Chapter 238

Chapter 238

His "little buddy" couldn't stop staring at Bai Nuo.

Bai Nuo was entirely focused on what to eat for lunch, but sensing that Yu Chuyan seemed to be staring at him, he turned his head with a puzzled look.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

Bai Nuo sounded a bit confused as he gently swung their clasped hands. Though he was about to turn eighteen and often came across as calm and level-headed, he was also full of youthful energy.

Especially when no one else was around.

Yu Chuyan couldn't understand why so many people said they didn't dare get close to Bai Nuo, even though he had a good temper.

He was obviously cute and sweet. When he looked around to make sure no one was watching, then swung the hand he was holding with you—his expression and movements were absolutely adorable, enough to make anyone's heart explode.

Of course, someone who could keep up with Bai Nuo like this couldn't possibly understand the natural awe and reverence that came from looking up at a "mountain."

For such a "mountain," people just wanted to put it on a pedestal and pay their respects from time to time.

"...Nothing."

Yu Chuyan glanced down at their clasped hands again, then looked away and cleared his throat softly as he answered.

Though holding hands was something they'd long been used to, the atmosphere between them suddenly felt a little different.

Huh?

Bai Nuo was confused and followed Yu Chuyan's gaze.

His gaze also landed on their intertwined hands.

Even though Bai Nuo worked out daily, he didn't really enjoy outdoor activities in the sun, especially ball sports. Compared to playing ball, he'd rather sit in the shade reading a book and look up every now and then to watch his brother play.

Yu Chuyan, on the other hand, often joined the Xie Twins in these activities, spending their free time being active to pass the hours.

So the two had slightly different skin tones.

And their hands were completely different sizes.

Though they were intertwined, the slightly tanned, larger hand almost completely enveloped Bai Nuo's pale one. Just held gently like this, the tendons on the back of his hand were faintly visible from the fast typing during the earlier problem-solving. The slightly higher body heat radiating from Yu Chuyan also spread over to him continuously.

Like a special freesia vanilla pudding with a bit of an "edge" to it.

Even though they should have been used to holding hands, Bai Nuo suddenly noticed a different feeling too.

So the two, who were usually so in sync and never ran out of things to talk about, fell into an abrupt silence.

The atmosphere was oddly a bit awkward.

Bai Nuo had never felt like this around Yu Chuyan before.

They kept walking, heading toward the lounge.

The Bai and Yu families had, of course, arranged excellent support behind the scenes.

Lunch had already been prepared and set out on the small table, and the delivery staff had temporarily left the room.

That awkwardness quickly dissolved.

After all, Bai Nuo took his food pretty seriously. When mealtime came, he focused entirely on his food. They had just gotten their phones back from the program team. Probably because of their outstanding performance that morning, the Z country officials had systematically blocked or filtered the relevant posts on the contestants' phones before returning them, without restricting their usage.

Bai Nuo was scrolling through stuff online and had naturally started sharing with Yu Chuyan.

Not the kind of nonstop chatter, but the kind where, after finishing his meal, he'd swipe a couple times on his phone, spot something interesting, then look up with his cheeks still puffed out, not saying a word—just poking him and pointing at the screen for him to see.

The mood was harmonious again.

Yu Chuyan also couldn't understand why every single move Bai Nuo made was so adorable.

In the distance, the Z country contestants were gathered together, eating. Because of the strong start that morning, the earlier anxiety of "maybe we really aren't good enough" had been dispelled. Now, looking at those foreigners with all those titles, that feeling of invincibility had vanished completely.

Turns out they weren't all that special after all.

With this newfound confidence, they had the possibility of breaking through their limits.

On the way to the lounge, people were already remarking that Minister Ye Jiu had really brought them two "heavy hitters."

Was this the kind of lineup this obviously biased show deserved?

*Science Gate* wasn't even worthy of them, okay?

The group was also preparing to eat, glancing over at Yu Chuyan and Bai Nuo, who looked incredibly good together.

"That's so nice, I heard they're childhood friends."

"Think I could go ask them when they're getting married? Wonder if I could catch some of that luck if the big shots tie the knot."

"What do I do? I've been reading the comment section for *Science Gate* for a while, and now I feel brainwashed—just seeing them in the same frame makes me see pink hearts."

"No need to imagine it—they're literally radiating them."

"Bai Nuo is from the Bai family."

"Which Bai family?"

"The most famous one in Ang City, who else? The Bai family genes really are something. Even though I'm an alpha, I wouldn't even dare to think about an omega like God Bai. Though he hasn't presented yet, right? *Science Gate* got lucky too—these two just finished their master's and are still in their gland differentiation period, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered with what *Science Gate* even is."

"Haha, when I came out I saw the expressions on those foreigners' faces—they looked terrible. They probably wish they hadn't gotten these two."

"Ah, God Yu is from the Yu family."

"The Yu family I'm thinking of? I know their current head is a very capable beta."

"Alright, alright, everyone. We have our confidence now, and we should do our part too. God Bai and God Yu are amazing, but we need to show those foreigners targeting us that we've adjusted and we're not losing to them in the slightest. We're elites too—we can't embarrass ourselves."

"Exactly! Let them keep exploiting loopholes and ganging up on us with other countries. I'm not backing down no matter what!"

...

Bai Nuo was still scrolling, while Yu Chuyan had finished eating faster. After he was done, he stared at Bai Nuo for a long while.

When a congratulatory message came in from Xie Qing, he started replying to him.

Yu Chuyan: I think something's wrong with me.

Xie Yi: ?

Yu Chuyan: I feel like I'm acting strange. Aren't Nuo Nuo and I the most textbook childhood friends?

Xie Yi: You finally noticed? No wait, I'm the most classic childhood-friend material with Nuonuo.

Yu Chuyan: ...You wanna throw down?

Xie Yi: ...So what's actually the difference between you and me?

Yu Chuyan: You and Xie Yue are both a couple of screw-ups.

Xie Yi: No personal attacks! But I'll give you a free pass to trash-talk that idiot Xie Yue.

Yu Chuyan: You two are two peas in a pod. We've all grown up together—who doesn't know who by now?

Xie Yi: All four of us grew up together, Brother Yan—don't I know you inside and out? What would you do if someone said they wanted to marry Nuo?

Yu Chuyan: I'd snap their legs in half. Besides, Nuo Nuo's too young to date, let alone old enough to legally get married. No point even thinking about that.

Xie Yi: ...Fair point. But since I'm not a fan of your sarcasm, you can just mull it over yourself.

Xie Qing was completely done with Yu Chuyan.

Let him stew on it himself.

Xie Qing stared at his phone, listening to Xie Yue pipe up next to him.

"Bro, Nuo Nuo asked me why Brother Yan's been so down lately. Is he tired from playing ball, or did someone piss him off? You know? I've been so swamped I barely have time to hit the court. We're this slammed even during our differentiation period. I can't even imagine how much work the old man's gonna pile on me once it's over."

Xie Qing: ...

Is it that our mentor doesn't want you to take a break?

Isn't it because he's scared you'll get into trouble if you're too idle, and something goes wrong with your gland differentiation?

Xie Yu had even gone to see their mentor, hoping to set up tasks that weren't too heavy but would keep them out of trouble.

Xie Qing shamelessly weaseled his way out of being the mastermind behind this scheme, and nodded with total confidence, deciding that Xie Yue was the one who'd "dragged him into this."

And—did you two coordinate this?

Xie Qing stared at Xie Yue's phone, confused.

One asks him, the other asks his brother. Real coordinated effort there.

Xie Qing let out a sigh. Before he could answer, Xie Yue kept going: "Forget it. It's because you're so high-maintenance, bro, that we're this busy. If you don't know, then there's nothing we can do about it."

Xie Qing: ...?

"Who's high-maintenance?"

"You are, obviously."

"It's obviously you."

In the office next door, the Xie twins' mentor poked his head out, took one look at the scene, and chuckled: "You two, soon as you're done eating, get back to the lab!"

"Oh."

"Got it."

Unlike the suddenly hyped-up atmosphere on Z country's side.

The contestants from the countries that had been "jointly hunting" Z country's players all had grim looks on their faces.

Because if this kept up, Z country's contestants wouldn't get eliminated today either, and with their own poor performance, some of them might be out today.

This was even after all their joint efforts to mess with Z country players' heads—they'd only managed to take out two with weak mental fortitude, only to bring up two players who could steamroll everyone their age. It made them look like a joke.

Some whispered among themselves about what to do.

Others had gotten plenty of advice from Jiang Liang before, and it had all checked out, so they couldn't help but approach him, hoping he had some way out.

But Jiang Liang, who was usually calm and collected, looked visibly awful.

He even seemed a little out of it.

Jiang Liang, of course, had no idea what Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan's weaknesses were.

They'd barely ever shown up in his dreams.

Back in middle school, when he could dream up every competition question, he still couldn't beat Bai Nuo, and Bai Nuo had become his mental block. Now it was even worse—the shadow had only grown, and he couldn't even eat.

Seeing Jiang Liang this shaken, the contestants who came to ask also figured out the situation and left with furrowed brows. Since the joint suppression of Z country was no longer working, they had to make sure their own countries ranked well. The once-united coalition of contestants from multiple countries now had clear cracks in their alliance.

Ying Yishui sat next to Jiang Liang, watching him with concern as he looked like he was about to crack.

Once the people around them cleared out, Jiang Liang spoke to Ying Yishui: "Grandma... why does Bai Nuo keep showing up everywhere?"

He'd already completely given up on facing Bai Nuo again, so why did they have to stick him in the same subject as Bai Nuo?

Ying Yishui paused, as if weighing her words.

She really wanted to say, isn't this all just strategy? You all did the same to Z country before—finding where someone was hurting, pressing the advantage when they were rattled, trying to crush their confidence.

Ying Yishui just patted Jiang Liang on the head.

"Because there are a lot of spectators and a ton of public attention, so Z country's side took it seriously. Grandma thinks you've done really well too."

"Then let's find a way to make him mess up."

Colin strolled over from somewhere, sat down next to Jiang Liang, and slung an arm around his shoulder with a grin.

"I heard the Bai family's scared of bugs? Maybe we could try that. And isn't Bai Nuo afraid of water?"

Bai Nuo's afraid of water?

Jiang Liang looked up, confused.

"He fears water?"

Jiang Liang didn't know about that.

But if that were true, how would Colin know?

Colin paused, then smiled: "I was just spitballing, using it as an example. Bai Nuo's from that famous Bai family in Ang City, right? I wonder where his other bloodline comes from."

"Yeah, his birth is a bit hush-hush. The other half of his bloodline... seems to be classified."

Jiang Liang nodded, pulling back his doubtful gaze.

Classified, huh.

Colin mulled it over.

That was true—nobody knew whose genes were used for the other half, and it seemed like nobody at the institute knew either—just a handful of people were in on the truth.

Jiang Liang spoke up while Colin was lost in thought.

"What were you doing just now?"

"I was checking with my higher-ups—my top boss makes a point of visiting Z country for inspections every year."

Top boss, huh?

The Farrell Family of M country?

Jiang Liang obviously knew about this family.

In his dream, this family was Colin's backer and a huge source of support.

But in his dream, at this point, he hadn't really gotten involved in much business yet, so he wasn't totally sure if the Farrell Family paid that much attention to the Z country market.

"Are you gonna be handling the reception?"

"Not yet, obviously, but I will be in the future."

Colin took Jiang Liang's hand, gazing at him with deep affection, like nobody else was around.

"Don't worry, you'll win, sweetheart. We can try a few more approaches."

"Colin."

Ying Yishui finally couldn't help herself and spoke up.

"Can you please not teach Xiao Liang dangerous stuff?"

"Grandma, this isn't dangerous, is it?"

Colin's expression clearly changed, but he still looked over, speaking in an elegant tone.

"I'm just giving him ideas."

Ying Yishui was about to say more, but Jiang Liang quickly cut in, as the two always butted heads whenever they met.

He took a deep breath.

"Grandma, I'll be careful."

Ying Yishui paused, then gave a soft hum, stroking Jiang Liang's hair worriedly.

Colin's expression stayed the same, but he stared at Ying Yishui for a few seconds with a cold look, then turned away.

This old hag is such a pain.

When the contestants got back to the studio, that event was already over. Before the next one started, the contestants in Yu Chuyan's event took a quick break offstage.

Once the foreigners realized that targeting Z country contestants wasn't working anymore, they quickly changed tactics, trying to break through from other angles.

But it didn't do much good.

Before the big exam, the Z country contestants' overall scores had climbed a bit, so they didn't have to worry about getting eliminated for now.

Meanwhile, those who'd been pretty famous before had dropped way too far in the rankings, and they couldn't keep up their calm, cool personas on camera—the stress was written all over their faces.

And what probably messed with their heads the most was that before the big exam, there was a comprehensive test of multiple skills, including tricky competition math and adaptability challenges.

The Z country contestants huddled in a circle, with Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan sitting in the middle. Bai Nuo, as if he'd just thought of or noticed something, was smiling and gesturing to the others, apparently having found a new way to solve the problems, while the Z country contestants around him looked surprised, and one guy even clapped his hands in sudden realization.

The foreign contestants, who'd been dominated by Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan all day, felt their scalps tingle at the sight, getting nervous before anything even started.

But Bai Nuo really hadn't said much.

He was just answering why he'd answered questions so fast that morning, briefly breaking down his method for spotting patterns.

Sure, his memory was great, but it wasn't that miraculous.

Right before going on stage, Qu Yang was still chatting with Jiang Mu and Zhao Yifeng, who were standing nearby.

"Everyone from the earlier junior classes knows Senior Bai. The pre-exam routine is to worship Zu Chongzhi, worship your ancestors, worship the Confucius statue, and then worship the senior. But after he graduated, we couldn't bump into him in the junior class building anymore, so it was hard to pay respects. Today I finally got the chance!"

Jiang Mu and Zhao Yifeng: ...

"Thought you were joking, but you actually do that?"

"The end of science is superstition, huh?"

The two watched Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan walking up front.

Then they murmured again.

"But gotta say, he's really the backbone."

Being that charismatic makes people believe in him... and also in themselves.

The big exam for this episode went off without a hitch.

The Z country contestants had gotten their heads in the game, and with the pre-stage atmosphere no longer so tense and full of mutual doubt, they even killed it in that day's team projects.

Everyone safely made it past the elimination line.

The live broadcast wrapped up smoothly.

People were buzzing online.

Some foreign experts on the production team held an emergency meeting, but since they were in Z country this time and the expert panel included Z country scholars, they couldn't be too obvious with their put-downs—especially after losing. Their smug superiority turned into disbelief, and they even went through Bai Nuo's and Yu Chuyan's basic info several times, trying to find signs that Z country was cheating.

But of course, they came up empty.

Still, this gave Z country scholars grounds to question whether the organizing committee was applying double standards.

The Z country contestants planned a celebration dinner that evening.

Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan naturally went along as well.

As they were leaving, Bai Nuo saw a message from his dad saying he'd have some free time later and would come pick him up.

Bai Nuo was a bit confused—didn't his dad have an international conference tonight? Why was he suddenly free?

Still, he pulled out his phone and texted his dad.

Nuo: Okay, "flower" Dad, I worked really hard today.

He wanted to be praised.

Dad: Dad saw it. Amazing—even better than I was at your age.

Nuo: Then Dad was still the more impressive one back then.

Just like when he was a kid, he answered without hesitation.

Nuo: My dad is the best.

After scrolling online for a while and seeing countless posts about the young couple, the old father finally matched them to his own kid. Silently, he handed the international conference off to Assistant Li and decided to pick up his kid personally.

A lot of stuff online is exaggerated, not exactly reliable.

Right?

Then he saw that post from Bai Nuo.

Bai Sheng couldn't help but smile. He stood up and said to Li Zhilin beside him, "Report to me if anything comes up."

"Got it, boss."

Li Zhilin nodded seriously.

He also thought, the young master is still so young—no matter who the partner is—how did he suddenly end up in a relationship?

He watched Bai Sheng's back, carrying the 'expectations' of the whole company, and watched him get on the elevator.

Meanwhile, Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan finished their meal and came out of the hotel, the sky already dark.

Bai Nuo was checking his phone, about to ask if his dad was almost there.

Then he saw Ye Jiu hurrying over out of the night.

Ye Jiu had clearly just finished a meeting, coming from the direction of the program's temporary office. He was still in formal wear, carrying a briefcase.

When he saw the two of them, Ye Jiu's eyes lit up.

He walked over quickly. "Nuonuo, Xiaoyan."

Ye Jiu was fairly familiar with them. Due to family connections, they often interacted, and he could even crack a few jokes.

At this moment, finally letting out a breath, Ye Jiu looked a bit excited. "Congratulations to you both, and thank you—"

"Hold on, Uncle Ye."

Bai Nuo suddenly reached out a hand to stop Ye Jiu mid-sentence.

Ye Jiu's voice cut off abruptly. He watched Bai Nuo pull a tissue from his pocket and smile over at him.

"Alright, Uncle Ye, you can start crying tears of emotion now—I've got the tissue ready for you."

Ye Jiu: ...

Who the hell is going to cry!

Hanging around with those Bai family folks, you didn't pick up any good habits.

He'd bet Bai Jin taught him that.

Ye Jiu was caught between laughing and crying.

"Don't talk nonsense. Do you know how hot you two are right now? Uncle Ye was thinking of digging out the origami you gave me as a kid and auctioning it online."

"Uncle Ye, you should give it back to Great-Grandpa Ye."

Bai Nuo said, laughing.

You keep saying you'll return it, but you never do.

"Do you know what's trending online right now?" Ye Jiu said with amusement. "The promotional video of you two on a field trip as kids has been dug up, and now it's all 'Nuo-nuo talk' everywhere. But don't worry, once you start your doctoral research, this wave will probably pass soon enough."

Thinking about his childhood footage.

Bai Nuo froze, covering his face with his hands.

They're digging that up too?

Yu Chuyan was just as stunned.

"Has that scenic spot really kept that promotional video up all this time?"

For kindergarten kids, it's just right, but for soon-to-be doctoral students, it's a total cringe-fest.

Ye Jiu laughed.

Then he heard the sound of a vehicle behind him. Before he could turn around, he heard Bai Nuo call out, "Dad."

He was no different from when he was a kid—his eyes lit up.

Bai Sheng's here?

That busy guy.

Ye Jiu turned around.

He watched Bai Sheng, who seemed to have just gotten out of the car, one hand in his pocket, the other closing the car door.

The top-tier alpha looked up from below, casual yet overwhelmingly imposing. He raised a hand to greet Bai Nuo, squinted at Yu Chuyan for a moment, and when Yu Chuyan met his gaze openly and honestly, Bai Sheng finally walked up the steps until he stood behind Ye Jiu.

His control was also top-tier—a 3S-level alpha's pheromones perfectly contained.

Facing the current head of the Bai family, someone even the federal government had to show respect to, Ye Jiu raised a hand in greeting.

"Brother Bai..."

Before Ye Jiu could even finish, he heard Bai Sheng click his tongue. Bai Sheng even leaned in curiously to look and asked.

"I heard you finally won this time, and you were so moved you cried?"

Ye Jiu: ...

Ye Jiu: ...

Damn, he'd done Bai Jin wrong.

So you're the one who corrupted this kind-hearted version of the Bai family?

No, wait—he hadn't wronged Bai Jin either.

Aren't you Bai family folks all the same?

Who the hell cried!