His hands trembled as he looked down at them. "Hi," he said softly, his voice almost a whisper. "I’m your dad."
Qiao Li gave a weak smile. "Let see them..."
Ou Lin quickly moved closer and gently placed both babies on her chest. Qiao Li’s arms slowly ca up to cradle them. She stared at their tiny faces, their tiny fingers curling in the air.
"They’re so small," she said softly.
"Small, but strong," Ou Lin replied. He brushed away the tears on her cheeks. "Just like their mom."
Qiao Li chuckled faintly. "You’re such a smooth talker."
"It’s the truth," he said seriously. "Li... you were amazing. I... I was so scared, but you... You’re incredible."
Her eyes softened. "You stayed with the whole ti."
"Of course I did," he said. "Where else would I be?"
One of the babies made a small noise, and Ou Lin imdiately panicked. "Is she hungry? Or is he uncomfortable? Should I call the nurse?"
Qiao Li laughed weakly. "Calm down. They’re fine. You’ll have to get used to this."
"I’ll get used to anything," Ou Lin said with a grin. "As long as it’s for you and them."
A nurse ca back to check on Qiao Li and the babies. "Everything looks good," she said. "The babies are healthy, and you did very well, Mrs. Ou."
Qiao Li gave a tired smile. "Thank you."
After the nurse left, the room beca quiet again. Ou Lin pulled a chair closer and sat right beside the bed. He couldn’t take his eyes off his wife and children.
"Do you have nas in mind?" he asked softly.
"I thought you already had a list," Qiao Li teased.
"I do," he admitted. "But... I want to hear your choice first."
Qiao Li thought for a mont. "For the girl... maybe Ou Yilin. It sounds elegant."
Ou Lin’s face lit up. "Perfect. And for the boy?"
She looked at him. "Why don’t you choose?"
He grinned. "Then... Ou Tianyu. It ans ’heavenly blessing.’ Because that’s what he is to us."
Qiao Li smiled and nodded. "I like it."
For a while, they just sat there, staring at the twins. Every little movent, every tiny sound made Ou Lin’s heart lt.
"You know," Qiao Li said quietly, "I was so scared before. Scared of being a mom. Scared of ssing up."
Ou Lin leaned in and kissed her forehead. "We’ll figure it out together. You’re not alone."
She looked into his eyes, and for once, she didn’t tease or scold him. "Thank you, Ou Lin. For everything."
He smiled. "You don’t need to thank . This is my dream, Li. You, , and our family."
Just then, baby Yilin made a tiny sneeze, and Ou Lin’s face instantly turned serious. "That’s it. I’m buying a humidifier, checking the room temperature, and making sure no one cos near without washing their hands."
Qiao Li laughed, shaking her head. "You’re going to be such a protective dad."
"Of course," he said proudly. "I’ve waited my whole life for this."
He kissed each baby gently on the forehead before looking at Qiao Li again. "Rest now. I’ll watch over all three of you."
And that night, Ou Lin sat by the bed, holding his wife’s hand with one arm and keeping the other resting near the twins, his eyes filled with nothing but love.
The next morning, the quiet of the hospital room didn’t last long. The sound of footsteps and voices echoed in the hallway before the door opened.
First ca the Ou family, then the Qiao family, and even the Yu family. The room suddenly felt warm and crowded, but in a happy way. Everyone’s faces were full of excitent as they ca closer to see the twins.
Yu Holea was the first to lean over the bed. She stared at the tiny boy and girl in Qiao Li’s arms. Her eyes softened and she smiled. "They are so beautiful," she said quietly. Then, looking at Qiao Li, she added, "Thank you... really, thank you."
Qiao Li blinked in surprise. "Thank ? You should be thanked too," she said with a small smile. "I wouldn’t have these three beautiful children without your help."
Yu Holea shook her head firmly. "No. You’re the one who went through all the pain. You’re the one who gave them life. And these little ones..." She gently touched the tiny hands of the twins. "I’m going to spoil them to no end."
Qiao Li chuckled. "I can already imagine it."
While the two won were talking, Mrs. Qiao stood quietly to the side, watching Ou Lin. Then she stepped forward and said in a calm but serious voice, "Ou Lin, can I talk to you for a mont?"
Ou Lin glanced at Qiao Li to make sure she was alright, then followed Mrs. Qiao to a corner of the room.
Mrs. Qiao’s eyes were steady. "You rember the agreent, don’t you?"
Ou Lin didn’t hesitate. "Yes. I rember."
She nodded slowly. "Good. But I don’t an for you to hand over one of the babies completely. I only want one of them to have the Qiao surna."
Ou Lin tilted his head. "I understand. But before I make any decision, I need to get Qiao Li’s permission. She’s their mother."
"That’s fine," Mrs. Qiao said. "I have no problem with that." She paused, then asked, "So, which one will it be? The boy or the girl?"
Ou Lin hesitated. "Do you have a preference?"
Mrs. Qiao’s expression softened. "I want the girl to have the Qiao surna. And... I plan to let her inherit part of my wealth."
Ou Lin let out a small chuckle. "You sound a little biased."
Mrs. Qiao cleared her throat. "I will give the boy sothing too, of course. But it will not be as much as I give to my granddaughter."
Ou Lin smiled faintly. "It’s your wealth. I wasn’t going to argue about that. I just needed to know your choice. Since I know now, I’ll talk to Qiao Li about it."
Mrs. Qiao gave a short nod, satisfied.
After the families stayed a while longer, they finally left, leaving the room quiet again.
Ou Lin walked back to Qiao Li’s bedside with a hesitant look. She noticed it imdiately.
"What’s wrong?" she asked, adjusting the blanket over the twins.
"I... need to tell you sothing," he said carefully.
"Go ahead," Qiao Li replied. Her voice was calr than before, thanks to the talisman Yu Holea had given her.
Ou Lin took a deep breath. "Before you gave birth, I made a promise to your mother. I told her I would give one of our first children the Qiao surna instead of Ou."
Qiao Li’s eyes widened in surprise. Then a smile slowly spread across her face. "I agree."
Ou Lin sighed with relief. "She wants our daughter to have the Qiao surna."
"That’s fine," Qiao Li said quickly, then frowned. "But... what will we tell your family?"
Ou Lin waved his hand casually. "Don’t worry. I already discussed this with my parents a long ti ago. They agreed."
Hearing that, Qiao Li relaxed. "Good. Then it’s settled."
One year later, their little girl officially beca Qiao Yilin. Her brother remained Ou Tianyu. As promised, Yilin inherited a part of her grandmother’s wealth.
When Yu Holea heard about it, she smiled and said she wanted to give part of her wealth to Yilin too.
But Qiao Li shook her head. "No. Let’s do this instead... when we grow old, we will pass our inheritance to each other’s daughters."
Yu Holea laughed softly. "Alright. That’s fair."
.......................
The walls of the ntal hospital were white and quiet. The sll of dicine lingered in the air. Yu Lin sat by the window, the sunlight falling softly across his face.
His eyes looked calm, but there was sothing heavy deep inside them.
A nurse ca in quietly. "Mr. Yu, it’s ti for your dicine."
Yu Lin took the pills without a word and washed them down with a small sip of water. After she left, he turned back to the window. Outside, he could see the garden. Flowers swayed gently in the wind, and a small bird landed on a branch.
He spoke to himself in a low voice. "How peaceful... too peaceful for soone like ."
After staying here for a long ti, Yu Lin had thought about many things.
At first, he was angry. He told himself that everything he did had a reason, that people misunderstood him. But the longer he stayed, the more the truth beca clear.
One day, an old doctor ca to check on him. The doctor sat in the chair opposite Yu Lin and said, "You have been quiet lately. Thinking about sothing?"
Yu Lin gave a bitter smile. "Thinking about everything... everything I ruined."
The doctor looked at him calmly. "Tell ."
Yu Lin took a deep breath. "I tricked my wife into sleeping with soone else. I punished a girl who was innocent... she did nothing wrong, yet I made her life hard."
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