AHDIBCB Chapter 74

After Yuan Yi finished speaking, the urge to cry surged again—stronger than ever. But he didn’t like showing such emotions, so he held it back with effort and said in frustration, “I’m sorry.”

Li Heng put everything aside and hugged him. “What are you apologizing for? It’s not your fault. Aunt Luo said it’s because I didn’t give you enough sense of security, so this is my problem. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. And I really do love our babies—look how adorable they are? When they grow up, I want to personally teach them how to use their mental power, and I’ll tell them to protect Daddy with me. No one will take them away from you—I promise. So don’t be afraid. Also, I’ve always believed in monogamy. I have no intention of marking anyone else. So if you don’t want more children, then these two will be the only ones we have in this life.”

Yuan Yi nodded.

He was being held by Li Heng, his face buried against Li Heng’s neck. Very soon, Li Heng felt a warm wetness spreading.

There was no sound—very quiet—but Li Heng’s clothes quickly soaked through.

Li Heng let him cry, gently smoothing out his messy hair and said softly, “Wife, you’re already crying—why keep holding it in like this? There’s no one else here. If you want to cry out loud, then cry. If you want to shout, then shout. Besides me and the kids, no one can hear you. We’re the ones closest to you in this world. You can be unrestrained, willful, and truly yourself with us. Understand?”

Yuan Yi gave a soft “mm,” and finally let out a faint whimper.

At first, it was clear he was still trying hard to hold back, but under Li Heng’s constant comfort, the sound gradually grew louder. Yuan Yi cried like a child, expressing his unease, sorrow, and pain in the most instinctive way. His face was a mess from the tears, and a large patch of Li Heng’s shoulder was soaked through. And because he was crying so loudly, the children heard him and started crying along with him.

Seeing this, Yuan Yi couldn’t bear it and quickly wiped away his tears.

Li Heng said to him, “Don’t panic—they’re crying because they feel bad for you, not because they’re scared. Don’t be fooled by how small they are—their mental power is very sensitive. They can sense their parents’ emotions.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Let me tell you something funny. When I first tried to soothe them, they instinctively tried to push back against me. The force was familiar, but still weak to me. How do I put it… like two little fists coming up to gently tap me. In that moment, I felt an indescribable joy. It’s all because of you. Thank you, wife.”

And sure enough, the babies gradually stopped crying.

Yuan Yi let out a teary laugh. “What is this? I’m the only one here without mental power.”

Li Heng said, “But all of us will protect you.”

Yuan Yi turned his face away again, but this time, Li Heng gently turned it back toward him. Seeing that Yuan Yi had calmed down quite a bit, he finally asked, “Why were you so concerned about the babies’ hearing before? Were you afraid they might not be able to hear?”

Yuan Yi murmured in Li Heng’s arms, “I had malformed auditory ossicles as a child, and a hearing impairment. I was abandoned because of it. I grew up in an orphanage.”

Li Heng clearly froze for a moment. “Wife… what did you just say?”

This didn’t seem like an issue of anxiety—it clearly looked like a problem with cognition or memory…

Every time he had people investigate, the records all showed that Yuan Yi had been raised in Zhou Tandai’s household, without exception. There were also many authentic videos to support it.

Yuan Yi said, “I’m not Yuan Yi.”

Li Heng: “…”

The young father who had just joyfully welcomed twin sons was now truly starting to get nervous. “Wife, don’t scare me.”

Yuan Yi said, “I’m not scaring you. I’m not the Yuan Yi you think I am. I wasn’t raised by the Zhou Tandai family. I’m not even from this world.”

…If this wasn’t scary, then what was?!

Li Heng really began to panic. “Wife, hold on a second. Li Mian, go get the doctor. Call both Dr. Luo and the chief medical officer.”

Li Mian was also a little stunned.

As a robot, its hearing was of course not the same as a human’s. It had heard what its Brother Yi just said.

So it quickly floated out. This sounded like a split personality, ahhh!

But then Yuan Yi said, “Li Mian, wait.”

Yuan Yi told Li Heng, “What I’m about to say can only be told to you. And I’m not so anxious that I’m hallucinating, so don’t call the doctors.”

Li Heng stepped back a bit and looked at Yuan Yi’s expression. His eyes were red like a rabbit’s, and his face was wet like a smudged kitten. But his mental clarity was sharp—it really didn’t look like he had any psychological issues.

After thinking it over briefly, Li Heng had Li Mian leave as well and told him not to call the doctors for now. He said to Yuan Yi, “Now I’m the only one who can hear you. The boys can too, but they won’t understand.”

Yuan Yi said, “Husband, everything I just told you is true. Don’t be so quick to dismiss what I said. Think carefully—wasn’t I already different from the Yuan Yi you investigated when you first met me? And the name I changed to, it’s actually my original name. The reason I learned medicine so quickly isn’t because I secretly studied it before or have some kind of photographic memory—it’s because I used to be a doctor. When we registered our documents together, I was already no longer the Yuan Yi that most people knew. I merely took over his body.”

Li Heng: “…………”

Even in the interstellar era, the idea of one person’s soul taking over another’s body still fell into the realm of mysticism.

Li Heng felt like his entire being was starting to spiral. But thinking it over—yes, many people had felt Yuan Yi changed drastically, too drastically to be normal. So much so that even he thought Yuan Yi had been hiding too deeply, that he was too calculating, and had even tried to test him because of it.

But even so, no one had ever considered the possibility of a soul transmigration.

Li Heng tried to accept the premise first. “So the previous Yuan Yi really was in a relationship with Bai Wanzhe. And the reason you agreed to marry into the Li family is because you were already no longer that Yuan Yi—you just used his body. But your soul is new, it belongs to you. So the memories are shared—both yours and the former Yuan Yi’s. Is that what you mean?”

Yuan Yi looked at Li Heng uneasily. “Yes. Is it hard for you to accept?”

Li Heng asked, “Then how old were you originally?”

Yuan Yi looked a bit awkward. “Two years older than you.”

Actually, by birthdate, it was two and a half years. If he’d been any younger, there’s no way he could’ve bought a house on his own. Becoming an attending physician before the age of thirty was already extremely rare in the medical field.

But he didn’t know whether Li Heng would like that—a mature soul living in a young body.

Yuan Yi felt like he was waiting for some kind of judgment.

In the past, he always kept his own mind tightly wrapped up and could act according to his own thoughts. But ever since he met Li Heng, this man kept breaking through his defenses, to the point where Yuan Yi slowly started to want to try changing. He didn’t know if it would work—it was still just a thought—but that made him care deeply about Li Heng’s opinion.

But instead of reacting badly, Li Heng hugged him again and asked, “Why did you decide to tell me now? Didn’t you say you’d wait until after we were fully marked?”

Yuan Yi said, “What if you didn’t like it? If I told you after the marking, it’d feel like a betrayal. But if you weren’t opposed to it, then saying it after would feel like ruining the mood. So I thought I’d say it early instead.”

Li Heng chuckled softly and murmured, “Wife, then hurry up and get better—I’m about to lose my patience.”

“Huh?”

“Really. It’s like when you’re longing for a treasure. When you can’t have it right away, maybe it’s bearable. But once it’s almost within reach, the wait becomes unbearable—every second feels like a year. I want to truly have you, to mark you as mine. That desire is so strong, it’s giving me a headache.”

“……”

“I asked Aunt Luo. If recovery goes well, we can do the final marking in just one more month.”

Once the wound was completely healed and his immune system returned to normal, they could proceed with the full marking.

Yuan Yi was getting aroused just listening to him—his heartbeat was all over the place.

But Li Heng added, “You haven’t forgotten the promise you made me, right?”

That night, he’d sent a picture that Ji Lan helped draw—of course Yuan Yi remembered. But he deliberately said, “To be your military advisor?”

Li Heng knew he’d guessed correctly and took the opportunity to get back at him for teasing him earlier, so he didn’t expose the joke. Instead, he smiled and said, “Yes, to be my advisor.”

Yuan Yi gently nuzzled his face against Li Heng’s. “Husband, thank you.”

Li Heng said, “I should be thanking you—for giving birth to two such wonderful children even during such a dangerous time. Were you scared back on Immortal Mountain?”

Yuan Yi thought for a moment. “A little.”

In truth, it was less fear and more panic. The war was one thing, but he was more afraid something might go wrong with the children. And he was afraid Li Heng might not want him anymore. Honestly, in the past, he could’ve taken it all in stride—but people are greedy by nature. Once he experienced Li Heng’s love, he kept wanting more, and fearing something might ruin it.

He hated this out-of-control version of himself, yet he couldn’t stop worrying. And the more anxious he became, the less he could eat or sleep—it was completely different from how things were in the early and middle stages.

He often thought about things from his past life. He remembered being in the orphanage, always having a hard time fitting in with the other kids because he was different.

He had started speaking very late, simply because he couldn’t hear clearly what others were saying.

Eventually, a family finally came to adopt him. But just when they’d shown him a little care, he was returned to the orphanage again—because of his hearing issues.

That couple had actually known about his condition when they adopted him. The orphanage had strict rules—they didn’t want the trouble of adopters returning children, so they had explained clearly from the start that he had trouble hearing. But the couple still agreed to take him in.

Back then, he had been so anxious, as if waiting for some kind of judgment. So when he found out he’d really been adopted, he was overjoyed.

He tried hard to read their lips, to understand what they were saying, to read their expressions. He was always afraid of missing something important, always afraid of doing something wrong. He just really wanted to please his adoptive parents.

Every time they called him “son,” he truly felt like he was someone who was loved.

But it didn’t last.

One day, while he was playing in the neighborhood, a madman suddenly came charging toward him. Apparently everyone knew that person had a mental illness, knew he was dangerous, and knew to stay away.

Only he didn’t know.

No one told him to run. Because he couldn’t hear clearly, he thought the other kids had just run off to play and would come back soon. Not realizing he was in danger, he ended up pinned down near the public fitness equipment in the community and beaten black and blue.

His adoptive parents went to confront the man. They received some compensation, but also a lot of blame. Many people said they were irresponsible—letting a child who couldn’t hear play outside alone. Some even said they had adopted a “disabled child.”

From then on, he always carried guilt with him. He would set the table; when his adoptive mother was cooking, he’d stand by the kitchen door hoping to learn. He would mop the floor, clean the house, scrub the toilet. Even though he was not even five years old and couldn’t clean well, he still tried his best.

He could endure a bit of hardship—what did that matter, compared to being loved?

But still, he was sent back.

It started when his adoptive mother was away on a business trip. His adoptive father went downstairs to take out the trash, forgetting to bring the key. When he came back, he kept knocking, but inside the house, the boy never heard a thing. He had been in the bathroom, letting the water run while scrubbing the trash can, then started cleaning the restroom.

Maybe the frustration of knowing someone was inside but not being able to get in really got to him—because that day, he got beaten again. By his adoptive father.

And once the bruises healed, he was sent back to the orphanage.

It felt like he always wore out his welcome.

But after going through that, he gradually came to understand: if you want to please someone, it’s not about doing what you think is right—it’s about doing what makes them happy. That’s what it truly means to please someone.

During school, he became quite skilled at pleasing others. He’d run errands for teachers, help them with small tasks, and offer help to classmates whenever he could—especially the top-performing students, those who could benefit him. He would tailor what he said to match what people liked to hear.

But even so, he didn’t seem to gain many friends. In fact, it felt like he didn’t really have any.

They were fine with him to his face, but behind his back, they said cruel things. Using later internet slang, you might say they called him a “bootlicker.”

Maybe it was because he’d go around asking them for old books and empty drink bottles to sell, just so he could afford a new hearing aid—and he ended up saying too many flattering words.

He didn’t want to say those things either. But compared to being unable to hear, what was a little flattery?

Later, he got into medical school. Those voices gradually quieted down. Probably because, during that time, he earned most of his money by tutoring, and his classmates had matured somewhat—so people rarely talked about him behind his back. At least, no one was saying anymore that he got his hearing aid by exchanging other students’ used notebooks and bottles.

Of course, it might also be because he was too busy—day and night blended together—and he had no energy to listen to any of it.

Only knowledge and solid skills could give him a sense of security and peace.

Strangely enough, once he became the youngest attending physician in the hospital, the people around him were mostly full of kind words.

But by then, he no longer yearned for them.

If he hadn’t come to this new world, if he hadn’t met Li Heng, he probably would’ve just continued on alone, quietly and calmly. No one would have moved him, and no one would’ve had the chance to hurt him.

He would’ve protected himself well.

To be fair, even after arriving in this world, he still worked hard to live.

He would continue striving after finishing his studies. The more patients he treated, the more he felt his own worth. He didn’t need repayment—just knowing he was needed was enough. Because as long as he was needed, he wouldn’t be the one discarded.

He loved the joy and sense of security that came from achievement.

He would also raise his children well—carefully, lovingly, treating them with kindness.

He would let them know they are wanted, that they were born precious.

Yuan Yi gently touched the faces of the two children.

They made him stronger—and at the same time, softened him.

But Li Heng, listening, only felt a growing heaviness. He had always known that Yuan Yi must have gone through a lot—that’s what made his thoughts so deep and interesting, what made him so captivating. But he hadn’t expected this kind of experience.

“Do you think it’s a little ridiculous?” Yuan Yi said. “Actually, once I started working, I rarely thought about any of it anymore. It all felt so far away. I thought I’d forgotten.”

“If you’d really forgotten,” Li Heng said, “you wouldn’t have worked so hard.”

It was precisely because he couldn’t forget that he worked so desperately, just to gain a little more sense of security.

Li Heng opened his arms. “Come here.”

“What for?” Yuan Yi was lying down, not in the best position to move around, but he still shifted slightly toward Li Heng, mostly just resting his head on Li Heng’s arm. The bed was big enough—the babies were on his right side, and Li Heng had come around to lie down on his left.

“Husband hug,” Li Heng said as he wrapped his arms around Yuan Yi, pulling him close to his chest.

Then he said, “This year, Yuan Yi was born.”

“Mm?” Yuan Yi responded.

“Shh…” Li Heng gently patted his arm and said softly, “This year, Yuan Yi was born. He was still a little baby, but he bore a great mission—to protect and love all people. So Heaven began to temper him.”

“He was sent to an orphanage, to experience the suffering of children like himself. He lived through it all, and came to understand what had to be done to improve their lives. Along the way, he experienced the relationship between parents and children. He came to understand people’s hearts, and learned how to better protect himself…”

“This year, Yuan Yi is fourteen. While other kids are still in middle school, he’s already made it into high school. He’s more outstanding and works harder than anyone. He’s kind, knows when to advance and retreat, brave and full of perseverance. By his own strength, he got into the best medical university and deepened his understanding of what it means to respect life.”

“This year, Yuan Yi is seventeen. He’s a very handsome and charming young man. Many people have begun secretly liking you, but they don’t dare to get close because of your brilliance and aloofness. So you focus even more on your studies, determined to work harder so you can help more patients.”

“This year, Yuan Yi is thirty-two, already a mature attending physician. He has treated countless patients, seen all the warmth and coldness of the world, and has learned not to blame fate anymore.”

“In return for all he’s endured, Heaven rewards him with a small home of his own, and he is to begin a new journey.”

“But… there’s a man here who once saved the entire galaxy. He’s already thirty and still doesn’t have a wife. So Heaven decides to send Dr. Yuan to lift his poverty.”

Yuan Yi: “…”

Dr. Yuan was speechless. He’d just been crying, and now he couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Li Heng gently stroked his head. “Baby, thank you for breaking through every obstacle, enduring all the hardships to come to my side, and letting me experience the deepest love in this world.”

With a thick nasal tone, Yuan Yi said, “When you retire, you should go tell stories for a living.”

Li Heng replied, “I’ll only tell them to you. I don’t have the patience for anyone else. Or better yet, let Li Mian tell them—I’ll just collect the money.”

Yuan Yi burst into laughter through his tears. “Husband, I want to sit up for a bit. My head’s spinning and my nose is stuffed from crying.”

It had been a bit too long.

Li Heng sat up and carefully helped him lean back against the headboard.

The wound-sealing gel worked very well. It wouldn’t tear open, though there would be some pain.

From this angle, Yuan Yi could see his little babies more clearly.

The two little ones really looked exactly alike.

“Have you thought of their names yet?”

“I’ve thought of quite a few, but I’m not sure if they’ll work.” Li Heng had Xuan Ying project the list of names he’d come up with onto the wall—more than twenty pairs in total.

“I like this pair,” Yuan Yi said. “Jingchen and Yunhan. Should we ask Grandpa or our parents?”

“I already asked them if they had any good suggestions. Their advice was: ‘Listening to your wife has a future.’”

“…”

In the end, they settled on the names Li Jingchen and Li Yunhan—the older brother would be Jingchen, the younger one Yunhan. Li Heng’s reasoning was that since the older one came out a minute earlier, he’d just have to deal with a name that had more strokes in it.

Yuan Yi was speechless. But thinking about how he was the one who chose the names, he just let it be.

The next day, they told everyone the names, and Li Heng ended up getting scolded. The main issue was that Yuan Yi’s eyes were swollen like walnuts, and Professor Jian found the whole thing very suspicious.

He had just given birth the day before—how could he have cried so hard?

Professor Jian pulled Li Heng aside. “You really are too immature. He just gave birth, and you actually made him cry—so badly, too. Be honest, what did you do?”

The look on Professor Jian’s face made it clear he was one step away from smacking some sense into his son.

Li Heng was speechless. “What could I possibly do? Of course I was comforting him.”

Professor Jian was suspicious. “Comforting him made him cry like that? Who are you trying to fool? Did you… do that?”

Li Heng said, “Do what, exactly? How could I possibly! Mom, can you at least have a basic understanding of your son? No matter what, I would never do that at a time like this…”

He paused, then called Professor Jian over to Yuan Yi’s bedside. “Honey, Mom insists I bullied you and made you cry like that. Help me out here, say something.”

Yuan Yi said, “Mom, he really didn’t bully me. My hormones are just all over the place—once he starts comforting me, it actually makes me want to cry even more.”

Li Heng added, “He was moved, that’s all. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Professor Jian took a look at Yuan Yi. The smile on his face really didn’t look like someone who’d been wronged, and he was already able to slowly get out of bed and walk around. Only then did she feel reassured.

Still, even though she felt relieved, she didn’t forget to lecture them. “You better be more attentive, you hear me? He’s very fragile right now. While you were out there fighting a war, Xiao Yi was already exhausted trying to take care of everything and still worried about you. If you so much as slightly mistreat him, just see how I’ll deal with you.”

Yuan Yi laughed at the side.

Li Heng said, “Got it. I’m so careful with him I’m afraid he’ll melt in my mouth—why would I bully him? Now go look after these two little ones, I’m going to take your daughter-in-law for a slow walk.”

Yuan Yi wasn’t used to lying in bed all the time. His emotions had been fluctuating so much that his head felt a little dizzy. He also wanted to get up and move around. Li Heng, seeing this, helped him leave the delivery room and walk down the corridor to take in the view outside.

They were passing by a planet, its colors radiant—like a sun, but glowing with a pale blue light. Li Heng pointed and said that was Marledor, a place known for producing blue gel.

“This time the schedule’s a bit tight. I’ve got to head back and deal with the mess,” Li Heng said as he straightened the shawl draped over Yuan Yi’s shoulders and wrapped an arm around him. “Once things settle down, I’ll take you and the kids there to see it for yourselves.”

“Okay. I want to try their gel candy. Mom said it tastes amazing—not like our gummy candies, it has a different texture.”

“Of course, no problem. If you want it, I can have people send it to you every month.”

Leaning into Li Heng’s chest, Yuan Yi suddenly felt like all that fear and unease was beginning to fade away.

From the room, he could still hear Professor Jian and the nurses coaxing and soothing the babies.

His heart felt calm—peaceful and warm.

Everything was in perfect order.

In the kitchen, the cooks had finished preparing lunch, and soldiers were already heading toward the mess hall in groups.

For Yuan Yi, his meals were currently being handled by a dedicated nutritionist, so he wasn’t going to the mess hall. But he could still see some of the soldiers chatting and laughing as they made their way over.

Everything looked harmonious and at peace.

Except—in the mecha design room around the western corner—a discarded mecha suddenly emitted an eerie burst of light.