Part 2
By the fourth month, Bai He wasn’t vomiting much anymore. His abdomen showed signs of a bump. Whenever the employees in the company saw Bai He, they were incredibly careful and solicitous. Coincidentally, during this period, the project Zhang Yao was responsible for entered a critical phase.
Bai He and his team members revised the game script three times. By the time the fourth version was finalized and handed over to the technical team, it was already the end of May.
His abdomen was obviously protruding. Finally finishing his work, Qin Yao, who had been sticking by his side every day, breathed a sigh of relief. In early June, Bai He took his leave and stayed home.
The latest FREE project was handed over to Zhang Yao, but Qin Yao was the main person responsible. He still had to go to work every day, but he would run home whenever he had a free moment. Sometimes he would run back and forth between home and the company five or six times a day. Bai He worried he would be too tired and brought it up specifically, but it was uselessāQin Yao continued to run home every day.
During the pregnancy, Nan Yu would come to take care of Bai He whenever he was free. Grandpa Qin would also occasionally stroll over during his walks to play chess with Bai He.
Starting from the sixth month, his abdomen became noticeably heavy. Bai He didn’t want to do anything all day. Occasionally practicing cooking or going out for a walkāeven these small things made him feel incredibly fatigued.
Sometimes he had back pain and leg pain. He also discovered that his legs had some edema.
Qin Yao hired several maternity matrons for Bai He, preparing different nutritious meals. The big cat often learned from the matrons, and it had to be said, he learned quite well.
By the seventh and eighth months, fetal movement decreased, his legs were still swollen, and moving around became increasingly difficult. By this time, Bai He had long thrown his initial worries to the back of his mind. Having felt the existence of the little life in his belly for months, he didn’t feel afraid anymore; he had begun to look forward to the arrival of this little guy.
It was just that these last few months were truly unbearable. He was tired every day, his body became very weary, sometimes breathing became difficult, and his emotions were unstableāhe wanted to get angry easily.
One day at the beginning of the ninth month, he counted the time waiting for Qin Yao to come back from grocery shopping to open the door. Qin Yao was a few minutes late. It was clearly a very small thing, but he just got angry. He sulked and ignored Qin Yao. When Qin Yao coaxed him, he felt sad again. His emotions were completely out of his control. Holding Qin Yao, his tears fell plip-plop.
Bai He became very anxiousāprenatal anxiety. He couldn’t sleep well day after day, barely managing to fall asleep wrapped in Qin Yao’s pheromones.
Qin Yao didn’t go to the company for the last two months. He handed the work over to Zhang Wenyi and Zhang Yao to manage, staying home to take care of Bai He. To prevent Bai He from being anxious, he was almost inseparable, accompanying and coaxing him.
Finally, October arrived. The due date was approaching. They packed their bags and went to the hospital for various prenatal checks. Under Dr. Li’s education, Bai He learned about the precautions for childbirth, and then waited quietly for the day to come.
In the VIP ward, he lay on the hospital bed, holding his already very heavy belly, staring blankly. To say he wasn’t afraid would be impossible. He hadn’t spoken since earlier, which made Qin Yao frantic with worry.
No matter how anxious he was, Qin Yao didn’t show it. He couldn’t let his emotions affect Bai He, so he tried hard to appear calm.
Walking over slowly, Qin Yao knelt on one knee by the bed, resting his chin on the edge of the mattress. He reached out to touch the bead of Bai He’s lip. “My Xiao Bao, why aren’t you talking to me? Tell me what you’re thinking?”
Bai He’s vacant gaze slowly shifted to Qin Yao. He slowly pursed his lips. “If I say I’m a little scared, do you believe me?”
“I believe you.” Qin Yao’s heart tightened. He said softly, “Xiao Bao, you are really amazing. It hasn’t been easy from ten months ago until now.”
He buried his head and kissed Bai He’s trembling eyelids. “I’m with you. I’m always here. Don’t be afraid.”
“…” Bai He blinked. He asked, “Do you think it will be a little kitten?”
The child in the womb couldn’t yet be tested for whether it was a beastman, nor could the gender be known. The secondary gender wouldn’t be detectable until after the age of eight. Because it was a union between a human and a beastman, currently they could only determine that the child was developing well.
Qin Yao thought for a moment. He teased Bai He to make him happy, “Do you want a kitten? If there’s a kitten, will I, this big cat, still get as much love as before?”
Bai He was indeed amused. He grabbed Qin Yao’s earlobe and pinched it. “You’re all the same. You’re all my cats. I like you all.”
“This little guy really is here to compete with me for you.” Qin Yao looked at Bai He’s protruding abdomen, his gaze deep. After a long while, he lifted Bai He’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Xiao Bao, just this one is enough. No more in the future.”
He couldn’t bear to let Bai He suffer for another ten months.
Before October was over, one afternoon, Bai He suddenly felt his waist and abdomen become very sore. His stomach gradually started to hurt a little, accompanied by a growing sensation of falling.
He took two deep breaths and patted Qin Yao, who was still telling jokes to amuse him. “Qin Yao, my stomach seems to hurt a little…”
The smile on Qin Yao’s face vanished instantly. He stood up and pressed the call bell, then efficiently packed their things. Dr. Li arrived, followed closely by nurses who slowly adjusted Bai He’s bed. Then Qin Yao lifted Bai He onto the gurney that had been pushed in.
Footsteps hurried. As the gurney was about to enter the delivery room, Bai He looked at Qin Yao. The faint smile hanging on the other’s face was clearly there to mask his worry.
Before being pushed in, he smiled at Qin Yao and mouthed: Stupid cat.
The doors of the operating room closed. Qin Yao and the arrived Nan Yu and the others stood outside. They waited for who knew how longāit didn’t seem like very long, but Qin Yao felt every second was torture. It wasn’t until the continuous cry of a baby came from the delivery room that Qin Yao’s eyes instantly turned red.
…
He clenched his trembling hands. Seeing the delivery room door open, Li Min, wearing surgical scrubs, walked out. Seeing Qin Yao’s family, he took off his mask. “It went very smoothly. Congratulations, it’s a boy. The nurse took him for cleaning and recording. The beastman gene test results will be out in a few days. The secondary gender test requires him to be eight years oldāyou know all this.”
Qin Yao nodded. He looked up into the delivery room, asking anxiously, “What about Bai He?”
“Don’t worry, he’s in good condition.” Li Min patted Qin Yao’s shoulder. “He’ll be transferred back to the ward later. He needs you to use pheromones to soothe him. Postpartum recovery takes time. Go to the nurse to get some books on postpartum recovery and parenting manuals. That’s about it.”
Beside them, Nan Yu thanked Dr. Li. He said to Qin Yao, “Alright, you go see Little Bai He. We’ll handle those things.”
Qin Yao nodded and followed the nurse to see Bai He.
Bai He was so tired. Seeing Qin Yao, he managed a weak smile. He didn’t have the strength to wave to Qin Yao. Seeing the big cat standing there with red eyes, he opened his mouth and called him: “Stupid cat.”
Qin Yao gave a hum, walked over gently, and squatted down. He held Bai He’s hand, kissing it again and again carefully. “You’ve worked hard, Xiao Bao.”
The baby, having been recorded and cleaned, was brought back by the nurse at this moment. She placed the baby next to Bai He and said gently, “This child can really cry. He only just quieted down. He’ll definitely be a very cheerful little guy in the future.”
Across the small quilt, Bai He looked at the new little guy. The cub’s eyes were beautiful, staring at him unblinkingly. That chubby hand, white and tender, reached up, small fingers opening and closing as if trying to grab something.
Bai He stared for a long time, then carefully extended a finger. Sure enough, it was grabbed by the little guy.
This was his and Qin Yao’s child. Bai He narrowed his eyes, his face filled with a gentle smile. This scene made Qin Yao, squatting by the bed, feel that the happiest person in the world was him.
At this moment, Qin Yao completely failed to anticipate that in the near future, the addition of this little thing to the family would lead to rivalry for affection, fighting him for his Xiao Bao every day.
[Translator’s Note: This made me teary-eyed. Qin Yao is the greenest flag, an amazon forest in itself. He asked about Bai He first, he asked if heās okay and not just asking about the baby. Huhu. Iām so happy for them]
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