Sang Luo returned to the Marquis Mansion, carrying Little Zhenzhen in her arms.
A group of children were chasing each other and roughhousing in the courtyard. She recognized so of them, but not all. The most familiar face belonged to a little boy in fine clothes with white, shoulder-length hair—he was Little Lin, the son of Yu Ze, the Young Master of the White Tiger Clan. When Little Lin had his hundred-day celebration, Sang Luo had even personally delivered a generous gift.
Si Ye and Yu Ze had been best friends since childhood, so their children got along well too, often visiting each other’s hos to play.
"Hello, Auntie Sang Luo!"
Yu Lin ran over obediently. After his polite greeting, he looked anxiously at Zhenzhen. "Sister Zhenzhen, you’re finally back! We’ve been waiting for you for so long!"
"What happened?" Zhenzhen turned over in her mother’s soft embrace and scratched her ear.
"It’s the Young Master of the Yingzhao Clan! That guy is too much! He was unhappy after Sister Zhenzhen beat him up last ti, so he brought his cronies and started another fight with us. Several of us got hurt."
A child with yellow-green hair limped over. "Sis, they beat up too! And they told us to pass a ssage to you, Sister Zhenzhen. They said from now on, he’s the boss of this territory."
Hearing this, Zhenzhen flew into a rage. She leaped down from Sang Luo’s arms, transforming into a pretty little girl with a high ponytail. Her features were proud and superior. With her hands on her hips, she sneered, "That brat! One beating wasn’t enough for him? He actually dares to run wild on my turf again? Just watch teach him another proper lesson! Let’s go! We’ll get our revenge right now!"
Seeing her rally her little friends to run off and cause trouble, Sang Luo quickly grabbed her back and gently scolded her, "It’s almost dark. Where do you think you’re running off to? Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. If they really provoked you, your father and I will go talk to their Beast Father and Beast Mother!"
"Don’t worry, Mother! He’s just one little cub. You and Father don’t need to get involved. I can handle that snob myself!" Zhenzhen threw a few combination punches into the air, her little face red with anger.
Her little followers jumped up and down, cheering her on from the side.
"Yeah, yeah! Sister Zhenzhen is amazing! We can’t let that brat look down on us. We have to teach that outsider a lesson!"
"Mom, let go! I have to go fight back!" Zhenzhen wailed.
Sang Luo pressed a hand to her forehead, exasperated.
’What is all this chaos!’
"If she wants to go, just let her." Si Ye walked out carrying several plates of candy and dried fruit snacks. He had clearly overheard the conversation. He was long used to his daughter’s antics; it was better to let her be than to worry too much.
He handed out the snacks and candy to the children.
"Help look after Little Zhenzhen. If anything happens, use a Communication Jade Scroll to tell ."
"Thank you, Uncle Little Ye!"
Since the children’s father had spoken, Sang Luo had no choice but to let her daughter go.
The children sward out to play again.
"Are you really okay with letting Little Zhenzhen run wild? If she gets hurt or causes trouble, you know other parents will be here with their kids to complain."
Si Ye wrapped an arm around her waist from the side and smiled as he looked toward the gate. "She’s over five hundred years old. She’s not so clueless child. She might seem reckless, but she knows her limits when she does things."
"It’s perfectly normal for Beast Clan cubs to play and fight. It’s in their nature. They establish power hierarchies through combat from a young age. As the saying goes, ’no fight, no friendship.’ The harder they fight as kids, the more likely they are to beco close friends as adults."
What cub didn’t grow up like that? Zhenzhen was a carbon copy of his younger self. At first, Si Ye had been fiercely protective, afraid his daughter would get hurt. But later, he discovered she had fought her way to becoming the "big sister" of the cub pack, with twenty or thirty loyal followers, so he stopped worrying.
Even though parents were always showing up with their kids demanding an explanation, and even though Si Ye would always grab his daughter by the ear and lecture her, deep down he was bursting with pride. ’His girl was just that amazing!’
"Alright then, I won’t worry. Let her go play," Sang Luo said, unable to suppress a laugh.
"Try this candy I made." Si Ye popped a polo-flavored soft candy into her mouth.
It was sweet but not cloying, soft and chewy. Delicious.
Sang Luo’s eyes lit up. "You know how to make this?"
"Zhenzhen loves candy. When she was little, she was a picky eater, so I used Spirit Fruits and beast at to make so candy and dried fruit snacks for her. She quite enjoys them."
"Forget our daughter, I like them too." Sang Luo took another piece of candy from the plate in Si Ye’s hand and tossed it into her mouth. She squinted her almond eyes like a cat, a little bit of sugar dusting the corner of her lips.
Si Ye stared at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "I... I’ll make so more for you..."
Sang Luo stood on her toes and kissed his lips, smiling. "I’d rather taste this~ It’s sweeter~"
Si Ye’s earlobes turned completely red. "Luoluo!"
"Haha~" She loved seeing him so shy and innocent; she could never resist teasing him.
Sang Luo wrapped her arms around the young man’s lean waist again. With a mischievous thought, she leaned in and licked his Adam’s apple, her voice soft and alluring.
"Zhenzhen said she wants a little brother and a little sister..."
Si Ye’s breathing hitched. His hand tightened on her slender waist as he lowered his head for a deep, lingering kiss.
"Mmph~" A captivating blush spread across Sang Luo’s cheeks. Just as she was about to run out of breath from the kiss, Si Ye reluctantly released her.
He rested his forehead against hers, his breath coming in hot, shallow pants. He didn’t make another move, instead nipping at the corner of her lips complainingly. "You haven’t been back in three months. What made you think of coming to see today?"
"Your birthday is next month. I missed it last ti, so I had to co and spend proper ti with you this ti," Sang Luo said with a grin. "And I heard from a certain little soone that a certain soone else was secretly crying at night."
"...That girl, what nonsense is she spouting!" Si Ye’s face grew even redder.
Sang Luo’s eyes widened in surprise. She caressed his handso face. "You didn’t actually cry, did you?"
"I did not!"
Flustered and annoyed, the young man lowered his head and crushed his lips against hers again. This kiss wasn’t as gentle as before; he left her lips red and swollen before burying his face in the crook of her neck to sulk. "I dread that you left . Just like back then... that you ran off with another Male Beast... being all lovey-dovey with soone else... that you didn’t want anymore..."
"I felt so awful that night, I thought it was real... But when I woke up, you weren’t by my side. I was scared... scared that what happened in the dream might actually co true..."
Sang Luo asked softly, "If that really happened, what would you do?"
"Plenty of people want !" Si Ye said proudly, but then he added sullenly, "Can’t you just say sothing nice to coax !"
"Why would I coax you when that’s never going to happen?" Sang Luo chuckled, pinching his burning-hot earlobe. The earring, made of the finest Red Jade, felt cool to the bone. "You were wearing these earrings when I first t you. You haven’t changed them in so many years. Let give you a new pair."
"Only if you make them yourself."
"Of course~" she nodded.
Si Ye’s lips curved into a smile, as brilliant as the midday sun, his eyes shimring like dazzling stars.
Sang Luo was montarily srized. She leaned in and pecked the corner of his lips again. "So you really don’t want a second child?"
"I do!"
Si Ye swept an arm under the crook of her knees, lifted her into his arms, and strode into the room.
When a plump piece of at delivers itself to your door, a starving beast shows no rcy!
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