In the blink of an eye, it was summer of the following year.

Xu Zhinan didn’t show much during the early stages of her pregnancy, but in the last few months, her belly quickly grew larger.

Her tattoo shop had already become a popular check-in spot for fans after her relationship with Lin Qingye went public. Although most wouldn’t enter the shop to disturb them, fans would often take photos outside.

So before her pregnancy began to show, she handed over the shop work to Li Yan and stayed home to rest, occasionally accompanying Lin Qingye to the company.

He was now working on a new album.

Even Wang Qi, after listening to his new songs, couldn’t help but remark that Lin Qingye was completely different from when he first came to Chuanqi Entertainment. You could hear it just from the songs he created.

Much gentler.

This day, with nothing to do, Xu Zhinan went to the company with Lin Qingye. Their car entered the underground parking garage, and they took the elevator to the recording studio.

The news of Xu Zhinan’s pregnancy hadn’t been revealed to the public yet. Lin Guancheng had already spoken with the media in advance, and throughout this time, aside from fans, the media rarely reported news related to Xu Zhinan.

However, since she frequently entered and left the company with Lin Qingye, many people in the company knew about it.

Lin Qingye stood in the recording studio, and Wang Qi handed one of the earphones to Xu Zhinan.

After he finished recording, Wang Qi joked, “Now you’re saving on music prenatal education; just let her listen to Qingye sing directly.”

Xu Zhinan smiled, her eyes curving, “That’s right.”

“Perhaps listening every day will stimulate the baby’s musical cells.”

“Then the two of them can play together in the future, that would be nice,” Xu Zhinan said with a smile.

“But your child won’t be lacking in artistic talent, considering one was a music department top student and the other a fine arts department top student, and both of you are good-looking. If it’s a girl, who knows who she’ll favor in the future. Better if it’s a boy, so he can go charm other little girls.”

Lin Qingye came out of the recording studio. “What are you talking about?”

Wang Qi briefly recounted what they had just discussed.

He laughed, “Forget it. If he dares to charm other little girls, Anam is a professional at dealing with that type.”

Wang Qi was stunned, then burst out laughing, “That’s true, you’re the successful example, aren’t you?”

Xu Zhinan finally realized what they were talking about and laughed, playfully punching Lin Qingye, “Stop talking nonsense.”

By September, approaching the due date, Xu Zhinan was admitted to the hospital, while Lin Qingye’s second album entered its final stages. He slowed down his work to spend every day with Xu Zhinan at the hospital.

The private hospital’s VVIP ward maintained excellent privacy. Many local celebrities from Yan City and business or political figures who didn’t want excessive attention during childbirth would choose this hospital.

Xu Zhinan kept her pregnancy well-hidden right up until the day before her due date.

However, with Lin Qingye’s increasing popularity and growing fan base, more eyes were watching them.

His Weibo account, which had been quiet for eight years since he won the Golden Melody Award at 18, finally showed activity after their relationship went public.

But aside from some work-related reposts, all his original posts were invariably about Xu Zhinan.

Now, however, there had been no posts for some time. Even on this year’s Qixi Festival, Lin Qingye didn’t post any displays of affection. So certain marketing accounts seized the opportunity to spread rumors of marital problems between them.

Not long after the marital discord rumors, fans captured photos of Lin Qingye entering and leaving the hospital, with the elevator stopping on the obstetrics floor.

This instantly shattered the marriage trouble rumors, with everyone speculating that Xu Zhinan was pregnant.

“Lin Qingye is amazing!! Is he about to become a father???”

“That was fast!! I feel like they haven’t even been publicly together for that long?”

“Aaahhh I’m already excited!!! How beautiful will their baby be!!!”

“Those marketing accounts were suspecting marital problems because they weren’t publicly showing affection, but they were quietly doing something this big.”

“No wonder I heard from the other tattoo artists at Xu Zhinan’s shop that their boss hasn’t been coming in much lately. So she’s been taking care of her pregnancy!!”

Lin Qingye was known for his quick clarifications. Previously, a rumor hardly had two hours to spread before he refuted it, giving no chance for further development. But this time, he didn’t promptly come out to clarify or confirm.

Because when the pregnancy news broke, Xu Zhinan had already started having contractions.

Lin Qingye stayed right by her side, not leaving for a moment. Xu Zhinan’s mother was also in the hospital room, while Lin Guancheng was outside communicating with the doctors.

“Does it hurt?” Lin Qingye asked.

Xu Zhinan even reassured him, “It’s not too bad right now, just pain now and then. It hasn’t reached the unbearable stage yet.”

“Sit down and have some water.”

Xu Zhinan’s mother watched them, finding the situation both strange and amusing. Though Xu Zhinan was the one in labor, it was Lin Qingye who couldn’t control his anxious expression. Xu Zhinan appeared quite relaxed, only slightly furrowing her brow during the periodic contractions.

Too many people would be noisy before the delivery, so Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue didn’t come to the hospital at this time, but instead made a video call. Zhao Qian even passionately shared some tips for childbirth with her.

After a while, they were finally notified that they could enter the delivery room.

Lin Qingye went in with her for the delivery.

Xu Zhinan’s mother and Lin Guancheng waited outside the room, constantly reassuring Xu Zhinan not to be afraid.

Xu Zhinan wasn’t particularly scared; the contractions at this point were still bearable.

Lin Qingye wore medical protective clothing, tightly holding her hand, “Baby, don’t be afraid. Tell me if it hurts.”

But in reality, Lin Qingye was only pretending to be calm, and was even less composed than Xu Zhinan. Throughout the entire delivery process, his awareness was blurry due to extreme nervousness.

In the delivery room, various subtle sounds intertwined.

The voices of doctors and nurses, Xu Zhinan’s increasingly painful, heavy breathing, as well as the subtle metallic sounds of medical instruments colliding, all blended at a low decibel, each sound increasing Lin Qingye’s tension.

He had already lost track of the passage of time.

Until a loud cry from the infant broke through the operating room.

“Congratulations! Five jin and six liang, it’s a baby boy!”

Only then did Lin Qingye realize his entire body was covered in sweat. He lowered his head, rubbed his face hard, his dark eyelashes trembling uncontrollably. It took him a long time to stabilize his breathing and let out a sigh.

“Qingye-ge,” Xu Zhinan said softly, nudging his hand, “Go look at the baby.”

The nurse quickly brought the baby over for the new parents to see, also smiling uncontrollably, “This is the first time I’ve seen a newborn baby so fair-skinned. He’ll be a handsome boy in the future, inheriting his parents’ good genes.”

The baby was wailing loudly, waving his arms and kicking his legs. The nurse laughed again, “He’s so energetic, very healthy.”

Xu Zhinan couldn’t help reaching out her hand, gently poking the baby’s little cheek, which was pink and white. She didn’t dare use any force.

As soon as she touched the warmth of his face, she couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving, “So soft.”

The feeling was truly extraordinary.

He had been in her belly for ten months, and she had no idea what he looked like, but now he had suddenly become a baby she could hold in her arms, a child who would live with them in the future.

Lin Qingye looked at the thin layer of sweat on Xu Zhinan’s face. She was still very weak after giving birth, yet she was already smiling at the wrinkled little guy.

In this moment, he truly felt the wonder of life and the marvel of maternal love.

The nurse said, “I’ll take him to see the grandparents first, and then we need to do a series of basic examinations.”

“Okay.”

Xu Zhinan reluctantly watched as the nurse left, then looked up at Lin Qingye.

The man’s eyes were red and moist. The light from beside the operating table swept across his face, illuminating the deep emotion in his eyes, breathtaking.

Xu Zhinan smiled, “Did you see the baby?”

“Yes.”

“He’s so small,” her voice was very soft, but still noticeably jubilant.

Lin Qingye was moved by her emotion and also smiled, “Yes.”

Xu Zhinan stared at him, quiet for a moment, then raised her hand.

She was weak and had little strength to move. Lin Qingye lowered his head, letting her touch his face. Xu Zhinan looked at him and said softly, “It’s all over now, don’t be afraid anymore.”

Lin Qingye remained silent for a long time. His smile faded, and finally, with red-rimmed eyes, he looked away and raised his hand to press his brow.

When he raised his arm, Xu Zhinan noticed several bloody scratches on it, made when she had unconsciously grabbed and scratched his arm during the pain.

One scratch was particularly deep, with blood droplets emerging, now dried, leaving a cinnabar red spot.

“This…” Xu Zhinan pointed, “Did I scratch you earlier? Does it hurt?”

He shook his head without speaking.

Xu Zhinan opened her arms to him, “Hug.”

Lin Qingye bent down and embraced her tightly, his hand gently stroking her hair. After becoming pregnant, Xu Zhinan had stopped dyeing her hair, and it had returned to black.

After a long while, Xu Zhinan finally heard a choked whisper against her neck, “Thank you, Anam.”

The little one was born amidst everyone’s joyful anticipation. Grandfather Lin Guancheng immediately sent many expensive baby items without hesitation.

After a few days, the little one became increasingly cute and fair-skinned, especially his eyes, which combined the best features of both parents.

Lin Qingye’s eyes were narrow and slightly upturned at the corners, while Xu Zhinan’s eyes were large and lively, captivating when she smiled.

The little one’s eyes were also large, with corners like Lin Qingye’s, and when he smiled, the upturned corners became even more pronounced, somewhat resembling phoenix eyes.

Zhao Qian couldn’t help remarking when she saw him, “My godson is going to break so many girls’ hearts in the future. His eyes are already so captivating at such a young age. He’ll have many admirers!”

Everyone who saw him lavished praise on how beautiful he was.

And Lin Qingye finally responded to the rumors about marital problems and pregnancy by posting a photo of his fist bumping the baby’s fist.

“!!!!!!!!! Cloud parenting begins!”

“Ahhhhh the little hand is so cute!!!”

“Life winner Lin Qingye! That was so fast!!!”

“Ahhhhh I want to see what kind of divine face this baby has! If he enters the entertainment industry in the future, he’ll be the ceiling of good looks!!!”

…

A week after Xu Zhinan’s postpartum confinement began, Lin Qingye finally remembered to name the little one.

They came up with several names, but they all sounded somewhat feminine. Finally, they settled on Lin Huairan.

As the days passed, little Huairan increasingly resembled Lin Qingye as a child. This observation came from Lin Guancheng, but indeed, some of Lin Qingye’s features were already visible in the baby.

Little Huairan was different from other babies; he rarely cried and had a good temperament, which made things easier for everyone.

Lin Qingye had a calm personality and warmed up to people slowly. Even now, his friends were all people he had gradually become close with over many years. He was the same way with little Huairan.

Father and son hadn’t known each other long, and as a father, he wasn’t yet familiar with his son.

Sometimes Xu Zhinan would see father and son, one lying down and one sitting, staring at each other, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Go hold him,” Xu Zhinan urged.

Lin Qingye glanced at her, obediently lifting little Huairan from the crib.

But perhaps his holding position was wrong, or for some other reason, little Huairan, who rarely cried, suddenly began wailing loudly in Lin Qingye’s arms.

Xu Zhinan hurried over to take him back, gently bouncing him and saying a few playful words. Little Huairan instantly changed his expression and smiled, even kissing his mom on his initiative.

Lin Qingye coldly observed and made a “tsk” sound.

Xu Zhinan caught that sound and laughed, “It’s because you don’t hold him often enough. He’s not used to it, that’s why he’s crying.”

Lin Qingye grew more determined, opening his arms again, “Give him to me.”

Unfortunately, little Huairan was a baby of principle. As soon as he left Xu Zhinan’s embrace, he quickly started crying again.

Xu Zhinan couldn’t bear to hear the baby cry and wanted to take him back, but Lin Qingye wouldn’t give him up.

Father and son seemed to be having a standoff. Lin Qingye held him, wanting to see how long this little guy could cry, while Huairan wanted to see how long his father could endure the torture.

In the end, reality proved that Lin Qingye won. Lin Huairan got tired of crying and finally gave up fighting with his dad.

During the stage when he couldn’t talk yet, father and son were quite at odds with each other. However, as Lin Huairan gradually grew up and began speaking fluently, he began to show signs of being a little charmer despite his young age.

Sweet-talking, from the 50-something-year-old auntie they hired at home to little girls his age, all fell within his target range.

At first, Xu Zhinan found it quite strange how she and Lin Qingye, with their personalities, could have produced a child with such a character.

Although Lin Qingye had never actively flirted with people when he was young, just standing there was enough to attract others’ affection. In this aspect, father and son were the same.

Could it be that if Lin Qingye had grown up in a happy family, with a less closed-off personality, he would have been like little Huairan?

Thinking about this, Xu Zhinan shook her head.

His current personality was better.

When little Huairan was four and a half years old, Xu Zhinan had some business at her shop, and their home auntie had taken leave to return to her hometown, so Lin Qingye took him to Chuanqi Entertainment.

Lin Huairan was a self-sufficient little boy with excellent social skills, basically requiring no special care or concern.

Lin Qingye brought him to the company, then went to the meeting room to discuss arrangements for upcoming concerts.

Halfway through the meeting, Li Zong suddenly burst into the meeting room in a rage, “Lin Qingye!”

Li Zong was also a singer under Chuanqi Entertainment. He had a good relationship with Lin Qingye, and they had recorded shows together and performed at music festivals.

Lin Qingye supported his head with his hand, lifting his eyes to look at Li Zong, who was carrying his daughter in the crook of his arm.

Lin Qingye was silent for a moment, suddenly feeling a pang in his heart as he realized something.

Li Zong continued, “Your son is charming my daughter again!”

“…” Lin Qingye scratched his eyebrow, and compared to the daughter-doting Li Zong, he appeared quite composed, laughing, “What did that little rascal do this time?”

“Where did he get that car?” Li Zong asked.

Lin Qingye: “What car?”

“Aston Martin.”

“…”

He remembered what Li Zong was referring to. Wang Qi also adored Lin Huairan and had even placed a toy Aston Martin in the company for him.

“Uncle Wang gave it to him,” Lin Qingye said.

Li Zong said angrily, “Your son is using a luxury car to charm girls, and you’re not going to do anything about it! Driving my daughter around everywhere!”

Lin Qingye raised an eyebrow, “It’s just riding in a car. I thought that little troublemaker did something serious.”

Li Zong slapped the table, “Riding in a car is not okay either! My daughter can only ride in my car!”

Lin Qingye gave a disrespectful snort of laughter, his words striking right at the heart of the daughter-doting Li Zong, “She’ll be taken away by other boys sooner or later anyway. You think she can ride in your car for her entire life? How old are you to be jealous of my son?”

“You talk so easily now,” Li Zong gave a cold laugh, “It’s a good thing you had a son. If you had a daughter, you’d probably be even more extreme than me.”

Lin Qingye shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.

As they were speaking, Lin Huairan drove past the meeting room door in his Aston Martin.

Wang Qi also happened to be passing by and ruffled little Huairan’s hair before handing a stack of documents to Lin Qingye, “Take a look at this. It’s from the production team of ‘Fancy Baby’ Season 3. They hope you and Anam can participate.”

The production team had invited them before, but they hadn’t planned to have Lin Huairan appear on camera, so they had declined.

“‘Fancy Baby’?” Lin Huairan overheard, “Is that the show that Mengmeng’s sister is on TV?”

Mengmeng was Li Zong’s daughter, who had participated in the second season, along with Chen Die’s twins. The show had very high ratings, and everyone had been looking forward to the third season for a long time.

Lin Huairan quickly decided for his father, “I want to go!”