Chapter 437: Chapter 437: Owning the Whole World
A month later.
Lin Qi left the maternity center and moved back home.
Over the past month, Huo Tingdong had been so busy that he was at his wits’ end.
Aside from handling company matters, he also had to prepare for the wedding.
He decided to hold the wedding and the baby’s hundred-day celebration on the same day.
The wedding would take place in the morning, and the celebration would happen in the evening.
Actually, the wedding preparations were almost complete. But along with those tasks, he had taken on another role.
They say a man: only officially levels up to being a proper “Daddy of the Year” after experiencing his wife’s ten tough months of pregnancy, personally accompanying her through it, preparing for delivery, supporting her postpartum breastfeeding period, and meticulously taking care of both wife and baby.
Though Huo Tingdong was a mastermind on the stage of fame and fortune, when it came to being a dad, he was still a rookie.
Sure, it wasn’t his first time being a father, but this was his debut in looking after two young babies who were both still breastfeeding.
Despite pulling all-nighters to study caregiving tips and building up his psychological preparedness beforehand, moving back home from the maternity center had left him caught entirely off guard.
Who knows which sage gave him this advice no doubt—once the baby turns one month old, it’s prime time to bond!
So, he handed Xiao Bao to the two nannies and decided to personally care for his daughter.
After careful consideration, he finally placed Yinyin’s crib in his bedroom.
The master bedroom was spacious.
It featured a mini lounge area, a study, a walk-in closet, an ensuite bathroom, and was large enough to accommodate two king-sized beds. Adding a baby crib was more than manageable.
The little one needed milk every two to three hours. Babies this young have tiny stomachs, meaning they can only drink so much in one go before soon growing hungry again.
During the day, Lin Qi usually felt more energetic. While he was at work, she personally breastfed Yinyin.
But come nighttime, Lin Qi needed more rest. She rarely woke up to feed the baby. Since giving birth, her sleep quality had deteriorated. If she woke at night, she would struggle to fall back asleep. So, feeding the baby became his duty, while her task was merely to wear earplugs and enjoy a full night’s restful sleep.
Initially, Lin Qi felt bad for him. His workload at the company wasn’t light, and taking care of the little one at night in addition was exhausting. She thought, since there were nannies in the house, they might as well look after both kids together. Otherwise, working during the day and feeding at night was simply too much for him.
Until—
She uncovered the small scheme he had thought up in his heart.
Turns out, he actually quite enjoyed the “Daddy of the Year” role!
Primarily because Yinyin was too well-behaved. She drank milk so quietly.
In the dead of night, holding her, watching her drink milk—his heart felt a sense of serenity!
Besides, at this stage, little babies slowly start recognizing people. Naturally, he wanted to take this chance to strengthen his bond with the little princess!
Thus, fueled by this selfish motivation, the newly appointed Daddy officially began his baby care journey!
Over time, he figured out his little princess’s routines.
Yinyin, in particular, had a precise and punctual feeding schedule.
Each night, come 2 AM sharp, Yinyin would kick her little legs right on time, demanding milk.
It felt as though this tiny little one had arrived specifically to drain his excess energy!
And you know what—they had such a funny dynamic. Despite being such a tiny dumpling, she’d already been pampered into a little princess. If she cried, he had to appear immediately to hold her and soothe her for one or two minutes. If he was late by even a few minutes, her cries would escalate to ear-piercing levels!
Huo Tingdong had long developed a conditioned reflex. The moment the little princess let out a whimper, he would wake up, fearing that a delay of one or two minutes would disturb Lin Qi’s sleep.
Eventually, even without her crying, he would automatically wake up at 2 AM, groggily opening his eyes, practically sleepwalking to the crib, and effortlessly scooping up his daughter in his arms.
That night, Huo Tingdong woke up two minutes late. As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard Yinyin starting to cry.
He immediately, hair all disheveled, cradled his daughter in his arms. Yawning, he softly soothed: “Yes, yes… Princess, your humble servant has arrived late to your rescue. Guilty as charged! Your servant acknowledges my mistake—please forgive me, Your Highness!”
His voice was incomparably hoarse.
The motion-activated nightlight turned on. Lowering his gaze, he saw Yinyin’s face flushed red from crying, looking as though she’d suffered some grave injustice!
With one arm, Huo Tingdong held her while his other hand prepared the formula—mixing, testing the temperature, and adjusting it. As Momo put it—he was alarmingly skillful, to a point that made one’s heart ache.
Her hunger had reached a peak, and she was crying more intensely.
Huo Tingdong quickly popped the bottle’s nipple into her mouth.
Yinyin instinctively sucked on it, her tiny hands clutching the bottle tightly, drinking obediently. As she sucked away, a crystal-clear tear clung to the corner of her eye.
Holding her in his arms, he sat down on the couch, leaned forward, and watched her drink milk.
The baby’s eyes, still red from crying just now, now drank urgently, gulping down large mouthfuls.
Huo Tingdong couldn’t help but laugh. He reached out and gently brushed her nose.
“What a little glutton!”
Watching her drink milk, he felt his heart swell to the brim, filled with something indescribably wonderful.
Meanwhile, her eyes stayed locked on him as she drank.
Father and daughter stared at each other for a long time.
When she finally finished her milk, she lifted the bottle as if to tell Daddy she had obediently finished it all!
But the bottle still had some weight to it, and her tiny hands weren’t steady enough—she almost dropped it.
Huo Tingdong quickly caught it in time.
Yinyin’s eyes sparkled, seemingly impressed by his swift move. She even smiled amid her tears!
Seeing her smile, he felt his entire world light up.
How could his daughter be so adorable and have such a beautiful smile?
Holding her in his arms filled him with a unique sense of accomplishment—something entirely different from achieving success in his other roles.
He was a man with a strong desire to conquer.
From his earliest memories, he’d been ambitious, striving to conquer the world.
This brought him a sense of achievement.
But the achievement of being her dad was different. Compared to conquering the world, having a daughter like her felt like he’d gained the whole world.
The door to the second bedroom suddenly opened.
Momo woke up in the middle of the night and overheard the commotion outside. He pushed the door open and stepped out, only to see Huo Tingdong in the living room holding Yinyin, having just finished feeding her.
His sleepiness evaporated instantly as he ran over to Huo Tingdong, reaching out to hold his little sister.
Seeing Momo, whose eyes struggled to stay open, one squinting and the other barely open, his eyelids looked so puffed they couldn’t lift. Huo Tingdong said, irritated, “If you’re tired, go back to bed.”
Momo replied, “I just want to hold my sister…”
But Huo Tingdong protectively shielded her, saying, “It’s not like you don’t get chances! You can hold her during the day. Daddy only gets to hold her more at night.”