In Lin Feng's view, for a young woman to resolutely give birth to a child after discovering she was pregnant, especially with no emotional foundation whatsoever with the father, was completely against all common sense.
Yet, Lu Qingxue had gone ahead and done just that, leaving him with no choice but to ask.
Lu Qingxue clutched her water cup, looking somewhat dazed.
Shouldn't Lin Feng first be confirming whether the child was his? How did he just skip past that? Pausing for a moment, she replied to Lin Feng: "My period has always been irregular, you see. That's just how I've always been."
"The doctor said my chances of getting pregnant are much lower than a normal person's. If I didn't keep this one, I might not be so lucky next time..."
Lin Feng froze. After a long silence, he said: "...I'm sorry."
For a young woman, having congenital difficulties with conception was a rather hard thing to talk about.
Yet the problem was that he had somehow blundered into letting her go through pregnancy and childbirth all by herself—that was quite something else.
Lu Qingxue didn't understand why Lin Feng was apologizing. After all, having the baby was a decision she had made herself.
Still, it seemed inappropriate right now to just reply with—it doesn't matter??
Eyes locked on each other, both fell silent...
"Ahem, the doctor told me to buy nursing pads and baby supplies. I'm going downstairs first."
Lin Feng spoke up to break the silence.
"Wait!"
Lu Qingxue called out to stop Lin Feng:
"Um, however much money you spent, make sure to keep track of it. I'll pay you back later."
"Having this baby, while driven by certain unavoidable circumstances, was a decision I made after careful thought. It's only right that I bear the consequences myself."
Lu Qingxue looked steadily at Lin Feng and said:
"Believe it or not, right from the very beginning, I never expected you to take responsibility."
"I just didn't expect the hospital to require a family member's signature. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have called you over."
Looking into Lu Qingxue's resolute eyes, Lin Feng's heart softened by a fraction.
If the person involved in that one-night stand had been someone like Liu Ruyan and her ilk,
they certainly wouldn't have acted like Lu Qingxue and brushed it off as if nothing happened.
After falling pregnant, even if they had health issues and had to keep the baby,
they would undoubtedly have pulled every trick in the book to issue warnings and force him to take responsibility.
How could anyone be like Lu Qingxue, frankly stating that she made her own decision and would bear the consequences herself?
Even though he came to sign the papers, she had no intention of "mooching" off him in the slightest...
Lin Feng felt that if he let a good woman like this slip through his fingers this time, it would be a lifelong regret.
So, looking candidly at Lu Qingxue, he smiled and said:
"Well, leaving aside the fact that I didn't know before."
"Now that I do know, these two cute little ones are my own flesh and blood."
"I'm very fond of them, and I'm willing to shoulder my share of the responsibility."
"Lu Qingxue, would you give me a chance to raise the children together with you?"
Meeting Lin Feng's sincere gaze, Lu Qingxue felt her palms tighten as her heart skipped a beat!
"Y-Y-You want to raise the children with me? Do you even know what that means?"
Having a child out of wedlock doesn't just affect the woman.
Any man bold enough to acknowledge the child will likewise face all sorts of strange looks from every direction.
She had already prepared herself for that.
But for Lin Feng to make this decision in such a short amount of time—had he really thought through the consequences?
If his parents, relatives, and friends found out he had children, it would undoubtedly stir up a monstrous storm!
Seeing the worried look Lu Qingxue wore on his behalf, Lin Feng smiled. "A person should have a bottom line, and my bottom line is that I cannot let my children grow up without a father."
"I realize that under our current circumstances, becoming a married couple isn't realistic."
"But partnering up to raise the kids and giving them a complete love—that much we can manage, right?"
Deeply moved, Lu Qingxue looked at Lin Feng, speechless for a long time.
Soothingly, Lin Feng tucked the edge of the blanket around her: "Don't overthink it. What you need right now is a good rest. Leave the kids and everything else to me; you can count on it."
"Do you even know how to look after babies?"
"It's my first time being a dad, but I can learn. Besides, isn't this your first time being a mom too?"
Lin Feng teased, "Or could it be... that you were born with divine talents?"
Lu Qingxue let out a sudden giggle, her expression relaxing a great deal.
With Lu Qingxue watching the babies now, Lin Feng seized the moment to head downstairs and buy food and nursing pads.
Right after he finished getting everything settled for Lu Qingxue, a nurse came by to urge them to bring the babies for their physical checkups. Carrying the two infants—one in each arm—Lin Feng walked out looking terrified of dropping them, resembling someone gripping two oversized watermelons.
It even brought a smile to Lu Qingxue's face.
Since Lin Feng didn't have eyes in the back of his head, he missed the sight of this iceberg melting.
At that moment, he only felt a slight headache coming on—if only they had a stroller.
Why hasn't Zhou Cheng arrived yet? Lin Feng muttered inwardly. Right at that moment, the younger baby's mouth puckered, and it began to whimper.
"Ah? Oh oh... don't cry, don't cry..."
As he gently rocked his arms, the little one smacked its lips, and on that wrinkled little face, a distinct trace of grievance could somehow be detected.
Lin Feng's head was pounding. "Daddy's here, what's wrong?"
Although he had no experience,
luckily most of the parents waiting around for checkups were also new fathers and mothers,
bursting with goodwill. Seeing Lin Feng flustered and clumsy, they hurried over to help.
After soothing the baby, Lin Feng found that he had harvested quite a few envious gazes.
"Fraternal twins? You've got incredible luck! So jealous."
"Though the little darlings haven't quite filled out yet, judging by the dad's looks, they're bound to turn out great."
"Still, the babies look a bit small and thin..."
Nearby, someone asked Lin Feng, "How much do the babies weigh?"
"Five jin and one liang, and four jin and five liang."
Lin Feng blurted out, then curiously looked at the bundle in the other person's arms. "How heavy is your baby?"
"..."
Carrying this topic, Lin Feng quickly blended in with the surrounding new dads and moms.
Everyone chatted away in a warm and lively atmosphere.
However, it wasn't long before Lin Feng overheard the gossip about himself from someone else's mouth.
"Did you guys hear? There was a college student today who came to give birth all by herself. Not only was she completely alone, but when she called the kids' father, the guy flat-out refused to acknowledge them..."
Lin Feng: "..."
Even though he already knew Lu Qingxue had endured a mountain of pressure, hearing such talk out of the blue still left his heart tangled in a complex mix of emotions.
Just as he was thinking of offering a word of explanation to the group, the number-calling machine flashed to indicate it was his turn.
As soon as he stepped inside, the examining doctor gave him an appraising look:
"Lin Feng? The mother of the children is Lu Qingxue, right?"
Lin Feng nodded, "Yes."
The doctor smiled, "Ah, congratulations, congratulations. Fraternal twins are quite rare."
From the doctor's smile, Lin Feng sensed something amiss; the other person didn't seem to be merely verifying the children's identity...
On second thought, if patients were discussing it with such relish, how could the doctors possibly not know? Lu Qingxue was so pretty, yet she came to the hospital to give birth all by herself, and delivered the rather rare fraternal twins to boot, while the children's father supposedly refused to claim them...
The gossip elements were completely maxed out!
Yet, at that moment, Lin Feng had lost any desire to explain.
Strange looks cannot be stopped by explanations; they can only be shattered by action.
His mind made up, Lin Feng feigned ignorance and cooperated with the doctor's examination.
A newborn checkup is quite simple: just checking whether the facial features and limb development are normal and whether jaundice exceeds standard limits.
The infants whom Lin Feng treated with such extreme care were flipped back and forth in the doctor's hands like mere toys.
It scared his heart into pounding wildly against his ribs, and he couldn't help blurting out:
"Doctor, could you please be a little gentler?"
That ultra-cautious demeanor brought an understanding smile to the doctor's face: "I didn't expect... you're starting to look a bit like a real dad now. Don't worry, I'm a professional."
"The babies are very healthy, though because they are twins, their bodies are slightly leaner and weaker than singletons."
"In daily feeding, you need to pay attention to strengthening their nutrition. There's nothing else to worry about."
Hearing the doctor's words, Lin Feng let out a long breath of relief.
Next came taking the babies back to the hospital room.
Just as he reached the stairwell, Lin Feng caught sight of a familiar figure.
"Feng Ge! Where's my sister-in-law?!"
Lin Feng was utterly speechless.
Were they even still brothers? What was with this hyper and gossipy excitement?