After Descending the Mountain, Seven Big Brothers Spoil Me - Chapter 782

Chapter 782: Carefree Zhouzhou
Zhouzhou stood in a horse stance, her chubby little feet shifting on the ice as she tried to warm up. Her face had turned blue from the cold. Xi Mo, watching her, naturally felt a pang of sympathy. However, he had to harden his heart. Cold endurance training was something she had to go through.

“If you can’t take it, you can leave,” he said.

But Zhouzhou shook her head firmly, “I can do it!”

Her dad and uncle had passed the same test, so she believed she could too!

Xi Mo fell silent, merely keeping an eye on the time. After half an hour, he finally said, “Alright, now into the water.”

Without a word, Zhouzhou leapt into the water like a fat little fish, kicking her short legs until even the last strand of her hair disappeared beneath the surface.

Xi Mo kept an eye on his watch, “You have to last ten minutes today. No coming up before that.”

Ten minutes. Zhouzhou’s little face scrunched up in worry. She’d only managed five minutes in the morning.

But Xi Mo wasn’t the kind to go easy during training. If he said ten minutes, it was ten minutes, no exceptions.

He believed that if he showed her mercy now, she’d suffer against real enemies in the future. So, he chose to be the “bad guy” now.

Zhouzhou understood this too, which was why she willingly came for the training. While underwater, her chubby little hands mischievously grabbed at fish to distract herself. However, after seven minutes, her body started to give in, and she instinctively wanted to surface.

But Xi Mo, anticipating this, pressed her small head back down.

Zhouzhou’s short legs flailed for a moment as her grip on the fish loosened, letting it swim away.

“Two minutes and fifty seconds left,” Xi Mo stated, checking the time.

Upon hearing this, Zhouzhou gritted her teeth, determined to hang on. But after another minute, her small arms and legs began splashing frantically, unable to take it any longer.

Seeing she was truly at her limit, Xi Mo finally pulled her up.

Zhouzhou collapsed on the ground, coughing up water, her nose and eyes red and shivering from the cold. She looked utterly pitiful.

Ye Lingfeng, standing by the door, silently clenched his fists, struggling with all his self-control to stop himself from rushing in.

Wen Jing, standing next to him, remained quiet as well.

Xi Mo wrapped Zhouzhou in a towel, gently patting her back. Though his eyes showed concern, his voice remained stern, “You didn’t last long enough. The training continues.”

“Mm-hmm,” Zhouzhou nodded through her shivers. “I know, Uncle.”

Despite being just a little girl, Zhouzhou was incredibly obedient. Even though she was a bit of a drama queen when it came to acting, she never complained or cried during training.

Xi Mo, feeling a bit guilty, held her close, using his body heat to warm her up.

Zhouzhou flashed him a big grin, “Uncle, I’m really fine.”

She touched the little gold ingot on her head and clenched her tiny fist, determined, “I don’t want to worry Mommy. I also don’t want Daddy or you to always have to protect me. I need to become stronger, so I can protect you all too. That way, Mommy will be happy!”

Her words struck a deep chord in Xi Mo, momentarily throwing his emotions off balance.

Ye Lingfeng also reacted, shifting his stance slightly. He quickly turned away, irritably pulling out a cigarette and storming off, unable to bear watching anymore.

In truth, sometimes he felt Zhouzhou was even stronger than he was.

Xi Mo stroked her head, his voice soft, “Zhouzhou is amazing. Your mom would be so proud of you.”

“Of course!” Zhouzhou instantly puffed up with pride. Her little tail practically wagged as she held her head high, beaming with self-satisfaction.

She hopped out of Xi Mo’s arms and, with a splash, jumped back into the water. “Let’s continue, Uncle!”

With that, she took a deep breath, pinched her nose, and submerged herself again.

Xi Mo watched her, pressing his lips together as he restarted the timer.

In many ways, Zhouzhou was tougher than any adult.

She knew how to swim, but she’d only learned for fun, so she wasn’t exactly skilled. Holding her breath wasn’t her strong suit either. By the evening, after numerous failed attempts, she finally managed to hold out for the full ten minutes.

When she emerged from the water, she was too cold to even speak.

Xi Mo immediately turned on the warm air from the AC, scooping her up and rushing to the changing room. After blow-drying her hair and making sure she was warm enough, he carried her back outside.

The moment they stepped out, Ye Lingfeng was waiting. Zhouzhou’s eyes lit up. Her short legs kicked as she dashed towards him, hugging his legs tightly.

“Daddy! I can hold my breath for ten minutes now!”

The little girl was beyond proud of herself, but Ye Lingfeng’s heart only felt heavier. He bent down to pick her up, silently holding her close without saying a word.

He pressed her little head against his chest, his fingers trembling slightly.

Realizing something was off, Zhouzhou wriggled a bit, trying to look up at him, but Ye Lingfeng gently kept her head down, his voice hoarse, “Don’t move. Let Daddy hold you for a while.”

Alright.

Zhouzhou stopped wriggling and relaxed, her short legs swaying lazily as her big, curious eyes blinked.

Sigh. Today, her precious head was destined to be held down!

Her carefree attitude only made Xi Mo and Ye Lingfeng feel even more emotional. How could they be so sentimental over something like this?

Back when they were training, the intensity was way higher than this. Zhao Xinghua had once taken them straight into the sea, where they were surrounded by sharks. If they couldn’t endure, they would’ve become food.

Compared to that, Zhouzhou was only in an indoor pool. Yet, they were still worried sick.

After a long while, Zhouzhou finally started to squirm again.

Ye Lingfeng still held her tight, not letting go.

This time, Zhouzhou was really getting anxious. She kicked her little legs harder, “Daddy, if you don’t let me go, I’m going to starve!”

She was so hungry! After swallowing so much water, she felt like her whole body was made of it now.

Her sweet little voice, still soft with a hint of childishness, had no trace of sadness in it.

Ye Lingfeng paused, looking down at her chubby face, her cheeks puffed out in slight frustration. He suddenly chuckled, gently tapping her nose.

“You little rascal. Do you know how worried we were?”

Zhouzhou wiggled her nose, looking at them seriously as she shook her head, “You all need to toughen up! You’re way too soft!”

“But I get it. My head alone is worth billions! Of course, it’s worrying to see it underwater.”

Xi Mo: “…”

Ye Lingfeng: “…”

After soaking in water all day, how come all those billions haven’t washed away from your brain?