Chapter 33 Ice Cream Popcorn

Chapter 33 Ice Cream Popcorn

False pregnancy?

Rui Rui in the inner room and Li Hanchuan in the examination room were simultaneously bewildered, a perfect picture of a married couple for the first time.

If Baby Seal remembered correctly, this phenomenon only occurred in rabbits, not even in humans.

"Dr. Chen, don't talk nonsense just because you're a brilliant doctor!"

Rui Rui's blue eyes widened, frantic and almost bursting out. Chen Wang casually glanced at the door crack, his hand under the desk frantically gesturing "get back."

"Heh, quite shocking, isn't it?"

"I've been practicing medicine for many years, and the special cases I've encountered can be counted on one hand. You two have truly given me quite a few surprises."

The young general had been gloriously single for twenty-five years. The first time he toyed with an omega, he merely released a bit more诱导 pheromones, hoping to make the other more dependent on him, just so he could discern the little mermaid's true thoughts.

But he had overdone it.

Where had this led him? Was he really that potent?

"Then... does he want me to mark him quickly?"

Chen Wang adjusted his glasses, his logic perfectly self-consistent: "No. The patient has experienced memory blurring. In his mind, you have already marked him. Your subconscious longing for him, expressed entirely through pheromones, has caused him to confuse fantasy with reality."

The young general’s cold and skeptical gaze gradually shifted.

It became tinged with guilt and uncertainty.

Ever since he read the little mermaid’s study notes, all those crude phrases had been imprinted in his mind. Every time he saw his delicate, soft, and innocent little wife, he couldn't help but recall them.

He never imagined such things would manifest through pheromones, leaving no privacy whatsoever.

He dreaded to think what kind of beast he must appear to his little wife now.

Chen Wang knew he wasn’t easily fooled and continued to press his point, "Besides affecting his physiology, this matter has also affected the young master's psychology."

"He now relies on you wholeheartedly, loves you, and considers you the most important person in the world. What a devoted and innocent mermaid."

The beta tsked in amazement.

His pen scribbled and sketched on the notepad, as if intending to include this significant event as a classic case study in federal medical courses.

The commander remained silent for a long time. Just as cold sweat began to prickle Chen Wang's neck, fearing his lie had failed, the alpha abruptly rose to his feet.

"Fine, I'm a dad now."

"???" Rui Rui frowned, never expecting he'd have to perform an act within an act.

The door to the inner room was pulled open, and Dr. Chen, who had been speaking nonsense with a straight face, winked his left eye. "Young master, please walk slowly, be careful of the child."

This was absolutely not something a Baby Seal should have to endure!

Seals are not animals that go into rut at any time. Omegas strongly resist simulating pregnancy outside of breeding season—it’s a biological instinct ingrained in their DNA.

Rui Rui feebly pushed himself up on the armrest. The young general had already strode over, pulling him into a half-embrace, and said, "How long were you planning to hide this from me?"

"..."

He looked up.

That cold, handsome face was nothing but serious.

Was this alpha committing to the bit even faster than he was?

The delicate, butterfly-like expecting beauty lowered his head, a faint blush appearing on his eyelids, as if he couldn’t help feeling shy after letting his husband know about the pregnancy.

"Husband, I didn’t expect this either."

Rui Rui held his stomach: "Haha, we’re going to have a little mermaid!"

Chen Wang quickly stood on his other side, subtly grabbing his arm to hint that his reproductive cavity wasn't in that location.

The Baby Seal, who had been full of smugness on the way there, was now flanked by the young general and the doctor as they left, a wave of despair washing over him.

Li Hanchuan simply dismissed the driver and drove himself.

The man leaned over, controlling his pheromones to not get too excited, but the cool cedar scent still enveloped Rui Rui like an embrace.

The omega heard a click—his husband had fastened his seatbelt and even loosened it a bit specially.

Li Hanchuan looked at him with deep, profound eyes, "Did you come here today because you fell into a pit a few days ago and were worried it might affect the child?"

Rui Rui had completely forgotten about that.

"...Yes."

The omega’s small hand stroked his flat abdomen, gently circling it in a digestive-soothing motion.

He said softly, "This is our first child after all. His father guards our home and defends the country, and I will protect him. I originally planned to tell you after things settled down, but husband, you’re so impatient."

The young general’s expression was complicated, and he didn’t speak further. The car drove quietly and smoothly, lulling Rui Rui to sleep in no time.

The little wife in the passenger seat was overly well-behaved.

Li Hanchuan dared not imagine: if he hadn’t dug deeper into this, would Rui Rui have hidden it from him for seven or eight months, only to realize at the due date that he wasn’t pregnant at all?

Just ask, who would be willing to let half a year’s worth of hope go up in smoke like that?

Especially such a soft, kind-hearted anthro-omega. Small animals can be very stubborn at times, and if they can’t figure things out, they are prone to extremes.

By then, his little mermaid would have turned into a complete madman...

Li Hanchuan gritted his teeth, feeling a wave of disgust at his own alpha’s possessive instincts. He’d failed Rui Rui.

When the omega woke up, he found himself curled up on the sofa in Li Hanchuan’s office, draped in his military jacket.

He sat up dazedly, and a cup of warm water was brought to his lips. Rui Rui dutifully took a few sips.

"Awake?"

Li Hanchuan said, "I can’t get away from work today, and I don’t trust you wandering off alone. Stay here with me until I finish work."

The office had a rest room, and Rui Rui could go inside to get more sleep.

Perhaps for the sake of the child, or perhaps out of guilt, the young general had someone buy a bunch of snacks that omegas love. Thanks to the adjutant’s selection, they were all trendy snacks rather than the old-school twist treats or other hard snacks the commander had in mind.

The little wife, his lightly disheveled pale gold hair, looked at him, blue eyes glittering, "Thank you, husband!"

Holding a milk tea in one hand and patting his empty stomach with the other, he had acting down pat.

"The baby's saying thank you to Daddy too."

The omega's radiant smile was so bright and full of happiness that Li Hanchuan felt a faint twinge in his heart, yet somehow, he also felt a hopeful anticipation, as if they were truly waiting together for the arrival of a new life.

Rui Rui caught his fleeting sadness.

"..." Thinking of the other's skilled performance at the orphanage, he stirred his straw. "Honey, do you really want a child?"

Li Hanchuan adjusted the air conditioner in the lounge, turned around, and ruffled his hair. "Of course. You're in a delicate condition right now, so don't overthink things."

The restricted diet during this period had been unbearable for the baby seal.

As soon as he got his hands on high-calorie snacks, Rui Rui lay in the lounge and pigged out all afternoon.

While Li Hanchuan was outside attending meetings and handling work, he talked until he was hoarse. His beautiful, delicate, pregnant little wife ate and drank his fill, then took another nap. The alpha liked this just fine.

The slanting rays of the sunset streamed through the curtains, illuminating the omega's pretty, petite face.

"Mmm." His pointed chin nuzzled the pillow like he was begging for attention; this nap had nearly made the baby seal shift back to his true form out of sheer bliss.

As he stretched, his little tail under the covers went wild!

Rubbing his eyes, Rui Rui noticed Li Hanchuan chatting with someone, so he fixed himself up and stepped out of the lounge.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the noble and dignified mermaid Omega, Yu Wenyan, came online.

The seahorse alpha looked over, stunned for a moment, and asked, "This is..."

Before the Major General could introduce him, Mrs. Woodpecker, who was clinging to her husband's arm, gushed, "This is, of course, the only mermaid in our federation. Honey, I've told you about him many times."

Rui Rui greeted them.

No wonder Mrs. Woodpecker hadn't joined their horseback riding activity recently.

Her husband was a seahorse alpha, a federal agent who was often on missions, making him hard to pin down. His biological nature gave him top-notch camouflage skills, and combined with his military training, his observational skills were extremely sharp.

As another marine creature, the seahorse sensed the mermaid's aura on Rui Rui and dropped to one knee instinctively in salute.

His posture was submissive and reverent, but inwardly, he was full of confusion.

Unlike most undersea creatures who would be terrified, he instead said, "Your Grace, my memory is excellent. I've seen at least nine hundred mermaids, but I have no recollection of ever seeing you."

"Dare I ask, in which waters do you usually reside?"

As soon as he spoke, the mood shifted instantly in the room.

Rui Rui hadn't expected the federation to have intelligence personnel familiar with undersea conditions. He took half a step back, his fragile appearance making the Major General's heart clench tightly.

Before the commander could coldly intervene, the top-tier alpha's suppressing pheromones already made his subordinate grimace in pain: "Major General...!"

Li Hanchuan stood up and took his wife's frail shoulder.

"You've overstepped."

"How dare you question an omega mermaid who... is pursuing dreams and has come to the human world for the first time?" He caught himself. "It seems I've been too lenient with you all."

Even though he had initially doubted the mermaid's motives, he now had Rui Rui's back without hesitation, allowing no one to question him.

No spy would be foolish enough to fake a pregnancy for the enemy.

"Major General, sir, our Lao Ma didn't mean it that way!" Mrs. Woodpecker stepped forward. "He's not good with words, as you know..."

The seahorse alpha was introverted and shy, not a troublemaker. Seeing his superior angered, he quickly apologized. Mrs. Woodpecker was led out of the military department by her husband, still shaken up.

Furious and disregarding her image, she transformed into her true form and went peck-crazy at her husband's head.

"Rui Rui and I are such good friends, and I never dared to doubt any of this. Are you tired from your missions? Have you lost your mind! Have you ever seen any other species as beautiful as him?"

After being pecked for a while, the seahorse alpha finally caught the angry little bird.

"Sorry, dear. I just felt his pheromones didn't seem like a mermaid's." He was dense and stubborn, earning another round of Mrs. Woodpecker's angry chirping. Shyly, he added, "Honey, the way you protected me in front of the Major General was amazing. I really wish I could have your baby in my brood pouch."

Mrs. Woodpecker fluttered her wings and flew away, looking exasperated.

"There he goes again, caw!"

To give his little wife some time to adjust, Li Hanchuan informed close friends about the false pregnancy. Rui Rui and Chen Wang were in on it and felt somewhat guilty upon learning the truth.

It had to be admitted that the Major General was the most solid guy he had ever encountered.

Late at night, Rui Rui's phone vibrated.

Mi Su clearly didn't understand what false pregnancy meant and sent a long message:

[Rui Rui, I heard you're having a baby! First, congratulations! Second, you're the strongest creature in the ocean. I sincerely hope you'll have a shark baby, a seal baby, and a whale baby!]

[Major General Li has already agreed to let me teach them early childhood classes, meow!]

Rui Rui: "..."

Early... education classes?

It seemed things were heading in an unpredictable direction.