Chapter 66: One-Eighth Blind Box
He Siming panicked as he searched everywhere for his phone. Jiang Rong was actually having contractions in his abdomen, but being thrown into such chaos by him somehow made the pain feel less intense, and he wasn’t as nervous either.
Jiang Rong steadied him by the hand and said, “Don’t rush, don’t rush. Your phone’s on your desk.”
These were just contractions—it wasn’t pain so severe that he couldn’t walk.
He was far calmer than He Siming, who could barely coordinate his movements. Step by step, Jiang Rong directed He Siming, whose brain had already stopped functioning.
“The car keys are in the drawer by the entryway.”
He Siming finally got hold of his phone and contacted Xu Mingzhuo. It happened to be Xu Mingzhuo’s day off. As a doctor, he was far calmer than He Siming.
He asked several questions. Jiang Rong answered them all himself—He Siming was in such a state that he could only worry uselessly, unable to calmly respond.
Jiang Rong understood his own condition. “He Siming, don’t panic. Go pack the hospital things first. I can’t have the surgery yet.”
They had already prepared everything needed for the hospital stay. Part of it was Jiang Rong’s personal items, part of it was baby supplies. Even the formula had been bought by Xu Mingqin. Everything had been packed into suitcases in advance.
He Siming pulled a suitcase out of the wardrobe. His hand was trembling as he gripped the handle.
Who would’ve thought it would be half a month earlier than the due date? The psychological preparation he had only just managed to build collapsed again in that instant. He truly couldn’t stand seeing Jiang Rong in even the slightest discomfort.
He couldn’t bear to watch Jiang Rong endure pain. “It’s packed. Let’s go to the hospital now!”
At the moment, Jiang Rong was only having intermittent contractions, not continuous pain.
On the way to the hospital, He Siming looked extremely flustered. He nearly ran a red light, and it was Jiang Rong who held onto his arm to calm him.
Jiang Rong said, “He Siming, it really doesn’t hurt that much. Don’t rush. Just drive steadily.”
He Siming kept asking, “Does it really not hurt?”
Jiang Rong replied, “It doesn’t hurt right now.”
One minute later, He Siming asked again, “What about now? Is it really uncomfortable?”
Jiang Rong said, “It’s not that uncomfortable. Once you get used to the contractions, it’s manageable. I can endure it.”
In truth, it was getting more and more painful. But his tolerance for pain seemed decent. He had never really tested it before, so he wasn’t sure—but for now, it was still within what he could bear.
He Siming stared straight ahead at the road. “Then I’ll drive a bit faster.”
Jiang Rong could hold on—but He Siming felt like he might not. His hands and feet were icy cold. He couldn’t even imagine Jiang Rong going into surgery; he didn’t dare let his thoughts wander.
Normally, it took about half an hour to drive to the hospital. Today, they rushed to the entrance in under twenty minutes.
Doctor Liu already knew about Jiang Rong’s situation. Because he was a special case, they arranged a private room for him.
Xu Mingzhuo was also very concerned and had already been waiting for them.
There were two experts involved. One of them was away on an academic trip.
Doctor Liu was still the lead surgeon. She had already held several surgical meetings with the experts.
As soon as Jiang Rong arrived at the hospital, he was sent straight for an ultrasound to check the fetus.
On the ultrasound, it was clearly visible that the reproductive cavity protecting the fetus was slowly opening.
The doctors all relaxed.
This was essentially the same principle as cervical dilation.
Natural opening was indeed safer than forcibly cutting it open.
Doctor Liu said, “My suggestion is to wait a bit longer. Right now the opening is about two fingers. Once it reaches three to four fingers, we’ll do the surgery. Jiang Rong, does it feel very painful?”
Jiang Rong replied, “I’m okay.”
He Siming said, “But he looks like he’s in a lot of pain. How can he endure this?”
Doctor Liu said, “Reaching three to four fingers may still take another two hours.”
Jiang Rong held He Siming’s hand. “It’s okay. Stay with me.”
He Siming replied, “Okay.”
Jiang Rong’s pain was limited to contractions in his abdomen—it wasn’t tearing pain.
He stayed in the ward, unable to sit, so he stood and tried to find a comfortable position.
He Siming’s eyes were full of heartache. One moment he asked if Jiang Rong wanted water, the next he asked if he wanted to eat something.
Jiang Rong kept shaking his head. He Siming could only step forward and hug him. “We’re never having another one.”
Jiang Rong buried his head in his chest. “Mm.” Even speaking took more effort than before.
Three hours had passed since the contractions began.
As time went on, the pain in his abdomen intensified. His lips had turned pale from the pain.
Jiang Rong didn’t want to just endure it in silence. “He Siming, can you talk to me?” Even just to distract him.
He Siming tried to think of what to say. Normally, he could talk about anything, but now he couldn’t think of a single suitable topic. His mind was in chaos.
After thinking for a moment, he kissed Jiang Rong on the forehead and said, “Did I manage to win you over?”
Jiang Rong leaned half his body against him. The pain was so strong it made his ears ring. He clutched He Siming’s shirt, wrinkling it.
Doctor Liu walked into the ward. “It’s about time.”
Jiang Rong looked at He Siming. He’d been in too much pain just now and hadn’t heard him clearly. “What did you just say?”
He Siming replied, “I’ll tell you after you come out.”
Jiang Rong said, “Okay.”
Seeing that Jiang Rong was in too much pain to walk, He Siming simply lifted him up and carried him onto the operating bed, watching as the nurses pushed him into the surgical area.
Xu Mingzhuo patted his shoulder. “Your parents are already on their way. Don’t be nervous. Everything will be fine.”
He Siming didn’t hear a word his uncle said. He stood there blankly, watching Jiang Rong disappear bit by bit from his sight.
Lying on the operating bed, Jiang Rong’s abdominal pain grew more intense.
The doctor administered anesthesia, and he soon lost consciousness, no longer able to feel pain.
If this had been a standard cesarean section, it would normally have been completed within two hours.
But He Siming stood in the waiting area, staring fixedly at the screen. Two hours passed, and Jiang Rong’s name still hadn’t appeared.
Xu Mingqin happened to be at the airport. She immediately canceled her scheduled flight and all her work plans for the next two days, changing her ticket to come over directly.
He Zhixian arrived half an hour later than her.
This time, he was more perceptive. He Siming hadn’t even called him over. Seeing how pale and tense He Siming looked, he didn’t ask much.
He only asked Xu Mingqin, “How long has it been?”
Xu Mingqin replied, “If the surgery time Mingzhuo and I discussed is correct, it should be about two and a half hours now.”
He Siming didn’t hear what they were talking about at all. His gaze never left the screen.
Jiang Rong’s name still hadn’t appeared. He was frantic.
So frantic that his eyes turned red. He regretted, deeply, why he hadn’t used protection that night of momentary indulgence. He hated his own arrogance and fearlessness toward the world.
He had been too young, too inexperienced to understand how dangerous the world could be. And the mistake he made hadn’t punished him—it had made Jiang Rong bear the consequences instead.
Jiang Rong’s body structure was completely different from others’. What if the surgery didn’t succeed?
The more He Siming thought about it, the more he hated himself. His eyes burned, and tears kept falling uncontrollably.
He faced the wall, not wanting his parents to see his weakness and helplessness.
He Zhixian and Xu Mingqin knew his condition. They had rushed over because they were worried about the two children, canceling all their schedules.
Xu Mingqin gave He Zhixian a look, signaling him to comfort He Siming. She herself had been the one giving birth before. She didn’t know how it felt to be the one waiting outside, but she knew there wasn’t a trace of sentimentality to be found in He Zhixian—and she didn’t particularly need it either.
He Zhixian stepped forward. Comforting him verbally wouldn’t really help now.
He handed He Siming a tissue. “When your mom gave birth to you, I was waiting outside too. Do you know what the first thing she said to me was when she woke up?”
He Siming sniffed and wiped his tears. “What?”
He Zhixian said, “She said, ‘Giving birth isn’t that hard after all.’”
He Siming: “……”
After three full hours, the announcement finally came over the loudspeaker: “Family members of patient Jiang Rong, please…”
Xu Mingqin said, “He’s out.”
When they returned to the ward, the nurses had already wheeled Jiang Rong back in.
He Siming saw Jiang Rong sleeping soundly, his abdomen already flattened. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet, and he hadn’t regained consciousness.
Seeing He Siming like that, Xu Mingqin and He Zhixian didn’t disturb them. They went straight to Doctor Liu to ask how the surgery went.
Doctor Liu explained the procedure.
Jiang Rong’s body structure was special. They had needed to carefully lift the baby out of the reproductive cavity, which took some time. Before the surgery, they had thoroughly asked Jiang Rong about his understanding of his own body. What he described hadn’t differed from reality, but to be safe, he would need to remain hospitalized for observation to monitor the wound and bodily reactions—after all, this was the first time they had performed such a surgery.
When Jiang Rong woke up, the first person he saw was He Siming, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying.
“He Siming, why are you crying again?”
He Siming held his hand. “I was born a crybaby.”
Jiang Rong wanted to laugh, but knowing he had just undergone surgery, he looked down at his now-flat abdomen.
He asked, “Where’s the baby?”
He Siming suddenly looked confused. “What baby?” Then he looked at Jiang Rong awkwardly.
Jiang Rong’s bloodless face tugged into a weak smile. “……”
He could understand He Siming being so worried about him that he lost his composure—but being this scattered was really a first.
He Siming wiped his face and pulled himself together. “I’ll go ask right away.” He had completely forgotten about the baby.
Jiang Rong wanted to laugh but had to hold it in. He called out to him, “No rush. It’s fine.”
He Siming replied, “Mm.”
Jiang Rong asked, “What did you ask me before the surgery?”
It felt like listening to a story without hearing the ending—unbearably uncomfortable.
Seeing the expression return to Jiang Rong’s face, He Siming finally felt his heart settle back into place. Holding Jiang Rong’s soft, weak hand, he kissed it.
He asked solemnly, “Jiang Rong, did I manage to win you over?”
Jiang Rong pulled his hand over to the side of the pillow and pressed it against his own cheek. “Of course. You won me over a long time ago.”
He Siming broke into a smile. “Then from today on, I’m your boyfriend.”
Jiang Rong said, “Mm. Boyfriend—and the baby’s dad.”
He Siming was actually easier to appease than expected.
With a bit of grievance, he said to Jiang Rong, “I just want to be a boyfriend. I don’t want to be a dad.”
Jiang Rong knew how badly he must have been frightened. Throughout the pregnancy, he had never seen He Siming this aggrieved. Even when his prenatal anxiety had flared up, he had never said something so childish. It was probably because seeing Jiang Rong safe had finally let him relax.
“I’m going to see the baby,” He Siming said, knowing his words weren’t appropriate. “To see what kind of half blind box it is.”
Jiang Rong couldn’t help reminding him, “It’s not just half. He could inherit six different secondary genders.”
He Siming really had forgotten that detail. “So the chance of inheriting my purely male or purely female gender is only one-eighth?”
Jiang Rong nodded. “Mm.”
He Siming said, “Then I’ll go open the blind box.”
“Okay. I want to know too,” Jiang Rong said. He was very curious himself; the drowsiness from the anesthesia had faded quite a bit.
For now, though, all they would know was whether the baby was a boy or a girl.
He Zhixian and Xu Mingqin had already asked Doctor Liu about the surgery and knew the baby’s gender, but the baby couldn’t be seen yet.
He Siming didn’t have that common knowledge. “Why can’t we see him yet?”
Xu Mingqin explained, “He needs a bath, basic examinations, and vaccinations first. You’ll have to wait at least an hour. Then the nurse will bring him over.”
Jiang Rong heard this too. Vaccinations?
Were vaccines in this world suitable for the baby?
He Siming said, “I’m going to find Doctor Liu. They can’t just give the baby vaccines casually.”
Xu Mingqin replied, “Not necessarily. I was just saying there’s such a procedure. She definitely…” knows.
Before she could finish, it felt like a gust of wind passed in front of her. In the blink of an eye, He Siming was gone.
He Zhixian said, “Let him go. He’s finished worrying about the big one and has started worrying about the little one. Running around will help him release some tension.”
Xu Mingqin said, “I’m starting to wonder if he’s really my son. He used to be so calm in any situation—now he’s like a newborn little donkey.”
He Zhixian replied, “You could say he’s finally letting his true nature out. Compared to being overly mature and steady, he’s more human now.”
Xu Mingqin said, “That makes sense.”
After chatting for a bit, the two of them went in to see Jiang Rong. Seeing that he was fine, they felt much more at ease.
When He Siming returned, Jiang Rong wasn’t asleep yet—but he was close.
Holding Jiang Rong’s hand, He Siming said, “It’s a boy. Pretty sturdy. Eight jin and three liang.”
Jiang Rong asked, “Have you seen him?”
He Siming replied, “They’ll bring him over after the basic checks.”
Jiang Rong said, “Mm. Is he healthy?”
The baby’s gender mattered less to him than his health.
He Siming said, “The doctor said he started wailing the moment he was born—loud as thunder.”
Jiang Rong said, “Then he really has a strong voice.”
“I hope he’s a bit more gentle, like Papa Jiang.”
He Siming had already started disliking his son. Wouldn’t shouting that loudly disturb Jiang Rong’s rest later?
Jiang Rong had lost blood and needed rest.
He didn’t know when he fell asleep. When he woke up again, there was a small little bundle beside him—wrinkled, with thick, jet-black hair. The baby was wearing clothes bought by his two dads, waving his little arms. As Jiang Rong lifted his arm, the baby grabbed hold of him.
The pain after anesthesia hadn’t made him shed a single tear. But now, something deep inside him was stirred, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.
He Siming stayed by his side the entire time, wiping them away for him.
Jiang Rong cried with joy. “He Siming, the baby is hugging me.”
He Siming kissed him to comfort him. “I saw it. He also grabs my finger—he’s really strong.”
Now fully calm again, He Siming raised his phone. “How about a family photo?”
Jiang Rong loved the words “family photo.” “Okay.”
From now on, he had family in this world too.
Real family.
Family he had given birth to himself.
It was unclear whether the baby understood, but when He Siming started taking pictures, he waved his arms excitedly, very lively.
He held onto Jiang Rong’s finger while He Siming placed his own hand beneath theirs.
The phone froze that moment in time.
After a week of observation in the hospital, Jiang Rong’s wound showed no signs of infection, and the reproductive cavity hadn’t developed any abnormal sensations. Doctor Liu approved his discharge to recover at home.
During their time in the hospital, it was always He Siming taking care of Jiang Rong. There were nurses specifically assigned to care for the baby. The grandparents went home to prepare the room, repeatedly instructing the two hired postpartum nannies.
Although these tasks were far outside their comfort zone and they were quite clumsy at first, they seemed to carry a different kind of meaning.
During this period, the couple sat together to eat and chat more times than they had in all previous years combined.
With the two of them working together, even the nursery was fully set up. The crib, stroller, and other baby items were all personally selected by them at a large mall. Not only that—besides taking good care of the baby, the baby’s dad also had to be well taken care of. They installed constant-temperature air conditioning and various automated household appliances throughout the house.
On the day of discharge, Jiang Rong could actually walk, but He Siming still carried him into the car, insisting that moving would affect the recovery of his internal organs after surgery.
Jiang Rong: “……”
Alright. In truth, he really wasn’t that fragile.
After practicing with a doll several times, Xu Mingqin was still very awkward when she finally held her grandson. In the end, it was He Zhixian who carried the baby all the way home.
She frowned at He Zhixian, who looked extremely satisfied holding the little grandson, and suddenly felt a sense of competition with her husband.
Xu Mingqin said, “When did you secretly practice?” There was no way there was something she couldn’t do well!
He Zhixian said smugly, “I learn everything quickly. I’m a genius.”
Xu Mingqin said, “I don’t believe it. When He Siming was born, you barely held him. Every time you did, you said your hands and legs were weak and that you were scared.”
He Zhixian: “……”
Jiang Rong and He Siming exchanged a look and smiled silently.
Back home, Jiang Rong finally didn’t have to smell the hospital disinfectant anymore.
With the nannies taking care of the baby, Jiang Rong’s days were actually quite comfortable. Whenever the baby cried, a nanny would pick him up to feed or soothe him. Aside from when he had needs, the little one spent most of his time sleeping.
After lying in the hospital for a week, then another three days at home, Jiang Rong deeply understood Xu Mingqin’s earlier complaint that “postpartum confinement is like being in prison.”
He was basically serving a sentence now. To ensure he rested properly, he was only allowed to use his phone for one hour a day. He had to wear a hat at all times, supposedly to prevent drafts, and he ate nothing but confinement meals every day.
The only comfort he had now was that the baby had grown out of the newborn wrinkliness and was getting cuter by the day—though it was hard to say who he resembled.
He Siming had already learned how to feed the baby and how to hold him so he’d sleep more soundly—things Jiang Rong had never expected.
One week after discharge, Jiang Rong’s wound had basically healed, but he still couldn’t make any large movements.
He also produced some breast milk. Most of the time, the fullness was uncomfortable, and He Siming had to help him pump it out with a breast pump. They could then supplement the baby’s formula with it, like an extra little snack.
After He Siming finished pumping the milk for him, Jiang Rong blushed and pulled his clothes down, not letting him get close.
He Siming said, “Why are you still so shy?”
Jiang Rong didn’t dare lift his head to look at him, pushing his face away with his hand. “Y-you… how could you…”
How could he not be shy?
He Siming had insisted on sucking like that…
He Siming innocently nibbled on his lower lip and laughed. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
