The evil female is weak and the males of the whole continent are out of control and fall.

Chapter 686 Getting what you want

Bai Wanwan raised her head and met his burning yet anxious gaze.

Her face still didn't show much emotion, but something seemed to ripple slightly in the depths of her clear eyes as he confessed.

She remained silent for a long time, simply gazing at him as if scrutinizing the truth or falsehood in his words, or perhaps weighing the complex emotions within her own heart.

The brief silence felt like centuries to Jiaoyin.

He could almost hear the sound of his own blood rushing through his veins, awaiting her verdict: acceptance, or... pushing him away again?

Jiaoyin's heart sank little by little in her long silence, and that silent scrutiny almost exhausted his last bit of courage.

He saw his reflection in her eyes, and there seemed to be some emotion slowly flowing deep within them.

The dying embers in Jiaoyin's heart suddenly flickered.

He no longer waited for the verdict, but followed his heart's desire, stepped forward, stretched out his arms, and carefully yet firmly embraced her.

His embrace wasn't tight, but it carried a heavy, cherished feeling, as if something had been lost and then found again.

He could feel the body in his arms stiffen instantly, but he didn't let go. Instead, he gently rested his chin on the top of her head, inhaling the familiar fragrance of her hair, his voice low and hoarse, filled with remorse and an unwavering promise:

"Wanwan, I know... I was wrong that time. I don't dare to ask you to forgive me now, but let me make it up to you in the future, okay?"

His arms tightened slightly, as if to convey his resolve, "I will give you everything, my life, to protect you, to protect our cubs. Give me another chance..."

His words were sincere and passionate, yet Bai Wanwan remained motionless in his arms.

Just as his heart was pounding, her voice finally reached him.

"Let go first." The calm, unwavering voice made his heart sink.

The hope that had just rekindled in his eyes faded rapidly, and the arm holding her loosened its grip involuntarily as disappointment surged into his heart like a tide.

His voice was pleading, hoarsely whispering, "Then let me hold you a little longer, okay? Just a little longer... I'll..."

He was rambling incoherently, unsure of what else he could do to persuade her to stay.

Bai Wanwan interrupted him, gently nudging him: "You're all wet, soaked by rain and the chill. Go take a hot shower, don't catch a cold. And those tribespeople you brought, go and settle them in."

After saying that, she exerted a little force and easily broke free from his embrace, which had lost its strength. Without looking at him frozen in place, she turned and walked out of the room.

Even after Bai Wanwan's figure disappeared behind the curtain and her footsteps faded into the distance, Jiaoyin remained standing there, her mind blank, repeatedly pondering her words.

I'm wet... I need to take a shower... and settle the tribespeople in...

She...what does she mean?
There was no explicit rejection, no cold rejection, but rather... concern that he was wet, told him to wash up, and even asked him to settle his people.
Does this... does this mean they're tacitly allowing him to stay?

A tremendous, unbelievable ecstasy, like a belated tsunami, crashed into his mind, almost making him lose his balance!
Bai Wanwan had just reached the stairwell when she encountered Hua Han, who was carrying a mermaid cub upstairs.

When the little ones see their mother, they immediately stretch out their tiny hands, babbling as they do so.

A gentle smile naturally appeared on Bai Wanwan's face. She leaned over and kissed each of their soft cheeks, making the cubs giggle.

After kissing the baby, she looked up at Hua Han. "Jiao Yin is in my room. He's soaking wet. Take him to wash up and find him a place to rest." Hua Han, with his keen insight, immediately smiled knowingly and playfully upon hearing this. He lowered his voice and asked with a hint of confirmation, "So... you've agreed to let him stay?"

Bai Wanwan glanced at him, did not deny it, but gave a barely audible "hmm" as an admission.

In fact, she had thought about this question on her own even earlier, even before Jiaoyin appeared this time.

If it weren't for Jiaoyin, she might never have lived to reunite with Jinyi and Zhuxiu.

He was indeed wrong, but tracing back to the root cause, that unfortunate accident was also caused by her own carelessness; it wasn't that he would have been another male.

Looking back now, she's actually grateful that he was the one with her under those circumstances.
Besides, after those days of risking her life to save him and taking care of him so devotedly, she did indeed develop feelings for him.

But what happened later disrupted everything.

Now, seeing that all the other cubs have their fathers by their side, while these little mermaids grow up day by day but have never received the company of their biological fathers, she couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.

Having gone through so many life-and-death ordeals, looking back on the journey, she suddenly felt that as long as her family could be together peacefully, everything else seemed to have become trivial matters that could be let go of.

Since fate and bloodline have already intertwined them, giving him a chance might also be giving his children a complete family, and even more so... it's about following the feelings that have never completely died out.

Thinking of this, the last bit of lingering doubt in her heart quietly dissipated, leaving only a sense of calm as if the dust had settled.

“Then I’ll go and tell Jiaoyin first; he’ll be overjoyed.”

"Hmm," Bai Wanwan said, a faint smile curving her lips as she turned to go downstairs.

After going upstairs, Zhu Xiu and Qiu Rong were no longer in the living room, leaving only Jin Yi in charge.

"Where are Zhuxiu and the chieftain?"

Jin Yi walked over. "They were both seriously injured and went back to their rooms to rest. Is there anything you need to see them about?"

"No, I was just asking. Go back and rest, and get well soon."

As she spoke, she held his arm, saying, "You haven't recovered yet, you should go and rest. I'll take care of them."

"No need, it's just a superficial injury. Your medicine is helping me recover quickly, I don't need to rest."

Most of the males in the family are injured. If he goes to rest too, who will take care of Wanwan and this whole family of beastmen?

"Don't push yourself. Go and rest if you're tired."

“Okay,” Jin Yi replied softly with a gentle smile on his lips.

She tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek. "Then I'll go in and check on Father Beast and Ember Shadow."

"Okay, I'll go prepare the food. Call me if you need anything."

After speaking with Jin Yi, she lifted the curtain and went inside.

The room was quiet. Jiao Yuan's breathing was steady, and although Jin Ying's face was still pale, there seemed to be less pain between his brows.

(End of this chapter)