Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Mei Mei flew unsteadily, but fast and frantic. Caught off guard, the black-haired male and the scarred male failed to react in time. By the time they came to their senses and scrambled in a panic to reach for the cubs, they were shocked to find they could no longer touch them.

Unless they spread their wings to go after the cubs.

But the airspace above the track was a no-fly zone, surrounded by cameras with no blind spots. Once they took off and were identified by the cameras, patrol police bugs would be swiftly attracted.

That was clearly not a trouble they wanted to face, and besides...

"Oh my god, look! What is that black and white thing?!"

"That looks like a little black cub... oh no, two! God, that's too dangerous. Call the police! Where are their family bugs?!"

"That little black cub looks like he's losing strength. Save them!"

At this moment, Mei Mei and Bai Bai, who were desperately fluttering upward, had already attracted the attention of many passing bugs. Several bugs nervously poked their heads out of their hovercars, watching the wobbling cubs in the sky with deep worry.

Some passersby had even quietly unfurled their wings, tilting their heads up, ready to spring into action at any moment.

As the ruckus caused by the cubs grew louder and the situation spiraled out of control, the black-haired male said calmly, under the scarred male's reluctant and anguished gaze: "We need to leave. The cubs will be fine, but if we stay any longer, we won't be able to get away!"

With that, the black-haired male got into the hovercar first. The scarred male's face twisted in conflict, his exposed wings seeming eager to move, but after hesitating for a moment, he folded his wings back and turned abruptly to sit in the vehicle.

Amid the uproar of the crowd, a plain, beat-up hovercar quietly slipped away from the scene.

Meanwhile, up in the air, the little chubby cub Mei Mei, who was struggling to hold onto Bai Bai, had his face flushed red from the strain. He flew forward with all his might, but his fluffy little wings felt as if they were weighed down by heavy stones, growing heavier and heavier.

"Ee-ya!"

Mei Mei's right wing suddenly gave way. His whole body lurched, and the two little cubs tumbled through the air, making the watching bugs' hearts race.

"Wah wah wah, Mei Mei, daddy..."

Little Bai Bai, who was afraid of heights, wrapped both arms tightly around Mei Mei's neck, eyes shut in fear, his head buried in Mei Mei's chest, sniffling and shaking with fear.

Little Mei Mei used every ounce of strength to barely manage to steady himself, but in the end, he couldn't hold on any longer.

A sudden gentle breeze, like the last straw that broke the camel's back, made Mei Mei's body lurch. His wings gave way, and in an instant, Mei Mei hugged Bai Bai tightly as the two cubs plunged downward.

"Wah wah wah!"

A piercing wail of terror burst from Mei Mei in the air.

*

"Hey, what's that?!"

Just as the cubs were rapidly falling, the attendant inside a stretch luxury hovercar, the closest one to them, couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

Tuers, a silver-haired noble male resting his eyes in the back seat, automatically looked up toward the window. When he looked, his pupils contracted and his face changed.

The superior eyesight of a high-ranking male allowed him to clearly see two cubs hugging each other, rapidly plummeting downward not far away.

Below where the cubs were falling diagonally was an active traffic lane!

Hovercars of all sizes were speeding through it.

Although several male bugs had already soared into the air and were rushing toward the cubs, judging by their distance and the cubs' falling speed, the situation was extremely dire.

Tuers' heart tightened. Without hesitation, he pulled open the door, spread his pristine white wings, and with a powerful beat of his wings, shot toward the cubs as his attendant cried out in shock.

Tuers moved at incredible speed. In just a few moments, he had firmly gathered up the two dirty, chubby cubs in his arms.

Feeling the trembling, whimpering cubs, Tuers instinctively stroked their backs to soothe them.

With a strong flap of his wings, he quickly found a safe place to land.

After slightly folding his wings, Tuers finally looked down at the two cubs in his arms and said gently, "Don't be afraid, little ones. Don't cry, don't cry. You're safe now..."

But as he spoke, his voice suddenly stopped abruptly.

His gaze locked onto the cubs' faces, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Just as Tuers stood stunned, the other onlooking male bugs who had tried to catch Bai Bai and Mei Mei flew over. As soon as they landed, they looked at Tuers, then at the pitifully crying cubs in his arms, and their anger flared instantly.

"You! How can you be their father? The cubs don't know any better, but you should! How could you not watch over them properly? If something had happened, it would've been too late to regret!"

"Exactly! Falling from such a height, that's terrifying! How can you be so careless as their guardian? It's outrageous!"

"Wait, no—you're all clean and tidy, but the cubs are so..."

Amid the scolding from the well-meaning males, some sharp-eyed ones also noticed something off. Their gazes at Tuers were filled with suspicion and disdain.

How could Tuers be dressed so impeccably while the cubs looked so grimy and disheveled? It was too strange and suspicious.

Could this guy be abusing the cubs?!

In an instant, several males shifted their positions, blocking Tuers' escape routes. Meanwhile, one male quietly and quickly called the police, blatantly voicing his suspicions right in front of Tuers.

Every well-meaning passerby there instinctively assumed Tuers was the cubs' father.

Because not only did Tuers bear a resemblance to the cubs in his arms, but his white wings were practically identical to those of the loudly wailing little chubby cub—just an adult version versus a baby version.

No male with working eyes would question their relationship.

Facing the males' accusations, Tuers, who was at the center of the storm and also seeing the cubs for the first time, was utterly at a loss.

He stared blankly at the lively, adorable cubs in his arms. The surrounding noise seemed to fade away. An instinctive sense of closeness welled up from within him, and his heartbeat quickened.

Just then, the patrol police and Tuers' attendant rushed over.

Facing the patrol police's stern questioning and the surrounding males all talking at once, the attendant, who hadn't seen the cubs' faces clearly, angrily retorted: "You're all absurd! Don't make wild accusations! Our young master is..." still unmarried.

But before he could finish, Tuers cut him off.

Having regained his composure, Tuers wore a composed, gentle smile and said calmly, "My apologies. It was my mistake for not watching over my cubs properly, causing this disturbance and inconvenience to everyone. Please accept this small token of appreciation for your prompt help to my cubs in their moment of crisis. Thank you. And rest assured, this kind of accident won't happen again."

With that, Tuers glanced at his attendant and gave a slight nod. Though confused and shocked, the attendant obediently pulled out checks of a set amount and handed them to each of the males present.

These checks, bearing the Haimulun Family crest, could be exchanged for star credits at the family's own banks or those under their control.

Perhaps it was Tuers' good enough attitude, or perhaps the checks in their hands were too hot to handle—either way, the males quickly backed down.

Especially when the gleaming golden Haimulun Family crest appeared on the checks, the faces of the males and patrol police shifted slightly, their demeanor becoming more cautious.

Those who had just scolded Tuers were now sweating profusely, knees buckling, hearts full of dread.

As a top-tier elite family, the Haimulun Family was formidable throughout the capital planet.

The Haimulun Family's direct line has been in politics for generations, steadfast royalists close to the imperial family. The current head of the family is the leader of the royalist faction, deeply trusted by the insect emperor.

After the female insects at the scene nearly rushed to leave, Tuers readily paid the fine for the illegal flight, solemnly instructed them to pull up the surveillance footage showing how the cubs ended up there, look into what happened, and forward the findings to his assistant. He then carried the cubs, who had cried themselves out and curled up asleep at some point, back to the hovercar.

Tuers held the two cubs in his arms, feeling their bodies still trembling slightly, his eyes full of heartache.

He took a wet wipe and carefully cleaned their faces and hands. When he felt the cubs stir, he froze, afraid of waking them again.

His younger brother Kaisisen took after their father in looks, while his twin brother O'Casey looked more like their mother. As for himself, he was a mix of both parents.

The cubs in his arms did look a bit like him, but they resembled his younger brother Kaisisen even more.

A smile unconsciously crept onto Tuers' face as he looked at the cubs with pure affection.

No more confirmation needed.

He was certain—these were his younger brother Kaisisen's cubs!

Though he'd known about the cubs for a while, it had never felt real.

Now, feeling their solid weight in his arms, it suddenly hit Tuers—he was an uncle!

He was visibly moved. He looked left and right, unable to tear his eyes away, as if he could never get enough of looking at them.

He never expected Kaisisen to be the first of their generation to have cubs—and a rare pair of fraternal twins at that.

Once Tuers settled down a bit, a shadow of worry crossed his face.

The memory of his mother's furious rejection and disgust just a few months ago was still fresh. If their mother found out about the cubs, they'd definitely be sent to the family's side branches.

They wouldn't lack for material things, but without blood relatives around, how well could they really be taken care of?

With the head of the family's vague attitude and the cubs' resemblance to the direct line, it was almost certain they'd face a lot of gossip and hardship growing up.

At that thought, Tuers pressed his lips together, his worry deepening, and he unconsciously held the cubs tighter.

These were Xiao Sen's cubs—they didn't deserve this.

And the cubs' father—the family had sent plenty of skilled people to search Biyue Star and the E galaxy, but they still hadn't found any trace of him.

Thinking about it now, that male insect must have gotten wind of something and traveled all the way to the capital star with the cubs, hoping to find Xiao Sen.

A low-ranking male insect who'd never left a remote star, having the guts to go this far—his sincerity was clear.

His mother had really messed up.

A flicker of determination flashed in Tuers' eyes. He pulled out his light device and sent a message to his younger brother Kaisisen.

Tuers: Xiao Sen, something important has come up. Get back here now.

Kaisisen needed to know about the cubs and that male insect, and he should be the one to decide what to do. He wasn't a little kid anymore; his own life should be his call.

If their mother wanted to blame someone, let it be him. He'd take the fall.

Tuers let out a sigh. By now, the hovercar had pulled into the old estate. A household servant opened the door for him, and Tuers carefully carried the two soft cubs out of the vehicle.

Behind him, an attendant carried bags and bags of the best cub supplies Tuers had rushed to order from the family's mall.

Even more top-notch daily necessities for the cubs were still on the way.

The servants and the butler could barely hide the shock and dismay in their eyes when they saw the dirty, chubby cubs in the young master's arms.

But of course, they didn't dare ask, and Tuers pretended not to notice.

Just as he stepped into the old estate, Tuers ran into O'Casey, who had snuck back to grab something.

Tuers, who didn't know O'Casey had been punished while he was away on business, looked calm. But when O'Casey saw the cubs in Tuers' arms, he let out a startled cry and went pale.

"Ah! Why are Baibai and Meimei in your arms, big brother?! What did you do?"

Tuers was sharp. He looked at O'Casey and shot back, "Baibai and Meimei? So you already knew about the cubs."

The brothers locked eyes, and O'Casey guiltily shrank his neck, muttering sheepishly, "Well, big brother, let me explain..."

*

Meanwhile, at a friend's place, Kaisisen, who had finally calmed down, suddenly remembered his meeting with Nevi. He grabbed his jacket in a hurry, quickly said goodbye to his friend, and got into a hovercar with red-rimmed eyes.

But shortly after getting in, he got a somewhat rushed message from Nevi.

Nevi: Kaisisen, sorry, something urgent came up. Let's push back our meeting for now.

When he thought back on those memories and saw Nevi's message again, Kaisisen, now with a completely different mindset, felt his nose sting and his throat tighten.

This was his husband...

But when he read the message carefully, Kaisisen's expression changed slightly.

Nevi rarely canceled plans. The message was rushed and messy, even with typos—extremely unusual for someone as careful and meticulous as Nevi.

This could only mean Nevi was too distracted to bother with details.

In an instant, a conclusion formed in his mind.

Nevi had run into some serious trouble he couldn't handle.

Kaisisen immediately called Nevi, but after a long wait, there was no answer, and the call dropped.

Kaisisen's heart sank. He sent Nevi a message saying to contact him right away if he saw it, offering to help.

Then, without hesitation, he contacted a friend to help find Nevi's current address.

But just then, his big brother's message suddenly popped up on his screen.

His big brother was looking for him?

Kaisisen frowned. His brother rarely used such a serious and no-nonsense tone in messages.

It must be something really important.

A look of conflict crossed Kaisisen's face. He glanced at Nevi's unanswered message and his friend's reply, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately turned the vehicle toward the old estate.

*

At that moment, in the old estate's main hall, the atmosphere was so heavy and stifling it was almost suffocating.

The two brothers sat in silence, both looking grim.

Especially Tuers, who, after hearing about the family's recent situation from O'Casey, had worry etched so deeply on his brow it was almost tangible.

After a long moment, he said quietly, "Our mother... has really gone too far."

Then, his expression turned serious. "Our mother still has two important meetings today; he won't be back for a while. Xiao Sen is already on his way. Once he gets here, we'll tell him everything."

O'Casey's eyes lit up at that, and he nodded along eagerly.

As the brothers whispered to each other, Bai Bai, who'd been dozing on the soft couch nearby, slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes awake.

Bai Bai blinked, dazedly taking in the unfamiliar room, then saw Mei Mei passed out next to him. His eyes went red, and with a "waa," he burst into tears.

The soft, babyish cry wasn't loud, but it grabbed the brothers' hearts right away.

Tuers and O'Casey rushed over to the couch, looking nervous and frantic at poor, scared Bai Bai as he cried.

But their presence just made Bai Bai shrink back, hiding behind a square pillow and crying even harder.

To make things worse, Bai Bai's crying woke Mei Mei, who was sleeping next to him.

When the chubby little black cub woke up, an even louder wail followed.

"Waaah, bad bugs! I want my daddy! Waaah! Daddy!"

Tuers was totally at a loss, but luckily, the somewhat dependable O'Casey had a sudden idea and spoke up: "Bai Bai, Mei Mei, don't cry. I'm your daddy's friend. Mei Mei, do you remember? At your one-month party, I gave you candy and gave you and Bai Bai two green diamonds."

Hearing their names, the two cubs froze, staring blankly at O'Casey with teary eyes. When he mentioned the green diamonds, both cubs perked up a little.

Bai Bai didn't dare say anything, but Mei Mei spoke up: "Green, sparkly."

Those two green diamonds were still the cubs' favorite treasures to this day.

O'Casey's face lit up, and he nodded eagerly. He also told a servant to go grab his prized collection from his room.

Seeing the cubs calm down a bit, Tuers jumped in: "Bai Bai, Mei Mei, do you remember me? It was Uncle who caught you earlier. Don't cry, little ones. Later... Uncle will take you back to your daddy, okay?"

Bai Bai and Mei Mei did recognize the silver-haired bug who'd saved them, and hearing his promise, knowing the bad bugs who'd grabbed them from the hovercar were gone, the cubs really did feel less scared.

Mei Mei wiped his eyes, and with a dirty little face, politely said loudly: "Thank you, Uncle."

Meanwhile, Bai Bai quietly peeked half his head out from behind the square pillow, carefully watching the two bugs in front of him.

O'Casey looked at his adorable nephews, his face breaking into a huge grin, a wave of fatherly love swelling up inside him.

When the servant carefully handed O'Casey the fancy box with his treasured jewelry, O'Casey, who usually treasured these gems, didn't even blink as he opened the box and dumped all the jewelry in front of the cubs, saying boldly: "Bai Bai, Mei Mei, these are toys for you from Uncle too. Want to come play?"

Colorful, shiny jewels of all sizes sparkled under the lights, instantly grabbing Bai Bai and Mei Mei's attention.

But the cubs were still wary and didn't dare move. Seeing them itching to go for it, O'Casey picked out the two prettiest ones, putting one on Bai Bai's pillow and one in Mei Mei's arms.

Cubs were sharp; they could tell if the bugs meant them harm or good.

Their resolve already shaky, the cubs quickly gave in to O'Casey's eager coaxing. Soon, the hall was filled with Mei Mei's happy laughter, and Bai Bai no longer hid behind the pillow but came out fully, looking way less scared.

O'Casey and Tuers had zero limits. When grubby Mei Mei grabbed a jewel and dirtied it, they didn't show the slightest concern, instead praising the cub for being so clever, and even hung another string of expensive, beautiful jewels around Mei Mei's neck.

Looking at the little gray dirty cub and the little black dirty cub, the two brothers, blinded by affection, thought the cubs were absolutely adorable. There were no cuter cubs than these two.

The two bugs and two cubs played for a while, during which O'Casey and Tuers also fed the cubs some bottle milk and sweet little cakes.

The bond between the two bugs and two cubs quickly warmed.

The cubs were no longer afraid of the two uncles and began chattering away with them.

"This diamond is so pretty, Mei Mei likes it..."

"Uncle, when do we go home? Want daddy..."

O'Casey and Tuers patiently soothed the cubs.

Seeing the cubs' emotions stabilized, Tuers said gently: "How about Uncle gives the cubs a bath? If Daddy sees you cubs looking like this, he'll worry."

Daddy was the cubs' soft spot. Hearing Tuers' words, the chubby cubs, now realizing how dirty they were, immediately nodded in agreement.

O'Casey and Tuers, ready for a big task, were full of confidence, but reality was completely different from their expectations.

Bai Bai was obedient, but Mei Mei was extremely restless. Especially when O'Casey clumsily tugged at Mei Mei's hair and got water and bubbles into his eyes, the angry Mei Mei howled and thrashed about, completely overwhelming O'Casey and Tuers.

Puffing out his cheeks, Mei Mei refused to wash anymore and actually spread his wings, clumsily flying around the bathroom.

The two brothers, drenched and disheveled, frantically tried to catch Mei Mei, but the slippery, soap-covered Mei Mei was too slick to grab, and they were afraid of hurting him, so they became even more hesitant.

Gradually, Mei Mei seemed to turn this into a game, flying mid-air, glancing back at the uncles, and bursting into giggles.

The agile chubby cub's round pupils shifted, and seizing the moment, he flew straight out of the bathroom!

*

Koit, dressed in formal attire and walking briskly, had just stepped into the old mansion today when he noticed something off. He glanced at the messy lounge area, his brow furrowing slightly.

From not far away came a commotion.

Koit turned to summon the butler to ask what was happening.

But then, with a gust of wind, a cold, icy object suddenly slammed into Koit's face.

Perhaps hearing the childish babbling.

Koit, who'd been about to instinctively push away the unknown object on his face, hesitated for a moment, then opened his arms and caught it.

Immediately, a delicate, beautiful, but bubble-covered naked cub came into view.

The cub tilted his head and grinned at the newcomer.

Babble?

*

---

Author's note: Sorry, my energy is truly limited. I've written up to the meeting but still have half the content left. Posting it all would mean too long a gap, so I'm posting half first. I've seen the controversies in the comments. I'm tired and disheartened. I don't know what to say. It's that my writing is poor, not good enough, and the prose is too verbose, causing frustration and feeling like filler. Sorry.

The meeting comes in the next chapter. I'll continue with a double update tomorrow night.