Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 387: Xiao San Finally Met His Godfather
She opened her mouth to protest, to tell him that such a name was far too intimate.
But when she looked up, she met An Mo’s "innocent" expression. He looked so sincere, so gentle, as if he truly just thought it was a more convenient way to speak.
"Qinglan is such a long name." An Mo continued, his voice dripping with honey.
"Why not Lan Lan? It suits you. It’s such a cute name for such a cute female."
Su Qinglan’s mouth twitched. Cute? She was a mother of three! She was a survivor! But looking at his "refined" face, she found herself unable to be rude.
She swallowed her pride and sighed. "As you please," she muttered. It doesn’t matter anyway. Once he takes the little girl, I’ll never see him again.
But just as she thought that, An Mo’s attention shifted. His gaze moved past her shoulder toward the blanket pile, and his eyes suddenly widened in genuine surprise.
Behind the sleeping "little demon" girl and the fluffy tiger cubs, a small, sleek head poked out from the covers.
It was Xiao San, the little snake cub. Who had actually woken up after feeling a very familiar presence.
An Mo’s expression shifted. The delight in his eyes was unmistakable.
Ah! So this is Xuan Long’s child, he thought, his heart swelling with a strange, triumphant joy.
The brat actually hatched! Without thinking, An Mo lowered his hand and opened his palm.
Su Qinglan was about to warn him. "Wait, An Mo! He’s very shy; he doesn’t like..."
She didn’t get to finish.
Xiao San, who usually hissed at anyone who dared to look at him, didn’t show a single sign of aggression.
Instead, he let out a happy, vibrating hiss.
With a quick, fluid motion, he slithered out from the blanket, twisting his small body across the ground before climbing right into An Mo’s lowered palm.
The little snake coiled himself around An Mo’s wrist, hissing softly and nuzzling his head against the man’s thumb. He was showing a level of affection that Su Qinglan had only ever seen him show to her or his father.
An Mo was equally thrilled. Even though they were meeting for the first time since the egg had hatched, the connection and the familiar aura of high-level power were something the cub recognized instantly.
An Mo stroked the little cub’s scales with a gentle finger.
The father is a useless, stingy old man, An Mo thought, a mischievous idea forming in his mind.
But the son is good. And the mate is beautiful. If I just kicked Xuan Long away and took them somewhere far away... life would be truly wonderful.
"Such a good boy," An Mo muttered, his voice full of genuine warmth.
Su Qinglan stood there, completely stunned. Her jaw was practically hanging open. She had never seen Xiao San approach a stranger like this.
He was the pickiest of all her children!
Usually, if a stranger touched him, he would complain for hours and insist on soaking in a bowl of warm water to "cleanse" himself of their scent.
But here he was, practically purring in this stranger’s hand.
Why? She wondered, her mind spinning. Why are they behaving like they’ve known each other forever? They look like... they look like father and son!
She looked at An Mo’s glowing, powerful aura and then at her little snake son.
A terrifying, confusing thought crossed her mind.
Is it possible... does this ’An Mo’ have something to do with Xuan Long?
"You... you seem to get along with him very well," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
An Mo looked up, the "gentlemanly" mask slipped just enough to show a flash of possessive fire. "We share a certain... understanding," he said darkly. "Don’t we, Lan Lan?"
On the other hand, Xiao San’s little heart was thumping against his ribs with a speed that would have worried Su Qinglan if she could feel it.
To her, it looked like a strange man was charming her pickiest son, but to Xiao San, this wasn’t a stranger at all.
Ever since he was a tiny, unhatched life curled inside a thick shell, he had been aware of the world.
While his brothers were just dreaming of milk and warmth, Xiao San had been absorbing the energies around him.
He remembered the deep, rumbling voice of his father, Xuan Long, but he also remembered this presence.
During those long days in the egg, a powerful, golden energy had often visited him, seeped through the shell, and wrapped around him like a warm, protective blanket.
It was the energy that had helped him stay strong when the world outside was cold.
It’s him! The golden warmth is here!
He practically launched himself. He wound his tail around An Mo’s thumb and rested his small, cool head against the man’s pulse point, closing his eyes in pure bliss.
Finally, the "voice" from the egg had a face!
An Mo’s expression softened into something truly rare...genuine tenderness. He ignored the "gentleman" act for a moment and used his other hand to carefully support the cub’s weight.
Su Qinglan was about to say something when a sudden, loud THUD came from the blanket pile.
The "little demon" girl had woken up.
She sat up with her hair messy and her eyes half-closed, looking around for her favorite toy. When she saw Xiao San...her intended snack...wrapped affectionately around her charming uncle, her face turned bright red.
"Mine!" she shrieked, pointing a chubby finger at Xiao San. "My sssnake! My Uncle!"
She scrambled off the bed, charging toward An Mo’s legs like a tiny, round bull.
An Mo let out a long, weary sigh, the "deity" aura flickering for a moment. "And the peace is officially over," he muttered.
She had successfully reached his legs. She didn’t just climb him; she treated his expensive-looking robes like a mountain, pulling herself up until she was tucked firmly into the crook of his other arm, opposite Xiao San.
She began rubbing her teary face against his chest, let out a tiny, heartbroken sniffle, and looked at An Mo with wide, "please love me" eyes.
