Chapter 239

Chapter 239

Ye Jiu really wanted to shake Bai Sheng by the neck and yell in his ear—Can you lead by example and actually parent the kid?

But clearly, that was a no-go.

It's not like Ye Jiu could take Bai Sheng in a fight.

Still, something felt off.

Ye Jiu looked over and watched the two of them walking side by side, totally at ease.

Then he only thought to glance at Bai Sheng beside him.

Huh?

Bai Sheng was also looking, currently sizing Yu Chuyan up from head to toe. It seemed he'd heard something he couldn't just brush off, and seemed deep in thought.

But there wasn't a hint of guilt on his face.

Bai Sheng had indeed seen what people were saying online, seen the danmaku comments, but he'd also watched the two of them interact the whole livestream.

Bai Sheng was confused—wasn't this just how kids his age normally interacted?

They'd held hands back in kindergarten, so it was only natural they hadn't grown out of it yet, right?

And besides, they held hands way less often now than they used to in kindergarten.

The two standing together looked perfectly at ease. Bai Nuo had already walked over to Bai Sheng's side and naturally reached out and took hold of Bai Sheng's arm—not like a little kid hugging, but more like holding his dad's hand with both hands. But because he was a head shorter than his dad, and his face was all cute, he was looking up at his father. From Bai Sheng's angle looking down, his kid looked adorably fluffy-haired.

Clearly, sending messages with praise wasn't enough—he needed to be praised in person too.

"Amazing. If your Uncle Ye didn't have you, he'd be done for this year."

Bai Sheng naturally messed up Bai Nuo's hair.

Watching him press his lips together with that happy yet reserved expression.

So cute.

Bai Sheng genuinely felt that no matter what his kid did, it was the cutest thing ever.

Over a decade deep into raising his kid, Bai Sheng still couldn't get enough, and even felt like time went by way too fast.

Meanwhile, Ye Jiu, who had been used as a 'tool' by Bai Sheng: ...

Hey!

He looked over and saw the Yu family's car had arrived too.

Bai Nuo turned around to wave goodbye to Yu Chuyan.

Yu Chuyan waved back at Bai Nuo, then made eye contact with Bai Sheng and nodded. Facing Bai Sheng, this alpha who never listened to anyone always acted unusually well-behaved—so much so that his own brother wouldn't believe it: "Goodbye, Uncle Bai."

Bai Nuo got in the car with his father. He checked the schedule for the next recording and realized his birthday was two days after filming wrapped.

There would be a coming-of-age ceremony, a big deal, but he thought he could do what Yu Chuyan did—gather his close friends for a small get-together beforehand, so they wouldn't be so awkward at the ceremony the next day.

Bai Nuo thought about how many people would probably come, and figured the day would be exhausting.

Of course, that didn't matter to him—he just hoped his great-grandfather and grandfather would get some rest. He didn't want them getting worn out, insisting they weren't tired, and then ending up in the hospital the next day.

Bai Nuo propped his chin on his hand while swiping through the calendar on his phone with the other.

He also did the math—from his fifth to seventeenth birthday, that was thirteen birthdays total, and every year he'd wished for one family member's health.

Bai Nuo counted: great-grandfather, grandparents, father, uncles and aunts, older male cousin, third great-uncle, older male paternal cousins, and Brother Leon—exactly thirteen people.

Now that he was turning eighteen, he actually didn't know who else to wish health to.

Bai Nuo fell into thought. Since his eighteenth birthday was important, should he just start wishing health to everyone around him? But all the important people his age were in perfect health, looking like they were running around and didn't need his wishes anyway.

Bai Nuo was still lost in thought.

Then his father suddenly asked: "Are you dating someone?"

Huh?

Bai Nuo whipped his head around and automatically answered: "No, I'm not."

Dating?

Dad wouldn't allow it, and neither would his brother.

Even though he was about to turn eighteen, they said he wasn't allowed to date before eighteen.

Bai Nuo blinked.

Bai Sheng, who was driving, heard the answer and nodded with satisfaction.

"Dad was just asking."

See, he'd thought the stuff online was just nonsense. He'd even seen fanfiction about his parents, turning Bai Qian—that guy who tried to spread his musical bacteria to infect Cen Zhi—into some deeply devoted romantic lead.

That wasn't how it actually was at all.

A lot of online comments were alarmist and wildly exaggerated.

And seeing his kid staring at him, Bai Sheng thought for a moment, then deliberately acted generous: "If you really are dating someone, you tell Dad. It's not like I'd do anything to them, right?"

At most, snap them in half and toss them down a drain.

The old father was relieved.

But he didn't notice his kid look away, press a hand to his chest, and make a slightly awkward expression.

He'd answered a bit too fast just now, hadn't he? So he felt a little flustered?

Bai Nuo thought.

Dating?

Who did Dad think he was dating?

His brother?

Even though he really liked the way his brother smelled, and occasionally got the urge to bite him, and because they were so familiar, he'd even sneakily lean in close to his brother's neck to smell that freesia vanilla pudding scent.

But just like Yu Chuyan said.

They're total childhood sweethearts... right?

Bai Nuo lowered his gaze, his face going blank as he seriously mulled it over, his finger tracing circles around the date of his eighteenth birthday on the calendar.

"Dad."

Bai Nuo put his phone away and spoke seriously.

"What is it?"

"I want pudding when I get back home."

Just a plain vanilla pudding to stand in for bro.

Bai Sheng was in a fairly good mood at the moment, since he'd handed his evening work off to Assistant Li, freeing up a long stretch of time for some long-overdue father-son bonding.

So he said casually, "Want Dad to make it for you?"

Bai Nuo: !

Bai Nuo instinctively looked at his old man.

The teen, who'd clearly shot up in height, furrowed his brow as if weighing something, then nodded with the grim resolve of a soldier marching into battle.

"Okay, you're the best, Dad."

Bai Sheng paused, his lips quirking up for a beat before falling, one hand on the wheel as he turned to look at his kid: ...

"Did you say that against your will?"

He was too good at smoothing things over, and even when he said stuff like that, he sounded genuinely sincere.

Bai Nuo said seriously, "Nope, not against my will."

As they waited at the light, father and son locked eyes and both cracked up.

Before the next recording session, quite a few social media marketing accounts that had caught wind of it wanted to score interviews and get first-hand scoop.

They hadn't been this hyped even when chasing celebs or streamers before.

After all, their usual playbook was best at playing the victim to milk sympathy or crafting a persona to rally fans together—people like that drew in those marketing accounts the most because they brought in traffic to chase.

But with the broadcast of *Science Gate*, after two episodes, the mood of all the Z-Federation citizens following along had hit rock bottom.

Watching others walk all over them for two episodes, everyone was itching for an outlet to vent.

As luck would have it, Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan showed up.

A lot of people hadn't watched the livestream, and a lot hadn't dared to read the follow-up comments, nor did they want to argue with the smug foreigners who'd barged into the Z-Federation's internal network.

In this day and age where livestreams and tech were everywhere, TV was watched a lot less, and ratings for shows on a fixed schedule kept dropping.

According to statistics, the opening ratings for episode three of *Science Gate* weren't all that high, even counting those who'd watched the livestream and wanted to rewatch the edited cut to savor the win again.

But as the hour-plus show aired, buzz across major platforms kept climbing, and ratings climbed steadily, leveling off at a pretty impressive number.

By then, public opinion was just starting to heat up—a lot of viewers still had no clue what had happened, and by the time ratings shot up, the show was already over.

Some figured that if they'd stretched it to two hours, it might've even challenged the all-time high for Z-Federation variety show ratings.

This time, everything lined up perfectly—the domestic internet had also taken a wave of foreign trolling, and this was the moment it bounced back. An opportunity like that probably wouldn't come around again.

As a result, Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan, who'd clearly become the team's anchor, saw their popularity explode overnight—not some manufactured numbers, but pure, genuine hype.

That made those social media marketing accounts even hungrier to pounce; if they could dig up some juicy scoop, good or bad, it'd be enough to cash in big.

But obviously, that wasn't gonna fly.

Not to mention the protection from the Bai and Yu families, plus Cen Liu.

Even the Z-government wouldn't allow that internally.

Last time, some of those marketing accounts had reposted and spread posts riding the coattails of foreign trolls, causing a stir and piling more psychological pressure on the Z-country contestants. The federal police had already shut down and arrested a whole batch, and this new batch was walking straight into the crosshairs.

But honestly, it didn't really affect Bai Nuo's life much.

It was just that every now and then, out of nowhere, he'd spot a 'Bait and Switch Nuo' post online and his eyes would go wide in shock.

The next few days passed quietly—he hung out with a few of his brothers, listened at home while Grandma laid out her plans for his coming-of-age ceremony.

He also ran practice problems to keep his skills sharp, and occasionally checked in remotely on his juniors' study progress.

The second recording came quickly.

Familiarity breeds ease.

Although the production team clearly tried to target Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan with more tricky challenges.

One challenge even used a Rubik's cube as a prop, seemingly hoping to stump him with it.

The livestream audience was both nervous and cursing the show for double standards, since they'd used the rules to sneak in some players with lightning-fast hands and Rubik's cube expertise—some had even held world records for certain cube sizes.

Until Bai Nuo picked up the cube in the prep room and, without even thinking, started solving it one-handed.

The livestream audience collectively gasped.

Was there anything he couldn't do?

No, there wasn't!

Afterward, Bai Jin even joked with Bai Nuo, saying it was lucky the competition didn't test singing.

Then he got hit in the face with a throw pillow from Bai Nuo.

But this recording went smoothly all the way through to the final exam.

Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan were the same as last time.

If the previous *Science Gate* had still left some feeling grudging, this time it was more like they'd been beaten numb—they basically accepted Bai Nuo and Yu Chuyan's rankings and started fighting over the other spots.

Jiang Liang seemed to have learned his lesson and didn't dare stick his head out; his account had gone from a flood of praise and admiration to a sea of mockery.

But even so, he couldn't escape Bai Nuo.

Bai Nuo seemed very interested in him, still grouping the reluctant Jiang Liang with himself for the competition, the better to observe him.

This time, Jiang Liang seemed even more broken.

As Jiang Liang disappeared around the corner, Bai Nuo vaguely caught sight of someone standing at the bend seemingly observing him, but soon, that person embraced Jiang Liang, and the two left the recording site.

Bai Nuo stroked his chin, couldn't help but stare for a couple of seconds, then finally looked away.

He instinctively tugged at Yu Chuyan, who was beside him.

"Brother, that person at the corner just now—have you seen him before?"

The sensation of being stared at made him uneasy.

"Hm?"

Yu Chuyan looked over, following Bai Nuo's gaze.

"The one who was with Jiang Liang."

The person had already walked off, so Bai Nuo spoke up to prompt him.

Yu Chuyan shook his head.

Other than a quick glance at Jiang Liang at the start, he hadn't paid attention to anyone else.

Bai Nuo couldn't make sense of it and didn't overthink it. He grabbed Yu Chuyan's hand, planning to take him out to eat.

But the moment he pulled, Bai Nuo yanked his hand back: "Brother, your hand is burning up."

Bai Nuo reached out again, touched Yu Chuyan's hand, then rose on his tiptoes to check his forehead.

He instantly pulled his hand back, the smile vanishing from his face, and tugged Yu Chuyan outside.

As he walked, he called the driver, telling him to get there ASAP.

The young man knit his handsome brows: "Brother, don't you feel feverish yourself?"

Burning up, like he had a fever.

Yu Chuyan took a moment, seeming a bit slow, but his mind was still sharp.

"I figured it was normal."

—Being around Nuonuo sometimes made him feel hot and restless, and he'd gradually gotten used to it, so he naturally didn't think much of it since it didn't affect his thinking.

Since when is that normal?

Bai Nuo raised an eyebrow, giving Yu Chuyan a confused look.

The two of them quickly made it to the hospital.

There were plenty of cases like this.

It was nothing serious.

The doctor prescribed a few tubes of medicine and gave them instructions.

"He still hasn't been resting well. Alphas in the stable differentiation phase often go through this—nothing serious. Alphas are usually tough-skinned, and some don't even notice the fever, just powering through it. Once you get back and take the medicine, the fever will go down. See, it's already gone down. Just make sure to get a good night's sleep later."

Bai Nuo listened carefully and nodded. When Yu Chuyan tried to get up to grab the backpack behind him, Bai Nuo moved first, scurrying over to clutch the bag to his chest.

Before Yu Chuyan could say anything, the doctor—who knew they weren't a couple—smiled and said in a hushed voice: "A little less spring fever, and you'll stay steadier."

Yu Chuyan: …

Yu Chuyan: …?

"Brother, should we go?"

Bai Nuo turned to look at Yu Chuyan and held out his hand.

Before Yu Chuyan could respond, the doctor behind him drawled: "If you're not careful, his temperature might spike again."

Yu Chuyan: …

Yu Chuyan silently pressed his lips together.

You sure are nosy.

What spring fever?

Yu Chuyan ended up trailing behind Bai Nuo, watching him sling both their bags over his shoulder before looking up at him.

"Everyone's busy at home today, so let's stay at the place nearby for the night. Brother Xieqing and Brother Xieyue said they'd come by later to see you. Once you're better tomorrow, we can hang out all day before heading home."

Bai Nuo carried the bag, tugged Yu Chuyan along, and had the driver take them over.

The Yu and Bai families naturally had places here—new ones, bought recently, with all the families living close by.

It was a low-rise duplex, and the three families had basically bought an entire building together.

By the time they got back to the place, dinner was already ready. After dinner, Bai Nuo watched Yu Chuyan take his medicine, pressed him onto the bed, tucked the covers around him, and checked his temperature again.

"Brother, doesn't your head ache?"

Bai Nuo pressed his lips together slightly.

The fever must have started during the big exam; he hadn't noticed until they met up afterward with their stuff.

"Should we let Brother Yu Chen know?"

"It's fine, nothing serious. The alpha gland differentiation guide said some unstable physiological conditions can occur in the two months before differentiation—it's normal."

Yu Chuyan had been following Bai Nuo's lead, one instruction at a time. After being led around, his usually quick-working brain had stopped spinning, and only now did he speak up.

Bai Nuo nodded.

"Then rest for now, brother. I'll turn off the light and put your phone by the pillow. I'll go check when Brother Xieqing and Brother Xieyue are coming."

"They might still be a while—you should get some rest too."

Yu Chuyan tried to sit up, but Bai Nuo pressed him back down, meeting his big round eyes.

"Brother, are you not going to listen to me? My birthday's in a few days."

Yu Chuyan: …

Yu Chuyan obediently lay back down, and Bai Nuo tucked the covers around him.

Once everything was done, Bai Nuo turned off the light and left the room.

Leaning against the wall, Bai Nuo mulled over the doctor's words. His brother had become fragile too—he needed to take even better care of him.

But should he wait outside for Xie Qing and Xieyue to arrive?

Bai Nuo, even if he had zero clue about ABO dynamics, had still been around here for years.

Notebook in hand, round half-rim glasses perched on his nose, Bai Nuo waited outside for a while, then finally clenched his fist.

It's fine—they were childhood sweethearts through and through.

The auntie who was assigned here had already clocked out.

Bai Nuo paced around the house twice, then headed out to the fruit shop downstairs and bought a lemon and a box of strawberries—both good for someone running a fever. Okay, and maybe he also wanted some strawberries for himself.

Bai Nuo made a cup of warm lemon water and snapped a photo to send to his uncle, getting back a "feed me"—so full of life that it obviously didn't come from his uncle's iceberg face. It was probably something he'd picked up from Uncle Lin Ren. Bai Nuo couldn't help but smile, then, lemon water in hand, quietly pushed open Yu Chuyan's bedroom door.

"Xie—"

Yu Chuyan instantly opened his eyes and furrowed his brows, instinctively looking toward the door, ready to yell at those two who always tiptoed in to pull pranks, then met Bai Nuo's gaze.

Bai Nuo: ?

Bai Nuo paused for a beat, then tentatively asked.

"Brother, you didn't recognize my footsteps?"

Yu Chuyan: ...

Yu Chuyan's world came crashing down, and he didn't even have time to speak.

At the door, the Xie brothers, who'd just walked in, happened to catch that.

Xie Yue let out a "wow" and, loving the drama, said, "Brother Yan, didn't you say you'd notice the moment Nuonuo appeared? Not so good now, huh? Wait—aren't you sick? How are you chucking pillows that hard? That kind of force could kill someone."

Xie Qing stepped aside: "Probably just half-dead. Don't worry, you can file for disability."

Xie Yue: ... "Hey, Xie Qing, whose side are you on?!"

The two were soon grabbing each other's collars again, locked in a "bullfight."

Bai Nuo came over with the lemon water.

Seeing Yu Chuyan sitting on the edge of the bed, clearly flustered, he handed over the lemon water.

"Brother, you've got a fever—why would I hold that against you?"

Yu Chuyan muttered something under his breath, but Bai Nuo didn't catch it, only saw Yu Chuyan look a little deflated as he took the lemon water. The warm lemon water had no sugar—just two or three slices of lemon, seeds carefully removed—with a faint tang and lemony scent.

Yu Chuyan took a blank sip, then suddenly snapped back to reality.

"There shouldn't be lemon slices here, right? Where'd you get these?"

"I bought them from the fruit shop just downstairs. I also put the strawberries in the ultrasonic cleaner; I'll go fish them out in a bit."

Bai Nuo licked his lips without thinking.

Yu Chuyan quickly scanned his fingers and only relaxed once he confirmed there were no cuts. Do the Bai family even know how to handle a kitchen knife? Even though he figured it was probably fine, given the Bai family's... culinary prowess, Yu Chuyan felt he should double-check.

"This is just a sudden fever—the meds work fast. Feel it, it's not hot anymore."

He was just around people he knew, and his foggy brain was too lazy to think for a second, so his reaction was a little slow.

Bai Nuo pressed his hand to Yu Chuyan's forehead and relaxed a little.

"Then I'll go get the strawberries."

Xie Qing let go of Xie Yue's collar and rolled up his sleeves.

"You sit tight, I'll go. Brother Yan, are the fruit trays in the living room cabinet?"

Yu Chuyan hummed in response.

He was still hung up on the fact that he'd been so slow he hadn't even recognized Bai Nuo's footsteps.

Totally deflated.

Before long, Xie Qing came in with the strawberries and set them down next to Bai Nuo.

Bai Nuo naturally started handing them out.

They chatted and ate two rounds of these palm-sized strawberries.

Only one big strawberry was left in the tray.

Yu Chuyan and the Xie brothers were still talking, but Bai Nuo kept staring at the fruit tray.

Bai Nuo was crazy about strawberries, and all three of them knew it. Their first thought was that it was fine if he ate them all, so they didn't care who got the last one.

But in the end, Bai Nuo looked around, then very seriously took that strawberry from the plate and shoved it into Yu Chuyan's hand.

He even shot the two Xie brothers a guilty look, like he'd done something wrong.

And it wasn't just the last strawberry—earlier, when he'd been handing them out, he'd always given Yu Chuyan the biggest, reddest ones.

Now, looking at his other two childhood friends, he felt a weird pang of guilt for playing favorites.

But his brother was sick—what was wrong with him getting something nice to eat?

So Bai Nuo straightened up again, his little face dead serious.

"Brother, you have it."

The big, sweet ones are all yours.

Yu Chuyan felt a little hot under the collar again.

Xie Yue let out a "ha"—not that he wanted the strawberry—but he leaned over and pointed at himself.

"What about me, your big bro?"

Xie Qing, who also loved stirring the pot, immediately chimed in.

"And what about me, your childhood-bestie brother?"

Everyone's going through their gland differentiation phase, Yu Chuyan—you're this fragile, maybe you should reflect on yourself?

"Don't start."

Yu Chuyan stood up.

He'd already finished the lemon water, popped the strawberry into his mouth, and headed for the kitchen.

"I'm fine—I'll just go put the cup away."

Why is he feeling hot again?

Yu Chuyan hightails it out of the room.

Inside the room, Bai Nuo shares a look with the Xie twins, tilting his head, a little confused.

Compared to his uncle, his older brother doesn't seem that fragile after all—he's already bouncing back.

...

Yu Chuyan heads to the kitchen, sets down the glass, and before he can even exhale, he spots the half-sliced lemon on the cutting board. He freezes, then slowly presses a hand to his forehead, leaning against the kitchen counter.

Just then, Yu Chen video calls him.

He must have a rare moment of free time—he's in the plant room, getting up and heading out, brushing dirt off his hands.

The beta, in casual clothes, looks serious, brows furrowed, speaking fast and a little nervous.

"The hospital filled me in—what's going on? Why are your pheromones unstable?"

But once he gets a good look at Yu Chuyan's face, Yu Chen relaxes and slows down. After all, he seems fine—maybe it's not a big deal? Could it be the effect of high-grade pheromones?

"Bro."

Yu Chuyan speaks in a muffled voice, covering half his face.

"Hm?"

Yu Chuyan seems to hesitate for two seconds: "What does... 'a budding heart' mean?"

Yu Chen: ...

Huh?