Chapter 393: The Great Wheedling Art

Chapter 393: Chapter 393: The Great Wheedling Art

Shi Lan stared at the cub’s tender little paw, which he was tentatively lifting. The pads were still a pale pink. Without a hint of hesitation, she gently took it and brought it to her lips for a kiss.

Perhaps it tickled, because the corners of Yi Yi’s mouth curved up, and he let out a breathy laugh. Beneath his tiny, long nose, his little mouth trembled.

After playing with the little cub for a while, Shi Lan put him back down so he could continue practicing how to walk.

Yan Huoshui had been waiting patiently, not rushing the mother and son. Once he saw Shi Lan put the child down, he resumed his lesson.

Yi Yi was indeed a smart child with a quick grasp of things. After two days of practice, he had already stopped moving his arms and legs on the same side in unison. He was still a bit wobbly when he walked, however; his fluffy, chubby tail was probably a little heavy for his small body, and he hadn’t quite mastered his balance yet. He would occasionally fall on his bottom, his four paws curling up pitifully.

But he would quickly rally, scrambling back up to continue walking.

By the fifth day, he had finally stopped tripping over his own tail and falling flat on his face.

The whole family saw how rapidly he was progressing and decided to celebrate. Everyone took a turn lifting him up high.

Yi Yi loved it.

It was actually Mr. Lu Sr. who had taught them that.

As the first cub in the family, Yi Yi unsurprisingly became the center of everyone’s world. Everybody adored him.

Of course, the Beast Husbands’ affection often soured at night. The little cub had a habit of sneaking to Shi Lan’s room, knocking on the door, and then hiding as if playing hide-and-seek the moment she opened it.

Then, while Shi Lan was out of the room, he would take the opportunity to dive into her blankets or hide in the little mushroom house.

On several occasions, the men ran into him right after getting out of the shower. He would poke his small, fluffy red head out, blinking his big, innocent eyes and staring blankly at his other papas who had just appeared in the room.

It always scared them into clutching their bathrobes tighter, terrified they might drop and expose something they shouldn’t.

In truth, whenever it was one of the Beast Husbands’ turn to attend to their wife, Yan Huoshui would take the child to his own place. But the boy was small, and now that he could use Beastification and walk, he knew how to sneak out. There were always moments when Yan Huoshui’s attention would lapse.

After this happened a few times, Yan Huoshui began taking precautions so as not to disrupt the family’s nighttime harmony. Every time he put the child to sleep, he would cleverly lock the door from the outside.

Finally, the child could no longer get out and cause trouble.

However, this method only worked for a few months. In the fourth month after Yi Yi’s birth, once the little guy could walk and talk in his human form, he unleashed his ultimate weapon: charm. He would say to Shi Lan in the softest voice, "Mama, I want to sleep with you, okay?"

The first word Yi Yi said after learning to talk was "Mama." Every time Shi Lan heard it, her heart would melt into a puddle, and she felt like she could agree to anything her cub asked.

She, of course, had no objections, quickly replying, "Okay, okay! Yi Yi will sleep with Mama tonight."

"Okay, thank you, Mama."

The little guy lifted his chubby face, puckered his lips to give Shi Lan a kiss on the cheek, then glanced impassively at the other males nearby before proactively snuggling into Shi Lan’s arms.

’Mama is mine. No one tries to take her.’

The men watched, helpless. They couldn’t do anything about the child, not having the heart to be stern with the little cub. All they could do was glare resentfully at Yan Huoshui.

Yan Huoshui rubbed his forehead. ’This little rascal, always making enemies for me.’

However, they could only endure this for two weeks before they couldn’t take it anymore.

The cub had clung to Shi Lan for two straight weeks, leaving the Beast Husbands to endure two weeks of cold, lonely solitude without their wife’s company.

Jiang Xia was the first to rebel. When his turn came around according to the schedule, he picked up the little cub and plopped him into Yan Huoshui’s arms. "Be a good boy, Yi Yi. Papa Jiang is sleeping with Mama tonight. You sleep with your papa."

Yi Yi squirmed in Yan Huoshui’s embrace, his face wrinkled with displeasure. "Papa Jiang, you’re such a big person already, why do you still need Mama to sleep with you? Only little kids like me need that."

The little guy was full of arguments. He was smart and learned quickly; whenever Yan Huoshui taught him something, he could immediately grasp and apply the concepts. Now, not long after learning to speak, he could already string together long sentences.

"Papa Jiang, you’re the best Papa Jiang ever! Yi Yi is still little, so just let me sleep with Mama a little longer, please? Please?"

He fluttered his big red eyes, looking at him expectantly. Jiang Xia was left speechless and, his heart softening, he caved. "Alright."

Seeing this, the smile on Yi Yi’s lips vanished instantly. His expression turned serious as he reverted to his cool and aloof demeanor. "A grown-up never goes back on their word."

With that, he hugged Yan Huoshui’s arm tightly, stuck his little butt in the air, and slowly clambered down from his embrace before scurrying back to Shi Lan’s side.

Jiang Xia tightly wound his long, silver hair around his finger, feeling a stinging pain on his scalp. Something felt very wrong.

’Why do I feel like the little guy just tricked me?’

Watching the cub press himself into Shi Lan’s arms and pepper her cheeks with kisses, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d been duped.

Damn it, that was his wife!

The next day was Yan Huoshui’s turn. He didn’t spoil his son one bit, tossing him directly to Jiang Xia and the other two. After all, they were always wanting to play with Yi Yi, and now they had plenty of opportunities.

Yi Yi tried to sweet-talk his own father. "Papa, Papa, you’re the best papa ever! Let me have Mama for just one day~ Just one day~"

As he spoke, he even held up one small finger.

Yan Huoshui scoffed. "Your ’one day’ means a whole week. You said the same thing last week, and the week before that. This time, be a good boy and go play with your Papa Jiang and the others."

Yi Yi pouted. He knew he couldn’t get his way with his papa, so he tried to appeal to Shi Lan instead.

Yan Huoshui swiftly grabbed him by the back of his collar. "Don’t you go to your mother."

With that, he tossed him to Jiang Xia and the others.

Jiang Xia and the others had just been enjoying the show when a child was suddenly thrust into their arms. He and Mu Tangfeng fumbled to catch Yi Yi, while Ye Ming steadily supported the boy. Yi Yi ended up nestled against Jiang Xia’s chest, his hands wrapped around his neck.

Jiang Xia was a little disgruntled. "I didn’t even get to be with Lanlan yesterday. You could at least let the little guy have one more day."

Yan Huoshui narrowed his eyes, a half-smile playing on his lips. "Didn’t you all agree to it? I certainly didn’t."

Jiang Xia was speechless.

Mu Tangfeng chimed in, "Why don’t you ever control the little guy? Now you know how to use us?"

"Oh? Did I not try to stop him? But who is it that immediately says, ’Okay, okay, okay,’ every time Yi Yi turns on the charm? You have no objections, so what am I supposed to say?"

Mu Tangfeng also fell silent.

’The cub is so cute. When he acts all spoiled, it’s hard not to indulge him a little.’

Ye Ming pursed his lips and wisely kept quiet.

’It seems I’m the same. The little guy has been leading me by the nose without me even realizing it.’

Yan Huoshui spent the most time with the child and knew Yi Yi’s personality better than anyone. The little guy looked soft and obedient, but he was actually full of little schemes. He knew he could get his way just by acting cute, and he used that tactic every single time.

What’s more, he knew to use different methods on different people. With Ye Ming, he would praise him for being a good Monarch and a diligent person. With Mu Tangfeng, he would shower him with compliments about his looks. With Jiang Xia, he would use a mix of sweet talk and reason. The moment he achieved his goal, his expression would turn serious. Only with his own mother was he always sweet and smiley.

In short, it worked every time.