Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Fairy Tale World?

Bai Wan indeed had no idea what a fairy tale world looked like.

He had never been interested in knowing in the past.

But Bai Wan looked at the exceptionally dreamy decor before him, because beyond the windows lay Grandpa's farm.

With the wallpaper and all the wood accents, there was even a wooden cat tunnel outside, so Anu could come straight in from outside—it was like a little cabin in the woods.

It suddenly clicked for Bai Wan.

Oh, I see.

So this is what a fairy tale world looks like.

Colorful and dreamy—no wonder the little guy liked it.

Bai Wan had to admit the kid had decent taste, but he stuck out like a sore thumb here.

He didn't belong in this innocent, kid-friendly world, plain and simple.

He should've just asked how to pet the cat, gotten his answer, and left. No need to sit through story time.

But by the time Xiao Bainuo ran over, grabbed his great-grandpa's hand, and dragged him toward the nearest themed area, Cen Zhi was already trailing behind with a smile.

Bai Wan hesitated for a few seconds, then followed anyway, ending up in the seat across from Xiao Bainuo.

He watched the little one open the storybook.

The little guy probably couldn't write much yet, but he'd clearly learned pinyin—some characters had wobbly pinyin scribbled above them.

Bai Wan knew the drill. Before he could truly speak the Z-country language fluently, he'd crammed words, characters, and tones like crazy, determined to nail every single one without a hint of an accent.

This wasn't like a picture book. Sure, it had illustrations, but the pages were packed with way more text than a typical picture book.

The little guy told them the story in his own words as he flipped through the book.

His little voice brought the simple story to life—weirdly engaging, not boring in the slightest.

When the little guy was doing something he loved, he had endless energy, chattering away for nearly an hour without tiring—though his grandma did make him down a big cup of warm water halfway through.

Xiao Bainuo chugged it down and kept going.

So Bai Wan ended up staying without even realizing it.

Completely forgetting his dad was still waiting for him in another building.

Finally, they made it to the ocean section.

Cen Zhi checked the time and had already sent a servant to fetch the strawberry cream scone Bai Wan had given Xiao Bainuo.

After all that talking, the little guy was probably getting hungry.

This section was modeled after the underwater world from The Little Mermaid.

Xiao Bainuo opened The Little Mermaid and started again.

"And here's the little mermaid who lives in the deep sea—this is her home, and that's her bed..."

The little guy's eyes sparkled as he read aloud.

Cen Zhi was actually a little surprised.

After all, the first time the little guy heard The Little Mermaid, he was on the verge of tears.

Bai Wan's face was blank. He listened, eyes lowered to the text on the page.

He read incredibly fast and with pinpoint accuracy—it was one of his specialties.

It was a skill that served him well in complex decryption and encryption work, and he was also a whiz with all kinds of device data.

So for Bai Wan, one quick glance was all it took to "scan" the entire page into his head.

So when the little guy got to the end of the story—

"In the end, the little mermaid turned into sea foam. But in the bright sunlight, the foam sank back down to the underwater world, turned back into the little mermaid, and she was reunited with her family and friends."

His little milky voice read it out.

Bai Wan was momentarily confused. He looked down, doubted his own eyes for a second, re-scanned the ending, and then said very seriously: "The story ends with the little mermaid turning into foam and disappearing."

As Bai Wan finished, he noticed Bai Yan and Cen Zhi both staring at him. The little guy also looked up from the book, blinking.

Bai Wan's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of confusion in his blue eyes. He even tried to drive the point home again.

Because that's what the reference book said, but the story being told deviated way too much. That kind of discrepancy would compromise the accuracy of the analysis—and that was something Bai Wan just couldn't wrap his head around.

"Nuonuo drew it."

Xiao Bainuo suddenly spoke up. He opened his drawing book, where he'd drawn the little mermaid together with her dad, sisters, and friends all in one picture. Then he tore out the page and taped it right after the ending.

"So Nuonuo changed it."

It wasn't the ending Nuonuo liked, so Nuonuo just changed it.

Nuonuo was going to give the little mermaid a happy ending.

The little guy held up the modified storybook, showing Bai Wan the ending he'd rewritten.

Bai Wan stared at the childish scribbles, his mind going completely blank for a few seconds.

—Wait, you can do that?

"Everyone ends up okay in the end. Nuonuo is really amazing—Nuonuo can change the ending. It's called Nuonuo has big dreams."

Xiao Bainuo said seriously to his uncle.

Nuonuo really is amazing. Nuonuo's already changed a lot. It still feels a bit uncomfortable sometimes, but it's getting better and better. Nuonuo's Villain Family is definitely all going to be fine.

When he told stories, his voice was light and soft, full of childlike innocence and imagination. But when he said these words, Xiao Bainuo's voice carried a new kind of strength.

That already-distinctive milky voice practically filled everyone's ears.

At that moment, Anu came back from who knows where, nudged open the little cat door in the window, landed softly, spotted Xiao Bainuo, and before even walking over, rolled on the floor and let out two gentle meows.

Bai Wan slowly snapped back to reality. He instinctively glanced at the cat.

Feeling his heartbeat, steady and strong, along with emotions that had strangely settled.

He thought to himself: Cats are seriously amazing.

"It's just a storybook. If it's changed, so be it."

The old man was being his usual patriarch self.

He even started thinking about having the publisher and printer swap the story out for the version little Bai Nuo liked.

Cen Zhi: ...

"Dad, you're not seriously thinking about changing a bunch of kids' childhoods, are you?"

Bai Yan: Huh?

How'd you know?

But Bai Yan paused, then cleared his throat lightly: "No, of course not."

Cen Zhi didn't buy the old man's excuse. That's just how the Bai family is—if they don't like something, they change it outright, or they become the ones setting the rules.

It hit Cen Zhi a beat later, and she glanced at the adorable little one.

Come to think of it, Nuo Nuo is really a true Bai through and through.

But the others are stubborn to a fault; her little one's stubbornness is just plain cute.

"Are you done with the story?"

Cen Zhi smiled and asked the little one.

Little Bai Nuo hummed and nodded, eyes bright as he looked up at his grandma.

Then he watched his grandma hand him the strawberry cream scone.

"Go ahead and eat. I had them pop it in the fridge earlier—it's warmed up a little, but still cool. Perfect for this weather."

Cen Zhi smiled and handed the little one a fork.

Bai Wan looked away from the cat, his eyes landing on little Bai Nuo to study him. He glanced at Dou Dou too, not seeing any resemblance between himself and that mindless surveillance gadget.

But just as the little one forked a piece of the soft, creamy scone into his mouth—eyes going wide as he mumbled how good it was—there was a light knock at the door.

Cen Zhi turned around.

"Who is it?"

The door swung open, and Bai Jingyun appeared in the doorway.

The usual ice-cold guy swept his gaze across the room, face blank: "Grandpa. Mom. Nuo Nuo."

Finally, his gaze landed on Bai Wan, who was watching little Bai Nuo. At the sound of the voice, Bai Wan turned his head slightly, then quickly looked back down.

Bai Jingyun's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He narrowed his eyes, a flicker of wariness creeping in.

"Why are you back so early today?"

Cen Zhi was a little surprised.

After all, when they were fighting over who got to watch the little one this afternoon, Bai Jingyun had said he didn't have time—he was supposed to be working late.

"A joint project wrapped up without a hitch, so I finished up this afternoon's work early. The departments are throwing a little celebration, so I headed back first."

Bai Jingyun said quickly, walking over to little Bai Nuo. He watched the little one, cheeks puffed as he chewed, finally swallow that bite of scone.

Then he said casually: "Uncle, you're really early today."

Bai Jingyun gave a faint smile and nodded.

"Yeah, a bit early."

He had his own agenda, glancing at the little one, then at Cen Zhi.

Finally, he met Bai Wan's gaze again.

By now, Bai Wan had noticed the stare and looked up.

A machine and an ice cube stared each other down in silence.

Bai Wan had already run the numbers: if it came down to a fight, his odds of coming out on top against Bai Jingyun weren't bad.

He could take him.

Bai Wan's shoulders, which had tensed up, relaxed just a fraction.

Then he watched Bai Jingyun walk over to him.

Bai Wan was still wondering: Should he make a move?

Here? Why? He didn't think he'd done anything to provoke him.

But the next second, Bai Jingyun sat down, shoved him aside, and took the spot right across from little Bai Nuo—then didn't even glance at him again.

Bai Wan: Huh?

Bai Jingyun shoved the annoying guy aside, glanced at the storybook and drawing pad spread out in front of the little one, and asked.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm telling fairy tales. Nuo Nuo finished them all before Uncle got here. This is Nuo Nuo's fairy tale house."

The little one said hi to his uncle, then swung his feet, plate balanced on his knees. He ducked his head, seriously shoveling strawberry cream scone into his mouth. Clearly, the little guy loved soft stuff—in the blink of an eye, he'd already polished off a third of the scone.

He mumbled, totally distracted by the scone, taking a few seconds to answer.

"Yeah, Uncle can read it later on his own."

Bai Jingyun sidestepped the old man, who also tried to shove him aside, and said flatly.

Cen Zhi found their little power struggle kind of amusing.

Grandma had a firm grip on the spot closest to the little one. Probably because Cen Zhi had been nothing but kind to little Bai Nuo from the start, the little one was super close to his grandma too, and was naturally leaning against her right now.

Until a video call ringtone went off.

The little one, totally lost in his scone, snapped his head up.

"Grandma, Grandma, is that Dad?"

The little cub set the plate aside, rolled over, and scrambled to his feet, clutching Grandma's clothes with his tiny hands, looking up at her expectantly.

The little one was so quick that Cen Zhi hadn't even caught the caller ID before the pup eagerly squeezed over, hovering beside Grandma, craning to see.

The pup who used to get distracted by little cakes during calls with Dad instantly ditched the scone, his gaze locked on his father.

He really missed his dad.

Cen Zhi gave the little one's cheek a pinch and opened the video call.

Bai Sheng's face popped up on the screen.

Bai Sheng and Bai Liang had already returned to the hotel, with the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window behind them, the scene calm and serene.

Bai Sheng was about to speak when his cub pressed up against the screen.

Xiao Bainuo hadn't fully registered it yet; the moment he saw Dad on the other side, he instinctively leaned in, just like he always did.

"Dad!"

He smooshed his face against the phone screen.

A beat later, he looked up, his little face popping back into view.

Bai Sheng, who'd been wondering if his cub really missed him that much, went quiet for a second, then cleared his throat, shifting slightly to make sure nothing was off.

"Mm, whatcha up to?"

"Nuonuo's telling fairy tales to Great-Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle. And scones! Uncle brought Nuonuo scones!"

The little one eagerly shared, turning to grab the plate and show Dad.

At that, Bai Sheng, Bai Liang, and Bai Jingyun, who was sitting nearby, all instinctively looked at Bai Wan.

Bai Wan: ...

Bai Wan was a bit confused, trying to figure it out but drawing a blank.

He was still mulling over how those wild online comments about kittens actually had some truth to them when he realized his cousins were all staring at him. Having all these Bai family alphas staring at him sent a chill up his spine.

Bai Wan silently scooted back, putting a little more distance between himself and the cub.

That should do it, right?

Bai Wan thought.

But weirdly—he didn't feel all that happy about it.

"Dad, is work going good? You coming back soon?"

The little one held the phone, staring at it with hopeful eyes.

The cub hadn't seen Dad for three or four days now.

He'd been rotating through different people every day—meals, naps, downtime—so he'd tucked away his missing-Dad feelings pretty well.

"Mm, work's going fine, almost wrapped up."

Bai Sheng said, glancing at Bai Liang, who'd been smiling stiffly and staying quiet the whole time, and said with a mischievous edge.

"Don't believe me? Ask your Second Uncle."

Bai Liang: ...

You prick!

"Second Uncle, good afternoon! Did your work go good too?"

The little cub, clueless about his dad's 'deflection move,' held the phone, swinging his feet, his little body swaying happily as he asked.

"...Mm, it went fine. Don't worry, Nuonuo. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon or night."

They still had to stick around to check on the guy who got blown up—if he made it, they'd transfer him back to Ang City and wait for him to wake.

But chances were slim; he was still in surgery, probably not gonna make it. Even if he pulled through, with that brain damage, he might never wake up.

They'd stay to confirm, then head back to analyze the intel they'd gotten from him.

The little one chattered on, telling Dad all about his day.

The vibe was too weird, and Bai Wan couldn't help backing off again. He didn't even want to look at the cat anymore; he was ready to bounce.

But before slipping out quietly, he couldn't help glancing at the half-eaten strawberry cream scone, then at the little cub holding the phone.

He quickly concluded: even though the cub liked strawberries, Bai Sheng ranked higher in his heart than any scone. And since the cub liked them, the Bai family probably never held back on his supply, so it wasn't anything special.

Bai Wan: L.

Maybe try sending something else next time?

He'd sort it out piece by piece later; for now, he needed to get out and figure out this weird feeling. Even if he ended up leaving this place, he was getting a cat.

Bai Wan slipped out fast, nobody noticing. The old man also took a call, said his goodbyes, and headed out.

The little one chatted with Bai Sheng on the phone for over half an hour before reluctantly handing it back to Grandma.

"All done?"

Cen Zhi glanced at the screen, catching Bai Sheng's gaze.

A mother knows her son—Cen Zhi could tell Bai Sheng was a little off today.

Bai Liang was weird too, like he was overdoing it.

Bai Jingyun noticed it too, squinting as he spoke up.

"Once you're done there, you can take Nuonuo out like normal, right?"

Bai Sheng looked up with a sneer: "Didn't you just take him out for toys the other day?"

Bai Jingyun's expression stayed flat; he even doubled down: "You know that big project with the Yu and Liu families on both ends? They're throwing a celebration. Your assistant should've filled you in."

Cen Zhi was surprised—those two were teaming up? Wonders never cease?

Bai Sheng arched an eyebrow.

Xiao Bainuo blinked, looking up at his big uncle.

“I’ve got time tonight. Grandpa’s busy, Dad’s got a work dinner, and Mom’s heading out to a party later. I can bring Nuonuo over to play, so Mom can leave early as well.”

Bai Jingyun very calmly ignored the one who hadn’t gotten out of school yet.

“He probably hasn’t seen your company folks in a while, has he?”

Bai Jingyun looked down and met Xiao Bainuo’s eyes: “Wanna go? There’s tons of good food, and an indoor mini amusement park with a carousel.”

Uncles and aunties, huh?

The little guy blinked. It really had been ages since he’d seen Dad’s company uncles and aunties. Plus there was the amusement park, and the carousel he’d missed last time when Uncle was sick.

The little guy instinctively looked at his dad.

Bai Sheng’s first instinct was to say no. Sure, the big mess in Z country had been handled, but the organization behind it hadn’t been fully cleaned out. The new dad could barely contain his irritation, and had only managed a small sigh of relief—let alone letting someone else take his kid out.

Bai Sheng wasn’t comfortable with it.

But he couldn’t keep that up forever. A healthy growing cub should be able to do whatever they want away from their parents and still thrive.

Besides, before he left, Bai Sheng had pinky-promised the little cub. The dull ache in his shoulder made him lean back a little.

He locked eyes with Bai Jingyun for a few seconds. These two alphas, who’d spent over a decade at each other’s throats, now showed a different kind of dynamic. Bai Sheng looked back at his cub and said,

“Go have fun. Dad’ll be back tomorrow.”

The little guy pressed closer to the phone: “Tomorrow Nuonuo will pick Dad up. Dad has to come back early.”

“Mm.”

Bai Sheng nodded.

Bai Jingyun was genuinely stunned.

Surprise was rarely so obvious on his ice-cold face.

After all, he’d come back early and hadn’t even planned on going to this kind of thing anyway. Plus, the two companies had been rivals for so long that a lot of departments couldn’t stand each other. This time, they were probably all going in with a chip on their shoulder. And Bai Sheng just said yes?

Why was he being so agreeable today?

Bai Jingyun narrowed his eyes.

Gotta say—the one who knows you best is your enemy.

He looked at Bai Sheng, almost blurting out: What’d you do? Why do you seem a little guilty about Nuonuo?

But the uncle who’d gotten permission to take the kid paused and forced the words back down.

Forget it. Guilty or not, as long as he could take the kid, that’s all that mattered.

Bai Jingyun waited patiently while the little guy kept chatting with Bai Sheng, his mood actually lifting a bit.

Don’t think he didn’t know those guys were in the company group chats questioning whether such an adorable cub really existed.

He really did.

Just wait till he brought the kid over to show them.

...

Meanwhile, Bai Wan had already made it back to the place.

He walked in, let out a breath, and heard a soft cough.

Bai Wan looked up and saw Bai Zhize with a dark expression, looking like he’d been stewing for a while, holding a bowl of soup and speaking through gritted teeth: “Where the hell did you run off to again?”

Bai Wan: ...

Bai Wan coughed as well.

“I went to research and analyze just how much of an impact cats have on human emotions. I came to a pretty startling conclusion.”

Bai Zhize: ...

“I told you to get in touch with people so we can find a chance to get out of here, and you went off to research cats?!”

Bai Zhize stomped his feet in fury, trying to throw the soup bowl at Bai Wan’s head, but he couldn’t stand to waste the soup inside. In the end, he carefully set the bowl down, then jumped up and fumed.

Bai Wan: ...

“The contacts went smoothly, Dad, don’t worry. As for the requests from the organizations overseas, I’ve got them all recorded.”

But Bai Wan’s voice got quieter and quieter.

Bai Zhize listened to Bai Wan’s tone—yeah, that stiff, formal tone—and he could still tell something was off. He looked at Bai Wan, confused: “...Was the green pepper bad today?”

Bai Wan: “Based on weather, temperature, and various factors, the green pepper couldn’t possibly be bad today.”

“Then what’s with that face? What? Don’t tell me you’re getting comfortable here and don’t wanna leave? And the cat—don’t you dare tell me you wanna stay because of the cat.”

Bai Zhize let out a cold “ha” and immediately wiped the smile from his face.

This is absolutely ridiculous, my foolish eldest son.

Bai Wan thought about it for a moment.

“The soup dumplings were really tasty.”

And that soft little dumpling was weird too—he hadn’t figured it out.

He wasn’t sure if it was the cat’s doing or that little dumpling’s doing.

But if he thought about it more carefully—it was probably the fairy tales’ doing.

As if he’d suddenly figured something out, Bai Wan looked up at the ceiling. He raised his hand and smacked one fist into the other palm, like a lightbulb moment.

So what tied it all together was fairy tales!

So he should really read more fairy tales.

But just as he thought he’d figured it out, Bai Wan immediately got confused again... No, wait. Hold on. Was he just going to read fairy tales on his own? That feeling seemed to come specifically from the little dumpling reading them.

Bai Wan had no experience with this kind of thing, and no one before him had ever described it. His strong logical thinking, built on all kinds of data, suddenly couldn’t wrap around it. He looked up, confused, pressing his brow, trying hard to straighten out his own thoughts.

Bai Wan’s reaction was too weird, and Bai Zhize couldn’t help glancing over again and again.

“What did you get up to this afternoon?”

Finally, Bai Zhize stood up and walked over to Bai Wan. He usually stayed seated around Bai Wan, but now he stood, squinting slightly. Though shorter, his presence was stronger.

"I'm going to go talk with Xiaolongbao and analyze how to pet the cat."

Bai Wan spoke seriously, then pondered his own reaction for a moment. He hadn't figured it out, but he said decisively.

"I think I've got a virus."

Yes, that must be it—that's why his data was so chaotic, producing such jumbled conclusions.

Oh, so a virus...

Bai Zhize, who had been thinking about finding a chance to see that kid, suddenly whipped his head around: ...?

Huh? You caught what now?

"Are you stupid??? A virus? You're a person, not a damn machine!! Get that virus out of your head!!!!"