Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 246

Chapter 246: Chapter 246: From Mermaid Tribe
Su Qinglan placed the stone bowl back into Lan Yue’s hands.

The bowl was still warm, steam slowly rising from the surface. The smell alone made Lan Yue’s stomach tighten. She lowered her gaze and took a small sip.

She ate not because she wanted to. She ate because she had to.

Her hand unconsciously moved to her lower abdomen. The child inside her was still alive. And it needed strength and energy to survive. No matter how broken she felt, she could not let herself starve.

So she chewed slowly and carefully.

The food was soft, warm, and rich. The taste spread across her tongue, unfamiliar and overwhelming. Lan Yue paused for a brief moment, her fingers tightening around the bowl.

It was delicious. She had never eaten anything like this in her entire life.

In her city, food was simple and bland. Meant to survive, not to comfort. But this felt like something made with care.

Without realizing it, she took another bite.

And another.

Su Qinglan watched her quietly.

She noticed the way Lan Yue ate, slow and restrained, like someone afraid the food might disappear if she rushed. The way her shoulders remained tense even while eating. The way her eyes sometimes lost focus, drifting somewhere far away.

After a long silence, Su Qinglan finally spoke.

“What’s your name?” she asked softly.

Lan Yue paused.

She swallowed the food in her mouth and lifted her eyes.

“…Lan Yue,” she answered.

Su Qinglan nodded. “Where did you come from?”

Lan Yue hesitated again, her fingers tightening around the bowl. She lowered her gaze to the food.

“You’re not from the closed tribes,” Su Qinglan added calmly. It was not a question. She was stating a fact.

Lan Yue nodded slowly.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m not from here.”

She took another bite, as if gathering strength from the warmth.

“I’m from a mermaid tribe.”

Su Qinglan froze. Her eyes widened slightly.

A mermaid tribe?

That tribe also existed?

Mermaids. The word was really fascinating to her. It was her first time she had actually encountered a beast female from water, and now she could not help but give her another look.

Before she could say anything, Lan Yue continued on her own.

“My family was attacked,” she said quietly.

Her voice did not shake. That scared Su Qinglan more than tears would have.

“It happened suddenly. There was no warning.” She paused, then added, “My beast husband did the only thing he could.”

Su Qinglan’s heart tightened.

“They left me here,” Lan Yue continued, her tone flat. “So I could survive.”

She did not explain how. Neither did she explain how she appeared here, so far from her tribe.

And Su Qinglan did not ask.

Some things were not meant to be understood by outsiders. Some things could not be explained without tearing wounds open again.

Lan Yue lowered her head and took another bite.

Then another.

But her breathing slowly grew uneven.

Her hand trembled.

A drop fell into the bowl.

Then another.

Before she realized it, tears were dripping down her face, falling silently as she continued to eat. Her chest tightened violently, a sharp hiccup escaping her throat.

She tried to swallow but miserably choked. Her shoulders shook.

“I don’t know,” she whispered brokenly, her voice cracking at last. “I don’t know if they’re alive. I don’t know if they’re dead. Or just taking their last breath.”

Her tears fell faster now.

She kept eating, almost desperately, as if stopping would cause her to fall apart completely.

“I don’t know anything anymore.”

Su Qinglan reacted instantly.

She moved closer and gently patted Lan Yue’s back calmly.

“Don’t cry,” she said softly. “Don’t cry.”

She continued patting her back rhythmically to calm the crying female.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Su Qinglan added. “I won’t ask anymore. Just eat first. That’s enough.”

Lan Yue shook her head weakly, tears falling uncontrollably as she hiccupped again.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Don’t apologize,” Su Qinglan interrupted gently. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

She stayed there, her hand resting against Lan Yue’s back, offering silent support.

The rain outside continued to fall.

When Su Qinglan came out, it was already quite late. She sighed, looking at Hu Yan, and walked toward him.

It was really hard to calm her down. Something even worse had happened with the female, and bringing all this up was only making her more sad.

She could not allow herself to ask her any more questions when Lan Yue could not even control her emotions.

Maybe she should wait for a few days until she got comfortable enough to share anything. Then she would ask more about her parents. The current time was not correct to ask anything when she was this overwhelmed.

Hu Yan noticed her the moment she stepped out.

Su Qinglan looked tired. Her shoulders were slightly slumped, her expression distant, as if something heavy was still pressing on her chest.

He did not speak.

Instead, he reached out and took her hands in his.

His palms were warm, rough from years of hunting, enclosing her smaller hands completely. He lifted his gaze to her face, his eyes sharp yet gentle, filled with an unspoken question.

Su Qinglan understood immediately.

She inhaled slowly, then exhaled. Her fingers tightened around his for a moment before she spoke.

“I couldn’t ask her more,” she said in a heavy tone. “She was too overwhelmed.”

Hu Yan’s brows drew together slightly.

“She was barely holding herself together,” Su Qinglan continued. “Her emotions were already on the edge. If I asked anything more, she would have completely broken down.”

She paused, then added softly, “We should give her some time. Let her recover her health and her trauma.”

Hu Yan remained silent.

Su Qinglan squeezed his hands gently, as if grounding herself.

“Her family was attacked,” she said. “Suddenly. Without warning.”

Hu Yan’s eyes widened.

“She said they sent her away,” Su Qinglan continued, her voice steady but heavy. “They sent her away so she could survive.”

Hu Yan nodded slowly.

But his hands clenched around hers.

A shudder ran through him.

A pregnant female was left alone.

Hu Yan’s chest tightened painfully. He knew what that meant. No beast husband would ever willingly leave his female, especially not when she carried his child, unless something far worse had happened. Something so dire that survival itself became uncertain.

His throat felt tight.

How desperate must they have been?

How helpless?

His gaze suddenly dropped.

It fell upon Su Qinglan’s stomach, slightly bulging beneath her clothes.

His cubs.

A strange, powerful protectiveness surged violently inside his chest, spreading through his limbs like fire.

He would protect them. His mate, his cubs, with everything he had. Even if it meant tearing the world apart.

He pulled Su Qinglan into his arms without warning, holding her tightly against his chest. His embrace was firm and shielding, as if he could block out every danger just by holding her close.

“It’s okay, Lan Lan,” he murmured into her hair. “Everything will be fine.”

His voice was low and steady, though emotion trembled beneath it.

Su Qinglan relaxed slightly against him, her forehead resting against his shoulder.

Hu Yan tilted her face up gently, his hand cupping her cheek. Before she could say anything, he lowered his head and kissed her.

The kiss was gentle, filled with reassurance rather than urgency.