Is My Wife Pregnant Today? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 23.2

Yu Xianqing watched as Zelan slowly fell asleep, without even pulling a blanket over himself. He controlled his soul to drift slowly downward, tugging at the corner of the quilt and gently covering Zelan with it.

Zelan’s eyelashes trembled. In his daze, he felt a familiar aura approach, which only made him feel more like it was a dream. Consequently, he fell into an even deeper sleep in the arms of the corpse.

Yu Xianqing: “When are you going to let me back? We agreed on a fake death, yet you aren’t even reclaiming the body.”

005: “There is a ‘corpse cooling-off period.’ Besides, if you go back now, in Zelan’s eyes, it would be a literal resurrection. Not only would you not get to fuck him, but you might also be treated as a demonic monster.”

“Is that so?” Yu Xianqing smiled.

But now, he felt that Zelan might actually prefer it if he were a demonic monster.

After the simple funeral service ended, Zelan was still unwilling to hand over the body. Qi Lin paced anxiously outside while Yu Xianqing sat on the lid of the coffin and let out a sigh.

“I might really have to pull a ‘corpse resurrection’ in front of Zelan,” Yu Xianqing said.

005 also paused for a moment, realizing a crucial point.

“If he finds out, I’m afraid you’ll never be able to leave for the rest of your life.”

Then Yu Xianqing’s entire plan of escaping through a fake death would go down the drain.

Yu Xianqing propped up his chin and asked calmly: “Did the Gods say anything about this situation?”

“Wait a moment, I will report the data,” 005 said. “However, the traces of you changing the original story are too heavy. Fran and Zelan have both broken free from the original plot’s control. I’m afraid you won’t get any extra rewards.”

It also felt a bit of pity for this human host. It had seen everything Yu Xianqing had done. Though this human acted as he pleased, he had unknowingly given everyone a fairly good ending.

Zelan did not die; Planet Nightingale, which should have been littered with corpses, had regained its former peace. The Imperial Capital had not been washed in blood, Air had been punished, and Fran had successfully saved his army and become the new head of his house. Though he was far from the path of world domination, his original wish had been fulfilled.

Perhaps it was this point that caused the “Heavenly Dao,” which originally wouldn’t tolerate a grain of sand, to choose to forgive his changes after Yu Xianqing died.

But rules were rules. Since Yu Xianqing changed the rules, he would naturally be punished.

“It’s alright.” Yu Xianqing paused, then said, “It was my own choice. I am already very satisfied with the result.”

Zelan obtained the terminal Yu Xianqing had left behind, as well as his spatial bracelet. There were very few items stored in the bracelet. He checked through them over and over, and suddenly saw an item that looked somewhat familiar.

This was…

He took out the little wooden puppet music box, feeling a bit lost.

Wasn’t this the toy his mother gave him when he was a child?

The little puppet used to be able to move; it was his favorite toy as a kid. Later, after his mother’s betrayal, he found it irritating to look at and threw it into the warehouse. He remembered it had been smashed.

How could it be here? Moreover, it was completely intact, even more exquisite and beautiful than before.

Zelan turned the wind-up key. Melodious music rang out, and the little puppet began to move. It took a careful look at him, then hurriedly turned its head away, its large eyes rolling around in a very lively manner.

Zelan remembered that Yu Xianqing was very good with his hands and loved to fiddle with and repair things.

He had fixed this, too.

Zelan felt a bit of disbelief. As if sensing something, he suddenly flipped the music box over.

There was a line of letters carved on the bottom.

“Yanal.”

Zelan’s Adam’s apple quivered. His eyes turned blood-red, and large tears suddenly fell, splashing onto the puppet.

The little puppet looked up at him in surprise.

Yu Xianqing, who had slowly drifted into the room, was stunned for a second.

Why was he suddenly crying again?

“Do you even know what this means?” Zelan wiped his tears fiercely. “I will really think that you… why… you never told me…”

Yu Xianqing had actually always been very good to him—unusually good. Zelan thought he had liked him once, but then dismissed it as a delusion.

He had even treated the human so brutally. In truth, whether the human had ever lied to him no longer mattered at all.

Zelan thought to himself: even if everything he said was a lie, even if he never liked me, even if he betrayed me, I wouldn’t care anymore.

As long as he was here.

As long as he was still alive.

Tears blurred his vision. Zelan didn’t say anything more, but simply stared blankly at the puppet.

“005, do you know what that word means?” Yu Xianqing asked after a moment of silence.

“No.” 005 shook its head honestly. “It’s probably some very bad word, look at how heart-brokenly he’s crying.”

“…” Yu Xianqing felt an indescribable irritability for some reason. “None of your business. Go play.”

Zelan eventually chose to hand over Yu Xianqing’s body to Qi Lin for cremation and burial.

When he handed over the ice coffin, Zelan took out a box.

“An urn.”

Qi Lin took it silently and noticed a word carved on the box.

“Yanal.”

Yu Xianqing leaned in and found the Common Tongue meaning annotated below.

“Eternal Beloved. The Only One.”

“Your Highness.”

Qi Lin looked up, suddenly feeling a bit of pity.

“I will not marry another Imperial Concubine.” Zelan said. “I will give birth to this cub and raise it well. No matter what status or position I hold in the future, Yu Xianqing will be the only father of my cub. That will never change.”

“…Yes.”

Qi Lin withdrew but did not cremate the body.

He still remembered Yu Xianqing’s instructions.

“If one day I am no longer here, but a body remains, throw it into the Mother River. Let the body drift away with the flow of the Mother River.”

“Remember, you must never let Zelan know.”

The human held too many secrets, but there was no way to ask. Qi Lin’s curiosity wasn’t strong—a canine’s nature was to obey orders—yet he still couldn’t help but ask.

“Then… will you come back?”

Yu Xianqing thought for a while.

“Maybe I will, or maybe I never will.”

The body was sealed in a breathable box and drifted slowly away along the Mother River of Planet Nightingale.

Qi Lin stood on the bank for a long time before taking off his glasses, wiping his eyes, and turning back to his post.

After receiving the indictment from the Supreme Court, Air committed suicide in prison.

Before he died, Zelan had visited him once.

“Zelan, why won’t you believe me?” Air was tied up, looking at him covered in blood. “Yu Xianqing committed suicide.”

He said softly: “He told me he hated you so much. You abused him, humiliated him, forced him. He hated you so much he wanted to die, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he wanted me to help him.”

Zelan looked at him expressionlessly: “You think I’ll believe that?”

“You will.” Air laughed. “You know I’m not so stupid as to poison him on your territory.”

“…That’s true.” Zelan curled his lips coldly. “But he died. He died in front of me, and I can’t accept it. Even in death, he wanted to drag you down. I know he did it for me—he was afraid you would harm me.”

Air stared at him blankly, as if meeting him for the first time.

“Haha… fine, good. Your relationship is great. You are a deeply devoted couple. Remarkable…”

Air’s shoulders shook with laughter. “Back when the human woke up, Father wanted to marry Yu Xianqing to me, but I didn’t agree. As the Eldest Prince, I am better than you in every way, yet I cannot have my own descendants. While you are so healthy—even to get an heir, I had to give the human to you. It’s so unfair.”

“Unfair?” Zelan looked at him with difficult words. “Is it the favoritism Father showed you since childhood that’s unfair? Or your title, your fief, your army that’s unfair?”

He threw open his coat. Air’s gaze fixed on his belly, his eyes slowly widening.

“Or is this unfair?” Zelan mocked. “You know perfectly well why I agreed to marry Yu Xianqing, why I agreed to bear a cub—it was all for you. Now, I am only doing it for myself.”

Air stared at his belly, then looked at his face, laughing out loud cruelly.

“Haha… so what? You and the thing in your belly… you’re both monsters without a father… haha…”

Zelan covered himself back up with his coat without a word and strode out of the prison.

The next day, Air swallowed iron and died. When he was discovered, the body was already stiff.

He was the only legitimate prince left. Zelan accepted the decree and set off back to the Imperial Capital.

On the day they departed, while counting the heads, Zelan noticed that an intern doctor had suddenly appeared beside Qi Lin.

Supposedly, the doctor had been disfigured by illness as a child and couldn’t face people, so he kept his face covered all day. He also habitually lowered his head when looking at people, and his body was wrapped in thick clothing.

Zelan gave him a second look but didn’t look again.

That evening, he rested in his bedroom on the starship, waiting for Qi Lin to come and perform his check-up.

The cub was due to be born soon. Perhaps because it had lost the presence of its father, it was very restless in the parent’s belly. Zelan had to take at least one shot of painkillers every day to work normally.

When he had free time, he couldn’t help but miss his Imperial Concubine.

But since the body had been cremated, he could only recall Yu Xianqing’s appearance in his mind, sketching every line and replaying it over and over in his head.

His body was also terribly empty. After Yu Xianqing left, he even lost much of his interest in those small toys. He could only drink poison to quench his thirst, and even gritted his teeth to order a custom-made bionic robot.

But the robot’s programmed routines were too rigid, and no one could replace Yu Xianqing. Zelan couldn’t bring himself to touch it from the first moment he saw it; he just kept it in a corner, looking at its similar appearance every day while he comforted himself.

When the door opened, Zelan had just finished a round. The faint, decadent scent of jasmine drifted in the air. The visitor’s footsteps paused.

Zelan looked up, his gaze instantly turning sharp: “Who are you? Where is Qi Lin?”

An ordinary person would have been paralyzed with fear by such a bark, but the small doctor simply closed the door and performed a bow first: “Your Highness, I am Mr. Qi Lin’s new assistant. I have extensive experience in midwifery. He has recently contracted an infectious disease and specifically sent me to look after you.”

The small doctor’s voice was low, sounding as if his throat had suffered some injury.

Only then did Zelan remember there was such a person. He restrained his aura slightly and said: “Come over here.”

The small doctor then walked over slowly. During the process, his peripheral vision swept over the bionic robot in the corner, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

He took out instruments to check on Zelan. The fetus was a bit unstable; the small doctor frowned.

“Your mood has been poor lately?”

Zelan lowered his brow: “…Nonsense.”

Everyone knew he had just lost his Imperial Concubine. It would be a miracle if his mood were good.

In his dreams, he constantly dreamt of his late Imperial Concubine covering him with a blanket.

Upon waking, it was empty all around him. There wasn’t a single person—only a large belly to accompany him. He would start touching himself again, but touching himself didn’t feel right.

The small doctor continued, “Is your daily desire unable to be relieved?”

Qi Lin had asked similar questions, and the small doctor’s tone was very casual. Zelan didn’t feel anything was wrong, but he became even more irritable:

“There’s no way.”

“Why?”

Why else?

Zelan thought it was a ridiculous question, his face darkening: “The Imperial Concubine isn’t here. What’s the point of me doing it alone?”

“But isn’t ‘he’ still here?” The small doctor pointed to the robot in the corner. “He looks quite similar.”

“Shut up.” Zelan barked coldly. “You’ve crossed the line.”

According to the rules, the small doctor should have knelt in terror, begging Zelan to forgive his sin.

But not only did he not retreat, he instead said: “You have excess energy and no way to vent it, that’s not good for the cub. How about this.”

He pulled a heap of things from his spatial bracelet. “I happen to be an expert in this field. You can try these out first and then tell me how you feel.”

It was the first time Zelan had met someone so unafraid of death. Even Qi Lin had to be respectful when giving medical advice. Although the small doctor’s tone was gentle, he did not have the feeling of a subordinate.

Looking at the pile of things, Zelan suddenly let out a cold laugh.

He wanted to see just what this person was capable of.

That night, after Zelan had handled everything, he began the trial.

When he unwrapped it, he suddenly smelled an extremely familiar scent—it was a wonderful feeling that made him think Yu Xianqing had returned to his side.

“Mmph…”

Zelan’s eyes were full of tears. In a daze, he thought that this was much better than any bionic robot…

If he weren’t afraid of Yu Xianqing’s soul being unable to find peace, he would have poured out Yu Xianqing’s ashes long ago just to smell his scent.

For several days in a row, it was the small doctor who performed Zelan’s check-ups.

Zelan asked for his name. He said he had no name, and if Zelan had to address him, he should just call him “Hylnova,” the name of the Mother River of Planet Nightingale.

Hill said: “Your recent state has improved compared to before. Does your belly still hurt?”

“It hurts every day.” Zelan said self-destructively. “Anyway, it’ll be born soon.”

Hill: “That won’t do. What if the child moves around too much and the fetal position becomes abnormal? What will you do if there’s a difficult labor?”

Zelan lowered the hand supporting his forehead and looked up: “Then what can be done?”

This little monster was his closest relative in the world. It was the cub of him and Yu Xianqing. Zelan had to protect it no matter what.

“I know a set of massage techniques.” the small doctor said. “If you don’t mind, I can put on gloves and massage it for you.”

Those words sounded very familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before.

Especially since the small doctor added: “Does Your Highness want to try?”

…He sounded even more like him.

Zelan suddenly looked up and yanked the small doctor over: “Let me see your face.”

“Not for now; I’m afraid of scaring Your Highness with my ugliness.” The small doctor dodged away. “Would Your Highness like to try the technique first?”

Zelan should have refused. But the small doctor actually made him feel a strange sensation—something similar to the human’s scent. Once that familiar smell got close, he couldn’t refuse.

“…Fine.”

He warned again, “No touching where you shouldn’t.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness.” The small doctor crouched down. Zelan lifted his clothes. As soon as those gloved hands touched the thin skin of his belly, the scorching heat made Zelan shrink back.

The silent cub inside suddenly began to move happily, carefully pressing its little paws against Zelan’s belly, revealing the shape of a leopard’s paw.

Small doctor: “Is it saying hello to me? So cute.”

Zelan suppressed the strange sense of familiarity in his heart and urged: “Hurry up.”

The small doctor nodded and began to rub his belly.

His technique was indeed professional, as if he had performed it many times before. It was gentle yet firm. Zelan closed his eyes, almost believing the Imperial Concubine was standing before him, helping him tenderly.

Suddenly, the small doctor’s hand touched a spot slightly higher up.

Zelan opened his eyes and grabbed his hand, his eyes filled with fierce killing intent.

“Your Highness, you’re hurting me.” the small doctor said. “I just saw that you are quite swollen here, too. It hasn’t been handled in a long time, has it? It just so happens that I am quite familiar with how to deal with it.”

That familiar, relaxed tone made Zelan subconsciously loosen his grip.

“Who exactly are you?”

His breathing suddenly became rapid. He abruptly pulled the small doctor downward, tearing away the layers of his mask.

Small doctor: “Do you really want to see? I’m afraid you’ll be startled.”

Felines were animals that could easily be startled.

The hand that used to take a head with a single sword stroke became extremely unsteady: “Let me see!”

The small doctor did not resist this time, obediently letting the layers of disguise fall from his face, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty.

That beautiful face from his dreams moved with life, flashing a relaxed smile at Zelan.

“Long time no see, Your Highness.”

Zelan’s pupils shrank violently as he stood up. In that moment, he thought he was still in a dream.

“Yu Xianqing…” He was so incredulous that his whole body shook. His heart and belly both swelled with a painful ache. “Is it you? Is it really you?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

Yu Xianqing put an arm around his waist and gently stroked his back. This touch indeed caused a reaction in Zelan; his fur stood on end, and he stared at him fixedly, as if afraid he would slip away.

“You… you didn’t die?” The corners of Zelan’s eyes were instantly stained crimson. “Qi Lin brought you back to life? No… or were you never… you…”

He was already incoherent.

Yu Xianqing paused: “I didn’t die. As for why… it’s a long story.”

“Are you really him? Not some spy sent by someone else, who had plastic surgery to look like him?”

Zelan suddenly paused, took a step back, his ears standing up in a vigilant expression. The next second, his hand moved to protect the cub in his belly.

“Even if Your Highness suspects I am a fake, the scent on my body cannot be faked. You must have smelled it, right?” Yu Xianqing said. “You seem to like it very much.”

“I was just… unable to be certain—”

Zelan paused for a moment, then lunged forward fiercely to hug Yu Xianqing: “Why did you only come now! Do you know how I spent these days alone?!”

“I know.” Yu Xianqing stroked his back, like smoothing the fur of a wronged cat. “I know everything. That’s why I came back.”

Zelan was incredibly aggrieved. He had been having nightmares; since Yu Xianqing’s death, he would encounter similar scenes in his dreams every day, waking up on the verge of collapse.

“You’re a dream.” he sobbed. “Surely a rare, beautiful dream.”

It was too bizarre, too surreal.

Even if his appearance, temperature, and scent were exactly the same as Yu Xianqing’s, how could he truly exist?

Zelan had already lost him once.

If he had to part a second time in such a realistic dream, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from following Yu Xianqing.

Yu Xianqing pulled him away and kissed his eyelids.

“What about now?”

Zelan’s eyelids felt itchy, but he still insisted: “Fake.”

Yu Xianqing paused, his hand moving downward, rubbing as he usually did.

“It’s swollen so much. Are you really not uncomfortable?”

Zelan’s face turned red instantly.

“You…”

Such serious, gentle, yet utterly lecherous words—only a living Yu Xianqing could say them.

Before they knew it, the two were on the bed. Yu Xianqing lifted his leg: “What about now? Do you still think it’s fake?”

While Zelan was in a daze, he suddenly entered. That familiar feeling struck again after so many days. The incredibly familiar scorching heat made the beastman scream out instantly.

“Even if I am a fake, Your Highness can’t regret it now.” Yu Xianqing sighed in a mock manner. “What to do? The raw rice is already cooked.”

Only then did Zelan embrace him as if waking from a dream. His fangs bared, he took a seemingly fierce bite out of Yu Xianqing’s shoulder, yet only left a bit of saliva.

Zelan said fiercely: “I let you go once, but you have come back now.”

Yu Xianqing touched his belly: “Yes, this was my choice.”

For the sake of Zelan and his cub, he chose to trust Zelan and migrated all the way back from the Mother River region.

“Then you will never leave again, right?”

“I won’t leave.”

“Swear it…”

Zelan embraced him with a force strong enough to melt bone, his internal organs trembling.

He was truly afraid.

Afraid it was a dream, afraid it was fake, afraid Yu Xianqing really wasn’t there.

He wasn’t afraid of Yu Xianqing lying.

As long as Yu Xianqing was still here, it was enough.

“Fine, I swear.” Yu Xianqing’s eyes curved into a smile. “This time, I’m not lying.”

He recited the marriage vows from back then, looking like the gentlest deity descending into the mortal world to give Zelan all the love he had been missing.

“Never to leave or forsake, through life and death, I will follow.”