ATLAS TRANSLATES

After giving his honest evaluation, Yan Cheng lowered his eyes, his gaze shifting slightly downward.

Then he suddenly paused, pressing his lips together slightly.

It was as if the nurse’s initial rush to share the news had never happened, becoming like a fleeting cloud. He belatedly realized this and slowly bent down. His peach blossom eyes narrowed, his dark eyelashes drooping lazily. Through the glass, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying softly, “Oh, a little boy. Well, it doesn’t matter if he’s not so good-looking.”

Half-joking, there was a hint of tender affection in his playful tone.

After all, this was his own child, a little life that his wife had carried for ten months and endured several hours of pain to bring into the world.

Yan Cheng raised his hand and gently tapped the glass cover twice, raising an eyebrow with a faint smile. “Welcome, little one.”

The little one pursed his lips, neither crying nor fussing, sleeping quietly.

Very well-behaved.

Sparkles danced in Yan Cheng’s beautiful peach blossom eyes. After some thought, he took out his phone and opened the camera, constantly adjusting his position and working with the lighting. Once he found the perfect angle, he pressed the shutter.

He took another photo of the tiny feet, added some text, and posted it to his social media.

Soon, he received several rows of likes and comments offering congratulations or teasing him about the difficult days ahead.

Some, like A-Tai and Shao Chongsi, didn’t say much but directly sent red envelopes.

He showed the complete photos to Chen Jinyao.

Just when he thought he might not get a response from Chen Jinyao, or that she might look through a mother’s filtering lens and exclaim “how cute,” Chen Jinyao slowly said, “Huh, he’s all wrinkled. Kind of ugly.”

Yan Cheng: “…”

Having just gone through a brush with death, little did they know that the days ahead would be like hell.

First and foremost was the traditional postpartum confinement passed down through generations.

No wind, no cold air, and many other requirements. Some even insisted on no hair washing or bathing. Though May was only slightly cool with occasional hot days, it was still unbearable for Chen Jinyao.

She lay in bed almost every day, barely moving, until her bones felt soft.

“No wonder so many people get postpartum depression – it’s from all this lying around,” Chen Jinyao said, holding Yan Chi in her arms. Following Chen’s mother’s guidance, she now held him correctly, though the little one was all soft and fragile. Once they picked him up, whether it was her or Yan Cheng, they would immediately freeze, not daring to move. She lowered her eyes, fixing her gaze on the little one.

The evening sunlight automatically shifted to warm tones as it poured through the window.

Hearing her words, Yan Cheng frowned. “I think it’s mainly because of boredom leading to overthinking. So don’t space out – just say whatever’s on your mind. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“…” Chen Jinyao was speechless. She rolled her eyes and snorted, half-jokingly following his logic: “You’re not here all the time.”

Zhiyuan Technology was developing rapidly.

Now, the senior management was considering taking it public.

But plans were just plans – the road to actually achieving this would be long and arduous.

So before then, overtime work was mandatory.

Hearing this, the man raised his eyebrows imperceptibly, showing no particular expression, and just said, “When I’m not here, aren’t there other people?”

He paused, then seemed to suddenly remember something.

He inexplicably became smug, curling his lips into an incredibly insufferable smile. “From your tone, it sounds like you can’t do without me.”

“…” Chen Jinyao resisted the urge to roll her eyes again and turned her face away.

The most terrible thing was this groundless yet unbridled confidence.

Or more accurately, narcissism.

Yan Cheng didn’t notice Chen Jinyao’s discomfort and continued to gloat contentedly: “I’m very happy that you’ve come to this realization.”

“From now on, I’ll be the big tree for you two mother and child.”

“Sheltering you both from wind and rain.” Once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. Perhaps infected by Yan’s mother and Chen’s mother, the man had become quite talkative lately. “How about that? Are you moved?”

Chen Jinyao’s mouth twitched violently.

After a long while, her cheeks moved slightly as she ground her back teeth.

Calmly, she asked: “Big tree, may I ask if you know how to change diapers?”

“…” The big tree paused while pouring tea, narrowed his eyes, and remained silent.

Chen Jinyao didn’t let him off: “May I ask if you know how to bathe the baby?”

The big tree drew in a sharp breath, his eyes dodging, somewhat flustered.

Chen Jinyao: “When Chi Chi pees on you, can you not scream?”

The big tree’s face reddened, and he was mortified: “…Shut up.”

After three well-reasoned and forceful questions, seeing Yan Cheng at a loss, Chen Jinyao’s mood instantly brightened. Her eyes curved as she couldn’t hide her pleasure.

After a while.

Yan Cheng pursed his lips and said, “You don’t know how either.”

“…”

Hearing this, Chen Jinyao’s smile gradually disappeared.

“If I had known, I should have taken some classes to learn.”

But she had lacked foresight then, wasting time on reading books, privately thinking that taking care of a child would be easy, forgetting the saying “book knowledge proves shallow in practice.”

Yan Cheng didn’t have time, but she did.

Now, neither of them had time.

Thinking of this, Chen Jinyao couldn’t help but feel regretful, unable to hold back her sighs.

So, at this point.

They could only learn on the job.

During this time, besides Yan Cheng, Yan’s mother and Chen’s mother were also frequent visitors at the hospital. They were experienced and whenever they held Yan Chi to change his clothes or do other things, they were very skillful. The married couple would quietly “steal their techniques.”

Sometimes, Yan Cheng would directly try to “experiment.”

The man was clumsy and not very careful. Even though he was already being very cautious, he still couldn’t avoid making the delicate-skinned Yan Chi furrow his tiny brows and cry loudly.

“Even uglier when crying,” Yan Cheng frowned like him, muttering under his breath.

As soon as he said this, the crying got louder, as if about to lift the roof off.

Every time this happened, although Chen’s mother felt sorry for her grandson, she couldn’t say much.

Yan’s mother was more straightforward, giving Yan Cheng a pat on the back.

After giving him a disapproving glare, she started endlessly scolding him.

“You think you were any better-looking when you were little?”

“Mom only spoiled you more because she was afraid you’d feel inferior.”

Yan’s mother sighed “aiyou,” clearly worried sick, “You’re holding him wrong, he’ll be uncomfortable. Support his neck properly, be careful, don’t break his arm.”

“How can you be so clumsy?”

Yan Cheng: “…”

Chen’s mother: “If it’s really too difficult, hire a nanny after leaving the hospital.”

She paused, glancing at Chen Jinyao, and sighed, “Young people nowadays, they retreat at the sight of a wet diaper.”

Chen Jinyao shrugged; actually, she hadn’t.

“Let’s not hire a nanny. With children, it’s more intimate to raise them yourself,” she puffed her cheeks, rejecting Chen’s mother’s suggestion. “Yan Cheng and I are new at this, you have to give us time to adapt.”

“We can use disposable diapers, right?” Yan Cheng pressed his lips together and joined the conversation.

Chen’s mother: “Disposable diapers are too stuffy, the baby’s bottom is so delicate, it’s not good to keep it confined.”

She paused, then turned back to Chen Jinyao, “Fine, you two decide about the nanny yourselves. You’re both grown up now, I don’t need to worry about you anymore.”

“…”

Chen’s mother walked to the hospital bed, very naturally taking Chen Jinyao’s hand: “You, I really have nothing to worry about anymore.”

She spoke earnestly, occasionally glancing at Yan Cheng who was holding Yan Chi and cooing to him softly, “Yan Cheng is a good child too.”

“You two will only get better and better.” Chen’s mother smiled, the wrinkles at her eyes deepening. “What worries me more is Jin Lin.”

In less than a month.

Chen Jin Lin would graduate from university.

During her final semester, she had already started interning at Chen Corporation.

In the future, the vast Chen Corporation would belong to both sisters.

“Jin Lin is interested in the company. If she has the ability in the future, your father’s current position will be hers. Based on her performance during this time, your father says she’s good at everything, just too impetuous, not steady enough.”

“She doesn’t have the presence of a boss.”

“She’s still a girl after all, she needs support.” Chen’s mother sighed, “Who knows how many wolves and tigers are eyeing the company.”

Actually, Chen Jin Lin did have presence.

It just varied depending on the person.

In other words, Chen Jin Lin was playing dumb while harboring wisdom.

After all, the internship started from the bottom, she couldn’t release her presence to the point of being “arrogant and domineering” right from the start, could she?

Winning people’s hearts was the first and key step, so that when she later took the position of executive director, she could be stable.

“By the way, be honest with mom, is Jin Lin dating someone?”

Chen Jinyao: “…”

Chen Jinyao stayed in the hospital for about a week.

During this time, many people came to see her and Yan Chi.

The routine was similar – they would perfunctorily ask about her wellbeing, then immediately turn their attention to Yan Chi.

The little one changed day by day.

Only getting more and more handsome.

Yan’s father and others said that Yan Chi’s features were exactly like Yan Cheng’s when he was little.

When Yan Cheng realized this, he was surprised to find that the deeper meaning of this statement was that when he said Yan Chi wasn’t good-looking, it was equivalent to saying he himself wasn’t good-looking.

Yan Cheng: “…”

He lowered his eyes, caught sight of his little finger being gripped by the little one, and his heart softened. He pressed his lips together in a smile, “Alright, you’re the most handsome.”

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just right to reach Chen Jinyao’s ears.

“…” Chen Jinyao’s eye twitched, and she chose to remain silent.

Sunday,

The night before discharge.

Chen Jin Lin was acting like a thief, constantly scanning for danger.

Only after confirming absolute safety did she let Luo Xiao come over.

Luo Xiao: “Your behavior makes me feel like I’ll be abandoned in the future.”

“…” Chen Jin Lin thought about it and was convinced – these words made sense. She licked her lips, instinctively wanting to explain.

But before she could make a sound, Luo Xiao interrupted her, “Have some confidence in me. When we really meet them, let’s just admit it straightforwardly.”

Chen Jin Lin snorted with laughter but didn’t speak.

After a while, she slowly nodded, “You’re right.”

There was nothing wrong with telling them in advance.

It didn’t have to wait until after graduation.

Besides, Luo Xiao was very excellent, very worth showing off.

She could proudly tell her parents: “This is my boyfriend, see how great my taste is.”

Unexpectedly, they really did run into them.

Plans couldn’t keep up with changes.

All the confirmed foolproof plans couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be accidents.

They had been chatting casually with Yan Cheng and Chen Jinyao at the hospital for a while when Chen’s father arrived. Chen’s father had been away on business during this time, and apart from photos, he hadn’t seen his grandson in person yet, so as soon as he returned to the capital, he rushed over straight from the airport, still covered in travel dust.

When he pushed open the door and saw the situation, he paused slightly.

Chen Jin Lin was startled.

She privately thought that getting past her father would be much harder than her mother.

She had originally replanned to tackle them one by one, but this sudden situation really caught her off guard.

She was a bit panicked.

She secretly glanced at her father.

Seeing that her father’s attention wasn’t on her and Luo Xiao, she finally relaxed.

Then she turned to look at Luo Xiao.

Luo Xiao was also nervous but still returned her a reassuring look.

Chen Jin Lin took out her phone and started pressing buttons frantically.

Send.

Jin Lin: [Luo Xiao, what if my dad throws you a check and asks you to leave me?]

Luo Xiao: […]

Luo Xiao: [Be normal.]

Jin Lin: [Scared!!!]

Luo Xiao: [Don’t be afraid, then I’ll elope with you.]

About half an hour later.

After Chen’s father had looked enough at his little grandson, he finally walked slowly to Chen Jin Lin.

His sharp gaze swept casually, catching the boy’s tight grip on his daughter’s hand, seemingly transmitting strength and comforting her not to worry.

Chen Jin Lin straightened her back instinctively, looking at her father as if looking at wolves and tigers, or the culprit who would break up their romance. Then she called out to him miserably, as if facing death, “Dad.”

Chen’s father narrowed his eyes, not bothering to respond to her. After a few seconds, he looked at Luo Xiao, silently appraising him for a long time before saying, “Young man, shall we have a private chat?”

“Yes, Uncle.”