Chapter 499 - 496: Take It

Chapter 499: Chapter 496: Take It

Her tone was clearly unwelcoming, with a hint of panic.

Bai Wanwan paid no mind to her attitude. She even wore a nonchalant smile as she sat down on a stone stool in the room.

Lan Yi realized her slip of the tongue and immediately tried to explain. "I... I didn’t mean it like that."

Bai Wanwan couldn’t care less. Two powerful males stood by her side like guardian gods.

Lan Yi’s gaze swept over Yin Ze’s cold, stern face and Hua Han’s hostile glare. Composing herself, she finally spoke, her tone a strange mix of grievance and accusation. "I’ve seen the Beast Husbands you have with you. Each one is more powerful and exceptional than the last. So... after you left me, you didn’t actually suffer much hardship, did you? You’ve been doing very well."

"Mm, and?" Bai Wanwan raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.

"In that case..." Lan Yi’s voice grew louder, as if she had found some confidence. "You shouldn’t blame me! Back then, giving birth to you damaged my very core. The Clan Witch said I might never be able to have cubs again."

"And you... you were just a useless female. Your life force was so faint, it looked like you weren’t going to survive! I was a female from an outside tribe, with no support here. I had no choice. I had to do it! I just wanted to protect my status and keep my mate. What did I do wrong?"

She grew more agitated as she spoke, as if she were the true victim wronged by fate.

"So," Bai Wanwan’s voice was as cold as ice, "for the sake of your future and status, you could abandon your own daughter with a clear conscience and leave her to fend for herself? You think you were justified?"

Lan Yi was at a loss for words, her face flushing red. Her voice became quieter, but she still tried to justify herself unwillingly. "You... you’re fine now, aren’t you? And you even have so many powerful Beast Husbands..."

"That’s because I was tough and lucky!" Bai Wanwan’s voice suddenly rose, laced with suppressed fury. "If I hadn’t been lucky, I would have died long ago in some nameless corner, eaten by wild beasts until not even my bones were left!"

Intimidated by her aura, Lan Yi shrank back but still forced herself to say, "You were lucky, and now you have everything, so... so you can’t blame your Mother and Father Beast! You should..."

"Should what?" Bai Wanwan cut her off with a cold laugh.

"You should go convince your Father Beast!" Lan Yi said urgently, as if clutching at a lifeline. "Go tell him you don’t blame me anymore, and that he shouldn’t blame me either! If you’re the one to say it, he’ll definitely listen! I... I’ll accept you, too."

A glimmer of hope shone in her eyes.

’To her,’ Bai Wanwan thought, ’my existence is just a tool to win back Jiao Yuan.’

Watching Lan Yi’s entitled, unremorseful expression, a cold, malicious thought took root in Bai Wanwan’s heart.

She had been an orphan in her previous life and had once longed for the warmth of a family.

’But a mother like Lan Yi... that’s truly more terrifying than having no mother at all!’

"You want me to help you..." Bai Wanwan deliberately drew out her words.

Lan Yi nodded eagerly, a smile even appearing on her face.

"...In your dreams!" Bai Wanwan even gave her a vicious smile.

The smile on Lan Yi’s face instantly froze, replaced by shock and disbelief.

Bai Wanwan shot to her feet, looking down at her with a bone-chillingly cold gaze. "If you didn’t want me, why did you give birth to me? After casually tossing me aside like trash, now you want to use me as a tool to win back your male? How could there be such a good deal in this world?"

Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was like a dagger. "Rest assured, not only will I not help you, I’ll also make you taste what it’s like to be thrown away and abandoned!"

She originally had no desire to interfere in the affairs between Jiao Yuan and Lan Yi, but Lan Yi’s shamelessness made her feel a bone-deep sorrow and rage on behalf of the body’s original owner, who had long since passed away.

With that said, she turned away without a second glance at Lan Yi’s ashen face and trembling body, resolutely striding away with Yin Ze and Hua Han.

Lan Yi’s hysterical sobs and curses followed her, but she turned a deaf ear to them.

After leaving Lan Yi, Bai Wanwan went straight to the stone house where Jiao Yuan was recuperating.

"Father Beast, are you feeling better?" she asked as she pushed the door open. Her voice held a hint of softness she herself hadn’t noticed, born from the fact that Jiao Yuan had risked his life to save her.

Jiao Yuan, who had been leaning against the stone bed and staring blankly at a piece of fruit, snapped his head up at the sound of "Father Beast." An immense, joyous surprise erupted in his eyes.

His face was radiant, and he was so excited he almost leaped out of bed. Where was the slightest sign of injury?

"Better! All better! Your Father Beast is completely healed, Wanwan, don’t worry! Look, your Father Beast can jump and leap..." He was about to get out of bed to demonstrate.

"Alright, alright," Bai Wanwan said, helplessly holding him down as a barely perceptible smile touched her eyes. "Making a fuss the moment you feel a bit better."

Seeing his daughter’s faintly chiding gaze, Jiao Yuan felt a wave of warmth wash over him, sweeter than the sweetest Honey Fruit.

He immediately sat up straight like an obedient child.

"Father Beast," Bai Wanwan said, sitting by his bed. Her tone was calm but carried a note of farewell. "I’m leaving tomorrow. I’ll be leaving the Flood Dragon Tribe and returning to the other continent. You... please take care of yourself."

"Leaving?" The smile on Jiao Yuan’s face froze, as if a bucket of ice water had been thrown on him. "Why... why so soon? Can’t... can’t you stay a few more days? Father Beast..." His eyes were filled with reluctance.

’In just a few days, I learned that my daughter had been switched at birth, and I found my biological daughter.’

’But we’ve only just been reunited, and now she’s leaving.’

"The other continent is where I grew up. It’s my home, my roots are there, and my cubs are waiting for me," Bai Wanwan said softly but firmly.

Jiao Yuan’s heart felt as if it were being viciously squeezed, and he closed his eyes in pain.

’That’s right,’ he thought. ’If it weren’t for Lan Yi... how could my daughter call such a faraway place home? Her roots should be here!’

Seeing his pained expression, Bai Wanwan sighed inwardly and softened her tone. "But don’t worry, Father Beast. In the future... when I have time, I’ll come back to see you." It was the only promise she could make.

"Can’t... can’t you stay?" Jiao Yuan’s voice was a humble plea.

"I can’t." Bai Wanwan shook her head, meeting his gaze frankly. "As long as I see your mate, Lan Yi, I’m reminded of how she abandoned me all those years ago, leaving me to suffer so many hardships in another world that I never should have endured..."

Her words were like needles, piercing Jiao Yuan’s heart.

The pain in Jiao Yuan’s eyes deepened, filled with helplessness and self-blame.

Feeling she had laid enough groundwork, Bai Wanwan’s expression turned serious. "Father Beast, it’s understandable that you dote on your female. But as the chief of the tribe, you must always remain rational and impartial. Excessive favoritism and indulgence will not only harm the innocent but could also bring an irreversible disaster upon the entire tribe."