Chapter 75 The End

Chapter 75: The End

Dad Life 75

After learning that his biological fathers had been found, Fang Zhixu was too excited to even eat dinner. He was bouncing around on the sofa, going on and on about what he would say when he met them.

Lu Yanli's head was spinning from all his bouncing around: "Xiao Zhi."

"Huh? What?" Fang Zhixu looked down.

Lu Yanli walked over to him and looked up at him: "Let's eat first, okay, sweetheart? I'll practice what to say with you later."

"But I'm not hungry right now." Fang Zhixu shook his head.

Lu Yanli thought to himself that he wasn't hungry now, but soon he'd be hungry enough to eat him up. He reached out and lifted him down: "Well, have some soup first. We're having your favorite coconut chicken soup today."

"I'm still a bit nervous." Fang Zhixu's feet landed on the carpet as he grabbed Lu Yanli's arm: "I've never met them before, and I'm so nervous. They definitely won't recognize me."

"I've already sent them all your photos. Someone over there is handling it. You don't need to worry—they're the ones who should be nervous." Lu Yanli crouched down to help him put on his slippers: "Lift your foot up."

Fang Zhixu lifted his foot and tried to look down at Lu Yanli, but his baby bump got in the way. Suddenly he placed a hand on his belly and sighed: "Yanli."

"What's wrong?" Lu Yanli stood up. Seeing him touching his belly, he thought something was uncomfortable: "Is your belly hurting?"

Fang Zhixu shook his head and said seriously: "I've put on so much weight."

Lu Yanli was amused by him and smiled: "You haven't put on that much weight at all. The doctor even said you haven't gained enough and told me to make you eat more—the babies are taking all the nutrients."

"How much longer until the baby comes?" Fang Zhixu asked.

"Due date is 37 weeks. You're 25 weeks now, so 12 more to go." Lu Yanli looked at the pregnant belly under the loose clothes. He gently placed his hands on either side and suddenly felt movement under the skin.

"...Hiss." Fang Zhixu let out an uncomfortable grunt and glared at Lu Yanli: "The second they feel you touch them, they start kicking me."

Lu Yanli sighed and got down on one knee in front of the belly, speaking to the two children inside: "If you two keep picking on your daddy like this, I'll have to teach you a lesson once you're out."

"Hey, hey, hey." Fang Zhixu waved his hand at Lu Yanli: "Scolding is fine, but you can't hit kids."

Lu Yanli chuckled and stood up: "Fine, somehow I'm always the one in the wrong." He laced his fingers through Fang Zhixu's, holding tight as he led him to the dining room.

"That's not true either." Fang Zhixu swung Lu Yanli's hand: "You mean so much to me right now."

Lu Yanli smiled and asked: "How much?"

"You're my number one!"

Lu Yanli shook his head: "That's not right."

Fang Zhixu tilted his head to look at him: "Why isn't it right? You're number one?"

"You should put yourself first." Lu Yanli said gently: "No matter how great your partner is, you should always put yourself first in your own heart. No matter what, loving yourself is the most important thing. Your partner isn't first, your kids aren't first—you're the most important person to yourself."

Fang Zhixu stopped walking.

Lu Yanli stopped with him. Seeing his eyes well up, he reached up and caressed his face, coaxing: "What's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"Yanli." Fang Zhixu looked at Lu Yanli with tearful eyes: "You say that, but I feel like I'm the most important person to you. Do you love yourself the most as well?"

Lu Yanli hummed in acknowledgment: "In my heart, I always put myself first. But in how I act, you're my top priority."

Fang Zhixu's heart skipped a beat, and tears instantly welled up. He raised his hand to wipe them away: "Yanli, how did you get so good at this? You're getting better and better at loving me."

"Are you crying because you think I'm getting better? You should be happy instead—shouldn't you be glad your husband keeps improving?" Lu Yanli couldn't bear to see him cry. He raised his hand and gently wiped the corner of Fang Zhixu's eye with his thumb, coaxing him to stop crying.

"I suddenly feel so blessed."

Lu Yanli's hand froze, and he looked down at Fang Zhixu.

Fang Zhixu met Lu Yanli's focused gaze. This guy would stare at him without blinking whenever he spoke. What kind of like had to grow into this kind of love?

They started when he was at his lowest point. Since then, it felt like all his problems just melted away.

Although there was a period when he resisted Lu Yanli, more accurately, he couldn't handle such intense and direct love. It took courage to accept that kind of love.

It wasn't until he accepted it that he truly felt how unconditional Lu Yanli's love was. As long as he praised Lu Yanli, the man would be so satisfied and happy.

He gave way more than he ever asked for. It was truly precious.

Now he finally understood what it meant to want for nothing. Now that he had someone as wonderful as Lu Yanli, what more could he possibly want?

"You're like a gift that showed up in my life."

Fang Zhixu reached out, grabbed Lu Yanli's collar, and stood on his tiptoes slightly. His warm breath brushed softly across the corner of the other man's lips.

He couldn't help himself and pressed a kiss to Lu Yanli's lips.

Lu Yanli couldn't resist the kiss. He bent down to meet Fang Zhixu's height. Sensing Fang Zhixu was wobbly on his tiptoes, he wrapped his arms securely around his waist, carefully protecting his baby bump, and gently pulled him into his arms.

"Hey, I heard—"

Just then, a voice suddenly cut in, interrupting the tender moment.

Fang Zhixu was startled and turned to look.

Su Yancheng, who had just walked in: "..." He mentally kicked himself. Of all times to show up, he had to walk in while they were making out. He could only manage a smile: "Haha, lovebirds, lovebirds."

After that, the atmosphere fell silent for two seconds.

Lu Yanli cleared his throat: "Why are you here alone? Where's Yan Che?"

"Oh, he said traffic's bad. He'll be here in about half an hour." Su Yancheng saw Fang Zhixu's red-rimmed eyes and curiously leaned in: "Were you just crying?"

Lu Yanli stepped in front of Su Yancheng: "Why are you so nosy? Go eat."

"I'm just worried about my sister-in-law. Why are you so protective? What could I possibly do?" Su Yancheng was speechless at how petty his big brother was: "When my nephew and niece are born, if they take after you, you won't get any alone time with Xiao Zhi. The parenting lessons have to start now—you need to learn to share."

Lu Yanli said coolly: "What exactly do you want to share?"

Su Yancheng: "..." He figured his brother was giving him a hard time for ruining the moment. He just shifted back into his snow wolf form and curled up at Fang Zhixu's feet to suck up: "Xiao Zhi, look at my big brother. I didn't even say anything and he's already scolding me, boohoo~"

A pure-blooded snow wolf had pure white fur. In its adult form, it was sleek and powerful, with a striking presence.

Fang Zhixu couldn't resist reaching out to pet Su Yancheng's head. But after two pets, he still looked at Lu Yanli, mostly afraid he'd get jealous: "Yanli, I'm just petting him a bit, okay?"

Lu Yanli laughed helplessly. He'd already started petting him, so why ask now? Knowing he loved big dogs, he said: "Mm, go ahead. But they can't sleep over tonight."

Having his two brothers-in-law turn into snow wolves to sleep with them? No way.

Fang Zhixu nodded: "Alright, got it." Then he asked: "Yanli, is there really no chance you can turn into a big snow wolf anymore?"

Lu Yanli: "If there's no chance, would you stop loving me?"

Fang Zhixu could hear the slight displeasure in Lu Yanli's tone, so he wrapped his arms around his arm and coaxed, "How could I ever stop loving you! I've already told you that you're the one I love most right now."

"Then don't let them turn into snow wolves anymore, including Xiaohui too. He's a big boy now, don't go hugging people at the drop of a hat," Lu Yanli said.

Fang Zhixu beckoned Lu Yanli over, signaling for him to lean in.

Lu Yanli bent down.

Su Yancheng, at their feet, perked up his ears.

"You silly, once the kids are born, if they build a good relationship with Yancheng, Yanche, and Xiaohui, we can ask them to help look after the kids sometimes. That way we can have some alone time together. Silly!"

Su Yancheng: "..." He could hear that perfectly clearly, big sister-in-law.

Lu Yanli suddenly understood, pinching Fang Zhixu's cheek. "So that's how it is. I almost misunderstood you."

Fang Zhixu said, "Exactly!"

Su Yancheng: "............"

So what more could he say? He would definitely help take care of his little nephew. If the kids turned out as well-behaved as Fang Zhixu, that would be great. But if they turned out like his eldest brother...

Then it would truly be a disaster.

"Why's everyone standing around?"

Su Yanche had just turned into the corridor from the central courtyard when he saw them standing there. He noticed Fang Zhixu's eyes were a bit red, his brows furrowing slightly as the warmth of his earlier smile faded. "Have you been crying?"

"Your big brother moved me." Fang Zhixu wiped his eyes. "He loves me so much."

Su Yanche: "..."

Su Yancheng wagged his wolf tail, enjoying the look of speechlessness on his younger brother's face. See? See? That was exactly how he had felt just now.

"Why are you so late?" Lu Yanli asked Su Yanche.

"The police station already got Xiao Zhi's fathers' new files with their names changed back. The research center also needs to sync their records. Once they arrive, we'll implant the tracking chips. I didn't trust anyone else to handle it, so I took care of it myself. That's why I'm a little late."

Fang Zhixu's eyes lit up. "They changed their names back? What are their names? I don't even know their names yet. Do I have to change mine too?"

Seeing how curious he was, Su Yanche smiled warmly. "It's past seven now. How about we talk while we eat?"

"Sure, sure!" Fang Zhixu nodded.

Lu Yanli shot Su Yanche a cool glance.

Su Yanche was a bit confused. "?"

Later, he learned that Fang Zhixu had initially been unwilling to eat, and only agreed because he wanted to continue the conversation. He realized that his eldest brother was jealous that Su Yanche had managed to coax Fang Zhixu into eating.

His eldest brother was completely lovesick, no doubt about it.

Fang Zhixu was full of curiosity about his two biological fathers.

Whether it was fishing or gutting fish, or the fact that their names sounded like brothers—Lu Yi and Lu Er—everything made him intensely curious.

According to Su Yanche, his fathers had lived in the small town posing as brothers, since the residents there weren't yet open-minded enough to accept the truth.

"How did you find them?" Fang Zhixu chewed on the tip of his chopsticks, staring at Su Yanche with curiosity.

"Don't bite your chopsticks." Lu Yanli lifted Fang Zhixu's chin. "If you bite them again, I'll feed you myself."

"Oh." Fang Zhixu finally let go.

Su Yanche set down his soup bowl. "Grand-uncle's wolf subordinates have incredible tracking abilities. Wherever they go, they can log scents within a hundred kilometers. As long as the person is alive and they have an item carrying the other person's scent, they can be found anywhere in the country. This time, we have your stone to thank for that."

Fang Zhixu sighed, and Lu Yanli seized the chance to stuff a bite of food into his mouth. He said thanks, then mumbled while chewing, "If only I had gotten the stone out sooner."

"As long as they're safe, it's only a matter of time before we find them." Lu Yanli placed the spoon into Fang Zhixu's hand. "Eat first. We'll talk more after."

"When will they arrive?"

"Tomorrow."

The following morning.

Fang Zhixu set down his spoon, staring dumbfounded at the two men who walked in. They looked younger than they did in the photos—one tall and sturdy with tanned skin, the other tall and slender with a refined air. He could hardly believe the two of them had a kid as old as he was.

He didn't react at first, not until the two of them sat down across from him.

"So you're still alive, huh."

Fang Zhixu saw the tall, refined man sitting directly across from him, staring at him with intense focus. His eyes held too many emotions—far more complex than the words he'd spoken.

He opened his mouth, but every word he'd practiced all night flew out of his head the second they reached his lips.

"You've been so strong, kiddo."

Fang Zhixu's nose had just started to prickle when he froze. "?" Then his hand was gently patted.

"I'm your birth father. My name is Lu Yi. Son, it's a pleasure to meet you again."

Lu Yi studied Fang Zhixu's features carefully, as if searching for the chubby little boy from years ago in his face. "No wonder we couldn't find you. You've gotten so thin. When you were lost, you were round as a little ball."

"That's right." The man next to Lu Yi looked at Fang Zhixu. "I'm Fang Erheng, your other dad. Do you remember us at all?"

Fang Zhixu paused for a moment, then shook his head sadly. "I don't remember anything, but my first impression of you two isn't great right now."

Lu Yi was caught off guard. "Why? Don't you like us?"

Fang Zhixu suddenly felt a pang of sadness. He hung his head and choked out, "I suddenly feel like you two are super unreliable. Is that why you lost me—because you were that unreliable?"

Lu Yi and Fang Erheng: "..." Oh no, this kid's sharp. He saw right through them.

The two fathers quickly tried to comfort him, insisting they hadn't done it on purpose, not even daring to explain how he'd actually been lost. They'd been followed too closely back then, so they had no choice but to hand him over to their friend Fang Yi—after that, they lost contact.

Finding him again had been no easy task. Back then, that organization had hunted them for so long they nearly died, forcing them into hiding.

Fortunately, the child had been left behind by some twist of fate. They also learned that Fang Yi and his partner had died in a car accident a few years back, and they knew it was to protect the secret.

It was a debt they could never fully repay.

Lu Yanli had just walked into the dining room when he saw the two fathers—meeting their son for the first time—scrambling around Fang Zhixu, handing him tissues, crouching in front of him to coax him and apologize.

Their attempts to comfort him were a bit clumsy, clearly still getting used to being fathers.

This was also the adjustment they needed as father and son.

All he could do was give these two fathers a hand—like reminding them that Fang Zhixu, being pregnant, couldn't handle big emotional swings, so they should focus on keeping him calm.

That tip hit the mark, and the two fathers kicked off their around-the-clock care.

Once they moved into the estate, they were busier than ever.

One was trying to bond with his son, and the other wanted to make up for lost time as a dad, practically glued to his side 24/7.

Plus, their cooking skills were impressive, and within less than a month, they had won him over through his stomach.

All his fussy eating was easily handled through their cooking—they could even carve a plain vegetable into a flower.

Auntie Lan nearly lost her job because of it.

Lu Yanli comforted her, "It's fine, Auntie Lan. Think of this time as a break. These two dads have never really gotten to be dads before—give them a chance."

"That's true," she said. "Xiao Zhi has been eating so well lately, gained a few more pounds, which is great. The doctor always nags me about getting him to eat more. If I could've gotten him to eat more, I wouldn't have to keep switching up the menu every day."

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window of the first-floor dining room, Lu Yanli looked out and saw the father-son trio heading to the lake to watch the swans.

They seemed to be in some kind of disagreement again—Fang Zhixu was throwing a tantrum, his pregnant figure clenching his fists, while one father scratched his head and the other rubbed his chin.

He chuckled. "Good, two more people to help share the burden."

By night, he'd get his sweet wife back, who would transform into a snow wolf and let him hold him while he slept, sleeping soundly—so adorable.

Before they knew it, they were in the eighth month of pregnancy.

Fang Zhixu's belly was getting bigger, and because the baby was pressing on his stomach, sleeping at night was especially uncomfortable, leaving him restless all night.

Whenever he couldn't sleep, he'd get up and find something to do.

"Yanli, can we go out now?" Fang Zhixu stood by the window, resting his belly on the windowsill, hands on his hips, looking out from the second floor. "Can't sleep, I'm so bored."

Lu Yanli walked up behind Fang Zhixu, supporting his heavy pregnant belly with both hands, worried it might bump against the windowsill. "Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Didn't you say you'd install a drop tower for me in the villa? When are you going to do it?" Fang Zhixu suddenly remembered and turned to look at Lu Yanli.

Lu Yanli: "..." He let out a helpless laugh. "I can install it, but you can't ride it now, right?"

"I'm afraid you'll forget." Fang Zhixu reached out, tapped Lu Yanli's temple, and said in a scolding tone, "Don't mess with me, okay?"

Lu Yanli smiled indulgently, taking his hand. "Alright, I won't forget. Even if you can't ride it, I'll still install it. I'll have the engineering team design one you'll like tomorrow."

"Exactly, when you've got money, you've got to spend it." Fang Zhixu rubbed his chin, thinking again. "Might as well build an amusement park too. When the baby's born and grows up a bit, with some lucky money, they'll have to buy tickets from me if they want to play."

Lu Yanli found it so adorable he couldn't help leaning down to kiss him.

What a little money-loving wife he had.

"Ow..." Fang Zhixu tilted his head, giving Lu Yanli a strange look. "Yanli, I think my stomach hurts a bit."

Lu Yanli's expression shifted instantly. "What kind of pain?"

"Comes in waves." Fang Zhixu rubbed his belly, feeling like something was wrong. "Could I be going into labor?"

Ten minutes later, lights in every room of the estate turned on.

A convoy of cars pulled up at the front gate.

Because their young master was about to have his baby.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the hospital.

Fang Zhixu lay on the hospital bed, Lu Yanli gripping his hand tightly.

The lights overhead were blinding.

He could clearly see the worry and fear on Lu Yanli's face, knowing how much he feared him being in the hospital.

The gurney stopped at the delivery room door.

Lu Yanli held the bed rail, bent down to touch Fang Zhixu's face, and placed a kiss on his forehead, whispering softly, "It's okay, baby. I'll be waiting right outside."

Fang Zhixu reached out and hugged him, kissing his cheek. "It's fine, Yanli. Wait for me to come out."

Since it was a C-section, it didn't take long.

But the whole family outside the delivery room was on edge.

Lu Yanli stood at the door, each minute dragging like an eternity, making him anxious. Though the doctor said it would only take half an hour, it left him unable to think; he could only count the seconds to feel a little better.

No one spoke; they all waited in silence.

Until two cries suddenly rang out, shattering the tense silence.

When the door opened, Lu Yanli rushed forward and saw two nurses walking out holding two babies. He glanced inside but didn't see Fang Zhixu, his brow furrowing instantly. "Where's Xiao Zhi? Isn't he coming out with them?"

"Mr. Fang is still being stitched up; he'll be out shortly," the nurse smiled. "Congratulations, it's twins—a boy and a girl, both doing great."

Lu Yanli couldn't care less about the babies, didn't even register the genders, just kept staring into the delivery room.

The nurses ended up handing the babies to the family members behind him.

Lu Yanli couldn't even hear what the fathers were saying to him; his only focus was waiting for Fang Zhixu. It wasn't until the bed was wheeled out and he saw Fang Zhixu that he finally breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes instantly welling up.

He rushed over, gripping the bed rail, bending down to look at Fang Zhixu.

Fang Zhixu was a bit pale but in good spirits. Seeing Lu Yanli's red eyes, he smiled and touched his cheek. "A boy and a girl."

"Boy or girl doesn't matter." Lu Yanli held Fang Zhixu's hand, turning to kiss his palm like it was something precious. "As long as you're okay. You did so well, baby. I love you."

The commotion of the medical staff and family around them seemed to melt away.

They smiled at each other.

Fang Zhixu smiled softly. "I love you too."

So he was truly lucky—Lu Yanli was like a gift that appeared in his life, with eyes only for him, always full of surprises for him.

...

After the babies hit one month old, they went back to the Silk Plains.

Fang Zhixu stood on the grassland, hands in his pockets, the wind strong, blowing his bangs around.

The two babies were held by Lu Yanli, wearing little knitted beanies, wrapped up snugly, their eyes wide open, looking around curiously.

On the distant hillside, a group of wolf cubs were running, as if they'd just learned to run, stumbling now and then but quickly getting back up to keep going.