TCPUAAV Chapter 94

 

The little ones in the suite’s living room remained blissfully unaware, busy sorting through the spoils they had brought back from the mall.

 

The little mermaid curled his blue fish tail around himself, sitting on the carpet as he carefully separated the new clothes that needed to be washed. He also took out the delicate and beautiful trinkets, intending to remove their packaging and store them in his treasure box.

 

He was extremely focused, his eyes sparkling with joy.

 

In contrast, the little dragon and the little fox were much rowdier. They had little interest in pretty clothes and accessories, far more captivated by delicious snacks and exciting new toys.

 

At that moment, the two cubs were chasing after a flying robotic bird.

 

The artificial bird was highly intelligent, darting around the living room just like a real one. The two cubs pursued it relentlessly, knocking over who knew how many things in the process. A small golden robot trailed behind them, chattering non-stop as it picked up fallen chairs and helpfully moved obstacles out of the way to prevent the cubs from tripping. It even scolded them, “Slow down, slow down! Don’t fall!”

 

But the overly excited cubs ignored it completely and continued their wild chase.

 

The little dragon even climbed up onto the robot’s shoulder, using his bat-like wings to launch himself into the air in an attempt to catch the bird.

 

This robotic bird was specifically designed to train young ones in hunting skills, so naturally, it wouldn’t be caught so easily. Fluttering its wings, it narrowly escaped the dragon’s jaws, leaving behind only two loose feathers.

 

The little dragon crash-landed onto a cushion, drawing laughter from the little fox.

 

Unwilling to accept defeat, he widened his eyes in frustration, completely disregarding the pain from his fall. Flipping himself over, he quickly scrambled up to resume the chase.

 

The sound of their pounding footsteps echoed through the living room. The cubs played with reckless abandon, only slowing their movements and carefully detouring whenever they passed by Ruan Jiao.

 

—Ruan Jiao was quietly building with blocks in a corner of the living room.

 

He had personally requested this set of blocks and couldn’t wait to open them once they returned to the hotel. Finding a spacious, empty spot, he sat down and diligently followed the instructions to assemble them.

 

The little one’s eyes were wide open, his lips pressed together in concentration, and even the antennae on his forehead stood stiff and straight—a look of utmost seriousness.

 

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Rong Heng, who had been anxiously staring at the tightly shut bedroom door, turned his gaze toward the oblivious cubs and felt a surge of frustration.

 

How could they still be in the mood to play?!

 

Ever since seeing his own wanted poster, it felt like a burning iron had been shoved into Rong Heng’s chest, leaving him restless and on edge.

 

But the moment Ruan Shiqing returned to the hotel, he had locked himself in his room. Rong Heng wanted to probe for his reaction but had no opportunity to do so.

 

All he could do was stare repeatedly at the closed door.

 

His claws unconsciously extended, raking the carpet until the fibers stood on end.

 

He was beyond anxious.

 

Then, looking back at the completely carefree cubs—who were utterly unaware of any impending crisis and still playing to their heart’s content—he could hardly resist the urge to grab each one and give them a spanking.

 

But with Ruan Shiqing in the room, he didn’t dare.

 

Thus, he brooded in frustration for nearly an hour until, at long last, Ruan Shiqing’s door finally opened.

 

Rong Heng’s eyes lit up, and he instinctively wanted to approach, but he quickly realized that would be too obvious. Forcing himself to stay put, he pretended to be playing with a plush toy while sneaking glances at the doorway out of the corner of his eye.

 

Ruan Shiqing stepped out.

 

At that moment, the robotic bird happened to fly directly into his path, blocked by his presence.

 

Seizing the opportunity, the little fox leaped gracefully into the air and swatted the yellow-feathered bird down with a single paw. She flicked her fluffy tails smugly and lifted her chin at the little dragon. “I caught it!”

 

The little dragon kicked his legs on the carpet, grumbling reluctantly, “Fine, you win this time. Let’s go again!”

 

Hearing this, the little fox lowered her head and picked up the robotic bird with her mouth, preparing to release it for another round.

 

But before she could, Ruan Shiqing intercepted it.

 

He took the bird from her mouth, his gaze sweeping over the cubs and taking in their expressions.

 

Four little ones looked up at him, their faces blank with confusion, clearly unaware of what was happening. Only Snowball twitched his ears guiltily when their eyes met.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s lips curled slightly, though his smile was far from kind. “Playtime’s over. Daddy has something to ask you.”

 

The cubs looked at him, puzzled, but seeing his serious expression, they instinctively stopped fooling around and obediently lined up in front of him.

 

They stood according to age, with Rong Heng reluctantly taking the first spot, his heart heavy with dread.

 

And yet, the clueless little dragon had the audacity to ask, “Daddy, what do you want to ask?”

 

This little idiot!

 

Dragonkind’s foolishness was truly ingrained in their genes!

 

After all this time, he still hadn’t learned his lesson!

 

Crown Prince Rong Heng glared at the little dragon in frustration, his expression dark with disappointment. He didn’t even dare to look up and see Ruan Shiqing’s reaction.

 

Ruan Shiqing, however, didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he casually pulled over a chair and sat down at a leisurely pace. Only then did he activate his smart device, projecting the wanted notices he had found for the cubs to see.

 

“These individuals look somewhat familiar to me. Do you recognize them?”

 

Displayed on the virtual screen were the wanted posters for “Reaper,” “Kraken,” “Fire Fox,” “Evil Dragon,” and “Half-Zerg.”

 

In other words, the wanted posters of the very cubs standing before him.

 

Ruan Shiqing leaned forward slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on them, his expression unreadable.

 

The cubs, upon seeing their own faces on the wanted notices, widened their eyes in shock. Their mouths even parted slightly in surprise.

 

Ruan Jiao, as usual, was a beat slower to react.

 

By the time his older siblings had fully grasped the situation—clutching their paws guiltily, struggling to come up with an excuse—he was only just processing what he saw. Letting out a startled exclamation, he blurted, “Ah! It’s—It’s—” me.

 

But before he could finish the word “me,” the little fox discreetly poked him in the side.

 

The young cub immediately froze. As if finally realizing something, he lowered his head, but his eyes subtly lifted as he tried to gauge Ruan Shiqing’s expression.

 

“……”

 

Ruan Shiqing took in their reactions, nearly laughing in exasperation.

 

These little cubs were really trying to deceive him in an organized, disciplined manner!

 

He actually did laugh then, though his body leaned forward even more, the gentle curve of his lips unable to mask the storm brewing behind his eyes. “Is there nothing you’d like to tell me?”

 

The cubs shrank their necks, their gazes darting in every direction, but not one of them dared to speak first.

 

They were quieter than quails now.

 

Ruan Shiqing watched them and simply couldn’t reconcile these well-behaved little cubs with the images of ruthless interstellar pirates.

 

How could such obedient little ones possibly be criminals?

 

His gaze flicked to Snowball, who stood at the front of the line, his expression turning cool.

 

Huddled among the cubs, Crown Prince Rong Heng suddenly had a bad feeling. Instinctively, he shrank his neck and cautiously lifted his head, only to meet those eyes—sharp and all-seeing.

 

He knows.

 

The thought surfaced in Rong Heng’s mind with chilling certainty.

 

With how intelligent Ruan Shiqing was, he must have figured it out the moment he saw the wanted notices. He had surely deduced what the cubs had been up to every time they left under the pretense of “training.” He might have even guessed the truth about the cubs’ accelerated growth.

 

But… Snowball wasn’t on the wanted list.

 

Would Ruan Shiqing not suspect his connection to Snowball?

 

At the time, Snowball had still been recovering from his injuries. At worst, he had merely turned a blind eye. If he shifted all the blame onto “Mr. Rong,” would that make Ruan Shiqing less angry?

 

The crown prince fell into deep thought, strategizing the best way to handle Ruan Shiqing’s impending wrath.

 

Ruan Shiqing remained seated, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.

 

He waited patiently, wanting to see how long it would take for the cubs to confess on their own.

 

While he wouldn’t tolerate outsiders bullying them, when it came to his own cubs—if they misbehaved, they had to be disciplined. He wouldn’t coddle them.

 

Silence stretched between them.

 

The cubs barely dared to breathe, exchanging silent glances with tiny shifts of their heads.

 

The little dragon’s eyes were wide with panic: What do we do?!

 

The little fox pouted: Maybe we should just tell Daddy the truth? At worst, we’ll just get a spanking.

 

The little mermaid frowned: But who’s going to speak first?

 

All three of them shivered in unison and cautiously peeked at their father’s expression.

 

“……”

 

Daddy looked so scary. They didn’t dare QAQ.

 

Finally, Ruan Jiao, ever the slow one, turned his head slightly, his antennae trembling anxiously: What do we do? What do we do?

 

With no other solutions, the cubs collectively decided—to rely on Snowball!

 

Four pairs of wide, expectant eyes secretly locked onto Rong Heng.

 

Their silent plea was clear: It’s all up to you now!

 

Crown Prince Rong Heng’s expression darkened.

 

A bunch of little traitors.

 

But after considering the situation carefully, he realized there was no avoiding it this time. Since that was the case… it would be best to take the initiative. They always said, “Confess and be treated leniently, resist and face severity.” If he stepped forward first, maybe he could at least ease Ruan Shiqing’s anger.

 

After exchanging a glance with the other cubs, Rong Heng braced himself as if marching to his doom. Stepping forward cautiously, he rubbed his head gently against Ruan Shiqing’s leg, then tilted his head up and let out a soft, pitiful whimper.

 

Ruan Shiqing raised an eyebrow, his gaze steady and unreadable. “What does Snowball want to say?”

 

Rong Heng carefully considered his words before beginning to type.

 

—No, not to lie, but to explain.

 

[It was big brother who took us. We don’t know why we ended up on the wanted list.]

 

After much deliberation, he concluded that the safest approach was to blame everything on “Mr. Rong.”

 

Although they were wanted, they hadn’t actually done anything bad. All their previous actions could be slowly explained to Ruan Shiqing—he would understand.

 

As for the fact that the cubs had grown up yet deliberately hid it from him… that was simply because they were scared and unsure of what to do. Rong Heng had merely helped them keep it a secret temporarily.

 

That wasn’t exactly lying. He was just omitting the part where they had agreed to keep it a mutual secret.

 

As for his real identity… now was definitely not the time to drop that bomb. Best to wait until Ruan Shiqing calmed down before finding the right moment to tell him.

 

With his plan finalized, Rong Heng felt more confident. He swiftly typed out his carefully crafted explanation and showed it to Ruan Shiqing.

 

Ruan Shiqing read it, then slowly swept his gaze over the cubs, his voice steady and deliberate. “Is what Snowball said true?”

 

The cubs frantically nodded.

 

The little dragon mustered his courage to hug Ruan Shiqing’s leg, his voice tinged with grievance as he whimpered, “If Heli grows up, will Daddy stop liking Heli?”

 

The little fox and the little mermaid also showed hesitant, worried expressions, guilt-ridden yet cautiously hopeful.

 

Only the ever-slow Ruan Jiao, a beat behind as always, suddenly realized what was happening and clung to Ruan Shiqing’s other leg.

 

Their expressions of distress were genuine and earnest.

 

Ruan Shiqing sighed, rubbing their little heads. “Even so, you shouldn’t have kept it from me.”

 

The little fox immediately chimed in sweetly, “We won’t do it again next time!”

 

Realizing they had been forgiven, the cubs all eagerly echoed her words.

 

Ruan Shiqing let out a soft huff, but he wasn’t planning to just let them off so easily. “We’re outside right now, so I’ll let this slide for now. But when we get back, we’ll go over everything properly.”

 

That meant—for now, this matter was settled.

 

The cubs exhaled in relief, their moods instantly lifting. They crowded around Ruan Shiqing, showering him with affection and playful flattery.

 

Seeing their reaction, Rong Heng finally relaxed as well. Whew, crisis averted.

 

But just as he was about to fully let down his guard, Ruan Shiqing spoke again.

 

“You guys go play. Snowball, come with me.”

 

……??????

 

Rong Heng’s body stiffened, slowly looking up at him.

 

Why was he being singled out?!

 

The cubs, having just escaped doom, were overjoyed. They gleefully ran off to play while casting sympathetic glances at Snowball, watching as he was led into the room by their father.

 

 

---

 

 

Yeah, go ahead and blame it on “Mr Rong”… real genius of you, “Snowball” lmao

 

(Also, this chapter was heavy on noting that Jiao Jiao is slow!!! Author-sama don’t bully my baby!!)

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~