When Ren Zhouyuan woke up, it was still dark. After the anesthetic wore off, waves of pain emanated from his abdomen, causing him to frown and clench his fists, only to realize that his hand was tightly held by Leonid.
At his movement, Leonid immediately woke up. They exchanged a glance, and Leonid gently asked, “You’re awake. Thirsty? Want some water?”
Ren Zhouyuan nodded. With Leonid’s help, he slowly sat up, watching as Leonid poured water and asked, “How are the babies?”
Leonid replied, “Since they’re twins, their weight is a bit low, but it’s not a problem. They’re just in the incubator for a few days to be safe.”
Ren Zhouyuan immediately panicked and asked, “What’s wrong? Are the babies’ weights very low? What did Zheng Bo say?”
Leonid walked back with a cup of warm water, sat on the edge of the bed, and handed it to Ren Zhouyuan. “It’s nothing serious. Zheng Bo said it’s normal, just a precaution. Besides,” he glanced downward with a hint of a tease, “you don’t have breast milk, so a few days in the incubator will be safer.”
Ren Zhouyuan paused mid-sip, rolled his eyes at Leonid, but felt reassured by his words. Nodding, he asked, “And An An? We left in such a rush. Is someone looking after him?”
Leonid nodded, “I asked Ron to stay with him, and Anna went back to check on An An after knowing you were okay. There’s plenty of people at home, so don’t worry.”
Leonid had arranged everything perfectly, leaving no room for worry. Ren Zhouyuan felt incredibly relieved. After chatting for a while, he began to feel sleepy again.
Leonid coaxed him to rest more, but Ren Zhouyuan became clingy. Despite his heavy eyelids, he stubbornly kept them open to look at Leonid. Leonid sighed, carefully shifted him, and sat on the bed, holding him gently. The familiar scent soon lulled Ren Zhouyuan back to sleep.
After more than a week in the hospital, Ren Zhouyuan was finally discharged. During this time, he visited his babies a few times. Seeing the two wrinkled little bundles through the glass filled him with a mix of emotions.
Excitement and joy were obvious, but an inexplicable guilt loomed over him.
The two babies didn’t look like him or Leonid. How would they explain this to An An?
The babies’ features hadn’t fully developed yet. They were wrinkled, as twins often are, and although one was a boy and the other a girl, they looked very similar. Their black eyes were inherited from Ren Zhouyuan, their pointed noses from Leonid, and their skin was fair with a newborn’s rosy hue. Their hair was black like Ren Zhouyuan’s, unlike An An’s. In parts, they resembled Ren Zhouyuan; in others, they resembled Leonid, but overall, they looked like neither.
Indeed, when Ren Zhouyuan returned home, An An couldn’t wait any longer. He dashed toward the babies, neglecting his beloved father, stretching on his toes to see them.
“Daddy! I want to see the babies!” An An bounced excitedly, a rare sight.
Anna was surprised too, quickly following to pick up An An. “Your father is still holding the babies. Be careful not to hurt them.” She brought An An closer, saying, “Let grandma hold you to see.”
Ren Zhouyuan widened his eyes. Russian women were strong, but Anna was in her fifties, and An An had grown quickly, no longer the frail child he once was. He signaled to Leonid, who quickly put the babies in the prepared nursery and, after settling them, took An An from Anna to let him have a good look.
An An gazed intently at the babies. After a while, his excitement turned to disappointment. Hugging Leonid, he looked back at Ren Zhouyuan with dissatisfaction, “Daddy lied. The babies don’t look like anyone!”
Ren Zhouyuan’s worst fear came true. Feeling helpless, he hadn’t thought of a good way to explain it to An An when Leonid spoke up, “Babies all look like this at first. They’ll look more like us as they grow.” He patted An An’s head and pointed out the babies’ features, “See, their hair is like daddy’s, and their eyes are black like yours. When they wake up, you’ll see.”
An An wavered, looking closely again. Still dissatisfied, he said, “But they’re so ugly.”
Despite the situation, Ren Zhouyuan almost laughed, but he heard Leonid say, “An An looked like this when you were born too. As you grew, you became more handsome.” He playfully tapped An An’s nose, “Don’t believe me? Ask daddy to show you your baby photos.”
Ren Zhouyuan mentally rolled his eyes. Leonid’s explanation was true, but these two babies didn’t resemble anyone. When An An was born, he bore a resemblance to Leonid. But these two babies were…indistinct.
Shaking his head, he saw An An looking at him expectantly. With no other choice, he nodded, “An An looked like this too. You’ll see how you grew to look more like daddy.”
An An’s eyes lit up, glancing back at the babies. They didn’t seem as ugly as before. Turning to Ren Zhouyuan, he said, “Daddy, I want to see baby photos!”
With no way to refuse, Ren Zhouyuan found an old disk with An An’s baby photos from their move and had Leonid play it.
Leonid, having never seen An An’s baby photos, was also curious. The family, along with Anna and Igor, gathered in the living room, waiting for the photos. Soon, images of baby An An filled the screen.
After a few photos, An An, with an open mouth and shocked expression, jumped up, waving his hands, “Stop! Daddy, turn it off!”
“Why?” Leonid paused the video, watching An An dive into his arms, whispering, “Too wrinkly and ugly. Don’t look.”
Everyone laughed at An An’s innocent words. Ren Zhouyuan teased him a bit, making him embarrassed and angry. After that, An An never criticized his siblings’ looks again. Everyone goes through an awkward phase, and knowing the babies would grow up to be as good-looking as him made An An proud. He frequently visited the nursery, watching over the babies, leaving his favorite robots forgotten.
The babies grew quickly, and within a month, they lost their newborn jaundice, their skin becoming smooth and tender. An An loved poking their cheeks, making them giggle, his heart melting each time.
The older twin was a girl and the younger a boy. Even at a young age, their personalities showed.
The girl was always smiling, her eyes squinting as she beamed, her toothless gums on display, an adorable sight. The boy, on the other hand, was serious, always sucking his fist, frowning at everyone except Ren Zhouyuan, staring intently but never crying.
The parents discussed the babies’ names. With the time spent in the incubator, Ren Zhouyuan wanted names with good meanings. Like An An, the babies’ Chinese names would follow Ren Zhouyuan, while their Russian names would follow Leonid. Taking inspiration from An An’s name, Ren Zhouyuan thought for a few days and chose—
“The girl will be Ren Juning, with the nickname Ning Ning. The boy will be Ren Jule, nicknamed Le Le, symbolizing health and happiness.” He handed the paper to Leonid. “What do you think?”
Leonid read the names aloud softly, nodding, “It’s perfect.”
Ren Zhouyuan nodded, putting the paper away. “Have you thought of Russian names? Don’t make them too long; I don’t want our babies getting tired writing their names.”
Leonid chuckled. They had previously joked about the length of Russian names, and Ren Zhouyuan had always been adamant about keeping them short.
From the nightstand drawer, Leonid retrieved a small notebook. Ren Zhouyuan recognized it as the one he had seen before, used for discussing An An’s name, indicating Leonid had been prepared.
“We’re on the same page,” Leonid flipped to a page and handed it to Ren Zhouyuan. “I initially thought of Valentina for the girl and Valentin for the boy, meaning ‘healthy’. But now, I’ve changed my mind.”
Ren Zhouyuan looked up.
Leonid smiled, “Since their Chinese names already symbolize health, I want their Russian names to hold other meanings, bringing more blessings.”
Feeling a swell of emotion, Ren Zhouyuan leaned closer, resting against Leonid, who wrapped an arm around him. “The girl will be named Raisa, meaning ‘carefree’. I hope she lives a worry-free life. And the boy will be named Andrei, meaning ‘brave’. I hope he grows up to protect his siblings,” he paused, gazing into Ren Zhouyuan’s eyes, “and to protect you.”
With tearful eyes, Ren Zhouyuan moved closer, kissing Leonid softly. After a gentle, tender kiss, their foreheads touched, and Ren Zhouyuan playfully added, “And protect you, too, Daddy.”(L)
In the days that followed, the babies seemed to respond to their parents’ wishes and An An’s care. Ning Ning grew to resemble Ren Zhouyuan more, with a scholarly air, always smiling. This made her the family’s darling, with An An eager to be the protective big brother. Leonid felt a need to protect his daughter, who looked so much like Ren Zhouyuan, treasuring her deeply. Le Le, seeing everyone’s excitement, played the role of the doting brother well.
Leonid felt conflicted, having to compete with his sons for his daughter’s affection. While Ren Zhouyuan had favored An An, now their daughter and youngest son monopolized their attention. Ning Ning, even as an infant, constantly reached for An An, calling him “brother” as she grew older.
Le Le, who resembled Leonid more with age, maintained his serious demeanor, ignoring toys and sitting like a little soldier. Only Ren Zhouyuan and Ning Ning could coax him into smiling.
Despite loving all his children, Leonid felt particularly helpless with his youngest son. But Ren Zhouyuan doted on Le Le, making up for the love he felt his older son and husband missed out on, holding him close all the time.
Leonid once found it puzzling why Ren Zhouyuan pampered Le Le so much until he finally confessed—
“Looking at Le Le, I feel like I’m seeing you as a child.”
From then on, Leonid never felt jealous of Le Le again. Whenever he saw Ren Zhouyuan showering their son with kisses, he would smile. Sometimes, Ren Zhouyuan would notice and feel a bit caught off guard.
Years later, even as the children grew up, the household rivalry never seemed to cease, yet the love among them remained constant.
There’s a love that begins with love at first sight and ends with destiny.
—End of Side Story: The Second Pregnancy Diary—
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