Chapter 371: Standoff

Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Standoff

The courtyard suddenly fell silent.

The eyes of every male in the courtyard snapped toward the entrance, fixing on Chou Rong as he slowly approached.

He was tall and powerfully built, his handsome face carrying a cold glint in the sunlight. His calm gaze swept over every Beast Husband present, as if he were silently assessing their strength.

The tiger cubs, who had been on high alert with their fur bristled, immediately perked up their ears upon seeing their Father Beast. Their tails shot high into the air as they rushed over without hesitation, circling Chou Rong’s feet excitedly and letting out soft, affectionate whines.

Then, they turned and snarled at the other Beast Husbands, their protective expressions clearly saying, ’Our dad is here now. Don’t even think about bullying our Mother.’

Chou Rong lowered his gaze, gently placing a broad hand on a tiger cub’s head. His deep voice carried an authority that permitted no argument. "Stop that. All of you, be quiet."

The tiger cubs immediately fell silent but continued to glare at the other males with their wide, round eyes.

Chou Rong looked up, his gaze once again falling on Bai Wanwan’s Beast Husbands.

His expression didn’t change, but a complex emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes.

’In just over a year, she’s already gathered so many powerful males. And every single one of them... seems to be my match.’

As his gaze swept across them, he noticed that all their eyes held a trace of hostility toward him.

’How amusing. I was clearly Bai Wanwan’s first male, yet they’re the ones staring at me so defensively.’

Soon, his gaze fell upon Zhu Xiu.

The two powerful males locked eyes, and it was as if sparks flew in the air between them.

In that brief instant, it was as if they had already exchanged several blows.

"Chou Rong," Xin Feng was the first to break the silence, his sharp, wolf-like eyes staring directly at him. "You should know that Wanwan has amnesia."

Bai Wanwan had been staring down, drawing circles on the ground with the tip of her foot, trying her best to fade into the background.

’In a chaotic confrontation like this, anything I say would be wrong. Better to just play ostrich and bury my head in the sand.’

But Xin Feng’s words had thrust her directly into the eye of the storm.

She had no choice but to lift her head, meet the gazes of the Beast Husbands, and flash a very strained smile.

Chou Rong didn’t flinch, simply nodding. "I know."

Xin Feng’s brow tightened. "If you know that, then what did you tell Wanwan? I recall that when you left with the cubs, you stated very clearly that you would have no further involvement with her."

’Huh? That happened?’

Bai Wanwan’s ears instantly perked up, as if she were listening in on someone else’s gossip.

Chou Rong’s expression remained unchanged, his tone calm. "That was indeed what I intended at the time. What happened between us was an accident from the start."

Yan Lie’s tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly. He even found that Yin Ze, standing next to him, suddenly seemed much less annoying.

’At least that guy came later,’ he thought. ’But Chou Rong... he had Wanwan before any of us, and she even bore his first litter of cubs.’

However, Chou Rong’s next words made the atmosphere freeze over once more.

"But I’ve changed my mind."

Zhu Xiu’s pitch-black vertical pupils constricted. His voice was frigid. "Reason?"

Chou Rong gave him a cool glance. "I don’t need to explain myself to you."

His gaze shifted to Bai Wanwan. "I only need to explain it to her."

The Beast Husbands tensed in an instant, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Chou Rong, however, seemed oblivious to their hostility. He turned to Bai Wanwan and said, "I need to speak with you. Come with me."

Bai Wanwan immediately glanced at her other Beast Husbands.

She smiled and gestured toward Chou Rong, who had already turned to leave. "I’ll go see what he has to say. I’ll be right out."

Once Bai Wanwan was gone, the remaining Beast Husbands struggled to suppress the emotions churning within them.

Jin Yi was the first to speak, unable to hide the dejection in his voice. "Wanwan doesn’t remember us..."

But Xin Feng countered, "We can’t blame her for that. We’re the ones who failed to protect her, causing her to lose her memory. Honestly... the fact that she’s standing before us, alive and well, is already the best possible result."

After Xin Feng said this, the turbulent emotions in the other Beast Husbands’ eyes slowly began to settle.

Yan Lie said, frustrated, "You’re right. I shouldn’t be angry. It’s not Wanwan’s fault. The ones to blame are those damned Eagle Beasts. In the future... I’ll destroy every last one of them."

While the Beast Husbands were processing their emotions, Bai Wanwan followed Chou Rong into the stone house.

"You heard them... I’m not really your Beast Husband."

But before Bai Wanwan could react, Chou Rong had already walked right up to her. "But you’ve come at the perfect time. The cubs are my weakness. With you and your Beast Husbands here, I can entrust them to you. Can you guarantee their safety?"

"Wait... what are you going to do?"

"I’m going to do something. If I don’t succeed, my life will be in danger, and the cubs’ safety will be at risk as well."

Bai Wanwan frowned. "I heard from Yin Ze that you’re an Orange Rank Beastman with very powerful Talent Power. You’re not confident you’ll succeed?"

Chou Rong managed a smile. "There are many Orange Rank Beastmen. You’re right, I’m not confident. So... if anything happens to me, you’ll have to take care of the cubs from now on."

"No!"

The word escaped Bai Wanwan’s lips before she could think. "You have to come back safely. The cubs are still young; they can’t lose their Father Beast."

Chou Rong gave her a long, deep look. "I will. I’m just telling you the worst-case scenario so you can be prepared."

Having said that, Chou Rong seemed to have nothing else to add. "I’ll be going now."

"Wait..."

Bai Wanwan caught up to him in a few quick steps, pulled the laser gun from her System Space, and pressed it into his hand. "The cubs need their Father Beast. Take this. It might save your life at a critical moment."

She pointed to the muzzle. "Aim this at your enemies. One shot can take down a Yellow Rank Male, and three can kill an Orange Rank male. But it only has ten shots in total, so use them carefully."

Surprise was written all over Chou Rong’s face, but he didn’t refuse it. Instead, he took the weapon and tucked it into his sleeve.

"Alright. Thank you."

"Don’t thank me. Your safe return will be thanks enough."

Chou Rong gave her one last deep look, then turned and strode away.

After Chou Rong left, the courtyard was quiet. Bai Wanwan walked to the doorway and glanced out, her eyes meeting the scorching gazes of her Beast Husbands.

Steeling herself, she started walking toward them.

But her steps were hesitant, and in her reluctance, her foot found a dip in the ground. Her ankle twisted, and she fell right off the steps.

The five males present immediately shot toward her.

But they were too far away and couldn’t reach her before she made intimate contact with the ground.

Her head hit the ground with a solid thud.

A flash of white light flared in her vision. She saw five handsome faces, all etched with anxiety and worry.

They seemed to be saying something, but she couldn’t hear a word.

Bai Wanwan opened her mouth to say something, but she only managed to get one word out. "I..."

Her eyelids slid shut on their own, and her consciousness sank into an endless darkness.

"Wanwan..."

’Who’s calling me?’

’The voice is so familiar, as if I’ve heard it somewhere before.’

Her body felt as if it were tightly bound, and she struggled with all her might.

Finally... she broke free of her bonds and her eyes snapped open.

But before her was nothing but a sea of blazing white...