Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

Rong Ye, who had been quietly observing the whole scene like a wronged husband at a marketplace, finally snapped.

Why—just why—was Han Jue out here securing a full wolf army, while he, a proud and handsome fox, had zero cubs to his glorious name?!

"Lan Lan..." he began, his tone dripping with grievance, "you can’t be this biased toward that stinky wolf. He doesn’t even want that many cubs..."

He placed a dramatic hand on his chest, looking utterly heartbroken.

"But I do!"

Before she could respond, Rong Ye suddenly puffed up with pride, raising both hands and wiggling all ten fingers like he was making the deal of a lifetime.

"How about this?" he said shamelessly, eyes sparkling with mischief. "You give me ten cubs."

As if that wasn’t outrageous enough, his two fluffy fox tails swished behind him, and he even let out a playful little howl...completely ignoring how ridiculous he looked.

Then, leaning in slightly, he gave her a cheeky grin.

"Come on, Lan Lan... don’t you think I deserve at least that much?"

The room went completely silent for a full second.

Su Qinglan, who had been crying her heart out just moments ago, slowly stopped... sniffed... and turned to look at Rong Ye.

Her mouth literally fell open.

Just like that, all her grief packed its bags and left...replaced entirely by pure, bone-deep exhaustion at this man’s shamelessness.

"Ten?!" she snapped, her voice caught somewhere between a laugh and a scolding.

She pointed at him like an angry teacher catching a student cheating.

"Rong Ye, if you want ten cubs, then go give birth to them yourself! Do I look like a factory to you?!"

Rong Ye blinked, clearly not expecting to be attacked like this.

The other husbands, however, collectively let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Ah... there she was.

Their feisty, terrifying, sharp-tongued Lan Lan had returned.

The gloomy shadows from earlier still lingered in the corners of the room, but as the argument over the completely ridiculous "cub quota" began, warmth slowly crept back in.

It finally... felt like home again.

Meanwhile...

The three little cubs were bouncing all over the place like hyperactive popcorn, completely hyped by the chaos.

"Beat! Beat! Beat!"

"Mom, spank Father Rong Ye!!"

They growled in their adorable, broken cub language, tiny paws waving in the air as if cheering for a grand battlefield victory.

Rong Ye: betrayed by his own children, whom he fed milk daily.

Absolutely tragic.

Su Qinglan’s eyes finally shifted toward the corner of the room, where An Mo stood in total silence.

He hadn’t said a single word since she woke up. He just watched the chaotic, emotional reunions, the crying, and the sudden bickering over how many cubs each husband wanted.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t jealous. As he watched Hu Yan and Han Ju holding her, a cold, empty feeling settled in his chest.

He was right there in the room, but he felt miles away. He wanted to step forward. He wanted to feel the warmth of her hug too.

His gaze slowly slid toward Rong Ye, who was currently grinning like he had just negotiated the deal of the century.

"Ten cubs," the fox had said.

An Mo’s eye twitched. A small, dangerous spark of competition lit up in his mind.

Ten, huh...? Oh, so we’re making demands now? He straightened slightly.

He, too, had dreams.

He, too, had ambitions.

He could already imagine it...a tiny, genius little angel baby... or maybe a powerful orange fox child carrying his legacy...

Hu Yan’s muscles were tensed, Han Ju was hovering protectively, and Xuan Long’s eyes were fixed on Su Qinglan like a dragon guarding his most precious treasure.

An Mo realized very quickly that if he opened his mouth to ask for a "quota" of cubs right now, these five men would definitely chew him out.

Worse, they might actually pick him up and throw him out of the stone house entirely.

The atmosphere was clearly hostile and dangerous. Absolutely not "safe for cub negotiation."

Su Qinglan took a deep breath, her eyes filled with a weight that no one else in the room could understand.

She stood up from the bed, her legs slightly shaky, and walked straight toward An Mo.

To her, this man was more than just a friend; he was the savior who had found her broken, skeletal self in a dirty alley and prayed for her second chance. He was the reason she got a new life.

Without a word, she stood in front of him and bowed low, her forehead almost touching her knees in a gesture of profound, humble gratitude.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Thank you for everything you did for me when I had nothing."

The reaction she expected was a gentle nod or a knowing smile.

"Ahhhh..."

Instead, An Mo let out a yelp that sounded like a stepped-on pup. He jumped back so fast he nearly tripped over his own robes, scrambling into the far corner of the house.

"Female! What are you doing?!" An Mo shouted, his face turning a ghostly shade of white. "I didn’t do anything! I’m innocent! I swear on my name, I haven’t touched a hair on her head!"

Su Qinglan froze in her bowed position, completely stunned. She had only thanked him, so why was he acting like she had swung a sword at him?

What she didn’t realize was the weight of her gesture in this world.

In the Beast World, females were considered a blessing from the gods. They were the center of the tribe, the heart of the home.

A female never bowed to anyone...not to a Clan Leader, not to a King, and barely even to the Beast God himself. It was a taboo in itself.

For a female to bow to a male was a sign of extreme submission or a debt so heavy it could crush the person receiving it.