"Who is it?! Is it a ghost creature?!"
Mom shouted instinctively and then sat up straight.
Hearing Mom's voice, Xu Ran jumped in surprise.
He swiftly slid down from the ceiling, and in the blink of an eye, he was at the side of the crib, sitting on the floor, facing the big bed, clapping his hands and laughing innocently.
"Ah woo~"
Cuteness Technique activated! Hopefully, it'll pass for being adorable and get by!
"Snap..."
The soft lights turned on. Mom immediately looked towards the crib.
She saw Xu Ran sitting under the crib, looking up at her, a smile all over his face.
Mom was dumbfounded and quickly picked Xu Ran up, her face full of worry, checking his body from top to bottom, left to right.
"Ah? Baby, you climbed down from the crib? You didn't fall, did you? How did you get all dirty?"
She was sweating with anxiety, hurriedly called Dr. Chen, and immediately carried Xu Ran downstairs.
At 10:30 at night.
In the pediatric emergency room.
Worried, they conducted a check-up for half an hour.
Dr. Chen, with a gentle smile: "Mama Lin Qian, kids weigh lightly, falling half a meter won't cause any problems. Rest assured!"
"Also, since birth, the baby had slightly better measurements than the average newborn."
"Now, at nine months old, he is already 90 centimeters tall and weighs 14 kilograms, equivalent to an eighteen-month-old child.
At this stage, his energy will be exceptionally high. Teach him to walk, then take him to the nearby daycare center to let him play there."
"This way, it will not only consume his energy but also improve social skills, a win-win situation."
Lin Qian was stunned: "My baby is comparable to an eighteen-month-old?"
Dr. Chen nodded: "Yes, he develops very fast and is very smart."
Lin Qian looked worried: "There won't be any problems, right?"
"No, no, it's a new era now. Some babies are extraordinarily gifted. Don't worry too much. Just don't over-exercise the baby."
Lin Qian, deep in thought: "Understood. Then I'll take the baby home."
Relaxing her worried mind, she carried Xu Ran back home.
On the way.
Xu Ran lay on his mother's shoulder, his cheek against hers, occasionally nuzzling her as if to comfort her.
Being a single mother, Lin Qian worked very hard, without child-rearing experience and without help, taking care of the baby alone.
Even a minor incident could make her worry endlessly.
For example, now she's worried, staying awake even past 10:40 at night, carrying Xu Ran to the hospital, fearing Xu Ran might be hurt.
Even though she never spoke a word of fatigue in front of Xu Ran, he knew her sorrows and hardships.
'In the future, I shouldn't get all dirty again and worry her…'
Xu Ran thought.
But then again.
The pursuit of self-discipline should never be neglected; he must prepare well to deal with two attempted kidnappings.
After all, if those traffickers succeeded, Mom wouldn't just be worried; she would be devastated, crying her eyes out daily, even despairing enough to think of ending her life.
"Yes. I must crush the kidnapping attempts."
Xu Ran's gaze was determined.
...
Back at home.
Lin Qian gave Xu Ran a bath and changed him into fresh clothes.
She made a bottle of milk.
Xu Ran, with his tiny hands, grabbed the bottle and drank it down.
After eating and drinking his fill, he fell into a deep sleep.
Four hours later.
Two big round eyes suddenly opened.
It's time to practice Gecko Wall-Climbing Skill!
With a thought, Xu Ran turned into a shadow, sliding around on the walls and ceiling.
[You practiced Gecko Wall-Climbing Skill for an hour, progress +50 points, current progress: 100/10000...]
"As expected, daily progress is still 100 points..."
"It will only take 100 days to reach Minor Achievement progress, perfect."
Although aware of the pattern, Xu Ran was unsatisfied and tried a dozen more times, but the progress indeed didn't increase...
Suddenly.
Mom, in a daze, noticed something wasn't right again.
"What's that?"
Hearing the noise, Xu Ran instantly slipped from the ceiling to the side of the crib, flipped over, and lay in the crib, covering himself with a small thin blanket.
All movements were done in one breath.
This time, Lin Qian didn't turn on the light but cautiously walked to the side of the crib, bent over, and took a closer look.
"Is there something dirty in the new house?"
"Or am I too stressed lately… hallucinating?"
"There shouldn't be anything dirty, right?"
"The baby is sleeping soundly. If he were uncomfortable, he'd cry..."
Lin Qian walked around the room.
Softly chanting a spell to ward off evil.
Xu Ran: "..."
As the main culprit, he remained silent, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next day.
After Xu Ran had another bottle of milk and a small bowl of supplementary food.
Lin Qian took Xu Ran to the daycare center.
The daycare area was vast, with children's story pictures painted on the walls and crawling mats all over the floor.
About twenty mothers were playing with their kids.
When Lin Qian appeared with Xu Ran in her arms.
The mother and son instantly became the center of attention—Golden Achievement [Celestial Human Form] was just too dazzling.
"Wow, whose baby is this, so beautiful?"
"So cute, gotta go hug him."
Moms immediately turned their attention towards them.
"This is the newly moved in Mama Lin Qian and her little baby Xu Ran. I remember her baby is just over nine months old."
"Mama Lin Qian, come over here～"
"Nine months old, and so tall? Unbelievable!"
"And his eyes are so big and bright. Like black gems. So sharp and piercing!"
"So beautiful and cute, he'll definitely grow up to be a handsome guy."
Amidst the astonishing gazes, Xu Ran was surrounded by the moms.
The moms took turns kissing him.
Over a dozen babies were gathered around him.
"Here, baby, make friends with the new baby."
However.
Over a dozen babies showed no particular liking towards Xu Ran, instead instinctively distancing themselves from him.
Xu Ran was happy about it, as he didn't want to play with the babies.
Seeing this, as a mother, Lin Qian couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Little treasure, crawl with them. Why aren't you moving?"
She adjusted Xu Ran's posture, gently prodding his diaper-clad little bottom.
Xu Ran: '...'
Childish… don't want to play.
He slowly crawled towards the wall by himself.
Suddenly.
He shuddered.
Heart pounding as he looked at the wall.
Just now, when he touched the wall… he instinctively had the urge to crawl directly onto the ceiling! Fortunately, he was disciplined enough to suppress that inner desire.
Otherwise, with his back against the wall, he'd look down like the Grudge baby.
All the moms present would have screamed in fright.
Quickly moving away from the wall, Xu Ran crawled back to Lin Qian.
Sitting beside Lin Qian.
Other moms noticing Xu Ran being unsocial tried to coax him a few times without success, so they gave up… instead following their own babies, playing individually.
Worry surfaced in Lin Qian's eyes.
Silently watching Xu Ran sitting still, she leaned over to amuse him.
"Baby, you should take the initiative to make friends; making friends is fun."
"If you don't take the initiative, there won't be stories."
When Mama Lin Qian's words had just finished.
Behind Xu Ran, at some point, a doll-like little girl creepily crawled towards him.
The little girl was tiny. But her features were as delicate as a New Year painting doll. Her eyes were big and bright, with a round chubby baby face, grinning widely, exuding a strong and lively vibe from start to end.
She was like a little tiger, sneakily crawling behind Xu Ran, suddenly pouncing on him for a "surprise attack," knocking Xu Ran over to the ground...