Chapter 153

Chapter 153

In the end, this farce concluded with Bai Jin finishing the castle and the little cub forgiving him.

Although the once-bottom-ranked eldest uncle protested, it was time for dinner, and the cub's heart was already lured away by the evening meal.

The eldest uncle could only reluctantly back off, waiting for the next opportunity.

As a rival locked in a fierce struggle with Bai Sheng for many years, Bai Jingyun, despite always having a cold face, was exceptionally good at seizing opportunities, exploiting weaknesses, and striking hard.

To this, Bai Jin had six points to give to this Lemon Immortal.

He just wanted this Lemon Immortal to stay far away from him now.

After dinner, Bai Nuo clutched his books and went to find his grandmother as usual—this was a routine evening activity for the little cub.

Bai Sheng didn't disturb the cub and continued flipping through materials.

Bai Jin sat aside, watching the little cub trot off to find his grandmother before turning to look at Bai Sheng.

The three brothers were the only ones left in the room.

Bai Qi had not returned, and Bai Liang had been constantly busy with matters related to the Saviors.

Without the cub around, the place suddenly grew very quiet.

"I say..."

Bai Jin slowly turned his head, giving a youthful, spirited laugh as he spoke.

"Compared to before, isn't your move a bit too slow? Or did they run abroad, and Third Brother can't do anything?"

Bai Sheng didn't lift his head, his tone somewhat cold.

"Making sarcastic remarks? Or itching for a fight?"

"Would I dare?"

Bai Jin shrugged and waved his hand.

"I haven't been causing you all much trouble lately, have I?"

Indeed, the dynamics within the Bai family had always been confrontational, maintaining only a superficial peace.

It was only after Xiaobai Nuo arrived that things subtly improved.

A year ago, the three brothers sitting quietly together like this would have been impossible.

Even now, they still annoyed each other, mostly tolerating each other through clenched teeth.

"You just spend your time messing with Nono."

Bai Jingyun sat on the other side and spoke coldly.

Bai Jin: ?

"What? Now that the cub is gone, I still get condemned?"

Bai Jin snorted: "Can't I be a little angry? But it looks like Second Brother is even angrier."

Bai Liang was still studying the stuff he got from the Saviors. Every time he ran into him at school, he thought his smile was especially creepy.

After all, he had directly faced the Saviors' malice toward that little cub.

But come to think of it, it made sense—being angry all day and unable to hit anyone, Bai Liang had never felt so humiliated.

Of course, the Bai family was the same.

Bai Jin let out a heavy breath. Though he seemed a bit carefree, his face darkened as he stood up.

He'd wait until there was news to speak.

"What news did you get?"

Bai Jingyun, who knew Bai Sheng better, tilted his head and asked.

"It's not a big deal. After all, if you dig deep enough, you'll always find something."

Bai Sheng raised his head.

"Bai Kun was connected to this organization when he was alive, and so was Bai Ye."

The two of them looked over.

Bai Jin paused, then asked instinctively, "Who's Bai Ye?"

Bai Jingyun glanced at him.

"Right, you were young back then."

Besides, even among the brothers, relationships weren't close, let alone with others.

So Bai Jin only asked that one question. After hearing the answer, he didn't bother asking more—he didn't really care about others anyway.

Bai Sheng was too lazy to explain further and simply stood up to go watch his cub listen to a story.

Leaving Bai Jin and Bai Jingyun alone together.

Then Bai Jin watched as Bai Jingyun drank the lemon water the cub had given him, casually chewing on a lemon slice, his gaze toward Bai Jin seeming slightly mocking.

Bai Jin: ...

"Just because that little thing fed you a lemon, you're that proud, huh?"

"It's just a lemon!"

"With enough mental preparation, I could do it too!"

Don't ask—it's the Bai family's competitive spirit.

So when Bai Nuo came bouncing out, holding Dou Dou in his arms, following his father, he saw his eldest uncle and little uncle locked in a 'Lemon Summit' duel.

The cub stopped.

The little cub stood there, holding Dou Dou, staring blankly at the scene before him.

Watching his oddly-tasting eldest uncle eat a lemon.

Watching his little uncle, who eats everything in sight, fight with his big uncle over a lemon.

The cub: !!

Bai Jin, whose face was scrunching up from the sourness: ...

Don't go adding weird stereotypes!!

As December rolled in, the weather in Ang City turned cold fast.

The little cubs were all geared up with hats, masks, scarves, and gloves. The social practice activity was about to get underway.

The activity was set for mid-December, and to keep things organized, the kindergarten handed out matching outfits.

The activity happened on the streets and in the small park near the kindergarten, right after the kids woke up from their nap.

The teachers split the kids into groups. The little cubs were supposed to find people to talk to on their own, trading the kindergarten's snacks for blessings from passersby. But that didn't mean the teachers didn't care about their safety.

Two weeks before the event, Canghua Kindergarten had filed a report with the Federal Police. Plenty of folks who'd heard about it came by just to join in. After all, the livestream from their trip to Maple Leaf Mountain Ancient Town had gotten pretty popular, with tons of clips being rewatched online.

So the streets around Canghua Kindergarten and the nearby park were crawling with patrol cops.

The teachers also gave the kids tracking cameras so they could keep an eye on every cub at all times.

Little Bai Nuo was wearing the kindergarten's uniform. His knitted gloves dangled from a string around his neck, and the scarf they'd given him was stuffed in his snack bag.

It was still noon, and even with winter here, the midday sun in Ang City was warm and cozy, so scarves and masks weren't really needed yet.

The little cub stood with his older brothers while the teacher in front went over the rules: don't run off, stay safe, and if you go out of bounds, an alarm goes off and a teacher will come grab you.

Little Bai Nuo hugged his little bag and listened closely. Besides the stuff mentioned, it also had some cute pens and notebooks.

Not far off, Xia Huan's group—who'd never gotten much attention from the little cub—had finally been lumped together with Bai Nuo's side this time.

To make things easier, the kindergarten merged the two groups into one big group.

Back in his own group,

Xia Huan lifted his chin a bit: "This time, Yu Chuyan and those two Xie brats can't just use their group to hog Nuo Nuo all day."

"Yeah, yeah, we're getting in on this too!"

"Boss, how do we get in? They don't look like they're gonna come talk to us."

Xia Huan glanced at Little Bai Nuo, then tilted his head.

This five-year-old was pretty sharp and genuinely clever—not as standout as the Four Little Ones, but still someone the kindergarten kids called "boss."

But he'd never managed to actually have a real chat with Little Bai Nuo.

"No worries," Xia Huan said, puffing out his chest. "We'll just go up and talk to them. My dad says, start with some small talk, then cut to the chase—that's how you do business negotiations!"

His voice was all squeaky and babyish, and the cubs around him went "ooh ooh" in awe, staring at him with starry eyes.

Xia Huan's little head tilted up even more.

He turned to the cubs behind him: "Just you watch!"

Yu Chuyan was chatting with Little Bai Nuo when he heard footsteps behind him and turned around.

Seeing it was Xia Huan, Yu Chuyan shifted a bit, stepping in front of Little Bai Nuo.

Yu Chuyan hadn't really heard what Xia Huan and his crew were muttering about behind them.

But seeing that chin stuck up so high, the Little Cool Guy's face turned even frostier.

Xie Yue was checking his bag and plotting with his twin brother what big stunt to pull later, when he heard Xia Huan coming over and looked up too.

"Bai Nuo." Xia Huan was the first to speak.

"Huh?" The cub, all tidied up and looking like a little puffball, blinked, turned, and tilted his head.

"What's going on?"

Little Bai Nuo was bundled up but had no mask, scarf, or hat. His soft, curly hair was all fluffy, and since the uniform collar was a bit loose, he could tuck half his face into it, showing off a cute, fair little face as he blinked at Xia Huan.

Xia Huan: ...

"Ahem."

Xia Huan's brain whirred, and he copied his dad's vibe.

"Well, since the teacher put us together, guess there's no helping it."

He was trying to play it cool.

First making it clear he wasn't that eager, then getting ready to keep going.

But Yu Chuyan didn't let him get another word in.

Yu Chuyan turned around and passed on the message.

"He's saying he doesn't need to be grouped with us, and we should just do our own thing like before. Even if we're in the same group, we'd still split up—we're just in the same area."

Honestly, Yu Chuyan had no clue why Xia Huan kept barging in every day while acting like he didn't care.

If that's how it is, might as well make it official—no point pretending anymore.

Xia Huan: ? Wait, what?

Little Bai Nuo listened to Brother Xiao Yan and nodded.

"Oh, okay, that's fine. Nuo Nuo doesn't mind. We'll just turn in our notebooks together when we get back."

The cub gave a soft smile, nodded at Xia Huan, and had a look that said, "Got it."

Xia Huan: ...

Xia Huan: ....

No way, Dad, Yu Chuyan isn't playing by the rules!!

Dad, you never told me what to do if I play hard to get and the other person just doesn't take the bait. What am I supposed to say then?

This is all wrong!

So wrong!

"Alright, little ones, let's gather up! We're about to set off."

The kindergarten teacher called out from over there, and the little kids' attention instantly snapped away. Xia Huan, who'd just been smoothly talked into agreeing by Yu Chuyan during his moment of hesitation, completely lost his chance to explain.

All he could do was watch helplessly as the four of them walked off together toward the teacher.

The kids behind him, who'd been waiting eagerly to see what he'd do: ...

"Boss?"

"Is it already over?"

"Is this what they call business negotiation tactics?"

Every word from the little guys behind him felt like a knife to the gut.

Xia Huan: ... "It was an accident."

No, that's not how it was supposed to go! His dad's demo wasn't like this! Ugh, his dad totally set him up!

Meanwhile, back at his company, Xia's dad was worrying about his kid's social practice activity when he sneezed.

Xia's dad rubbed his nose and thought: Could his kid be in some kind of trouble?

...

Christmas was still a week or two away, but the streets and parks were already getting into the holiday spirit—little decorations, string lights, and stone gift boxes stacked under the Christmas trees the shops had put out.

Honestly, there usually wouldn't be this many people around here.

But since today was a day off, and the Canghua Kindergarten livestream had already gone a bit viral, plus there were activities at the nearby shops and park, a decent crowd of adults had gathered.

The kids' social practice activity had already begun.

A young couple happened to be in the area, strolling along the road by the park while scrolling through their phones to see what the little kids were up to.

"Haha, some of the kids are doing little tricks to get the adults' attention."

Apparently, just handing out snacks wasn't cutting it anymore.

The beta girl laughed and nudged her boyfriend.

"Aren't they just the cutest?"

Her boyfriend yawned, arm linked with hers, strolling along half-heartedly, then glanced at her phone screen out of the corner of his eye.

He said offhandedly.

"Yeah, yeah, I see it. They're pretty bold and outgoing, huh? And they need a social practice activity to train them?"

These kids were full of tricks, even the adults watching were surprised.

These kids only seemed to have unlimited energy when they were doing something they liked or causing trouble.

He'd basically been dragged out here.

Even though his girlfriend had told him about the livestream, he figured it was just a bunch of kids on a travel stream—what was there to watch? Probably some tourist trap gimmick, who knows how much was real or fake. He hadn't even watched it, and today he'd been dragged out last-minute. He also had no idea how everyone else had gotten hooked on it.

But right now, watching these little kids do their thing on the phone was actually pretty entertaining.

He thought for a sec and asked, "But this kindergarten's pretty bold, huh? Letting all these kids out at once for a social practice thing—aren't they scared someone might snatch them? That many kids out is pretty risky, right?"

"How could that happen? See all the cops on these roads?" The beta girl pointed at the officers along the streets. "What kidnapper would be dumb enough to come here? Do they have a death wish? Plus, all the kids have trackers and cameras, and there are so many people watching. And let me tell you, especially Sweet Pea—if anyone tried anything with Sweet Pea, they'd get beaten to a pulp by the crowd!"

"...Sweet Pea? You've been talking about Sweet Pea for days."

Isn't he just some little kid? Why are you so obsessed with him?

The guy scratched his head.

He was actually getting curious now, wondering if he should look it up.

"Hmph, what do you know."

The beta girl snorted lightly.

You have no idea about Sweet Pea's clout.

You have no idea how cute Sweet Pea is—just like this little one trotting over to them right now...

Huh?

"Uncle, auntie, good afternoon."

A soft, babyish little voice piped up.

Xiaobai Nuo tilted his little head up, holding out snacks and a notebook, big eyes sparkling.

The other kids in his group were also working the area nearby.

This was actually the first time Xiaobai Nuo was doing this on his own, without his parents, teachers, or friends around, and he was a little out of his element, feeling a bit shy.

"Could you write a blessing for Nuo Nuo? Nuo Nuo will give uncle and auntie some snacks, wishing you wealth and good fortune, and all the best."

Both of them locked eyes on this tiny little kid.

The guy's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

What did this little kid just say in that baby voice?

Oh my god, can a kid that age even say something like that?

Before the girl could even snap out of it, the guy had already crouched down: "Okay, okay, of course! Uncle will write you a blessing. How about this one? Can uncle pick which snack? ...Aw, why are you so cute? How old are you? What's your name?"

The girl: ...

She couldn't help but kick the guy in the butt from behind.

Can you be a little more chill? You look like a kidnapper trying to grab a kid.

“Yes, I can,” the little cub said sweetly, handing them a snack. “Nono is five now, already a Big Kid.”

Oh my, he’s five and calls himself a big kid.

Oh my, oh my.

The young man took the snack, cupped his face, and ignored the increasingly forceful kicks from behind.

But the cub looked at the uncle and auntie and turned the tables: “Are you two a family?”

The young woman crouched down too.

“Not yet, but soon.”

She wrote a little blessing in the notebook and handed it to Xiaobai Nuo.

“So you’ll be a family soon, right?”

Xiaobai Nuo took the notebook, his eyes curving into a smile.

“Nono hopes you two stay sweet and in sync, and become the happiest family ever.”

This cub was too sweet, saying that in his soft, milky voice—it was a total heart attack.

“Okay, okay, Auntie heard you.”

“Oh, sweetie, you want some water? Have a drink before you go.”

Nono shook his head.

“No thanks, Nono still has lots of blanks to fill. Nono’s heading off now—bye-bye, Uncle and Auntie!”

“Bye-bye, bye-bye!”

The two crouched in sync, watching the little one toddle away. But halfway, the cub seemed to notice something, glanced sideways into the park, tilted his head in confusion, then changed direction.

Only after the waddling little figure, like a plush penguin, disappeared from sight did the two stand up.

“Oh my god, what a good kid—he knows so many idioms! Is your precious Sweet Pea really that sweet?”

Before the young man could finish, the young woman gave him a look like he was an idiot.

“Guess why I froze? He’s the Sweet Pea I’ve been pining over!”

Sure enough, he was even cuter and more adorable in person, right?

“What?! Then I’ve gotta watch this livestream.”

The young man said, grinning.

When a patrol officer walked by, he instinctively flinched.

Then the young woman yanked him.

“What are you ducking from?”

The young man snapped back, patting his chest: “Too cute—I even wanted to take him home, so now seeing a badge makes me flinch.”

He’d basically cast himself as a “kidnapper.”

“Be serious. But what did Sweet Pea just see? He went into the park, right?”

“Seems like it? Hey, I think I saw someone standing over there before Sweet Pea came over.”

“Really? I didn’t even notice.”

“Of course it’s true. He had a hat and mask on, all covered up, but he barely stood out. I glanced over and didn’t think much of it—only realized when you mentioned it.”

“Should be fine, right? There are plenty of cops in the park too.”

…

Ang City had seen rain and strong wind earlier, leaving the already sparse leaves barely hanging on the branches, with a few drifting down now and then.

At this hour, the sun shone brightly, but it couldn’t fully chase away the December chill.

Bai Ye sat on a bench in the park.

Because of the cold weather, the benches were usually empty.

Bai Ye kept his eyes lowered. Thanks to this opportunity, he’d seen clearly—that little good-for-nothing seemed to be living quite happily.

They even had these “stupid” activities to take part in.

Bai Sheng watched him too closely; even now, he only stood far off watching.

He listened to the little cub rattle off a string of idioms, clearly from Z country’s education, walking with a bounce in his step like a wild fawn.

So, the goal had finally been achieved. With that…

Bai Ye quietly closed his eyes. He didn’t seem to fear the cold, letting the wind’s chill and the icy bench seep into him.

Since the goal was achieved, there was nothing left to care about, nor any reason to stay.

No, there had never been anything worth caring about—it was the same even before he came.

He needed to get ready to leave.

Go back and prepare a big gift for The Saviors. As for whether he’d survive?

Bai Ye always felt that death might be an escape for him.

He didn’t want to see this foolish world at all, nor the trash in it.

And the Saviors wanted him to contact his third uncle and cousin? Don’t be ridiculous—what did they take the Bai Family’s failures for? Even as failures, they were still Bai family.

Though a bit useless, if they couldn’t figure that out, they might as well not be Bai.

So Bai Ye had never intended to make contact. To him, Bai Zhize was too unpredictable, and it was safer to stay away.

Then what else needed attention? For this place, Z country, this land he could call home—was there anything left he needed to keep an eye on?

There shouldn’t be anything…

But at that moment, light footsteps drew near.

Bai Ye’s eyes snapped open, his brow furrowing sharply with a hint of menace. But the next second, his fierceness melted away—he froze.

A police officer nearby was watching him, and down the path, he spotted a vaguely familiar small figure trotting toward him. Bai Ye froze—no, most of his body was already numb from the cold, and he couldn’t react in time.

And the little one who shouldn't have appeared before him had already trotted up to him, tilting his head up—as if it perfectly overlapped with the way he looked up in the lab.

But today he was wearing the uniform issued by the kindergarten.

Round, bright, big eyes, his little curly hair looked so soft, and a backpack that looked almost as big as he was, stuffed with snacks and such. The look in his eyes was strange yet soft, but bursting with life.

He held up the notebook, rubbed his little hands together, making an adorable "pretty please" face.

A voice, familiar yet utterly unfamiliar, came lightly.

"Good afternoon, uncle! Nono wants to give you a little gift. Could you write a blessing for Nono?"

It was the voice of the 'little good-for-nothing' he'd heard from the livestream.

And now, for real, it rang out right beside his ear.