Chapter 78
After Bai Nuosi finished telling bedtime stories to the little ones, the babies were ready to sleep, but Supervisor Mons still hadn’t come to pick up the little white tiger.
So, Bai Nuosi hugged the three cubs and said, “Then tonight, Hanye will sleep here with Xingxing.”
The little white tiger: “…”
Being held in Bai Nuosi’s arms, the little white tiger felt extremely uncomfortable. Earlier, he hadn’t reacted quickly enough, so he let Teacher Bai help him bathe. But now, how could he let Teacher Bai hold him to sleep!
The little white tiger was used to sleeping on his own!
So, he wriggled out of Bai Nuosi’s embrace and gave a disdainful glance at the little lion nestled in Teacher Bai’s arms. Only children needed adults to coax them to sleep; grown-ups slept by themselves.
The little white tiger jumped off the bed and headed straight to the sofa.
Watching the little white tiger curling up in the corner of the sofa to sleep, Bai Nuosi whispered, “It seems Hanye is quite shy.”
However, many children were like this—not accustomed to sleeping with strangers and remaining vigilant and uneasy in unfamiliar environments.
The previous cubs he had taken care of were too easygoing; Bai Nuosi almost forgot to help the little white tiger adapt to his surroundings.
But since this was a hospital and not the little white tiger’s nursery room, they’d have to make do for the night.
With Teng Snake in his arms and the little lion lying on his stomach, Bai Nuosi softly said, “Teacher will find you some little toys.”
He turned on a soft night light, played some gentle music, and took out the baby snake’s little bunny from his portable.
The little lion looked eagerly—it was a toy given by Teacher Bai! He wanted one too!
He stretched out his paw and mischievously patted the baby snake’s little bunny plush, grinning foolishly, “Bunny, so cute!”
Teng Snake: “…”
Teng Snake’s pair of golden vertical pupils stared unkindly at the little lion.
Don’t think pretending to be innocent will save you from getting smacked. If you keep being naughty, he’ll make a fuss!
Bai Nuosi then took out a fluffy little duck and a fluffy turtle.
He asked the little lion, “Xingxing, which one do you want?”
The little lion looked at the green turtle—how could a man like green? He immediately grabbed the little duck, happily crawling to the corner of the bed to play with the plush toy.
Bai Nuosi walked over to the sofa, placed the rejected little turtle beside the little white tiger, and covered him with a small blanket. He whispered, “Hanye, good night.”
The little white tiger opened his eyes and glanced at Teacher Bai, his gaze becoming a bit uneasy.
What’s with the blanket and the plush toy? He wasn’t really a child.
Actually, Bai Nuosi wasn’t comfortable with the little white tiger sleeping alone on the sofa. Although the sofa was in the room and spacious enough for a fluffy cub, cubs tended to roll around in their sleep. What if he rolled off the sofa in the middle of the night?
There was no carpet under the sofa in the hospital room, so Bai Nuosi could only take a quilt and lay it under the sofa, then roll up a blanket into a long strip and place it along the edge of the sofa. With double protection, he could feel at ease.
The little white tiger silently watched everything Teacher Bai did, feeling a bit complicated inside.
Growing up in the barren star belt without parents, Song Hengye never dared to imagine someone taking such meticulous care of him.
In Teacher Bai, he saw the shadow of a “mother,” just like the countless “mothers” he had seen when he was young. No matter how low their status or how difficult their lives, they always saved the best for their children, always full of patience and love.
The little white tiger stared blankly at Teacher Bai, feeling a bit sour in his heart.
Teacher Bai was so good to the cubs he cared for. How fortunate would one have to be to be Teacher Bai’s child?
He would surely be even better to his own children, right?
After finishing everything, Bai Nuosi ruffled the little white tiger’s head a few times and softly said, “Alright, little Hanye now has his own castle and his own knight. You’ll definitely have a good night’s sleep tonight.”
The little white tiger looked at his “knight” (the turtle plush toy) and his “castle” (the rolled-up blanket), falling into silence.
Bai Nuosi turned off the lights and went to sleep, holding the little lion and the baby snake.
The baby snake habitually lay beside Bai Nuosi, closing his eyes amidst Teacher Bai’s warm presence.
Bai Nuosi had been very tired these past two days, so he quickly fell asleep. The little lion had also fallen asleep, but in the middle of the night, he was startled awake by a dream where Song Hengye was left behind in a sea of fire and couldn’t escape, so he woke up instantly in fright.
After waking up, he looked around for the little white tiger. Seeing him curled up on the sofa, he quietly jumped off the bed and went to squeeze onto the sofa with him.
The little white tiger, who was secretly watching training videos on the sofa: “…”
The little white tiger looked sternly at the sleepy-eyed little lion.
What the heck, this guy again?
Was he sleepwalking just to find him? How ridiculous!
The little lion yawned and snuggled tightly against the little white tiger, tears in his eyes, whispering in a breathy voice, “Hanye, you’re not dead.”
The little white tiger: “…”
In the middle of the night, did he have to start by saying this?
The little white tiger stretched out a leg and gently kicked the little lion, pushing him away as he snuggled too close. Then he moved himself toward the corner, burrowed into the small blanket, and continued watching his optical computer.
Having a spiritual beast had its advantages. Since Song Hengye was injured and recuperating, he needed rest both physically and mentally, so he didn’t dare to study or train all night. He would sleep during the first half of the night, and the little white tiger would take over during the second half.
Some people, after getting a spiritual beast, would let themselves go, thinking they were finally liberated.
But others, upon getting a spiritual beast, would double their efforts, becoming even more diligent.
The little lion was mercilessly pushed away by the little white tiger. He yawned, lay down on the sofa, rested his head on the little white tiger’s “castle” (the rolled-up blanket), and prepared to sleep. However, in less than two seconds, he sensed something was off.
Hmm?
The little white tiger was nestled under the blanket, exposing a fluffy little butt…
The little lion stood up, tilted his head—this posture seemed familiar, didn’t it?
He cautiously glanced at Teacher Bai to confirm that he was still sleeping soundly. Unable to contain his excitement, he quietly moved over, lifted the blanket, and squeezed in.
Sure enough!
The little white tiger was hiding under the blanket, secretly playing on his optical computer!
The screen’s brightness was dimmed, so from outside the blanket, it was impossible to see.
No wonder the little white tiger would give up the warm and lovely Teacher Bai to sleep alone on the sofa!
So he wanted to play games in the middle of the night.
The little lion regretted not thinking of sleeping alone earlier. Otherwise, his optical computer wouldn’t have been confiscated by Teacher Bai.
The little lion whispered in the little white tiger’s ear, “Hanye, I want to play too!”
The little white tiger: “…”
The little white tiger looked at the little lion, annoyed beyond words. The little lion’s eyes were sparkling as he looked at the little white tiger, excitement evident.
The little white tiger pushed the optical computer’s screen toward the little lion.
The screen indeed showed a game, but it was a game developed by the Empire’s military academy instructors. Players, after entering the game, would take on the role of military academy freshmen challenging various virtual instructors.
From level 1 to level 100, there were 100 virtual instructors with different spiritual power levels and specialized skills. Players needed to defeat these virtual instructors in combat techniques, tactical skills, and the use of various weapons and mechas.
This game also had holographic functions, but it required purchasing an expensive gaming pod. Song Hengye couldn’t afford it, so he could only play the mobile version. When he had time, he would watch the holographic challenge videos posted by other players.
The first person in history to clear all 100 levels was their current instructor, Huo Ranchuan.
The little lion looked at the game’s screen, dumbfounded.
His expression became blank; he stared at the screen dumbly for a long time.
The little white tiger pushed the screen forward again, indicating for the little lion to play.
Didn’t you want to play?
Why are you staring blankly?
The little lion licked his lips, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at the little white tiger. “Hanye, are you crazy?”
Hanye was just a spiritual beast. Having finally gotten away from the endlessly striving main body, shouldn’t he be enjoying himself?
Why is even the spiritual beast starting to work so hard?
How can anyone live like this!
The little white tiger couldn’t be bothered with the little lion. Seeing that he didn’t want to play, he moved the screen back and continued challenging the virtual instructors with great interest.
The little lion lay beside him, watching with a worried expression. He thought, could Hanye have gone mad?
He was training and studying so diligently. Was he normal?
Feeling aggrieved, the little lion lay beside him, watching the little white tiger challenge an instructor, get defeated, challenge again, and get defeated again.
The little lion couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Hanye, you’re so bad at this!”
The little white tiger: “…”
The little white tiger glared at him with a stern face: Do you realize what you’re saying? How can a noob like you have the nerve to speak?
Bai Nuosi had set two alarms for himself, one at two in the morning and another at four, reminding him to get up and check on the babies, especially the little white tiger sleeping alone on the sofa.
Because he often set alarms, his biological clock was used to waking up once or twice during the night.
When he groggily opened his eyes, the first thing he did was check on the babies beside him.
First, he saw Teng Snake, who was awake, silently watching the two fluffies playing games. Not wanting to wake Teacher Bai, Teng Snake hadn’t moved.
But Bai Nuosi himself had woken up. He yawned, noticed that the little lion was missing, looked over at the sofa, and saw two fluffy little butts sticking out from under the blanket. The little white tiger and the little lion were snuggled together under the blanket, with only their lower halves exposed. The little lion’s tail was wagging, seeming very happy.
Bai Nuosi: “…”
