Chapter 140

Chapter 140

And Bai Sheng, acting like the total scoundrel that he was, had already fallen asleep holding the little cub, not sparing a single thought for the anxious man still waiting back in Fei City.

Early the following morning.

Xiaobai Nuo opened his eyes first, as was his habit. The little one pushed himself up, sniffed at his father, and only after confirming that the smell of blood on Dad hadn't gotten worse did he let out a soft sigh.

Then, just as Xiaobai Nuo was sighing with all the seriousness of a little adult, a hand reached out and gently drew him in, and his little head plopped straight into his father's embrace.

Bai Sheng slowly opened his eyes. "What are you looking at? Kids always waking up this early—what's the plan?"

Like a man holding down a cat that won't get under the blanket, Bai Sheng used one hand to pin the little cub to his chest, not letting him get up, looking every bit the villain.

But Xiaobai Nuo, fully rested, still managed to lift his head.

His little curls, already tousled from sleep, looked even messier now. His big round eyes were wide open, looking a bit nervous.

"Daddy, the wound, the wound—Nono didn't touch it, did he?"

"No."

Bai Sheng yawned too, mumbling sleepily.

"Then Nono will go play in the yard for a bit, and come get Daddy for breakfast later."

The little cub whispered softly into his father's ear.

"Go ahead."

This kid just didn't have the habit of sleeping in. Bai Sheng let go, half-closing his eyes as he watched Bai Nuo climb down from the bed, then go to the charging station to get Dou Dou. He carried Dou Dou out the door before putting him down, then quietly closed the door behind him.

Bai Sheng closed his eyes again, but soon opened them. He'd have to take Xiaobai Nuo to kindergarten later, and he'd go to the office afterward. Too lazy to call Xu Chuan over, he figured he'd just re-dress his wound in the meantime.

But halfway through bandaging it, the door was pushed open. The little cub came in with Dou Dou, holding out a bright golden osmanthus flower. When he saw his father was awake, he said, "Daddy, Daddy, Grandma Feng said the osmanthus flowers are blooming, they smell so good! Daddy, smell it."

Then Bai Nuo caught sight of the long wound on Bai Sheng's shoulder. Of course, given how small he was, he couldn't see it clearly, but just seeing the wound made him go still. The osmanthus flower in his hand drooped slightly, and his eyes began to well up again.

Bai Sheng: …

Bai Sheng quickly finished bandaging the wound and went over to him. He had absolutely no way to deal with this little cub.

He took the little one to get washed up.

When Cen Zhi and Bai Qian came over to see how things were, they saw Bai Sheng sitting in his spot, one hand steadying the little cub who was standing on a chair.

The little cub was busy—blowing on the porridge to cool it down, reaching out to hand breakfast to his father, then sitting down and cracking eggs with quick little taps, while also managing to take a bite of his own breakfast.

When he saw Cen Zhi come in, the little cub's eyes lit up. "Grandma."

Then he saw Grandpa coming in behind her and called out, "Grandpa! Good morning!"

Bai Sheng, who had been basking in his cub's attentive service, looking thoroughly pleased with himself, turned to look.

Bai Sheng: …

Cen Zhi: …

Bai Qian: …

Cen Zhi: You despot!!

How dare you boss the 'little crown prince' around like this?!

Even your mother hasn't gotten this treatment!

But with Nono right there, Cen Zhi swallowed those words.

With Bai Sheng taking the little one to kindergarten, Grandpa didn't need to go either.

Bai Qian stood behind Cen Zhi, silent but looking quite put out.

As the little one went with Aunt Feng to get his backpack.

Cen Zhi shot Bai Sheng a glance.

"What, did you turn into a cripple?"

"Just a small injury. Couldn't hide it."

Bai Sheng sighed.

Cen Zhi wasn't worried about Bai Sheng's injury—after all, looking at how lively he was, with a better complexion than his father's, it was clear the problem wasn't serious.

As for not being able to hide it, that was nothing new. The Bai family were all clever people; generally, if you wanted to hide something, you could—unless the person you were hiding it from happened to be Nono. So Cen Zhi didn't pry into why exactly it hadn't been hidden.

Mainly, she was afraid a 'knife' might come her way. She couldn't take that.

Cen Zhi stared at him for a long moment, then asked out of nowhere, "Enjoying it?"

Being waited on like this by your own cub—enjoying it?

Bai Sheng was the first to get this kind of treatment.

Was he enjoying it?

Bai Sheng raised his eyes.

Honestly, it probably was enjoyable—the kind you could show off to everyone.

But then again.

"Better not to."

Bai Sheng let out a breath and turned to look at the door, waiting for the little one to come back. He spoke almost in defeat.

"I won't do it again."

Don't cry for Daddy anymore. Daddy really can't handle it.

Cen Zhi took a moment to process that, then suddenly laughed.

"Your father was right. Your temper really has improved a lot lately."

Bai Sheng let out a lazy "ha." People with bad tempers never think they have one. He looked up and locked eyes with Bai Qian.

Bai Qian: "Since you're injured, why not rest at home for a bit? You need to balance work and rest."

That clearly wasn't something the current patriarch would say. Sure enough, Bai Qian's next sentence came right after.

"I'll take him to school instead."

Dad's a no-go, but Grandpa works.

Bai Sheng: ...

Bai Sheng flashed a 'polite' smile.

"No need."

He watched the little one walk over from the door with his little backpack on, and Bai Sheng stood up.

"Go handle your business. By the way, leaving Third Uncle hanging out over there—aren't you scared he'll make a run for it?"

Bai Sheng glanced at Bai Qian.

Bai Zhize?

Bai Qian mulled it over, then answered, dead serious.

"He's probably itching to bolt."

Though how he plans to pull that off is anyone's guess.

"But from what your mom said, Bai Wan's easy enough to deal with, so he probably won't mess with Nono."

Because of that, Bai Qian gradually let his guard down around Bai Zhize, but he still had to keep an eye on him—you should never underestimate any Bai Family member, even his hot-headed younger brother.

That said, Bai Wan came off quiet, but he had a seriously dangerous vibe. He just quietly watched his dad throw a fit, trying to shove all kinds of 'high-class' crap into his hands.

Bai Qian clicked his tongue, still scratching his head over what kind of duo his brother and that kid of his made.

...

Around the time Bai Sheng was dropping Xiaobai Nuo off at kindergarten, over at the neighboring Bai family villa, Bai Zhize had gotten a distant look at Xiaobai Nuo earlier that day. He hadn't gotten close, but it only confirmed that the kid was just a cute, chatty little cub, so he headed back inside. He'd planned to leave that afternoon, but then Bai Wan, who'd been gone for ages, came back and dropped this bombshell.

Bai Zhize sat at the table, blowing on his congee with preserved egg and lean pork, a sour look on his face.

"Bai Sheng came back early?"

"Based on the records, Uncle and Aunt left together, with Bai Jingyun and Bai Jin right on their heels. Bai Qi comes by a lot, but she usually doesn't crash at the old Bai place. Bai Liang's still not back. And since Bai Nuo's got kindergarten today, that means Bai Sheng must've come back yesterday."

Bai Wan sat nearby, his voice still flat and robotic.

"The odds of getting out before the Bai family catches on have dropped."

"Can't a servant just take the little brat to school?"

It's just preschool—do they really have to walk him there themselves?

Bai Wan blinked, then disapprovingly said, "Parents are supposed to make sure their cubs are safe. Unlike the old free-range days of schooling, there's way more traffic and chaos now, and there've been cases of kids getting snatched before. Obviously, sending a servant to take him is unsafe and just doesn't make sense. According to the data, accidents from careless guardians during school commutes account for as many as..."

"Wait, wait a second!"

Bai Zhize slapped the table, staring at Bai Wan like he'd lost his mind.

"Why are you getting so worked up? He's not our kid—why do you give a damn if he's safe?"

Bai Wan: ...

Bai Wan opened his mouth, about to point out that the kid's got the Bai surname, and so does Dad, but he held his tongue.

He only added one more line.

"Border checks in the Z Federation have been tightened recently. It's also tough to get out through those unregistered private airstrips. The odds of a clean getaway have dropped, and the chance of getting caught just spiked. Should we still run the plan tonight?"

Bai Zhize: ...

"We'd get caught?"

"Eighty-seven percent. But even if we get spotted, we'd already be out of Z territory."

Bai Wan said.

"And then?"

Bai Zhize gave a smile.

"Based on last time, we'd get found and dragged back pretty fast."

Bai Wan locked eyes with Bai Zhize.

Bai Zhize: ...

"Then what the hell's the point of running?!"

Bai Wan: "Per the request, as long as we get away, that's mission accomplished. The order stands."

You only said to run, nothing else.

"Use some damn common sense, will you?!" Bai Zhize shot up in a rage, grabbing Bai Wan by the collar. He even took a second to shove his congee bowl out of the way so it wouldn't spill. "What happens after we run? We get caught again? Why is it always tied to that little brat?"

Last time, Bai Nuo dug up Bai Jingyun's mess and dragged me into it by accident. He'd just wanted to stir up some trouble for his eldest nephew, but somehow he ended up taking the fall. This time, he was all ready to bolt, and then Bai Sheng shows up and the borders tighten? Who's gonna buy that's a coincidence?

Talk about a walking jinx.

"We could always just off ourselves in front of them first."

This time, we'll definitely beat getting caught.

Bai Zhize: ... I'd rather not go meet Second Brother this early.

"Go eat your damn soup dumplings!"

"Oh."

Bai Wan responded, stuffing a soup dumpling into his mouth.

He was still thinking about how he'd go 'pick' the next green pepper later, then bring snacks to find the cat...

"Put this matter on hold for now. Find another suitable chaotic moment, keep in touch with those outsiders. Didn't someone say earlier they'd send us a big gift we'd like? Dangle the line and see what's going on..." Don't let us end up taking the blame again.

And a big gift? What kind of big gift could it be?

Could these people possibly dig up my brother, who's already underground, to show me? Ha, that's practically a horror movie.

Bai Zhize muttered quietly, then looked up at Bai Wan, whose face was expressionless with puffed cheeks. He hesitated for a moment.

What the heck?

The second he heard they weren't leaving yet, why did this guy look so happy?

Hey, you do remember you're being watched here, right?!

Don't get so comfortable so fast!! Don't go shoving weird stuff into your 'database,' alright?!

Little Bai Nuo's dad had already dropped him off at kindergarten.

The morning drawing class flew by. After lunch and naptime, the four little ones had their snacks and played around in the play area for a bit. Lucky for them, they found some pretty little stones that fit together and could even draw white lines on the ground. To the kids, these were awesome treasures. Some kids, when they found stones they liked, would take them home and stash them in their secret base—though they might not realize they'd done that until they were all grown up.

Barring any surprises, the four little ones would take these four fitting stones home and keep them.

Each of the four grabbed a stone, scribbling and drawing on the ground while huddled together and chattering away.

Bai Nuo drew a cat on the ground, picturing Anu in his head, and told his friends about it. Then he paused his 'masterpiece' and raised his hand to gesture seriously.

"The lever on the carousel is a magic wand! The second Nono makes a wish for Daddy to come home, Daddy comes home right away—it's so magical!"

Little Bai Nuo's voice was all soft and babyish, and the two kindergarten teachers watching from nearby smiled warmly.

Yu Chuyan, squatting next to Little Bai Nuo, had the same look on his face as the two teachers. He turned his head to watch, keeping a cool 'Little Cool Guy' face, but his eyes were sparkling.

Xie Yue was the first to react, holding his stone up high.

"That's so cool! So when are we gonna go play on it? I wanna wish for Mom to give me a whole box of chocolate."

"Then I guess I'll reluctantly make a wish for my brother."

Yu Chuyan gave a cool little snort, propping his hand on his still-chubby cheek.

"The strawberries he planted died, but he accidentally sprouted a lettuce root in water, so I'll wish for that veggie to live a few more days."

Otherwise, watching Yu Chen mope around all the time was kinda pitiful. He swore he hadn't tried to help his brother take care of those green plants lately.

But those green plants were just dying even faster.

"The strawberries... died?!"

Little Bai Nuo whipped around in shock, saying it in disbelief, then cupped his face—totally not noticing the gray fingerprint smudges on his cheeks.

"Strawberries... that's so sad."

Yu Chuyan nodded in agreement: "Yeah, strawberries... so sad."

Xie Qing, on the other hand, was thinking for a moment.

He looked kinda serious right now.

But his own brother knew exactly what he was really like.

Xie Yue said sharply: "Bro, what did you do?"

Xie Qing thought for a bit, then let out a soft sigh.

"Chenpi tastes bad."

Huh?

All three little ones looked at Xie Qing at the same time, a bit confused.

Mostly because Little Bai Nuo had no idea what chenpi was.

Then they saw Xie Qing clap his hands together, pressing his palms in a super serious, prayer-like gesture: "I hope Dad doesn't find out too soon that I swapped his chenpi with the orange peel I dried myself."

Xie Yue: "???"

"When did that happen?! How come I didn't know?!"

Xie Yue jumped up, trying to call out this 'selfish' brother of his.

It didn't matter if the chenpi tasted bad—the problem was you couldn't just hog it all yourself!

Xie Qing stepped back, holding off his strong but clueless brother with one hand.

"You were sleeping like a little pig that afternoon—how's that my fault? Take a good look at yourself!"

"You're the pig! Your whole family's... wait, no!"

The Xie twins immediately started wrestling around again.

Little Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan were totally used to it.

Little Bai Nuo turned to Yu Chuyan, looking curious.

"Brother Xiao Yan, what's chenpi?"

Yu Chuyan rested his chin on his hand.

"It's made from a special kind of orange—you peel it and dry it in the sun. Adults say the older it is, the more valuable it gets."

Oranges? Those are sour.

Little Bai Nuo still had a thing about oranges being sour.

But now even orange peel was edible?

"Isn't orange peel, like, bitter?"

The little guy blinked and whispered to Brother Xiao Yan.

"Yeah, it's bitter, and super astringent too."

Yu Chuyan said the same.

Oh, okay.

Little Bai Nuo nodded.

"Adults have such weird tastes."

Nono didn't understand.

"Anyway, it has to be dried under really strong sun, and the fruit inside is super sour. Grandpa likes it—he took me to see a processing factory once."

Yu Chuyan, seeing that the little guy had never heard of chenpi before, reached out to gesture, and the little stone in his hand accidentally slipped out as he moved.

Yu Chuyan turned around, watching the little stone bounce twice on the ground before dropping into the small opening of the sewer grate nearby.

Yu Chuyan: ...

Xiaobai Nuo: ...

The stone that could be assembled from four pieces was now missing one.

If it were any other kid, they'd probably be throwing a fit right about now.

But Yu Chuyan just looked at the fallen stone, then at the one in the little guy's hand.

I can't piece it together with Nuo Nuo's anymore. I was going to take it home and keep it safe.

Yu Chuyan felt a little disappointed, but he quickly acted like nothing was wrong and turned back around to keep talking.

Xiaobai Nuo, however, thought for a moment and stood up.

The little kid was all dusty again from playing today. He'd played with plenty of other kids today, but during afternoon playtime, he still liked playing with his older brothers.

Xiaobai Nuo trotted over to the sewer grate while Yu Chuyan watched, a bit confused, and dropped his own little stone in too.

Then Xiaobai Nuo brushed the dust off himself and turned to look at Yu Chuyan.

"Now they're together, so they won't be lonely anymore."

Yu Chuyan's eyes brightened a little. He followed the little guy, watching the hand he held out. The Little Cool Guy coughed lightly, took Xiaobai Nuo's hand, and couldn't help but give it a gentle swing or two.

"You didn't have to throw yours away."

Yu Chuyan didn't want Xiaobai Nuo to give something up for him or throw away something he liked.

That's what he said, anyway.

But he was so, so, so happy.

The little guy looked over, swinging their joined hands: "Hm? Nuo Nuo wanted to do this because we're good friends! We can't be lonely all alone. We can go find new pretty stones together."

Yu Chuyan: ...

He really loved Little Rice Cake!

Brother, sob, why can't he take Little Rice Cake home to keep?

Just as Yu Chuyan was thinking this, the Xie Family Twins, who'd been wrestling nearby, squeezed over and started talking at once.

"What?"

"Good friends?"

"Me too."

"Include me."

Yu Chuyan stumbled as the two "rolled" over and shoved him, sidestepping to shield Xiaobai Nuo, and glared at the Xie brothers: "What are you two doing, just barging in like that? You wanna fight?"

...

Soon it was time to go home. The little kids, like baby birds heading back to their nests, chattered and followed the teacher out.

Xiaobai Nuo threw himself into his dad's arms. Once picked up, he carefully avoided his dad's wound and told him about what happened today.

Bai Sheng listened and responded as he went, expertly wiping the little one's dusty face with baby wipes.

And back in the kindergarten, inside the visible drainage channel used only for draining rainwater or washing down during activities, four little stones that could be pieced together lay quietly.

That evening, at Ang City Airport.

The sky was completely dark.

Bai Liang got off the plane and rushed out.

He wore glasses, and there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.

He hadn't slept well last night—and not just because of that bastard Bai Sheng.

It was also because of the tip of the iceberg of related materials he'd seen.

Bai Liang had a vivid imagination, but yesterday he kind of hated it. He really didn't want to think about what Xiaobai Nuo had actually been through.

But forcing himself to read through it still paid off.

When the little kid was around two, it seemed like a turning point. Even though the materials were incomplete, he could see a shift in the experiments' direction from certain records, as if someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.

Bai Liang was sharp about these things, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Bai Liang walked out, glancing at his phone to check the message from his assistant.

Of course, that wasn't the main concern right now.

He'd be home in about an hour. Bai Sheng had passed the test easily—whether he could pass, that was another story.

After all, he had a "track record" of hiding things from the little one.

Bai Liang let out a low groan, feeling that bastard Bai Sheng hadn't done him any favors.

He'd told him not to hide things, not to hide things, but he wouldn't listen.

Bai Liang thought, his face still wearing a genial smile with an easygoing, helpless look.

But inwardly he was thinking: Maybe I'll find an excuse to pin this on Xiao Wu.

He already had a lot on his plate anyway; one more thing wouldn't make a difference.

What excuse could he use?

Just as Bai Liang was thinking, someone went to grab his luggage, and he walked out quickly with one hand in his pocket.

As for someone picking him up? Bai Liang wasn't expecting anyone.

After all, Bai Sheng was already home. At this hour, he was probably having dinner with Nuo Nuo and relaxing, right?

Until Bai Liang looked up, casually scanning the area outside the airport, and suddenly froze, then slowly turned his gaze.

It wasn't his imagination after all.

So he really did see that bastard Bai Sheng's face.

He wasn't holding Nono?

"Second Uncle!"

A familiar little baby voice came through, but Bai Liang didn't see the little guy.

Bai Sheng over there seemed to lower his head and say something, but it looked like he got turned down.

It was Assistant Li, trailing behind Bai Sheng, who hoisted the little guy up high so he could wave his tiny hand at him.

The little guy was a bit grubby, like he'd just come straight from kindergarten without even changing. He had bright, big eyes and called out cheerfully, "Second Uncle! Over here!"

Wait, what...?

Bai Liang froze for a second. He quickened his pace and walked over to the little guy.

"What are you doing here?"

The little guy was poking his head out to sniff at his second uncle. At the question, he let out a confused "Hmm?" He was being held up by Li Zhilin, and naturally reached out for his second uncle. Only after being passed over to him did he speak: "Why wouldn't I be here? Didn't Nono say I was coming to pick you up?"

The little guy blinked, meeting his second uncle's gaze.

Bai Liang: ...

"I thought..." you were only here to pick up Bai Sheng.

Bai Liang said quietly.

He held the little guy, getting a warning look from Bai Sheng, but he didn't put him down.

He listened as the little guy went on: "Thought what? When Nono said I'd pick someone up before, both Dad and Second Uncle were there. Dad went home, but Second Uncle hasn't yet."

His thinking was simple and straightforward—since Second Uncle was there when he said it, that meant he was telling both Dad and Second Uncle. So the little guy naturally came to pick up Bai Liang.

But for Bai Liang, even though he had been picked up by this little guy after work before, this situation was an entirely new experience.

And the little guy, done sniffing around, smiled with his eyes and spoke.

"Second Uncle, welcome back."

Bai Liang: ...

Bai Liang: .............

No matter if there'd be any payback later, at least for now.

"...Yeah, I'm back."