Lin Xiaoxiao watched Zhou Huai'an standing frozen in place and gave his arm a gentle nudge. "What's wrong? Are you shocked?"

Zhou Huai'an quickly shook his head. "No, not shocked."

But his expression remained tense, and the hand supporting her arm trembled slightly. Triplets—it was something he had never dared imagine, and the thought left him more nervous than when he'd led his squad through a minefield.

Lin Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, remained the calmest of them all. She smiled at him. "Two or three, it's all the same. Besides, the doctor said it's only a possibility. Maybe the babies are just big and wriggly, and she misjudged. Let's go home."

Li Yunlan, however, couldn't settle down. Even in the car, she kept murmuring, "Did I hear that right? Really three? Oh heavens, if it's three, we definitely don't have enough prepared. We need to go shopping right away—but with New Year's here, I wonder if the stores will even be open."

Lin Xiaoxiao kept smiling. "Mom, don't get too worked up. The doctor said it might be three—she just wants us to be prepared. It's most likely twins."

But Li Yunlan shook her head firmly. "No, I'm sure it's true. That doctor is very experienced."

The driver listened quietly as he drove. He'd heard of twins before, but triplets? That was something new. Still, matters concerning the family were not his place to discuss.

When Zhou Zhennan and Zhou Bingwen learned that Lin Xiaoxiao might be carrying triplets, they were both struck speechless for a long moment.

Zhou Bingwen paced around the room several times, hands clasped behind his back, before stopping abruptly to look at Li Yunlan. "Is it true?"

Li Yunlan nodded. "I don't think she'd be wrong. The doctor wouldn't have said it otherwise."

Zhou Bingwen resumed his pacing, then called out to the housekeeper, "Xiao Li, prepare a couple more dishes tonight. We should have a proper drink."

Zhou Zhennan wasn't sure what to say either, but a faint smile lingered in his eyes. "The state is about to implement the one-child policy. And here we are, getting three at once. It's perfect." In his view, having many children and grandchildren was still a blessing.

Li Yunlan was overjoyed. "We need to get the cribs made right away. After New Year's will be too late. We need three wooden cribs—make them a bit bigger. And we should see what else we need to buy and get it soon."

Everyone was delighted—except Zhou Huai'an. Since returning home, he had remained tense and quiet, eventually slipping upstairs alone.

Lin Xiaoxiao had been cheerfully listening until she noticed Zhou Huai'an's silent retreat. Even his footsteps seemed stiff and out of sync. It was clear he was more nervous than she had realized.

After excusing herself from Zhou Zhennan and Li Yunlan, she followed him upstairs.

She found him sitting on the edge of the bed, looking utterly lost. Her heart went out to him. With some effort, she bent down and wrapped her arms around him. "What's wrong? Are you scared? It's going to be okay. We're in Beijing—the babies will be delivered safely."

Zhou Huai'an pulled her down to sit beside him. His hand trembled as he held hers. "Three... It's going to be so painful when you give birth."

His throat tightened, and he couldn't continue. The thought of Lin Xiaoxiao in danger terrified him. One baby was hard enough—how could she safely deliver three?

Lin Xiaoxiao patted his hand gently. "It's alright. Everything will be fine. We'll check into the hospital right after the second day of New Year's and wait there. You probably won't have to go back—you can stay here until the babies arrive."

She had accepted the news quickly. Whether two or three, they were her children, and she would raise them with all her love.

But Zhou Huai'an was still struggling. His heart hadn't stopped racing since he heard "three," and he couldn't begin to imagine what life with three newborns would be like.

Lin Xiaoxiao continued soothing him, patting his hand. "You need to relax. If you're this nervous, I'll get nervous too. Just think how happy we'll be with three little ones. Imagine them surrounding us, calling us Mom and Dad. Won't that be wonderful?"

The next morning, Lin Wenbin showed up with a chicken and a lamb leg, saying he had to bring something for the New Year. But it was really just an excuse to check on Lin Xiaoxiao.

When he heard she might be carrying triplets, even he was stunned. "Seriously? Three?"

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded. "Most likely."

Lin Wenbin rubbed his temples. "How are you this much of a baby-making machine? Three at once! Well, forget about going back now. But if we really could go back, taking one kid for Mom and Dad to see would've been nice."

Lin Xiaoxiao laughed. "What are you talking about? It's not like we can just hop on a plane. If the babies come soon, they'll be a month old before the new semester starts. It won't interfere with my studies."

Lin Wenbin smirked. "You're something else. You'll need at least two months to recover. And three babies! You two are something else—even IVF isn't this efficient."

Lin Xiaoxiao glared at him. "Stop talking nonsense, or I'm ignoring you."

Just then, Li Yunlan entered cheerfully with a plate of apples. Overflowing with happiness, she handed one to Lin Xiaoxiao and offered another to Lin Wenbin. "New Year's Eve is tomorrow. Since you have no family here, why not spend it with us?"

Lin Wenbin pretended to hesitate. "I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time."

Li Yunlan waved off his concern. "Nonsense! You're Xiaoxiao's brother—that makes you family. Come celebrate with us. Besides, the cafeteria and restaurants will be closed. You'd be all alone in your dorm."

After a brief pause, Lin Wenbin smiled. "Then I won't stand on ceremony. I'd really like to experience a traditional Chinese New Year."

Li Yunlan beamed. "It'll be lively, very lively! I'll have my husband buy extra firecrackers."

She stood up. "You two catch up. My husband and Huai'an will be back soon with New Year's shopping. Stay for lunch—we'll have a drink."

After Li Yunlan left, Lin Xiaoxiao remembered something important. "Oh, right. My biological mother is also in this compound."

Lin Wenbin was taken aback. "What's she doing here? I thought she lived in the provincial capital. Wasn't she awful to you?"

"That's not the point," Lin Xiaoxiao said. "What if she finds out you're not the real Lin Wenbin? She knows the Lin family. What if she tries to expose you?"

Lin Wenbin frowned. "I doubt it. She and Lin Yutang were separated most of the time. She probably doesn't know the details."

Then Lin Xiaoxiao began recounting all the ways her mother had wronged her. "That daughter of hers takes after her—selfish and rotten to the core. She can't stand to see me happy."

Lin Wenbin narrowed his eyes and stayed silent, but a calculating gleam flickered in them. So someone dared bully his sister? They had another thing coming.