Chapter 375: The Baby Moved

Chapter 375: Chapter 375: The Baby Moved

Shi Lan was currently pregnant, so she was powerless to help Jiang Xia during his susceptibility period. She’d read online that males had intense needs during this time, and her current condition was clearly not suited for vigorous activity.

Besides, Beastmen had a natural resistance to their susceptibility period. As long as she didn’t get overly intimate with Jiang Xia, he should be able to endure it.

Shi Lan gave him a comforting look, then steeled her heart and silently shifted away, lest she affect him even more.

A short while later, He Hanshi and Ye Ming finished preparing a midnight snack.

The group ate a little more in the middle of the night. Shi Lan rubbed her small, now-showing belly and, satisfied, went back to sleep. The men shifted into their beast forms, taking up positions at the four corners around her, and in a silent, shared understanding, they guarded their partner.

As for Jiang Xia, he could only hug his tail in envy and continue sleeping on the sofa.

Time trickled by, and soon, Shi Lan was four months pregnant.

During this period, the entire interstellar community continued to search for Dr. Ai and the Monarch, but the two seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

Peace returned to the interstellar community. As the new Monarch, Ye Ming had people constantly watching the Interstellar Sky Eye, monitoring for any sign of the fugitives.

Unfortunately, the two had yet to be found when He Hanshi’s leave came to an end. As an Admiral, he had to return to the Border Defense Star. And since the Insect Clan population there had returned to normal levels, Shi Lan was no longer needed for support. The medical teams that had been dispatched were also returning, one after another.

On the day of He Hanshi’s departure, Shi Lan was particularly reluctant to let him go. He placed a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead and said softly, "Wife, take good care of yourself. I have another vacation in two months. I’ll come back then."

Shi Lan understood the situation and He Hanshi’s duties as an Admiral. She had no intention of stopping him; it was just that they had all been living together day in and day out. The thought of his departure inevitably filled her with worry and longing.

She held back her tears and nodded. He Hanshi’s heart ached as he gently wiped her eyelids. After a moment, he placed a hand on Shi Lan’s swollen abdomen, his voice becoming a fraction sterner. "You little rascal, stop bothering your mother. Her pregnancy is hard enough. You’re not allowed to torment her."

As if it sensed the activity outside, Shi Lan felt something stir lightly inside her belly.

She stared, her eyes wide with disbelief. "He Hanshi, just now, he... I think he moved..."

At her words, it wasn’t just He Hanshi who reacted. The other four men—who had been standing behind Shi Lan, sourly enduring the couple’s heartfelt goodbyes—instantly swarmed forward.

Each one of them, with wide, shining eyes, stared intently at her stomach.

Jiang Xia swallowed nervously and was the first to venture, "Little one, I’m your dad."

He then blinked his golden eyes, looking at Shi Lan expectantly. "Lanlan, did it move?"

Shi Lan focused, trying to feel for any movement, then shook her head. "Nope."

Mu Tangfeng scoffed. "Ha! You think you’re the dad? It’s obviously my baby."

He pushed Jiang Xia aside and, copying his attempt, put on a strained, high-pitched voice. "Little one, *I’m* your real dad. Listen to my voice."

Jiang Xia made a gagging face. "Mu Tangfeng, could you be any more disgusting?"

Mu Tangfeng shot him a look, ignoring everyone else’s reactions, and turned his gaze to Shi Lan. "Lanlan, did the baby move this time?"

Again, Shi Lan shook her head with regret.

Jiang Xia was delighted. He couldn’t help but grin. "That’s my good little baby."

"Get lost! Who says it’s yours?"

Mu Tangfeng, flushing with shame and anger, shot back, "The baby is obviously just shy!"

The other three males watched the two bicker over who the baby belonged to and found the scene almost too cringe-worthy to watch. They didn’t have the heart to point out that they were getting way ahead of themselves.

In reality, however, they were only marginally more restrained than Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng.

He Hanshi gently placed his hand on her belly. Aside from the warmth and softness of Lanlan’s stomach, there was no sign of movement. He felt a pang of disappointment.

It wasn’t disappointment over whether the baby was his, but regret at not having felt a response.

Ye Ming and Yan Huoshui also reached out to feel for it, but there was still nothing.

They all came away disappointed. But seeing that the baby ignored everyone with perfect impartiality gave the five men a strangely comforting feeling.

Shi Lan curved her lips into an embarrassed smile. "Maybe... I was mistaken..."

The moment she said that, there was another gentle stir within her belly, as if a little someone had stretched a leg out in protest.

The movement was tiny, and Shi Lan felt no pain, only a sense of wonder and awe. "Ah! The baby moved again!"

"Where?!"

This time, all five men immediately pressed their heads against her belly. As Shi Lan would later describe it: one belly is not big enough for five heads.

Shi Lan hadn’t expected He Hanshi, Ye Ming, and Yan Huoshui to have such a childish side. Her smile deepened, and she tried repeating what she’d said before. "Oh dear, it stopped again. I guess the baby doesn’t want to bother with us..."

Perhaps because she included herself in "us" this time, the little one in her womb gave another cooperative kick. This time, all five of them finally felt the faint flutter against Shi Lan’s stomach.

They looked at her with shining eyes, full of amazement and disbelief. "The baby really moved."

Seeing their childish and amazed reactions, Shi Lan couldn’t help but clutch her belly and laugh.

This happy interlude did much to dispel the sorrow of his departure.

Finally, He Hanshi boarded the Teleportation Spaceship back to the Border Defense Star. Before he left, he stressed repeatedly that the other four must protect Shi Lan at all costs and be on guard against another kidnapping attempt by the Monarch. They all nodded seriously in agreement.

When it came to important matters, their positions were united.

After He Hanshi left, Shi Lan’s pregnancy symptoms worsened slightly.

Jiang Xia tried all sorts of things to cheer her up. Mu Tangfeng took her for flights above the courtyard whenever he was free. Yan Huoshui would periodically swish his nine tails to distract her, and Ye Ming cooked her delicious meals every day.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of her Beast Husbands, Shi Lan’s morning sickness finally subsided. But then, as is common for many first-time mothers, she began to grow anxious about childbirth—would it be painful? Would there be side effects?

However, she wasn’t the only one feeling anxious. The reactions of Jiang Xia and the other three were even more intense than hers. In fact, when her morning sickness stopped, they started getting sick...

One day, while Leo was giving Ye Ming a work report, Ye Ming suddenly began to dry heave.

Leo stared at the dark circles under his eyes and his exhausted expression, looking utterly baffled. "Monarch, isn’t it your wife who’s pregnant? Why are you throwing up too? And you look awful."

Ye Ming shook his head. "It’s nothing. Not even one-thousandth of what my wife is enduring."

"Huh?"

Leo was thoroughly confused. The pregnant females he’d seen all seemed fine, with the exception of those rescued from the underground base. And then there was Miss Shi Lan. When he’d seen her just yesterday, her complexion was rosy and her cheeks had even filled out a little. No matter how you looked at it, she seemed to be in much better shape than the Monarch, right? He certainly couldn’t see the suffering Ye Ming was talking about.

Ye Ming gave him a profound look and said earnestly, "You wouldn’t understand. After all, you don’t have a cub of your own."

’Oh, Monarch, there’s no need to show off about everything...’

’Waaah... even though I really am so jealous.’