Chapter 260
Chapter 260: The Cub’s Dad Started to Suspect There Was More Than One Cub
Chong Ming’s hand pressed against Jiang Tea Tea’s lower belly. “You—”
Something inside nudged into his palm, and his words caught in his throat.
Jiang Tea Tea hadn’t expected the cub, asleep a moment ago, to wake up and shove itself right into his hand. She immediately pulled away, stepping back. “There. You touched it. Keep working overtime—I’m going to sleep.”
Chong Ming stared at his open palm. That brief, unmistakable push made his blood feel like it had frozen.
“Jiang Tea Tea, wait.”
She paused and glanced at him sideways. “What?”
Chong Ming stood and walked toward her. “I want to touch it again.”
She retreated two steps. “Don’t push your luck.”
He lowered his demands, voice quiet. “Then… can I hug you?”
Jiang Tea Tea refused without hesitation. “No. You already touched it. Now you want a hug too—why should I let you?”
Chong Ming lowered his lashes. “Fine. I already touched it. It was sudden. I didn’t even get three seconds.”
Jiang Tea Tea blinked. Three seconds?
This Old Loach really had a talent for pushing boundaries. She’d taken one look at that disappointed, pitiful face and let him touch once, and now he was complaining it hadn’t even lasted long enough. Give him three minutes and he’d probably die of happiness.
She snorted. “If it wasn’t three seconds, it wasn’t three seconds. I’m just asking you—did you touch it or not?”
Chong Ming hummed softly. “I touched it.”
Jiang Tea Tea spread her hands. “You only said touch once. You didn’t say twice. Letting you touch once was already me being generous. Don’t push it. I’m going to sleep.”
“I still want a hug.”
The moment she turned away, Chong Ming reached out and caught her wrist. With a gentle pull, he drew her into his arms and held her tight.
Jiang Tea Tea tensed, about to struggle and strike back, but he released her so fast she didn’t even get the chance to react.
Even if it was only an instant, hugging her once still gave Chong Ming a small, secret satisfaction. “All right. Go sleep.”
Jiang Tea Tea rolled her eyes and left. She went from his study into the bedroom, turned off the lights, and crawled into his half-oval bed.
Lying there and staring at the sparkly gemstones embedded in it, she truly couldn’t understand him. Did touching the cub and hugging her really make him feel more motivated to work overtime, no longer sad and pitiful?
What a load of nonsense. She wasn’t some miracle tonic that could make him energetic and refreshed with a single hug.
Sleep.
Jiang Tea Tea patted her belly. She’d been sleeping just fine, but the moment Old Loach’s hand touched her, the sleeping cubs all woke up and started wriggling, nearly giving themselves away.
They were still wriggling now, lively inside her belly, refusing to settle. Who knew what they were so excited about?
With his sharp hearing, Chong Ming not only heard Jiang Tea Tea lie down, but also heard the soft thuds of her hand patting her belly.
He sat down slowly and opened his palm again, golden eyes staring at it for a long, long time. Then he stood up, left the study, walked out of his residence, and called Zhong Li He.
Kong Que had just washed Zhong Li He from inside out. Zhong Li He hadn’t even had time to shake himself and flick the water off his feathers when the lightbrain rang.
He’d planned to sleep in beast form, clean and refreshed. Now there had to be a call. And it was from Chong Ming. If he didn’t answer and something was wrong…
Zhong Li He shifted back into human form, completely naked. Kong Que pulled over a bath towel and wrapped it around him.
Wrapped in the towel, Zhong Li He swiped the lightbrain to answer while walking out of the bathroom. “Calling me this late—what is it?”
Kong Que stood in the bathroom, gaze dark and deep as he watched Zhong Li He leave, then began to tidy himself up.
On the screen, Chong Ming said to Zhong Li He, “I touched my cub.”
Zhong Li He didn’t react at first. “What?”
Chong Ming continued, perfectly serious. “I also hugged my future mate.”
Zhong Li He sat down on the bed and finally understood. “You call me in the middle of the night just to show off your cub and force-feed me dog food?”
That bastard. No dragon was more obnoxious than him.
He was supposed to be his friend. What kind of friend force-fed you dog food every day? Zhong Li He didn’t want to eat it, but Chong Ming kept prying his mouth open and pouring it in. Wasn’t he afraid he’d choke him to death?
Chong Ming answered solemnly, “Yes. I called you to show off my cub and force-feed you dog food.”
“You…” Zhong Li He choked, nearly losing his breath. “Our friendship boat has capsized. I’m blocking you!”
As if he hadn’t heard, Chong Ming went on. “I touched my cub today. My cub greeted me—it nudged my hand. No, wait… it felt like there was more than one.”
One second Zhong Li He was furious, the next he blurted, “What? What do you mean it felt like more than one?”
Chong Ming grew even more certain. The cub nudging his hand hadn’t felt like a single bump. It had felt like two little dragon heads, one after another, pushing into his palm.
He stared at Zhong Li He through the screen. “I think my cub might not be just one. It might be two!”
Zhong Li He’s pupils widened. “Chong, I admit it—someone as outstanding as me didn’t have a cub before you. I’m jealous, I’m envious. But do you have to stab me in the heart every day?”
“With our ability levels and how hard it is for our kind to reproduce, we’d be lucky to have one cub in this lifetime. And you want two? What, did your ancestors’ grave start smoking with good fortune while mine didn’t?”
“And now you’re telling me you’ve got two cubs. Two. Let me ask you—does your family have any history of twins? Two eggs in one pregnancy?”
Chong Ming didn’t think he was wrong. This was the first time he’d so openly touched her belly and kept his hand there for so long.
Seeing him fall silent, Zhong Li He pressed, “Chong Ming, I’m asking you—does your family have a history of twin eggs or not?”
Chong Ming slowly shook his head. “No. We’ve always been single pregnancy, single egg.”
Zhong Li He asked again, “Your family doesn’t have twin eggs, so why do you think your classmate Jiang Tea Tea is carrying two cubs for you?”
“Don’t forget what you told me. Early on, when the cub first implanted, you kicked her stomach and made your cub lose its eggshell, so it grew in her belly in dragon form.”
“In the dragon clan, eggs take ten to fifteen months to mature before they’re laid, and then they still need to be incubated. Jiang Tea Tea’s situation isn’t like other pregnant females in the dragon clan.”
“The cub in her belly doesn’t have a shell. It’s dragon form directly. At eight months, that dragon form should be at least two of your fingers long, right?”
“With a dragon-form cub two fingers long inside her, when you touch her belly, it can nudge you with its head, kick you with its claws, and shove you with its tail. And then you get the illusion there are two cubs.”
It made a lot of sense. There was no arguing with it.
And yet, the instant Chong Ming’s hand rested on her belly, he had clearly felt two tiny heads, one after the other, nudging his palm as if greeting him.
Seeing him go quiet again, Zhong Li He reminded him, “My commander-in-chief, if you want to know how many cubs are in her belly, isn’t that easy? Just ask the healer who examined her before.”
Chong Ming sighed softly. “She hasn’t found enough safety with me. She still doesn’t trust me.”
Zhong Li He frowned. “So you mean even if you suspect it, you still won’t ask?”
Chong Ming nodded. “Yes. The healer who examined her owes her a lot. If she deliberately hides it, that healer won’t say anything.”
“So I’ve been reflecting. I didn’t do enough, I wasn’t thorough enough, and I didn’t give her a sense of safety.”
“If there really are two cubs in her belly and she’s keeping it from me, that’s my fault, not hers.”
Zhong Li He laughed and sighed again. “My commander-in-chief, being single is great. Look at me—I eat my fill and no one else goes hungry. I keep a Peacock, and someone helps groom my feathers. Life is sweet.”
Chong Ming raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Kong Que lieutenant general grooms your feathers all the time. Why don’t you groom his? One day he’ll get tired of it and pluck you bald.”
Zhong Li He sounded utterly confident. “How could that happen? My Peacock is the sweetest. He’d rather pluck the mane off your dragon back than pluck my feathers.”
Chong Ming glanced to the side. Kong Que had already moved behind Zhong Li He with a towel in hand, ready to dry his hair. “All right. You’re right. Good night.”
Zhong Li He stared at the disconnected lightbrain, then turned to Kong Que behind him. “Tell me—is Chong Ming that old dragon a lovesick fool?”
Kong Que knelt on one knee on the bed, a dry towel falling onto Zhong Li He’s dripping hair. “Miss Jiang is worth him being a lovesick fool.”
Zhong Li He braced his hands on the bed, relaxed, and leaned back slightly. “No, no. He’s not lovesick. He’s a one-sided crush.”
“Jiang Tea Tea doesn’t like him at all, and she doesn’t even want to bother with him. So he isn’t love-brained. He’s a one-sided crush that can’t get what he wants.”
Kong Que lowered his eyes, watching Zhong Li He’s smug smile, his beautiful sapphire eyes. “If someone secretly liked you, Chief Executive, would you notice?”
Zhong Li He lifted his chin and met his gaze. “People who secretly like me are everywhere. Did you forget? On starnet, I’m even more popular than Chong Ming.”
“Usually, anyone who likes me will tell me once they meet me. That merfolk clan princess—when I visited their planet, she confessed straight to my face and said she wanted to study how to produce phoenix eggs with me.”
His admirers were as vast as the stars. If he had to notice who did or didn’t like him, would he still run a country or do any work?
Kong Que broke eye contact and dried his hair even more gently. “Chief Executive, you’re right.”
“Once Chong Ming resolves the super virus infected situation, we can put our return on the schedule. What do you think?”
With Kong Que drying his hair so comfortably, Zhong Li He’s eyes narrowed. “Arrange it as you see fit. You should start learning to take over everything in my hands.”
Kong Que answered respectfully. “I’m only a lieutenant general. Learning to take over your duties wouldn’t be proper.”
Zhong Li He snorted. “Proper, improper—who doesn’t know you’re my person? Who doesn’t know I’m grooming you to replace me?”
“If I say it’s proper, it’s proper. Don’t care what anyone thinks. If anyone dislikes you and tries to trip you up, tell me. I’ll ruin them.”
Kong Que smiled slowly. “Understood, my Chief Executive.”
Seeing him smile, Zhong Li He shifted straight into beast form—a phoenix bird with dazzling, gorgeous feathers.
Kong Que set the towel aside and reached out to touch the phoenix bird’s brilliant feathers…