February 10th.

“Hehehe, stop… that tickles…”

Giggling as she said this, An Yuanyao leaned against the headboard, with a cushion behind her back, gently pushing Liu Changqing’s face away, a hint of shyness on her face.

Even at home, this kind of behavior made her feel embarrassed.

But Liu Changqing ignored her pushing.

He had his ear pressed to her belly, listening intently.

Becoming a father was a truly magical feeling.

Yes, he already had Liu Xiazhi and Liu Zhiyue, but when he became their father, they were already not that young.

This time, the children in An Yuanyao’s belly were different.

These were brand-new lives.

The reward for that one night when he didn’t use a little raincoat.

Even though it had come unexpectedly, Liu Changqing was genuinely looking forward to the birth of the two babies in An Yuanyao’s belly.

That deep-rooted notion of “carrying on the family line” made him thrilled to know he was about to have more children.

Honestly, was there anything in this world more joyful than knowing the babies were yours?

Through the layer of clothing, Liu Changqing listened with complete focus,

and as An Yuanyao continued gently pushing his head,

he reached up and brushed her hand away, saying,

“Shhh… don’t talk. I can hear something!”

“Um…”

“I can feel it—they’re really active! These two little ones are full of energy!”

“No, that’s…”

“I swear I can feel them pushing against me!”

“……”

Watching her husband make such a fuss, An Yuanyao’s shy expression slowly turned blank.

She even looked a little embarrassed.

If it were any other time, she might’ve let him keep playing with her belly,

but right now, in this particular moment…

With her head slightly lowered, An Yuanyao looked at Liu Changqing, who was lying on her belly with his ear pressed to it.

After a short pause, she reached out and pushed his head away.

Surprised by this, Liu Changqing looked up, confused, about to ask what was wrong—

but before he could speak, his wife said,

“Seriously, I told you it’s not that… I—I just feel uncomfortable. My stomach’s been off since this morning…”

“Huh? What’s wrong? Are you in pain or—”

An Yuanyao saw how she was practically spelling it out for him,

yet her husband still looked so worried.

She bit her lip and said in a resigned tone,

“I have to go to the bathroom. I haven’t gone since morning. My stomach’s uncomfortable!”

“……”

Liu Changqing’s eyes widened.

The atmosphere turned... a little awkward.

They stared at each other in silence.

After a moment, Liu Changqing was the first to break it.

He got up and helped An Yuanyao down from the bed.

Holding her arm, he guided her toward the bathroom.

But when they reached the door, An Yuanyao pulled her arm away and walked in by herself.

Liu Changqing tried to follow her in—

but was stopped at the door.

With a soft click, the bathroom door shut right in front of him.

He almost bumped into it.

He instinctively took a step back.

Standing outside, Liu Changqing kept his ears open, listening for any sound from within.

Seconds ticked by.

One… two… three…

“You done yet?”

“Stop standing at the door. I’m fine!”

“Be careful when you come out, all right? Watch your step and don’t fall.”

“I knooow…”

An Yuanyao’s voice was full of helplessness.

But sitting on the toilet, she was actually smiling ear to ear.

With how much her husband doted on her, how could she not be happy?

It’s just… compared to how much he cared about her, he seemed to care even more about the babies.

That… she had a tiny bit of a problem with.

But people should learn to be content.

And to be fair, even she was paying more attention to the babies now.

Still… ever since they came back from the hospital yesterday, Liu Changqing had been acting like this.

It had just been a routine check-up.

The babies were developing well, and the doctor said to keep up the good work.

The doctor even praised Liu Changqing, saying he was doing a great job taking care of her.

That compliment must’ve been what triggered his current behavior…

Even yesterday, after they got home, he insisted he could feel the babies kicking him.

But they were still so small—how could they be kicking already?

Watching Liu Changqing act like this,

An Yuanyao couldn’t help thinking:

He didn’t look like someone who already had two kids.

If anything…

he looked like a man becoming a father for the very first time.

As those thoughts floated in her mind, the room fell quiet.

Suddenly, she heard Liu Changqing’s voice from outside.

“Wife… I’m sorry…”

Sitting there, An Yuanyao was stunned.

She blinked, then asked in confusion,

“Why are you apologizing to me?”

“……”

There was a long silence from outside the door.

Eventually, Liu Changqing’s voice came through again.

“I’m sorry…

I still haven’t given you a wedding.”

“……”

An Yuanyao hadn’t expected that to be what he was apologizing for.

Outside the bathroom, Liu Changqing stared at the door and continued.

“When we registered our marriage, we should’ve picked a special day… but because of me…”

“It’s okay.”

Those three simple words drifted through the door,

and then she added,

“I never cared about whether we had a wedding or not.

What matters is that I’m with you. That’s enough for me.”

“But most women dream about having a wedding… don’t they?”

“This is good enough. All of us together—

you and me, Zhiyue and Xiazhi, and the two little ones in my belly…

our family of six living happily together.

That’s all I want.

I don’t need you to make up for anything.”

“……”

Liu Changqing hadn’t expected her to say that.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

There was a short silence.

Then, from inside the bathroom, An Yuanyao’s voice floated out again.

“I wish I’d noticed you earlier…”

“……”

For some reason,

those words pierced Liu Changqing’s heart like a needle.

It hurt.

He had wondered about that too,

more than once.

What if he hadn’t transmigrated into the 35-year-old Liu Changqing,

but instead, appeared earlier in his life?

What would things have been like between him and An Yuanyao then?

But that was just wishful thinking.

Time couldn’t be turned back.

What’s happened couldn’t be changed.

There might be a few regrets—

but Liu Changqing wasn’t a greedy man.

Living with An Yuanyao now,

with their children,

all together as a family…

this life was more than enough for him.

As long as he could leave behind enough for his kids to live comfortably without worry…

that would be enough.

Raising children—

this was life.

Others might think differently,

but Liu Changqing was just an ordinary man…

and also not so ordinary.

And this kind of life,

he was truly content with.

The house quieted down again.

Aside from his own breathing, Liu Changqing heard nothing else.

After a long pause, he looked toward the bathroom and said,

“Meeting the me you see now is good enough.

I absolutely won’t let you fall for the old me.”