After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 51

Xie Zhiqing followed Lang Sa’s gaze downward—

 

The focus of his gaze landed on… his belly.

 

The previously flat curve of his clothing was now slightly lifted by a very subtle bulge—not even really a bulge, just the stitching of the clothes slightly taut, no longer as loose as before.

 

Xie Zhiqing stared at it dumbfounded, his mouth forming a surprised “O.”

 

Could it be…

 

He looked up and met Lang Sa’s eyes, both of them thinking the same thing.

 

Xie Zhiqing was already four months pregnant…

 

At four months, it should, yes, start to show, right?

 

When the words “start to show” popped into his mind, Xie Zhiqing was shocked—

 

He patted his belly, smoothing out the gaps in his clothes, and felt carefully.

 

After a moment, he looked up at Lang Sa, his expression both delighted and bewildered.

 

…He could feel it, there was indeed a small, gentle curve in his lower abdomen.

 

It was very subtle, only someone who knew this body well could notice it. If Lang Sa hadn’t suddenly mentioned it, Xie Zhiqing probably wouldn’t have detected it himself.

 

He waved at Lang Sa, excitedly saying, “Lang Sa, Lang Sa! Xiao Lingyue is growing! He’s growing!”

 

Lang Sa, who had been secretly excited all evening over this small discovery, was now overjoyed to find it was real and not his imagination. He couldn’t contain his joy. He bent down, wrapping one arm around Xie Zhiqing’s shoulders and the other under his knees, lifting him into the air!

 

The Wolf King carried Xie Zhiqing to the bed, rubbing his forehead against his. Their eyes met, and both of their faces were filled with sweetness.

 

Lang Sa then lifted him onto his lap, hands around his waist, and whispered, “Let me see if you’ve gained weight.”

 

Xie Zhiqing bit his lip and smiled. He nuzzled Lang Sa with his nose, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

 

He asked, “Have I gained weight…”

 

Lang Sa seriously tried to gauge it, but this small amount of weight was hard to discern for the Wolf King. He shook his head and said, “I can’t tell.”

 

But then he placed his hand on Xie Zhiqing’s belly, happily saying, “But he’s growing!”

 

This novel experience filled Xie Zhiqing with immense excitement. Leaning against Lang Sa’s shoulder, he murmured, “It’s so fast… already four months.”

 

The joy this brought him overshadowed everything else. He touched his belly, as if the skin beneath his hand really had come to life. The baby inside him finally felt real.

 

Xiao Lingyue had been very well-behaved, staying quietly in his belly without causing any trouble, incredibly peaceful. Four months had passed, and the baby finally… finally had some presence.

 

Xie Zhiqing couldn’t stop smiling. He clung to Lang Sa’s arm, starting to fantasize about the baby’s future personality.

 

“You think, since he’s so good now, he’ll be good when he grows up too? What kind of personality will he have?” Xie Zhiqing paused, his voice growing softer, “Like you, or like me…”

 

Originally, Lang Sa didn’t care much about what kind of person the baby would grow into—any personality or appearance would be fine, just like Xie Zhiqing, he only hoped the baby would be safe and happy in the future.

 

But now that Xie Zhiqing asked, Lang Sa couldn’t help but let his thoughts run wild.

 

If the baby was like him, they could protect Xie Zhiqing together in the future; but if the baby was like Xiao Qing’er…

 

Having two such adorable people at home would be too blissful…

 

Lang Sa thought for a long time, realizing he was thinking too far ahead. He quickly brought himself back. Clearing his throat, he tapped Xie Zhiqing’s nose, seriously saying, “There’s still a long time until the baby is born, don’t think so far ahead.”

 

The Wolf King deliberately put on an angry face, seriously saying, “You only think about the baby now, every day you think about making him little clothes and gloves, about what kind of personality he’ll have—you’re all about the baby, Xiao Qing’er, you’ll definitely become a baby slave.”

 

He said this half-jokingly, not expecting to actually care. Crossing his arms, he looked at Xie Zhiqing and repeated, “Xiao Qing’er only thinks about the baby now, nothing else matters. Sigh!”

 

Xie Zhiqing pursed his lips, trying to hide his smile. He was still the same, even knowing Lang Sa was teasing him, he couldn’t help but take it seriously.

 

He said, “Of course I care about the baby! Don’t you care?”

 

Lang Sa looked at him with a stern face.

 

But the Wolf King never had much authority in front of his beloved consort, no matter how serious his expression, it never lasted long. This time, Xie Zhiqing just poked his waist and asked with a smile, “Don’t you care?”

 

Lang Sa gave in. He pinched Xie Zhiqing’s cheeks, pushing them together, and quickly pecked his puckered lips.

 

The light kiss quickly turned into a deep one.

 

Lang Sa tightened his grip around Xie Zhiqing’s waist, pressing him firmly against himself.

 

For the past three months, Lang Sa had strictly followed Dr. Sun’s instructions, which included…

 

No intercourse in the first trimester.

 

So, aside from a small instance of exploration, they had been living a very chaste life.

 

As chaste as could be.

 

After a long time of tasting the sweet scent of his consort, Lang Sa felt a spark in his heart, and his grip tightened.

 

He pressed Xie Zhiqing’s head against himself, greedily nibbling on his soft lips.

 

Still mindful of Xie Zhiqing, Lang Sa feared losing control and hurting him.

 

He suppressed his desire, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

 

At the moment their lips parted, Xie Zhiqing’s tongue lightly brushed Lang Sa’s corner.

 

Xie Zhiqing’s eyes were dreamy, lips red and plump, seemingly unaware of what he had just done. He simply leaned against Lang Sa’s shoulder, panting softly.

 

His warm breaths on the Wolf King’s neck heightened his already tense nerves. Lang Sa lifted him, positioning him on his lap, his right hand hesitatingly reaching for his hairpin—

 

In the last moment of retaining his sanity, Lang Sa looked at Xie Zhiqing—without words, his eyes asked, “…Can I?”

 

Xie Zhiqing looked up at him, his eyes still clear. He blinked, then buried his head back into Lang Sa’s shoulder.

 

Only his fingers gripping the Wolf King’s shoulder tightened.

 

Lang Sa’s Adam’s apple bobbed, no longer hesitating, swiftly removing Xie Zhiqing’s hairpin.

 

Silky black hair cascaded down, covering Lang Sa’s hands. The cool strands briefly tempered the heat in his palms, soon replaced by a new wave of warmth.

 

Lang Sa’s hand gently held the long hair, the dark wolf pattern on his wrist blending with Xie Zhiqing’s hair.

 

Gray fabric was roughly pulled down, revealing the prince’s fair shoulders, a deep groove between his shoulder blades, shadows slipping into his clothes.

 

Lang Sa’s hand pressed against his back, his rough palm clasping Xie Zhiqing’s slender neck, nearly able to encircle it.

 

Xie Zhiqing accepted the Wolf King’s kisses without care, letting him ravage his lips.

 

He clutched Lang Sa’s clothes, goosebumps forming on his exposed arms.

 

The wolf pattern darkened, veins bulging, creating a fierce, terrifying scene.

 

Finally, Xie Zhiqing whimpered, his fingers leaving a damp patch on the sheets.

 

Exhausted, Xie Zhiqing lay on Lang Sa’s lap as the Wolf King dried his hair, eyes closed, drowsy.

 

After a while, Lang Sa touched his cheek, softly saying, “All done.”

 

Xie Zhiqing rubbed his eyes and crawled into bed.

 

In a drowsy voice, he said, “It’s such a pity, winter is almost over, and I’ve only been to that little hot spring once…”

 

Previously, he had specifically asked Dr. Sun if he could soak in the hot spring during pregnancy—the young prince loved hot springs dearly.

 

However, Dr. Sun politely refused, saying, “It’s best not to.”

 

So, that little hot spring had only been used once before it was temporarily out of commission.

 

Lang Sa kissed the tip of his nose and said, “This is a good time to renovate it; it was too basic before.”

 

Xie Zhiqing mumbled in agreement.

 

Just as he was about to fall asleep, someone gently knocked on the door.

 

Xie Zhiqing struggled to get up but was carefully pressed back down by Lang Sa.

 

“I’ll go, you sleep,” Lang Sa said.

 

Half-awake, Xie Zhiqing heard someone telling Lang Sa that the gift had arrived on time. He wanted to ask what the gift was, important enough for a servant to report it late at night. But his eyes were too tired to open, so he didn’t ask.

 

That night, Xie Zhiqing slept soundly.

 

The young prince had a good dream, but his relatives far away in Anyu were sleepless.

 

Everyone was nervous and couldn’t sleep, each person anxious about the big event tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow was Xie Zhiming’s enthronement ceremony.

 

Father and son, along with many officials, had carefully chosen this auspicious date.

 

Early the next day, after the officials from the Ministry of Rites finished the sacrificial ceremony, the new emperor’s enthronement ceremony finally began.

 

Xie Zhiming donned the bright yellow dragon robe, looking dignified and commanding respect without anger. Below him, civil and military officials knelt, paying homage to the new emperor.

 

The only exception was his second brother, who was physically disabled.

 

Xie Zhifeng was born with a disability and couldn’t kneel, so the emperor exempted him from the ceremony, allowing him to attend in his wheelchair as usual.

 

The girl beside Xie Zhifeng quietly lifted her face and said, “Elder Brother looks so majestic!”

 

“Shh—” Xie Zhifeng raised his index finger and whispered, “Zhiyue, don’t make trouble!”

 

The girl named Zhiyue stuck out her tongue and obediently knelt back down.

 

The new emperor followed tradition, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, changing the era name, and granting amnesty to the realm.

 

Then, a loud male voice came from outside the hall—

 

“The Grassland Wolf Tribe’s consort Xie Zhiqing and Wolf King Lang Sa present 5,000 taels of gold, 10,000 taels of silver, 3,000 fine horses, and 5,000 cattle and sheep to congratulate the new emperor on his enthronement—”

 

When Xie Zhiyue heard “Grassland Wolf Tribe,” she became excited. She didn’t care about the valuable gifts, only knowing they were filled with Xiao Qing’er’s sentiments.

 

She tugged on Xie Zhifeng’s sleeve, clapping her hands and saying, “Xiao Qing’er, it’s Xiao Qing’er!”

 

Xie Zhifeng repeatedly said, “Yes, yes, it’s Xiao Qing’er, don’t get too excited.”

 

How could Xie Zhiyue not be excited? She didn’t even bother listening to the gift list, just clapped her hands, repeatedly saying, “Wolf Tribe Consort? Xiao Qing’er is also so majestic!”

 

Xie Zhifeng patted her head, smiling, “Yes, Xiao Qing’er is also very majestic!”

 

After soothing his sister, he looked up at the hall.

 

The wolf tribe envoy presenting the gifts had slowly walked up to the new emperor, handing over the gift list with both hands.

 

However, the emperor didn’t pay much attention to the lavish gifts. He had a eunuch beside him accept the gift list, while he personally took another item from the envoy—

 

The gift list was tied with a golden ribbon, atop which sat a completely white rabbit-shaped plush toy.

 

Xie Zhiming held the toy in his hand, softly saying, “Please thank the consort on my behalf.”

 

That day, Xie Zhiming had rushed back, having too little time to get another rabbit toy. He had only joked about it with his little brother, not expecting him to remember.

 

He looked at the small item in his hand.

 

The little rabbit sat in his palm, smiling cutely at him.

 

After a long while, Xie Zhiming spoke again.

 

“This is the best gift I’ve ever received,” he said, “Thank you, Xiao Qing’er, thank him.”