TLN: Gu Lulu is an onomatopoeia for the rumbling of stomach or a dove’s coo

When Lu Yunian woke up, the room was filled with the rich scent of Alpha pheromones enveloping the weakened Omega. Though the soothing pheromones helped his body enter a faster self-recovery mode, Lu Yunian nervously clutched the bedsheet, eyeing Gu Zeyu warily as he lay on his side on the sofa with his back turned.

“Gu Zeyu?” The baby slept quietly in the nearby crib. Lu Yunian called the Alpha’s name in a low voice, his peripheral vision constantly checking on the baby, fearing the crazed Alpha might snatch the child away upon realizing he was awake.

Gu Zeyu’s shoulders moved, but he didn’t turn around.

“Gu Zeyu.” Lu Yunian raised his voice. The person on the sofa rolled over, one arm dangling off the edge. His head rested on an octopus pillow, drool soaking half of it as he slept foolishly.

Lu Yunian’s tension eased, replaced by a wave of weakness. He glanced back at the chubby little baby, who was smacking his lips with drool at the corner of his mouth just like his father. Lu Yunian muttered under his breath, “Big idiot and little idiot.”

When Lu Yunian woke up again, Gu Zeyu was sitting at the bedside holding a book. Seeing him open his eyes, Gu Zeyu anxiously leaned in, nuzzling Lu Yunian’s shoulder and saying placatingly, “You’ve worked so hard. We won’t have any more after this. Gu Lulu is enough.”

“What ‘Lu’?” Lu Yunian propped himself up, pushing Gu Zeyu’s head away in disgust as he asked sternly.

“Gu Lulu! Isn’t it cute? Yesterday the nurse asked if we had named the baby, so I spent all night going through the interstellar dictionary to come up with it.” Gu Zeyu put down “100 Things New Dads Should Know” and rummaged through the scattered books on the floor to find the dictionary, licking his fingertip as he flipped through it earnestly.

“You needed a dictionary for this lousy name?” Lu Yunian snatched the dictionary away, staring in disbelief at the curled page corners.

“Gu, Lu.” Gu Zeyu pointed at his own chest, then poked Lu Yunian’s soft chest, lingering a bit due to how good it felt. “It was originally ‘Gu Lu’, but Eighth Brother said names should roll off the tongue. So we added another ‘Lu’.”

“Why is your surname first?” The irritated Omega didn’t like this weak name at all. He glanced at their son, whose drool had already soaked the small bed, and his annoyance escalated from “I can’t believe I have such an Alpha” to “I can’t believe I have such a son.”

“I suggested ‘Lugu’ too. But Sixth Brother objected… he said hearing ‘skull¹颅骨 (lú gǔ) – skull (of a dead body)‘ makes him want to dissect it.” Gu Zeyu leaned in and kissed the corner of Lu Yunian’s drooping mouth, coaxing in a childish tone, “Why don’t you just bear with it? It’ll pass soon enough.”

Is this something that will pass if I just bear with it? This is going to last a lifetime!

Just as Lu Yunian was about to get angry, the baby let out an ear-splitting cry. Gu Zeyu rushed over but didn’t dare touch the infant, so anxious that he started crying along with Gu Lulu. Lu Yunian reached out to pick up the baby, the soft little bundle pressed against his chest. Smelling the milk, the baby latched on by himself, his cries ceasing as he suckled contentedly.

Gu Zeyu froze for a moment, then slowly made his way along the bed to sit next to Lu Yunian, staring motionlessly as he watched him nurse the baby. The embarrassed Omega angrily chased him out of the room. When he was allowed back in, Gu Lulu’s tiny belly was full, and he lay sound asleep in the crib.

Lu Yunian tidied his clothes, once again becoming the cold-faced General. Seeing Gu Zeyu about to pounce as he entered, he barked, “Stand over there. Stay away from me. I have something to say to you.”

Gu Zeyu obediently stood in place like a child awaiting the teacher’s punishment.

“I gave birth to this child, so only I get to choose the name. If you want to call him Gu Lulu or Lugu, fine, I don’t care about nicknames.”

“Mm.” Gu Zeyu nodded.

“I’ll hire a professional Beta nanny. Don’t cause trouble for her. I’m hiring someone to take care of the baby, not you.” Seeing that Gu Zeyu was listening, Lu Yunian continued.

“Mm.” Gu Zeyu nodded again.

“When there’s nothing to do, stay away from the baby. You’re so clumsy – if such a small child gets bumped or hurt, you can’t bear that responsibility. Neither can your twelve brothers.” With each sentence Lu Yunian spoke, Gu Zeyu’s face paled a shade, but as the baby’s father, he had to lay down some rules. “If anyone harms my child, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

This time, Gu Zeyu’s response came slowly, but he eventually squeezed out a “Mm” through gritted teeth.

Lu Yunian had many more things to say, but they all got stuck in his throat. In the end, he decided to take it step by step. With a cold snort and a wave of his hand, he said, “That’s all for now.”

Gu Zeyu remained standing in place, head lowered and motionless for a long while. Lu Yunian felt a twinge of guilt, but he was not one to speak soft words. The two remained at an impasse for some time before Gu Zeyu slowly raised his head, tears welling up in his eyes as he timidly asked, “Can I… hold him?”

Lu Yunian’s instinct was to say no; he knew all too well how careless Gu Zeyu could be. But as the words reached his lips, he couldn’t bring himself to say them. He sat up cross-legged, leaning against the hospital bed, and patted the space in front of him, telling Gu Zeyu, “Come here.”

Gu Zeyu climbed onto the bed, enveloped in Lu Yunian’s arms. Then, carefully, Lu Yunian lifted the sleeping Gu Lulu and placed him in Gu Zeyu’s arms. Lu Yunian supported Gu Zeyu’s entire body, while Gu Zeyu cradled the little baby – the family of three pressed tightly together.

Sitting behind Gu Zeyu, Lu Yunian couldn’t see his face and wondered if his earlier words had hurt him. He kissed the Alpha’s scent gland to express his reassurance. But then he heard Gu Zeyu’s tone change, becoming cheerful and delighted as he said, “Gu Lulu’s face is so small, not even as big as your palm. Gu Lulu’s little bottom is so soft, softer than your pregnancy pillow. Gu Lulu’s hair is so long, do newborns usually have hair this long?”

“Gu Lulu… Gu Lulu…” Gu Zeyu chattered on endlessly. Lu Yunian’s expression softened as he ruffled the Alpha’s curly hair, pretending to scold him, “Hush, don’t wake him up.”

Gu Zeyu really fell silent. He lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on the baby’s forehead, then turned to quickly peck the Omega’s lips, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Lu Yunian unconsciously tightened his arms, holding both his big idiot and little idiot close. He rested his chin lightly on Gu Zeyu’s shoulder and said softly, “Give me that dictionary of yours later. I’ll think carefully about what formal name to give Gu Lulu.”

TL Notes

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  颅骨 (lú gǔ) – skull (of a dead body)