62: Feel them

[Mother-Child Telepathic Link Activated]

[Fetal Gene Stabilized]

The System's cold voice appeared. Tu Nan reacted for a moment, suddenly realizing... just now, was that her child?

"Baby, is it the baby?" Tu Nan couldn't help but speak out.

"Mama/Mama, it's the babies." Two milky voices reappeared directly in Tu Nan's mind.

"Tu Nan, what baby? What's wrong?" Li frowned, cupping her face, fearing she had been frightened into some kind of illness.

Tu Nan pursed her lips tightly and shook her head. This should be just like communicating with the System; there was no need to speak out loud at all. She just hadn't been paying attention for a moment.

"I'm fine." Tu Nan pulled Li's hand down and used his strength to sit halfway up, calling over the frightened Xiao Xiong.

"Come here, Xiao Xiong."

Xiao Xiong took a step back, on the verge of tears. "Xiao Xiong scared Tu Nan. Xiao Xiong is not a good child."

Tu Nan's expression softened. "It has nothing to do with Xiao Xiong. It's the little brother and sister in my belly moving and kicking me; I was just startled."

Xiao Xiong was half-believing, but Li, who was beside them, suddenly perked up his ears and hurriedly asked, "They can move? Really? Let me feel."

A pair of large palms covered Tu Nan's belly in front of everyone.

Tu Nan was helpless. She called to Xiao Xiong, "Come, say hello to your little brother and sister."

Xiao Xiong timidly moved forward and, at Tu Nan's gesture, climbed onto the bed and gently pressed his face against Tu Nan's belly.

Tu Nan smiled and spoke to the Children in her belly.

"Say hello to Daddy and Big Brother, okay?"

"Will it hurt Mama if I kick..." The baby boy was a thoughtful child; he was still hesitating.

"Heehee, okay!" The baby girl had already kicked out.

Tu Nan's brow relaxed; it turned out to be a sweet son and a spirited girl.

Her belly moved slightly. Xiao Xiong bounced up in shock, pointing at Tu Nan's belly with immense novelty. "He moved."

The other side of the belly also moved. Li's hand was in that direction; he slowly withdrew it and said to Tu Nan, pretending to be calm, "The Children are very energetic. Yes... very energetic."

Then, two different spots on the belly moved gently.

Xiao Xiong: "Bo... both sides moved."

Tu Nan said with a smile, "Because there are two babies."

Li took a large step back, crashing directly into a nearby chair with a loud noise. Then he stood there dazed.

"Two..." After a long while, he spoke as if in a trance.

Tu Nan smiled at him, a smile that contained everything.

It was the look of a dream he had never dared to imagine coming true. He walked back to the bedside, slowly knelt down, and carefully placed his ear against Tu Nan's belly, waiting reverently.

The Children's small movements, as expected, made Li's usually expressionless face light up with joy.

Tu Nan watched this scene tenderly.

Children need a mother, and they need a father too, don't they?

She didn't want to worry about the future for now; she just wanted to focus on feeling this bond. She wanted her Children to be born into an environment full of love.

And Li... it seemed he would also be a good father.

Gaia pulled Chen Fang and the pouting Sheng Ranran out of the room. He didn't forget to close the door for the family.

When only a crack remained in the doorway, he looked up, taking in the scene overflowing with warmth inside the room once more.

This was just right. His admired elder brother and the Female Beast he... pitied, they had a very, very good life.

And he would soon be able to see his little nephew and niece be born.

What should he give as a birth gift? He had to go and collect that Mao Grass in advance; it was the cubs' favorite nesting material. After bringing it back, rubbing it apart, and drying it well to make a nest, the Children wouldn't be startled at night.

Tu Nan would like it... he calculated with both anticipation and a sense of loss.

Inside, Li paced in the limited space, constantly pondering what else he needed to get for Tu Nan and the Children. His excitement was beyond words.

Only Xiao Xiong, having recovered from his earlier surprise, sat on the bed and became despondent again.

"Xiao Xiong?" Tu Nan touched his arm. The books she had read said not to startle Children but to gently wake them from their contemplation.

Xiao Xiong looked at Tu Nan, wanting to speak but holding back.

Tu Nan's heart ached. Such a small child had already learned to read people's expressions; he had clearly been hurt.

"Your mother entrusted you to me. Are you willing to take me as your godmother? If you are, I will go find your father when the time is right."

Xiao Xiong nodded vigorously without a second thought. He had a so-called mother, but she was always lukewarm towards him—in his eyes, even worse than a servant. It was only after reuniting with his mother that he understood the difference.

He couldn't put it into words, but it was completely different.

And Tu Nan... she was different; she was very much like his mother.

"Really? Mama said so?"

"Yes..." Tu Nan comforted the child who pressed against her. "I will be in Mata City. When you come, I will let you sleep with me, eat with you, and prepare gifts for you. If you don't come, I will wait for you."

She slowly described, "When you go out, you can write letters to me. But if you do that, you'll have to learn to read and write well. Only then can you record what you see and hear every day. As for me, I'll take my time writing back and give the letters to you when you come."

"How does that sound?"

Her calm and unhurried tone described a future life that was both stable and long, and she provided a practical way forward.

Xiao Xiong nodded vigorously, murmuring into Tu Nan's embrace.

"Tu Nan, I'm just afraid you'll die too."

Both Tu Nan and Li, who was pacing nearby, were stunned.

"Mama died when she gave birth to my little sister... I'll take you as my godmother, so please don't give birth, okay?" He discussed it with Tu Nan very seriously.

"Mama only gave birth to one sister, but you're going to have two. They'll cause you to die. I don't want that."

Tu Nan sighed deeply.

Childbirth was indeed a hurdle, but she instinctively knew it wasn't an issue for her... The System's attitude almost indicated that until her genes were completed, she wouldn't die from childbirth.

Of course, if the Children she bore weren't what the System wanted, that would be another story.

But Li obviously wouldn't know this.

The Male Beast clearly became flustered. He grabbed the cold tea on the table and gulped down several mouthfuls, but he still couldn't calm down.

"Will she die? Really?" He actually asked Xiao Xiong.

"Ji Yu died." Xiao Xiong knew the Children were Li's; Tu Nan had said so. He began to dislike Li—it was all his fault, otherwise Tu Nan wouldn't have to die.

"Xiao Xiong..." Tu Nan covered the child's mouth, looking at the two men, one big and one small, who had started discussing this, with a headache.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'll definitely be fine, I promise!"

Both of them, four eyes in total, were skeptical.

Li's gaze wavered, feeling that it wasn't safe. Thinking of Chen Fang, who seemed very experienced with childbirth earlier, his gaze sharpened.

He decided to find a time to ask Chen Fang what exactly to look out for during pregnancy and childbirth so that nothing would happen to Tu Nan.

And yet, this was the starting point for another conflict between him and Tu Nan...