Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Hearing what Bai Ye had said, the little cub who'd been puffing with anger instantly turned his head to look over.

What this little cub was thinking was way too easy to guess—it was written all over his face.

His eyes slowly lit up, like a sky full of stars had dropped right into them—that kind of unmistakable joy.

Was he really that happy?

Bai Ye studied the cub's face and wondered.

After all, he hadn't done anything for this kid. So what was he so happy about for him?

He didn't know.

But maybe it was that thread tied to his fatal weakness, or the way the cub's eyes flickered with disappointment when he heard the name Shen Ye—yet still stayed bright. So for once, Bai Ye didn't mind actually giving him what he wanted—it didn't feel like a burden.

The Bai in Bai Ye wasn't the Bai of the Bai family.

At the end of the day, Bai Ye and Shen Ye weren't all that different—just a name.

Bai Ye also ran through the fake identities and aliases he'd used. Shen Ye was probably the one he'd kept the longest—was that because he'd once tried to use that name to get this cub out of the lab, and failed?

Bai Ye couldn't untangle the mess of emotions in his head.

"Alright... Mr. Bai Ye, right?"

The name got entered, and the rest of the info was quickly filled in too.

Bai Ye was clearly still getting used to it. When his name was called, he hesitated for a beat before answering.

"One more thing—for the next year or two, you'll need someone watching over you. And to be blunt, every move you make gets reported. And even though you're twenty-eight, we still need to confirm a responsible party and a guardian."

"Responsible party and guardian?"

Bai Ye let out a cold laugh, looked up at the guy, then glanced at the door.

"Under Country Z's laws, only direct relatives can be the responsible party and guardian, right?"

Didn't Song Ning just hightail it out of here fast enough?

"That's right. So Old Master Bai Yan will be your responsible party and guardian."

The review officer shut the registration laptop and looked up at Bai Ye, who seemed a little taken aback.

Was it because this place wasn't as cold and ruthless as he'd pictured?

Though, given Old Master Bai's usual temper and how he treated the younger generation, it made sense he'd think that.

They didn't stick their noses into Bai family business, but they remembered all too well how each generation of the Bai family's leaders had risen—either marching toward greater glory or heading straight for ruin.

The Bai family was a truly ancient clan of brutal brilliance—the more you learned about them, the more it gave you chills.

But even so,

the review officer had already gotten up and given him a light pat on the shoulder.

"You don't need to be so on guard. I promise this place is way more interesting and a lot gentler than anything you've been through before."

At least, that's how it looked from where he was standing.

Bai Ye didn't know if he'd really taken it in—he just gave a quiet "mm."

Then he couldn't help glancing over at the little cub waiting nearby for him to finish.

Bai Nuo saw his uncle look over, pressed his little hands to his chest, and flashed a bright smile.

Even though the little cub still felt a little off this time, none of Nono's villainous family members were missing. That was honestly the best.

It had already been two weeks since Xiaobai Nuo's break started.

Bai Ye kept getting treatment as usual, but he had a rough reaction to the hospital setting, so a few days ago the old master brought him back to the Bai family's villa. With Bai Ye around, Bai Liang had been dropping by a lot more often.

With New Year's around the corner, snow had fallen outside again. The little cub, as usual, got up bright and early, washing up on his own while his dad was still asleep. He poked his head into the room to peek at his dad, whispered a soft "good morning," then headed downstairs with Dou Dou in his arms.

Bai Sheng slowly blinked his eyes open.

It had been cold lately, and with going through the leftover research institute files, Bai Sheng was the type to be too pissed off to sleep at night and too wiped to get up in the morning. But overall, the biggest threat was mostly handled, and Xiaobai Nuo had been sleeping by himself these past few days. So when Bai Sheng heard the noise outside, he just cracked one eye open, couldn't even be bothered to check the monitors, and shut his eyes to go back to sleep.

He remembered Cen Zhi had planned to hit the market in the morning to grab fresh meat for Anu's cat food.

Speaking of that cat, his little cub was definitely all in.

Bai Sheng thought about it, rolled over, yawned lazily, and showed zero sign of wanting to move. There was nothing urgent at the company either, and with New Year's coming up, most stuff was on hold, so Bai Sheng didn't need to go in much. He was like a dozing predator—looking even lazier than usual.

But it was fine—he'd mostly beaten the "kidnappers" into the ground, and it was safe enough outside for his cub to play.

Of course, as a dad, he still hoped that when he woke up, his cub would already be home and working on knitting him a better scarf.

...

Cen Zhi was already waiting downstairs.

When Bai Nuo came downstairs with Dou Dou, he called out happily, "Grandma!"

"Mhm."

Cen Zhi reached out, scooped the little guy into her arms, and lovingly smoothed down his little curls.

"Your dad still asleep?"

The little cub thought for a second, then immediately started covering for his dad.

"Because it's too cold outside, and Dad's been working so hard lately. He needs his rest."

"You're always making excuses for your dad."

Cen Zhi laughed and tickled the little guy's neck.

The cub giggled, twisting to the side to dodge.

"Want a bite first? Then eat outside? Grab the stuff and then head to Great-Grandpa's?"

Cen Zhi picked up a freshly baked loaf of bread sitting off to the side.

The steaming bread smelled way better than one that had gone cold.

Bai Nuo sniffed, opened his mouth, took a bite, and mumbled a reply, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

After he finished his little roll and drank a small cup of warm milk, Grandma carried him outside.

Once he was settled in the child safety seat and buckled up, the little one was about to say hi to the driver uncle when he saw the person sitting in the driver's seat.

"Uncle."

The little one poked his head out.

"Good morning, is Uncle coming out with Nono?"

"Yeah, sit tight, we're heading out."

Bai Jingyun said, glancing at the door again, raising an eyebrow without meaning to.

"Bai Sheng still not up?"

Xiaobai Nuo blinked, about to cover for his dad again, and finally added that Uncle should also rest well, shutting down whatever Bai Jingyun was about to say.

Cen Zhi laughed nearby.

But this time, having Uncle tag along clearly had its perks.

After all, as a high-level omega, Cen Zhi didn't have the strength or stamina of an alpha, so after carrying the little one for a while, it was Uncle's turn to hold him.

Of course, buying fresh ingredients at these places was something the household servants could do, but Cen Zhi still felt that during the holidays, it was good to keep the kid busy.

Besides, it had snowed heavily in Ang City last night, and today's snow was really pretty.

The little one, fed and happy, also bought some fresh ingredients for making cat food for Anu following the cat food recipe Dou Dou gave him, and with more than an hour to go before lunch, Xiaobai Nuo arrived at the Bai family villa.

The weather was cold and it was snowing outside, but Anu didn't mind the cold, bounding around in the snow waiting for Xiaobai Nuo to arrive, leaving a trail of cat paw prints.

The little one got to work making cat food like a pro, with Uncle and Grandma helping out.

But clearly, the Bai family wasn't exactly great at cooking—whether it was people food or cat food.

In the end, a few chefs from the Bai family villa rushed in to save the day.

And Bai Wan, who had been getting chummier with Anu lately, also arrived at this time.

When Bai Wan arrived, the little one was holding a spoon up to his cheek, watching Anu slowly lick the cat food off the spoon.

He was bundled up, already round to begin with, and squatting down made him look even rounder, like a little dumpling.

Speaking of dumplings, a rare flicker of annoyance showed in Bai Wan's blue eyes.

"Uncle?"

Xiaobai Nuo looked up and saw Bai Wan, waving a little hand energetically.

"Is Uncle here to see Anu?"

Not quite.

After all, he had checked the villa's entry and exit logs earlier and knew that Bai Jingyun's car had driven in.

Based on analysis and judgment, the odds of Bai Jingyun coming alone were super low, so he swung by to try his luck before heading out.

"...Yeah."

"Uncle, you're a little late. Nono already made cat food for Anu. If you'd come a bit earlier, you could've made some too."

The little one said happily.

Cat food?

"Based on analysis, it's made up of various meats, mixed with egg yolk and veggies cats can eat."

Bai Wan looked at the meat paste on Xiaobai Nuo's spoon.

"So it's mainly chicken with beef as a secondary, which gives it this color?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's the recipe Dou Dou recommended."

The little one put down the spoon, held Dou Dou up, and looked at Bai Wan, thinking Dou Dou and Bai Wan would totally hit it off.

Bai Wan responded and started trying to recite the cat food guides he'd read when he was trying to win Anu over before.

The little one listened, but after a bit, he noticed Bai Wan's outfit.

After Bai Zhize and Bai Wan returned, they weren't as restricted anymore. After all, without the two of them, the research institute might not have been so bold, and K might not have shown up so fast—the two had been the catalysts. Plus, Bai Wan had dealt with R, so the people who'd been on edge about them finally breathed a sigh of relief. And the three chefs Bai Zhize had been pining for, though they had signed contracts, naturally wanted to keep working in the country. Once the old man gave the word, Bai Zhize ended up staying here, grumbling the whole time.

During this period, the little one often bumped into Third Granduncle and Uncle.

Bai Zhize was still a bit awkward with the little one, and felt he shouldn't get too involved with the little one's traits, so he rarely appeared near Xiaobai Nuo. Bai Wan, on the other hand, got along quite well with the little one.

Especially when it came to feeding Anu—the uncle and nephew shared a common interest, both being total fur fanatics.

And having spent more time with Bai Wan, the little one knew Bai Wan usually liked comfy clothes with no patterns, more of a casual dresser. But today, he was surprisingly dressed up in formal wear, wearing a gray wool coat outside, with a faint scent of cologne. Against the backdrop of the white snow, his features looked even colder, and his eye color even more translucent.

Xiaobai Nuo blinked. "Uncle, are you going out?"

"Yeah, going on a business trip."

Bai Wan spoke.

"Some matters to handle, probably won't be back until after the New Year."

Bai Wan said, pulling a delicate little red envelope from his pocket and handing it to the little one.

"I looked up the customs of the New Year in Z country and determined that elders need to give younger ones lucky money. But I won't make it back by New Year's Day, so I'm giving it to you early."

"Thank you, Uncle."

The little one wiped his small hands on himself, took the red envelope Bai Wan offered, looked down at it with obvious curiosity.

"Uncle, do you want to feed Anu?"

The little one began recommending that Bai Wan use the spoon to feed Anu the cat food.

At that moment, Anu was meowing, circling around the little one, bumping and rubbing against him.

And Bai Jingyun stood behind, squinting at the red envelope in Xiaobai Nuo's hand.

Bai Jingyun: ...

Bai Jingyun then looked at Bai Wan.

Having Bai Ye suddenly appear was already surprising enough—what was going on with Third Uncle's son?

He didn't seem like the type to care about rankings, did he?

Bai Jingyun thought to himself.

That put his mind at ease a bit.

He figured he was overthinking things—this guy was famously meticulous, or to put it more bluntly, Bai Wan was a bit too rigid, like he didn't have a single emotion in him. Maybe he actually did his research and figured this was the right move?

At that moment, Bai Wan was holding a spoon, feeding Anu. His attempts at feeding the cat always ended in disaster, mainly because Anu never played along—either pinning its ears back or avoiding him completely.

After he came back from overseas, things got a little better, but Anu still didn't linger around him much.

But today? Different story.

Anu looked at the cat food Nono had made, sitting there on the spoon, then glanced at Bai Wan, who was standing there like a robot dispenser. After a moment of hesitation, it finally leaned its little head in and started eating with soft little mews.

Bai Wan rarely got this far with Anu. He widened his eyes just barely, so subtly no one would've noticed, and in his translucent blue eyes, he could see Anu's head reflected—plus the little cub crouched beside Anu, eyes curved into a smile, looking just as fluffy and happy.

Bai Wan: ...

"Can I pet him?"

Huh?

Xiaobai Nuo looked up at his uncle.

Oh, right—his uncle still hadn't gotten to pet Anu.

So the little cub thought for a moment, then looked at the cat, who was busy chowing down.

"Uncle, go slow. Reach out a little at a time. If Anu doesn't mind, then you can pet him."

Gently, bit by bit, reaching out—

Bai Wan didn't blink. He kept one hand in the feeding position, but his other hand reached out and suddenly landed on Xiaobai Nuo's head, giving the little cub's curls a couple of gentle pats.

Caught off guard by his uncle's big hand, the cub let out a little "ah" and looked up.

Bai Wan pulled his hand back, his expression unreadable.

So, this is how it feels.

...Kind of stress-relieving, actually.

Bai Jingyun, who'd been standing behind him, suddenly snapped upright: ???

Wait, weren't you supposed to be petting the cat?

Who exactly are you petting?!

Cen Zhi didn't mind her kid being touched at all—she was more amused by Bai Jingyun's "freak-out" next to her.

Meanwhile, Bai Wan had finished patting the cub, and Anu had licked the spoon clean. He checked the time.

"I should get going."

His voice was steady and flat, that classic news-anchor tone, with zero accent.

But underneath, there was this faint, half-dead quality to it.

After saying goodbye to his uncle, Anu was full and happy, and started playing with a plush mouse by himself.

Xiaobai Nuo hugged Dou Dou and stomped around, leaving little footprints in the snow.

The adults didn't stop him from running around.

The Bai estate was safe everywhere—servants keeping an eye out, cameras all over. It was basically Xiaobai Nuo's winter playground.

Xiaobai Nuo wasn't just wandering around; he was heading to see his grand-uncle, planning to officially introduce Dou Dou to him.

The cub trotted along ahead, snowflakes drifting down from the treetops onto his light-colored down jacket. Since it had snowed just yesterday, the snow on the branches was light and fluffy, and when the wind blew, it scattered and settled on his jacket. If you looked closely, you could see all kinds of hexagonal snowflakes.

The cub spotted his grand-uncle and his second uncle from a distance, standing with their backs to him in the glass greenhouse. Bai Ye was wearing that scarf, one hand braced against the side, fingers gripping the railing so hard his knuckles were white, veins bulging, breathing heavy, body slightly hunched.

Xiaobai Nuo's voice died in his throat. The cub paused. The greenhouse windows were open for air, so Bai Nuo could hear his second uncle from where he was standing: "The missing gland is taking a huge toll on you, and with the severe side effects from your old meds, the pain and spasms are to be expected—your organs are all failing."

This was endless pain, wave after wave, never letting up—something Bai Ye had seen coming for a long time. After a wave of pain passed, he swayed a little, then grabbed a nearby towel and roughly wiped his sweaty hair and face.

Bai Liang stood off to the side, arms crossed, making no move to help—just watching Bai Ye.

"You should close the window. A little fresh air isn't worth the risk of catching a cold."

But Bai Liang just said it with a smile, standing there without even lifting a finger.

"Your best bet right now is to stay with me in the lab where I can keep an eye on you 24/7. Once we have the full data, we might find a solution. This is a big research area, and plenty of people before us have worked on it. We've got experience by now—we can give you a few options."

But the moment the lab came up, Bai Ye's resistance was obvious. He looked up at Bai Liang, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly: "This is fine."

"So you're just gonna sit here and wait to die?"

Bai Liang took off his slightly fogged-up glasses and tucked them into his pocket. When he looked up again, the sharpness in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"You finally made it back, and now you're just gonna die like this? Really?"

"..."

Bai Ye's mouth twitched.

"With pain like this... I've never once thought death was a bad thing."

He'd only been pulled back from death temporarily—by that little cub.

He was like a battered kite that had flown too high, now tied down by a single piece of yarn. He couldn't bring himself to say harsh words or do harsh things to that little face of Bai Nuo's. But yarn snags easily and wears thin—it could snap at any moment.

Bai Ye couldn't find any more connections to this world. What could he even do, staying here for that cub's sake?

Just suffer through the pain day after day, barely hanging on until he died?

In that case, death really was a release.

Bai Ye wanted nothing to do with the lab anymore, and he had no idea what else he could do.

He... was useless.

He had been for a long time.

Meeting expectations, getting his name back—all of it felt like a dream to Bai Ye.

Bai Liang wanted to say more—after all, even if Bai Ye wouldn't go to the lab, he wasn't as useless as he thought he was in other areas.

But just then, the cub's voice rang out from outside.

"Second Uncle, First Uncle!"

Bai Ye instinctively turned around and saw the cub standing in the snow, snowflakes clinging to his eyelashes as he blinked and looked over. He was so small, by the roadside, like a pretty snowman someone had made.

The cub waved at them from the snow, cradling Dou Dou, who was also dressed in a fluffy little outfit by the cub.

Bai Nuo walked over through the snow, raising his arm toward his second uncle and first uncle through the glass.

Holding out his hand to show them the snowflakes.

"Second Uncle, First Uncle, look, snowflakes really do have six points, and no two are alike."

Bai Ye paused for a moment, instinctively glancing at Bai Liang.

He had been hurting just now, so it made sense he hadn't noticed—but had Bai Liang really missed Little Bai Nuo coming?

Bai Liang raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence.

Bai Liang was genuinely a bit innocent here. Though he had spotted the little cub in the end, he truly hadn't noticed before, since Little Bai Nuo was quite good at keeping himself hidden.

Bai Ye looked away, about to say something, but instead crouched down and looked at the snowflakes on the cub's coat. He'd never paid much attention to them before, and now he spoke softly: "Yeah, you're right."

Every single one was different.

"Right?"

The cub smiled.

"The world is so fascinating—even snowflakes are this fascinating. Second Uncle, Second Uncle, Nuo Nuo wants to come in."

"Alright, let me open the door for you."

Bai Liang walked over and pushed the glass door open, watching the little one come in and shake the snow off his little body.

Bai Nuo rubbed his cold cheeks, then looked up and said softly: "Second Uncle, can we shut the window? It's so cold outside."

Bai Liang shot Bai Ye a glance.

Bai Ye reached out and closed the window himself.

Bai Liang was pretty sure the little one had caught every word, but he didn't say anything—just pulled out his phone and checked it.

"Nuo Nuo, your cousin uncle is on his way. He'll be here any minute."

Cen Liu was blowing up the group chat, acting like a lunatic who would die without his Nuo fix.

This had Bai Liang unsure if he should tell him where Nuo Nuo was right now.

"Is cousin uncle resting? Then Nuo Nuo can build a snowman with cousin uncle later, okay?"

The cub nodded, then looked at his first uncle.

Bai Ye paused for a few seconds, then crouched down, his tone unreadable, and asked: "What do you want to say?"

Actually, Little Bai Nuo hadn't sorted out his thoughts yet after hearing all that.

Hearing Bai Ye ask, the tiny cub reached out his hand—his fingertips, still warm from rubbing his face, pressed gently against Bai Ye's cheek, then looked at Bai Liang.

"It's so cold outside. First Uncle, you and Second Uncle both need to dress warmer. You shouldn't be out in the wind—Nuo Nuo would worry."

With that, the cub withdrew his hand and even spun around in a circle, showing off.

"You have to bundle up as much as Nuo Nuo."

The little one said this, then nodded emphatically.

Bai Ye paused, looking at the cub who was nearly wrapped up into a ball. The corner of his mouth twitched, almost a smile, but it didn't quite form.

And just then, he heard someone approaching quickly.

What was that sound?

Bai Ye looked up in confusion, instinctively assuming a defensive posture and reaching out to shield Little Bai Nuo.

Beside him, Bai Liang had already let out a sigh, covering his face with his hand, and started texting Bai Sheng to ask where he was right now.

Cen Liu sprinted over, snow flying everywhere, and somehow didn't wipe out. His eyes were gleaming, locked onto his target with clear intent.

"Nuo Nuo, Nuo Nuo, Little Nuo Nuo!! Your cousin uncle is here! Bai Sheng's not around, right? Let cousin uncle smoosh you into a mango pit, hahaha!!!"