Chapter 3
Han Baiyi hesitated as he looked at the little toys before him, staring blankly for several seconds under Bai Nuosi’s expectant gaze.
Sitting silently in the basin, he slowly extended his front paw under Bai Nuosi’s watchful eyes and tapped the little turtle and duck floating in the water.
He nudged them once and glanced at Bai Nuosi.
Encouraged by Bai Nuosi’s gaze, he pressed the little duck down to the bottom of the basin. A “squeak” sounded, and Han Baiyi paused for two seconds, looking into Bai Nuosi’s smiling eyes. Before his mind could catch up, he pressed the duck several more times in quick succession.
The little duck squeaked repeatedly. Laughing, Bai Nuosi said, “Sweetheart, be gentle; the little duck can get hurt too.”
Han Baiyi: “……”
He looked at the squished duck and awkwardly withdrew his paw.
Bai Nuosi wound up the turtle again and placed it back in the water to swim. Han Baiyi’s gaze fixed intently on the little turtle frolicking in the basin; his paws itched to play, but he restrained himself!
Seeing that Bai Nuosi was genuinely preparing to bathe him, Han Baiyi felt a bit conflicted.
From childhood to now, he had never been bathed by anyone else. Now that Teacher Xiao Bai wanted to help the little black panther bathe, should he stay or leave?
What if his consciousness withdrew and his spiritual entity misbehaved?
After all, a spiritual entity’s behaviour is largely influenced by the main body’s subconscious.
Although he usually concealed it well, he couldn’t prevent his spiritual entity from hiding and dodging as soon as it entered the Rose Nursery.
Looking into Bai Nuosi’s gentle eyes and watching him carefully test the water temperature, Han Baiyi subconsciously didn’t want to disappoint him.
If his spiritual entity became afraid of Bai Nuosi and ran out of the bathtub, not only would it make this cozy little home messy, but Bai Nuosi would also be frightened, right?
As Han Baiyi thought this, he didn’t delve into why the black panther cub had already been with Bai Nuosi before he synchronized.
In any case, subconsciously, he didn’t want to leave this place.
Bai Nuosi gently used the showerhead to rinse the black panther, first washing off the mud on its body before lathering its fur with baby bath gel.
He paid special attention to washing the cub’s tail. The black panther cub’s tail was covered in sticky mud, some of which had dried and clung tightly to the fur, making it hard to clean.
Squatting beside the panther cub, Bai Nuosi held its long tail with both hands, carefully cleaning it with his fingers.
The black panther cub’s tail was very dirty. Bai Nuosi washed for a long time, changing the water in the basin three times before finally getting the cub clean.
Looking at the three basins filled with dirty water, Han Baiyi felt extremely embarrassed. Getting himself so filthy and needing Teacher Xiao Bai’s help to wash—it made him feel really bad!
After washing the mud off the black panther cub, Bai Nuosi took a soft cotton towel to wipe its face, teasing as he wiped, “You’re such a little messy kitten.”
Han Baiyi: “……”
Feeling a bit shy, he lowered his head, too embarrassed to look at the gentle Teacher Xiao Bai.
The little black panther nestled in Bai Nuosi’s arms. There was a very pleasant scent on Bai Nuosi, which both he and his spiritual entity liked immensely. This scent made their whole body relax, easing their tense nerves, and he began to feel a bit drowsy.
Han Baiyi closed his eyes slightly, trying to steady his breathing.
After drying the panther cub with a towel, Bai Nuosi carried him to the small sofa in the living room. He took out his hairdryer and carefully dried the cub’s fur.
The black panther cub’s fur became fluffy, clean, warm and smooth to the touch. Watching the cub sitting obediently on the small sofa, Bai Nuosi felt a deep affection.
He opened his smart wristband, snapped a photo of the black panther cub, and then said, “Sweetheart, wait here for Teacher Xiao Bai. I’m going to get you something delicious.”
At the mention of food, Han Baiyi finally felt the hunger in his stomach. Earlier, he had sensed that his spiritual entity was rejecting human proximity, hiding in the dark, neither eating nor drinking.
This situation was caused by him, and he didn’t know what to do about it. So he hadn’t proactively contacted Mons, and Mons didn’t know about his situation either, since the military academy’s files all indicated he was “physically and mentally healthy.”
Clearly, he knew how to conceal it, but his spiritual entity didn’t understand. Just two days after entering the nursery, the problem had surfaced.
Watching Teacher Xiao Bai prepare food in the open-plan kitchen, Han Baiyi thought that perhaps sending his spiritual entity here was the right decision.
Seeing the black panther cub nestled obediently on the sofa, Bai Nuosi couldn’t help but feel worried. This little one was exhausted and hadn’t eaten all day.
He didn’t know what had happened to cause the cub to get separated from his caregiver.
Perhaps his caregiver was anxiously searching for him right now.
Bai Nuosi opened his smart wristband and sent the photo he had just taken of the black panther cub to the area supervisor, Mons.
Bai Nuosi: [Supervisor, I found a black panther cub in the dormitory area. He seems to have gotten separated from his caregiver.]
[Photo]
[By the way, he doesn’t seem to have eaten. Can I prepare some food for him first, or should I wait for his caregiver to come?]
After sending the message, Bai Nuosi waited for Supervisor Mons’s reply while he prepared food for the black panther cub.
Generally speaking, caregivers shouldn’t randomly prepare food for unfamiliar cubs.
All the little ones in the nursery had their own dedicated caregivers. When caregivers took over the cubs, they would receive detailed information about them from the area supervisor.
This included the cubs’ dietary habits and allergens.
When unsure about a cub’s food allergies, it’s best not to feed them casually.
But Bai Nuosi was worried the black panther cub was starving, so he wanted to prepare some baby food first. When his caregiver arrived, if they hadn’t brought food, the cub could eat what he had made.
Cubs consume a lot of energy through activity and are prone to indigestion and bloating, so they generally eat small, frequent meals. In addition to three meals a day, there are also afternoon teas and snacks.
This black panther cub’s stomach was flat; he probably hadn’t eaten all day.
Not only was Bai Nuosi a professional early childhood educator, but he had also specially studied infant nutrition and supplementary foods. He even understood neonatal care—except for delivering babies, which he couldn’t do. If given a newborn just one day old, he could take good care of them.
After all, he was an Omega and had once thought that he might have his own children in the future, so learning these things would be useful someday.
It was late now, and he didn’t have much time to prepare ingredients. Bai Nuosi decided to make something simple—a steamed egg custard topped with stir-fried vegetables and meat for the black panther cub.
The method was straightforward: in a few minutes, he steamed the egg custard, then finely chopped carrots, meat, vegetables, and corn kernels, stir-fried them in walnut oil specially designed for infants, and then poured them over the egg custard.
Baby food is usually low in salt and oil, so Bai Nuosi only added a tiny bit of salt.
After finishing the dish and still not having received a reply from Supervisor Mons, he placed the bowl of egg custard in cold water to cool. Meanwhile, he took out fresh beef from the refrigerator to defrost.
Beastman cubs could also eat raw meat. The instructors had mentioned that the food for beastman cubs was the same as for humans; the difference was that they liked meat, especially fresh, sweet raw meat.
However, it had to be properly handled. After all, cubs’ digestive systems were fragile; what if they got sick?
Unaware that spiritual entities could eat raw meat from birth and were much stronger than humans, Bai Nuosi treated the spiritual entity as a beastman baby. He prepared the freshest, cleanest beef for the black panther, cutting it into small strips, and blanching them briefly in boiling water until they were about 20–30% cooked. He then took them out, drizzled a bit of fragrant sesame oil, and brought them, along with the cooled egg custard, to the small table in front of the black panther cub.
Just then, Mons’s call finally came.
“Xiao Bai!”
Mons sounded breathless as if he had been busy with something. “Are you in your dorm? That spir… that black panther, what’s going on?”
Bai Nuosi placed the food on the table and glanced at the black panther. Upon hearing the voice, the panther no longer lay down but raised his head, his golden eyes fixed steadily on Bai Nuosi.
“Supervisor, I’m in my dorm. The black panther cub belongs to the S Zone; his name is Han Baiyi. I saw him in the garden while I was eating just now. Since there was no caregiver with him, I brought him back.”
After a pause, Bai Nuosi added, “He was very dirty, so I bathed him. He also seemed not to have eaten, so I prepared some steamed egg and beef for him. Supervisor, is it okay for him to eat these foods?”
Mons was leading people toward the dormitory area, accompanied by a sharp-featured man in a dark green military uniform with a buzz cut.
Mons had the call on the speaker; as he talked to Bai Nuosi, he kept glancing at the man’s face beside him, cold sweat never ceasing on his forehead.
That black panther had been avoiding them for two days; of course, he knew the panther hadn’t eaten!
Wait a minute—Mons’s expression turned a bit strange. “Xiao Bai, did you just say you bathed the black panther cub? Is he in your room now?”
Bai Nuosi replied, “Yes, Supervisor. I brought him home from the garden, bathed him, dried his fur, and I’m about to feed him.”
Mons: “???”
Not only did Mons show an incredulous expression, but even the guard team members behind him were shocked.
This black panther spiritual entity had been avoiding humans all along, extremely resistant to human proximity.
Why wasn’t he hiding now? He was even willing to go home with Bai Nuosi and let him bathe him?
Mons suspected that Han Baiyi was up to something. This guy had just said he would synchronize with his spiritual entity and bring the panther to Mons. But Mons waited and waited, and instead of the black panther spiritual entity, he ended up waiting for the Commander-in-Chief, Huo Ranchuan.
Mons was utterly helpless.
Bai Nuosi hesitantly asked, “Supervisor, is something wrong? Did I do something wrong? Should I not have bathed the black panther baby without permission?”
There was a bit of apprehension in Bai Nuosi’s tone. The Rose Nursery had too many rules, and he hadn’t officially started yet. Many regulations hadn’t been communicated to him; he wondered if he had done something wrong.
The soft voice coming through the phone, tinged with cautious nervousness, made not only Mons but even Huo Ranchuan reluctant to reprimand him. Moreover, the young man hadn’t done anything wrong; on the contrary, he had helped Mons a great deal!
Mons immediately said, “No, no, Xiao Bai, you did very well. You’ve helped me a lot. By the way, the black panther cub hasn’t had dinner yet. You said you have steamed eggs and fresh beef, right? Please feed him first; I’ll be there shortly.”
Only then did Bai Nuosi relax, his tone carrying a hint of excitement. “Okay, Supervisor, I’ll feed him first.”
After hanging up the phone, Huo Ranchuan looked at Mons with a stern face. “What’s going on?”
Huo Ranchuan was in a bad mood and was very angry about Mons hiding the situation with the S-level spiritual entity. However, Mons was his trusted subordinate, just a qualified instructor. Although he had received training, he wasn’t a professional childcare expert. This was the first time taking care of spiritual entity cubs; everyone was feeling their way through, let alone Mons.
Keeping a stern face but not exploding, Huo Ranchuan scared Mons into a cold sweat. He wished the Commander would scold him or punish him directly. This restrained anger was terrifying.
Mons hurriedly said, “The black panther spiritual entity has been found in the caregivers’ dormitory area. Currently, he is being…”
Under Huo Ranchuan’s sharp gaze, Mons immediately corrected himself, “This caregiver’s name is Bai Nuosi, from the distant Blackbird Star System. He’s an Omega, a professional early childhood educator with a certification in infant nutrition. He has a gentle personality and a cute appearance. His training assessment ranked in the top three, and his performance is outstanding, so he was assigned to the S Zone.”
Actually, the one initially assigned to the S Zone was someone else. However, most S-level spiritual entities had peculiar problems stemming from their human main bodies’ influence, and the main bodies themselves didn’t have the best personalities.
After all, those who could differentiate into S-level were either top family scions with abundant resources or people who had undergone unbearable overload training since childhood. How easy could such people be to get along with?
Therefore, Mons wanted to choose a caregiver with a softer, more tolerant personality, and he finally selected Bai Nuosi.
As it turned out, he had made the right choice!
Huo Ranchuan continued walking, his expression was stern. “Investigate carefully why the spiritual entity doesn’t reject him. What’s special about him?”
The adjutant following Mons immediately nodded. “Yes, Commander!”
Establishing the Rose Nursery hadn’t been easy; “Operation Protect the Cubs” was opposed by people across the entire star system.
Huo Ranchuan insisted on implementing this initiative, naturally becoming a thorn in many people’s sides. Because he had no one he could trust, he had brought in professional early childhood educators from other star systems.
Now, this Bai Nuosi seemed a bit suspicious; he had to be cautious.
