Chapter 163

Chapter 163

Bai Sheng paused for a moment, then let out a helpless, low chuckle.

"Alright, little brave one, what's next?"

"We're going to make handmade soap to give to people. Nono picked out so many pretty molds."

Bai Nuo was still holding that cup of hot spiced apple tea, his expression soft and warm as he spoke with a gentle smile.

Since store-bought soap-making methods weren't safe for kids, they used a meltable soap base instead.

The soap base was melted in a double boiler, then mixed with skincare essential oils, honey, and coloring dyes. After it cooled a bit, little Bai Nuo poured it into his carefully chosen silicone molds. Once it set, it was ready to package and use.

In the fairytale-style two-story wooden shop, the air smelled of floral essential oils.

Little Bai Nuo lined up the filled molds one by one, waiting for them to cool and harden. He sat next to his dad, chatting with the shopkeeper grandma about this and that.

Nearby, the glass kettle of spiced apple tea bubbled away on the tea bar.

Only Bai Jin was fidgeting nearby.

He really wanted to ask how things had gone with that matter, but he couldn't exactly ask Bai Sheng with the little guy right there.

Bai Jin squinted.

The weirdest part was that Bai Sheng hadn't touched his phone since they got here—he just kept running his hand through the kid's curly hair, which was honestly kind of creepy.

It made you wonder what had gotten into him. To put it crudely, his dad-mode was so intense he might as well start lactating...

Ahem, of course, he'd never say that out loud. Saying that out loud would definitely get him hit.

The shopkeeper grandma smiled as the little one said this place reminded him of the houses in his fairy tale books, and that his great-grandpa had built him a fairytale cottage too.

"Then your great-grandpa must really love you."

"Mm-hmm."

The little one waited for his dad to translate, then nodded his head hard.

"Great-grandpa is really good to Nono. Nono remembers everything."

The little one was honest and direct, swinging his short legs as he held his apple tea, eyes crinkled in a smile, about to go on.

"Shopkeeper grandma is so cool too—opening a shop like this here. It's like a magic cottage. In a magic cottage, you'll definitely live happily ever after."

Bai Sheng patted his kid's head, his breathing easing as he talked with her.

The shopkeeper grandma listened, then smiled. She bent down, her rough hand brushing the little one's warm hand holding the tea, and said cheerfully. Then she grabbed a notebook from beside her—a hand-weaving pattern book she'd made herself, well-thumbed and worn.

The little one didn't understand, instinctively reaching for her hand, then looked up at his dad.

Bai Sheng paused, then spoke.

"She said: 'Thank you for your sweet words and blessings. I've always believed words have power—that language itself is a kind of magic, just like writing. Different countries may say things differently, but feelings are the same everywhere. I saw you messing with that scarf with the loose thread—is it special to you? I think this might help. And thanks for bringing such a sweet little one to make my day.'"

Bai Sheng finished, then glanced at the brown paper bag nearby.

Speaking of the scarf...

If the kindergarten's scarves and uniforms weren't so bright and flashy—designed so kids could be spotted easily—Bai Sheng might not have reached Bai Ye before he stopped breathing.

Bai Ye was already in bad shape—five more minutes could've meant permanent damage.

Of course, there was more to it.

Bai Sheng thought about what Bai Ye had done—surrendering, attacking Bai Zhize and Bai Wan to take K and leave—he'd been driving himself into a corner with no way out.

Bai Sheng could tell Bai Ye was trying to punish himself, painting himself as an accomplice of that research institute.

But if he was so set on being an accomplice, why was he still wearing the scarf the kid gave him?

Bai Sheng translated the little one's thanks. Once the soap set and was packaged, they said goodbye to the shopkeeper grandma and got ready to leave.

The little one was in his dad's arms, holding even more stuff now. He rested his head on his dad's shoulder and said softly, "Daddy, this place is really nice."

"Mm."

The little one snuggled deeper into his dad's arms.

"But it's not as nice as home though."

He looked down at the brown paper bag in his hands, his expression soft.

Nono's never made a scarf before, but if he fixed this one, would Uncle be a little happier?

Bai Sheng looked down at him.

He'd always been the type of parent who wouldn't stop his kid from doing something unless it was dangerous.

"Mm, there are a few more places we can check out. Then we'll head back, and I'll take you to pick out some yarn."

The little one, loaded down with stuff, looked up and nodded hard.

Bai Jin popped out from behind them.

"What about me?"

He'd been waiting forever for this.

"How come Great-grandpa gets 'he's so good to me,' but I don't get a single nice word from you, your little uncle?"

Bai Jin was still pretty salty about this.

He still remembered being 'set up' back then and hadn't fully let it go.

Little Bai Nuo poked his head out from his dad's arms to look at his uncle.

The little one thought about it for a second.

"Even though Little Uncle is mean, steals Nono's food, loves to tease Nono, and tickles Nono..."

Bai Jin: ?

The little one rattled off all his uncle's crimes in one breath, then said seriously.

"But Nono still likes Little Uncle anyway."

"...Do you actually like me, or are you just using this as an excuse to trash-talk me?"

Bai Jin raised an eyebrow and reached out his hand.

He heard the cub yelp and burrow into his father's arms.

Bai Jin laughed despite himself and reached out to pinch the little one's cheek.

The Bai Family didn't stay abroad for long.

After everyone returned that day, Xiaobai Nuo checked each of them one by one to make sure no one was hurt before he could relax. After two days of sightseeing abroad, they got ready to head back home.

Bai Ye's condition was more serious—he'd stayed unconscious after surgery. Of course, the injuries weren't the main issue; the real problem was the changes to his organ functions caused by losing his gland. His condition had stabilized a bit, and they were getting ready to transfer him back to Z country.

The cub went to visit every day, but since the other hadn't woken up and was still in the ICU, he couldn't go in.

Meanwhile, at a castle-like estate in M country.

The seventeen-year-old head of the Farrell Family sat at his desk, listening to his men report on the recent purge of unruly gang members.

The Farrells weren't originally from M country—their ancestors were said to have migrated there from around Z country.

He didn't look very M country either.

Leon Farrell had light amber eyes and black hair. He looked like a young aristocrat, but carried himself with a composure that didn't match his age.

Someone hurried in and whispered something in his ear.

Leon turned his head, raised a hand, and said, "Hold the report. Everyone out."

After all these people left the office, Leon turned back, looking a bit confused.

"A formal letter from the Bai Family? We don't have much business with them, do we?"

To the Farrell Family, the Bai Family from Z country was certainly powerful, but on their own turf, it was anyone's game. Besides, the Bai Family was too straight-laced for the Farrell Family's tastes, and their businesses didn't even overlap.

So basically, the two families had no real connection.

"It's a formal letter about that research institute from before."

"Oh, that place—I heard it's already been shut down, hasn't it? Political games—those arrogant idiots got sold out to Z country as bargaining chips. They thought they could control the world with those little research findings? Hah."

Leon laughed arrogantly, the fancy ornaments on his clothes clinking softly as he moved.

"So what's that got to do with the Bai Family?"

"It's about a cub that was born in that research institute."

"?"

Leon turned and finally took the documents being handed to him.

"What did they do?"

"This is Anaelin Farrell's file. The Bai Family sent a formal letter stating that the cub is the child of Anaelin and that alpha from the Bai Family, illegally born in the research institute."

Anaelin Farrell.

He'd passed away over a decade ago. He was Leon's uncle, a top-tier omega who'd left no descendants behind.

But honestly, Leon didn't really know this uncle.

Leon frowned, tore open the file, flipped through it casually, then tossed it back onto the desk.

In the photo, the omega with a gentle, soft smile looked at the camera—calm, composed, and carrying an air of nobility.

"Oh, I see."

Leon looked up.

"So what do they want? Do they want a piece of the Farrell Family's financial power? That cub is only five or six? Is the Bai Family that greedy? Are they trying to get into businesses they never touched before?"

"No, no—actually."

The man paused, trying to figure out how to soften the Bai Family's arrogant, rude message.

"The Bai Family wants you to issue a statement saying that, no matter what happens in the future, their young master has nothing to do with the Farrell Family."

Leon: ?

"What?"

The youth looked over, a bit bewildered, before the composure and wariness that didn't match his age settled back onto his face.

"They want to raise him themselves and don't want any loose ends."

The man said in a low voice.

"The Bai Family is heading home today—they're probably already on their way to the airport. Patriarch, do you want to go see the... young master? After all, by blood, he's your cousin."

The Farrell Family had just gone through a major shakeup. Leon had just taken down his ambitious second uncle to take the top spot. After the family's turmoil, he'd swiftly consolidated control and dealt with the dissenters. Only some branch families were still kicking up a fuss, but the main family was empty. So, by his count, this was likely Leon's only remaining brother.

"No, that's not necessary."

Leon straightened the documents and put them back in the pouch.

"Since the Bai Family is willing to take care of it, just do what they asked."

A brother?

No, he didn't need one.

"Then these documents..."

The man wasn't surprised—that had always been the patriarch's way.

He was still holding another set of documents.

Actually, it wasn't that the Bai Family insisted on notifying them—it was that the institute had been taken down on M country soil and was tied to the Farrell Family, so the government had to inform them.

Leon looked over again. "What's that?"

"Those are the young master's records."

"Oh, just leave them over there. Don't need to see them."

Leon said casually, pointing to a bookshelf in the corner where they kept odds and ends.

This was, at best, a small courtesy to his long-dead, unfamiliar uncle.

Besides, how careless do you have to be to let your genes end up in some research institute's experiments? That would be a joke even within the Farrell Family—and the Bai Family too.

Leon couldn't quite get what the Bai Family was all about, but he didn't see why he needed to bother.

"So what if we share some blood? What's that even supposed to do? When my uncle was dying, he was begging for that blood tie to save his ass. Don't sweat it. It's just some five-year-old kid—like I haven't seen a ton of those. Half of you were strays I picked up when I was five or six and you've been trailing me ever since."

Leon raised his head, slow and deliberate.

"So you heard me, right? Go pass it along. I don't need a brother either."

"Yes, Patriarch."

In the end, the Bai Family got the statement they wanted from the Farrell Family. Over the past few days, they'd been taking turns sneaking looks at the research files behind Xiaobai Nuo's back, each one more wrecked than the last. Of course, the one taking it the hardest was probably Bai Liang, since he was stuck with most of the work.

Even Bai Liang's sworn enemy—Bai Qi—showed up in person to say that watching him suffer like this had actually made her feel a little better.

In the end, they packed up the little guy—who was already missing his grandma—and headed back home.

It'd been almost a month since they got back from overseas. Bai Ye was still in the hospital, and he was in rough shape. For most of that month, he'd been drifting in and out, groggy and barely conscious, only recently starting to stabilize a bit and have some clear-headed moments. But he still didn't want much to do with anyone, giving the Bai Family nothing but sarcasm and cold shoulders. As for little Bai Nuo, he couldn't bring himself to be harsh—every time the little cub showed up, he'd fake being asleep.

Bai Zhize and Bai Wan had come back too. Mostly because the three chefs Bai Zhize had handpicked got held up by the old man, and then Xiaobai Nuo won them over. Bai Zhize just said screw it and refused to leave. The research institute situation was mostly wrapped up, with just a bit of cleanup left, so Bai Zhize and Bai Wan weren't being watched or restricted anymore.

New Year's Day was already over, winter break was right around the corner, and the real New Year was coming up. After Christmas, snow had hit Ang City, and it was getting colder by the day—the snow on the ground kept melting and refreezing into ice.

Xiaobai Nuo had seen plenty of snow before, but back then every snowfall meant disaster—way worse than anything Ang City got. Back then, the little guy had no time for fun—just staying alive. Now, he finally had the chance to enjoy himself.

So the usually spotless walkways had a patch left uncleared on purpose, just for Xiaobai Nuo.

Some spots had snow to stomp through, and others had icy patches for sliding.

So you'd often see it: Bai Nuo stomping in the snow, then sliding on the ice—a round little puffball tumbling over and skidding right up to a bunch of adults. His thick coat kept him from getting hurt, but he'd still get embarrassed when the adults laughed at him.

Of course, sometimes Bai Jin would join in too. But Bai Jin, who loved messing with the little guy, usually ended up getting knocked flat on the ice by some Bai family member passing by who couldn't stand watching it.

The Bai Family's private hospital in Ang City was dead quiet.

Bai Ye lay in the hospital bed, looking tired and listless. A tablet was propped in front of him, his fingers lightly tapping and swiping at it.

He used to be able to watch the little guy's livestreams, but domestic social media was off-limits—too risky, too easy to get exposed.

Now, that worry was gone. His fingers slid across the screen, swiping through image after image.

Finally, he stopped for a second.

He saw the meme netizens had made—a little cub sitting on a dirt pile, looking totally shocked, with the caption: "Got played!"

Bai Ye's lips twitched just a little.

Shouldn't it be "Got played Nuo"?

Just then, the hospital room door opened.

Bai Ye instantly shut the screen off, and when he looked up, his pale face was full of annoyance.

"Don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

It wasn't a doctor who came in—it was Bai Liang.

"I've got plenty of stuff to do every day."

Bai Liang said with a smile, holding a notebook in his hand.

"But you should know, being a national university professor comes with some responsibilities you wouldn't exactly pick for yourself."

"You mean treating me?"

Bai Ye said coldly.

"Pretty much. How much of that research institute's meds did you take before the op? Did you blow through all the doses they gave you for those months? That's what we figured from our research—that's why the side effects hit you so hard."

The institute's drugs had side effects—for Bai Ye, they were just a band-aid, and on top of that, he used way too much at once, completely burning himself out. A damaged gland wouldn't normally cause multi-organ failure that fast. It was only now that he'd been dragged back from the brink.

"That's none of your business."

Bai Ye said coldly, just as uncooperative as always.

Bai Liang kept the same easygoing attitude: "The review board will be coming by later, but don't worry. The institute's records are pretty complete. You were there from a young age, basically forced into working for them—an abnormal situation—and you made major contributions later on. There shouldn't be too many problems."

Bai Ye just went silent.

"Don't you hear how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Man, you really are stubborn."

Bai Liang kept that same look, pushed up his glasses, and scribbled a couple of notes in his notebook.

"I told you before, don't let the face fool you—I'm not good at this whole mediation thing."

He hadn't even worked things out with Bai Qi.

Don't just see that smile and think he's some people person.

What he was actually best at was stirring the pot—ahem.

Bai Liang smiled, leaned down, and then the smile dropped, his face turning grim as he finally let a sliver of his real feelings show.

"It's been days now. Don't you think it's time to play ball a little? Treating me like this is one thing, but making Nuo upset—forget Bai Sheng, I won't put up with that either."

Bai Liang was a member of the national research institute and had been hit the hardest lately. Other people could go get their fix of Xiaobai Nuo to recover, but the dark cloud hanging over him was thick enough to raise ghosts. But then he smiled again.

"Your little dad was out of town before, but he's back now. We'll sort out your identity stuff later. Of course, you know a completely destroyed gland is a huge problem, right? Normally, it's almost impossible to fix. But we'll do everything we can with the hospital."

"I said I don't need it."

"Yeah, yeah, you think you should just die. I get it—I know that mindset all too well."

Bai Liang said casually, jotting down data from the monitors nearby.

"Oh, right. Were you looking for Nuo earlier? He's coming by later. Today's the last day of kindergarten—winter break's starting, and they're getting ready for the New Year. He's filling out his semester report with his little friends."

"...I wasn't looking for him."

Bai Ye couldn't help but speak, worn out. Bai Liang deflected everything so easily, unlike those impulsive, arrogant Bai family members. Nothing seemed to crack that smile mask of his. Bai Ye didn't want to talk to him, but Bai Liang always knew exactly where to poke to get a reaction.

"Yeah, Grandpa, my dad, my oldest brother... oh, and me too—we all said the exact same thing back then."

Stubbornly refusing to admit it while that little cub kept working his charm.

Bai Liang looked at Bai Ye like someone who'd been through it all before.

"Grandpa went for a checkup at the hospital today, so he'll swing by to see you later."

"I've already told you, I don't need any of this," Bai Ye said, at the end of his rope as he stood up, ripping off the wires and sensors attached to him. "Medical care, nursing, an identity—none of it. Do you not get it? And having that guy vouch for me? What's the point? To make me own up to being a Bai? No, I stopped being one a long time ago. My last name is Shen now—Shen Ye. That's who I am. If you're gonna judge me, judge me by that name. I'll take whatever comes."

Bai Liang froze, turning his head to look at him.

"Of course, whether to see him or not, whether to reclaim your original identity or not, that's all up to you. I don't wanna deal with this stuff, and I can't anyway. I'm pissed off myself and don't even know who to yell at."

Bai Liang tucked his notebook away and stared straight at Bai Ye.

He walked to the door and grabbed the bag he'd brought in earlier but set down.

Just then, Bai Liang's phone pinged.

Bai Liang walked over with the bag, glancing down at his phone again.

He placed the bag on Bai Ye's bed.

Bai Ye instinctively glanced at it, stepping back half a step on guard—frail but forcing his back straight, like a starved leopard.

"What's this?"

"Hmm?"

Bai Liang was busy reading something on his phone.

He tapped a voice message from Bai Sheng.

A little kid's bright, clear voice came through Bai Liang's phone: "Second Uncle, Nono's out of school now. I'm gonna come see you and Uncle with Dad in a bit. Second Uncle, do you want some popping candy? It's so magical! Nono just discovered it today."

Bai Ye's gaze involuntarily drifted to Bai Liang's phone.

Bai Liang seemed to type a few characters in reply.

Then he looked up, remembering what Bai Ye had asked.

"Nono asked me to give this to you before he left this morning. He said you've been asleep every time he's come by lately."

That little runt gave him something...? What could that little runt possibly give him? Since he'd come back here, he wasn't lacking anything, right?

As for what it was?

Bai Liang glanced at the bag.

"It's a scarf."