Chapter 71:

After the nurse left, Xie Qichen still sat back down by the bedside, suppressing his urge to hold the little one.

He didn’t have much experience and was afraid he might make the baby cry.

After a while, his phone rang.

Checking it, he saw it was a video call from Xun Huo.

Fearing he might disturb Tan Mo’s sleep, Xie Qichen stood up and walked to the window, a bit further from the bed, before answering the call.

On the other end, Xun Huo had just returned home from work, accompanied by Song Ranxia who was equally concerned, asking, “How is everything? Has Mo Mo given birth yet?”

They knew today was Tan Mo’s due date. However, since Song Ranxia had recently given birth herself, she was recovering at home and couldn’t visit the hospital, though she had been thinking about Tan Mo. Beforehand, she had even called Tan Mo to tell her to relax and not get nervous.

Xie Qichen glanced at his watch. “An hour and a half ago. It’s a boy.”

Upon hearing this, the two on the call were delighted and excited. “That’s great! We guessed right—it’s a boy!”

“Can we see the little one? Where is he?”

“Right here.”

Xie Qichen walked over to the crib and pointed the camera toward it. Seeing the baby, Xun Huo and Song Ranxia both expressed how adorable it was. Xun Huo laughed and asked,

“Hey Achen, can I ask you something? What were you thinking the moment you first saw your child? Were you overwhelmed with emotion? Did you feel like crying with joy?”

The man thought for a few seconds before his thin lips uttered simply,

“No. I just thought… he looked kind of ugly.”

The other two were stunned.

Xun Huo couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, Xie Qichen, is that how a father should react? If you think he’s ugly, give him to me. I’ll raise him for you. Then I’ll have both a son and a daughter.”

Leaning against the windowsill with one hand in his pocket, Xie Qichen raised his eyes to glance at him. “You wish. You think I’d let my son call you Dad?”

Xun Huo laughed, knowing full well that this guy might pretend to be indifferent, but he would never stop loving his child. He stopped joking and said sincerely,

“Congratulations, man. Now you’re a father just like me, stepping into a new chapter of happiness in life.”

Xie Qichen smirked. “Who was it that kept telling me raising a child was so hard just a while ago?”

Xun Huo laughed. “I’m just glad there’s finally someone else to suffer with me. Taking care of kids really is torture. But then again, watching them grow up brings so much joy. You’ll understand what being a father feels like soon enough.”

Song Ranxia beside him playfully hit him and said, “Alright, you. Don’t scare Qichen. Don’t pile pressure on him before he even starts. By the way, how is Mo Mo doing?”

“She was exhausted and is sleeping now.”

Xun Huo added, “Of course she’s tired after such a long day. Let her rest first. We’ll call her tomorrow.”

Song Ranxia nodded. “Achen, you should take good care of her, especially during this postpartum month. She needs proper rest and nourishment, or she might suffer health issues later.”

Speaking of Tan Mo, a gentle expression passed through Xie Qichen’s eyes. “I know.”

After ending the call, Xie Qichen put his phone down and heard a soft female voice from behind:

“Qichen…”

He turned around immediately and saw Tan Mo, who had apparently woken up some time ago. She was looking at him, a faint smile on her delicate face.

He quickly walked to her side, leaned down to look at her, and slightly frowned as he asked,

“Did I wake you up? Why did you wake up so soon?”

“No, I just happened to wake up…”

Xie Qichen slightly raised the headrest, gave her some water to drink, then sat beside her, holding her hand gently as he asked,

“Are you feeling any discomfort? I know today must have been really exhausting for you.”

Her eyes, slightly misty, looked up at him. “I feel much better now. In the delivery room, I was so tired I thought I couldn’t make it, but thinking of you gave me the strength to keep going.”

Xie Qichen tightened his grip on her hand, looking at her with heartache welling up in his throat.

“That’s enough. One child is enough. We won’t have another.”

Throughout these months from pregnancy to childbirth, even though he deeply cared for her, he couldn’t truly understand her pain. He never wanted to see her go through such hardship again.

Tan Mo felt a sting in her nose, then curved her lips into a smile seconds later. “Silly, why do you look like you feel guilty as if you beat me up or something?”

She mumbled with a hint of pride, “Just don’t betray your wife’s efforts. Promise to cherish her well from now on.”

“Mm. I will cherish you well.”

Xie Qichen leaned in, capturing her lips in a warm kiss, gently pulling her into his arms. But just as suddenly, the hospital room door opened.

The elders from both families had returned from dinner and walked in on the scene. Accustomed to the couple’s affectionate displays, they smiled knowingly and teased,

“We must’ve come at a bad time, interrupting the two of you being sweet.”

Tan Mo blushed, pushed the man away, and greeted them shyly, “Mom… Dad…”

The elders smiled and approached to check on the girl who had just woken up. Alongside Tan Yuanzhou and Ji Shu, Tan Mo was showered with care and concern, feeling a deep sense of happiness.

After a while, she turned her head toward the crib. “Oh, I want to see the baby…”

Upon hearing this, Tan Mo’s mother walked over and picked up the little one. “You haven’t seen him since you woke up?”

Tan Yuanzhou teased from the side, “Of course not. As soon as she woke up, she was caught up with her husband. When would she have time to see the baby?”

Everyone laughed.

Xie Qichen, whose affectionate behavior had been exposed in front of everyone, remained silent.

He coughed lightly, then glanced coldly at Tan Yuanzhou who was still chuckling. Tan Mo’s face flushed even more.

Finally, Tan Mo took the baby from her mother’s arms and couldn’t help but exclaim,

“He’s so light…”

Tan Mo’s mother laughed. “Of course he is. He only weighs 6.2 jin, but babies grow fast.”

For a moment, Tan Mo found it hard to believe this was the child born from her own body. Looking at the peacefully sleeping baby, a surge of love welled up in her heart. She gently stroked the baby’s tiny hands and feet.

Everyone gathered around to dote on the baby. Xie Wenzong chuckled, “He looks almost exactly like Qichen when he was born, especially his eyes and mouth.”

“Indeed, a son often resembles his father…”

Tan Mo smiled. “So I guess I’m seeing what Qichen looked like as a baby.”

After playing with the baby for a while, Tan Mo turned to Xie Qichen. “Have you held our son yet?”

Tan Mo’s mother laughed. “He probably hasn’t. While you were sleeping, his attention was all on you.”

Tan Mo slightly lifted the baby toward him, looking up into his eyes with a bright gaze.

“Do you want to hold him?”

Of course he did. This was their child together.

He swallowed hard, then carefully reached out and took the baby into his arms. His movements were clearly awkward and tense. Tan Mo’s mother stood beside him, guiding him on the proper way to hold the baby.

Xie Qichen was a fast learner and soon held the baby confidently.

As he adjusted the baby into a proper position, he lowered his gaze, looking intently at the pink and white little one in his arms. His expression gradually softened.

One second. Two seconds. On the third—

“Waaah…”

The baby burst into loud cries.

Xie Qichen’s face darkened. “…?”

What the hell?

Tan Yuanzhou burst into laughter from the side. “Xie Qichen, did you see that? Your son is rejecting you—hahahahaha!”

Xie Qichen remained silent.

Everyone laughed, though in reality, the baby wasn’t rejecting him—it was simply hungry and wanted to feed.

Later, Tan Mo’s mother first taught Tan Mo how to breastfeed, while the others left the room.

Xie Qichen escorted them out, suggesting they go home to rest since they had been busy all day. He and Tan Mo’s mother would take care of things from here. Understanding that staying might disturb Tan Mo’s rest, everyone agreed to leave, promising to visit again later.

After seeing them off, Xie Qichen returned to the room. By then, Tan Mo had already finished feeding the baby. Tan Mo’s mother had gone to the restroom, leaving just the two of them in the room.

Tan Mo smiled at him. “Do you want to hold him again?”

He hesitated slightly, and she guessed his thoughts, smiling even more.

“He won’t cry this time. Don’t worry.”

Then Xie Qichen sat beside Tan Mo and took the baby into his arms again. This time, the well-fed little one lay quietly in his arms, not fussing at all.

Tan Mo rested her chin on Xie Qichen’s shoulder, her eyes curving happily.

“I told you so. How could he not like being held by Daddy? His Dad is the handsomest man in the world, after all.”

Xie Qichen smiled, turning to look at her. “Trying to sweet-talk me?”

Tan Mo smiled back.

After holding the baby for a while, Xie Qichen handed him back to Tan Mo. Then he wrapped his arm around both her and the baby, whispering softly,

“Mo Mo, I never thought it could be this wonderful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Two years ago, when I returned to China and met you again, I proposed a marriage of convenience. I wanted to treat you well for two years, to do everything I could to make you fall in love with me.”

His dark eyes, filled with love, gazed into hers. “Back then, I never imagined a moment like this.”

Tan Mo’s lips curved into a tender smile at his words.

“Two years later, we have a real home. A family of three.”

Everything was just so beautiful.

In the ninth year since Tan Mo met Xie Qichen, summer was approaching, and the trees cast vast shadows.

This year, their first child was born.

—

The day after giving birth, Tan Mo was discharged from the hospital and moved into a postpartum care center in Licheng.

Located along the riverside, the center was peaceful and secluded, far from the city’s noise. Xie Qichen had arranged everything in advance. Upon learning of Tan Mo’s identity, the center gave her top priority, assigning the best nurses and nannies to provide the best possible care for her and the baby. The accommodations were spacious and comfortable, allowing Xie Qichen to stay with her.

It felt less like a postpartum center and more like a resort.

It was undeniable that with good financial conditions, raising a child could be significantly less stressful and painful.

Thanks to the attentive care, Tan Mo’s body gradually recovered, and each day felt surprisingly easy.

Meanwhile, during this time, Xie Qichen, now a new father, stopped working late hours and reduced his workload. Every evening, he returned home promptly from the company.

He had heard many news stories about mothers developing postpartum depression due to stress or lack of proper care, and he was deeply afraid of that happening to Tan Mo. So he was determined to take the best possible care of her.

Fortunately, Tan Mo’s mood was stable and positive. She also noticed that although Xie Qichen didn’t seem overly excited about the baby’s arrival on the surface, he was secretly quite happy.

For instance, he really enjoyed holding the baby and could hold him for two or three hours without seeming tired. Whenever she told him to rest, he always said he was fine.

Tan Mo was very pleased with this.

This meant that in the future, when they took the baby out, the physically demanding tasks would be handled by someone else—ha!

Time passed quickly. By the end of May, Tan Mo had completed half a month of postpartum recovery.

On a Saturday evening, after finishing a week’s worth of work, Xie Qichen arrived at the postpartum center and had dinner with Tan Mo.

After dinner, the nanny brought the baby over. Tan Mo took him into her arms, leaning against Xie Qichen as she played with the little one. As the baby cooed and gurgled, she gently touched his tiny hands, her eyes curving into crescents as she asked the man holding her,

“Xie Qichen, don’t you think our son is super adorable?”

Xie Qichen glanced down briefly and replied in a flat tone, “So-so.”

“Hmph…”

A man who couldn’t admit his true feelings.

A while later, Xun Huo called, saying that he, Song Ranxia, and Lu Zian planned to visit Tan Mo and the baby that night, asking if it was convenient.

Tan Mo and Xie Qichen were available, so they sent them the address.

Half an hour later, the three arrived, bringing many nutritional supplements and baby items.

They greeted Tan Mo first. Lu Zian remarked, “Tan Mo, you’ve been through a lot. We all thought Xie Qichen would probably end up alone and childless. You saved him.”

Tan Mo laughed. Xie Qichen shot back coldly, “Now I’m more worried you’ll end up alone.”

“That won’t happen. I just haven’t decided to settle down yet.”

Xie Qichen smirked. “You just haven’t decided to give up being a playboy.”

“Hey, since when did I become a playboy…”

They chatted and laughed for a while. Then they said they wanted to see the baby, so Xie Qichen led them to the adjacent room.

Xie Qichen picked the baby up from the crib. Lu Zian leaned in to take a look and joked,

“Achen, I heard from Xun Huo that you think your son is ugly. Now that I see him, I guess he really is… kind of ugly?”

Xie Qichen shot him a cold glance and gave a dry laugh.

“Lu Zian, if your eyesight is bad, go get it checked.”

Ugly? His son was the cutest in the entire world.