Chapter 104: Barrier
It took Zongfang a while to break free from his memories and find his voice.
His chest felt so choked up that he wanted to ask her if she liked that pretty boy, but the words stopped at his lips. He knew that if he asked her that, they would have another argument, and she would be sad, which would make him even more unhappy, so he swallowed his breath.
"Qiao Qiao, I was wrong. I didn't do the right thing. I shouldn't have left you alone, no matter what the reason. I shouldn't have ignored you either. What can I do to make you forgive me?"
Qiao Susu closed her eyes tiredly and gently pulled her hand out of his.
"You don't have to do this. We don't trust each other enough. If you weren't responsible for the press conference, then tell Soter not to interfere with my freedom. I can stay wherever I want. Also, I won't go back to the research center to be used as a specimen for research. Never."
Zong Fang looked at his empty hand, the sourness in his heart spread all the way to his mouth. In the end, he said nothing, stroked her head, said "OK", and stopped disturbing her rest.
Because the nine snake eggs were premature, they could only be incubated in an incubator.
Qiao Suisui felt better. She went to see them once, but found only ordinary eggs. She couldn't find which one had two heads, so she gave up. She told Zong Fang that if he wanted to take all the snake cubs, that was fine. Zong Fang looked at her in silence, suppressing the dull pain in his chest. He lowered his eyes and said, "I'll leave when you're better. If you don't want to see me, I'll try to avoid appearing in front of you."
In reality, Qiao Sui Sui simply disliked snakes, even fearing them to death. She had always left the cubs' affairs to men. But after this argument, she had no motivation to explain things to Zong Fang, and even less desire to share.
Luka and Liberi clearly noticed something was wrong between them, noticing that even when they were together, they spent more time in silence. Liberi, pleased to see this, went to great lengths to capture her attention, primarily using her beauty as a lure. Luka chose not to interfere, but he would often tell Qiao Suisui about the cubs' progress, such as who had fought with whom, who had bullied whom, who was picky about food, and he would show her videos of the cubs' adorable moments.
After a while, even if Qiao Sui Sui didn't care, she began to remember who was the boss, who had what personality, who was naughty and who was obedient. After all, no one can resist a fluffy little animal looking at you with its big eyes.
The four little lions were also brought to the royal court. Now that they were a little older, they could chase each other around. They loved to stick to Qiao Susu's feet when they had nothing to do. This was the natural attachment of the cubs to their mother.
Nao Nao was the most domineering, always clinging to her calf with his chubby paws, forbidding his brothers and sisters from approaching their mother. The little lions' nails were beginning to grow. One day, Nao Nao was pestering Qiao Sui Sui to play, and she had the servants make a cat teaser specifically for them. The little lions watched the feathers of the teaser rise and fall, their eyes fixed on it, and they pounced on it. Nao Nao stood up on his hind legs, trying to reach for the feathers with his paws, but he lost his balance and fell on her feet.
Qiao Susu likes to go barefoot. Liberi knows her habit, so the whole palace is covered with soft carpets for her. She doesn't wear shoes either. As a result, Nao Nao's claws scratched a thin cut on the sole of her foot, and blood oozed out of the wound.
She didn't care and didn't use her talent. She just wiped it with a tissue and continued playing with them.
After taking a shower and getting ready for bed in the evening, she felt a little dizzy and thought she was tired during the day, so she went to bed early. Luka came to see her after finishing his work in the evening and touched her head out of habit, but he found that she had a fever.
"Why is it like this all of a sudden?"
Liberi looked at the medical team with dissatisfaction, putting them under great pressure.
A doctor wiped his sweat and said, "We've examined Miss Qiao carefully. The incision has healed very well. There's not even a scar left. Perhaps... perhaps she just gave birth and is still weak. Did she catch a cold?"
The more he spoke, the less confident he became. The entire Imperial Court had been completely reheated, and Liberi had even hired a dedicated control team solely responsible for regulating the temperature. The various places Qiao Suisui frequented—the greenhouse, the garden, the greenhouse, her palace—were all controlled by specialists. Even the weather could be chosen to ensure she didn't catch a cold or get sick.
Liberi laughed at this answer, but he didn't embarrass anyone in person. He simply dismissed the medical team and said to his secretary, "What a bunch of losers! I'll treat them all. Find the best doctor right away and name your price."
After finishing his business here, he returned to the inner hall and saw Ruka holding her ankle, looking at something, while Munakata examined her. The previous argument hadn't been entirely without merit. While Munakata and Ruka Labri still had little to say, they were coexisting more harmoniously than before. At least he wasn't constantly looking for trouble anymore, and the three men now maintained a delicate surface of harmony.
Libery approached and asked, "Is the fever gone?"
"You took the medicine, but you're still sweating." Luka put her feet back under the quilt and tucked her back in. "I'm going to leave for a while. If she wakes up, don't give her ice water even if she asks for it."
Liberi nodded, thinking that her fever was related to her recent habit of staying out in the cold. Little did she know that Luka had gone back to take care of the cubs.
He walked to the cub's room, signaled several servants to leave, then pulled up a chair and sat down.
Although the four little lions have not transformed and cannot speak, they have already become intelligent. Seeing that their father is in a bad mood, they all line up and squat down very tactfully.
"I'm only asking once, who scratched Mom's feet? Now stand up and admit it."
The three little lions looked at each other, blinking their innocent eyes, not knowing what was happening. The one who was usually the most noisy and conspicuous was unusually quiet today, squatting there obediently with his head down.
Luka quickly solved the case. He frowned and called out Nao Nao's name. The little guy shuddered and didn't dare to move.
"Aren't you coming yet?"
Nao Nao walked over slowly, and the other three little ones couldn't help but get nervous for it.
Luka thought he was walking too slowly, so he grabbed the little lion in his hand and placed his palm against his belly, leaving his four paws hanging down without any strength.
"Pah—"
An extremely loud sound echoed in the room.
The other three were dumbfounded.
Naonao let out a cry, his eyes filled with tears.
Luka slapped him on the butt again and said, "You still have the nerve to shout? Shut up."
"Woo woo woo"
Nao Nao struggled with his four paws, unable to break free, like a little turtle.
Luka scolded him twice more and threw him to the ground. The little lion, this size, had already mastered jumping and balancing. Nao Nao landed lightly and quickly slipped behind his big brother to hide.
Luka crossed his arms and said to the four cubs, "Learn to sharpen your claws tomorrow. When you play with your mother from now on, don't be too rough."
The four little ones nodded in unison.
"Also, roll over in front of your mother more often, turn over on your belly, and rub your tail. Whoever does well will get a reward."
The four little ones nodded again.
(End of this chapter)
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