Lu Lin breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and ran to the washroom, turning the faucet to the maximum and repeatedly rubbing his palms and the backs of his hands until his skin turned red before coming out.

He walked quickly to Zhong Yuxiu's side and peered into the swaddling clothes at the little one.

The child has stopped crying, is whimpering with eyes closed, and is clenching his little fists tightly.

Zhong Yuxiu handed the baby to him, saying, "It's clean now, hold it."

Lu Lin then reached out, his fingertips gently touching the swaddling cloth to make sure it was dry and clean, before slowly supporting the bottom and carefully taking it in.

The little one in his arms was so light, yet it made his whole body tense up, and he even slowed his breathing.

He's a father now; that's the only thought on Lu Lin's mind.

Zhong Yuxiu held the child and watched him start spinning around again. Helplessly, she called out, "Sit down and wait. Mingyue will definitely be fine. The doctor said everything went smoothly."

Lu Lin then stopped, pulled up a chair and sat at the entrance of the delivery room, his ears perked up so he could hear every sound coming from inside, silently counting the time in his mind.

Not long after, the door to the delivery room was pushed open again, and a nurse pushed out a hospital bed.

Lu Lin jumped up and strode forward to meet him.

Gu Mingyue lay on the hospital bed with her eyes closed, her face pale, her lips bloodless, and her long eyelashes drooping. She looked extremely tired.

"Mingyue, Mingyue, how are you?" Lu Lin reached out to touch her hand, but was afraid of waking her, so he paused in mid-air before gently lowering his fingertips.

The nurse quickly said, "Don't worry, the mother just fell asleep from exhaustion after pushing too hard during labor. She'll be fine after she wakes up and eats something."

Lu Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease.

He quickly helped the nurse push the hospital bed, his steps light and steady, his eyes never leaving Gu Mingyue's face.

Zhong Yuxiu, holding the child, followed beside her, smiling and saying, "Look at you, you're more nervous than if you were going to the battlefield yourself. Now that both mother and child are safe, you can finally relax."

When Gu Mingyue woke up again, she was still feeling heavy and tired all over, and she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.

She blinked, adjusting to the light in the ward, and slowly shifted her gaze to the bedside.

Lu Lin was sleeping on the edge of the bed, his cheek pressed against the sheet, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was still thinking about something.

He had changed his clothes; they were clean and tidy, no longer showing signs of his previous travel-worn state. It must have been Zhong Yuxiu who found him clean clothes.

Gu Mingyue's gaze fell on his hands, his knuckles still slightly red, marks left from the anxious hand-rubbing outside the delivery room earlier.

A warmth filled her heart. She gently moved her fingers, wanting to touch his hair, but was afraid of waking him.

He just rushed back from the mission site and then stayed by my side for most of the day; he must be exhausted.

The baby in the crib next to her made a whimper. Gu Mingyue quickly turned her head to look, but the little one rolled over and continued to sleep soundly.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and when she turned to look at Lu Lin again, she found that he had woken up at some point and was looking at her with his eyes open, filled with the confusion of just waking up and an undisguised joy: "You're awake? Why didn't you wake me?"

"You were sleeping so soundly, I couldn't bear to." Gu Mingyue smiled, her voice still a little hoarse. "Did you change your clothes?"

Lu Lin scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "Mom found this for me. The other one was too dirty, and I was afraid it would touch you and the baby. I was watching over you just now, and I fell asleep without realizing it."

He reached out and touched Gu Mingyue's forehead, then stroked her hand: "Are you hungry? Mom just brought the porridge over not long ago, it's still warm, I'll go get it for you."

Gu Mingyue nodded.

Lu Lin quickly returned with a bowl of warm millet porridge, still steaming.

He sat on the edge of the bed, scooped up a spoonful as before, blew on it to cool it down before feeding it to Gu Mingyue, and told her about his rush back, "After I finished my mission and handed over the instructions, I went home as soon as possible, but no one was home. It was Fu Jianguo who heard the noise and said you went to the hospital, which scared me so much that I ran all the way here."

With her mouth full of porridge, Gu Mingyue couldn't help but laugh: "Then why didn't you slow down?"

"We can't be slow." Lu Lin waved his hand hastily, his eyes full of the panic he felt back then. "I'm afraid I won't be able to give birth in time for you, I'm afraid no one will be by your side when you're in pain. I know that if someone is with you, everything will be fine, but I'm just in a hurry."

He scooped up another spoonful of porridge and handed it to me, his voice softening as he said, "When I got to the hospital and saw you, I finally felt at ease. When the baby came out, my hands were shaking. I wanted to hold him but was afraid of touching him. I washed my hands three times before I dared to gently hold the swaddled baby."

As Gu Mingyue listened, tears almost welled up in her eyes, but she held them back with a smile: "You're even more nervous than I am."

Lu Lin scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "It's my first time being a father, and the first time I've seen you suffer so much. How could I not be nervous? I'll never let you suffer like this again."

As they were talking, the baby started whimpering again. Lu Lin quickly put down the porridge bowl, went to the crib and picked up the baby, her movements more practiced than before.

He placed the child next to Gu Mingyue and said with a smile, "Look at him, he looked for his mother as soon as he woke up. Just like me, he can't be without you."

Gu Mingyue leaned against the pillow, looking at Lu Lin beside her, who was busy but had tender eyes, and then at the child lying obediently in her arms, feeling a warmth in her heart.

Gu Mingyue took a couple of sips of porridge before remembering the most important thing. With a spoon in her mouth, she asked, "By the way, is the baby a boy or a girl?"

When her child was born, she was so exhausted that she fainted and didn't even have time to see her baby.

Lu Lin was reaching out to tease the baby's little feet when he heard this. He looked up and said with a hint of regret in his voice, "It's a boy, weighing six pounds and six ounces. The doctor said he's very strong."

He moved closer to Gu Mingyue and gently touched the child's wrinkled face with his fingers. "I was hoping it would be a little girl, like you, with fair skin, big eyes, and a soft, squishy feeling in my arms. How wonderful that would be."

Gu Mingyue couldn't help but laugh as she listened, and patted the back of his hand: "The boy is pretty good too. Look how strong he is. He can run with you on the beach in the future, and when he grows up, he can help you carry water and chop wood."

She turned her head to look at the child in her arms. The little guy seemed to understand, and his little mouth moved slightly as he hummed.

Lu Lin sighed, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes: "That's true, the boy is tough and easy to raise. It's just a pity that I secretly prepared a little rag doll for my little girl. I bought it when I went to the market to buy fabric for you last time. Now it seems I'll have to wait until later."

"Already thinking about the future?" Gu Mingyue raised an eyebrow, teasing him deliberately, "You've just had one, and you're already thinking about the next one?"

Lu Lin blushed and scratched his head: "No, I just thought it would be a waste if the child couldn't use it."

Gu Mingyue: "What's the use of this? The child is too young to distinguish between beauty and ugliness."

Lu Lin thought for a moment and said, "That's true."