Chapter 388: A Chaotic Awakening

Chapter 388: Chapter 388: A Chaotic Awakening

Jiang Xia was so comfortable he was already drowsy, purring softly.

Mu Tangfeng, however, was still mostly awake. He added, "Mm, and not just them. Admiral He was on a video call with us all night, too."

Shi Lan was truly at a loss for words. He Hanshi was always so busy on the Border Defense Star, yet he had spent his precious downtime at night staying up with the others.

But she didn’t have the heart to chide them. She knew how much everyone had been looking forward to the first baby. ’But Yi Yi is Yan Huoshui’s child,’ she thought. ’After waiting all night, they might feel a little disappointed.’

She offered a gentle reassurance. "Yi Yi is adorable, isn’t he? All of you will have your own babies in the future."

Mu Tangfeng’s dark, round eyes shifted. He gazed at her, his expression full of joy and bliss, then lowered his head to nuzzle her palm affectionately again. "Lanlan, you’re the best."

As for Jiang Xia, he had already fallen fast asleep. His two front paws were still clutching the blanket near Shi Lan’s feet, and his ears had flopped down contentedly.

Shi Lan got out of bed first to wash up, deciding to let the two of them sleep a while longer.

Anticipating having several children in the future, Shi Lan had an entire floor of her house renovated into nurseries. This way, all her future babies could have their own rooms. Her room, along with He Hanshi’s and the others’, was on the third floor, while the nurseries were on the second.

Shi Lan guessed Yan Huoshui would be on the second floor, so she went to find him there.

One of the rooms on the second floor was used to store a large supply of growth liquid for the young. She glanced inside and saw he was indeed there, sitting gently in a chair. He held a container of lightly warmed growth liquid, feeding the baby with his gaze lowered and a smile on his lips.

Shi Lan stood at the doorway, stunned. She had never seen Yan Huoshui look like this. In the past, even with the crimson mole between his brows, his smile had always felt divine. But that was nothing compared to this moment. He was so holy and pure, like a compassionate god who had descended into the mortal world.

He must have noticed the movement at the doorway, as he paused feeding the baby and turned to look at her. The tenderness in his eyes deepened. "Lanlan, you’re awake?"

Shi Lan nodded and walked over. Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, she said, "You should get some sleep after you eat. I’ll watch the baby for a while."

"Alright."

Yan Huoshui didn’t argue. During Shi Lan’s pregnancy, none of them had slept very well. Now that the twins had been transferred from her womb and this baby was born, he didn’t need to worry so much. He really did need a good, long sleep to build up his strength to care for the child.

Besides, he hadn’t applied for paternity leave yet. It would be better to rest today and take care of it tomorrow when he was more clear-headed.

Shi Lan stayed by his side, watching the baby drink the growth liquid. The liquid came in single-use tubes, with the dosage set at two per day according to the infant’s age. The opening was even shaped like a pacifier, making it easier for the baby to drink.

Once the baby had its fill, it started to get drowsy again. Newborns, after all, can never get enough sleep.

Yan Huoshui carried the baby into one of the nurseries, laying him down to sleep for a while.

The two of them went downstairs to find that Ye Ming had already finished making lunch.

Her heart ached to see him working so hard. She went over, gave him a hug, and kissed his cheek. "You must be exhausted, Ye Ming. You were up all night. You should let the droids handle the cooking. Besides, you have so many duties as the Monarch now; you don’t need to be this busy."

Shi Lan’s symptoms during her second pregnancy weren’t very pronounced, but Ye Ming had fallen into a routine. He cooked for her every day, and if He Hanshi was around, he would take over. In short, she was always eating nutritious meals made by one of the two of them.

Yan Huoshui had been learning to cook recently too, but his food wasn’t as delicious as Ye Ming’s. Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng were now the designated sous chefs, but today they were simply too exhausted to get out of bed. Figuring the droids could help out, they didn’t join them.

"I’m not tired."

Ye Ming smiled gently and shook his head, his green eyes gazing at her affectionately. "I’m never tired when I’m doing things for my wife. Besides, this food isn’t just for my wife to eat; I’ll be eating it too. My wife doesn’t need to feel burdened."

"Besides, being the Monarch is much easier than being a Prince."

Ye Ming sighed sincerely. When he was the Eldest Prince, he truly had very little free time day to day. He had to handle many things personally. Now that he was the Monarch, he had more power and more people to command. He could delegate many tasks to his subordinates instead of having to do everything himself.

Yan Huoshui, standing off to the side, didn’t show any jealousy or dissatisfaction when he saw Shi Lan kiss Ye Ming. Of course, as a male, he felt a little pang of jealousy in his heart, but Lanlan had just been with him feeding the baby. ’I have a child and my wife, my life is perfect,’ he thought. ’There’s no need to compete with these childless rivals for a scrap of affection.’

He went to help Ye Ming with the finishing touches, then brought the dishes to the table. Since Ye Ming had put it that way, Shi Lan just smiled, stopped making a fuss, and helped out too.

Once the meal was ready, Shi Lan went to wake up Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng. Jiang Xia was reluctant to open his eyes. He just nudged his head back and forth against Shi Lan’s palm, refusing to get up.

Mu Tangfeng opened his drowsy eyes and yawned, tears welling at the corners. Still in a daze, he started to climb off the bed on his paws.

He had long legs, but the bed was also high. He must have been too groggy to judge the distance properly, because he stumbled as he got down. He took a tumble, and his head rolled right into the baby cradle next to the bed.

A starlight sphere and some beautiful crystals hung above the cradle. The sphere bumped into the crystals, creating a crisp, pleasant chime. The sound instantly jolted both of them wide awake.

Jiang Xia knew those decorations were there; he had helped set up the cradle, after all. Hearing the familiar sound, he thought something had happened to the baby and immediately shot up on the bed, on high alert. His fur stood on end. "The baby! Is the baby okay?"

As he spoke, he leaped over to the cradle, not looking at the floor at all. His heavy paws landed right on Mu Tangfeng, who cried out in pain and swatted him with a wing. "You short-legged beast, are you trying to get killed? You stepped on me!"

"AOW~~"

Mu Tangfeng was very strong, and the slap sent Jiang Xia flying.

Luckily, Beastmen have sturdy physiques. His fleshy body hit the floor with a heavy THUD, but he wasn’t seriously hurt. In fact, the impact instantly cleared the lingering fog from his just-awakened brain. He belatedly remembered that Yan Huoshui had taken the baby away and finally pieced together what had just happened.

Mu Tangfeng scrambled to his feet, grimacing in pain, and shifted back to his human form, glaring furiously at him. Jiang Xia pouted, covered his head with his paws, and also reverted to his human form.

Shi Lan hadn’t expected that simply trying to wake the two of them up would descend into a chaotic mess of flapping birds and leaping beasts.

She was a bit stunned herself; it had all happened so fast. A beat later, she clutched her stomach, overcome with uncontrollable laughter. "You... you two are just hilarious."

"Now go get washed up. Time to eat."

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng shot each other a glare, then awkwardly looked away, their ears burning.

’This is so mortifying!’