Chapter 67

Chapter 67

The baby is a boy, so as previously agreed, they named him Cheng Yan.

Cheng Yu'an smiled along, a hint of longing in his eyes.

Pei Qingji spoke up: "You can touch his little hand."

"I... can I?"

Cheng Yu'an's tone was cautious.

Because the baby looked so tiny, he didn't dare to touch him.

His eyes held a trace of wariness, along with a glimmer of anticipation.

Pei Qingji brought the baby closer.

The baby seemed to have fallen asleep wrapped in the blanket, eyes closed, with long, dark, curly lashes.

His skin was especially fair, perfectly inheriting the best facial features of both of them.

His brow and eyes resembled Cheng Yu'an's so much that anyone could tell at a glance this child was his biological son.

The rest of his features resembled Pei Qingji.

The baby's little hands were clenched into plump, chubby fists.

He seemed to understand what they were saying, reaching out toward Cheng Yu'an and babbling away.

Cheng Yu'an's heart suddenly skipped a beat, unsure what the baby meant.

Seeing that Cheng Yu'an hadn't taken his hand, the baby seemed a little upset, his small mouth pouting instinctively.

Cheng Yu'an panicked and quickly reached out to hold his hand.

The baby's hand felt as soft as he had imagined.

He seemed to know that the person before him was his father, and when he felt his father hold his hand, he immediately burst into giggles.

The nurse nearby also thought it was unusual and laughed.

"This is the first time I've seen a baby smile right after birth—all other babies cry."

"Oh my goodness, I've never seen such an adorable little baby, and so well-behaved too."

The nurses gathered around chattering away, all of them loving the child.

Whether Cheng Yan understood that they were complimenting him or not, he actually giggled and even reached out his little hand, trying to grab at something.

"He's really not shy around strangers, is he?" everyone remarked.

Cheng Yu'an looked at the baby, feeling as if some part of his heart had melted.

A smile spread across his face.

He had never seen this before either.

While the two of them were interacting, the baby wrapped in a small blanket,

Pei Qingji answered a phone call, said a few words, and hung up.

He walked to the bedside, his voice hesitating for a moment, and explained.

"My parents want to come take a look at A Yan. Is that okay? If you're not comfortable, I won't let them come."

Cheng Yu'an bit his lip, then nodded.

The door to the ward opened, and Pei's father and mother walked in. But strangely, their faces carried concern, and they asked him with worry in their voices.

"Xiaoyu, how are you feeling now? Are you still in pain?"

Cheng Yu'an pressed his lips into a thin line and simply said.

"Uncle Pei, Auntie Pei, I'm fine."

"Uncle" and "Auntie" were still unfamiliar terms—by all rights, since he and Pei Qingji were already married, he should be calling them "Mom" and "Dad."

"Do you want to try holding him?"

"Your husband has already gotten the hang of it."

Pei Qingji had practiced countless times. At first, he had no idea where to start—he always felt that holding him this way was wrong, and that way was wrong too, and he was afraid of hurting the baby, so he didn't dare to hold him.

It was the nurse who put the baby into his arms.

He just barely managed to hold the baby, but he didn't dare use any force at all—the baby looked so small, as if he would break at the slightest touch.

"You can try giving him a little touch," the nurse said.

Only then did Pei Qingji dare to reach out slightly and gently brush against him.

It felt incredibly magical.

"Why don't you try holding him?"

"Next time you hold him, remember to do it like this. Newborns don't have much neck support, so you must protect his head."

"Then use your other hand to cup his bottom and waist."

"Like this?" Pei Qingji felt the weight in his arms, and only then did it feel more real.

"Yes, just like that."

"Once you support his bottom, lift him up and let his head rest in the crook of your elbow."

"Remember, the movements must be gentle, slow, and steady—avoid any big movements."

Pei Qingji held his breath and very carefully learned how to hold the baby under the nurse's guidance.

He hadn't been this nervous even when he first stepped onto a stage—so nervous that his palms were sweating.

Although the nurse had already explained the steps once, Pei Qingji asked again after each step.

He would confirm before daring to make the next move, terrified that any mistake might hurt the baby.

The baby was very well-behaved and cooperative, simply clenching his fists and sucking contentedly on his thumb.

"You wanna try holding him?"

Cheng Yuan's eyes brightened.

"I can show you how."

Pei Qingji showed Cheng Yuan how to do it first.

"First, support the baby's neck, then support his waist, and rest his head on your elbow."

"You want to give it a shot?"

"I can't, I..."

Cheng Yuan hesitated, too nervous to try.

"Come on, just try it."

Pei Qingji put the baby in Cheng Yuan's arms, then walked him through it step by step.

"Watch out for his feet, he might kick you."

Cheng Yuan shook his head. "It's okay."

He held the baby close, feeling the solid little weight in his arms.

A strange feeling rose in Cheng Yuan's chest, filled with nothing but tenderness.

This was his kid.

Cheng Yan.

Pei's mom paused for a second, then asked, "His name?"

Pei Qingji's eyes held a hint of longing, and he nodded with a smile.

"He takes Cheng's surname, so his name is Cheng Yan."

Pei's mom's lips parted as if to say something, but in the end, she stayed quiet.

"He... why's he crying?"

Cheng Yuan saw the baby crying and panicked, looking at Pei Qingji desperately.

Pei Qingji had no idea either, and the two of them scrambled around in a panic.

Just as they were about to go get a nurse, Pei's mom cut in, "Maybe he's hungry."

"Here, let me try holding him."

Pei Qingji glanced at Cheng Yuan.

Cheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Pei's mom handled the baby like a pro, placing him in the crib by the bed.

Then she mixed the formula and filled the bottle.

"The temperature can't be too hot or too cold, or little A Yan won't be able to handle it."

Sure enough, the second the bottle hit his lips, the baby stopped crying.

"So he really was hungry..."

Seeing this, the two of them finally relaxed.

The baby drank quietly, even holding the bottle himself, not a single tear in sight.

He even kicked his little legs with joy.

"What a good little guy..."

Pei's mom, still holding the bottle, was amazed.

The baby was in a cute bear-print onesie, looking so adorable it could melt anyone's heart.

Even Pei's dad, who rarely cracked a smile, couldn't help grinning.

Before long, Grandpa Pei came in from outside the ward, with Grandpa Xie in tow.

"Baby, I'm your grandpa."

"I'm his grandpa, what nonsense are you talking?!"

"Baby, I'm your real grandpa."

The two old goofballs started bickering over who got to be the grandpa.

They were practically red in the face from arguing, but the baby wasn't scared at all, totally unbothered by strangers, even clapping and babbling.

Seeing that, the two grandpas froze, their hearts melting and smiles spreading wide.

Brother Zhou had stepped out for a bit and just got back. He knocked a couple of times, then pushed the door open.

He even brought some fruit and milk.

He'd been waiting outside the delivery room for Cheng Yuan, only got a quick peek at the baby, then got called away by an urgent call.

So the second he wrapped things up at the office, he rushed straight over.

"This little one really looks like you did as a kid."

Eyes like grapes, big and round, fair skin, and arms like little lotus roots, all chubby and plump.

Brother Zhou couldn't get enough of him, gently poking his cheek and grinning, "I'm your uncle."

"Oh, what's the baby's name? Did you guys pick one yet?"

Cheng Yuan nodded. "He's called Cheng Yan."

Brother Zhou froze, looked over, then shot a glance at Pei Qingji.

After a beat, he said, "Mm, that's a good name."

"Cheng Yan, I'm your uncle. Come on, say 'uncle.'"

The baby lay in the crib, blinking, still with the bottle in his mouth.

"The baby's still too young to talk."

He seemed to find the person in front of him strange—how could they babble on in words he couldn't understand?

The talking made him drowsy, his eyelids drooping no matter what.

Who knew when someone would finally notice?

"The baby's already asleep."

The baby had closed his eyes, the bottle slipping from his hand to lie beside him. He seemed to dream of something, licking his lips.

"What a little snack monster."

Mother Pei watched this scene, a hint of warmth surfacing on her usually stern face.

It warmed everyone's hearts to see that.

That evening, the upper-crust social circle's group chat blew up.

Mother Pei, who rarely posted on social media, actually posted a photo.

It was of a newborn baby.

Before long, the post blew up with likes and comments.

"Oh, how adorable! This must be Qingji's child, right? He's the spitting image of Qingji."

"He seems so well-behaved, unlike my little brat, who's almost thirty and still hasn't tied the knot. I told him to find someone fast, but he'd rather die than bring anyone home."

"When am I ever gonna get to hold a grandkid?"

Everyone felt a subtle pang of envy.

Mother Pei just smiled, a hint of pride in her voice.

"You all have to come to the full-month banquet."

"You want something to eat?"

"Let me go out and buy some more fruit, and your favorite soft, chewy snacks."

"You want green grape flavor, strawberry, or something else?"

Cheng Yuan went with the green grape.

"Green grape's fine."

Pei Qingji nodded and got up right away to go buy it for him.

Cheng Yuan watched, pressing his lips into a tight line.

Meanwhile.

Pei Qingji had just walked out of the hospital and was heading to the supermarket.

Not far off, the faint click of a camera shutter sounded, so subtle no one noticed.

"Finally got a shot of him."

Because it was dim around Brother Zhou, the person's face couldn't be seen clearly, and a rough, hoarse voice rang out.

Author's note:

None