730 Monkeys and Bulldogs, Gorillas and Warthogs

"These are OUR babies. WE'RE going to have twins." Jin Liwei corrected Iris but she and Dom didn't hear him in their excitement. Ignored to the side, Jin Liwei could only watch their lively interaction.

Dom burst into tears upon looking at the ultrasound photos. "Wuwuwu! Boss, I knew it! You're really pregnant! And with twins! Uwah! I'm so happy for you and sir boss. Look at them. Your babies are so tiny and so cuuuuuute~"

"Cute? Where?" Iris took the photos back from Dom and studied them carefully. She tilted her head to the side as her brows drew together in concentration. Even though she knew that they were her babies, all she could see right now were two indistinct little blobs. Tiny, sure. But cute? She failed to see that. At least, right now.

Still feeling confused, she showed them to Jin Liwei. "Are they really cute?"

"En," he immediately said with a nod. "Very cute."

His response made her even more confused. Dom asked for the photos again so she handed them to him. She contemplated on their reactions while Dom and Ketchup who appeared on the car's dashboard monitor oohed and aahed together at the "cute twins". 

Were they seeing something that she couldn't? Or was this proof that she was going to become a bad mother for failing to see the cuteness of her own babies?

As if reading her mind, Jin Liwei pulled her close to him. "Wait until they come out. Then you'll see how cute our babies are. They're going to be so cute and beautiful, just like you, their mom."

His words immediately made her feel better. She nodded and smiled at him. "Maybe they'll look like you."

"Maybe." His lips curved up. "Or maybe they'll look like a mixture of the two of us."

She nodded and felt her excitement increasing inside her. "Or maybe one will look like you and the other will look like me!"

"That's possible."

"Oh, Liwei. Now I really want to see what they'll look like!"

He kissed her forehead. "Me, too. We'll meet them by next year. We're going to have beautiful babies, love. I just know it."

"No matter what they'll look like, I'll love them," she swore. "It's okay if they're not cute or beautiful. Even if they look like monkeys or bulldogs, I'll still love them because they're our babies. Yours and mine."

Jin Liwei glazed over for a bit. Monkeys and bulldogs? What the…? How could she say that about their babies? Even if it was only said in a hypothetical manner, it was still a bit too…unkind.

"What they look like doesn't matter. Right, darling?" Then she finally noticed his weird expression. Her face fell. "Or do you care that much about their appearance? You won't love them anymore if they're ugly?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?!" he demanded. Her words had forced him to regain his senses. Then he saw her sad expression. 

Was she going to have another mood swing? 

Shit.

"Of course I'll love them," he quickly said. "You don't have to worry about that. I guarantee that I'll love all our children, both cats and humans alike, no matter what they look like. Even if they look like…uh, like gorillas or warthogs, I'll love them all the same and raise them to the best of my ability as their dad."

He observed her, waiting for her expression to improve. But contrary to his expectation, her lips began trembling instead. WHY?!!!

"You're so mean, Liwei. How could you say that our children might look like gorillas and warthogs? You can't say that. You'll hurt their feelings!"

He stared at her open-mouthed and in utter disbelief. How did their conversation devolve to this? HOW?!!!

Tears glistened in her eyes. Then she looked at him with fierce determination. "I don't know how I'll perform as a mother, but I…I promise that I'll do my best to be a good one. I'm scared of failing…b-but I already know that I'll love our babies, even if you, their dad, think that they're ugly!"

What. The. Hell?

Jin Liwei couldn't believe what he was hearing. When did he say that their babies were ugly? Someone enlighten him, please. Wasn't he the one who said that their babies were going to be cute and beautiful?

And correct him if he was wrong, but he wasn't the one who started this whole conversation about loving their babies even if they looked like monkeys and bulldogs. He only followed her example and mentioned gorillas and warthogs without much thought, but apparently that was totally unacceptable. And now he was being branded as a shallow father who only cared about having cute children and despised ugly ones. 

Also, why did she just focus on the part about the gorillas and warthogs? Did she not hear him declaring his love for all their children, cats and humans alike? 

A tear slid down from the corner of her eye, causing an immediate tightening in his chest. Shit. These mood swings were going to be the death of him.

He thought that he was already experienced in dealing with his baby girl's mood swings which happened a few times before when she had really bad cases of PMS. But starting from last night and today, her current mood swings went up on a whole another level. It was like expecting a fierce tigress but getting a fucking Tyrannosaurus rex instead.

Another tear slid down from her other eye. Shit, shit, shit!

He pulled her to his arms and embraced her tightly. To hell with his injuries which were starting to hurt like a son of a bitch again. What to do? His second brother said that upsetting a pregnant woman was a big no-no. He wracked his brain, looking for ways to comfort her.

'Kiss her!' a voice shouted inside his mind. 

Yes! Finding the right words of comfort might fail, but seducing her with a kiss almost always worked in distracting her.