Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Still Day One of the Big Monster Babysitting

“How could those soldiers know how to raise a child?”

“Exactly. Leaving Leyan with them is truly nerve-wracking.”

In the indoor garden of a luxurious mansion in Xingdu, several noble ladies, dressed in elaborate, competitive finery, sat elegantly, chatting in low voices.

The topic of their conversation was none other than the “Love Sprouts” live stream from this morning, focusing on the highly-watched young cub, He Leyan.

“You are right. Both Chen’er and Yunqi are too careless and clumsy. The moment Leyan cries, they all freeze up,” said Concubine He, seated in the center of the garden. She wore an elegant and luxurious long dress, holding a delicate rose branch, slowly removing the stray leaves as she spoke.

“Your Highness, we were talking about those soldiers, not the Prince,” the noble ladies quickly clarified.

“It’s the same. Yunqi is no better than them,” Concubine He replied.

“How can that be the same? The Prince is handsome, charming, gentle, and intelligent. He is far superior to those soldiers…”

The noble ladies laughed and flattered her. Only one woman, dressed in a somber black dress, was silently trimming flower branches with a pair of scissors, completely ignoring the conversation.

Concubine He glanced at her, then turned her gaze back to the others: “It’s alright if he’s not intelligent, as long as he is willing to put in the effort, he will improve eventually. Yunqi just told me he is taking some course on early childhood cognition and psychological development. He even plans to get a certificate. He will definitely be able to take good care of Leyan in the future.”

“Oh my, the Prince is truly dedicated!”

“Yes, indeed. I didn’t expect the Prince to put in such hard work. He seems more reliable than He— cough, more reliable than the child’s father,” said one lady, casting a look at the woman in the black dress.

“Chen’er is busy, unlike Yunqi who has plenty of free time, but he’s probably willing to learn too. Sister, what do you think?” Concubine He’s autumn-water eyes turned toward the woman in black—her older sister and He Chen’s birth mother, He Yayun.

“If you don’t like children, learning anything is useless,” He Yayun said gloomily.

“Don’t like children—Sister, who are you referring to, Chen’er or Yunqi?”

He Yayun looked up at Concubine He. Her features were five parts similar to Concubine He’s, but her expression was dark and she possessed a more intimidating aura than her sister. “Naturally, both.”

Heh. Concubine He smiled grandly: “Yunqi aside, Chen’er is your own son. Why are you so merciless, Sister?”

“In Sister’s eyes, who truly likes children, and who is fit to raise Leyan? Is it only Siyuan who is worthy?”

“Siyuan is steady in temperament, naturally more suitable than them,” He Yayun answered with cold arrogance. She seemed not to have heard the mockery in Concubine He’s tone, or perhaps she heard it but simply didn’t care.

So, she had no intention of responding to her sister’s provocation. A cold glint flashed in Concubine He’s eyes, but she spoke playfully: “My dear Sister, you are still hopelessly biased.”

At this, the noble ladies in the room exchanged glances, all turning their attention to He Yayun.

The He family valued bloodline highly. Daughters were treated equally to sons and were often not married out. They could take in a husband or keep male companions; in short, they were quite unconventional. The children they bore also took the surname He and were considered He family descendants.

The previous generation was less affected by cosmic radiation, so while fertility was difficult, it wasn’t as severe as today. He Yayun, the eldest aunt of the He family, was extremely lucky. Without taking a husband, she had two sons with different men. Coincidentally, these two sons were close in age. If external gestation technology hadn’t matured, people would truly worry about how one belly could suffice.

However, it was said that the birth father of the eldest son, He Siyuan, had a clean background—an officer who unfortunately sacrificed his life. He Chen’s birth father, on the other hand, was of low status. He Yayun had a brief affair with him years ago and quickly parted ways. Fearing his entanglement, she gave him the child, He Chen, and cut off all contact.

Unexpectedly, that man later committed a serious crime and died suddenly in prison. He Chen ended up in an orphanage right after birth.

It wasn’t until he awakened in his youth, revealing the Snow Wolf spirit body, that the He family discovered him and brought him back to acknowledge his ancestors.

However, it was the He family patriarch who recognized He Chen. He Yayun, hating the house and its occupants, never truly liked this son who appeared halfway through her life.

It was rumored that at the recognition banquet, the young He Chen called her ‘Mother,’ and she publicly changed her expression and stormed off. There were also rumors that she slapped the boy in public, telling him to remember that she only had one son in this life.

When it came to favoritism, no one could surpass her.

Listening to the veiled barbs between the He sisters, was He Yayun planning to have her eldest son, He Siyuan, become the godfather of the little genius, He Leyan?

Tsk. As the saying goes, both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh, but she seemed intent on cutting off the back of her hand to stick entirely to the palm.

“I’m tired. It’s time to go back.” Concubine He saw the noble ladies pointing and whispering about He Yayun. Her expression relaxed as she stood up and walked over to He Yayun, stopping in front of her. “Sister, who is close and who is distant, who you like and who you dislike, depends on fate. After all, even a mother and son may not be compatible.”

After delivering that jab, she saw her dear sister remain expressionless. She then slowly continued: “Before coming here, I spoke to His Majesty about this. His Majesty said that the choice of who is suitable to be Leyan’s godfather should be left to the child himself. What do you think, Sister?”

“Since His Majesty has decreed it, we naturally obey,” He Yayun looked at Concubine He coldly.

That look was exactly the same as the contemptuous disdain she had shown years ago when she saw Concubine He playing with her Prince Charming and blonde dolls.

Concubine He involuntarily tightened her grip on the flower branch. A sharp pain pricked her finger, but she smiled and loosened her grip, tucking the branch into He Yayun’s hand. Her cherry lips moved close to He Yayun’s ear, whispering softly like a secret between friends: “Sister, you have great skill in turning the world upside down, but if you give everything to a counterfeit, be careful that his fortune is too thin to bear it.”

Their eyes met. Seeing the tremor in He Yayun’s pupils, a flicker of surprise crossed Concubine He’s eyes. She then let out a delicate laugh and gracefully departed.

He Yayun watched her graceful retreating figure, her face as dark as water. Her right hand unconsciously tightened, and the sharp thorn on the flower branch pierced her palm, drawing a bead of crimson blood.

*

“I have done what I promised you.” Not long after Concubine He left the aristocratic residence, He Chen, far away at Hanhe Base, received an encrypted message.

Sender: L.

“The Emperor issued the decree?” He Chen sat up from the ground and quickly replied.

“Yes,” L answered concisely.

He Chen was pleased and clenched his fist. He then replied: “Thank you.”

“No need,” L replied. A moment later, another message was added: “Is there a candidate for godfather?”

He Chen paused, his expression becoming serious. After a moment of thought, he replied: “Not yet.”

After replying, he also added a message: “I can risk my life for you, but my son cannot.”

Then, his face stern, he waited for a reply.

The other side was silent for a long time.

So long that He Chen thought the person had become busy with something else, but then a single word suddenly came back: “Good.”

He Chen let out a long sigh of relief. As if a great burden had been lifted, he curved his lips and lay back down. But in the next instant, he abruptly sprang up, looking somewhat flustered at the little person who had sat up on the bed and was rubbing his eyes: “Ahem, Leyan, you’re awake?”

He Leyan paused his eye-rubbing.

He looked at the “Big Monster” sitting by his bed, then turned to the other side of the small bed:

In the corner of his eye, He Leyan saw something large and furry flicker and disappear from his bedside, so fast it seemed like an illusion. But He Leyan knew it wasn’t an illusion.

—Because it flickered out again, burying its wolf face, its huge paw silently and stealthily placed a milk bottle next to He Leyan’s hand.

Then it flickered once more and truly disappeared.

He Chen’s face was stiff: “Uh, the milk is ready. You weren’t awake, so I had it keep it warm for you.”

He paused, then tentatively looked at He Leyan: “It’s not a bad wolf.”

“But it’s normal for you to be afraid of it, since it’s a bit scary,” He Chen added.

Seeing the child remain silent, He Chen awkwardly closed his mouth, no longer mentioning good wolves or bad wolves. He just used two fingers to carefully push the milk bottle closer to He Leyan’s hand.

He Leyan lowered his head and noticed that He Chen was wearing a glove, covering the hand that was different from a normal person’s.

He Leyan bit his lip. Actually, he wasn’t afraid of his hand…

“Aren’t you hungry? You’ve been asleep for almost six hours,” He Chen asked cautiously. “Or do you not want milk? What do you want to eat? I heard your Dad Wen say—”

As He Chen spoke, he saw He Leyan finally react: his small mouth drooped.

He Chen wanted to slap himself: Why bring up a sore subject?

Fortunately, the child only pouted. Then, he bravely wiped his eyes, looked around the room, and seeing that it was empty of other people, he seemed to accept reality. He turned his head back and asked in a baby voice, “What did Dad Wen say?”

“He said your stomach is good, and your little teeth are strong, so you can eat many kinds of food now.”

“Dad Wen also said to stay here without worry, and to be bold about saying what you want to eat or play with. Don’t be afraid.”

—The last sentence was He Chen’s improvisation.

Somehow, the child seemed to have seen through him: the child looked at him with big eyes, making him feel a wave of guilt.

Then the child began to turn over and climb down.

“What’s wrong? What are you doing?” He Chen reached out, wanting to hug him, but didn’t quite dare. He just hovered his hands behind the child, watching him climb off the bed with his bottom sticking up.

The bed was too high… He Chen seriously considered sawing off a section of the bed legs.

He Leyan’s feet touched the floor. He answered He Chen’s question with a serious, steady voice: “I need to pee.”

*

Returning from his “pee,” He Leyan saw He Chen standing by the bathroom door. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks. He asked in a serious, baby voice, “Why aren’t you going to work?”

Huh? He Chen quickly thought for a moment before answering: “I’m on leave today.”

He Leyan looked unconvinced. He walked around He Chen and returned to the bed, picking up the milk bottle himself. He drank a couple of sips, then glanced at He Chen, who was still standing there. He buried his head in thought: he wanted someone to keep him company, but, but not a stranger.

“Daddy said everyone has to work,” he emphasized again in his confusion.

“Yes, I work every day. I love my job,” He Chen answered obediently.

After answering, he was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask, “Who is Daddy?”

He Leyan paused, clearly saddened. Biting the straw, his voice was slightly choked: “Daddy is Daddy.”

Wrong question again… This “Daddy” was even more sensitive than Dad Wen.

“Uh, don’t cry,” He Chen panicked slightly. “You can call them anytime you miss them.”

“They took such good care of you. Father was just thinking of thanking them properly.”

He said this, feeling a little sour, but he ignored it: “Is Daddy the nurse in the pediatric ward? What is his surname? You should have his contact number on your terminal, right? Shall we call him now?”

“No, Daddy is very busy,” He Leyan raised his red eyes.

How busy could a pediatric ward be? He was really good at fooling children.

He Leyan lived in the Medical Academy because his mental strength was unstable and required a therapist’s help to stabilize, but therapists were busy people and couldn’t personally care for an infant, so he stayed in the pediatric ward.

He Chen instinctively assumed that the “Daddy” He Leyan missed so much was the pediatric nurse who provided his close care.

Speaking of which, he really should thank that person in person.

Although there were special reasons, it was a fact that he had completely entrusted his cub to the Medical Academy for three years. If the cub recognized someone else as “Daddy,” he had to accept it, even if it was hard to swallow.

Not only accept it, but he had to be enthusiastic and respectful to gain some favor points with He Leyan.

Hmm, come to think of it, this was actually a good opportunity.

He Chen secretly praised himself for being smart. He raised his wrist terminal and showed He Leyan the time: “It’s already six o’clock. Daddy should be off work. Let’s try calling him, okay?”

This time, He Leyan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

The Big Monster’s enthusiasm made him feel uneasy, but he really missed Daddy.

He raised his small wrist, woke up his terminal, and initiated a video call.