Chapter 817: Even Fate Must Bow to a Mother’s Will

Chapter 817: Chapter 817: Even Fate Must Bow to a Mother’s Will

Su Qinglan did not even realize when she fell asleep. The moment her head touched the soft pillow, sheer physical and mental exhaustion completely took over her body.

Her mind had been filled to the brim with fear, confusion, and the old man’s terrible, ominous prophecy. But after weeping silently in the dark for so long, her body finally gave out.

She didn’t know how much time had passed. She only knew that something warm and wet was suddenly licking the back of her hand.

Lick.

Lick.

Lick.

Su Qinglan frowned slightly in her sleep, her eyelids feeling heavy.

"Mm..." She moved her hand weakly, trying to push away whatever was disturbing her rest, but the warm little tongue followed her movements with relentless determination.

Lick. Lick.

"Stop..." Her sleepy voice was barely an audible whisper.

The little creature did not stop. Instead, it continued licking her hand with intense focus. Su Qinglan’s brows twitched, and she finally forced her eyes open.

The very first thing she saw was a pair of round, sparkling eyes staring directly down at her face.

She froze. A tiny golden tiger cub was lying right beside her cheek.

Xiao Yi’s little pink tongue was still sticking out. The moment he noticed that his mother’s eyes were open, his entire face brightened instantly.

"Mommy!"

Su Qinglan blinked sleepily, then slowly looked around. Only then did she realize that her entire bed was completely overrun by her cubs.

On her left side were Xiao Yi, Xiao Er, Xiao San, and Mao Mao.

On her right side were Lulu, Ruru, Ciao Ciao, and Yueyue.

All eight little cubs were squeezed tightly onto the mattress. Some were lying against her arms, some were curled into furry balls near her legs, and one was even resting his tiny head directly on her pillow. Every single pair of bright eyes was fixed entirely on her.

Su Qinglan stared at the furry wall surrounding her in confusion. "What happened?" She slowly pushed herself up, rubbing her messy hair. "Why are all of you crowded around Mommy?"

The eight cubs exchanged quick glances with one another, and then Xiao Yi immediately raised a tiny golden paw.

"Mommy, wake up!" His cute little voice was filled with intense concern. "You haven’t eaten anything since morning!"

Su Qinglan paused, looking at the little tiger cub. "You came all the way in here just to wake Mommy up?"

Xiao Yi nodded seriously. "Yes!"

The other cubs immediately nodded along in a chorus of moving ears and tails.

"Yes!"

"We came to wake Mommy!"

"Mommy has been sleeping for so long!"

"You didn’t eat!"

"You’ll be super hungry!"

Their childish voices overlapped, filling the quiet bedroom with sweet chatter. Su Qinglan stared at them for a silent moment before a soft smile finally returned to her pale face.

"So all of you sneaked in here just to wake Mommy up?"

"Yes!" The answer came in unison.

Su Qinglan couldn’t help but laugh softly. She reached out and tenderly stroked Xiao Yi’s fuzzy head. "My sweet little babies..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a small white blur suddenly leaped into her lap.

"Lulu!"

The little white wolf cub buried her furry snout against Su Qinglan’s chest, grabbing her tunic with tiny paws. "Mommy, you slept for so long! Let’s go!"

Su Qinglan looked down at the soft furball in her arms. "Go where?"

"Father Beasts is making lunch!" Lulu’s eyes immediately lit up. "Father Han Jue brought a really big piece of meat today! He said he’s going to cook something delicious!"

The other cubs instantly grew excited, their tails thumping against the blanket.

"Yes! Father Han Jue brought a huge piece!"

"I saw it! It’s this big!" Mao Mao spread both of his tiny front legs as wide as they could go.

Su Qinglan couldn’t help smiling at their enthusiasm. "Really?"

"Really!" Lulu nodded vigorously. "Come on, Mommy! Let’s go see!"

Su Qinglan stroked her silky white fur. "Of course, of course." She looked around at all eight eager faces. "So all of you came in here just because you wanted Mommy to eat lunch with you?"

The cubs nodded together. "Yes!"

Su Qinglan’s heart softened completely. She gently rubbed each of their little heads, feeling a wave of warmth wash over her lingering coldness. "Then Mommy definitely can’t disappoint her little gluttons."

She slowly swung her legs off the bed and stood up. "Let’s go see what your fathers are cooking."

"Yay!"

The cubs immediately cheered, tumbling off the bed one after another and scrambling toward the bedroom door.

Su Qinglan followed closely behind them. But just as she stepped past the threshold, the smile on her face slowly faded for a brief, dark second.

She knew her cubs were definitely sent by their father to lift her mood, but even though she wanted to act normal, she was not; she felt like the old man’s words were hunting her.

Your journey is coming to an end. Your daughters’ destinies are not much better than yours...

Her fingers tightened into fists at her sides, and her gaze lowered.

No. She couldn’t let those words paralyze her. She would investigate the truth behind his words, and she would find out if that dark prophecy was truly set in stone, but she would never allow her fear to pollute her children’s happiness, nor would she let her husbands carry this suffocating burden before it was time.

She had been granted this precious second life, and she had finally built the family she had yearned for across two lifetimes. She was not going to let a stranger’s cryptic words tear it apart.

Su Qinglan took a long, silent breath. When she lifted her head again, the grief had been swept away, replaced by her usual gentle warmth.

She stepped out into the bright sunlit courtyard and stopped. The space was unusually lively today.

All of her beast husbands were gathered together...even Xuan Long and Han Jue, who had been away at the hunting grounds, had already returned.

A large wooden dining table had been brought into the center of the yard, and dish after dish was being laid out.

Han Jue carried a large bowl of steaming, fragrant meat, while Xuan Long placed a platter of roasted vegetables beside it.

Rong Ye and An Mo were setting out utensils, while Hu Yan brought over several freshly cooked sides. Shi Feng stood nearby holding a large pot of broth, the mouthwatering aroma filling the air.

And the eight cubs? They had already forgotten everything except the feast in front of them.

They quickly formed an orderly line beside the table. Xiao Yi scrambled onto his assigned seat, Lulu hopped up beside him, and Xiao Er, Xiao San, Mao Mao, Ruru, Ciao Ciao, and Yueyue followed suit.

Eight little bodies sat in a neat row, their wide eyes practically sparkling as they stared at the spread.

Su Qinglan couldn’t help laughing softly at the sight. "You little gluttons."

The cubs turned their heads instantly.

"Mommy!"

"Come sit!"

"Mommy, sit beside me!" Mao Mao said, shifting his round butt a little to make space, making her laugh even more.

Su Qinglan walked over slowly. Hu Yan was the first to notice her approach, his tense shoulders relaxing as his gaze softened. "Lanlan."