Ye Xi didn’t know how to comfort him for a moment. He had no future—death was inevitable. He didn’t want to lie to a man who loved him so sincerely, but he also didn’t dare to tell him the truth. All he could do was stay silent, hold Huo Rulan in his arms, and gently pat his head.
Huo Rulan was still crying. Ye Xi pulled a tissue from the nightstand and placed it over his eyes to soak up the tears. Once it was soaked, he replaced it with another. Seeing how heartbroken he was, Ye Xi opened his mouth, hesitating for a long time before finally saying softly, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll definitely be fine. You’re here, right? Can’t you protect me?”
Huo Rulan choked back a sob and lowered his head. “…I can.”
“Then that’s settled.” Ye Xi grabbed two more tissues, cupped Huo Rulan’s face, and gently wiped his tears. He kissed his reddened eyes and said, “Don’t be scared.”
Huo Rulan rubbed his nose against Ye Xi’s neck and replied in a muffled voice, “Mm.” His sobs gradually stopped, but he still curled up in Ye Xi’s arms, unwilling to move.
Ye Xi watched as a blush crept up Huo Rulan’s ears. He reached out and touched them, and the redness spread down to his neck. Ye Xi couldn’t hold back his laughter. Huo Rulan, face flushed, forced himself to stay composed as he stiffly stood up and headed to the bathroom. “…I’ll go run a hot bath for you.”
Only after Huo Rulan disappeared into the bathroom did Ye Xi put away his smile. He lowered his head, caressed his pregnant belly, and silently whispered, “I’m sorry.”
When Huo Rulan came back after running the bath, Ye Xi was already sitting on the bed holding his clothes, waiting for him. When he saw him come out, he turned his head and looked at him with bright eyes, visibly happy.
Huo Rulan was infected by his smile, the corners of his lips lifting subconsciously. He bent down, picked him up, and carried him to the bathroom. “What made you so happy?”
“I just watched a video about making baby pillows. And I’m excited to sleep in tomorrow and make some for the babies when I wake up.”
Huo Rulan tossed a few little pig bath toys into the tub for Ye Xi to play with, then sat on a stool. After squeezing out shampoo and lathering it in his hands, he rubbed it into Ye Xi’s hair.
“We can’t sleep in tomorrow—we’ve got a prenatal checkup. But after we get back, I’ll help you make the pillows. What color does the little pillow want to be?”
Ye Xi was splashing water at the pig toys, but when he heard that, he lost interest in the toys and said gloomily, “Isn’t it not even May yet? The little pillow wants to be pink and blue, a bit bigger, for when the baby grows a bit.”
“There’s been fetal movement already. I asked the doctor—we can do an early checkup to see the baby’s activity.” Huo Rulan rinsed the foam from his hair, towel-dried it, and applied body wash to help him bathe. “I’ll ask my assistant to buy the materials for the pillow later. We can make it when we get back.”
“Sounds good.” Once Ye Xi was clean, Huo Rulan lifted him out, helped him get dressed, and blow-dried his hair.
“Eat something to settle your stomach, okay? Or your stomach won’t be able to handle it.”
“I want to eat fen—can I?” Ye Xi tugged on Huo Rulan’s sleeve, looking up at him while swallowing subconsciously. “It’d be perfect if there’s mung bean milk ice too—especially the kind made with Wangzai milk.”
The “fen” / 螺蛳粉 (luó sī fěn) — luosifen, a famous Chinese noodle dish from Liuzhou, Guangxi.- also called snail noodles
Mung bean milk wasn’t a problem, but… it couldn’t be cold. But what kind of fen?
Huo Rulan’s brow twitched. Fen? Could it be the kind he was thinking of…?
He looked down at Ye Xi, keeping his face expressionless, but the hand hanging by his side twitched slightly.
Huo Rulan: “You want… cough… what kind of fen do you want? I’ll go buy it for you.”
Ye Xi’s eyes lit up. He agreed!!
The moment Huo Rulan saw that sparkle in his eyes, he knew something was wrong. His brow twitched harder.
Sure enough, Ye Xi couldn’t help but swallow, excitedly shaking his sleeve. “It’s luosifen! And I want the super big portion!!”
Huo Rulan nodded calmly after hearing that, then immediately wore an expression of internal suffering.
“I’ll go with you?” Ye Xi got up and followed him downstairs.
The pained expression on Huo Rulan’s face disappeared. In an instant, he switched to a calm, gentle look. He supported Ye Xi down the stairs and said softly, “No need. I’ll be back soon.”
Ye Xi helped him put on a coat and walked him to the door.
Huo Rulan: “Go back inside, it’s cold outside. If anything comes up, call me.”
Ye Xi nodded and held onto the door frame, watching him drive away from the villa.
After closing the door, Ye Xi went to sit on the sofa, hugging a cushion. Now he was home alone. Uncle Zhao didn’t stay overnight anymore either. Sitting in the living room alone felt a bit scary, so Ye Xi turned on the TV and raised the volume, watching variety shows while glancing toward the front door.
Almost an hour passed, but Huo Rulan still hadn’t come back.
Ye Xi didn’t care about food anymore. He paced nervously by the door, anxiously staring at the entrance.
He felt guilty and regretful. He shouldn’t have made a fuss about eating fen and drinking milk in the middle of the night. It was all his greedy fault.
When Huo Rulan came through the door carrying bags, the first thing he saw was Ye Xi crouched by the entrance, crying softly, his face full of guilt and tears streaming down.
Ye Xi was so caught up in blaming himself that he didn’t notice Huo Rulan had returned until he squatted in front of him.
Ye Xi looked up, eyes brimming with tears, and threw himself into his arms. His tears soaked through Huo Rulan’s pajamas. His eyelashes were clumped together like a frightened little puppy that had just been brought home.
“Wuu… why did you take so long? It’s already been an hour and you weren’t home yet.” Ye Xi sobbed into Huo Rulan’s arms, snotty and teary. “I’ll never ask for food at night again… You took so long to come back, I was so worried…”
Huo Rulan set the bags down and hugged him tightly, gently rubbing his back as he softly explained, “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I came back too late.”
“There’s no luosifen sold around here, so I drove to the south side of the city to get it. See if it tastes good,” Huo Rulan said. “The mung bean milk isn’t cold—try it and see if it’s good.”
He picked Ye Xi up, carrying the luosifen and milk into the living room. “Next time I’ll bring you with me. I won’t leave you alone at home again. Don’t be scared.”
Their home was in the north of the city, and Huo Rulan had driven across town just to buy luosifen for Ye Xi because he had a craving.
Ye Xi sat on his lap with his head down, tightly clutching the hem of Huo Rulan’s clothes, tears still dripping down his cheeks. In a muffled and tearful voice, he promised, “I won’t ask to eat anything at night anymore…”
“If you want to eat, then eat. Next time we’ll go together. Don’t keep blaming yourself.” Huo Rulan held a tissue to Ye Xi’s nose. “Blow.”
Ye Xi looked up, sniffled, and blew his nose twice, then curled up back in Huo Rulan’s arms, sulking.
“Still sulking, huh? Since when did you learn to do that?” Huo Rulan pulled out more tissues to wipe his eyes. “Your face is all tear-stained, little crybaby.”
“Four in the family, and three are crybabies. We’ll need to stock up on tissues or we’ll run out just wiping all your tears.”
“There are four crybabies,” Ye Xi huffed, correcting him. “You cry too.”
Huo Rulan’s hand paused in mid-pat behind him, refusing to admit it. “I don’t.”
Ye Xi tilted his head up to look at him, his eyes washed bright and clear with tears and filled with obvious disbelief.
“…Fine,” Huo Rulan gave in. “Four crybabies.”
Ye Xi rubbed against his cheek and gave him a sticky kiss. Huo Rulan kissed his lips twice in return, gave his little butt a pat, then picked him up and carried everything into the dining room.
“Are you hungry? Let’s eat first.” Huo Rulan sat next to Ye Xi and helped him open the packaging, his face calm and composed.
As usual, it was a large bowl of plain-looking luosifen and a bottle of room temperature mung bean milk with Wangzai milk, just the way Ye Xi liked it.
Faced with food, Ye Xi didn’t feel sad anymore. He slurped happily, feet bouncing with joy, and even tried to share with Huo Rulan.
Huo Rulan politely declined, saying he was too full from dinner, and quietly sat by Ye Xi’s side, wiping his mouth now and then.
Eventually Ye Xi started getting drowsy again. Even when his head was nodding and he was half-asleep, he still refused to put down his chopsticks. Before completely knocking out, he managed to sneak in another bite of luosifen and a sip of mung bean milk before slumping over the table asleep.
Huo Rulan stared blankly for a while at the smooth sequence of actions. After snapping out of it, he shook his head with a helpless chuckle, not knowing what to say.
He reached out to brush Ye Xi’s hair. “So greedy and such a crybaby… it’s like raising a kid.”
Ye Xi’s hand twitched, still gripping the chopsticks, and he subconsciously pouted in his sleep.
Huo Rulan immediately pulled out his phone and took photos of Ye Xi from every angle, finally satisfied as he put it back into his pocket.
He bent down, one arm around Ye Xi’s waist and the other supporting his legs, and carried him steadily back to the bedroom.
He changed Ye Xi into fresh pajamas, washed his face, applied and massaged in some pregnancy oil, then cleaned it off and tucked him into bed. Afterwards, Huo Rulan went downstairs to clean the dining table.
By the time he finished taking a shower, changed into his own pajamas, and slipped into bed to hug his warm, soft wife—it was nearly 1 a.m.
Huo Rulan turned on his side to hold Ye Xi, planting two kisses on his soft cheeks. He rubbed his own face against Ye Xi’s and let out a satisfied sigh.
But half-asleep Ye Xi grabbed his hair and shoved him away, turning over with a sleepy, syrupy voice that muttered something unclear.
Huo Rulan leaned in to listen—and realized Ye Xi was cursing at him: “…Stupid Huo Rulan.”
Huo Rulan chuckled silently, obediently holding him without stirring again. He didn’t dare bother him anymore; otherwise, if he woke him, he’d start crying again.
***
The next morning for the prenatal checkup, as expected, Ye Xi couldn’t get out of bed.
When Huo Rulan tried to coax him up, he just hid under the blanket and refused to come out, stretching out three fingers and wiggling them before retreating back under the covers to keep sleeping.
Huo Rulan checked his watch and sighed helplessly. He tiptoed around, quietly getting Ye Xi’s clothes and shoes for the day, placing them at the foot of the bed. Then he packed a bag with everything needed for the checkup, including a thermos, jacket, and other essentials Ye Xi might need.
Everything was ready, just waiting for the little troublemaker to wake up.
Once the time was up, Huo Rulan walked over and lifted the edge of the blanket, revealing Ye Xi’s flushed little face. He coaxed softly, “Half an hour’s up. Time to get up.”
This time, Ye Xi didn’t fuss. Still sleepy-eyed, he sat up rubbing his eyes. Huo Rulan held his hands and dressed him, helped him into pants and shoes, and guided the half-asleep Ye Xi to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Because he couldn’t eat before the checkup, Huo Rulan scooped Ye Xi up after washing up, grabbed the bag, and drove them to the hospital.
***
At five months along, the babies were all healthy. The pregnant father… was barely passable.
“The babies are doing fine—very lively,” said the doctor. “But Mr. Ye needs to take better care of himself. Several of your test results aren’t ideal. Especially your weight. It’s even lower than last month’s check.”
“I’ll prescribe some supplements to make up for the deficiencies. Try to eat more nourishing food regularly. Soup is best.”
“Also, your blood sugar is a bit low. Go get two IV drips before leaving.”
Huo Rulan listened carefully, nodding and asking questions when needed. From the moment they left the doctor’s office, his brows never relaxed.
He placed Ye Xi’s test results into the bag, held his hand, and led him to a private VIP ward he had booked long-term.
On the way, Ye Xi said, “The injection hurt a little…”
“I’ll eat more regularly from now on. I don’t want the babies to be underweight. I want to raise them into chubby little rice dumplings.”
Huo Rulan tightened his grip on Ye Xi’s hand. “Don’t be afraid. Just this one time. Once we get your health back up, no more shots at the next checkup.”
“The babies are very healthy, don’t worry.”
He knew Ye Xi’s body had taken a hit during his last hospitalization. That’s why this prenatal checkup showed so many p
oor results.
Huo Rulan closed his eyes for a moment, pushing down the emotion in his gaze.
It’s okay. Once we get home and nourish his body again… everything will be okay.
T/N: forgive the format, I’m only using my phone to post. I’m back again after swimming the Pacific ocean (jk)
