In the Void of Ten Thousand Heavens, Siming had drawn into existence the sky and earth, sun and moon, creating mountains, rivers, and lakes. This world was vast and quiet. She and Changyuan lived freely, though it was a bit lonely. But in just a few days, they would bid farewell to this quiet life forever.

Siming touched her round belly and glanced at the restless Changyuan beside her: “Changyuan, do you want a girl or a boy?”

She had asked this question countless times, and each time Changyuan had answered “Either is fine.” But this time he was overly anxious: “I’m worried whether it will be a human or an egg. If it’s human that’s fine, but if it’s an egg, how would we hatch it? Or…” his face paled at his thoughts, “a human head with an egg body? Or a human body with… an egg head?”

What kind of monster would that be…

Siming pursed her lips: “Changyuan, you worry too much.” Just as she finished speaking, she felt a dull pain in her belly. Siming touched her trembling stomach, her expression growing serious. “Mmm, I think…” The pain became more pronounced, and Siming’s face paled. “We’re about to find out the truth.”

“What?” Changyuan froze. Seeing cold sweat running down Siming’s temples as she clutched her stomach, his jaw tightened. When he came to his senses, he calmed himself, and without a word, immediately carried Siming back to the house and laid her down. He skillfully removed her lower garments and lit a fire to heat water. He had practiced many times for this day while Siming slept alone.

He knew that in the Void of Ten Thousand Heavens, there was no one else – his Siming had only him.

The pain made Siming’s face as white as paper. She gripped Changyuan’s hand tightly, seeing that although her husband’s expression was steady, his face was as pale as if he were the one giving birth. Siming felt touched and wanted to laugh, but before she could even smile, another contraction hit violently. She squeezed Changyuan’s hand hard, and he squeezed back just as firmly.

“It’s alright, don’t be afraid, everything’s fine, everything’s fine.”

If Siming were alone, with her stubborn temperament, she would have gritted her teeth and swallowed such pain. But with Changyuan comforting her like this, she felt she could be vulnerable. Someone could accept her vulnerability, be strong for her, give her the strongest support, and never abandon her no matter how dependent or difficult she became.

“Changyuan… it hurts.” Siming’s eyes reddened, tears streaming down.

“Mm, I know, it’s okay… we won’t have another one after this.” His composed face spoke incoherent words.

“It hurts.”

He gently kissed her face, afraid that even slightly too much pressure would hurt her: “I’m here, don’t be afraid.”

“It hurts so much!”

“Okay, okay, no more after this, we won’t have anymore,” Changyuan said hurriedly.

Siming’s whole body spasmed with pain. She laughed through her tears: “You think you can just decide we won’t have more? Put it back then! I dare you to put it back!”

Their first “egg” emerged amidst this chaotic dialogue. It was a boy, a normal boy, without a trace of eggshell anywhere. Changyuan bathed him and stiffly carried him back to show Siming.

Seeing the child’s crying face, Siming smiled weakly: “Changyuan, look at your son, what an ugly little thing. Though he’s got quite the voice.”

Changyuan remained silent for a long while. Siming mustered her strength to poke and play with the baby for a while before realizing the strange silence beside her. She looked up and was suddenly stunned.

Changyuan bent down and gathered both Siming and the child into his arms: “I mean it, no more after this. You scared me to death.” His voice trembled. Siming stayed frozen for a moment, then struggled to raise her hand and pat his back: “Why are you crying along with the baby? I can’t comfort both of you.”

Changyuan just buried his head in the crook of Siming’s neck, shaking his head and repeatedly saying “no more” as if he had been the one giving birth.

“That won’t do. I still want a daughter. This big brother will be called Chang Ming (Long Life), and his little sister will be Chang Sheng (Eternal Life). Then you’ll never be lonely again.”

Changyuan held her in silence for a moment.

“I haven’t been lonely for a long time.”