the country as soon as possible, speaking with great passion.

Xiaobai Nuo stopped paying attention to that. He waved at his dad, fixed his little tie, and followed his brothers into the venue, where staff led them to the team competition room.

Watching his pup go in, Bai Sheng looked away, standing off to the side with a cold, lazy air, as if he couldn't care less about anything around him, occasionally making small talk with Xie Yu.

The air before the rain was muggy and humid, putting everyone in a bad mood.

Xie Yu noticed Bai Sheng's subtle irritation and asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

Bai Sheng put away his phone.

"I might have to leave Ang City for a bit."

He couldn't feel at ease without bringing Nono along, but going to check out that lead—to catch the guy playing hide-and-seek with him before he skips the country—bringing Nono along in that situation made him even more uneasy.

Bai Sheng was clearly restless, and he looked up at the competition venue.

He always wanted this pup to grow up and be independent, but actually letting go even a little—especially at a time like this—was hardest on Bai Sheng.

The pups' team competition lasted just over an hour, with each pup getting about ten minutes. Teams were ranked by how many questions they answered correctly within the time limit.

Bai Sheng had seen his pup's memory in action, so he wasn't worried. He just waited for his kid to finish and come out.

Bai Jin showed up midway. He had class today, but he'd timed it perfectly, holding a bag from the strawberry smoothie shop at the gate of Sheng'ang University—the one the little guy loved the most.

The team round ended, and each venue was double-checking scores while giving the pups a break to get ready for the afternoon's individual competition. Unlike the warm-up team round, the individual round was harder and meant more—it was often where little geniuses really showed what they had.

The pups came running out chattering up a storm, and the staff watching over these little monkeys finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

Bai Sheng had just looked up when he saw his pup bouncing over, eyes sparkling, clearly having done great, running toward him—way faster than his brothers—and calling out sweetly.

"Daddy!"

The parents nearby, who were struggling to wrangle their own little monkeys, couldn't help but glance over.

Then they watched as the little pup obediently threw himself into his dad's arms—threw, not crashed!

Quite a few parents, especially those with little Alpha pups at home, couldn't help but crane their necks—Is this pup normal? Something's off. Let me look again.

Bai Sheng crouched down, letting the little one tumble into his arms, catching him fully.

Then Xiaobai Nuo looked up from his dad's arms, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. "Daddy, Nuo answered really fast."

Nuo's a smart baby!

The little one proudly snuggled up to his dad, telling him all about the competition.

Then Xiaobai Nuo heard a familiar throat-clearing sound beside him.

The little one looked up curiously and saw his uncle grinning with a mouthful of white teeth, chuckling. "You ran out and didn't even notice your uncle."

Xiaobai Nuo blinked, thought for a moment, then went "mm" and hugged his dad's neck tighter—ignoring his uncle.

Better not give uncle a chance to tease Nuo again.

Bai Jin: ?

Hey!

Bai Jin held up the bag in his hand.

"Look what uncle brought you."

The little one finally looked over again, eyes lighting up, raising his little hand high.

"Uncle!"

So it's uncle when there's strawberry smoothie, and ignored when there isn't, huh?

Fine.

Bai Jin crouched down, deliberately swishing the strawberry smoothie around. "Beg uncle, and uncle will give it to you."

Xiaobai Nuo hesitated for a moment, looking at his uncle, then at the strawberry smoothie, then at his dad.

He chose—to call his dad.

"Daddy, Daddy."

Xiaobai Nuo tugged at his dad's hand, looking up to meet his eyes, the summoning-type cub starting to call for help.

Bai Sheng let the little one pull his hand over and cooperatively said, "Mm, hand it over."

Bai Jin had been trained by Bai Sheng a lot lately, and at those words, he reflexively handed the bag to Bai Sheng before realizing... wait.

No!

He watched the little cub cheer and take the smoothie from Bai Sheng's hand, and laughed in exasperation.

"You're using the fox's authority to scare the tiger!"

"It's Nuo using Daddy's authority—Daddy is the strongest!" In Nuo's heart, his dad could do anything. He said it softly, then held the smoothie and looked around to make sure his uncle wouldn't tease him, before turning to hug Bai Jin's neck, looking up with big sparkling eyes at his uncle. "Thank you, uncle."

Bai Jin, who loved to tease the cub but also couldn't handle him at all: ...

"Cough, your uncle just grabbed it on the way."

Then Bai Jin paused—wait, no, what exactly is my image in your mind anyway?