Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"Ee-yah, yah-zu-zu, ee..."

In the living room's play area after lunch, Bai Bai and Mei Mei, with their plump round bellies, sat playing on the carpet.

Unlike the usual noisy, cheerful babbling of the little ones, today the toddlers were unusually quiet.

Because they had all gotten new and pretty 'toys.'

Mei Mei was holding the beautiful green diamond hanging on his chest, chewing on it happily while babbling indistinctly, glistening drool coating the green diamond and his chubby chin.

Nevi, sitting beside the two toddlers, quickly intervened, "Mei Mei, be good, you can't bite that. Your teeth will hurt. Daddy will get you a teether." Nevi gently removed the green diamond from Mei Mei's mouth and wiped the drool off Mei Mei's chin and paws with a handkerchief.

Little Blue, who was always keeping an eye on the toddlers, heard the commotion and brought over a teether specially designed for the teething stage, handing it to Mei Mei, while Nevi picked up another cloth to wipe the drool off the green diamond.

These two green diamonds were originally gifts from Aesop to the toddlers, so Nevi had them made into two beautiful silver necklaces and, the next day, hung them around the two chubby babies' necks.

Although these two green diamonds had originally been in Mei Mei's belly pouch, at that time Mei Mei's mind was completely on the lollipop, and he hadn't noticed the two pretty green diamonds at all.

So it was the first time Bai Bai and Mei Mei properly saw the beautiful green diamonds, and they were both captivated.

While Mei Mei, in his teething stage, was gnawing on the green diamond, Bai Bai, sitting on the other side of Nevi, was holding the large green diamond hanging on his chest, examining it curiously.

The warm sunlight lazily streamed in from the balcony's floor-to-ceiling windows, cozy and comfortable.

Bai Bai held the green diamond up high. The sunlight passed straight through the translucent green stone, casting a dazzling array of colors, making the already beautiful green diamond even more radiant.

Bai Bai couldn't help widening his eyes and opening his mouth, staring at the green diamond in his chubby paws with curiosity and amazement.

He would bring it down to look at the non-glowing diamond, then raise it up high again, having a great time playing with it.

Nevi watched Bai Bai's innocent, adorable little actions with a gentle, doting smile, his heart seeming to be touched, becoming incredibly soft.

In contrast to the lively and mischievous Mei Mei, Bai Bai, as the older brother, always seemed quiet and reserved.

Aside from the golden-haired doll that Bai Bai adored, Nevi rarely saw Bai Bai show particular interest in any other toy or thing.

At this age, toddlers tend to be quite possessive of their things.

Even Mei Mei, who usually seemed easygoing, would babble angrily and grip tightly, refusing to let go, whenever Little Black or Little Blue tried to take his toys away at meal or nap times.

Even when his favorite daddy Nevi came, Mei Mei wouldn't resist as fiercely, but he would still pout and whine to express his displeasure, only calming down after Nevi kissed and hugged him.

In comparison, Bai Bai was just too good, so good that it sometimes made Nevi's heart ache.

No matter what toy it was, as long as Little Black or Little Blue asked, Bai Bai would hand it over without a second thought.

Sometimes Nevi wondered if Bai Bai even liked those toys. But Bai Bai did seem to enjoy playing with them. Maybe he just didn't like them that much. At least, Nevi had never seen Bai Bai show the same obvious interest and possessiveness toward any toy as he did with the golden-haired doll.

But now, the green diamond let Nevi see Bai Bai's obvious preference once again.

He couldn't resist stroking Bai Bai's soft, light hair and said softly, "Does Bai Bai really like this green diamond?"

Hearing his daddy's voice, Bai Bai looked up at him, then at the green diamond, and nodded eagerly, his eyes crinkling into a smile, revealing the few tiny teeth on his lower gum, which looked round and cute.

Then, as if a little embarrassed, Bai Bai snuggled into his daddy's arms, his chubby cheek pressed softly against Nevi's chest.

Unexpectedly, Bai Bai's gaze suddenly met another equally chubby face.

It was Mei Mei, who had crawled over at some point, leaning across Nevi's arm to look at Bai Bai.

Startled, Bai Bai instinctively shrank back into his daddy's arms.

Seeing this, Mei Mei leaned in even closer, his plump, squishy cheek almost touching Bai Bai's face.

Mei Mei looked down at the green diamond propped up by his round belly, then looked up at Bai Bai's eyes.

He let out a surprised coo.

Mei Mei seemed to have just noticed that his brother Bai Bai's eyes looked a lot like the beautiful green diamond.

Mei Mei couldn't help but lean in again to get a closer look, and with that lean, his chubby cheek pressed right against Bai Bai's.

"Muah"

With that lean, Mei Mei accidentally left a drool mark on Bai Bai's cheek.

Bai Bai was completely frozen.

Mei Mei knew that his brother Bai Bai hated his drool, and feeling a bit guilty, he immediately reached out his chubby paw and rubbed Bai Bai's cheek a couple of times, as if trying to wipe the drool mark clean.

But that rub only smeared the glistening drool around more.

Bai Bai reached up and touched his cheek, and upon feeling the wetness on his paw, he finally couldn't hold it in and burst out crying.

Mei Mei was so startled that his whole body trembled, his plump, smooth cheeks jiggling.

"Ee-yah?!"

Mei Mei sat there at a loss, nervously chewing on his chubby paws.

Hearing the commotion, Nevi quickly looked down to comfort Bai Bai, puzzled as to why he had started crying.

But when Nevi saw Bai Bai's paw frantically rubbing at the glistening wetness on his face, and then saw Mei Mei beside him chewing his paws without daring to look up, he immediately understood everything.

Nevi found it a little funny. He comforted Bai Bai while wiping the drool off his cheek with a handkerchief. "Bai Bai, don't cry. Daddy has wiped it clean for you. Your face is all clean now. Feel it if you don't believe me."

With that, Nevi gently guided Bai Bai's chubby paw to touch his bouncy cheek. Bai Bai, hiccupping from crying, gradually stopped sobbing once he felt that there was indeed no strange, sticky sensation on his cheek.

Nevi stroked Mei Mei's soft hair and pulled the chubby little one over, speaking gently, "Mei Mei, be good. Daddy knows you didn't mean it."

Mei Mei let out a dejected babble, the whole little one looking visibly down.

Nevi pulled Mei Mei into a hug and kissed his soft hair. "But from now on, be careful not to get drool on your brother's face, alright? Just like you don't like eating vegetables, your brother doesn't like drool on his face either."

Nevi patiently explained, and sure enough, Mei Mei's round little eyes instantly scrunched together.

Compared to yummy bottle milk and sweet fruit, the weird texture and bland taste of boiled veggies made Mei Mei much more resistant.

Toddlers at this age all seemed to hate veggies.

But to ensure he got the necessary nutrients, Nevi would still entice Mei Mei to eat them with snacks or sweet fruit.

Only, Mei Mei's expression every time looked like he was facing a great hardship.

Mei Mei's expression clearly showed he understood what Nevi meant. Having only vaguely known that Bai Bai didn't like drool, Mei Mei now finally understood, vividly and concretely, just how much Bai Bai hated it.

"Ee-yah!"

Mei Mei perked up again, blinked his lively round eyes, and rubbed up against Bai Bai, grabbing his chubby paw as if apologizing.

Bai Bai's chubby paw twitched, but in the end, he didn't pull it away from Mei Mei.

Seeing this, Mei Mei's mouth curved into a wide, silly grin.

Bai Bai looked at Mei Mei, then at his own squeezed paw, and with still-reddened eyes, he let out a soft chuckle.

Nevi quietly watched this heartwarming scene, his delicate, handsome features softening into a faint smile, his eyes full of deep love for the little ones.

*

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, over half a month had passed.

During this period, President Pegita and Primo, driven by guilt, sent the cubs a bunch of snacks, clothes, and supplies.

Although Nevi had repeatedly stated that the matter was in the past and he truly wouldn't hold it against them, he still couldn't talk the president couple out of it and reluctantly accepted their thoughtful gifts.

Among the young females from the full moon banquet who still had a crush on Nevi, many kept pushing their elders to set up another meeting with him or get his contact info.

But the president couple turned all of them down, which was totally out of character.

Not long after the full moon banquet, Nevi honestly and sincerely told the president couple that he just wanted to focus on raising the cubs and wasn't interested in dating anyone right now.

Since Nevi was clear about his stance, and they figured that Nevi—who'd already had a rough time in love—was saying he was fine but had really been hurt by Makaji, their guilt grew, and they couldn't bring themselves to ignore Nevi's wishes and keep pushing him to see females.

So, even if it meant straining friendships, they politely turned down all their old friends' requests.

This made Nevi feel a lot more relaxed and at ease. While he focused on the cubs, his livestream career also took off.

Nevi could now easily whip up over a dozen kinds of fairly tricky cub food.

He even made some cub meals for giveaways, just like his fans asked.

Fans who didn't win wailed and groaned, while the lucky ones were over the moon, eagerly posting videos under Nevi's tag of their own cubs happily munching on the good-looking meals, which brought Nevi a ton of traffic and popularity.

Everything seemed to be going well, which left Nevi feeling secure and more energetic than ever, with a smile always on his face.

His already stunning looks, boosted by his good mood, became even more captivating.

*

"Ee-ya-hoo, go!"

Right after breakfast, an eager Mei Mei pointed vaguely at the door, signaling to his dad that he wanted to go outside.

The cubs really grew fast; in just over half a month, they'd gotten even bigger. Their soft, thin hair, which used to cling to their scalps, had grown longer and looked fluffier and smoother. Their chubby cheeks seemed to have slimmed a bit, making them look more refined and even more like their dad Nevi. Even though they were still pudgy, the two fair, round cubs looked more adorable by the day.

Bai Bai could crawl pretty well now, but he didn't like doing it much, often reaching out his arms to be picked up. Nevi had to keep cheering him on just to get him to crawl a little bit, like it was some kind of chore.

Meanwhile, Mei Mei, being a little female, could already wobble around on his own two feet. The little wings on his back had finally grown a good layer of soft, pale white feathers, and when he flapped them gently, they looked adorably fluffy, which always made Bai Bai come over curiously to touch and squeeze them. Bai Bai would then turn his head with teary eyes and stare at his own back, as if asking why he didn't have wings.

This made Nevi coax him with a mix of amusement and helplessness, showing Bai Bai his own smooth, wingless back before Bai Bai finally calmed down.

Since the cubs were older and couldn't just stay cooped up at home all day, Nevi would take them to the park at the Male Insect Association after breakfast and dinner to walk around and play on the grass.

Mei Mei had recently gotten really into watching the fish in the lake, so as soon as his belly was full, he couldn't wait to head out.

Nevi didn't waste any time either. While calming Mei Mei down, he quickly packed all the cubs' stuff into a bag and pushed the stroller out the door.

"Dada, Mama, look!"

As soon as they stepped out, Mei Mei, sitting on one side of the stroller, called out excitedly. Bai Bai, sitting next to him, furrowed his cute little brows and said in a clear but childish voice, "Mei Mei, you're so loud!"

Bai Bai, being the little male older brother, didn't grow as fast as Mei Mei, but his language skills were way more advanced.

While Mei Mei was still babbling and slurring his words, Bai Bai could already speak clearly, even if it was just simple repeated words and single syllables, which already made Nevi overjoyed.

When Bai Bai and Mei Mei first called him "Papa," Nevi covered his mouth, so moved he cried tears of joy.

That deep happiness and the little swell of pride left Nevi unable to calm down for a long time.

He recorded several videos of Bai Bai and Mei Mei talking and patiently coached the cubs to say "Mama."

The cubs knew who Mama was; Nevi never got tired of telling them about their other parent.

The cubs knew their favorite comfort blanket and green diamond were both connected to Mama, so the fuzzy idea of Mama slowly started to stick in their minds.

Nevi had always been careful to record every moment of the cubs' growth, not just for the sake of it, but so Aesop—who'd been forced to miss these milestones—could later see how the cubs grew through the videos.

With clear, happy videos, even if Aesop felt regret, he wouldn't be too heartbroken.

Nevi never wanted to see that clumsy silver-haired female feeling sad or upset.

Nevi gently stroked Bai Bai's and Mei Mei's soft hair and said warmly, "Mei Mei, be good, quiet down, don't rush. Papa will take you to see the fish right away."

Just as Nevi was speaking, a cheerful, bright voice suddenly rang out.

"Good morning, Nevi, Bai Bai and Mei Mei!"

Nevi looked up to see a handsome female with striking red hair, wearing a volunteer uniform, grinning foolishly and waving vigorously at them from not far ahead, his eyes sparkling with undisguised joy and excitement.

This was the young female Joelson who had helped him at the full moon banquet.

Since the banquet ended, he had often been volunteering and doing odd jobs at the Male Insect Association for his school's practical activities.

Nevi frequently ran into Joelson, and at a very high frequency.

Nevi hesitated for a moment, then nodded at Joelson, though a hint of helplessness showed in his brows.

"Good morning, Joelson."

*

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Author's note: This chapter is a transitional one with a high cub presence. The next chapter will move into the main plot, with fewer cub scenes.

Joelson is a key character for advancing the next plot point~

Next chapter brings major progress in Nevi and Aesop's relationship (guess what?)

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