A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!-Chapter 149: By the River

When several men in the hideout who already had children saw his depressed expression, they gently patted his shoulders to comfort him.

"So... is it because of muscles?" Qiong Xing suddenly muttered. "Is it because I don’t have muscles that Cari refuses to recognize me as his mama?"

At this point, even Qiong Xing himself had no idea what he was talking about anymore.

"Calm down," Elias said with a sigh. "If you were a beastman, maybe that would matter. But for humans, the person who is usually called ’Mama’ doesn’t need muscles."

"But! But Cari said he doesn’t want a mama who doesn’t have muscles—!"

"He never said that," Elias interrupted firmly. "Just calm down. Cari never once said he disliked you, did he?"

Did he...?

Qiong Xing paused and tilted his head in confusion.

Had Cari actually said that?

Whe he saw Qiong Xing confused expression, Elias gave a helpless smile.

When Qiong Xing finally relaxed and leaned his head weakly against Elias’s shoulder, Elias gently stroked his hair.

"I know you’re shocked," Elias said softly. "But today, I get to have you all to myself. That’s fine, right?"

When Qiong Xing thought about it, that was true.

He nodded and soon they arrived at a river deep in the forest.

The people from the hideout sometimes came here to bathe.

Elias was still carrying him when he sat down near the water.

As soon as they settled, Elias leaned closer and rubbed his cheek affectionately against Qiong Xing’s head.

"This place is beautiful," Qiong Xing said while looking around. "Do you think there are fish in the river?"

"I’m not sure," Elias replied. "Do you want to eat some?"

Elias laughed as if teasing him as though he found it funny that Qiong Xing was thinking about food instead of the beautiful scenery.

But honestly, that was exactly what Qiong Xing had been thinking, so he didn’t bother denying it.

"Well, if you’re willing to eat it, then I’ll catch some for you," Elias said. "You haven’t been eating much lately, have you? Not like before."

Qiong Xing was about to enter his fourth month of pregnancy.

He was not vomiting from morning sickness, but his appetite had clearly decreased.

Because of that, everyone including Elias was worried about him.

Still, forcing himself to eat would probably only make him throw up, so Qiong Xing tried to eat lighter foods instead such as fruit that was easier to swallow.

"I asked some of the other mothers about it," Qiong Xing said. "It seems like everyone experiences different symptoms. Some people had it much worse than me, so I think I’m actually one of the lucky ones."

"I understand that," Elias replied. "But we’re still worried. Although... I’m glad that you’ve been sleeping more and resting quietly."

Elias said that Qiong Xing had been sleeping more, but that was not entirely true.

Yes, the time he spent sleeping had increased, but that only happened when Elias was nearby.

Whenever Elias was beside him, Qiong Xing felt relieved.

It was as if someone was telling him that it was okay to relax.

Because of that, his body felt lighter and sleepiness would slowly take over.

Even now while they were talking he could feel the gentle wave of drowsiness slowly approaching.

"Are you sleepy?" Elias asked softly. "It’s fine. Just sleep. Don’t push yourself."

"No... I don’t want to," Qiong Xing murmured while forcing his heavy eyelids open. "We finally got to go out together... I don’t want to sleep."

Qiong Xing then placed only his feet into the river as he trying to wake himself up.

The cold water shocked him and immediately cleared his mind.

"This is amazing," he said. "Because the trees cover the area, the water is so cold. It feels really nice."

"Yeah," Elias replied. "Beastmen have higher body temperatures, so we often bathe in rivers like this. But you’ll catch a cold, so don’t try it."

Elias was right.

The cool water felt refreshing, but it would probably be too cold for a full bath.

Qiong Xing nodded obediently and leaned closer to Elias’s chest.

Before, Elias had once told him that beastmen could recognize their destined partners through scent.

Now Qiong Xing understood what he meant.

The pleasant scent coming from Elias surrounded him and it felt incredibly comforting.

"Elias," Qiong Xing asked softly, "do you want a boy or a girl?"

"Either one is fine," Elias answered immediately. "As long as the child is born healthy, that’s enough."

"Then... would you prefer the baby to be human? Or a beastman?"

"Either one is fine," Elias said again. After a short pause, he added quietly, "But... if possible, maybe a human. That way the child won’t have to go through the same things we did."

It seemed that Elias did not have strong preferences.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t want the child.

For him, the most important thing was simply that the baby would be born safely.

Elias gently stroked Qiong Xing’s stomach and the gesture made Qiong Xing feel warm and happy.

He leaned forward and gave Elias a soft kiss that barely touched his lips.

Elias smiled and returned the kiss.

"I’m sure the baby will be cute and look like you, Elias," Qiong Xing said happily.

"If anything, the baby will look like you," Elias replied. "If the kid looks like me, they’ll probably have a scary face and grow up to be an unfriendly brat."

"Hahaha!" Qiong Xing burst into laughter.

It seemed that Elias was a little self-conscious about his sharp eyes.

In truth, Elias had very handsome features.

His slightly fierce gaze only made him look more striking and charismatic.

But apparently, Elias himself did not like it very much.

"I like them," Qiong Xing said gently. "When you smile at me with those beautiful eyes of yours, it makes me very happy."

"...You’re the only one who has ever said something like that," Elias replied quietly.