Ren Zhouyuan’s belly grew larger and larger. By the fifth month, it looked as big as a typical seven or eight-month pregnant woman’s. Even the excuse of “men giving birth” didn’t hold up under scrutiny anymore. Finally, under everyone’s pressing questions, Leonid smugly revealed the truth about the twins.
Now, Ren Zhouyuan couldn’t avoid everyone’s curious and astonished visits.
Anna, upon learning about the twins, wasted no time and immediately booked the earliest flight. Before coming, she had been worried about how Leonid, who couldn’t even take care of himself properly, would handle a pregnant spouse. But upon arrival, seeing the family of three living comfortably, her expression turned quite colorful. She even gave Leonid a thumbs-up in the end.
She asked Ren Zhouyuan about his health, touched his belly, and seeing his nervous look, didn’t stay to cause more fuss. After giving Leonid some pointers, she hurried back to Russia just as quickly as she had come.
Many people visited Ren Zhouyuan during this time. Initially, he was reluctant, feeling self-conscious about his growing belly and not wanting to meet people. Leonid noticed and turned away many visitors, but persistent ones like Ron were undeterred and kept visiting. Eventually, Ren Zhouyuan felt bad about repeatedly refusing them and let Ron in.
At first, Ren Zhouyuan felt awkward, thinking a man with a big belly looked strange. He wore loose clothing to hide it. But seeing Ron’s curious but non-malicious gaze, Ren Zhouyuan gradually let his guard down and stopped caring about others’ opinions. Soon, more visitors came, all focused on Ren Zhouyuan, which finally made An An unhappy.
He stood protectively in front of Ren Zhouyuan, not letting anyone near his dad. Leonid found An An’s rare protective stance amusing and often joined visitors in teasing him, making An An puff up his cheeks in anger, almost crying but holding back. This sight often pained Ren Zhouyuan.
As Ren Zhouyuan’s belly grew, visitors increasingly focused on it. An An, initially uninterested in a second child, grew curious. When it was just the three of them at home, An An would lie beside Ren Zhouyuan, staring at his belly with wide eyes, clearly wanting to ask something. Since An An had previously expressed dislike for a second child, Ren Zhouyuan and Leonid had hesitated to tell him about the twins. So, when the world knew, An An was still in the dark.
Ren Zhouyuan felt guilty. Although he had been instilling in An An the idea of loving siblings, he was too scared to tell him directly. He decided to push Leonid to explain, even coming up with an excuse, “It’s your fault for putting two in at once.”
Leonid, feeling helpless and amused at Ren Zhouyuan’s occasional petulance, accepted his fate and confessed to An An.
When Leonid told An An that there were two babies in Papa’s belly, his expression was priceless. He looked at Ren Zhouyuan’s belly, then at Leonid, mouth agape and eyes blinking in disbelief. After a while, he closed his mouth and fell silent.
Even Leonid couldn’t read An An’s reaction. Sharing a look with Ren Zhouyuan, who gave him a glare, he had no choice but to continue prying.
“Sweetheart, do you like Papa having two babies?” Leonid asked, ruffling An An’s hair.
An An blinked but didn’t answer.
Leonid’s smile stiffened. After some thought, he added, “Imagine, if Papa has two babies, one looking like you and one like Papa, wouldn’t that be great?”
“What about you?” An An asked almost immediately.
Leonid rubbed his nose, thinking quickly, and replied, “Daddy loves Papa(Rzy) and loves An An. So if the babies look like you and Papa, Daddy will be the happiest person in the world!”
An An tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, “What if both look like Daddy?”
Ren Zhouyuan burst out laughing from the other side of the room, making Leonid give him a helpless look. Ren Zhouyuan returned a look that said, “Solve it yourself.”
Leonid racked his brain, but before he could come up with a solution, An An suddenly said, “Okay, I get it.”
“Huh?” Leonid was puzzled, “Get what?”
An An, looking like a little adult, crossed his arms, sighed, glanced at Leonid, then shook his head and spread his hands, saying, “I’ll protect the babies.”
Leonid’s eyes lit up, and he shared a surprised look with Ren Zhouyuan, thinking, “That was easy?”
That evening, as they lay in bed, they still found it hard to believe. They had put so much effort into getting An An to accept a second child, but now, with a few words, he accepted the idea of twins.
The reason for An An’s change of heart was thanks to all the visitors. Since learning about the twins, more people had come to see Ren Zhouyuan. An An, busy protecting his dad and the babies, developed a sense of responsibility, making him truly feel like an older brother. The words he once said about being a big boss and supporting his dad now felt real with this newfound mission.
With this problem resolved, it was time for the second check-up. Zheng Bo had told them they might see the babies’ genders this time, so the dads were excited and arrived early. Zheng Bo prepared everything skillfully, and Ren Zhouyuan, lying on the bed, held Leonid’s hand tightly, feeling nervous.
“Hmm…” Zheng Bo examined the screen intently, moving the probe across Ren Zhouyuan’s belly, occasionally commenting on the babies’ development but not addressing the dads’ main concern, keeping them on edge.
Suddenly, Zheng Bo exclaimed, and the dads’ hearts skipped a beat. Pointing at a spot on the screen, he smiled, “Look, An An is getting a little brother.”
Ren Zhouyuan and Leonid shared a look, and Leonid kissed Ren Zhouyuan’s forehead, eyes shining with excitement. They stared at the screen in disbelief.
As they waited for Zheng Bo to reveal the second baby’s gender, he pressed a few buttons, and the printer whirred to life. Taking the printout, he placed it on Ren Zhouyuan’s belly and, seeing their confused looks, shrugged, “The second baby is hiding well. We’ll have to wait for the next check-up to see if it’s a boy or a girl.”
“Ah…” Ren Zhouyuan sighed unconsciously, clearly disappointed. Leonid squeezed his hand, and as Zheng Bo went to get the results, he whispered, “It’s good to have a surprise.”
Ren Zhouyuan glanced at him, knowing Leonid wanted to know just as much but was now comforting him. He wrinkled his nose, hiding his disappointment.
As Ren Zhouyuan’s belly grew, Leonid nearly stopped working altogether, leaving many projects unfinished. Even bringing work home didn’t prevent delays.
Ron, now busier than ever, often ran between home and the office with stacks of documents, occasionally grumbling, which Ren Zhouyuan overheard, making him feel guilty.
Ron’s complaints were unintentional, but they made Ren Zhouyuan rethink the situation. He enjoyed Leonid’s care but felt it was irresponsible to neglect work.
After discussing with Leonid, they agreed he shouldn’t focus solely on home. Despite Leonid’s reluctance, he listened, intending to work half-days. But after two days, seeing Ren Zhouyuan still worried about his workload, he reluctantly agreed to a short business trip arranged by Ron.
Before leaving, Leonid, like a worried mother, kept reminding Ren Zhouyuan to take care of himself, giving him a goodbye kiss and reluctantly walking out the door.
With Leonid gone, Ren Zhouyuan happily took out his iPad and settled on the sofa to read a novel.
He was engrossed in a long novel by an author named Yumi Hua, who usually wrote short stories. This rare long work captivated Ren Zhouyuan, and despite Leonid’s previous reprimands, he couldn’t stop reading now that no one was around. With An An camping with the kindergarten, the house was all his, and he read avidly about Tian Biaobiao’s life.
Time flew by, and the phone ringing at noon startled him. Seeing Leonid’s call, he set aside the iPad and answered.
Leonid’s warm, deep voice came through, clearly calling right after landing, “I just arrived in Nanshi. What are you doing?”
Ren Zhouyuan lied, “Reading the parenting books you bought.”
“Don’t read too long. Rest your eyes and move around a bit,” Leonid advised. “Have you eaten? It’s almost noon. Did Fan Wenfeng come by?”
Ren Zhouyuan glanced at the clock, feeling guilty, “Yes, he just left. He said he’ll come back in the evening.”
“What did you eat?” Leonid asked.
Ren Zhouyuan’s heart raced as if caught doing something wrong. He recalled the dishes Leonid made last week and replied, “Vegetable noodles and yam millet porridge.”
“Oh…” Leonid paused, hinting, “Take care of yourself and don’t slack off. I’ve worked hard to keep you healthy. I don’t want to come back and find you malnourished.”
Blushing, Ren Zhouyuan made an excuse and quickly ended the call.
For the babies’ sake, he made a simple porridge and ate it. Leonid’s dishes were varied, but Ren Zhouyuan didn’t bother with elaborate cooking. Once full, he returned to his novel.
For two days, he kept this routine. Leonid’s calls reminded him to take care of himself, and Fan Wenfeng prepared dinner, keeping him healthy.
But on the third day, Ren Zhouyuan woke up feeling dizzy. Assuming it was from too much screen time, he tried to manage it. But after vomiting, he realized it might be more serious. He spent a nervous morning, and when Fan Wenfeng arrived, he still felt dizzy.
Fan Wenfeng, noticing Ren Zhouyuan’s pale face, rushed to help him. Ren Zhouyuan tried to reassure him, but when his stomach cramped and dizziness worsened, Fan Wenfeng didn’t hesitate and took him to the hospital.
Ren Zhouyuan fought to stay conscious, but upon seeing Zheng Bo, he barely had time to tell Fan Wenfeng not to inform Leonid before passing out.
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