Chapter 168

Chapter 168

"Then Nono will wait for Uncle next New Year."

The little one's voice became lighter, and he reached out his hand.

"Uncle and Nono made a deal—pinky promise."

Bai Ye was not good at making promises, but at this moment he gave a low hum of agreement, reached out, hooked his pinky around Bai Nuo's small finger, and pressed his thumb against the child's to seal it.

Then Bai Ye looked at the little one, silent for a moment before speaking.

"Why are you crying?"

You wanna watch me throw down with your dad?

Although he wanted to, he had to admit he couldn't take Bai Sheng right now.

Bai Nuo raised his hand to wipe his eyes and shook his head firmly. "No, it's just that Nono thought about it for a long time and spent a long time convincing himself. Now he feels that being able to look forward to next year is a really good thing."

Surviving the apocalypse meant never knowing how long you'd live. Aside from the cycles of natural disasters, people barely registered the passage of years and months—because you couldn't be sure you'd still be alive tomorrow, you wouldn't look forward to tomorrow or make long-term plans.

It was only after coming here that Bai Nuo slowly started looking forward to tomorrow, to the next week, to the next month, and then to the next year. He started anticipating the future, looking forward to the world he'd see when he grew up.

Bai Ye had never looked forward to the future—until now.

And Nono figured—

Being able to plan for the future and have hope for it was a really happy thing.

It was really great.

Bai Ye: ...

Bai Ye was completely helpless with this kid. He let out an "ah," his gaze drifting despite himself, his face still wearing that cold and gloomy expression, but he said, "Jeez... quit crying."

"Report!! Bai Ye made Nono cry!! San'er, you deal with him—don't deal with me!"

It was the cousin uncle, scrambling in all disheveled, loudly reporting the incident.

Bai Ye: ...

Bai Ye rarely wanted to curse without any hostility or murderous intent—just plain scold Cen Liu, this guy who dared to challenge authority, getting braver each time but only for a moment.

"Nono wasn't crying."

The little one wiped the tears from his eyes, turned to look at his cousin uncle, and emphasized.

"Really? Come here, let cousin uncle hold you and take a closer look!"

Whack. Slap. Smack.

Bai Sheng, who had just broken free from the scuffle behind him, grabbed hold of Cen Liu's jacket.

As capable as Bai Sheng was, facing everyone's combined assault, he couldn't avoid getting covered in snow. Snowflakes had gotten caught in his slightly wavy hair, and he shook them off.

The encirclement of Bai Sheng behind him had gradually devolved into something else—after all, they couldn't stand each other, and one careless move easily sparked a free-for-all.

Amid the background noise from Cen Liu and the little one, Bai Sheng and Bai Ye locked eyes.

One lazy, one menacing.

Then Bai Sheng tilted his head and said: "Nono, get ready. We're gonna go pay respects to Great-Grandpa soon, and later you're going to pick strawberries with your little friends, right?"

"Okay, Dad!"

Bai Nuo responded, clutching the red envelope his uncle gave him. He smiled at his uncle, then trotted over to his dad.

Bai Ye slowly got to his feet and got a good look at the scarf around Bai Sheng's neck.

Tsk.

It still bugged him a little.

The New Year passed quickly, and a new kindergarten semester began.

The little one was even busier now.

He'd started practicing strokes and learning to write characters. He read more books every day—things he could understand and things he couldn't, he'd gobble them all up in a hurry, and then at some moment inspiration would strike, like he'd suddenly had an epiphany.

Bai Nuo loved that feeling of sudden clarity.

Of course, besides daily studies, there was feeding the cat and fish, occasionally helping out with the small animals at Great-Grandpa's place, going out with his parents, visiting scenic spots, and making regular visits to see his uncle who was getting treatment.

After his sixth birthday and the last summer vacation of kindergarten ended, Bai Nuo moved up to elementary school.

Shuguang School—a big institution covering elementary, middle, and high school. It was the best-performing and biggest school in all of Ang City.

The campus was huge, with tons of students. Since most students were local, the majority commuted.

Elementary Division of Shuguang School.

Today was Sunday—the opening ceremony. New students and those who had advanced a grade all gathered in the grand auditorium.

In the sweltering September heat, the opening ceremony only lasted half a day, with classes starting tomorrow.

After going over the school's history, recent achievements, and speeches from various leaders, the first-grade freshman representative was called up to speak.

The crowd below had been pretty noisy even after the leaders finished their speeches.

There were countless kids from prestigious families, and just as many gifted academic prodigies. They eyed the new little kids with curiosity, indifference, or friendliness.

Bai Nuo straightened his clothes.

He walked from backstage to the front.

Another half year had passed. The little one had been well looked after—he'd grown a bit taller, but his face was still round and soft and adorable. His slightly curly hair stuck up a bit, making his rosy lips and fair skin stand out even more.

Shuguang Academy's uniform had a bit of a private-school vibe. The shirt buttons were done up neatly, and a strawberry-shaped metal clip held down the lanyard-style tie.

Bai Nuo walked to the front of the stage, curved his eyes, and tapped the microphone.

A childish voice rang out, light and pleasant.

"Good morning, everyone. I'm the freshman representative from first grade, Bai Nuo..."

Under the teachers' watchful eyes and amid the curiosity about little Bai Nuo, the noisy students all turned their attention to him.

After all, academic talent often showed itself at a very young age, and there were some familiar faces in the competitions for kindergarteners hosted by the Ang City Education Department.

Bai Nuo was definitely one of those faces you'd recognize right away.

Bai Sheng sat in the parents' section, with Xie Yu and Yu Chen beside him. Assistant Li Zhilin was a real all-rounder—he had a telephoto camera set up on a tripod, recording the whole thing.

As the freshman rep, Bai Nuo's speech only ran about five minutes.

Bai Sheng squinted as he watched.

Then he broke into a lazy, easy grin.

After all, only he, as the dad, knew how much work it took to turn a cub who was scared of strangers into the poised, confident kid he was today.

Sure, the parenting books had plenty of wrong turns and dead ends, but taking the best from all of them, Bai Sheng figured he'd done a pretty solid job.

The loose ends at the research institute were mostly tied up, with only one of K's illegitimate sons still unaccounted for. The guy had hidden too well—or rather, after Bai Ye left the institute, that illegitimate son never showed up again, and all the related files just vanished. The families that had been tight with K's real identity didn't have any cubs of the right age either.

So they still hadn't found the target, but that was fine.

It wasn't gonna block the wide-open sky ahead of his cub.

"...We step into a new stage, exploring science, pursuing truth, and contributing our strength for a better world. Thank you, everyone."

Little Bai Nuo finished his speech and stepped off the stage. Once the noise behind him died down, his steady walk turned into a bounce. He covered his face with his little hands, rubbed his cheeks back and forth, eyes all sparkly.

His face was a little warm.

But it didn't matter—he'd nailed it in one go, not a single stumble.

Grandma was right—Nono was a smart kid.

Bai Nuo covered his face again, all happy.

By then, the elementary school's opening ceremony was wrapping up. The bigwigs filed out, and the classes started to scatter.

Chatter was buzzing all around.

"Was that the kid from the Education Department's official account earlier?"

"I heard he's an omega."

"There aren't many omega freshmen this year either."

"He seemed really cute. I was too far to see clearly—you guys up front, did you get a good look? Was he cute?"

"Seriously, I was in the front row. Bai Nuo's eyelashes are so long. Should we go say hi later?"

"Ah... we could, but I'm kinda nervous."

"Haha, I get it. He's from the Bai family, after all. My dad once had a business meeting with them and couldn't sleep a wink the night before."

The upperclassmen were chatting, and Jiang Liang was standing right there among them. He was still in the elementary division, two years from moving up to middle school. He frowned hard, stayed quiet, then turned to look at the freshman section.

A lot of freshmen had already scattered, but some were still hanging around in small groups.

Xia Huan, who'd been in the same class as Bai Nuo before, was one of them.

He was telling a new friend, "Yeah, Nuo Nuo's amazing, and he's got a really, really good temper, so you don't gotta be scared to talk to him. He helps with a lot of stuff. But one thing—Nuo Nuo's still closest to those three friends he always hangs out with. They're like their own little clique, hard to get into. This time, all four of 'em are in the same class again."

Even though Xia Huan could be a bit tsundere around the cub, after spending so much time with him, he couldn't help singing his praises behind his back. When he mentioned that Little Bai Nuo and the other three were still in the same class, he sounded a little bummed.

His dad wasn't helping either—at this rate, when would he ever get to be Nuo Nuo's good friend?

Jiang Liang stared at the scene, not moving. When he heard Xia Huan's name, he finally couldn't help walking over.

"You're Xia Huan?" he said.

Even though he was an omega, the nine-year-old was way taller than them.

He was staring at Xia Huan with this weird intensity.

Xia Huan looked back, confused: "Yeah, what's up? Do we know each other?"

"Everything okay at home?" Jiang Liang asked again.

Xia Huan: ?

Wait, what did he mean by "everything okay at home"?

Of course everything was fine at home! Today, his dad had taken his dear mom on a trip, leaving only the butler to come to his opening ceremony. Of course, since it was their anniversary, Xia Huan didn't mind them missing his ceremony—after all, his parents had bought him a ton of toys he'd wanted but never got, and he was itching to go home and play with them.

Jiang Liang didn't need Xia Huan to answer; he could already tell from his face. He paused, let out a little laugh, and said, "Just asking. Must've mistaken you for someone else."

Xia Huan was a bit confused, and the person next to him tugged at his sleeve.

In a low voice, they told him this was a big-name senior from the upper grades, someone who'd won awards in a bunch of competitions. Not the most outstanding, but pretty well-known at Shuguang School.

Xia Huan nodded and left with his friends.

Leaving Jiang Liang standing there by himself.

Jiang Liang frowned hard, glancing at where Xia Huan had gone, then turned to look behind him.

Something was off.

This was completely wrong.

In his dream, whether it was Yu Zai or Xia Huan, they were supposed to be on his side—future teammates in a big international competition who, after being persecuted by the Bai family, had started down the path of fighting back.

So there was no way Xia Huan would light up at the mention of the Bai family's kid.

And Yu Zai had no interest in competitions either; Jiang Liang had tried talking to him a few times, and the guy had clearly gone the art route.

Not to mention there was zero news of the Bai family collapsing—in fact, they seemed to be building partnerships on multiple fronts.

This was entirely different.

Jiang Liang had been freaking out about these changes for a while, and now it was even worse.

If the Bai family never fell, and the conditions for everyone to turn on them never lined up, he kept wondering: in the future, would he still be the center of attention he'd seen? Because things were already changing.

And Bai Nuo... shouldn't he be here?

Bai Nuo had already gone back to his class line, found Yu Chuyan, and stood next to him, waiting for the parents to grab their stuff and come pick them up.

Back in kindergarten, the two little ones had gotten used to holding hands, so Yu Chuyan naturally took Little Bai Nuo's hand. The two Xie kids had wandered off somewhere again, and Yu Chuyan was happy to have some quiet.

While waiting for the parents, the middle school opening ceremony had also wrapped up, and the crowd was filing out.

In the distance, a familiar figure came out of the crowd streaming from the auditorium across the way.

When he spotted them, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over.

"I saw the list—you're the freshman rep, right? Bai Nuo."

Yu Zai smiled at Bai Nuo, a faint sparkle in his eyes.

Ever since his brother had taken him away from their father's household, his mood had improved day by day. He looked a lot brighter overall, and most of the gloominess that used to hang on him was gone.

He'd just started middle school this year, and as the freshman rep, he'd seen the list on the teachers' end.

Yu Zai and Bai Nuo weren't that close. They'd only run into the Yu family now and then when Bai Nuo's uncle took him out.

"You're awesome too, big brother."

Bai Nuo smiled back, his eyes crinkling into little crescents.

Yu Chuyan stood beside them, holding Bai Nuo's hand, giving Yu Zai another once-over before dropping his gaze. The Little Cool Guy kept quiet, softly fiddling with Bai Nuo's fingers.

After a few more words, someone behind them called Yu Zai's name.

Yu Zai answered, said goodbye to Bai Nuo, and headed off.

Bai Nuo waved at him, then turned to look at his Brother Xiao Yan.

The Little Cool Guy had turned another year older, and he'd gotten even better at hiding his feelings, making them harder to read.

Bai Nuo blinked. "Brother, are you in a bad mood?"

"No."

Yu Chuyan answered right away, lifting his head.

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you're squeezing Nono's hand a little too hard."

Even though he'd grown a bit, the little cub still thought of himself as a Big Kid. But around people he knew well, he was just as clingy and laid-back as ever.

"Sorry!"

Yu Chuyan froze for a second, then quickly loosened his grip to check Bai Nuo's fingers, looking a little guilty.

"It's fine."

Bai Nuo smiled and took Yu Chuyan's hand back, speaking lightly.

"Is Nono very close with him?"

Yu Chuyan paused, then probed.

Even though they hung out a lot, they weren't stuck to each other 24/7.

"Nope."

Bai Nuo shook his head. He was still tiny compared to kids his age.

"Don't I always hang out with you guys the most?"

Bai Nuo was either with the grown-ups or with the three of them.

So he happily concluded, "Nono's closest to Brother."

Nono's closest to Brother...

Closest to Brother...

Yu Chuyan's ears went red in an instant. He cleared his throat, about to turn around.

Then he heard a teasing voice from behind: "Only closest to Brother Yan, huh?"

Bai Nuo turned around—it was the Xie Family Twins.

Xie Qing was holding a bag. Xie Yue had his arm slung around Xie Qing's neck, an ice cream in his other hand, talking with it still in his mouth.

"I wanna be the closest too, okay?"

Xie Yue leaned in, complaining.

But before he could get his head close to Bai Nuo, Xie Qing reached out and shoved it back, then opened the plastic bag.

"Ice cream—pick whichever one you like."

Xie Yue rubbed his face from behind Xie Qing.

"The shop here's got a pretty good selection. Since Dad's not around, let's pig out!"

"You're the one who'll end up with a stomachache."

Xie Qing shot him a disgusted look.

Bai Nuo also gave him a disapproving look. "Brother Xie Yue, you just got a stomachache from eating too much ice cream a few days ago."

Xie Yue took a bite of his ice cream. "Was it only a few days ago? I thought it'd been forever."

"Oh, right."

The little cub looked up at the older boys, dug into his pocket, and pulled out three badges, handing one to each of them.

"When I came this morning, Nono saw these—I just happened to pull these three. Think of them as a thank-you for the birthday gifts and a back-to-school present."

The badges were from a popular cartoon that had been airing over the summer. Each of them had a favorite character, and the store sold them in blind boxes.

But the Xie twins had terrible luck and never managed to pull the ones they wanted.

Until now.

"How did you pull these? I swear they don't even stock them in stores—I bought so many and got nothing at all!"

Xie Yue shouted, clutching the badges, looking like he was about to pounce on little Xiaobai Nuo.

Let me soak up that luck!!!

But Yu Chuyan and Xie Qing teamed up to hold him back.

In the distance, the parents had already picked up their paperwork and were calling out to the kids.

The little cub glanced over at his dad, said bye to his brothers, and—having grown a bit taller—trotted over with quick little steps. He looked up at his father with a hint of pride, then reached out his little hand for his dad to hold, saying softly, "Daddy, did Nono do good today?"

"Very good. Your Uncle Li got it all on video."

Li Zhilin added from behind: "We'll show it to everyone at the company when we get back."

Bai Nuo's eyes went wide: ...Uh, maybe that's not necessary?

Bai Nuo couldn't help bouncing along next to his dad, waving bye to Xie Yu and Yu Chen before leaving the school gate and getting into the car.

Xie Yu glanced at his two little monkeys, already bouncing around and clutching their badges.

Xie Yu put a hand over his face, then suddenly realized: "Wait—how many ice creams did you guys buy?! You can't eat them all. If you act this undisciplined again, I'm telling Mom to cut your allowance!"

Xie Yue leaned in: "Hey?! Dad, if you tell Mom, I'll clean out your secret stash!"

"What secret stash? Ha, besides, my wife never limits my spending—"

We've got the money for that!

"Behind the second cabinet in the third study..."

Xie Qing said, slow and deliberate.

Xie Yu quickly slapped a hand over Xie Qing's mouth: ...You little brat, that's where your old man hides his smokes!

Next to them, Yu Chen watched, amused, then watched his own brother "float" over and collapse into his arms, hugging him, and making sounds like someone completely overwhelmed by cuteness.

Bro... Little Rice Cake... I wanna raise a Little Rice Cake.

Yu Chen: ...

Wait, what did you do this time?

...

On the ride home, Nono, the brand-new elementary schooler, was still buzzing with excitement.

The car seat in the back had already been taken out; he sat in the high-back booster seat, buckled up, chattering away to his dad about everything that happened backstage.

Then he opened his arms and, with a shy, reserved air, asked his dad for a hug.

Nono was really amazing today—he deserved a reward.

Bai Sheng found it funny and reached out to scoop the little guy into his arms.

He was in elementary school now, but he still loved to act clingy.

And Bai Sheng was exactly the kind of guy to fall for it.

"Head home first?"

Bai Sheng asked.

"Mhm."

The cub nodded.

"And Daddy's amazing too."

Bai Nuo poked half his little head out of his dad's arms.

"Hm?"

Amazing how?

Bai Sheng looked over, curious and all ears.

"Because with Daddy's hugs, Nono can be this amazing and this brave. Daddy's the most amazing dad in the whole world."

His little flattery came pouring out, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"Daddy's amazing, so Nono's amazing."

"Where do you learn all this stuff from?"

Bai Sheng pinched the little guy's chubby cheek.

The little guy squinted.

"It's all straight from Nono's heart."

The cub's excitement didn't wear off even after they got back to the main house of the old estate.

It was still pretty early.

In the living room, only Bai Qi was there, lounging on the couch.

She'd just gotten back from a business trip, her usual sharpness softened, with a hint of tiredness and laziness in her eyes.

Hearing the little one chattering as he came in, she looked up, saw little Bai Nuo greeting her, and mustered the energy to wave back, asking if the opening ceremony was over and telling him she'd watch the video later too.

After watching the cub head to the kitchen to check what was for lunch, Bai Qi looked away and pressed her fingers to her brow.

Bai Qi was genuinely exhausted—she'd been going nonstop for the past six months.

And the internal conflicts in the Bai family had mostly dissolved, especially since this little cub came along.

Which made her conflict with Bai Liang stand out even more.

Even if she wasn't the most perceptive person, she couldn't help but feel irritated.

Especially since Bai Liang kept coming around, hovering in her sight over and over.

Bai Qi wasn't sure what to do next. Sharper words seemed hard to say, but making peace? She had no interest in it. She could only fully focus when working; during rest, this wave of lazy exhaustion washed over her, leaving her not wanting to talk at all.

Just then, Bai Nuo came running out of the kitchen, pattering over to his aunt and looking up at her.

"Auntie, are you really tired from your business trip?"

"...A little, why? Do you know what we're having for lunch today?" Bai Qi answered after a two-second pause, her expression unchanged.

"Mm," Bai Nuo nodded. The cub, now a bit older, was sharper than when he was little—more composed, more reserved, no longer asking the adults for hugs as often. But now, Bai Nuo smiled and held out his hand. "Auntie, Nono's speech today was really good—everyone was praising Nono."

"Really? Then Auntie will have to take a good look at it."

Bai Nuo went on, his eyes soft with hope.

"Then... can Auntie give Nono a hug as a reward?"

Bai Qi was just thinking that this little one hadn't been asking for hugs as much lately, when she heard that request. She hesitated for a second, but still bent down and gave Bai Nuo a hug—after all, no one could really refuse a request from this little cub, especially the Bai family members who knew what this child had been through in the lab, let alone when all he wanted was just a hug.

The little cub's arms wrapped around her, circling her neck, giving a firm squeeze, even standing slightly on his tiptoes.

"The books say hugs make you feel relaxed, and it's like sharing too. Nono is very happy right now."

Bai Nuo gave his aunt a big hug without letting go: "Auntie, are you feeling a bit happier now?"

He'd grown up and gotten a bit more composed, speaking with more coherence rather than barreling forward with pure kid-like sincerity, but the feeling he gave others was still the same. And he never held back his hugs.