Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Aah, wah wah wah, aah..."

"Bai Bai, be a good girl, Mei Mei, be a good girl. Uncle will take you over there to play for a little while, okay... Alright, Bai Bai and Mei Mei, don't cry anymore. Uncle is bringing you to see your sire, but you have to be very quiet and not disturb him, okay... Your sire will wake up soon..."

Through his hazy consciousness, Nevi vaguely heard Barlow's voice, along with the cries of Bai Bai and Mei Mei.

Bai Bai, Mei Mei—what had happened to his cubs?

Deep worry and anxiety kept Nevi from settling. As his awareness gradually returned, his fingers twitched slightly, and then Nevi's eyes snapped open.

The harsh light stung Nevi's just-awakened eyes. He closed them briefly to let them adjust, but then he felt something soft brushing against his arm.

Nevi opened his eyes again and saw his beloved Bai Bai and Mei Mei curled up in the bend of his arm.

The two little ones had red-rimmed eyes, their small bodies hiccuping as they leaned against him, clinging to him. Even Mei Mei, who was usually lively and mischievous, was quiet now.

The two tiny cubs looked pitiful and well-behaved.

Seeing their sire awake, the two little ones, who had eyes only for him, immediately began babbling excitedly.

Seeing that the two cubs seemed unharmed, Nevi's tense nerves finally relaxed a little.

But the next moment, Nevi's nose stung, his heart softened, and his throat went dry as he rasped, "Bai Bai, Mei Mei, your sire is here."

With that, Nevi raised a hand and gently stroked Bai Bai's and Mei Mei's soft hair.

But Nevi's action seemed to be a signal.

Feeling their sire's comfort, Bai Bai and Mei Mei suddenly lunged forward one after the other, hugging Nevi's chest and bursting into loud, aggrieved sobs.

Bai Bai and Mei Mei were still young; their underdeveloped minds couldn't grasp much complexity.

For instance, they couldn't understand why their sire, who had suddenly fallen asleep, lay quietly in bed and wouldn't wake up no matter how they called.

They were helpless and scared. Many unfamiliar uncles surrounded their sire, which made the little ones increasingly uneasy. They only wanted to be close to their sire, but they were constantly stopped.

It wasn't until their intense crying and struggling earned them reluctant permission.

Uncle Barlow told them they couldn't make noise around their sire, so they carefully nestled beside him, clutching his clothes, hoping and waiting for him to wake up.

Seeing the cubs crying so miserably and pitifully, Nevi's eyes welled up. He reached out both arms to tightly embrace the two little ones, his voice choking as he said, "Bai Bai and Mei Mei, don't cry. Your sire is here. Sire has woken up. Don't be afraid."

Comforted by Nevi, Bai Bai and Mei Mei soon stopped crying, though their small bodies still trembled with hiccups, breaking Nevi's heart.

"Nevi, you're finally awake! How are you feeling?" The commotion in the partitioned area quickly alerted the others outside. At the sound of Barlow's delighted, concerned voice, Paz, Joelson, and the medic bug all rushed in.

Nevi shook his head. "Just a bit of chest tightness. Never mind me—Barlow, Paz came by earlier saying you and the cubs were in the medical room. What happened?" Nevi asked slightly anxiously, barely sparing a thought for himself.

He was still worried about Paz's earlier panic, even though he'd seen with his own eyes that the cubs seemed fine. He still couldn't let his guard down.

But before Barlow could speak, the medic bug beside him chimed in, mildly reproachful: "At a time like this, you should take better care of yourself. Don't worry—your two cubs are perfectly healthy, not a thing wrong with them. It's you we're concerned about, Nevi. Did you know you're allergic to spicy lemon? You just went into acute allergic shock. Lucky you were found in time and didn't ingest much, or it could have been serious!"

"Huh?" Nevi was stunned.

Meanwhile, Joelson stood nearby, his eyes red-rimmed with guilt. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Nevi. It's my fault. I didn't know you were allergic to spicy lemon. This is all my fault. Don't worry, I—I'll take responsibility!" Joelson stammered, flustered and panicked, his face full of remorse and self-blame.

"That's enough. With me and the medic bug here, who needs you, you clumsy female? Nevi's awake now, so you should head back!" Barlow shot Joelson a glare and said curtly.

He'd already learned the full story earlier. He appreciated Joelson's act of bravery, but he truly disliked his recklessness.

Spicy lemon was a processed, stimulating fruit, mostly used by sturdy females to sober up temporarily, which is why it was commonly stocked at banquets.

But males had weaker constitutions and delicate stomachs, so they rarely consumed overly stimulating foods—let alone spicy lemon.

This clumsy female had male elders at home; how could he have forgotten that? The medical room was right nearby—he could have just helped Nevi walk over.

Instead, he'd taken it upon himself to feed Nevi spicy lemon, nearly causing a catastrophe.

"Joelson, I'm not feeling unwell anywhere now. I'm fine. You don't need to dwell on this. I'm the one who should be thanking you for your help." Nevi said in a gentle, reassuring tone.

Joelson finally dared to look up at Nevi. Seeing no trace of the blame or resentment he'd expected on Nevi's face, his anxious heart slowly settled—but his guilt only deepened.

He didn't dare linger. While the medic bug continued asking Nevi about his condition, he quietly left behind a star coin savings card with the unlock code and prepared to slip away.

But just as he stepped out, a low, pleasant voice called out to him: "Joelson, thank you so much for today. Sorry things are still a bit chaotic—once I'm fully recovered, I'll properly thank you. Don't forget to grab the gift on the table by the podium. You left in such a hurry after the ceremony earlier."

Joelson turned back to see Nevi, holding the cubs and leaning against the headboard, watching him with a faint smile.

Even with his haggard expression, Nevi was still breathtakingly beautiful—every smile and frown captivating.

Joelson's heart pounded wildly. He stared at Nevi, dazed.

It wasn't until Barlow's dissatisfied shout from behind snapped him out of it that he awkwardly mumbled a response and fled.

But his pounding heart refused to calm down.

"Remember to take this medicine on time when you get home. Only after the spicy lemon has fully metabolized from your system should you..." The medic bug patiently instructed, and only after seeing Nevi nod seriously did he leave the partitioned area.

*

"Nevi, don't push yourself. Why not stay here for a few days? Don't worry about the cubs—Little Black, Little Blue, and I will take care of them." Barlow looked at Nevi with concern and said softly.

Nevi shook his head, doing his best to reassure Barlow. "I'm fine. I'm just a little short of breath right now. The doctor bug said there's no major problem. Don't worry, Barlow—if I really feel unwell, I'll say something."

Seeing Nevi's insistence, Barlow had no choice but to nod reluctantly.

Nevi stroked the two cubs, who were already dozing off, and said seriously, "Barlow, now can you tell me—what happened with you and the cubs?"

At the mention of this, Barlow's expression grew more serious. "Mm, I was just about to tell you."

With that, Barlow recounted what had happened earlier.

The more Nevi listened, the more tense he became. Even with his outwardly calm demeanor, his arms unconsciously tightened around Bai Bai and Mei Mei.

At first, Nevi managed to keep his composure. But when he heard that Mei Mei had eaten candy from that stranger, his pupils contracted sharply, and he blurted out, "That candy—the one Mei Mei ate—was there anything wrong with it..."

"Don't worry, the medic bug tested it. They were just ordinary candies, nothing mixed in." Barlow quickly reassured him.

Seeing Nevi let out a sigh of relief, Barlow continued with a complicated expression: "That bug was really too strange and suspicious—and he'd even stolen a parenting specialist's identity to get in. Orit and I both initially thought he was a cub thief. Even if not, someone who sneaks around and can accurately recognize Bai Bai and Mei Mei must have ill intentions. But then—I found this in Mei Mei's pocket."

Barlow opened his palm, revealing two crystal-clear, dazzling emerald diamonds about half the size of a small egg.

Nevi froze, dazzled by the translucent green diamonds. The beautiful, pure color was strikingly similar to Aesop's eyes. Actually, it was also similar to Bai Bai's eyes, though Bai Bai's pupils were a lighter shade.

Suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, Nevi asked in confusion, "Barlow, what is this?"

Though Nevi didn't know much about jewelry, these green diamonds were clearly valuable.

"Nevi, these are the top-grade green diamonds recently released by YL Company. They only produced ten of them, and each went for about three million star coins back then. Now, each one has been hyped to an astronomical price, and they're practically impossible to buy, no matter the price. The current price has at least multiplied several times over. Yet, these two top-grade green diamonds ended up in Mei Mei's pocket along with the lollipops."

"Are they that expensive?! Is this real?!" Nevi's jaw dropped as he stared at the two green diamonds, unable to fathom such luxurious items appearing in Mei Mei's pocket.

Barlow seemed somewhat incredulous as well. He looked at the green diamonds in his hand and confirmed, "They're real, Nevi. The hidden serial numbers on them match exactly what I found on the official website. I've already sent Orit to check the surveillance footage. These two green diamonds were most likely given by that unfamiliar male. A bug who can casually give away two top-grade green diamonds is unlikely to be a bug trafficker. Thinking back, that unfamiliar male showed an oddly intense closeness and fondness toward the kids. Back then, I figured he was up to no good, but now I wonder if he genuinely dotes on Bai Bai and Mei Mei?"

Against the backdrop of these two priceless green diamonds, the face of the black-haired male in Barlow's memory, which had once seemed ugly and contorted, now seemed to have become a lot more handsome and likable.

Barlow's tone was hesitant as he looked at Nevi, who seemed completely frozen, and asked uncertainly, "Nevi, do you really have no older relatives or friends on the capital star?"

"No, Barlow, you know I'm a bug, and I grew up in an orphanage on Numbered Star."

Nevi, still in a daze and feeling like this couldn't be real, gently touched the foreheads of Bai Bai and Mei Mei, looking at the two sleeping kids as he shook his head in denial. But a sudden thought crossed his mind, and his heart started pounding.

Nevi looked up sharply and met Barlow's gaze.

Barlow seemed to catch on a beat later too. His eyes went wide, and he blurted out in surprise, "Nevi, could it be a family member of your spouse, Aesop?"

Barlow knew that Aesop had silver hair, so he immediately ruled out the possibility that the black-haired male was Aesop.

Before Nevi could reply, Barlow spoke excitedly and eagerly in a low voice, "Yes, I think that's definitely it. Such precious green diamonds—who'd just hand those out to a stranger?! Orit has already gone to check the surveillance footage. When he comes back, Nevi, take a good look and see if his appearance resembles anyone..."

Barlow kept rambling on, and Nevi nodded heavily, but his gaze remained fixed on the two green diamonds, unable to look away.

Nevi's eyes sparkled, his emotions a mix of excitement and nervousness.

Since arriving on the capital star, this was the first time he had encountered any clue about Aesop.

Could that unfamiliar male really be a family member of Aesop?

Author's note: Hit the nail on the head by accident, haha. This little plot point is almost wrapped up. Aesop, who's been missing for a few chapters, still hasn't appeared (feeling guilty), but he's really coming soon.

*

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Next chapter will resolve Makaji's issue. Don't worry, Nai Bao won't be wronged.

Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!