Chapter 166
In the blood mist, Li Sinian flew through the air while the Crimson Flame Tiger, carrying the still-unconscious Rong Heng on its back, followed below.
Watching the man flying ahead, Ran Lie couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
He could sense that the power this man was using was very similar to Rong Heng’s—the energy waves were nearly identical. So… could Rong Heng also fly like this in the future?
As Ran Lie let his thoughts wander, Li Sinian abruptly stopped in mid-air.
He descended to the ground and looked down at a small pile of clothing belonging to the little girl. His face darkened.
Ran Lie approached, watching as Li Sinian picked up the clothing and stood, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. But there were no further clues to be found.
They had lost Lai Qiqi’s trail. Worse still, the scene suggested something might have happened to her.
As Li Sinian anxiously tried to figure out his next step, Ran Lie crouched down, sniffed the ground, and then said, “It’s Su Su.”
“What?” Li Sinian asked, confused.
“It’s Su Su’s scent,” Ran Lie replied with a relieved sigh. “Let’s head back. With Su Su around, that child will be fine.”
Li Sinian wanted to say something, but the Crimson Flame Tiger had already turned and started heading back. He had no choice but to follow.
“Su Su… you mean Caretaker Su?” Li Sinian asked.
“Yeah.”
Ran Lie walked ahead, his movements graceful despite his tiger cub form. Though still young, he carried a certain air of authority, and he seemed much calmer in his interactions with others than before.
“And you?” Ran Lie asked. “I’ve never seen you before.”
Li Sinian introduced himself briefly. Finally, his gaze shifted to the small boy on the tiger’s back, a deep fatherly love shining in his eyes.
However, since he had yet to reunite with his son, he refrained from sharing this with Rong Heng’s friend.
After Li Sinian finished speaking, Ran Lie suddenly asked, “Are you Xue Wei’s adoptive father?”
Li Sinian froze. He hadn’t mentioned this, but the young tiger had guessed correctly.
“Yes,” Li Sinian nodded. Just as he was about to ask about Xue Wei, the tiger turned to him with a frown and said, “If you decided not to keep her before, why come back for her now?
“Is she something you can just take when you want and throw away when you don’t?”
Ran Lie’s tone wasn’t harsh; it was as if he was simply voicing a question. Yet every word felt like a dagger stabbing into Li Sinian’s heart.
He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words to defend himself.
During the time they had Xue Wei, his busy work schedule meant he spent little time at home, leaving most of the care and bonding to Yan Ya. When tragedy struck and he rushed home, all he faced was his critically injured wife, hanging on the brink of death. How could he have remained calm when faced with Xue Wei?
In the end, he had sent her back to the orphanage…
Li Sinian could only say, “I never wanted her sent to the prison planet—or to the nursery. This place is too dangerous. I couldn’t bear to leave her here.”
Ran Lie stared at him for a moment, then snorted and turned away, continuing to walk ahead. His swishing tiger tail clearly carried a sense of dissatisfaction.
Li Sinian, undeterred by the young tiger’s attitude, quietly followed. With Yan Ya having recovered, his resentment toward Xue Wei had long faded. All that was left was guilt and a desire to make amends.
As they walked in silence, Ran Lie suddenly asked, “What’s your relationship with Rong Heng?”
Li Sinian was about to answer when the boyish voice interrupted impatiently, “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
Hearing this, Li Sinian glanced at Rong Heng on the tiger’s back and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you and Yangyang good friends?”
“Who’s his good friend?” Ran Lie scoffed, turning his head away.
He was about to tell Li Sinian to stop calling Rong Heng “Yangyang” because it sounded overly sentimental. But then he remembered his own nickname, “Lie Lie,” and fell silent, feeling a small bit of schadenfreude instead.
The Crimson Flame Tiger flicked its tail, its mood slightly improved.
Li Sinian noticed the shift in Ran Lie’s emotions but couldn’t understand the reason. Still, he refrained from saying more, wary of hearing another sharp remark from the young tiger.
Meanwhile, with 4586 leading the way, Yan Ya carried the unconscious Wen Yan into the nursery.
Wen Yan had struggled so fiercely that Yan Ya had no choice but to knock her out. After awakening the Red-Tailed Lion bloodline, Yan Ya’s strength had grown significantly, far beyond what Wen Yan, an ordinary human, could handle.
As soon as they crossed the threshold into the nursery, Yan Ya immediately noticed the difference.
Inside, the blood mist was gone. The air was clear, fresh, and carried a faint scent of grass, instantly clearing her foggy mind.
The blood mist had affected her too, but after Qiqi’s incident, 4586 had used the garlic spray in time, minimizing the impact on her. Now, inside the nursery, the effect had completely dissipated.
Yan Ya gently set Wen Yan down by the wall, worry clouding her face as she glanced toward the entrance. Over the past week, she had grown deeply fond of the adorable Lai Qiqi.
If something happened to Qiqi, how would Wen Yan cope? Yan Ya knew all too well the pain of losing a child.
As she stood there, lost in anxious thought, she heard the sound of quick, light footsteps approaching. Turning around, she saw a young boy with wolf ears and a wolf tail running out of the nursery building.
As he came closer, she noticed he had a smaller boy on his back.
The wolf-eared boy stopped a few steps away, his young, slightly immature voice calling out, “4586, who are they? Did something happen just now?”
Lang Ze glanced at Yan Ya and Wen Yan, his eyes wary of the two unfamiliar adults.
“Wen Wen is a new Caretaker,” 4586 replied. As for Yan Ya…
Before it could say more, another voice, full of surprise, called out from the entrance of the nursery building.
“Madam!”
A little girl with rabbit ears had appeared on the steps. Before anyone noticed, she was running down the stairs, lifting the hem of her dress, and dashing toward them.
“Wei Wei—”
Yan Ya’s eyes brimmed with tears as she saw the lively and cheerful girl. She quickly stood up, spreading her arms wide to embrace her. When the girl reached her, she hugged her tightly.
“Wei Wei, thank goodness!”
Yan Ya buried her face in Xue Wei’s neck and shoulders, inhaling the familiar sweet scent of the little girl. Her voice quivered with suppressed sobs.
“Mommy missed you so much. I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through.”
Xue Wei shook her head vigorously, the memory of Yan Ya lying in a pool of blood flashing through her mind. Crying, she said, “No, I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I hurt you…”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Yan Ya gently stroked the back of Xue Wei’s head, her voice soft and kind. “I know you didn’t mean to. You couldn’t control yourself.”
“But…”
“It’s okay now.” Yan Ya cupped Xue Wei’s face and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Even if you did something wrong, Mommy forgives you. Please don’t blame yourself anymore, okay?”
Xue Wei couldn’t stop her lips from trembling, and tears streamed down her cheeks like pearls from a broken string.
Although she had learned during video calls that Madam didn’t blame her, meeting her in person was a completely different experience.
She could feel the warmth of Madam’s hug, smell her familiar, elegant fragrance, and sense the tenderness of her fingers wiping away her tears.
The overwhelming weight that had pressed on Xue Wei’s heart suddenly lifted and crumbled into dust, disappearing completely.
“Mommy…”
Xue Wei looked up at Yan Ya and softly called out, her voice childlike and nasal from crying.
Hearing her call her “Mommy,” Yan Ya froze for a moment, then smiled warmly with deep relief. She ruffled Xue Wei’s hair affectionately, then glanced at her snow-white rabbit ears. Unable to hold back a laugh, she said, “Wei Wei, your ears are so adorable.”
Blushing shyly at the compliment, Xue Wei’s cheeks turned a rosy pink.
But then she suddenly remembered something, quickly turning her head to look behind her.
Lu Jiao was standing there, holding Little Li Hua’s hand, with Lu Li beside them. At some point, they had quietly approached, now watching curiously from behind.
In Little Li Hua’s eyes, however, there was more than just curiosity—there was clear hostility. Her slightly pouting lips showed she wasn’t too pleased.
Xue Wei’s heart skipped a beat. She hastily wiped her tears and stepped out of Yan Ya’s embrace. Waving to Little Li Hua, she tried to ease the tension.
“Sister Wei Wei…”
Little Li Hua rushed over, wrapping her arms around Xue Wei and patting her back reassuringly. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Little Li Hua is here.”
Xue Wei quickly shook her head, then held Little Li Hua by the shoulders, pulling her into a hug while gently turning her to face Yan Ya.
“Little Li Hua, this is—”
Before Xue Wei could finish, Little Li Hua muttered, “So, she’s the madam? The one trying to take you away?”
Although Xue Wei had agreed to Su Ci’s condition to stay and help with the farming—making it temporarily impossible for her to leave—it didn’t stop Little Li Hua from harboring resentment toward the couple who wanted to take her away.
However, this madam…
She was unexpectedly beautiful.
Initially, Little Li Hua had been glaring at Yan Ya with a fierce expression, but the longer she looked, the less angry she felt.
Aside from Su Su, this “madam” was probably the most beautiful adult she had ever seen. Oh, no, wait—Brother A-Yan was also very good-looking.
As these thoughts ran through Little Li Hua’s mind, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her into a soft, warm, and fragrant embrace.
She was momentarily stunned, then heard the woman’s voice, filled with a mix of joy and sorrow, crying out beside her ear.
“Tiantian, it’s you, isn’t it? I know it’s you! You’re my Tiantian, right?” The woman was crying and laughing, almost as if she had gone mad.
Little Li Hua wasn’t scared. Instead, she listened to the woman’s voice, felt the emotions it carried, and found her own heart tightening with a bittersweet ache that made her want to cry.
But… who was Tiantian?
She was Little Li Hua, she was Fu Qiu—not some Tiantian.
Little Li Hua wanted to tell the woman this, but hearing her sobbing, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
The woman must miss her “Tiantian” deeply, right?
Just like when her brother left, Little Li Hua missed him every day. She understood that feeling well, and she couldn’t bear to push away the crying woman hugging her.
Instead, she raised her small hand and gently patted the woman’s back to comfort her.
However, the embrace didn’t last long, as it was interrupted—
“Qiqi!”
Amid Yan Ya’s crying, Wen Yan, who had been unconscious, regained consciousness.
Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, her eyes darted across the faces of the children present. But when she didn’t see her daughter, she immediately panicked.
“Where’s Qiqi? Where’s my Qiqi? Is she still in the blood mist?”
Wen Yan scrambled to her feet, preparing to run outside.
This ordinarily timid and fragile woman now radiated an incredible strength and courage. Despite knowing the dangers of the blood mist, she was unafraid—her only thought was to find her daughter.
“Wen Yan, calm down!”
Hearing the commotion, Yan Ya hurriedly let go of Little Li Hua and ran over to stop her. “Sinian has already gone to find her. I’m sure he’ll bring Qiqi back safely!”
She continued, “The blood mist is so dangerous. If Qiqi is brought back safely, but something happens to you, what then?”
Wen Yan finally paused, though her face remained full of worry. She began to regret bringing her daughter to the prison star.
If she hadn’t brought Qiqi here, she wouldn’t have gone berserk and run into the blood mist. She wouldn’t have been in danger. It was all her fault—it was her mistake that had put Qiqi in harm’s way…
“Hmm!”
Just as Wen Yan was spiraling into a vortex of self-blame, a soft and adorable voice snapped her out of it.
She looked up almost instantly in the direction of the sound.
Two tall, slender figures had appeared not far away at some point. One of them, a stunningly handsome young man, was holding a black-and-white fluffy bundle in his arms.
“Hmm!” The fluffy bundle called out again, waving its little paws toward her.
“Qiqi!”
Wen Yan immediately stood up and rushed over, pulling her long-lost daughter into her arms. She rubbed her cheek lovingly against Qiqi’s soft fur. “Qiqi, you’re back… I was so scared just now…”
The little panda cub stayed quietly in her mother’s arms, letting out soft whimpers as if complaining about the “terrible treatment” it had just endured.
Wen Yan couldn’t understand what the cub was saying, but it didn’t matter—her heart was filled with joy and relief.
Previously, when Qiqi fully animalized, she would become extremely irritable and much stronger. Moments like this—calmly snuggling in her mother’s arms and acting spoiled—were exceedingly rare.
If Qiqi could stay this obedient all the time, would it even matter if she was in her animal form? Who wouldn’t adore an adorable little panda cub?
Noticing this dramatic change in her daughter, Wen Yan looked at the young man who had just returned Qiqi to her. Tears still streaked her face, but she was already smiling.
“You must be Caretaker Su?” she asked, glancing at Ayan, who stood beside Su Ci. “Thank you so much for finding Qiqi. I truly don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
“Eep eep!”
Hearing her mother thank the “big bad guy” who had pinned her to the ground and ruffled her fur, the panda cub let out a displeased squeak.
Su Ci smiled faintly and gently placed his hand on the little cub’s head.
The previously noisy panda cub immediately quieted down, surprising Wen Yan.
Her eyes lit up as she looked at Su Ci. Feeling that there was no better opportunity than now, she spoke directly: “Caretaker Su, do you have a way to resolve a cub’s bloodline berserk issues? Can you help us? I’m willing to do anything!”
Su Ci observed her earnest expression and, sensing the familiar bloodline energy within Qiqi, finally asked, “Your husband was Laize, the former captain of the Base 24 task force, correct?”
Wen Yan froze for a moment, then nodded firmly.
She assumed Caretaker Su must have known Laize and would help them out of respect for him. A spark of hope ignited in her heart.
“Yes, he was my husband and Qiqi’s father. He…”
Thinking about her husband’s death, Wen Yan’s voice choked up, but she managed to continue, “Can you help us? Please, I’m begging you.”
However, she saw Caretaker Su shake his head. As her eyes dimmed, he said, “I do know how to resolve a cub’s bloodline berserk issues, but the one who can help your daughter is not me.”
Wen Yan was stunned. “Then who is it?”
Without offering further explanation, Su Ci simply said, “Come with me. I’ll take you to meet him.”
With that, Su Ci turned and walked toward the nursery building. Wen Yan didn’t dare hesitate and quickly followed. The other cubs exchanged glances before scampering after them.
