Thank you, quayA, for the ko-fi~
Though Yin Shuang spoke those words, his hands never stopped trying to contact Chi Rong and Qing Hao.
Wu Jin could sense their concern.
“You should go check on them. I’ll take good care of Xiao Yi here.”
Wu Jin urged the dragons to leave and search for Chi Rong and Qing Hao.
Yin Shuang shook his head.
He glanced in Yu Yi’s direction. “Yu Yi’s condition is unstable. We might need to return to the sea at any moment.”
They had prepared several contingency plans regarding Yu Yi’s situation.
In their emergency plans, Yu Yi might need to be taken back to the sea to lay his eggs there.
At such a critical moment, they couldn’t all leave.
“I’ll leave the other dragons here,” Yin Shuang said. “I’ll go alone to see if the two of them have gotten lost.”
Xiao Hong’s sense of direction wasn’t great, but Qing Hao’s was usually reliable.
Yin Shuang had another suspicion. He wondered if Qing Hao, who normally had a decent sense of direction, had been led astray by the directionally challenged Chi Rong.
“Are you sure you can manage alone?”
“Yes,” Yin Shuang replied. “We’re dragons. Nothing dangerous will happen to us.”
They were sea dragons, divine dragons, celestial beings on par with phoenixes.
Once Yin Shuang made up his mind to go, he didn’t waste any time.
After speaking, he prepared to leave.
Yu Ye called out to stop him.
By then, Yin Shuang had already transformed into a silver dragon. Since everyone in the courtyard was family, Yin Shuang wasn’t worried about being exposed.
As the man and the dragon locked eyes, before Yu Ye could even voice his thoughts, Yin Shuang let out a low roar.
“Roar!”
I’m not taking you!
With that, Yin Shuang turned and flew away.
Wu Jin watched the departing silver dragon, then turned to look at his elder brother.
He was a bit slow to react. “What did Yin Shuang mean by that?”
Yu Ye hadn’t said anything. Why had the silver dragon roared like that?
“Wu Jin, come here.”
Yu Yi called his dragon over.
Wu Jin returned to sit beside Yu Yi and began massaging his legs.
Yu Yi’s belly wasn’t very large, only slightly rounded, looking almost like a small potbelly.
But only when touched could one tell it wasn’t just extra weight.
Inside his belly was a tiny life.
Wu Jin was worried about Yu Yi and also about the egg.
Every so often, he would press his ear against Yu Yi’s stomach to listen for any movement from the egg inside.
“Xiao Yi, are you uncomfortable right now?”
“Not at all.”
Yu Yi stroked Wu Jin’s head. Even with his elder brother and the other dragons around, he didn’t hold back.
He pinched Wu Jin’s cheeks.
Perhaps because his mood had suddenly lifted, his affection toward Wu Jin became visibly more intimate.
Yu Ye didn’t linger to watch them and left the courtyard directly.
The other dragons also averted their gazes.
They were all quite innocent. The last time they accidentally witnessed Wu Jin and Yu Yi kissing, their faces had burned with embarrassment for a long time.
That very night, Bai Chen—the most reclusive of their dragon group—had even announced his intention to start dating!
Seeing all the couples around him, he had grown envious.
Bai Chen vowed to experience the most romantic love story ever!
The other dragons knew he rarely went out or socialized, so they understood his declaration was mostly just talk.
As Yin Shuang flew off, Yu Yi nuzzled Wu Jin’s face for a moment before joining in to help.
He knew that Feng Qi and the others couldn’t use their phones while filming the show.
So he inquired about Director Li’s phone number.
Director Li was the program director. It would be relatively easy for him to arrange for someone to take the call.
Not long after.
Director Li, who was still busy, received Yu Yi’s call.
Director Li was already aware of Yu Yi’s identity beforehand. He answered the phone politely and respectfully.
“Director Li.”
Yu Yi was also very courteous to the director: “I need to speak with Feng Qi and Yuan Yuan about something. Could you help me get in touch with them?”
“Of course.”
Director Li replied with a smile: “But you’ll have to wait a moment. Yuan Yuan is hiding right now, so we need to find him first.”
“Alright. Just call me back once you find them.”
“Sure thing.”
The call was brief, with neither side wasting words.
After hanging up, Director Li went to look for Feng Yuan.
The morning’s games had driven Feng Yuan wild with excitement.
He had even changed his clothes once in between.
Because the clothes he wore in the morning had gotten so dirty they were practically unwearable.
The little ones weren’t on the same team, but opposing ones. Yet, that didn’t stop them from having fun.
When Director Li found Feng Yuan, he was inside a water vat.
Taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, he had hidden in the vat, which still had water in it.
Rong Rong was also in the vat.
The two little ones had fallen asleep inside. Yu Yiming, who discovered them by the vat, was so frightened his legs went weak.
Yu Yiming had thought they had drowned.
Hearing Yu Yiming’s scream, Feng Qi and Bo Han rushed over.
They also saw the situation inside the vat.
However, they didn’t scream.
Each father picked up his own child.
After lifting Feng Yuan, Feng Qi gave his little bottom a few smacks.
“Feng Yuan, I just changed your clothes!”
Feng Qi had brought plenty of clothes for this program recording.
He knew his chubby son’s tendencies, so he had packed a lot of clothes and shoes.
But even with so many, it still couldn’t keep up with how quickly the little guy dirtied them.
Feng Yuan was already used to having his bottom spanked.
His eyes closed, his sweat-dampened curly hair was a mess.
Feng Qi carried him aside to make a phone call.
Soon, Yu Yi’s call connected.
The two began discussing Chi Rong and Qing Hao over the phone.
Feng Qi replied: “No.”
Feng Qi was very certain: “From last night until now, neither Yuan Yuan nor I have seen them.”
Feng Yuan had been keeping himself extremely busy all day.
If Chi Rong and Qing Hao had come, he would definitely be playing with his dragon uncles instead of wandering around the village, bothering even the cats and dogs.
“Could Chi Rong and Qing Hao have gotten lost?”
“I’ll search around here in a bit.”
As Feng Qi spoke with Yu Yi, their conversation turned to Feng Yuan.
Feng Qi sighed softly: “When the show airs, you’ll see for yourself. This little guy doesn’t have a single moment of downtime.”
“Dad!”
Just as Feng Qi was talking about him, the child in his arms, who had unknowingly opened his eyes, heard the phone conversation.
He even heard his dad tattling on him!
“Yuan Yuan is good!”
The chubby little guy, with his unclear self-awareness, thought he was extremely well-behaved.
His small chubby hand grabbed the phone as he called out to his godfather.
“Godfather, how are you?”
“Is Eggy okay?”
“Tell Eggy that big brother will be home soon!”
Feng Yuan had only napped briefly in the water vat and was now fully recharged.
He held the phone, chattering away in his milky voice to Yu Yi for quite a while.
Feng Qi reminded him from the side, “Yuan Yuan, we haven’t finished recording the show yet. Say goodbye to your godfather.”
They had only stepped aside temporarily to make the call.
Everyone else was still recording.
Hearing his dad’s urging, Feng Yuan reluctantly handed the phone back.
In the few days they had been out, not only had the adults been without phones or computers, but the children hadn’t touched them either.
Yu Qingqing had been throwing a tantrum just this morning.
She wanted to watch cartoons and play the little games on her mom’s phone.
Yu Yiming watched her fuss but couldn’t magically produce a phone for her.
With the internet so widespread nowadays, children are exposed to it much earlier than in the past.
Younger and younger kids are developing internet addictions.
Some children as young as one year old have already picked up the habit of being glued to screens.
Feng Yuan’s own internet addiction had been quite severe.
If Feng Qi hadn’t given him a few solid spankings, his addiction probably wouldn’t have lessened.
“Dad is going to return the phone to Uncle Li.”
Feng Qi handed the phone back to Director Li, then took Feng Yuan to continue recording the second half of the day’s program.
“Dad, let’s go find the dragon uncles.”
“We’ll look for them later.”
Right now, all the guests and crew members are busy.
The father-son pair couldn’t hold up the entire production just for themselves.
Besides, the sea dragons were powerful creatures. Aside from getting lost, they wouldn’t face any real danger.
Feng Qi gently coaxed his son, promising they would search for the dragon uncles once the recording was over.
“Okay.”
Feng Yuan nodded and followed his dad back to filming.
The show had no script, only tasks.
Whether it was the little ones or the parents, their genuine reactions were both authentic and hilarious.
They filmed until evening. Little Boss Yuan had already changed clothes three times.
The evening meal was made up of ingredients the guests had won during the day.
Bo Han and Rong Rong, the father-son pair, had successfully completed their tasks earlier in the day.
Their success was entirely thanks to Feng Yuan.
During dinner, Yu Yiming teased Feng Yuan and Rong Rong with a smile.
“These two little ones are really close. They look like they belong to the same family.”
Rong Rong didn’t cling to any other child, steadfastly acting as Feng Yuan’s little shadow.
Feng Yuan, in turn, included Rong Rong in everything he did.
The closeness between the two was plain to see.
Perhaps because of their children’s bond, their fathers—who had once stirred up quite a storm online—now seemed to have become friends.
“I need a good rest tonight.”
Bo Han rubbed his lower back and said to Feng Qi, “Your Yuan Yuan is really heavy.”
While completing a task earlier, Bo Han had carried Feng Yuan for a while.
Not only was the little boy chubby, but he had also been overly excited during the game.
The little guy squirmed restlessly in his arms, causing Bo Han to strain his back.
“Alright, rest well tonight. I’ll take care of Rong Rong for a while.”
Feng Qi chuckled and added, “But I’m going to look for the dragons. Before I return, let Yuan Yuan keep Rong Rong company.”
“Sounds good. Didn’t you bring homework for Yuan Yuan? Let them sit together and work on it.”
Bo Han suggested, “When you get back, you can check his progress.”
Although Rong Rong hadn’t started kindergarten yet, Bo Han had been teaching him at home.
The little guy was far from illiterate.
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow, considering Bo Han’s idea a rather good one.
Soon, the recording session completely ended, and it was time for a break.
Feng Qi, who had originally planned to take Feng Yuan along to find the dragons, discussed with him: “Your Uncle Bo Han has strained his back and needs to rest. Could you stay home and watch Rong Rong for a while, and also finish your homework? How does that sound?”
Feng Yuan: “…”
Without a second thought, Feng Yuan shook his head.
His chubby little face was serious as he declared, “Yuan Yuan can take care of Rong Rong, but Yuan Yuan won’t do homework!”
Feng Qi: “You should do some homework.”
Feng Qi had brought his homework along several days ago, but he hadn’t written a single word since then.
At this rate, Feng Qi suspected that the homework he’d brought would remain unfinished even after they left.
“Be good and write two pages of homework. No slacking off.”
“Rong Rong has studied at home, too. You can let him take a look at your homework.”
Feng Qi assigned the tasks to his son.
Then, he left alone.
Bo Han’s house was a bit larger, and there was a desk inside.
Feng Yuan’s homework notebook had already been placed on the desk by his dad.
Reluctantly, Feng Yuan sat down at the desk, clutching his pencil for a long time without writing a single word.
Instead, he drew a little turtle on his homework notebook.
Rong Rong touched the little turtle and drew one himself.
His drawing looked even more realistic than Feng Yuan’s.
Seeing that Rong Rong could draw, Feng Yuan immediately started a competition with him.
The two little ones drew turtles one moment and kittens the next, giggling as they sketched.
Bo Han watched the heartwarming scene of the two children getting along, a smile spreading across his face.
Lying in bed, he grew drowsy as he watched.
“Yuan Yuan, Rong Rong, be good and do your homework. Daddy is going to take a nap.”
Bo Han had never been the diligent type.
At home, aside from spending time with his son, he avoided doing anything else if he could help it.
This trip to record the show had completely worn him out.
He was exhausted and weary, his eyelids heavy with sleep.
Bo Han fell asleep almost instantly.
Within seconds, he was sound asleep.
Feng Yuan turned his little face and, seeing that Bo Han was asleep, became even less inclined to do his homework.
Together with Rong Rong, he made a mess of his homework notebook.
After a while, Feng Yuan suddenly remembered something.
“Dad will check my homework when he comes back.”
Feng Yuan hadn’t written a single word of his homework yet.
Looking at the scribbled and doodled homework notebook, his little mind was very clear—
If his dad saw this homework, he’d get a spanking again.
“Rong Rong, let’s go outside to do our homework.”
Feng Yuan packed all his homework into his backpack, jumped down from the chair, and stretched out his little arms to help Rong Rong stand on the ground.
“It’s too hot inside. Let’s go outside to cool off.”
Feng Yuan insisted on going outside to do his homework.
Rong Rong glanced outside, blinked his eyes, and said slowly, “Dark dark.”
It was already dark outside.
Feng Yuan found two flashlights, one to strap to his head and one to hold in his hand.
“Alright, now it won’t be dark anymore.”
Feng Yuan had a reason for wanting to do his homework outside.
Outside, there was water. If his homework notebook fell into the water, it would be an accident.
There were also many trees outside. If he tripped over a branch and his little backpack got lost, that would also be an accident.
And then there were the nearby mountains. If his little backpack decided to go play in the mountains by itself, no one would be able to find it.
Feng Yuan’s eyes darted around as he came up with a whole bag of tricks.
Rong Rong had no idea about the little schemes he was brewing. He obediently held Feng Yuan’s hand as they walked out together.
Before the two little ones left, Feng Yuan deliberately packed some snacks.
The snacks he brought weren’t things like cookies or chips, but rather fried fruit balls made by the villagers themselves.
Thus equipped, the little yellow chick and the little fox set off together, leaving the village.
As they stepped out, both of them transformed into their original forms.
Traveling in their original forms made them less conspicuous.
It was a little past seven in the evening.
Although the villagers weren’t out and about anymore, they weren’t asleep yet.
A child in the village was playing by the window when he spotted a plump little chick and a snow-white little fox in the distance.
The chick and the fox were running side by side.
Behind the chick, a tiny backpack was dragged along the ground.
The child stared, dumbfounded.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to get a clearer look.
But the chubby chick and the little fox had already vanished.
“Grandma!”
The child, who lived with his grandmother, yelled out, “Grandma, there’s a chicken, a little yellow chick with a backpack running away!”
“And a little fox!”
The child cried out excitedly to his grandmother, but she thought he was talking nonsense.
“There’s never been a fox in our village. And what kind of chicken carries a backpack? You must’ve imagined it.”
The gray-haired grandmother nagged as she urged her grandson to take a bath and go to bed.
“Look at you, covered in dirt every day.”
As the two chatted inside, the grandson, being hurried to bathe, insisted stubbornly that he hadn’t imagined anything.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”
The little yellow chick, dragging his backpack all the way to the outskirts of the village, proudly flapped his short, chubby wings. “Chirp!”
We made it out without anyone noticing!
The little white fox nodded, its dark, glistening round eyes gazing trustingly at the chick.
The two little ones had run quite far.
They were very close to the mountain that Feng Yuan had wanted to visit during the day.
“Chirp?”
Feng Yuan wanted to go into the mountains to ditch his backpack.
He was asking Rong Rong if he wanted to come along.
Rong Rong’s fluffy tail swept the ground. It was a gesture of agreement.
Feng Yuan wasted no time. His decisiveness was one of his strengths.
Together, the two ventured into the mountains.
Feng Yuan had originally planned to go just a little way in, toss the backpack, and head home.
But then, in a patch of grass, he spotted a red scale.
“This is Uncle Red Dragon’s scale!”
Feng Yuan picked up the scale with his beak, placed it on an open patch of ground, and examined it closely, sniffing at it.
He was certain. This was a scale from Uncle Red Dragon’s body!
A dragon’s scales were incredibly sturdy and rarely fell off.
Seeing this scale, Feng Yuan grew anxious.
“Yuan Yuan must find the dragon uncles!”
He no longer cared about how to discreetly dispose of his backpack.
He simply dropped it right where he stood and began trotting off on his little claws to search for the red dragon.
Rong Rong followed closely behind.
In the vast, interconnected mountain forest, Feng Yuan sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of Uncle Red Dragon.
But the forest was clean.
There were no traces of any scent.
Feng Yuan couldn’t smell his dad’s scent either.
The two little ones wandered through the forest for what felt like an eternity, until they realized they could no longer find their way back.
This forest was like the escape room game they had played during the day—
They were trapped.
Just as the two little ones found themselves lost in the mountains, inside the nine-tailed fox’s room, a silent, dark mist began to envelop everything.
In his slumber, the nine-tailed fox’s clothes began to vanish, piece by piece.
A secret and humiliating sensation forced his eyes open.
Yet, when he opened them, he could see nothing clearly before him.
His vision was shrouded in a dark mist.
Something slick and tentacle-like…
He struggled to break free, but to no avail.
“Get lost!”
Bo Han practically spat the word out through gritted teeth.
He couldn’t see what was in front of him.
But he knew that something was there.
He was urging it to leave.
Bo Han’s attempts to drive it away and his curses had no effect.
Amid the long-forgotten pain, his hands unconsciously gripped the plush toy on the bed.
This small, fluffy toy belonged to Rong Rong.
He had just finished sewing it for him.
The toy pulled Bo Han’s teetering sanity back from the brink.
“Rong Rong.”
“Rong Rong is still here…”
He called out Rong Rong’s name, but it was useless.
A low, chilling voice echoed in his ear.
“Fox, who did you secretly have a little fox with?”
Bo Han: “…”
Enraged by the provocation, Bo Han’s words turned sharp. “I’ll have one with whomever I want. As long as it’s not with you, I’m happy!”
The room remained filled with dark mist.
Director Li, who had rushed over, knocked on the door.
After a few knocks with no response, he had no choice but to leave.
He then went to Xiao Putao’s house.
He and Xiao Putao’s father, Chen Yang, were discussing the day’s task card.
“Xiao Huang, who made this task card, found some more information today.”
Director Li was a straightforward man. He spoke his mind and never intentionally hid things from the guests.
“Our task about avoiding the gods might not be well-designed.”
“This year happens to be the once-every-five-years God Festival.”
“Running this game might clash with the local God Festival.”
“I came to discuss with you that the footage we recorded today might not be usable anymore.”
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152