Chapter 137

Chapter 137

In any case, this kind of sound did not reach Little Bai Nuo's storybook cottage.

The video call with Bai Sheng went on for about another half an hour. Little Bai Nuo ended it reluctantly, and only after his father on the other end hung up did he return the phone to his grandmother.

His strawberry cream scone had already been eaten while he was talking to his father. It was just past four in the afternoon.

Bai Jingyun, who had gotten permission to take Little Bai Nuo out, sat to the side, watching the time.

He wasn't in any rush now.

Bai Nuo cuddled up to Anu again, grabbing cat treats and freeze-dried snacks to feed him.

Anu had come back late today, so he hadn't gotten enough playtime with Bai Nuo. Now, while eating the treats, he was still meowing in protest.

"Anu, Anu—"

Little Bai Nuo rested his cheek on one hand while holding a cat treat in the other, speaking softly.

"You're so cute, can Nuonuo touch your ears?"

He'd seen in educational videos that a cat's tail is sensitive, and he was afraid of being too rough, so he didn't dare touch it casually.

Now the little one watched Anu's ears twitch, looking at Anu with eager, pleading eyes.

Whether Anu understood or not, after finishing the treat, he meowed and bumped his head against Little Bai Nuo.

The little one's big eyes narrowed as his hand reached out, tentatively touching Anu's ear.

The thin ear was slightly cool, with a bit of fluffy ear tufts on it. It twitched a couple of times at the touch, the soft fur brushing against Little Bai Nuo's palm.

Nuonuo took a deep breath, stood up, and plopped straight into his grandmother's arms.

He was overwhelmed by Anu's cuteness.

The little one buried his face in his grandmother's embrace, nuzzling into her, letting out indistinct little baby noises of "ee-yaa ee-yaa."

And Cen Zhi, watching the little one melt from cuteness, clutched her chest—how could a kid react so adorably to being overwhelmed by cuteness?

Bai Jingyun sat to the side, his gaze kept drifting toward Little Bai Nuo.

Then he checked the time. "It's about time. Let's get changed and head out."

The little one finally lifted his head from his grandmother's arms. His soft little curls had been tousled into a bit of a mess from all the nuzzling. He turned to look at his uncle, obediently acknowledged with a "mm," and then climbed off her lap.

"Then Grandma, Nuonuo's going to ride the carousel now. When you have time later, we can play together again."

"Mm, go on."

Cen Zhi had already made plans with her best friend. After speaking to Little Bai Nuo, she glanced at Bai Jingyun and gestured for him to take good care of Little Bai Nuo, then let him lead the little one away.

Watching the uncle and nephew walk away, Cen Zhi stood up and stretched her limbs.

Honestly, if it had been a year earlier, Cen Zhi wouldn't have believed that Bai Sheng would have a kid, and that Bai Sheng would even allow Bai Jingyun to take him out.

Cen Zhi really had no way to deal with the alphas of the Bai family. After all, alphas were inherently territorial, possessive, and could be outright crazy—and the top alphas of the Bai family, with their overpowering pheromones, were even more so. They seemed born to clash with each other; any concession was a sign of weakness, shameful, and they could only be satisfied by stepping on the other to win.

Moreover, they were exceptionally gifted in every way. Even though Cen Zhi knew about the undercurrents between her children behind the scenes, because they put on such a good act in front of her, and because the children had grown up, she couldn't easily intervene.

Besides, apart from the previous generation's bitter feuding, the Bai family's earlier generations hadn't been so aggressive. And the previous generation's problems mainly came from Bai Nuo's great-uncle on his dad's side. Cen Zhi had of course met Bai Kun—he was an incredibly obsessive alpha. His partner, who had loved him for years, finally chose to leave him. Whether it was because of that shock or not, Bai Kun's actions became even more extreme.

Cen Zhi had once felt really sorry for Bai Kun's child. If he were still alive, that child named Bai Ye would have been a little younger than Bai Jingyun.

But later, when Bai Qian was severely injured by Bai Kun and underwent major surgery, Cen Zhi stopped keeping tabs on that child. The two families had already reached a point where they couldn't even maintain their act in public.

Cen Zhi had never thought her own children would go that far, and with her watching over them, they would at least show some restraint.

But she never even dared to imagine things could be like this today.

How wonderful.

Though she had always felt sad about Bai Nuo's past experiences, and Cen Zhi even felt kind of selfish for thinking this way, she truly felt—how great that he ended up in the Bai family.

Cen Zhi thought this with a smile, turning off the lights of the little one's dreamy fairytale cottage, closing up the room that felt like a dream. Her phone buzzed with a new message.

It was from Cen Liu.

Cen Liu had been super busy since leaving the Bai family last time, even flew to another province for a two-day work trip. Now he couldn't wait to text his aunt.

Silly Nephew: Auntie!!! I'm back from my work trip, and I finally have time tomorrow! Does that mean I can take Nuonuo out tomorrow?! I can take him to see the filming spots in Ang City, all the sets—he'll love it! Then I'll be his favorite cousin ever!

Silly Nephew: Auntie!! Bai San isn't here, so if I take him out, I won't get my ass kicked, right?! Auntie!

Cen Zhi's eyes hurt from the barrage of "Auntie" filling the screen.

She could almost see Cen Liu's puppy-dog eyes staring at her.

Cen Zhi: ...

Are you even in your right mind?

Cen Zhi paused for a moment.

Then she typed back.

'Didn't you know? San'er said he'd most likely be back tomorrow night. Tomorrow after school, I still have to pick up Nuonuo and take him to the airport to welcome him home.'

The rapid-fire texts on the other end suddenly stopped.

Cen Zhi smiled, picked up her phone, and got in the car to head home, getting ready to go out with her friends.

She'd just gotten home when Cen Liu seemed to snap out of it.

Silly Nephew: No!!!!!

Cen Zhi laughed, her shoulders shaking, got out of the car, and saw something even funnier.

Bai Jin had already finished school and looked around the house twice. He was scratching his head in confusion when he heard her come in. He looked up, then glanced around Cen Zhi, not finding Little Bai Nuo.

"Where's the little guy?"

He said in disbelief.

"Mom, did you 'sell' him off to Grandpa?"

Cen Zhi: ...

Kid, you're begging for a beating today!!

At a high-end commercial club in Ang City, the main hall had been booked out by both companies, and the private rooms were all arranged in advance.

Neither boss was present. The two companies, which had once been at each other's throats, were now reluctantly cooperating. Given how fiercely they'd clashed before, the face-to-face meeting was thick with forced cordiality and fake smiles.

On Bai Sheng's side, not only was the boss away on business, but Li Zhilin had also accompanied him to Fei City.

So the one holding a glass with a feigned smile, temporarily handling the company's day-to-day affairs, was Tao Fei.

She exchanged a glance with the person in charge across from her.

Bai Jingyun wasn't around, and Tao Fei let out a snide, humorless laugh.

Though she felt a knot of unease toward the Bai family, she wasn't about to lose to this lot, was she?

Besides, while many of their business ventures hadn't overlapped before, the project teams from both companies were used to sabotaging each other, so they were all quite familiar with each other.

Tao Fei tilted her head, giving her team a "just watch me" look.

—Don't worry, with the boss and Li Zhilin away, I'll hold down the fort for you all!

She kept her fake smile: "Yunguang moved pretty fast this time, but not as cleanly as we did. Still, I get that business skills and standards differ, so I'll let that slide. Come on, let me toast you."

The assistant from Bai Jingyun's Yunguang company, a male beta, bristled at the remark but forced a smile: "Haha, after all, you Shengxi folks are used to this kind of thing, aren't you? Totally understandable. Come on, I'll join you."

"Oh, that's rich—Yunguang's got the advantage there. You're way smoother at pulling underhanded moves on our projects."

"Flattery, flattery. It's really Shengxi that's more decisive—you love that 'pull the rug out from under us' trick—"

The senior secretaries took the lead, while the younger ones stood behind, holding glasses, steadying the line. Some junior assistants at the back couldn't help exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.

"Seriously, was this celebration dinner even necessary?"

"No idea, but Sister Fei said she wanted to win back face, spent the whole afternoon on her makeup, and came in guns blazing."

"Don't knock it—Sister Fei's got a commanding presence!"

"Sister Fei's awesome!"

"Sister Fei's scarier than Assistant Li."

"Li Zhilin's just stone-faced—doesn't talk, only acts. If he were here, it'd probably have turned into a full-on brawl."

"Whoa... Brother Li actually hits people? That brutal?"

"You have no idea how tough Li Zhilin is. Remember that close call at the company entrance last time? He didn't hesitate, just drove straight at them. I'd believe it if you told me he'd killed someone before."

"Hold on, stop spreading that around. With the way you guys gossip, by the time Li Zhilin gets back, the whole company will think he's a murderer. Folks, you don't want to get called into a meeting by that ice-cold face, do you?"

The young secretaries behind them shuddered at the thought.

Meanwhile, Tao Fei was locked in verbal combat, trading barbs and toasts with the other side.

At that moment—

A soft voice called out, "Auntie Tao Fei!"

Tao Fei was stunned.

Huh?

She thought she heard the little master's voice.

Then came the patter of little feet running toward her. Tao Fei looked down and met the bright, sparkling eyes of little Bainuo looking up at her.

The weather had turned cooler, and he wore a jacket with chocolate decorations, the coffee-colored drawstrings swinging as he ran.

Tao Fei's eyes widened: !

She wasn't imagining it!

"Young master!"

Tao Fei exclaimed in delight.

After all, with the boss away on business, they hadn't seen little Bainuo in a long time.

At her call, the group holding the rear instinctively rushed forward, surrounding little Bainuo. Someone even hid the glass they were holding behind their back.

"Young master? Why are you here? Who brought you? Is the boss back home?"

"We haven't seen you in so long—you haven't gone and found other uncles and aunties out there, have you?"

"Ugh, that's too sappy. Get to the back!"

The group that had just been radiating fierce energy instantly turned into a bunch of cooing pushovers.

The assistant from Bai Jingyun's side, hearing this, couldn't help leaning in to take a look. Before he could see clearly, someone tapped his shoulder from behind. He started, turned, and saw Bai Jingyun walking in through the entrance. Surprised, he said, "Boss?"

Wait—the Bai Sheng kid's little one showing up with his own boss couldn't possibly mean—

"Yeah."

Bai Jingyun acknowledged, then stood behind the little one, speaking under the suddenly wary gazes of Tao Fei and the others.

"Bringing him here for dinner. There's an indoor playground next door that a friend of mine owns. I'll take him there after we eat. You all go ahead."

Little Bainuo looked up at his uncle, then turned back to Tao Fei and the others, his cheeks puffing slightly.

"Nuonuo misses the uncles and aunties too. Auntie Tao Fei, is your back feeling better? And Auntie Shi, are you still feeling down lately? You have to tell Nuonuo, okay? And Uncle, you fell last time and haven't recovered yet. The doctor uncle told you not to drink—are you hiding a drink behind your back?"

The little one's big eyes expertly found the uncle who'd tucked his drink behind him.

He was quite familiar with the staff at Bai Sheng's company, especially the top two floors—he knew them all by name. Having spent so much time with his dad at the office, he was well-versed in many people's situations.

Auntie Tao Fei always had back trouble, Auntie Shi was prone to emotional lows, and there was the uncle who'd slipped and gotten a minor injury on the stairs during a busy spell...

His memory was sharp, and he remembered it all.

That's why, when the little one had been bullied before, the folks at Bai Sheng's company were so furious, working extra hard even off the clock—that said it all.

Was it just about being cute?

No, for this little one, it was more than that.

Immediately, the people Xiao Bainuo called out started sweating.

"Cough... ahem, just this one glass, I promise—uh, no, I'll put it down now. Xiao Zhang, quick, take it away, take it away."

He then crouched down with a smile: "See? I only took a sip, right?"

Little Bainuo tilted his head, thought for a moment: "Not even a sip, Uncle. You can only have some once you're better. Nuonuo's keeping track of the date, so don't you forget, okay? You gotta take care of yourself—grown-ups are the same too."

"Ah... Uncle remembers."

See? Isn't this just like getting a cat at work?

As long as I'm still at the company, raising this adorable little one is partly on me too!

The crowd peeking out from behind Bai Jingyun stared in stunned disbelief at the whole scene.

Wait, hold up—this is the little kid who managed to change their boss?

You guys seriously work with a little kid like this?!

No way. They refused to believe it!

"That's about enough, yeah? Time for you to eat."

Bai Jingyun's face stayed completely neutral as he looked down at the soft, squishy little one.

"It's time for your meal."

Little Bainuo looked up at his uncle, nodded obediently, then noticed the unfamiliar uncles and aunties behind him, their eyes practically bulging out of their heads.

The little one instinctively pressed closer to his uncle, then got scooped up by Bai Jingyun.

"It's fine, they're from Uncle's company."

The tiny kid was held in the tall alpha's arms like some miniature, adorable toy. He was used to being held like this and instinctively wrapped his arms around his uncle's neck.

Then he pressed his little face into his uncle's shoulder, made eye contact with them, and mimicked how he introduced himself in kindergarten: "Hi, uncles and aunties, I'm Bai Nuo."

Bai Jingyun's assistant snapped back to reality and blurted out without thinking.

"Hello... Young Master."

A chorus of the same greeting echoed from behind.

Bai Jingyun gave a casual nod. "I'm taking him to eat."

With that, he carried Little Bainuo further inside.

The little one reached out a tiny hand, waving goodbye to the uncles and aunties.

Only after the uncle and nephew left the otherwise noisy hall did everyone finally look away.

Tao Fei exchanged a glance with the other assistant, and they both went quiet for a few seconds.

Then Tao Fei cleared her throat. "What? Our Young Master's adorable, and the boss even brings him to work—jealous?"

Tao Fei looked like a general fresh off a victory, chin held high.

Bai Jingyun's assistant was quiet for two seconds, then suddenly flashed a 'sincere' smile.

"Oh, actually, there are some cooperation details and specifics we could go over and fine-tune."

Tao Fei: …Wait, what?

...Hold on, I feel like you've got some ulterior motive here.

Bai Jingyun took Little Bainuo to eat, rested for a bit, then headed to the nearby indoor amusement park.

This place was actually private property.

It belonged to Bai Jingyun's beta friend Lin Ren. He had a bunch of kids at home and had put a ton of effort into raising them back in the day. Now that his kids had grown up quite a bit and no longer enjoyed these less thrilling activities, the place still managed to run smoothly.

Even though Bai Sheng had said there were no issues, Bai Jingyun still had Lin Ren clear the place out for tonight just to be safe.

Bai Jingyun didn't want anything to happen while he had the little one out.

Lin Ren was already waiting at the spot.

He was extremely curious.

He'd been giving Bai Jingyun advice for a while now but had never actually met Little Bainuo.

He was dying to see what kind of little kid could soften even an iceberg like Bai Jingyun.

Lin Ren figured he'd raised countless kids—obedient ones, unruly ones—there wasn't a kid he hadn't seen. He was sure he could handle this one perfectly, figure out exactly what the kid liked, and help Bai Jingyun boost his 'status.'

Lin Ren rubbed his hands together eagerly, remembering how Bai Jingyun had seemed a bit flustered when mentioning this kid at their last meeting. He couldn't help but find it funny.

It was rare to see his senior like this.

Lin Ren heard footsteps as the door was pushed open.

He turned to look—let me just see what kind of amazing kid this is...

Lin Ren watched as Bai Jingyun walked in carrying a tiny little kid, who was holding a pretty piece of candy. The kid had his back to Lin Ren at first, but then, hearing something his uncle said, he turned around. His cheeks were slightly puffed from the candy in his mouth, and his eyes reflected the colorful lights of the equipment behind Lin Ren.

He knew the Bai family didn't have an ugly member among them, but this little one was exceptionally beautiful and delicate. Held like that, he stayed perfectly still without fidgeting, and even knew not to squeeze the candy too hard so it wouldn't melt.

When he looked over and met Lin Ren's eyes, he gave a shy little smile.

Lin Ren was completely dumbstruck.

Bai Jingyun had already carried Little Bainuo over to Lin Ren.

"Here."

Bai Jingyun looked a little proud of himself.

"This is my nephew, Bai Nuo."

Little Bainuo blinked. The candy in his hand seemed to be a greeting gift, so he held it out.

"Uncle Lin, hello. Here's some candy, for you."

Lin Ren: !

"Oh, hello, thank you, Nuonuo."

Lin Ren spoke without thinking, dazedly taking the candy. His hand trembled slightly as he held it, and he couldn't help but look at Bai Jingyun.

He kept shooting him looks.

You've been hiding this little one away and not showing him off?

Lin Ren watched as Bai Jingyun set Little Bainuo down, letting the little one look around at the colorful, music-playing rides around them.

He still had a round surveillance monitor cradled in his arms, one Lin Ren recognized—he'd seen a similar image on Bai Jingyun's car keys.

"Adorable, right?"

Bai Jingyun walked past Lin Ren, murmured softly, and continued following Xiao Bainuo.

He said to the little one: "The carousel is over there, Uncle'll take you over there."

Lin Ren took a few steps after them, instinctively pulling out his phone to glance at it. His wallpaper was a chaotic shot of him losing a game with his nephews and nieces, all of them holding pens and scribbling on each other's faces. His older brother had thought it was hilarious and snapped a photo, which even caught a little rascal taking the chance to yank his hair.

Lin Ren looked at his phone, then raised his head to see the little one tugging at Bai Jingyun's clothes, eyes bright and sparkling: ...You never said he was this cute!

Lin Ren held the candy, his mindset slowly shifting.

By now, Bai Jingyun had already set the little one on the beautifully decorated carousel.

Xiao Bainuo picked a unicorn-shaped horse, his small hands gripping the horn tightly, then turned to look at his uncle.

Lin Ren stepped up and flipped the switch on the machine.

The little one gasped in surprise, then let out a light, cheerful laugh: "Uncle, it goes up and down!"

Clearly, he'd never seen anything like this before.

Lin Ren knew this kid's story, and the heart that had melted at his cuteness gave a slight sting.

Even kids from ordinary, loving, pampered families would've seen a carousel by age five, let alone a kid from a family like theirs.

No wonder Bai Jingyun was acting like this.

Lin Ren glanced at Bai Jingyun, who stood by the little one with a protective hand—so unlike his usual self.

The little one even invited Bai Jingyun to ride along.

Wait... hold up, that ice-cold face of yours doesn't fit my dreamy carousel at all!

About half an hour later, Lin Ren turned off the machine.

The little one was lifted down, swayed a bit, then steadied himself by hugging his uncle's leg, looking over with a mix of curiosity and excitement.

The kid, who didn't understand circuits or parts yet, gestured with his hands: "Uncle, is this the fairy godmother's magic wand? When it moves, the horse goes round."

So many things in this world seemed magical to Xiao Bainuo.

He had a way of describing what he'd seen, learned, and remembered in such heartwarming words, as if the past couldn't touch him, as if nothing could make him cry anymore.

People with kids of their own couldn't bear to think about it.

Lin Ren didn't have his own kids, but he'd helped raise plenty of his siblings' children, and right now, he felt a deep empathy. He smiled and held out his hand to the little one: "Yeah, it's a magic wand. Wanna try it?"

Xiao Bainuo came over curiously, Dou Dou rolling along behind him, and the camera lens shifted slightly.

Bai Jingyun followed close behind, glancing at Lin Ren again.

Lin Ren hesitated, then admitted, "He really is cute."

Bai Jingyun looked satisfied, adding in a low, almost devilish murmur, "And he's an omega pup."

Bai Sheng had shown off so many times—now it was finally his turn to say something like this!

Lin Ren: ...

Lin Ren: ?

He's not even yours, what are you so proud of?

Didn't matter that the kid wasn't his—he was still happy, because he was this little one's only uncle.

Meanwhile, Xiao Bainuo fiddled with the handle, gentle at first, but he couldn't budge it.

This world is full of magic.

Xiao Bainuo thought, then grabbed the handle with both hands, closed his eyes, and made a wish: Let Daddy come home soon. Nuonuo misses Daddy a little.

After making his wish to the magic, the little one let go of the handle and heard a soft, puzzled sound from his uncle behind him. He unlocked the electronic door, and with a beep, said, "Aren't you coming back tomorrow?"

"Managed to make it back today, so I left Bai Liang over there," came a familiar, lazy voice from behind. "Nuonuo?"

Xiao Bainuo blinked, dazed, then whipped around to see who was walking in.

Bai Sheng had tracked the location from Dou Dou's feed and headed straight over after landing.

He wore a dark brown trench coat, the hem swaying as he walked, looking a bit travel-worn.

Bai Sheng finally stopped in front of Xiao Bainuo, looking down to meet his cub's eyes.

Seeing the little one's round face look a bit dazed, he crouched down and pinched his cub's cheeks out of habit.

"Hmm? Having so much fun with Uncle that you forgot your dad?"

But after just two pinches, he saw tears well up in the little one's eyes. Bai Sheng froze for a second—he thought he'd gotten the pressure right, so he hadn't hurt him, right? At least not enough to make him cry?

Then the little one, who'd been so composed all along, sobbed and reached out his small hands: "Dad... Dad..."