After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 56

“This one or two months…?” Xie Zhiqing repeated in a daze, “This one or two months?”

He touched his stomach.

His belly was indeed quite noticeable now, even the loose cloak couldn’t hide it. But it had only been six months, and Xie Zhiqing never imagined that the baby would be born so soon.

He panicked.

Lang Sa, holding his shoulder, gently comforted him, “Don’t worry, everything that needs to be prepared has been done. You just need to take care of yourself and not worry about anything else.”

Xie Zhiqing blinked and, suppressing his anxiety, smiled and nodded.

The wolf king secretly issued orders, forbidding anyone from frightening Xie Zhiqing with talk of imminent birth, and prohibiting them from asking about his condition to avoid causing him more anxiety.

All preparations had to be done discreetly.

In the blink of an eye, half of that “one or two months” had passed.

That afternoon, Lu Lingling came to find Xie Zhiqing, saying that the flower seeds they had planted earlier had finally budded.

Those packets of seeds had given Lu Lingling a hard time.

The prairie soil was barely suitable for growing vegetables, let alone flowers, which required meticulous care.

After many months, this was the first time they had produced buds.

Lu Lingling was so excited that she quickly brought Xie Zhiqing to see them, fearing that the buds might wilt due to improper care.

Xie Zhiqing followed her with a smile.

The buds were tiny, but one could see the vibrancy of the flowers. The peach-colored petals hadn’t fully opened, clustered tightly together in a charming way.

Xie Zhiqing touched them with his fingertip and asked, “When will they bloom?”

Lu Lingling said, “They say the peak blooming period is in May!”

Xie Zhiqing blinked, his fingers twitching.

May? Doesn’t that mean… He looked down at his belly, his eyes wandering.

“Oh, May?” Xie Zhiqing said softly, “That’s great. When they bloom… you must tell me.”

Lu Lingling nodded repeatedly, saying “Okay.”

When Xie Zhiqing returned home, Lang Sa was there.

The wolf king had been acting mysteriously lately, often sneaking out for a while and then returning quietly.

Xie Zhiqing suspected he was preparing for the baby’s birth but was too embarrassed to ask directly.

“Back?” Lang Sa touched his earlobe and asked, “Went to Lu Lingling’s place?”

Xie Zhiqing said “yes.”

Whenever Lang Sa wasn’t home, he would always have Artes watch over him. But as the pregnancy progressed, he worried that Artes, being an animal, might unintentionally harm Xie Zhiqing. So, he only had it watch from a distance.

However, if Xie Zhiqing went out alone, Artes would definitely follow.

Xie Zhiqing patted Artes’ head and said, “With Artes accompanying me, you don’t need to worry.”

Lang Sa nodded and also petted Artes.

After this outing, Xie Zhiqing felt a bit tired. He took off his shoes and sat on the bed, starting to sort through the baby’s clothes again.

Lang Xiaoxiao had bought a lot of fabric earlier and made clothes every few days, so there was now a small mountain of baby clothes.

Xie Zhiqing took the clothes, unfolded them one by one, then folded them neatly and put them back, muttering about which age and season each piece was for.

This activity happened every few days, and Lang Sa had gotten used to it. He washed his hands, sat behind Xie Zhiqing, and helped fold the clothes while asking about his day.

However…

Xie Zhiqing hadn’t said much before his expression suddenly changed.

His movements stopped abruptly, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

He blinked, touched his stomach with his right hand, then turned to look at Lang Sa.

“!” Lang Sa also became nervous and quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?!”

He hurriedly dressed and said, “I’ll go get the doctor! Artes, you—”

“Hey—” Xie Zhiqing weakly spoke, tugging on Lang Sa’s sleeve, “I… I’m not unwell, I just…”

Xie Zhiqing’s mouth was slightly open, his expression puzzled rather than in pain.

He touched his belly again, trying to feel something.

After a while, he bit his lip and looked at Lang Sa, softly saying, “Lang Sa, I… I…”

Lang Sa anxiously asked, “What’s wrong? What’s happening?!”

“…” Xie Zhiqing murmured, “The baby is moving a lot. I think… I’m about to give birth.”

*

The wolf baby’s arrival was sudden, but fortunately, everyone had been prepared, so it wasn’t chaotic.

When Dr. Sun and his team arrived, Xie Zhiqing was lying on the bed with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

Whether it was Xie Zhiqing’s unique physique or the unusual nature of the wolf cub, Xie Zhiqing didn’t experience intense pain. He just felt the baby constantly rolling inside, as if ready to burst out at any moment.

Lang Sa wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at him with a mix of pity and love. He bent down and touched Xie Zhiqing’s nose, softly saying, “The doctor is here.”

Xie Zhiqing nodded and whispered, “Hot.”

Dr. Sun quickly handed over a warm towel.

The warm towel wiped away the sweat, leaving a comforting sensation.

Xie Zhiqing clutched Lang Sa’s wrist, rubbing his cheek against the back of his hand.

Maybe it was true, as Lang Sa had said before, that the wolf baby knew how to protect his mother even before birth. The whole labor process was smooth, with no intense pain or sudden complications. Xie Zhiqing just felt hot, but everything else went well.

Before long, Dr. Sun said softly, “It’s done!”

At that moment, Lang Sa was feeding water to Xie Zhiqing. Hearing this, he glanced up and then turned back to Xie Zhiqing, saying, “The baby is born. You’ve worked hard, Qing’er.”

He kissed Xie Zhiqing’s lips, the dry kiss moving from the corner of his mouth to his forehead.

Having just drunk water, Xie Zhiqing’s lips were moist, and the kiss brought a new layer of warmth.

Xie Zhiqing was a bit tired, his eyelids drooping, but he still mustered the energy to see the baby.

Lang Sa hesitated, slightly holding him back, and said, “… It’s a wolf.”

Xie Zhiqing stared blankly and said, “Huh?” Looking at Lang Sa in confusion.

Lang Sa whispered, “I was afraid it might scare you.”

“It won’t,” Xie Zhiqing finally smiled and shook his head. “Let me see.”

His voice was soft but determined.

Lang Sa took the wolf baby from the doctor, wiped its face with his sleeve, and brought it to Xie Zhiqing.

“It’s a daughter,” Lang Sa said.

“Then there’s no need to think of a new name,” Xie Zhiqing said happily. “We’ll name her Lingyue.”

Lang Sa also smiled and leaned in to touch his forehead.

Xie Zhiqing carefully took Lingyue into his arms.

The newborn wolf cub couldn’t open her eyes yet, her gray-white fur wrapped around her tiny face, with soft, floppy ears on top of her head. She had a wrinkled face, looking as if she wanted to cry but was held in Xie Zhiqing’s embrace.

Xie Zhiqing reached out to touch her ears, then looked up at Lang Sa.

Lang Sa’s expression was one of mixed tenderness, pity, and concern, overflowing with love.

Xie Zhiqing was momentarily stunned, then reached out to touch Lang Sa’s slightly reddened eyes.

He held the baby and leaned into Lang Sa’s embrace.

Lingyue seemed to feel the warmth and reached out to touch Xie Zhiqing’s face.

The baby’s soft pads, lacking claws, gently pressed against Xie Zhiqing. He looked down and pinched her tiny paw, wrinkling his nose and saying, “Her little paws are so black!”

Lang Sa laughed. His chest vibrated slightly, and a deep, soothing laugh came from above.

Xie Zhiqing looked up, and Lang Sa was also gazing at him.

With the baby in his arms and Lang Sa holding him tightly, Xie Zhiqing felt the new life in his embrace and the broader chest above him.

He closed his eyes and thought, there was no happier moment than this.

*

Although the process wasn’t painful, it was still tiring.

Soon, Xie Zhiqing felt drowsy and could hardly keep his eyes open.

Lang Sa took Lingyue from his arms and said, “Qing’er, after this… you might not see Lingyue for several months.”

Xie Zhiqing understood. Now they needed to arrange for Lingyue’s intelligence development, a process that could take months or even years and couldn’t be interrupted by external forces.

He felt a pang of longing but had no choice but to nod and say, “Okay.”

Lang Sa embraced him, holding both him and the baby closely, and sighed deeply.

Soon after, Xie Zhiqing fell asleep.

He had a very long dream.

In the dream, he saw many people.

He dreamt he was a round little child again.

At that time, his father and elder brother would often look at him with sighs, their gazes full of pain and helplessness. He went to ask Zhifeng but found that others’ looks at Zhifeng were even more complicated.

He grew taller and taller. Later, he had a sister.

Zhiyue was soft, wrapped in a red blanket by the maids, with a rosy face.

As he grew up and became more aware, he realized that he was different from ordinary men and finally understood the complex emotions in his father and brother’s eyes when they looked at him as a child.

He buried all his confusion, misunderstanding, and perplexity in his heart, becoming a prince who only conveyed happiness.

Later, he was to get married.

Even though it was a marriage he had agreed to himself, he was more fearful than anyone else.

“Brother, what are the wolf people like? Do they eat people?” he asked Zhifeng.

Zhifeng shook his head and comforted him, “No, they don’t.”

He left home, left An Yu.

On the last look back from the wolf king’s mount, he saw the helplessness of his father and elder brother, the sadness of the princess, and a tear from Zhifeng.

Then…

The long dream was like a lengthy tunnel that Xie Zhiqing walked through for a long time without reaching the end.

In a daze, he noticed that the sides of the tunnel were planted with red flowers, though they hadn’t bloomed yet, only small buds.

He thought it was strange to use flower buds as decoration.

He continued walking.

This time, he saw a tall, foreign man.

His hair was long and black, with a few thin braids hanging at the back of his head. His shoulders were broad, and his arms strong. He was sitting with his back to Xie Zhiqing, gently rocking something in his arms.

When the man heard the footsteps behind him, he turned to look at Xie Zhiqing, smiling and saying, “You’re here. The baby has been looking for you.”

He held up the object in his arms—

It was a beautiful, pink little girl.

Xie Zhiqing took the baby and was pulled into the man’s embrace.

“Why so slow?” the man said, planting a loud kiss on his cheek.

Xie Zhiqing looked at the baby in his arms and then up at him.

The man was extraordinarily handsome, with Xie Zhiqing’s reflection clearly visible in his dark eyes.

Xie Zhiqing’s gaze flickered. He hugged the baby tightly, wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders, and rested his moist eyes against his chest.

“I’m late, Lang Sa.”

*

When Xie Zhiqing woke up, it was already late at night.

Outside the window was pitch black, with only a small oil lamp lit inside the room. The lamp’s light was dim, but it seemed very warm in the deep night.

Lang Sa had such good eyesight that he didn’t need the lamp for illumination. Yet, he still lit it, waiting for Xie Zhiqing to wake up.

Xie Zhiqing looked at the small oil lamp, feeling a warm sense of comfort.

He propped himself up on his elbows, and before he could speak, footsteps were heard outside the room.

“Awake?” Lang Sa came over with a small water jug and sat by the bed. “How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?”

Xie Zhiqing shook his head and said, “No, I’m just tired.”

“Sleep a bit longer.” Lang Sa touched his face with extreme tenderness. “Dr. Sun said that although everything went smoothly, you still need to rest well. I’ll stay with you these days. Let’s rest properly.”

Xie Zhiqing looked at him carefully. His gaze traveled from Lang Sa’s eyebrows down to his chin, clear and unclouded, showing no hint of emotion.

He rarely examined others with such a gaze, which made Lang Sa curious. He touched Xie Zhiqing’s wrist and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xie Zhiqing didn’t answer. Instead, he extended his hands and, with a small, pursed-lip voice, said, “I want to be held.”