Chapter 20

Wu Qingluan rubbed her eyes, then rubbed them again to make sure. What she was witnessing was real—following behind the youngest son as he climbed upstairs was a fluffy, furry tail!

A lightning bolt of realization struck her. All the strange and inexplicable events that had occurred recently flashed through her mind.

“Wait!” she shouted, and in three quick steps, she caught up with Yu Jue and grabbed hold of the snowy-white tail that swayed behind him.

“Ah!” Yu Jue let out a cry of agony and tumbled headfirst down the stairs.

Fortunately, he didn’t roll far before being caught by a pair of large hands.

Wu Qingluan stared in astonishment at the piece of tail that remained in her hand. She had just… plucked off the tail?

She numbly pinched the tail again. It felt real, soft, and even warm. There was no way it could be fake!

“Wow, my head hurts! My butt hurts, waaah!” Below her, the youngest son, held in Yu Xuanwei’s arms, wailed loudly.

Meeting Yu Xuanwei’s gaze, Wu Qingluan raised the fox’s tail and found herself at a loss for words. What could she say? “I’m sorry, I thought your son was a demon, a fox spirit, or a dog monster?”

Without hesitation, Yu Xuanwei patted the youngest son’s butt, and he immediately stopped crying, although he still clung tightly to Yu Xuanwei, gazing at Wu Qingluan with his teary, red eyes.

Finally finding her voice, Wu Qingluan said, “It was a misunderstanding.”

The youngest son complained, “I was playing cosplay. Why did you take away my prop?”

“Co…splay? Prop!” Wu Qingluan’s lips twitched. She hurriedly shoved the fake tail back into the youngest son’s arms, apologizing in a fluster, “I’m sorry!”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Yu Xuanwei’s sharp gaze swept over his youngest son’s face, making him shiver. He reached out to Wu Qingluan, asking her to hold him.

Yu Xuanwei scolded, “Behave yourself!”

Wu Qingluan said, “You should take him to the hospital quickly. He drank quite a bit of alcohol, and just in case…”

Yu Xuanwei nodded, “Right, let’s go.”

“Hmm,” Yu Xuanwei turned and went downstairs.

In his arms, Yu Jue struggled desperately, screaming for help: “Save me, I don’t want him to take me away!”

Yu Xuanwei took Yu Jue away, leaving Wu Qingluan with a muddled mind. She sat in the living room for a long time, feeling that something was very wrong. It seemed like she had forgotten something important…

Yu Jue stayed in the hospital for a week, officially diagnosed with alcohol poisoning and placed under observation. Wu Qingluan repeatedly expressed her desire to visit him but was firmly rejected by Yu Xuanwei. Judging by the ice-cold expression on Yu Xuanwei’s face whenever he mentioned Yu Jue, Wu Qingluan suspected that he was not in the hospital but rather imprisoned somewhere.

In fact, Wu Qingluan was correct. This time, the troublemaker, Yu Jue, had indeed angered Yu Xuanwei and was confined to a small dark room as punishment. Besides the mind-numbing books, his only company was the golden rope that enjoyed tying him up. Whenever Yu Jue slacked off and didn’t write his repentance letter, he would receive a painful whipping from the golden rope.

Yu Jue endured this ordeal for seven days. On the last day, Yu Xuanwei arrived with the older brothers to inspect his progress in reflection.

In front of his brothers, Yu Jue’s  face turned red. Under Yu Xuanwei’s coercion, he loudly read his repentance letter and expressed that he would never misbehave again. Only then was he released from the small dark room.

Seeing Yu Jue again after seven days, Wu Qingluan was genuinely happy. She hugged him tightly and gave him a thorough rubdown. Yu Jue, overwhelmed by emotions, cried heartily in her arms, vowing that he would never dare to upset his father again. He would never make his father angry again, sobbing and sobbing!

Yu Xuanwei used Yu Jue’s punishment as a warning to discipline him and, at the same time as a warning for Yu Lang and Yu Jin. He emphasized that they should be cautious and never reveal their identities without his permission, especially when the timing was not right.

Yu Jue had always been the type to quickly forget his punishments. Despite his intense crying, after being released, he soon returned to his usual lively self. After dinner, he went to chase the chickens in the yard and ended up rolling in the mud. He then pestered Wu Qingluan to give him a bath. Wu Qingluan naturally didn’t refuse, as taking care of one child was no different from taking care of the triplets.

However, Yu Xuanwei, hearing the laughter and joyful voices of the women and children in the bathroom, couldn’t help but feel a hint of bitterness on his usually cold face.

Inside the bathroom, Wu Qingluan bathed Yu Jue while discreetly observing him. There didn’t seem to be anything unusual about him. He looked like an ordinary human child, but perhaps a bit fairer, chubbier, and cuter.

Ever since visiting Qinglong Temple, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there had been some strange and inexplicable occurrences around her. Wu Qingluan felt like she was lost in a fog.

After the bath, she helped the three children get dressed and dried their hair. Almost absentmindedly, she picked up the remote control, turned on the TV, and played an episode of “Inuyasha.”

As Wu Qingluan watched the animated character Shippo, a seven-tailed fox demon, dragging a large tail behind him, the image of Yu Jue  swinging his tail that night flashed in her mind. Cosplay? When did Yu Jue buy a tail prop? She couldn’t seem to recall.

The Yu Jin became captivated by the animation and mumbled, “I want a sword like Tessaiga too.”

Wu Qingluan chuckled. Yu Jin  was usually the quietest among them, and she hadn’t expected him to be a fan of the fierce and savage Tessaiga. It seemed that he was indeed a boy. She said, “I thought you might prefer the Tenseiga, which has the power to resurrect.”

Yu Jin  replied, “Incompetent people are the ones who can’t protect their loved ones. I won’t give myself the chance to use the Tenseiga.”

Wu Qingluan was taken aback by his unexpectedly strong and assertive words. Wait, why did he suddenly become so cold?

Unbeknownst to them, Yu Xuanwei appeared silently behind Yu Jin and looked down at him. “What are you implying?”

Yu Jin  was startled and shook his head repeatedly, quickly seeking refuge in Wu Qingluan’s embrace.

Yu Jue, with a loud “Aah,” pounced on them, pushing the second child away. “Second brother, you have no self-respect to envy such low-level half-demons!”

Yu Jin was knocked off the couch by his younger brother but quickly retaliated, engaging in a playful wrestling match with him.

Yu Xuanwei reached out and unceremoniously separated the tangled wrestling duo, making room for himself to sit next to Wu Qingluan. The eldest child watched them solemnly and automatically moved away from the commotion.

As Yu Xuanwei settled next to her, Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but straighten her back. She asked, “Are you going to watch too?”

Yu Xuanwei glanced at the TV screen with a critical eye. “Just a mere half-demon.”

Wu Qingluan rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, don’t ruin my childhood memories.”

Yu Xuanwei continued to scrutinize the screen where Inuyasha, the half-demon in red attire, was displayed. “Do you like this type of character?”

Wu Qingluan replied enthusiastically, “I do! Look at his ears and tail; they must be so soft to touch. Who wouldn’t want a canine-style boyfriend?”

Yu Xuanwei remained silent for a while and then said, “You can touch mine.”

Wu Qingluan: What is he saying? Is he making inappropriate comments? What is he implying?!

Yu Xuanwei also realized that he misspoke and chose not to say anything further. Instead, he extended his long arm and embraced Wu Qingluan.

There were still children playing on the couch, and Wu Qingluan bounced up like a spring. “I’m done watching; I’m going to bed.”

Wu Qingluan locked herself in the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. She looked at herself in the mirror, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes sparkling, very different from her past self.

Wu Qingluan, oh, Wu Qingluan, are you really going to be with Yu Xuanwei?

Her current situation was quite dangerous. She used to think she could be carefree about it, even if she slept with Yu Xuanwei, thinking it would be just adults fulfilling their needs. But now, something had changed, and it was no longer the same.