Chapter 66: Video

The support of someone you like and trust is always more effective than a placebo.

“I’ll call her in the room!” Jiang Miao said, then dashed back into the room.

Yan He chuckled as he watched her disappearing figure, gently patting the baby in his arms. “Your mother…”

Almost a week had passed since birth, and Jiang Rui’s once wrinkled, rosy skin had stretched out, her cheeks full and rosy. Her features resembled Jiang Miao’s to some extent, but not as much as when she was just born. These days, Jiang Miao often muttered that she didn’t know who the baby looked like¹This will be a story for later.

Whenever this happened, Yan He always firmly said, “She looks like you.”

Jiang Miao half-believed, half-doubted, but Jiang Rui indeed didn’t resemble Yan He.

Although Jiang Miao knew the appearance of her own parents, she didn’t know what Yan He’s parents looked like. Since Jiang Rui didn’t resemble her maternal grandparents, she could only guess that she might resemble her paternal grandparents.

As Jiang Miao went back to her room, Yan He carefully examined Jiang Rui under the simulated sunlight of the lamp.

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Tl zlydle esod yde jkpple bkp psd’p qsalblye, obkprlakdt, “Nkjl xl!”

Kkydt Ykys alvwadle vs bla sod cleassx, vssj plhlayz ellr calyvbp clqsal pkvvkdt esod cu vbl cle, yde saelale, “Dkysdy, nyzz Hbydt Zy.”

“Xjyu, nyzzkdt vbl prlnkyz nsdvynv rlapsd, Hbydt Zy,” Dkysdy alprsdele.

Mbl nyzz oyp nsddlnvle yqvla vos akdtp, cwv yp pssd yp kv nsddlnvle, Kkydt Ykys altalvvle kv!

Xd vbl pnalld yrrlyale Hbydt Zy’p zsdt-ycpldv clywvkqwz qynl, cwv bla byka oyp psxlobyv ekpblhlzle, pbl oyp olyakdt ryfyxyp, yde vbl cynjtaswde clbkde bla… oyp y clepkel.

Jiang Miao had forgotten that while it was evening there, it was midnight on Zhang Ya’s side!

Damn it!

“Uh, well…” Jiang Miao’s mouth hung open.

“Yeah, you…” Zhang Ya moved her lips.

The two of them stared at each other through the screen, greedily taking in each other’s features, but both stumbling over what to say.

The awkward silence was broken by a man.

Clearly awakened from sleep by the communication, Zhang Ya had answered directly from her bed. Just as she and Jiang Miao were at a loss for words, a man crawled up beside her, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and leaned in to greet them, “Hey, kiddo!”

This man was shirtless, with a sturdy physique and handsome features. Although Jiang Miao hadn’t seen him for many years, she wouldn’t forget his face.

After all, he was her biological father.

“Mr. Coso?” Jiang Miao was so shocked by the scene on the screen that she almost bit her tongue! “What… what are you doing there?”

How come he’s wrapped in bed sheets???

Coso burst into laughter, “What’s the matter? Aren’t you happy that your dad and mom are together? Darling!”

When they lived together before, he used to call her darling. Now, seeing his face next to Zhang Ya’s, Jiang Miao felt as if she had returned to that time.

Interrupted by Coso’s words, Zhang Ya relaxed. Her gaze softened, and she patted Coso’s arm, saying, “Darling, let us have a private chat.”

“Of course,” Coso leaned closer to the screen again. “Darling, catch up with your mom properly.”

The screen shook, indicating that Zhang Ya had left the bed and made her way through the corridor to the adjacent study.

Jiang Miao had lived in that house for fifteen years. Even with her eyes closed, she could recall the layout of the house. As the screen shook, her memories of the house came flooding back.

Zhang Ya often brought work home before. Sometimes, when it was late, Jiang Miao would pretend to be asleep and secretly get up. She could still see the light shining through the crack in the door of the small study.

These memories melted Jiang Miao’s stiffness. By the time Zhang Ya sat down in the study, Jiang Miao could speak freely, “Mom, how are you?”

Zhang Ya took a deep breath, pushing back the tiredness in her eyes.

“I’m fine, I… I’m a partner now, and I’m with Coso,” she said. “And you? Are you doing well?”

“I’m doing well too,” Jiang Miao said. “I earned my Ph.D., and I work at Allison Military Industries. I’m a national-level researcher, working on projects directly under the military. My security clearance is S-level, and I’m the boss of a team. I… I’m really doing well, and I’ve become a mother.”

Jiang Miao rattled off her words, and the room fell silent. Both of them stared at each other through the screen.

They gazed at each other, unsure of what else to say. They could only search each other’s faces for traces of memories. Zhang Ya hadn’t aged, but Jiang Miao had shed her youthful appearance and grown into an adult woman.

After all, they had been apart for so many years…

Zhang Ya suddenly covered her eyes. “I’m sorry!”

Jiang Miao panicked. “It’s okay! No, why are you apologizing?”

Zhang Ya took a few breaths, calming her emotions. “Back then, when you were in college, I had Coso tell you not to call me anymore… I, I’m sorry.”

Ah, that time… Jiang Miao suddenly felt like it was so long ago.

“Looking back now, you called me once a month back then, you… needed me, didn’t you?” Zhang Ya’s eyes welled up with tears. “But I, I pushed you away. I pushed you away when you needed me. You were still a minor back then, only fifteen. I… I regret it deeply. Mary, can you forgive me?”

Jiang Miao had lived with Zhang Ya for fifteen years, and in all those years, she had never seen Zhang Ya’s emotions fluctuate as intensely as they did today. She felt overwhelmed.

“Mom, don’t…” She recalled those times and said, “I was fine on my own at school, and I got along better with my classmates than I did in middle school. The teachers liked me too. The money you gave me was enough, and I’ve always been doing pretty well.”

“I just… I just…” Jiang Miao faltered, finally saying what she had wanted to tell Zhang Ya for eleven years, “I just… missed you.”

Tears welled up in both women’s eyes.

“I’m sorry…” Zhang Ya covered her face.

Outside the door, Yan He held Jiang Rui, his shoulder against the door.

The soundproofing of the house was very good, even at this position, he could only hear vague sounds. But Yan He was not an ordinary person; his hearing was much sharper than most people’s, and he had heard everything clearly.

“Reconciliation,” he smiled, poking Jiang Rui’s chubby cheek before walking away, relieved.

Apologies were made, forgiveness was granted, and they comforted each other. In the end, both women stopped crying.

“I thought about it and realized I should tell you these things, even if hearing them disappoints you,” Zhang Ya said.

Zhang Ya revealed all the true emotions she had hidden over the years to Jiang Miao, as well as the doctor’s instructions and the data Coso knew.

“It’s definitely not your fault!” Jiang Miao affirmed. “It’s the fault of this society!”

Zhang Ya was surprised. “Are you so sure?”

She was just questioning, but Jiang Miao had already spoken decisively.

Jiang Miao said, “I’ve discussed this with others too. The current state of our society has historical reasons behind it.”

“Starting from when humans fled Earth six thousand years ago, through the population control during the Age of Discovery, the population explosion after settling, the forced genetic restructuring, followed by the population plummet due to the rise of feminism, then the terrifying Dark Ages, and the end of the Dark Ages with the Holy War.”

“The birth of artificial wombs, where both men and women can conceive and give birth, step by step, led to the current state. But this current state is not right. There have been too many twists and turns, too many extreme events, so it’s inevitably overcompensated.”

Jiang Miao forgot that it was still late at night on Zhang Ya’s side and poured out everything she knew. Zhang Ya was captivated, sighing repeatedly.

“So that’s how it is,” she exclaimed.

She wanted to tell Jiang Miao about the data Coso had obtained. The data was already so vast, indicating that beneath the seemingly calm surface of society, there were turbulent undercurrents, just waiting to erupt.

But as Zhang Ya was about to speak, she suddenly stopped. “I think I hear…?”

“It’s Rui Rui! Let me check!” Jiang Miao hurriedly stood up. “This little guy’s cries are exceptionally loud, they can penetrate through walls! Xiaona, follow the screen!”

Although Jiang Rui wasn’t born on a high-gravity planet, he did possess the genes and physique of someone from a high-gravity planet. Even his crib was a specially customized gravity bed. It didn’t need adjustment; just putting him on it would automatically increase the gravity. He slept in a high-gravity state.

This meant that his body was much stronger than that of an ordinary baby. In fact, even though he was still a baby, once he left the gravity crib, his strength should not be underestimated.

In the first two days, it wasn’t very noticeable, but these past two days, as his body seemed to inflate like a balloon, his strength grew as well. As soon as he took a deep breath and started crying loudly, his cries could indeed penetrate through the soundproof walls.

The light screen followed as Jiang Miao left the bedroom, passed through the corridor, and entered the living room.

Zhang Ya sat in the study, chin resting on her hand, watching with interest from Jiang Miao’s perspective as the handsome young man in the living room skillfully cleaned the round little bottom of the baby.

“What’s wrong?” Mary asked.

“Nothing. Just a diaper change,” the young man replied.

“He cries as soon as you change him, such a temper!” Mary muttered.

“Was it the same with you when you were a baby?” the young man asked with a smile.

“Me? Impossible! He got it from you!!” Mary firmly denied.

Zhang Ya couldn’t help but smile.

She remembered how big Mary’s temper was when she was a baby. She hated those mechanical arms; they would cry until either she or Coso came to take care of her personally.

It seemed that she also muttered, “Whose temper did he inherit?” back then, but Coso also firmly denied it.

Quickly and efficiently, Yan He cleaned Jiang Rui, wrapped him back up, and held him in his arms. Just as he was about to tease Jiang Miao, he turned around only to see the communication light screen still on beside Jiang Miao, with a beautiful and intelligent woman smiling at them.

Yan He stiffened instantly.

“Hello! You must be Ms. Zhang,” he nodded respectfully to Zhang Ya.

Zhang Ya smiled, “Yes, I’m Zhang Ya. And you are?”

Yan He stood up straight, “I’m Yan He, Jiang Miao’s partner and also her parenting partner.”

When the two of them were bantering earlier, Zhang Ya had already noticed the affection in their eyes. In the past, she opposed parenting partners becoming romantic partners, but now she suddenly felt that being romantic partners in parenting seemed not so bad after all.

Perhaps, many things she used to think were right, might not be right after all.

Hearing the name “Jiang Miao,” Zhang Ya still felt a slight twinge of sadness. Even the name she and Coso gave her had been changed.

But Zhang Ya felt she had no position to criticize Jiang Miao. Moreover, it was her own right as an adult to change her name, and others had no right to interfere.

Zhang Ya perked up and smiled at Yan He, “Nice to meet you, and I’m glad to see you and the child. Yan He, I heard you’re a military officer?”

“Rank of Major, currently serving as a staff officer in the Capital Garrison Forces,” Yan He replied.

“Major Yan…”

“Just call me Yan He.”

“Alright, Yan He. Jiang Miao mentioned you earlier. Yan He, could you tell me how you two got together? If it’s not too much trouble.”

“Of course, I’d be happy to.”

Dr. Jiang then had the privilege of hearing Major Yan spin a story about love at first sight after a gene match.

Who falls in love at first sight with him? What a big liar with no blinking!

Tsk, don’t think she can’t tell; his shoulders and back are all tensed up.

She’s known him for almost a year, and it’s the first time she’s seen him so nervous.

Wait, why is Yan He so nervous?

Jiang Miao couldn’t help but feel a little curious, observing covertly and realizing that Yan He’s attitude toward Zhang Ya was… how to put it, a mix of reverence and intimacy, kind of like a primary school student facing a head teacher.

No, there’s a better analogy.

…

…

Ah, it’s like meeting the in-laws for the first time!

By the way, would he know the meaning of “in-laws”? The textbooks in elementary school only mentioned terms like “father-in-law” and “mother-in-law” when discussing ancient family relationships.

But Yan He… seems to be familiar with similar obscure terms?

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