317: Chapter 317 004 Passenger Han Qing Successfully Pregnant

Han Qing didn't speak, but Qin Lin felt the corners of her mouth curl up against his chest.

The two of them lay quietly like that.

The The Ark's life support System emitted a faint hum, like a monotonous lullaby.

Just as Qin Lin was about to fall asleep, Han Qing suddenly spoke.

"Qin Lin."

"Mm."

"Tell me, what if I still can't get pregnant?"

Although the System's scans showed no issues with Han Qing's body, failing to conceive for so long inevitably made her doubt herself.

Qin Lin opened his eyes and looked down at her. In the darkness, Han Qing's face was only a blurry outline, but her eyes were bright.

"You will."

"But what if?"

"There are no 'what ifs'."

Han Qing fell silent for a long time, then let out a soft sigh.

Qin Lin reached out and stroked her hair, his fingers sliding from the crown to the ends in a slow, soothing motion, as if calming a startled cat.

"Aunt Qing, you're too tense."

Han Qing didn't deny it.

Qin Lin turned her over so she was lying flat on her back, then turned on his side with his hand resting on her waist, looking into her eyes.

"Don't think about the pregnancy. Just act as if... as if we're just dating."

Han Qing was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Dating? I'm thirty-eight, and you're twenty. What kind of dating is that?"

"The System rolled back your biological age. Your biological age is currently under thirty."

Han Qing looked at him, her lips moving as if to say something, but in the end, she only managed two words: "Sophistry."

Qin Lin leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sophistry is still logic."

Han Qing closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Qin Lin didn't say anything more, nor did he make any further moves; he just held her quietly.

Han Qing's breathing gradually became steady, and her body softened from its rigid state.

At some point, her hand came to rest on Qin Lin's waist, her fingers curled like a child's.

The next morning, when Qin Lin woke up, Han Qing was no longer in bed.

He sat up and saw a glass of warm water on the nightstand with a note tucked underneath.

There was only one sentence on the note: "I slept very well last night. Are you coming again tonight?"

Qin Lin smiled.

In the days that followed, Qin Lin's visits to Han Qing's room were no longer just for the sake of "completing a mission."

He would bring a pot of tea, and the two would sit by the window watching the stars, chatting idly.

Han Qing would tell him about what happened in the Medical Room: whose child was teething today, whose child had a fever but recovered quickly, whose child had learned to walk.

Her tone was very calm, but Qin Lin could hear the envy and longing within it.

He didn't point it out; he just listened.

On the day the System notification rang out, the The Ark was passing through a sparse nebula.

Purple nebular gases drifted slowly past the window like a thin veil obscuring the distant stars.

Qin Lin was in the Bridge adjusting the course, and Han Qing stood beside him with a cup of tea in her hand. They looked at the nebula outside the window side by side.

"Is it beautiful?" Qin Lin asked.

Han Qing thought for a moment. "It's alright."

Then, the System notification sounded.

It wasn't the usual short 'ding,' but a long, horn-like melody that echoed in every corner of the The Ark.

Qin Lin's hand froze above the control console, and Han Qing's hand stopped beside her teacup.

The two of them glanced at each other. This time, they both heard it, including Han Qing.

[Congratulations to the Host! Passenger 004 Han Qing has successfully conceived!]

[milestone: The The Ark's 14th newborn (pending birth)]

[Rewards: survival points +10,000, blessing points +5]

[Current survival points: 570,269, Current blessing points: 3,090]

[All passengers' Physique +3%]

[Extra Reward: Maternal Physique Enhancement V5, Newborn Talent Locked: "Spirit Healing"]

[Talent Description: Spirit Healing — Healing effects are significantly increased; exceptional perception and control over life energy.]

Hearing the words "successfully conceived," Han Qing slowly lowered her hand and closed her eyes as tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

She didn't make a sound, just sat there with a thin layer of sweat on her palms. She remembered the days after she first boarded the RV, when all she thought was, "When will I be able to conceive?"

Later, she delivered babies for other pregnant women, one after another, and she thought she would never have that privilege in this lifetime.

She was too old, her body was too exhausted—there were too many reasons why she couldn't conceive.

But now, she was pregnant.

It was Qin Lin's child, and hers as well.

She looked down at her flat abdomen and placed her hand on it, feeling the warmth there.

There was nothing yet, it was still early, but she knew a new life was there, like a seed that had just sprouted.

Qin Lin looked at the words "Spirit Healing," and an indescribable feeling surged in his heart.

A healing talent.

The best doctor on the The Ark was pregnant with a child who possessed a natural healing talent.

The System wouldn't match them for no reason; it knew from the beginning what was most suitable for Han Qing.

"Qin Lin." Her voice was a bit raspy.

"Mm."

"I'm pregnant."

"Mm, you are."

Han Qing lowered her head and read the line on the holographic screen once more—Passenger 004 Han Qing has successfully conceived.

She looked at it for a long time, so long that Qin Lin thought she was going to cry, but she didn't.

She placed her teacup on the control console and reached out to take Qin Lin's hand, placing it on her belly.

"Feel it." Her voice was very soft. "You can't feel anything right now, but I want you to feel it."

Qin Lin's palm pressed against her flat lower abdomen, the warmth of his palm transferring through the thin knit sweater.

Han Qing's hand covered the back of his, not applying pressure, just resting there.

"Aunt Qing."

"Mm."

"You don't have to envy others anymore."

Han Qing's tears finally fell.

It wasn't a loud wail, but a very quiet, drop-by-drop sliding from the corners of her eyes, falling onto the back of his hand, warm.

Qin Lin didn't wipe them away, nor did he speak; he just let her cry.

After a while, Han Qing wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and regained her usual calm expression.

But she didn't let go of Qin Lin's hand.

"I'll go to the Medical Room first to make a record."

She finished speaking and turned to leave, her pace quick. She paused for a moment at the doorway but didn't look back.

However, her smile could no longer be hidden.

Qin Lin watched her silhouette disappear around the corner of the corridor.

...