Rong Ye did not know whether to laugh or cry.
The drama outside was already intense enough, and now these two little drama queens were adding background music.
Before the cubs could run out and interrupt the couple, Rong Ye quickly scooped them both up under his arms, dragging them back into the safety of the inner room.
"Alright, that’s enough looking! You shouldn’t see what adults do when they are... ’fighting’" Rong Ye said, hurriedly shutting the door behind them.
He sat the two crying cubs on the soft bed and tried to placate them.
"Who said your mother is going to beat him? Have you ever seen your mother beat anyone? She is the gentlest female in the entire beast world."
Xiao Yi sniffed miserably, his big golden eyes staring up at him.
"But... but Uncle You was also bleeding when Aunt San beat him. Father is bleeding too! Mama bit him!"
"Your mother is different," Rong Ye sighed, rubbing his temples.
"And you two really need to stop watching the neighbours. It’s bad for your mental development."
Xiao Er wiped his nose against the fur blankets, whispering weakly, "So... Mama is really not going to beat Father?"
Rong Ye’s lips curved into a wicked, teasing smirk.
He wiggled his fox ears and leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Well... not with her fists, no. But your mother has her own special ways of ’punishing’ your father inside the bedroom. It involves a lot of shouting, but trust me, your father will enjoy every single second of it."
The two little tiger cubs blinked their round eyes in complete confusion.
They did not understand the hidden meaning behind Rong Ye’s words at all, but seeing his weird, creepy smile, they thought it meant something even worse.
Did "different ways of punishment" mean something more painful than a broom? Like being fed raw meat forever? Or being locked in the dark room?
The cubs’ imagination ran wild, and within a second, they burst into an even louder, more desperate round of tears.
"Uwahhhh! Father is going to get a worse punishment! Noooo!"
Thud!
Before Rong Ye could even open his mouth to explain, a massive, heavy fur pillow flew through the air and smacked him squarely in the face.
"Shut up, Rong Ye!" Shi Feng’s deep, irritated voice echoed from the doorway.
The lion beastman strode into the room, glaring at the fox.
"What kind of absolute nonsense are you spitting in front of the children? Do you want Lanlan to bite your lips off next?"
Rong Ye pulled the pillow off his face, muttering defensively, "I was just comforting them! It’s not my fault they have no imagination."
Shi Feng ignored him completely. He walked over to the bed and gently gathered both crying tiger cubs into his massive, warm arms, cradling them against his chest.
His deep, rumbling voice acted like a soothing balm to their frayed nerves.
"Shh, go to sleep," Shi Feng murmured, gently patting their small backs.
"No one is going to beat anyone. Your father, Hu Yan, is completely fine. He is very strong, and your mother loves him very much. They are just... playing a game together outside. There is no punishment."
Under Shi Feng’s warm, steady embrace and gentle words, the two exhausted cubs finally began to calm down. Their frantic sobbing turned into small, hiccuping sniffs.
"Really?" Xiao Yi murmured, his eyelids growing heavy. "They are just playing?"
"Yes," Shi Feng lied smoothly, his face completely serious.


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off