Ye Jin curved his lips into a slight smile. "I hope so too. This way, you won't have to leave me for so many years again."
...
During Xu Yan's pregnancy, Liu Lingxiao brought out many of her rare and precious medicinal herbs.
In her words, she hoped that Ye Jin's son would be born with exceptional talent for cultivation.
Ye Jin expressed his gratitude while unhesitatingly turning all the herbs into medicinal meals for Xu Yan to eat.
With their attentive care, Xu Yan's belly grew larger, but she didn't gain much weight overall.
And then, on a certain day a few months later...
Xu Yan was lying on the recliner Ye Jin had bought for her. She gently stroked her big belly, then turned her head to look at Liu Lingxiao, who was playing with her phone nearby. "Sister, is the little one about to come out?"
Liu Lingxiao placed her hand on Xu Yan's belly. Just as she was about to say something, Xu Yan suddenly furrowed her brows. "Sister, I feel like my belly hurts a little... No, it hurts a lot!"
Liu Lingxiao calmly stood up. "Ye Jin! Yan Yan is going into labor, hurry and bring the car over!"
She helped Xu Yan up with remarkable composure. "Yan Yan, don't be afraid. We're here with you."
Before Xu Yan could even start to panic, Liu Lingxiao had already soothed her. At this point, she couldn't think about much else and just let herself lean entirely on Liu Lingxiao. "Sister, I-I'm not scared."
Liu Lingxiao supported her as they walked towards the entrance of the bar. They had barely stepped outside when Ye Jin arrived with the car. "Yan Yan, Sister!"
He quickly got out and carried Xu Yan into the car, letting Liu Lingxiao take over the driving.
While driving, Liu Lingxiao sent a message to Bai Hua, who had just gone out to buy some things: "Auntie, Yan Yan is going into labor. We're about to reach the hospital."
Liu Lingxiao and Ye Jin had secretly rehearsed this entire process many times, so they weren't panicking at all now.
Xu Yan, while in immense pain, couldn't help but marvel: "Sister, you... you guys are amazing..."
Liu Lingxiao calmly said, "Of course we are. Ye Jin, you'll carry Yan Yan directly to the obstetrics department when we arrive. Leave everything else to me. I'll bring the medicine and other things from the car."
Ye Jin was actually still a bit nervous, but he tried to steady himself. "Alright."
Bai Hua, Xu Yi, and Xu Mo were also very efficient. In the time it took Liu Lingxiao to grab things from the car, they had already arrived at the hospital.
She waved her hand. "Uncle, Auntie, please help carry the things Yan Yan will need soon."
Bai Hua and the others were about to rush into the hospital when they suddenly heard Liu Lingxiao's voice and paused for a moment. "Okay, we're here!"
When the four of them reached the delivery room door, they didn't see anyone outside.
Liu Lingxiao let out a breath. "Ye Jin must have gone into the delivery room with Yan Yan. Auntie, you all wait here. I'll put these things in the ward first."
Bai Hua was too anxious to be polite at this moment. "Alright then, thank you for your hard work, Xiao Xiao."
Liu Lingxiao didn't feel it was any trouble. She sensed the situation in the delivery room, making sure that Xu Yan and the baby in her belly were both safe before leaving with peace of mind.
Xu Yan's childbirth was exceptionally smooth.
She felt so much pain that her mind was becoming a bit unclear, while people around her kept chattering incessantly.
She bit her lip, feeling helpless and agonized. Just as she was about to call for Ye Jin, his voice suddenly came from beside her ear: "Yan Yan, I'm here. Don't be afraid, I've been by your side the whole time."
Xu Yan vaguely saw Ye Jin's face. She gripped his hand tightly and seemed to say something with difficulty.
But halfway through her sentence, she suddenly felt a wave of relief, and then she passed out completely.
Seeing Xu Yan faint, Ye Jin panicked and called for the doctor: "Doctor! Doctor! My wife has passed out..."
"It's a boy."
Ye Jin's mind was still a bit dazed, but the next second he heard the tender cry of a newborn.
...
When Xu Yan woke up again, she still felt uncomfortable all over. She tried to prop herself up to sit, but the movement was much easier than she had imagined.
She belatedly realized that the little one in her belly had already been born...
"Yan Yan, you're awake?"
Ye Jin's cautious voice came from beside her. Xu Yan blinked her eyes in confusion as she looked at him. "Ye Jin? Where's our little one?"
Ye Jin's eyes were red-rimmed. Seeing Xu Yan awake, he finally smiled. "Yan Yan, you're awake. I'm sorry, let's not have any more children in the future, okay?"
Xu Yan was a bit bewildered. "What? Ye Jin, what's wrong?"
Ye Jin gently hugged her. "I don't want to see you in pain again. You were in so much pain, and I couldn't do anything about it."
Xu Yan cupped his face with both hands. "But I'm very happy! Let's not talk about this now, where's my little one?"
"Ah Yan, you're awake?" Bai Hua tiptoed in with a milk bottle. When she saw that Xu Yan was awake, she immediately walked over.
Xu Yan unconsciously began to act spoiled. "Mom, where's the little munchkin?"
Seeing her daughter's still pale face, Bai Hua felt incredibly distressed. "Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Your son is in the next room. Xiao Xiao and I were just feeding him."
Xu Yan glanced towards the door. "Mom, I want to see the little munchkin."
Before she could finish speaking, Liu Lingxiao came in carrying a small bundle. "Yan Yan, I've brought your son over."
Xu Yan, watched closely by everyone, didn't dare to move rashly. She looked at them expectantly. "Sister!"
Liu Lingxiao handed the little one to Ye Jin, who then carefully brought him over for Xu Yan to see.
Xu Yan looked at the little boy wrapped in a blanket. She cautiously reached out to touch his red and wrinkled little face. "He's so ugly. Did we get the wrong baby?"
Bai Hua: "?" This silly child!
Liu Lingxiao: "Pfft!"
Ye Jin looked disdainful: "We definitely didn't get the wrong one, but he is really ugly."
Bai Hua's face darkened: "You silly child, don't you know how to talk? Don't all newborns look like this? You think you looked any better when you were born?"
Xu Yan, feeling chastised, pouted: "I just gave birth and Mom is already scolding me!"
Bai Hua reconsidered her words: "Fine, I'll scold you when we get home then."
While the adults were having their merry moment, a certain little munchkin in his father's arms was not pleased. He waved his little hand with his eyes closed, and suddenly burst into tears: "Waaah! Waaah!"
Xu Yan was a bit anxious. She gave Ye Jin a light smack, saying, "Did you hurt the baby? Move aside! Let me hold him!"
Before Ye Jin could even feel upset, he was pushed into a corner by the three women in the hospital room. He rubbed his nose and quietly walked out.
Outside the room, Xu Yi and Xu Mo were sitting in unison on chairs in the hallway. Seeing Ye Jin come out, they greeted him, "How's Yan? Did you get to hold the little one?"
Ye Jin went to sit with them. "Yan is fine now. I held him for a moment. Why?"
"Good to hear Yan is alright," Xu Mo said with a pout. "Mom and your sister wouldn't even let us touch our nephew."
Xu Yi sighed, "I didn't get to hold my grandson either."
The three grown men exchanged glances, all shaking their heads in resignation.
