Chapter 384: The Birth of a Cub

Chapter 384: Chapter 384: The Birth of a Cub

Shi Lan immediately shared the exciting news with everyone, then made a special video call to He Hanshi so he wouldn’t miss the miraculous moment.

Everyone then gathered around the giant mushroom, staring unblinkingly at its transformation.

They watched with their own eyes as the giant mushroom gradually became transparent. It was as if the color was fading, shifting from green to a milky white, but they still couldn’t see clearly what was inside.

Shi Lan couldn’t help but hold her breath. Then, like a blooming flower bud, the giant mushroom began to unfurl. A layer of milky-white, hazy mist dissipated, releasing the fresh fragrance of plants, followed by the loud cry of a newborn baby.

Xiao Du, perched in Shi Lan’s hair, heard the cry and happily poked its head out. ’Wow, Master, the little one is here!’

’Such a loud cry! A healthy little one.’

Xiao Du’s voice snapped Shi Lan out of her reverie.

She was the first to regain her senses. She carefully reached out and lifted the little baby, who was waving its arms with its eyes shut, from the center of the mushroom into her embrace.

’Yep, definitely a boy.’

Shi Lan glanced down, took a baby towel from her Space Chain, and wrapped the baby up. She gently patted his back, and his cries gradually softened.

Shi Lan was wondering why no one had said a word. She turned to look and saw that her Beast Husbands were all staring wide-eyed, completely dumbstruck. They looked even more dazed than she had been, and He Hanshi on the video call was no exception.

She couldn’t help but laugh. "What are you all thinking about? Come, look at the baby."

As she spoke, Shi Lan carried the baby closer to them.

Jiang Xia was the closest, so she offered the baby to him, thinking he might want to hold him. Jiang Xia snapped to his senses, jerked his head back, and leaned away so sharply that he stumbled and fell right on his rear. He frantically propped himself up with his hands, his eyes a little red. "No, no, I can’t hold him yet."

He had no experience being a father. The baby was barely bigger than his two palms. ’What if I drop him and hurt him?’

Jiang Xia didn’t even dare to touch the baby. He looked utterly terrified, shuffling a safe distance away and shoving Mu Tangfeng forward in his place.

Shi Lan turned to Mu Tangfeng. He blinked his orange eyes and tossed his black hair, wanting to scoff at Jiang Xia’s cowardice. But as soon as he looked down at the adorable, soft little baby with its eyes shut, he was rendered speechless. His hand hovered stiffly in mid-air for a moment before he pulled it back. "Lanlan," he said, shrinking away, "let the others go first."

’He was scared, too.’

’The baby is so tiny. Was I this small when I was born?’

Mu Tangfeng was filled with disbelief. ’How did I ever get this big?’

Shi Lan couldn’t believe it. These were the same men who fought the Insect Clan with such fierce aggression, yet now, faced with a single tiny infant, they were at a complete loss, their bodies rigid with uncertainty.

’By comparison,’ she thought, ’my own reaction was downright graceful.’

She didn’t force Mu Tangfeng. Instead, she brought the baby closer to the screen, letting He Hanshi get a better look. He couldn’t hold him for now, but he deserved to see as much of his child as possible.

He Hanshi’s heart melted. "It’s wonderful. The baby is so beautiful."

"He is."

Shi Lan beamed. She thought so, too.

Even though the baby was so young his eyes weren’t even open, she could already tell from their combined genes that he would have handsome features.

After letting He Hanshi look for a good long while, she turned to Ye Ming. He swallowed hard and pressed his lips together, his expression one of reverent focus as he carefully and gently took the infant into his arms.

"So light. So small."

That was his first impression. The infant felt lighter than a piece of his own clothing and was so small he could easily cup the baby’s entire body in his two hands.

He held him even more gently, as if cradling a feather, yet he was terrified the infant might somehow slip and fall.

Perhaps because he was so worried about dropping the baby, Ye Ming didn’t dare hold him for long. He passed him to Yan Huoshui, who had been staring at them with a fiery, intense gaze.

This wasn’t, strictly speaking, Yan Huoshui’s first time holding a baby. Back when he was an interstellar pirate, he had found an abandoned male infant. He was only ten at the time, but the memory of holding that child was still vivid.

The baby had been so small, his body feverishly warm. His skin was so soft and delicate, it seemed like the slightest pressure would leave a mark.

The ten-year-old Yan Huoshui, with a stern, frowning face, had held the foundling for only a moment before handing him off to a nearby adult. He was just a child himself; how could he possibly raise another?

But things were different now. He was a grown man with his own family, a beloved wife, and a child he deeply wanted to raise.

Holding his own child now, his touch was just as gentle, but a great weight settled in his heart—the mountain of fatherhood. It made his eyes sting, and his gaze filled with pure joy.

Seeing that both men had held the baby without him crying, Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng started getting restless. Their hands began to itch; they wanted to hold the baby, too.

The two shuffled over hesitantly and leaned in, their large heads getting too close to the baby. Yan Huoshui frowned and gave each of them a light smack on the forehead. "Don’t scare him into crying."

Jiang Xia grumbled, "I wouldn’t. He’s a fine, strong male—a brave boy, just like me."

Mu Tangfeng chimed in, "Yeah, you’ve been holding him long enough. It’s my turn."

However, before either of them could get a turn, the baby really did start to cry.

Newborns don’t open their eyes for the first few hours. The little guy looked all pink and tender, and when he cried, his nose would wrinkle in a way that was simply heart-wrenching.

Ye Ming, Yan Huoshui, and He Hanshi—who was on the other side of the call, his eyes filled with envy—all shot the pair an accusatory glare, clearly thinking they had actually scared the baby.

Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng looked away, looking rather guilty.

It was Shi Lan whose motherly instincts kicked in. Drawing on the childcare knowledge she had recently studied, she guessed the baby was hungry. While interstellar infants didn’t typically require breast milk, all the experienced mothers online said that feeding them a little on the first day would improve their health.

So, she quickly took the baby back, which also indirectly rescued Yan Huoshui, who had frozen up while holding the crying infant, unsure of how to soothe him.

With her mind completely focused on the baby, Shi Lan acted on instinct. Without a second thought, she plopped down on the bed and started pulling at her shirt.

She was wearing a loose, grayish-purple T-shirt that was easy to lift.

All five men’s gazes instantly snapped to her. The fair, soft skin revealed beneath the grayish-purple T-shirt was even more eye-catching, like a freshly peeled, juicy peach emanating a sweet, delectable aura.

Having been forced to abstain for months, all five men’s gazes darkened involuntarily. They knew this wasn’t the time for such thoughts and quickly suppressed the lustful urges, but they couldn’t bring themselves to look away, their eyes glued to Shi Lan.

Seeing Shi Lan begin to lift her bra, Jiang Xia, the most sensitive and impatient of the group, couldn’t take it anymore. "Lanlan," he blurted out, "why are you suddenly lifting your clothes?"

"I mean, if you want to... couldn’t we wait until tonight?"

He tugged awkwardly at his own shirt. Hearing his voice, Shi Lan finally realized what they were all thinking.