Deviant: No Longer Human

"Hehe~"

After a few minutes, Wenxi settled back into her spot, smiling, while Yue gave a sheepish smile beside her, both of their faces slightly flushed.

Somehow, they'd actually managed to escape by — flying out of reach.

Poor Wang Xueying and Wang Mei hadn't been able to catch them.

But then reality set in—they were still broke. So, shamelessly, they came slinking back.

Now, Wang Xiao sat holding his fuming sisters around their waists, keeping them in place. He looked calm, but inside, he was enjoying the feel of holding their soft, willow-like waists.

Seven years ago, he'd never have imagined such a scene in his own house.

"It's so unfair…" Wang Xueying muttered, half-pouting. "They can fly!" She huffed, still catching her breath. "I mean, sure, if you're some god, it makes sense they wouldn't be ordinary, but how're we supposed to catch them?"

"Mm…" Wang Mei agreed with a defeated nod, giving Wenxi and Yue an annoyed glare. It didn't feel like a fair fight.

Wang Xiao sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to keep the peace. "Aren't you two supposed to be the grown-ups here? Maybe act like it?"

The two sisters exchanged a glance, then immediately shook their heads in unison. "No chance."

Wenxi and Yue were trouble wrapped in innocent smiles, and they weren't about to let these little demons off that easily.

"Alright, you two, go upstairs..." Wang Xiao's voice was steady, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he directed his daughters. Wenxi and Yue rose with ease, gliding toward the stairs with little Zhenxi toddling along, her small hand tucked in Yue's.

But as they neared the doorway, Yue paused, her expression thoughtful. She cast a look back at Wang Mei and Wang Xueying.

"Um… which one of you is her mother..?" she asked, her tone as casual as if she were inquiring about the weather.

"Huh?"

The question struck Wang Mei and Wang Xueying like a thunderclap, leaving them frozen.

They exchanged a bewildered glance before their eyes fell to the small figure of Zhenxi, who stood there innocently, eyes bright with curiosity.

Could they really be her mother?

Then, their gazes shifted to Wang Xiao, suspicion mingling with disbelief. If they were her mother, then he… he must be…?

The white-haired one is sly... Wang Mei thought, her heart pounding...but the blonde might be even more ruthless!

Wang Mei's cheeks flushed, her composure slipping as she leaned subtly toward Wang Xiao, caught between disbelief and mortification. Wang Xueying's gaze, meanwhile, lingered on Zhenxi, a tangled web of confusion and wonder written across her face.

Yue tilted her head, sensing something amiss in their silence. Had her innocent question stirred something unintended?

Wang Xiao's deep sigh broke the tension, and he shook his head with a weary chuckle. "Zhenxi is my friend's daughter," he said, his tone soft but firm, dispelling their imaginations. "Not every child I hold is my own. Perhaps stop assuming so." Despite his calm words, he couldn't shake the strangeness of the question.

Children with his own sisters?

The thought had never crossed his mind, yet their expressions suggested they'd entertained it fully.

"Oh… I see." Realizing she'd struck a hidden chord, Yue quickly looked away, giving a polite nod.

She and Wenxi hurried up the stairs, leaving behind the echo of their innocent yet deeply unsettling question.

"Uh…" Before Wang Xueying could voice her thoughts, Wang Xiao rubbed his temples, cutting in with a sigh.

"Let me stop you there. I have no plans for more daughters… I already have plenty." He chuckled, half-amused, half-exasperated. Fate seemed to enjoy placing daughters in his path, yet he could already see the question in Xueying's eyes.

She flushed, her composure slipping as she blurted, "When did I say I wanted daughters?" Her voice dropped, a rare softness surfacing. "I just… wanted to know… if, well, if we… had something, would it be… safe?"

Wang Mei's gaze flickered with interest, a glimmer of curiosity tempered by her calm demeanor.

Wang Xiao exhaled deeply, "You doubt I can't do that?" he replied, voice steady, yet edged with humor.

As if matters of lineage or genetic challenges were anything he couldn't handle.

"Mmm… then it's safe." Wang Xueying nodded, though a rosy tinge on her cheeks, her gaze flicking away as she wrestled with her own thoughts.

But it was Wang Mei's reaction that caught him off guard. She seemed more thoughtful, introspective, rather than eager—a response he wouldn't have expected from her.

He'd always thought she would have wanted children first.

"You don't… want children?" he asked, his tone gentling with a hint of genuine curiosity.

"!" The question hit her unprepared, and her eyes widened slightly before she quickly shook her head, her usual calm slipping just a fraction.

"Ah." Wang Xiao nodded, letting her answer rest without prying.

Her reaction held a depth he couldn't quite place, but he'd allow her that privacy.

Meanwhile, Wang Mei gazed down, glancing at her slender, bare feet, before casting a thoughtful look over herself.

She looked every bit the refined lady, but at only eighteen, perhaps nineteen soon, she still lived in a world of academia, her youthful freedom intact.

The idea of walking that world with a child seemed like something out of reach, another lifetime entirely.

She knew Anran had handled her own twins at a young age, but Anran's life as a spy had forged her with an iron will—a discipline that Mei could hardly relate to.

Then Wang Xueying spoke up, gently pulling his face toward hers and drawing him from his thoughts. "You didn't ask me," she teased, her voice like silk.

Wang Xiao sighed, catching the familiar glint in her eye. "Don't tell me you're serious?" he muttered, entertained by her insistence. He thought he'd made it clear enough he wasn't seeking any more daughters.

Yet Xueying was different—already in her mid-twenties, experienced, a woman who could handle the demands of family while navigating her own life without batting an eye.

She tilted her head, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "I'll need some time to think it over…"

He shook his head, knowing full well what game she was playing. She thought she'd uncovered some clever leverage, that she could barter with this whim of hers.

But she underestimated him; Wang Xiao's skin was thick as iron, and he saw her scheme as clear as day: she'd ask for some minor favor first, only to up the ante with requests for a child later, weaving a grand tale of her "tragic" longing.

It was the sort of charm that might work on a softer-hearted man. But on him? Not a chance.

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