Seven Cubs, Seven Fathers, Zero Days Off

Chapter 166: Chapter 164: Do You Think I Couldn’t Tell?

He looked at Shen Yue, choking back a sob. He knew that if he didn’t explain himself now, he might never get another chance to be near her and Liu Bao again.

His eyes were red as he said:

"Shen Yue, I know I’ve hurt you and the children. You can hate me, curse me, be angry with me—it’s fine. I’ll take it. I deserve it."

"But please, can you give me a chance to explain? Just for a moment, please? I promise I won’t take up your time..."

His voice was raspy, on the verge of tears.

He pleaded:

"Just one chance to explain. Please? Shen Yue."

His eyes held a desperate longing, a plea he felt unworthy to make.

His heart pounded in his chest as he stared at her intently.

He was terrified she would reject him in the next breath, her voice cold as ice.

Shen Yue met his nearly pleading gaze, and her own expression flickered.

’She didn’t understand. Since Bai Chaosi was so protective of that woman last night and had already made his choice, he should have just left with her!’

’But instead, he came back, took a beating, and is now putting on this whole act. What is he trying to prove?’

’In any case, whatever he’s trying to say now is meaningless to me.’

’I already gave him his chance.’

Meanwhile, Si Muye froze for a moment when he heard Bai Chaosi say the name "Shen Yue."

’A Yue has a surname?’

’Her name is Shen Yue?’

’But why does that name sound so familiar?’

Seeing Bai Chaosi continue to pester her, Mu Silin, Huang Ziyue, and the others watching from the shadows could no longer stand by and revealed themselves.

Ye Lüqi stepped in front of Shen Yue.

"You fox, what is there to explain?"

Mu Silin added,

"Planning to say you had your reasons? That there’s some tragic backstory? I’m telling you, it’s too late for any of that!"

Bai Chaosi looked at them, no longer willing to just passively endure their anger. He spoke up,

"This is a matter between this Young Master and Shen Yue. It’s not your place to make decisions for her."

He was covered in wounds and his fur was matted with blood, a truly wretched sight.

But he still carried himself with his inherent pride and nobility:

"Regardless of my current relationship with her, you are not qualified to lecture this Young Master in her stead."

Ye Lüqi’s expression darkened.

"Oh, really? If we’re not qualified, then you have even less right to be standing here talking!"

"Can’t you see that Liu Bao and Shen Yue don’t want to see you?"

Though his words felt like a knife twisting in his heart, Bai Chaosi listened.

But he straightened his back and narrowed his eyes at Ye Lüqi.

"Whether I have the right or not is for Shen Yue to decide, not a mere spectator like you."

Ye Lüqi was left speechless.

To be fair, their status was comparable to Bai Chaosi’s, which gave them even less right to get involved in how Shen Yue dealt with her other Beast Husbands.

After all, none of them were even Shen Yue’s primary Beast Husband.

This was a private matter between Bai Chaosi and Shen Yue. They had beaten the fox in a fit of anger last night to vent on Shen Yue’s behalf, but that was only because he had willingly taken the beating, hoping to earn her forgiveness.

Normally, he would never have just stood there and let them beat him.

Bai Chaosi turned his gaze to Shen Yue and Liu Bao, his voice softening.

"Shen Yue, I know you and Liu Bao don’t want to see me right now. But please, give me a little time to explain."

"There’s something I really need to tell you."

At that, no one else spoke. All eyes were on Shen Yue, waiting for her answer.

Even Liu Bao, nestled in her arms, tilted his little head up and gazed at her with a pitiful expression.

Shen Yue heard him out, her gaze sweeping over his injuries and his right leg, which hung limply at his side.

Her expression remained impassive, but she raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. Let’s hear what you have to say."

Huang Ziyue and the others looked at her in surprise, their expressions flickering.

...

The two of them walked to the edge of a deserted clearing, some distance from the tents.

A strong wind was blowing, gently lifting strands of Shen Yue’s hair.

She watched Bai Chaosi struggle to walk with his heavy limp, and an unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes.

He stood before her with difficulty, ignoring the pain in his body and forelimbs. He swallowed hard, trying to gather his thoughts before speaking...

But Shen Yue beat him to it, cutting straight to the chase.

"Why don’t you let me guess what you’re going to say first."

The words caught in Bai Chaosi’s throat. He froze, stunned.

’Guess what I’m going to say?’

He didn’t understand what she meant.

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over him.

He felt as if Shen Yue’s gaze could see right through him, as if she already knew everything.

A small smile played on Shen Yue’s lips as she watched him.

"Let me guess. You’re going to tell me that the reason you were so protective of Jie Ying wasn’t because you like her, nor was it because you can’t tell right from wrong."

"It was because of some unavoidable reason, some difficult circumstance you couldn’t talk about, right?"

Bai Chaosi froze, staring at her in astonishment.

Shen Yue continued,

"And this difficult circumstance... let’s see. Was it that if she were injured, it would affect your status in the Fox Clan? Or perhaps something even more important?"

"Or was it that Jie Ying’s family once did you a great favor, and you were bound by a promise or some other obligation to protect her?"

As she spoke, she watched his reaction, her eyes narrowed.

These were the two explanations Shen Yue had first come up with for Bai Chaosi’s behavior.

They were also the kind of clichéd plot points she’d seen a million times in movies and novels—repaying a debt of gratitude.

But only a fool would use such reasons as an excuse, a shield, for hurting their own family.

And Bai Chaosi was no fool.

If he had truly let her and their children be publicly humiliated in front of another woman for such trivial reasons, then he would be even less worthy of forgiveness.

So, her tone shifted as she added one more possibility:

"Or... is it because there’s some kind of link between you and Jie Ying? One that forces you to protect her? For instance, if she gets hurt... you can’t survive either?"

Those words rooted Bai Chaosi to the spot.

When he heard her first two theories, he had been shocked that she’d even considered he might have a compelling reason for his actions.

It was just that both of her guesses were wrong.

He had been about to open his mouth to explain.

But he never expected her final sentence.

His eyes went wide as he stared at her in utter disbelief.

"You... How could you possibly know?"

Horror seized him.

This plunged his already desperate situation, one he thought he could still salvage, into a complete dead end.

Shen Yue arched an eyebrow.

"Did you really think I wouldn’t be able to tell?"

From the day Jie Ying had been injured by the Lizardman and fallen unconscious, Bai Chaosi, despite his best efforts to hide it, couldn’t fool her. After all, who was she? She was the sole, personally-trained disciple of the Ancient Medical Saint.

His unusual agitation that morning, the subtle changes in his aura and physical state—none of it escaped her notice.

The moment she had opened the door and seen him standing there, she had sensed that something was wrong with him physically.

That was why she had tolerated him standing outside the door, even after he’d woken the children she had just struggled to get to sleep. It was why she hadn’t gotten angry.

She had even put the children down and agreed to help him save Jie Ying.

Even when she was detoxifying Jie Ying, Bai Chaosi had been in too much discomfort himself to go back inside and comfort Liu Bao.

Only the other men were comforting the other young cubs, leaving Liu Bao to huddle alone in the corner of the bed.

How could she not notice such an obvious change? Normally, he was the one most attentive to Liu Bao.

She refused to believe that Bai Chaosi had deliberately ignored Liu Bao simply because he was worried about Jie Ying.

After all, if he truly had such deep feelings for that woman, he would have simply chosen Jie Ying and left with her that night by the river when she first appeared.

But he hadn’t.

That’s why, from the very beginning, she never believed he was in love with Jie Ying. She only suspected that there had to be some kind of physical link between them.

After all, this world was a magical place. Anything was possible.

So, that morning, after saving Jie Ying, she hadn’t been angry with him.

She was simply waiting. Waiting for him to come clean and confess to her on his own.

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