In the room, Anby was sitting in front of a computer, watching a television program Nekomiya had put on for her out of boredom.
The program was about children's education—something Nicole had insisted on. She claimed it was beneficial for the fetus, so it had to be watched.
Anby didn't object. She followed Nicole's arrangements obediently because Zhong Yan had told her that during her pregnancy, she had to listen to Nicole's every instruction.
"Hm? What's that noise outside?" Just then, Anby heard some movement beyond the door.
Moments later, she heard Zhong Yan's name.
That made her realize—Zhong Yan had come to visit her.
Thinking that, she immediately tried to stand up, and Nekomiya quickly rushed over to support her.
Together, they left the room and headed into the living room, where they indeed found Zhong Yan being scolded by Nicole.
Anby's face lit up with joy at the sight of him. With Nekomiya's help, she stepped forward and said, "Zhong Yan..."
Upon hearing her voice, Zhong Yan—who had just been hanging his head—immediately turned around.
Compared to the start of her pregnancy, Anby's belly had grown a lot. She could no longer bounce around like she used to—walking on her own had even become difficult.
Zhong Yan didn't quite know how to feel about this. With Anby's belly getting bigger, the day he'd become a father was drawing nearer and nearer.
For someone barely in his twenties, the impact was immense. Most of the time, he still felt like a kid himself—how could he already be about to become a dad?
Still, things had come this far, and Zhong Yan wasn't about to shy away from it. He stepped forward and helped Nekomiya support Anby.
"Zhong Yan, this is for you..." Once Zhong Yan had taken her arm, Anby let go of Nekomiya's hand and pulled out a folded white sheet of paper from her pocket, handing it to him.
Zhong Yan, puzzled, unfolded the sheet and saw that it was covered in densely packed writing.
Every single entry began with the character "Zhong"—some were two characters long, some three, and occasionally even four.
It was obvious these were baby name ideas. Anby had probably been unable to decide and wanted Zhong Yan to make the final choice.
Zhong Yan had thought about names before. If there weren't any particular requirements, just picking a nice-sounding one would do. But if there were traditions or expectations, it could get quite complicated.
"I've been trying to think of names for a while, but I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, and I can't decide. Zhong Yan, can you choose?" Anby said softly, her eyes filling with quiet anticipation.
Not wanting to disappoint her, Zhong Yan began to carefully examine the list of names. Eventually, his gaze stopped on one of them.
Zhong Ling.
It worked whether the child was a boy or a girl, wasn't too fussy, and didn't sound bad either. It seemed like a solid choice.
"How about... this one?" Zhong Yan held out the paper to Anby and pointed at the name he had chosen.
Anby glanced at it briefly before nodding. "Okay, let's go with that."
Sure enough, no matter what decision Zhong Yan made, she would always support him without hesitation.
"You should have more of your own opinion sometimes. Do you really like this name?" Zhong Yan gently ran his fingers across her cheek, his tone a little helpless.
"I really like it—just like how I like Zhong Yan," Anby replied earnestly, her face completely serious.
Zhong Yan was at a loss for words.
Just then, Nicole's voice rang out from the kitchen: "Nekomiya! Dinner's almost ready—get out here and bring the plates to the table!"
"Coming!" Nekomiya responded instantly, rushing into the kitchen and carefully carrying a tray of food to the dining table in the living room.
Seeing this, Zhong Yan and Anby exchanged a glance, and then he gently helped her to the table, preparing for the meal ahead.
Soon, plate after plate of nutritious dishes filled the table. It was clear Nicole had put a lot of effort into caring for Anby—each dish could easily be considered a premium supplement.
Of course, it probably wasn't cheap either. But that didn't matter—Nicole had money, and besides, she had managed to snag herself a golden goose like Zhong Yan.
After dinner, Zhong Yan said goodbye to Anby. The child in her belly would be born in a few short months. As the father, Zhong Yan believed it was time to start preparing.
And so, time quietly slipped by as he made his plans.
...
Half a month later, one afternoon, Zhong Yan was sitting on the subway heading home.
Winters in New Eridu were harsh, but the subway ran with heated interiors twenty-four hours a day. Not only did it stave off the cold, but it made people sleepy as well.
Just as Zhong Yan's eyes were starting to close completely, the vibration of his phone startled him awake.
He unlocked the screen and saw a message from Wise.
It was a little surprising—usually, when the Phaethon siblings contacted him, it was Belle doing the messaging. This time, it was Wise.
[Wise: Zhong Yan, the official organization has invited us to take part in a massive operation in Hollow Zero. Apparently, the ether activity there has dropped significantly, so the Hollow Special Operations Section 6 is planning to lead us deeper inside.]
[Wise: Technically, you should be on the team for this mission, but for some reason Belle won't let me tell you. She just pulled a few random agents from the ropes net instead.]
[Wise: I know something must've happened between you two. As her brother, I won't just let you hurt my sister. But I also know she really cares about you. So I think… maybe you two should find time to talk.]
Wise had sent a string of messages. Zhong Yan stared at them, lost in thought.
Belle's reaction wasn't entirely unexpected, but he still didn't know how he should approach the conversation.
At this point, it seemed like he had no choice but to wait.
Still, they were about to venture into the deeper zones of Hollow Zero—an area infamous for its overwhelming number of Ethereals and its dangerously high threat level.
So Zhong Yan decided to watch over them from the shadows, just in case something went wrong.