Si Lu was completely exhausted and had fallen asleep from sheer fatigue. When she woke up again, she found two little creatures curled up beside her—one was a pure white fox with three tails, and the other a golden-furred baby tiger. Both of them were fast asleep, looking extra sweet and peaceful.
By her side sat Song Zhan and Bai Di, who had been keeping watch over her the entire time.
The moment they saw Si Lu wake up, both of them snapped to attention. Bai Di even dashed out right away to get some soup.
"Lulu, how are you feeling? Any better? Do you want to eat something?" Song Zhan asked anxiously, clearly worried.
"I'm fine, really. Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about me—though I am a little hungry…"
"These are our kids, right? They're seriously so good-looking. Look at that coat of fur! And this one—Bai Di and I's kid—has three tails! I remember Bai Di has two, and this little guy's got three? He's definitely not ordinary."
"Chengyu has siblings now. He won't be lonely anymore. They'll be able to play together," Si Lu said softly, looking at the baby fox and baby tiger.
Maybe it was because she was human, but the cubs she gave birth to were always so tiny. Chengyu had been the same—born small like a little puffball. Now, this little fox and tiger weren't much bigger than newborn kittens.
Of course, Si Lu wasn't worried. Chengyu had been born tiny too, and now he'd grown so much he was already reaching up to her knee. And that was after just a little over three months.
So yeah, her kids might come out small, but they were always healthy and strong, and they grew up fast. Looking at the little fox and tiger beside her, her gaze turned soft and full of warmth.
She really loved these two little fuzzballs. The fluffiness? Absolutely adorable.
"Mhm, Lulu, see? I told you baby tigers were cute—super fluffy. Their fur might be a bit sparse right now, not super full, but once they grow a bit, they'll get all poofy. They're going to be even more adorable then," Song Zhan said proudly.
In his heart, baby tigers were the absolute cutest things ever. All fierce and fluffy. He used to see other people's tiger cubs and feel so jealous—now he finally had one of his own with the female he loved. He was over the moon.
He was a dad now.
He looked at Si Lu, both moved and excited beyond words.
"Lulu, thank you. Thank you for giving me a tiger cub. I really love him. I'm so happy—I'm a father now!" Song Zhan said, gripping her little hand with overwhelming emotion.
"You're my mate. My beast husband. Giving you a tiger cub is what I should do. What's with all the thank-yous, dummy? Don't be so polite, okay? We're family," Si Lu rolled her eyes at him.
I mean seriously, saying "thanks" like they were strangers? They were mates—one family.
"Okay okay okay, I was wrong, I won't say it again. I'll listen to you from now on—whatever you say goes. No more thank-yous, promise. Please don't be mad, I was just too happy and started spouting nonsense," Song Zhan pleaded.
Seeing her a little annoyed had him all flustered. He really sucked at talking sometimes. He wasn't as smooth as Heiyao or Cheng Mo, but he loved this little female deeply. She was his whole world, and his feelings were 100% genuine.
"There, that's better. I'm not mad anymore. Look, isn't the little fox adorable too? All soft and fluffy. They're so tiny I could scoop one up with both hands. And look how peacefully they're sleeping… too precious," Si Lu murmured, gazing at the babies.
Of course she loved them! How could she not? They were her babies. Chengyu too—every one of them held a piece of her heart.
Just then, Bai Di came back with a big bowl of meat soup.
Not just him—Cheng Mo also walked in, carrying a bowl of seafood porridge.
Heiyao came in last, holding some freshly grilled tender meat. Basically, they all showed up with food.
They had no idea what the little female would want to eat when she woke up, so they prepared everything. If she didn't feel like one thing, she could eat something else.
She had just given birth, after all—it was important to nourish her well.
"Whatever you feel like eating, we've got it all—seafood porridge, grilled meat, meat soup, take your pick," Cheng Mo said.
"You guys seriously went all out," Si Lu said, a little shocked and very moved. They really took such good care of her.
"Well, we weren't sure what you'd want after waking up, so we kinda made a bit of everything," Bai Di said with a smile.
"Yeah, there's plenty. Eat up, get your strength back," Heiyao added.
"Mmhmm! I'll eat it all, hehe~" Si Lu giggled.
Then they all started feeding her—one bite from him, one bite from the other—like she was some kind of empress being pampered.
And honestly? Si Lu felt like a literal Empress Dowager. Everyone was fussing over her, doing everything for her. It was so ridiculously comfy, she never wanted it to end.
That's when little Chengyu came running in—he wanted to see his two baby brothers.
"Come here, little boss! Look at your two baby brothers. This one's a tiger, and this one's a fox!" Si Lu said happily.
Three babies now. What a blessing.
"Mama, mama~ My baby brothers are so cute!" the little boss said, twirling in circles, his soft little voice full of joy.
Si Lu froze.
Wait… did she just hear that right?
Did her kid just say… mama?
He spoke?!
Only three months old and already talking? Was that even possible?
She wasn't the only one shocked—everyone else was too. A three-month-old who could talk in human speech? That was super rare. No one had expected it. And that soft, sweet voice? Absolutely heart-melting.
Especially Cheng Mo—his eyes were wide as saucers, full of delight as he stared at his kid.
"I didn't hear wrong, did I? Little boss, you really just spoke?" Si Lu asked, still in disbelief.
"Yup! Yup! Little Chengyu can talk now! Mama doesn't understand beast speech, so I made myself learn human talk super fast. I wanted Mama to understand me," Chengyu said, blinking his big, round eyes excitedly.