Seven Cubs, Seven Fathers, Zero Days Off

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Her Children, Not One Less.

Shen Yue had held her breath and dived to the bottom of the deep pond. She searched all around, but found nothing.

A wave of disappointment washed over her. She was running out of air, so she had no choice but to head back to the surface.

But halfway up, her leg suddenly cramped. Water instantly flooded her mouth and nose.

Horror seized her as the suffocating sensation spread from her sinuses to her brain.

She watched herself sink deeper and deeper, the surface receding into the distance. As the oxygen in her lungs dwindled, her heart sank along with her body.

But the sound of her children crying from the bank reached her ears with perfect clarity.

She stared straight up at the surface, where the light filtered through.

’No.’

’I can’t give up.’

’I can’t die here.’

’The children are still waiting for me. I still have to find Qibao.’

’Not a single one can be missing.’

An overwhelming will to live surged through her, as if unlocking her body’s hidden potential.

Suddenly, feeling returned to her legs, and she kicked with all her might, swimming for the surface.

But just then, the water around her swirled, and before she could react,

a pair of small, cool hands grabbed her sleeve tightly.

She froze. Turning her head, she met a pair of timid, ice-blue eyes.

She had a small, porcelain-pink face with delicate, exquisite features. She was so cute and refined she seemed sculpted, unreal in her beauty.

For a moment, Shen Yue thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Especially her long, blue, seaweed-like hair, which glowed faintly underwater. Her butterfly-shaped, ice-blue ear fins held a pinkish luster, emitting a pearlescent light that seemed to illuminate the murky depths.

Looking down, Shen Yue gasped.

A vibrant, multicolored fishtail—short and adorable—swished back and forth. It wasn’t very strong, so its movements only created small, dazzling ripples in the water.

’This must be the most beautiful Elf nature has ever created.’

It took Shen Yue two seconds to process this. Her eyes instantly reddened as she looked at the Little Mermaid gripping her sleeve.

The instinctive bond between mother and daughter struck her heart with overwhelming force.

’This... this is my Little Qi.’

’I can’t believe it. My Little Qi has actually hatched!’

’And she’s such an adorable, beautiful Little Mermaid.’

’And a daughter, at that!’

’I was in the right place. I found her.’

’Thank goodness I didn’t give up.’

’I haven’t lost her.’

Overjoyed, she wrapped her arms around the small body and swam for the surface.

The little one clung to her like a child who had found her mother, her eyes welling with an icy-blue light.

Her nose was red, and she looked like she was about to cry, her tail fin frozen in place.

Just as they were about to break the surface, the little one’s tail fin slapped the water. The splash propelled Shen Yue the rest of the way up.

The moment Shen Yue surfaced, she barely had time to gasp for air before pulling the Little Mermaid into a tight embrace.

The feeling of recovering something she had lost... she had experienced it twice in a single day.

Her heart kept clenching.

"Little Qi, female mother’s Little Qi, female mother finally found you!!"

Shen Yue burst into tears.

The Little Mermaid pressed close in her embrace, tears welling in her beautiful eyes.

’Such a soft, sweet little girl. So tiny, so delicate... I’m afraid she’ll melt if I hold her in my palm...’

The Little Mermaid’s voice was soft and quiet:

"female mother, Little Qi found female mother. Little Qi was scared all alone underwater."

Hearing this, Shen Yue’s heart ached as if a piece of it had been carved out.

’This adorable, pink, lovely daughter in my arms... and I let her get frightened on the very first day she hatched.’

’I feel so guilty. I failed to protect her. She’s also the only child whose hatching I didn’t get to witness firsthand.’

’When the other babies hatched, the first thing they saw was me.’

’But Little Qi... how terrified she must have been.’

’Hatching all alone, hiding at the bottom of the water in that dark place, unable to see her female mother... she must have felt so heartbroken.’

She hugged her tightly:

"female mother is here, Little Qi, don’t be afraid. From now on, female mother will never let Little Qi be alone again."

"female mother and Little Qi will never be separated again."

"female mother’s holding you. When I’m holding you, you won’t be scared, okay?~"

Shen Yue’s voice was soft enough to melt, and tears streamed endlessly from the corners of her eyes.

On the bank, the other little cubs watched as Shen Yue surfaced with the Little Mermaid in her arms.

They were crying and excited all at once.

They called out to her one after another.

"female mother, come back quickly!"

"female mother, come over here, I want female mother!"

"I want female mother to come back, come back!"

Their female mother was safe. They didn’t want to be babies without a female mother!

Shen Yue heard them and glanced over. The little cubs were so excited they were crying and waving their arms and legs.

A pang went through her heart. ’Perhaps this is what it means to be a mother.’

’When they can’t see me, they become sad, heartbroken, and cry. It’s as if I am their whole world. Without me, their world is filled with helplessness, fear, and terror.’

She stroked the Little Mermaid’s hair and gave her an affectionate kiss:

"Little Qi, look, your brothers are all over there waiting for you. How about female mother takes you back?"

The moment Little Qi left the water, her seaweed-like blue hair dried instantly.

Her fishtail transformed into a pair of short, chubby, pink baby legs. Her ice-blue eyes were big and watery, making her look impossibly cute and delicate.

She timidly glanced over there, then fearfully buried her face in Shen Yue’s embrace.

When Shen Yue carried her to the riverbank, the little cubs all rushed over and clung to her legs.

"female mother, Er Bao missed female mother! Er Bao doesn’t want female mother to leave!"

Er Bao was crying the hardest, his eyes swollen and red.

Clearly, the little fellow had been terrified.

The other cubs also had noses red from crying, and they whined with stuffy voices:

"female mother, Wubao doesn’t want female mother to leave Wubao!"

"female mother, you were in the water and weren’t coming out. Dabao was scared! Dabao doesn’t want to lose female mother."

"Si Bao doesn’t want to not see female mother either! Si Bao was scared female mother had disappeared!"

Even Sanbao, standing off to the side, had tears welling in his dark red, beast-like eyes.

This brief feeling of losing their female mother was something they never wanted to experience again!

Shen Yue quickly crouched down to comfort the frightened little ones:

"My babies, don’t be afraid, don’t cry. female mother is back, female mother is right here, see? female mother is a grown-up and will be okay. female mother won’t leave you. Stop crying now, okay?"

The little ones sniffled, nodding while wiping away their tears, but they were still hitching with sobs.

"Look, everyone! female mother found Qibao. She’s your little sister, you know! And she’s a Little Mermaid! Isn’t she beautiful!?"

The little cubs had already seen the Little Mermaid in her arms the moment Shen Yue surfaced.

Now that Shen Yue had pointed it out, their attention was diverted. They all stopped crying and looked at Little Qi with renewed curiosity:

"(⊙o⊙) Wow! Little Qi is so pretty!"

"female mother is so amazing, you found Little Qi!"

"Little Qi isn’t lost anymore, that’s great! We have a little sister!"

"Er Bao has a little sister now! Er Bao’s little sister is so pretty!"

With her big, sparkling eyes, Little Qi shyly hid her face in Shen Yue’s embrace.

Seeing this, Shen Yue felt her heart melt.

’I have a daughter! A soft, sweet daughter who even knows how to be shy.’

She couldn’t resist kissing her cheek again:

"Qibao, are you happy? From now on, you’ll have six older brothers and female mother to protect you and dote on you."

"We’ll never let Qibao be alone again. No more being scared by yourself, no more feeling sad and lonely. Let’s not be sad anymore, okay?"

Shen Yue coaxed her gently, patting her back, trying to cheer her up and encourage her not to hide in her arms.

The little cubs all nodded eagerly:

"Yeah, Qibao, don’t be scared! Si Bao will protect you from now on!"

"And Wubao! Wubao will love Qibao just like female mother does!"

"Qibao, don’t be scared. We’ll all protect Qibao!"

"We’ll never let anything bad happen to Qibao again! Be a good girl, Qibao!"

Just then, Dabao, his eyes red-rimmed and ears drooping, walked over. He looked at Qibao in Shen Yue’s arms and said:

"Qibao, I’m sorry. It was Big Brother who didn’t protect Qibao, who lost Qibao, and let Qibao hide all alone underwater. Dabao... Dabao didn’t mean to..."

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