Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Bai Ye couldn't even convince himself this was an experiment he could endure until it ended—it was purely for others' sick amusement.

It was like looking into a mirror, as if he were seeing himself.

When would this class-divided circus ever end?

He didn't know. He only wanted to know how to completely destroy his already-ruined gland.

Right now, he was simply venting.

He didn't care if the top-tier alpha in front of him choked him until he couldn't breathe. He just kept using every bit of strength he had, again and again, to shove him underwater.

Blood soaked the riverbank, seeping into the water in thin, wispy strands, like red seaweed.

He rasped: "Save you? How could I possibly save you... Let the authorities take you... that's just jail time. But what I really want... is for you to die."

He'd been waiting for this day for ages—to personally deal with this bastard. From when he failed to get that little nobody out of the lab, to just going all in, faking extremism, and wrecking his own gland for good.

He'd waited years for this, though it hadn't gone exactly as he'd pictured, and the authorities stepping in had forced him to rush things.

But those bastards—the Bai Family can deal with them.

All he needed was to kill K, and that'd be enough.

K was nearly unconscious from being held under, but the raw power of a top-tier alpha exploded out of him in that life-or-death moment. In a flash, he wrenched free of Bai Ye's hold, threw a punch at him, and scrambled desperately to push himself up and gasp for air.

Bai Ye sidestepped but didn't pull all the way back. The punch's force clipped his face, and it swelled up red in an instant. He grabbed K and hauled him, tumbling, into the water.

With a splash, the icy river swallowed them both.

K wanted to yell "you're insane," but the words wouldn't come out.

He couldn't even wrap his head around where a crippled alpha with a totally wrecked gland got that kind of strength.

K could only cling to Bai Ye for dear life, unable to swim up, so Bai Ye couldn't get a breath in either.

But in the end, K had been pinned down by Bai Ye too long and, caught off guard, swallowed a ton of river water first.

This was a man-made river, and the bottom dropped off sharply from the bank. They kept sinking, and Bai Ye had run out of strength. His vision was going black, and his mind was starting to blur—not to mention K was still clinging to his body like a water ghost, dragging him down.

Bubbles streamed out of his mouth in strings. Bai Ye had no intention of saving himself, and no strength left to anyway. He looked back once.

The scarf around his neck pressed tight against his throat as he sank, the other end trailing up toward the light above, all the way back to the shore.

But it didn't matter now.

Scarf or no scarf... it was already just as cold.

Before Bai Ye could shut his eyes, he heard the water break. His vision was swimming in black—he couldn't tell who it was.

But whoever it was grabbed his clothes and hauled him up toward the surface.

As they neared the surface, another hand shot out and seized his arm. A massive pull wrenched him—and K, who'd already stopped breathing and had no pulse—out of the water.

Bai Ye's eyes were shut, his mind feeling like it had already left this world, but he could hear the M-country doctors yelling stuff like "emergency."

Someone twisted him into a miserable position, pumping his stomach over and over to make him spit up the water.

Bai Ye hacked and coughed violently. Blood from his shoulder kept pouring out, staining his already soaked clothes.

A winter wind hit him, and Bai Ye snapped back a little. He opened his eyes.

He saw a familiar figure.

Bai Sheng stood nearby, having just peeled off his soaked jacket and tossed it aside. He'd moved fast, so his clothes underneath were barely wet. Bai Sheng glanced down, locking eyes with Bai Ye as he opened his.

Bai Ye slowly twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Wondering how I tracked you down so quick?"

Bai Sheng said offhandedly, then pointed at a branch nearby.

Bai Ye turned his head painfully and did a double take.

A corner of the scarf was snagged on the dead branch. The soft, fluffy wool scarf had been coming apart at the seams without him even noticing, still tethered to him from the shore.

"He's badly hurt. Blood loss is probably critical—he needs to get to a hospital now."

The doctor finished the exam and quickly spoke to Bai Sheng.

The doctors working on K tried to revive him for a bit, then finally shook their heads, resigned.

Then they glanced at Bai Ye, a little stunned.

It was honestly hard to wrap their heads around—he'd actually held a top-tier alpha underwater until he drowned.

And the guy was a crippled alpha who needed a bionic arm just to move around some.

It was hard to imagine how much hate and sheer grit it took to pull that off.

Bai Ye laughed low, his face twisted—half satisfied, half savage. They'd already pressed and wrapped his bleeding wounds, and the M-country medics loaded him onto a stretcher.

Bai Sheng was lost in thought when Bai Ye spoke out of nowhere: "You went after Bai Zhize, Bai Wan, and the rest? Your plan was to drag this bastard here and finish him off yourself? ...It's Bai Ye, isn't it?"

Bai Sheng's voice was drawling, even now—lazy, like he couldn't care less about anything around him.

Hearing that name, Bai Ye stared at Bai Sheng—the biological dad of that little nobody.

So it was that trip back home that made the Bai family catch on, huh?

In a way, the Bai family was its own kind of weird rule-based horror. Usually, they were at each other's throats, not giving a damn about anyone or anything equally.

But once you got in their sightline and caught their eye, those eyes that never looked at you would slowly lock onto you, staring until they saw right through you.

Even though his vision was still going black in waves, Bai Ye couldn't help a soft, sneering laugh at Bai Sheng.

Bai Ye spoke with a "screw it" attitude. After all, with his gland wrecked this bad, he didn't have long to live anyway.

With not long left, he could say whatever and do whatever.

"What are you so smug about, or so full of yourself for? Bai family—you think I did all this for you?"

"Sir, please cooperate—don't get up!"

"Sir, if you keep this up, for your own safety, we're going to have to strap you down!"

Bai Ye planted one hand on the stretcher's edge and shoved himself up, scaring the doctor nearby, who blurted out a warning.

But Bai Ye had no intention of acknowledging them.

"I only know what I want to know, and do what I want to do... If you hadn't barged in with your men, the whole research institute would've been ashes soon enough."

Bai Ye had planned to burn the whole lab down, but the Bai Family's move forced him to change course.

But it was enough. He'd learned what he needed to and taken care of who he needed to.

Even if he died right now, Bai Ye had no regrets.

Bai Sheng looked over, pressed a hand on Bai Ye's shoulder, and pushed him back down with a bit of force.

"Hearing your past and judging you—that's not my thing."

Bai Sheng wasn't interested in that.

But—

"The only thing I care about is that Nono's gonna cry."

Bai Ye froze.

He stared at Bai Sheng, who was looking down at him coldly, a hint of condescension in his eyes.

Among the Bai siblings, it wasn't out of the question for them to hate each other to the point of killing one another, let alone with cousins they barely knew. Bai Sheng really had no interest in getting involved in other people's business, but his grip wasn't hard.

What... does he mean?

That little good-for-nothing would cry?

What's there for him to cry about?

Bai Ye couldn't wrap his head around it. All he could think was: Don't mess with me—he can't even recognize me, right?

"A few days ago, he remembered, and cried himself to sleep two nights in a row out of guilt. I just barely got him calmed down."

Bai Sheng had someone take him to the hospital right away. He'd found the guy, but he was still pissed—he was heading back to the institute to pick through what was left.

"Recognized him... and cried?"

Bai Ye's voice was hoarse. The marks on his throat had shown up fast, an ugly patch of bruising, but his face stayed tired and cold, only a weird flicker showing when he said those words.

"No way."

There's no way Bai Nuo still remembers him, let alone cries for him—and cries out of guilt, of all things.

What would he even feel guilty about?

Guilty that he didn't recognize him?

Is he still crying at home now? But he didn't seem like the crying type.

Back then, even when his body hurt, he'd just tough it out in silence.

Bai Ye thought it was ridiculous, but the thought made him go quiet all of a sudden.

Before he could say anything else, everything went black, and he passed out.

The ambulance took Bai Ye away, while officials from M-country and Z-country checked the bodies of the two guys who'd been shot in the head, plus the stuff K had on him when he drowned.

Bai Sheng took the new coat his assistant handed him, slipped it on casually, and tilted his head to ask: "What did Z-country's officials say about how they wanna handle this?"

"Since Bai Ye's identity was deregistered years ago, if we want to get his identity re-established, his younger dad can still be found—might need him to cooperate a bit with pulling up the records."

"Mm, get someone on it."

Bai Sheng said offhandedly, fixed his collar, and turned to head back to the institute—honestly, he thought dying like that was too easy for those bastards.

"Also, tell Bai Jin to bring Nono by later."

"Got it, boss."

Bai Jin was walking around the scenic spot near the house with the little cub.

He let the cub pick out some souvenirs.

But aside from some handmade stuff, there wasn't much worth taking back, and the food here wasn't great either. Bai Nuo was clearly distracted, asking every now and then if there was any word from his little dad.

Bai Nuo was genuinely worried—the last time his dad got hurt, it really shook him, and that feeling was still there.

Unlike the anxious cub, Bai Jin wasn't worried at all. In his mind, who the hell could hurt a Bai family member who was fully prepared? It was just a bunch of people out on a team thing, and he was stuck here babysitting—not that he minded, but he still felt a little restless.

Bai Nuo looked around outside for a bit, and the cub spotted a lake in the scenic area.

He stood there hesitating for a few seconds.

After spending almost a year with this cub, the Bai family knew exactly what he liked and didn't like.

Little Bai Nuo really didn't like being near water.

Small, shallow man-made ponds were fine, but if the water was any bigger, this cub would always stand way back.

Bai Jin looked down at him.

"Want Uncle to carry you? We can go check it out over there?"

Bai Nuo looked up at his uncle, then finally shook his little head after a moment.

"Uncle, Nuo Nuo wants to go over there and look."

The cub pointed at the lake, pressing his lips together.

That was a rare sight.

"You're not scared anymore?"

Bai Jin looked down at the cub in surprise, meeting his eyes, taking in his fluffy little head.

Little Bai Nuo didn't answer, but seemed to gather his courage, took a deep breath that puffed out his cheeks a little, and reached his hand out to his uncle.

He said, "Uncle, hold Nuo Nuo's hand."

Looking like he'd steeled himself to march off to a heroic death.

That little look on his face made Bai Jin laugh.

It was cold out, but the Bai family didn't really mind—including Bai Jin, they all dressed pretty light. But this cub was bundled up like a ball, all round and puffy, wearing wool gloves.

Bai Jin took the cub's little hand and led him step by step to the edge of the lake.

"What's there to see? The water?"

The little cub was so small, hiding behind the railing of the lake, as if still afraid to look. He had to keep holding his uncle's hand, eyes squeezed tight, and only after a moment did he peek his little head out for a cautious glance at the lake.

The cub had psychological trauma when it came to water like this, and having choked on water several times before, he naturally hated places like this.

Bai Nuo shuddered and pulled his little head back, then after a moment, poked it out again to take a look.

Bai Jin held the little one's hand tightly, watching his every move.

He was clearly scared, but he didn't run off.

Bai Jin let out a sigh. He suddenly crouched down, scooped up the cub, and set him on his shoulder, letting the little guy sit up there.

"Alright, that's enough looking. There's nothing fun here anyway, and it's freezing. Come on, let's head home and play some games with uncle."

Bai Nuo instinctively hugged his uncle's head and looked him in the eye.

The cub thought about it for a moment.

"But Nono wants to get over it."

If Nono looks a few more times, will he be less scared, and then it'll be better?

Even by the water, he could hold someone's hand without being scared—would that make things happen faster?

What's there to get over?

Bai Jin couldn't understand it, but he knew Bai Sheng had said he wanted to search the water area separately—probably because of what this little cub had said.

For Bai Ye's sake?

Although they'd already talked about Bai Ye's existence once before, Bai Jin had never really given Bai Ye much thought. Even when Bai Jingyun had been bothered that Bai Ye was the first member of the Bai Family to meet Xiaobai Nuo, Bai Jin hadn't felt a thing.

So what if he met him first?

Who knows whose side he's on, anyway?

Until now.

Bai Jin got a subtle taste of Bai Jingyun's sense of crisis.

Bai Jin narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you suddenly want to get over your fear?"

Because of Bai Ye?

The cub sitting on his uncle's shoulder tilted his head and thought it over for a moment.

"Because if anything unexpected happens to Nono's family, even if it's by the water, Nono can still help out."

The cub hugged Bai Jin's neck, speaking softly.

Bai Jin was stunned for a moment. Before he could even react, the little cub kept going.

"If uncle falls by the river, Nono will try his best to drag uncle away too."

It sounded sweet.

But.

Bai Jin: ...

"Can't you wish your uncle something better?"

Bai Jin laughed, picked up the little cub, and tossed him in the air—not high, but still exciting enough for a little kid.

The cub let out a "whoa" and hugged his uncle's head tightly as he came down, latching onto it with his whole body.

"Like this, uncle can't see where he's walking."

Bai Jin steadied the cub's little body, speaking in an amused tone.

"It's uncle who's messing with Nono."

He said it with a totally straight face.

That is, until the phone rang.

Bai Jin fumbled for his phone and answered.

It was the assistant that Bai Sheng had brought along.

He said the person had been found and taken to the hospital, still half-conscious, wounds treated and now on an IV drip, with special agents from Country Z keeping watch. He asked if the young master wanted to come take a look.

The Bai Family hadn't been able to confirm Bai Ye's stance or situation before, so Xiaobai Nuo still didn't know Bai Ye was his cousin once removed. When mentioning him to his dad, he still called him "uncle."

That uncle was found? Does that mean the bad guys Nono dreamed about won't die anymore?

The little one was already clinging tightly to his uncle's head, so he naturally heard everything said on the phone.

The cub couldn't help but lean in.

"Uncle, uncle, is Daddy hurt?"

Hearing Xiaobai Nuo's voice, the assistant's tone on the other end instantly turned all sweet.

"Young master? Young master, are you listening too? It's fine, boss isn't hurt, don't worry. Boss will be back later. You can have Fifth Master bring you over to take a look first."

"Mm, uncle, you be careful too. You're not hurt, right?"

"Uncle's okay too..."

The call ended, and Bai Jin headed with the little one toward the hospital address the assistant had given.

...

Bai Ye had just woken up. He lay in bed, still a bit dizzy, his whole body weak, as if he'd been run over by a truck—especially his throat, which burned with pain. A bandage and a plaster cast were wrapped around his neck to keep it immobilized.

He heard the doctor over there speaking with a headache: "...multiple fractures... severe damage to the throat..."

This fight—it was against a top-tier alpha, after all. Though he'd caught the other off guard, Bai Ye still felt like his entire body had been run over by a truck, and he couldn't muster any strength.

Bai Ye slowly looked away.

The doctor over there had already sighed and moved on to the more troublesome matter.

"The patient's alpha gland is completely destroyed, which directly disrupts his body's balance. He'd been sustaining himself with illegal drugs before—he could have collapsed at any moment. There's no way to handle this; it's a very tricky situation. If he doesn't get those injections on schedule, he might not have long to live. Of course, given your situation, you probably know multiple labs—you could ask them if they have any better solutions."

Bai Ye took all of this in, still staring blankly at the ceiling with no expression on his face.

He didn't think it was necessary.

The moment his gland was completely destroyed, he knew he had no way forward.

Even if Bai Sheng brought him back, he might not have much time left.

Saying nothing, doing nothing—that was probably for the best, right?

No, the best choice back then would've been for him to die in that accident too, and then none of what came after would've happened...

None of it would've happened?

Bai Ye stared at the ceiling, thought about that little kid again, then closed his eyes.

Whatever. This was fine, actually.

At least it ended well.

Nothing else mattered anyway.

Bai Ye closed his eyes again, drifting in and out, half-asleep, half-awake.

The pain and discomfort from his missing gland clung to him constantly—even when he was groggy and barely conscious, it kept him from really falling asleep.

He saw his past, saw the first time he ran into that organization, those greedy looks sweeping over him again and again.

Saw his father treating him like a product to be priced and sold. His father and stepfather never had much affection between them—two pretty extreme people who didn't get along well, and mostly left him alone, neither caring nor asking.

At this point, Bai Ye had already asked the questions he wanted answers to, and gotten the answer he least hoped for but knew was most likely. He fell silent now, realizing his very existence was like some huge joke, some cruel trick.

From start to finish, he'd never truly belonged anywhere.

Footsteps approached.

Light and soft, coming to the bedside.

The little kid whispered, "Uncle, uncle."

Testing with that familiar, childish little voice: "Are you okay? Daddy found you."

Although Bai Sheng had mentioned earlier that this kid had cried for two whole nights.

But with how dangerous it was abroad, the family's precious little kid would naturally have to stay in Z country, right?

So when that voice sounded, Bai Ye thought he was hearing things.

It couldn't be that this kid had come all the way out here to get back at him over the ruined scarf, could it?

Until a small, warm hand hesitantly touched the back of his hand.

Bai Ye finally snapped his eyes open, no longer able to fool himself, and looked at little Bai Nuo.

Bai Ye: ...

Bai Ye: ...What the hell are you doing here??

Bai Sheng never said you were in M country!

What the hell was the Bai family doing?

Why not keep this kid safe at home instead of bringing him here for the thrill?

Bai Ye opened his mouth, about to tell the little kid to stay away from him.

But before Bai Ye could speak, Bai Nuo already leaned down, tilted his head to look at the bionic arm on Bai Ye's right hand, and politely asked if he could touch it.

Bai Ye couldn't move his body right now. Looking at this kid, he gave a quiet, slight nod.

Ice-cold.

The little kid's lips pursed.

The same feeling as in his memory.

That ice-cold hand had touched his cheek, held his hand.

The little kid hadn't introduced himself to Bai Ye before, hadn't spoken to Bai Ye in the lab either. Now he remembered, and introduced himself in a small voice: "Uncle, I'm Nuo Nuo."

Hearing that word "uncle" again.

Bai Ye paused slightly. He also noticed Bai Jin standing at the door, not coming in, and roughly figured out that this little kid still didn't know his true identity.

Bai Ye withdrew his gaze, looking at the kid who had suddenly appeared before him. He still couldn't understand: "Where did you remember it from?"

Last time they met, this kid didn't remember a thing.

Why did he have to go and remember?

Honestly, wouldn't those memories from the lab be better off forgotten?

"Those were all bad things, right? It hurt a lot back then, didn't it?"

Bai Ye tugged at the corner of his mouth. He himself had been one of those who "helped the villain."

Better to forget all of it.

"...Because not all of it was pain and bad stuff."

The little kid tried hard to tell Bai Ye.

"Nuo Nuo remembered the touch, the warmth, and the sweet taste, so it doesn't feel like everything was pain."

The taste that was especially sweet to Nuo Nuo back then, the uncle who was especially special to Nuo Nuo back then—they were different. So after remembering, it made him sad, made him lost.

But now that Nuo Nuo remembered, he'd never forget again.

He repeated softly: "Nuo Nuo won't forget uncle again, really."

Words were often too weak. The little kid just wanted to say: Uncle, don't be sad.