Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Teacher Xiaoxue, who'd been worried the little guy might've gotten hurt or started crying from the fall: ...

*Pfft.*

Is this a side effect of learning those idioms earlier?

Where's he getting all these funny phrases from?

Yu Chuyan was caught off guard for a second, then burst out laughing. He reached out, pulled Xiaobai Nuo up, and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"Nono, you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Xiaobai Nuo set the radish leaves aside for now, brushed the stray hairs the wind had blown onto his forehead, and shook his head.

Xie Qing spoke up: "Little brother, did you get hurt? I'm sorry."

Xie Yue followed: "We dug the hole too big. Sorry about that."

Xiaobai Nuo was brushing dust off himself too. When he heard that, he went "ah?" and looked over, his eyes instantly curving into a smile. He didn't look like he was about to cry at all.

He waved his little hand dismissively.

"It's okay, Nono didn't get hurt."

Xiaobai Nuo turned, grabbed the radish leaves again, and gave a hard tug, yanking the radish out in one go.

The mountain radish was pretty big—Xiaobai Nuo had to use both hands just to hold it, but he hoisted it up high, eyes sparkling as he looked around: "I pulled it out! Brother Xiao Yan, come help Nono put it in that little basket over there."

Xiaobai Nuo pulled Yu Chuyan along as they walked over.

And just like that, the whole thing blew over.

"Live chat comments"

'Strike east, hit Nuo—woohoo, I'm melting into a puddle. How can such an adorable kid exist?'

'Strike east... hit Nuo... hahahaha, and he even acted it out. I'm dying of laughter.'

'Those two little imps are a bit mischievous, but they're clearly well brought up. They must come from a solid, loving family. It's so nice to see the little ones back home growing up healthy. It warms my heart.'

'What kind of little angel is this Sweet Pea? The teacher was about to go over to comfort him, but he just got up without crying or fussing. If it were my kid, they'd be wailing on the floor and wouldn't get up without at least two ice creams! Who's raising this little sweet pea?'

'Who's raising this little sweet pea?!'

'Same here!'

'They really let Sweet Pea enjoy the harvest too, hahaha. I can't take it—everything I look at is adorable. How is everything this cute? Let me jump in and be in an episode! I want to be travel buddies with the babies.'

'I'm completely melted. How can there be such cute and resilient little kids? What kind of family raises such a precious little one? It feels like they can face anything head-on. So wonderful.'

Meanwhile, Xiaobai Nuo had just put the radish into the little basket.

He heard something rustling.

Xiaobai Nuo was pretty sensitive to sounds around him, especially noises from leaves and rubble.

He instinctively looked over and saw a palm-sized squirrel with stripes on its back hopping onto the wooden fence nearby. The fluffy little squirrel's tail flicked up and down, its long ears on top of its head twitching. It didn't seem particularly scared of people, peeking its head out to look in their direction.

Xiaobai Nuo blinked, then tugged on Yu Chuyan's sleeve.

His little voice was excited: "Brother Xiao Yan, is that a little squirrel?!"

Huh?

Yu Chuyan looked over.

"Yeah, I think so?"

Xiaobai Nuo had never seen a real squirrel before, and honestly, neither had Yu Chuyan.

But the kids had all seen documentaries and pictures—there were even squirrels on the literacy posters they'd used before.

The two little ones curiously leaned closer.

"Wanna go check it out?"

Yu Chuyan tilted his head to look at Xiaobai Nuo and asked.

Bai Nuo's cheeks were soft and round. After spotting the squirrel, he froze, staring at it without blinking. His mouth hung slightly open, like he was afraid to close it even after he'd stopped talking.

Yu Chuyan: ...

So soft. He wants to poke it so bad.

Yu Chuyan couldn't resist in the end. When no one was looking, he reached out and poked the little one's cheek.

Bai Nuo snapped out of it, turned to look at Yu Chuyan, and blinked again.

The little guy didn't think anything of it—he just assumed Yu Chuyan was calling him.

But his little voice was clearly excited: "Then let's go see!"

The two little ones walked hand in hand to the fence. Xiaobai Nuo peeked his little head over to look.

"Little squirrel, aww, so cute!"

Just as fluffy as Anu is.

"Oh, you spotted it?"

A staff member managing the vegetable patch happened to pass by and smiled as they looked over.

"This area is a maple forest. There's a mountain over there with all kinds of trees, and little animals often come around here—like squirrels and such. We occasionally provide them with some food too, since winter's coming. We let them stock up on food so they'll come back next year. That's why the squirrels here aren't too scared of people."

Behind them, Xie Qing and Xie Yue had finally resolved their little competition. Xie Qing held his radish up high over his head with his chest puffed out like a victorious general, then placed it into the little basket.

Xie Yue gritted his teeth behind him, looking pretty annoyed.

The two little ones came over too: "What are you looking at?"

"A little squirrel. So cute."

Xiaobai Nuo's eyes curved into a smile as he pointed it out to Xie Qing and Xie Yue.

The little squirrel didn't seem to have ever seen so many kids before. Especially when the group of little ones picked up their shovels and started digging—whether or not they were near the radishes—under the teachers' watch. Each one dug with increasing enthusiasm, as if they had endless energy, kicking up dust everywhere. Though it wasn't scared of people, it froze in place, as if it had short-circuited, with only its ears and tail twitching occasionally.

"Oh, a little squirrel."

Xie Yue tilted his head and asked curiously.

"Can we feed them?"

"There's a dedicated food bowl down below. It's best not to hand-feed them directly. They're wild animals, after all. The scenic area only feeds them occasionally around this time of year. Of course, we don't dare give them too much either. Squirrels have no bottom line when it comes to hoarding food, so it can easily spoil. They'll also steal the bird feed, so we have to find other ways to keep them out. So no need to worry about them going hungry."

The staff member went on.

Little Bai Nuo nodded.

He shuffled a little closer.

His big eyes stared without blinking, but then, all of a sudden, the little guy stopped in his tracks.

Before anyone could react, the quick little cub spun around, darted back into the crowd, and hid behind Yu Chuyan in an instant.

"Bro, bro, a bug!"

His little baby voice was shaking, and he didn't dare peek out.

The temperature in the mountains wasn't high this time of year, so it wasn't really suitable for bugs to survive. Their numbers had dropped, but quite a few were still around.

It was just that Little Bai Nuo had never run into one before.

Until now.

The Three Little Ones heard "bug" and instinctively turned to look, one by one surrounding Little Bai Nuo in the middle.

Yu Chuyan saw a shiny black beetle flying toward them.

Yu Chuyan reached out to block it, but the adult nearby, seeing the scared cub, had already acted and grabbed the bug in one swift motion.

"It's okay, it's okay. This kind of beetle doesn't bite—it just looks a little scary. It's a really common bug in the mountains. I'll toss it far away."

The staff member said, holding the bug and carrying it off to a distance.

"It's gone now, okay?"

Yu Chuyan turned around and looked at Little Bai Nuo hiding behind him.

He met the gaze of the little cub peeking out from behind him.

Startled by the sudden eye contact, the little one hadn't fully recovered and asked in a tiny voice, "It's really gone?"

Xie Yue patted his chest: "Yeah, yeah, tossed it far away. Don't worry, I'm watching—it definitely won't fly back."

Xie Qing shot him a look, like he wanted to mock his overconfidence, but in the end, he spared his little brother some dignity.

"You scared Nuo Nuo."

Bai Nuo finally came out fully, patted his little chest, and then noticed the camera over there.

The cub paused for a second before speaking again.

"Just a tiny bit... okay, bugs are really scary."

The little guy seemed to want to act tough, but he couldn't fool himself—even the little curls on top of his head seemed to droop.

The adults around them all laughed.

"Alright, kids," a teacher spoke up, "we've pretty much finished picking our ingredients. Now let's put the food away, clean up a bit, and do some maple leaf rubbing art or something. After that, it's time to eat."

Little Bai Nuo's attention was diverted too.

Eating—Nuo Nuo likes to eat.

Meanwhile, in the comments:

'Sweet Pea charges forward bravely—failed.JPG'

'HAHAHAHA, I'm dying. A smooth little combo and he just hides behind his friends. So cute! So he's scared of bugs?'

'You can tell he's genuinely scared—his voice is literally shaking.'

'And these kids really have such a good relationship, right? They all know Sweet Pea is scared of bugs and surrounded him in an instant. Sweet sweet sweet. Childhood best friends bond is the best. My heart is so soft!'

Meanwhile, in front of the screen, Bai Sheng and Xie Yu—who had had their work interrupted by the livestream multiple times and had decided to set aside their documents for now—were watching intently.

Seeing the comments praising their family's upbringing, Xie Yu's grin was practically stretching to the back of his head. That was until he saw Little Bai Nuo scared of bugs, trying to act tough but failing to convince himself in that adorable cowardly way. He laughed and instinctively glanced at Bai Sheng.

Apart from their different personalities, everything that's quintessentially Bai family is in that little cub.

Bai Sheng, who was also scared of bugs: ...

Xie Yu paused, quickly trying to change the subject and wave the white flag.

But it was too late.

"He's even more scared at home. He'll get chased by butterflies and come running all the way over to grab my leg, begging me to hold him."

Do you have a kid like that?

Xie Yu: ...

Xie Yu wanted to smack himself in the head.

Why do you have to go and provoke him for no reason?

Do you have to wait until he finds a chance to show off right in your face before you're satisfied?

Bai Sheng picked up the documents next to him.

He lounged back against the sofa, setting the files aside.

"Let's talk about this instead. I'm asking for a three-point bump."

Xie Yu: ?

"Based on what?"

Xie Yu asked instinctively. He was the one who bravely challenged authority, the seal-breaker and victim of the two little demons at home, who never learned his lesson and kept getting shown up by Bai Sheng.

"Because I'm not too happy right now."

Bai Sheng gave a smile.

Xie Yu: *&%#!

Still, Bai Sheng glanced over at Little Bai Nuo, who was hopping around happily, following the other kids to pick leaves for the rubbing art.

Bai Sheng narrowed his eyes. Though his expression stayed as sharp and acerbic as ever, the softness in his eyes was plain to see.

Just like Bai Sheng bragged about every single day.

Without him even realizing it, this little cub had long since become the most important, most cherished presence in his life.

And Bai Sheng, who had always considered himself low on empathy, found that when he saw certain news stories now, he could truly understand why so many parents would give up their own lives to protect their kids. After raising a cub, he couldn't stand to look at those news reports anymore, and the whole company—Shengxi, which had always been cold and hard-nosed—started to shift subtly because of it.

But kids always have to grow up. Bai Sheng was reluctant to let go, yet all he wanted was for his cub to leave the past behind and grow up like any ordinary kid in the future.

Looking at it now, that way of thinking was indeed right.

Some stuff in books sounds like a bunch of big principles, but you really gotta put 'em into practice to see how deep they go.

"By the way, your whole family's watching, right? My in-laws even invited the neighbors... damn, so everyone's seeing my two little brats in action?"

Xie Yu stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was off, and said in shock.

Bai Sheng didn't say anything. He got up, poured a glass of water, and took a sip.

Everyone watching?

Bai Sheng genuinely didn't know.

The Bai family didn't exactly share updates about that kind of stuff. The only ones were Cen Zhi and Cen Liu, who were going "aww" and "so cute" nonstop in the comments, one after another.

Those two really were cut from the same cloth—among the few members of the Bai family who were actually a bit rowdy.

But even though he wasn't sure, Bai Sheng figured they were probably all watching.

Because there were "kidnappers" everywhere.

A comment flashed across the screen: "AHHHHH!!! Cute baby, let auntie give you kisses!! Auntie's rainbow bag is ready—are you hopping in, or am I scooping you up?!"

Because the comment was long, it zipped past Bai Sheng's screen in an instant.

Bai Sheng: ...

Oh, look, now there were plenty of online "kidnappers" too.

...

Sure enough, the actual situation was pretty much what Bai Sheng had imagined.

Maybe even more over the top.

Bai Qian was going through paperwork at the company, his phone playing the livestream.

Bai Liang was in the lab today doing experiments, plus analyzing the unknown drug sample they'd gotten earlier from The Saviors Organization.

A glass wall split the lab in half, and on the other side, a big screen was playing the livestream.

Bai Qi was also at the company. The usually busiest person was now actually lounging on the sofa, resting—a rare sight. Her phone was lying face-down on the couch next to her. Bai Qi had her eyes closed, looking tired, but when she heard the livestream audio, she opened her eyes, glanced at her phone, and finally flipped it over, watching quietly with her eyes lowered.

Bai Jin went without saying—he had classes today and tons of work, so he could only sneak peeks when he had a chance.

And at Bai Jingyun's company, Bai Jingyun was the first to cave.

Not only was he openly watching in his office, his employees were all holding their phones, blatantly slacking off too.

They were even scheming in their group chat about how to get the boss to bring the little guy to the office next time.

Or maybe they should try getting in good with Shengxi?

In any case, Bai Jingyun's assistant squinted, hesitantly sent a message to Tao Fei.

The next second, she shot up.

"That Tao lady actually blocked me?!"

"What?!"

"Fight back!"

"Steal her little prince."

"Don't think we can win that one?"

"...Then how about we get the boss to try harder?"

"He'd probably need rocket fuel for that."

But then—

One after another, they craned their necks, peeking toward Bai Jingyun's office.

Hoping.

Boss, you've gotta make it happen.

Not to mention Cen Zhi and Cen Liu—Cen Zhi had simply followed Cen Liu to the company, keeping an eye on any hate comments on the platform.

And then there was the Bai family's main estate.

The old man had been watching the whole time. Bai Wan had stepped away midway to take care of his own stuff, but the livestream on his phone never paused.

As for Bai Zhize, he went about his day like usual. When he finally looked up from his work, it was almost time to eat.

Today, the family chef was making stuff like lion's head meatballs.

The menu was right there next to Bai Zhize.

He glanced at it a few times, then couldn't resist pulling out his phone.

He muttered under his breath, but his fingers were already typing away on the app.

But since he hadn't seen where Bai Wan had entered from, it took him over ten minutes to finally find the livestream.

"Let me see what all the hype is about."

Bai Zhize muttered, squinting at the livestream like he was trying to burn holes through the screen to figure out what was up with Bai Nuo.

Bai Zhize thought like a typical Bai family member, just like the old man had.

Since pheromones and territorial instincts make us fight, only the strongest can sit at the top and run everything.

Bai Zhize had only interacted with Bai Nuo a few times, and they'd only actually talked once.

So Bai Zhize couldn't quite get it—this soft little puffball, just because he was an omega cub, got the whole Bai family's love?

This shouldn't be happening.

Although the Bai Family had never produced an omega cub before, the Bai family members were pretty self-absorbed, and nobody had ever mentioned wanting an omega pup.

Until this cub appeared.

Bai Zhize's old way of thinking got flipped upside down in an extremely short amount of time. Even though he'd scoffed at the idea, Bai Zhize couldn't help getting seriously curious.

Moreover, he also wanted to know how that little cub could so earnestly insist to him—that his grandfather was a smart man.

No need to worry about Bai Qian at all; thinking you're the smartest was just normal.

Bai Zhize held this thought, with a barely noticeable hint of annoyance.

Oh, so there's a little thing that can speak up for his big brother, huh?

Bai Zhize looked down, squinting slightly.

He happened to catch the words scrolling by in the bullet comments.

Bai Zhize: ?

"Sweet Pea... what is that?"

Isn't this the livestream of the kids' fall trip? Are they handing out snacks too?

At the same time.

The little kids were doing leaf print art.

Bai Nuo had already received the leaves and tools.

Yu Chuyan also brought over the paper.

The maple leaves here weren't the ones the kids had collected; they were soft, moist, freshly pruned leaves that had been washed, dried, and placed here, prepared by the staff.

Bai Nuo had never made this kind of art before.

He watched the guide show how it's done—paint the leaf, pat it evenly with a sponge, then press paper on top. A bright red maple leaf with its veins showed up on the paper.

"Wow!"

The little cub's eyes widened, instinctively gasping in awe, giving all the hype.

The guide couldn't help but smile a little.

Her voice got even more sugary as she kept talking to the kids around her and the viewers outside the screen.

"Maple leaf print art has been around here for a hundred years. There are tons of great pieces in the gallery hallway outside. If you're interested, you kids can go check it out for some inspiration. And for the folks watching at home, jot this down—it's open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and weekends, and they provide trimmed maple leaves for everyone to use. There are lots of options, great for family fun. Welcome to visit."

After the demo, the little kids gathered around the big, low round table just like in preschool.

Bai Nuo held the leaf and painted colors on it.

He wanted it to look realistic, so he used deep red and orange-red shades. To blend it naturally, the little guy, without anyone teaching him, put on a thin layer, patted it with the sponge, then added another layer and patted again.

A staff member glanced over, impressed—such a tiny kid knew how to blend colors.

Yu Chuyan just used one color, so he finished his fast. Watching Little Bai Nuo work so carefully, and seeing the little guy be amazed at how quick he was, Yu Chuyan coughed, trying to keep a straight face, but his eyebrows were practically doing a happy dance. He stuck by Little Bai Nuo's side, passing him brushes dipped in different colors.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xie Yue had been messing with the paint and tools. When he started his piece, he wasn't paying attention, and the painted leaf ended up smacked onto the back of his hand.

Xie Yue froze for a second, staring at the pattern stamped on his hand. Next to him, Xie Qing was already cracking up.

Xie Yue: ...

Xie Yue whipped his head around and, faster than lightning, slapped his still-wet painted hand right onto his brother's face. The laughter cut off instantly, replaced by Xie Yue's smug grin.

"Haha!"

Xie Qing: ...

Xie Qing let go, watching the leaf slowly peel away.

When the leaf dropped, the two kids, both with leaf prints on their faces, just stared at each other.

Good thing they used non-toxic paint; otherwise, they wouldn't let these kids go wild like this.

Seeing the two kids about to brawl again, Teacher Xingxing let out a "whoop" and hurried over to keep the peace.

But the Xie brothers were getting a little too rowdy. Yu Chuyan frowned, noticing Bai Nuo had finished painting. He turned, grabbed each of them by the scruff with one hand, and smoothly pulled them apart—Yu Chuyan had done this often before. After all, Xie Qing and Xie Yue could never get one over on Yu Chuyan—they couldn't beat him in a fight, couldn't outsmart him, and any pranks would just backfire. Yu Chuyan had zero guilt about roughing them up, and in the end, they'd obediently call him Brother Yan.

Yu Chuyan said, "Fight later. Nono's still pressing his."

Little Bai Nuo was focused, carefully laying the paper over it.

Then the tiny kid stood up, pressed down softly, and after a moment, lifted the paper off. Seeing the leaf shape and veins clearly on the paper, with colors blending like a real leaf, his eyes lit up.

"So pretty!"

Little Bai Nuo held up his artwork, showing it to his big brothers, then turned to Teacher Xiaoxue. He pointed out the window.

"Autumn."

Then he pointed at his painting.

"Teacher Xiaoxue, this is autumn. Nono pressed autumn into this."

This was Little Bai Nuo's first colorful autumn.

It was bright and gorgeous—the colors of mountains blanketed in layers of leaves.

It was autumn, in these colors.

So pretty.

Another season was now truly etched into the little kid's memory.

His voice was so soft and gentle, and his words were so simple and direct.

The adults around all had their expressions soften.

"Yes, it's autumn. Nono did a beautiful job. Later, the teacher will get you a small frame to mount it, okay?"

Teacher Xiaoxue said, then looked at the cubs around her.

"Of course, if any other kids finish theirs, come to the teacher to pick a small frame and choose one yourself."

It was actually similar to kindergarten—when they got something new, these cubs had to try everything before settling down. They were mischievous and adorable, but sometimes a bit of a handful.

Right now, a bunch of the kids looked like they'd rolled around in a pile of paint, and just a moment ago, one of them had tried to shove paint into their mouth and got stopped just in time, because the milky white paint looked like cream.

Compared to the kids around him, Xiaobai Nuo, whose only mess was a dirty apron, was already a very clean little one.

Xiaobai Nuo nodded and carefully picked up his painting.

"Do you want the teacher to help you?"

Teacher Xiaoxue bent down with a smile and asked.

Xiaobai Nuo shook his head, his little curls bouncing, and smiled shyly and sweetly, eyes cast down.

"No need, teacher. Nono wants to capture this autumn all by himself—then show it to Daddy."

This beautiful, beautiful autumn here, he wanted Daddy to see it too.