Mo Qingli’s gaze slowly turned firm. There was only one way to know the truth. Meet him. Meet the father of this child. That was the most important thing.
But the moment that thought appeared, his expression stiffened slightly. A trace of hesitation appeared in his eyes.
Because deep down... he knew. He had been avoiding this. Avoiding it like a plague.
Why? Because he was afraid.
Afraid that the man he would meet... would be connected to that man in his memory, or worse... would be the enemy of that man.
His fingers tightened slightly around Xiao San.
So many years had passed. But some fears... never truly disappeared.
Mo Qingli slowly closed his eyes for a moment. Then opened them again, and they were once again calm and deep.
He looked at the child once more. Xiao San was still staring at him, blinking innocently. Completely unaware of the storm in his thoughts.
Mo Qingli suddenly smiled faintly and gently patted his head.
"No matter what..." he murmured softly, "I will find out."
Because some things... could not be avoided forever. And some people... were destined to meet again.
Suddenly, a small figure wobbled forward on unsteady legs. Xiao Yi moved toward Su Mingxuan and hugged his legs tightly, his tiny arms wrapping around him with surprising strength for his size.
"Milk... milk..." he mumbled in a soft, pitiful voice, his eyes large and pleading.
Su Mingxuan paused mid step. He glanced down at the cub clinging to him and let out a quiet sigh of understanding.
Ah! Hungry again. Their little stomachs never seemed to stay full for long.
Wang Mulan blinked in surprise, her smile fading slightly. "Oh! They need milk!" she exclaimed, but then her expression froze.
She suddenly realized she didn’t have any prepared. Finding a lactating beast right now would take far too much time, and she hated the thought of making the little ones wait.
She looked at the cubs helplessly, then shifted her gaze to Su Mingxuan, hoping he might have a solution.
Su Mingxuan bent down slightly, his voice turning soft and reassuring as he spoke to the cub. "Do you want to go back and drink milk?"
Xiao Yi immediately nodded his head with enthusiasm. Xiao Er also nodded seriously, his chubby cheeks jiggling a little with the motion. Even Xiao San gave a small agreeing sound, though his expression remained a bit more reserved than his brothers.
Su Mingxuan smiled gently at their responses. "Alright, let’s go. Your mother will be worried too." With that, he carefully scooped all three cubs into his strong arms, holding them securely against his chest.
Wang Mulan’s heart dropped a little at the sight. She watched them with clear reluctance shining in her eyes.
They had just arrived and brought so much joy, and now they were leaving already. The room would feel empty without their playful energy.
The cubs noticed her saddened expression right away. They paused in Su Mingxuan’s arms, exchanging quick glances.
Then, without warning, they wobbled out of his hold again. Step by step, they toddled back toward her on shaky legs, even crawling a short distance when their balance failed.


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