Chapter 1458 - 1460

"Wow, my brother is really quite the homemaker." Waking up at noon, Zhao Guangran wobbled out of the room and unsurprisingly caught a whiff of food.

There was a time when Zhao Guangran felt this kind of life really didn’t suit him, but during his days in Japan, even if he was eating gourmet meals, he couldn’t help but think of the taste of home-cooked food.

Zhao Xuran had long grown accustomed to his brother’s teasing remarks.

There were times in the past when he wanted to roll his eyes at Zhao Guangran, but now Zhao Xuran was genuinely unfazed.

"You could learn to be a bit more domestic too."

"Go and pick the veggies," Zhao Xuran pointed to the ingredients waiting to be prepared.

No way! Zhao Guangran was stunned. Why does he still have to handle ingredients? It’s already time for lunch.

"Did you make this, bro?" Zhao Guangran couldn’t help but worry. His big brother better not have made food without leaving him a portion.

Knowing his big brother, there’s a real chance he would do that.

"I made it for Ni Zi. She hasn’t been eating much these days," Zhao Xuran was genuinely concerned.

"She had finally gotten her appetite back, but ever since finding out it’s twins, she’s been eating less," Zhao Xuran was genuinely worried to the point where he’s lost a lot of hair recently.

Just one child requires proper nourishment; now it’s two, so even more nutrients are needed.

But it’s frustrating that his wife isn’t eating as much as before. How can it not make Zhao Xuran anxious?

Loss of appetite? Thinking back to these past few days since he’s been home, Gong Ruini demands to share food every meal. Zhao Guangran felt a pang of melancholy.

His big brother really is becoming more and more biased. His little niece and nephew aren’t even born yet, and he’s already starting to lose status.

Zhao Guangran can’t imagine how low his status will sink once the kids are born.

"Girls usually don’t like being too chubby," Zhao Guangran muttered, "Honestly, watching Ni Zi cooped up at home all day isn’t a good thing either."

If it were just one child, fine, but with two, the burden becomes unbelievably heavy later on.

Anyway, looking at Gong Ruini’s large belly, it scares the heck out of Zhao Guangran, "Bro, you’re not planning to go the C-section route, are you?"

A C-section? Zhao Xuran wouldn’t mind. After all, if it benefits his wife, he’s all for it.

But Ni Zi is very opposed to surgery. What if she completely refuses when the time comes?

"Exercising is beneficial for childbirth, but just look at the weather outside." In the icy, snowy New York, how can anyone go out?

Before, she had to go to school for classes, and the journey already made Zhao Xuran constantly worry. It wasn’t until school let out for vacation that he was completely at ease.

"Originally, I thought we could stroll around every week, maybe even go to California."

"But now I don’t dare." Two children, Zhao Xuran genuinely can’t take the risk.

Especially given that even though Ni Zi is carrying twins, it was never detected before because one of the babies was too weak.

So weak it was overshadowed by the healthier sibling, and it simply didn’t show up in the checks. If Ni Zi’s belly hadn’t been unusually large, they might not have been so thorough with the examination.

Zhao Xuran couldn’t tell Gong Ruini that it was because the doctor hadn’t checked thoroughly last time, and whether or not Gong Ruini believes it, Zhao Xuran dared not delve into it.

Zhao Guangran wanted to say, "Bro, what kind of doctor did you find who couldn’t even handle something so important?"

"Missing one or two kids is not a small mistake. Should we do another check, just to ensure there’s not a third?" Zhao Guangran joked.

But as Zhao Xuran’s expression turned serious, Zhao Guangran’s face also grew tense.

"Bro, what’s wrong?" Zhao Guangran was anxious; big brother surely wouldn’t get upset and give him a cold face just because of a few words he said.

"About Ni Zi this time," Zhao Xuran really didn’t want to say it, but he just couldn’t hold it in.

He had no way of telling their parents, to spare them any worry.

And he couldn’t tell Ni Zi or Gong Jiaming and Gong Ruzhi either, for fear they might let it slip, and Ni Zi would hear it anyway.

Zhao Guangran was thunderstruck, "Oh my God."

"How did it turn out this way?" Zhao Guangran was considering suggesting to Zhao Xuran that they switch doctors. If the doctor couldn’t even catch this, how could they not hire someone else?

He never thought there was this underlying issue. What now?

Zhao Guangran was at a loss, "Maybe inform Mom."

He knew why big brother didn’t tell the family. Other than not wanting to trouble them, he also feared it would put more pressure on Gong Ruini.

But have they forgotten about an important thing, that if this gets over to the country, how would the family react?

"Bro, if Dad and Mom find out, they’ll be upset."

"Then wouldn’t they have their thoughts about it?" Zhao Guangran was worried that besides feeling sad, the parents would have other reactions.

What if the parents showed any sign of dissatisfaction, and after finding out, Gong Ruini acted out?

When that girl is in a bad mood, if someone just triggers her, Zhao Guangran can’t predict how she might react.

This thought had crossed Zhao Xuran’s mind before, but he simply couldn’t worry about that now; all he thought about was Ni Zi, Ni Zi, and Ni Zi.

It was only late at night, when Gong Ruini was asleep, that he’d keep his eyes open, moving from side to side between Gong Ruini and her belly.

It’s still a while before the due date, and Zhao Xuran was already filled with various expectations for the two still in the belly.

If this continues, Zhao Xuran doesn’t know how he’ll manage when the time comes.

"Even if you don’t consider Mom and Dad, you should think about Ni Zi’s feelings," said Zhao Guangran, stepping into the role of a caring brother.

Growing up, Zhao Guangran always followed in Zhao Xuran’s footsteps, seeking guidance from his big brother whenever he felt down, hoping to find his direction through his brother’s advice.

Before, this worked out quite well, and Zhao Guangran never imagined a day would come when he might advise his brother in return.

But he certainly never thought it would actually happen one day, and he felt quite pleased about it.

He worked hard to stifle the urge to smile because this was not the time to let it fall apart.

"Ni Zi’s thoughts." Oh right, how could he forget to discuss it with Ni Zi?

She is part of this situation, and she has the right to know. Yet, Zhao Xuran truly doesn’t know what would happen if he tells her, how heartbroken she might be.

At this thought, Zhao Xuran hesitated, "Well, I..."

It’s often said that big brother is a decisive person, but they really ought to see him being indecisive right now.

"I’m just suggesting," Zhao Guangran dared not insist, saying, "Big brother, you must tell Ni Zi."

If something were to happen with Ni Zi, what then? He couldn’t bear that consequence.

Let this headache be big brother’s worry, Zhao Guangran went to the kitchen to make a glass of juice.

Sipping his juice, Zhao Guangran watched his big brother deep in thought, feeling helpless.

"Bro, you forgot you’re cooking."

Oh no, how did he forget? Zhao Xuran had no more time to think about anything else and focused on preparing the food.

If the wife is happy eating it, then her mood will improve, and there’s hope, right?