We're Willing to Acknowledge Lou Yu (continued)

I should have used this trick!

The Second Cub, sitting next to Tao Qiu, scratched his face in apparent confusion. "Why does Lou Yu look so much like the three of us?"

Third Cub said, "Humans all have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, so it's normal for them to look alike, right?"

Second Cub still seemed confused. "But the people in TV dramas don't look like us."

Third Cub frowned. "Then I don't know. Maybe some people look a lot like their father, and some don't. Like us, we look a lot like our father."

"We look like Dad because we are Dad's children." The Eldest Cub pointed out the key point, "It's said in cartoons that children look like their parents because they are related to their parents by blood."

Second Cub exclaimed in surprise, "Oh right, I remember this episode too! It's about an old woman who meets a woman on the street and realizes that the woman looks a lot like her when she was young. She goes to the hospital for a checkup and finds out that the woman is her long-lost child!"

Third Cub counted on his fingers, going through the logic. "Children look like their parents. We look like our fathers because we are their children. So Lou Yu looks like us..."

Second Cub was shocked. "Lou Yu is our child?"

"Pfft!" Tao Qiu laughed out loud, "You little fools, Lou Yu is so many years older than you, how could he be your son?"

The kids' act of feigning ignorance was brilliant; it perfectly matched the occasional whimsical ideas of children, successfully reducing the possibility that Tao Qiu would suspect them.

The Eldest Cub joined in the feigning ignorance. "Lou Yu isn't our child, but he looks like us. Could we be his children?"

Upon hearing this, Tao Qiu and her children all fell silent.

Tao Qiu's silence stemmed from his excitement that the unspoken understanding was finally about to be revealed, while the boys remained silent, waiting for Tao Qiu's reaction. If Tao Qiu didn't speak, they had their next plan. In short, they had decided that Lou Yu their father today!

Fortunately, Tao Qiu spoke up, looking at his children with barely concealed excitement, "My darlings, don't you think there's a possibility that you are Lou Yu and my children, and that Lou Yu and I are both your fathers?"

The children all looked at Tao Qiu, their eyes wide and mouths agape, with expressions of disbelief.

The Second Cub continued his acting, laughing dryly, "Dad's just joking with us, right? Dad and Lou Yu are both men, two men can't have babies."

Third Cub chimed in, "In TV dramas and cartoons, it's always the father and mother who are together before the mother gives birth to the baby. The Little Snake's mother is also a female snake."

The Eldest Cub quickly followed suit. "Could it be that Lou Yu is actually a girl? And Dad was lying to us when he said he was a boy?"

Tao Qiu was amused by her children's guesses and felt very relaxed. Things that she had initially thought were difficult to talk about no longer seemed impossible to bring up.

He said softly to his children, "Although it sounds absurd, Lou Yu and I are indeed your fathers, and the three of you are my children."

This time, the kids were genuinely surprised; they had previously thought Lou Yu was the one who had given birth to them.

It seems that their initial thoughts were closest to the truth; they initially believed they were born of their fathers. However, the more they learned about the world, the more they missed the correct answer.

Tao Qiu said, "Of course, almost all women in the world who are capable of bearing children are still women; I am an exception."

Having chosen to be honest, Tao Qiu no longer hid anything and told the three boys the general process of how she had a premonition of death, ate the glowing fruit, saved Lou Yu and had a relationship with him, planted crops to save her life, and how she and Lou Yu went from misunderstanding to confessing their feelings and falling in love.

Hearing that their father had almost died, the children disregarded everything else and rushed to Tao Qiu's side, checking him over from all angles.

"Dad, are you really alright?" Eldest Cub's voice trembled slightly. Was he worried? Tao Qiu didn't want them to be sad, so she used a white lie to comfort them.

Second Cub's eyes reddened. "We didn't know before, did Daddy feel scared all alone back then?"

Third Cub pouted, as if he was about to cry, "Give all our fruit to Daddy, don't let Daddy die, and don't let Daddy suffer."

"Oh my, how come our babies are all so good? Daddy almost wants to cry too." Tao Qiu hugged his three little ones and patted their heads.

"Don't worry, Dad didn't lie. I'm really all better now. Dad wants to stay with you all for a very, very long time. I won't die anytime soon. I was indeed scared when I was alone before, but now I have you all. You love Dad so much, even if the sky falls, Dad can hold it up."

The children buried their faces in Tao Qiu, drawing a sense of security from him, and in return, they gave him love and courage.

The Eldest Cub looked up, his eyes reddening, but he wasn't acting this time. He sincerely asked Tao Qiu, "Dad, do you like Lou Yu? Like a partner?"

"Of course," Tao Qiu replied sincerely. "I love him very much, and he loves me very much too. If nothing unexpected happens, I will spend my whole life with him."

The Second Cub and Third Cub understood what their older brother meant.

Second Cub said, "Since Daddy likes Lou Yu, we'll like him too."

The Third Cub added, "As long as Daddy wants it, we're willing to acknowledge Lou Yu as our father."

After hearing Tao Qiu's explanation, the children realized that they had misunderstood Lou Yu. Lou Yu had no idea that his father was pregnant. After he and his father fell in love, his father had observed him for a period of time and felt that he would be a good father before telling Lou Yu about their existence.

Lou Yu also loves them very much and treats them very well.

Perhaps there's a possibility that their affection extended to Lou Yu because of Tao Qiu's love for him, just as their dislike for Lou Yu lessened as a result.

They and Lou Yu had one thing in common: they all deeply loved Tao Qiu, which is why they were willing to acknowledge Lou Yu as their father.

Tao Qiu felt uneasy at his children's words. He said, "My darlings, Dad knows you love me, but if you don't want to acknowledge Lou Yu, we'll maintain the status quo. Don't force yourselves for my sake. The reason I didn't tell you until today is so that you could make a decision after you understand Lou Yu well enough. Dad doesn't want you to suffer."

As soon as Tao Qiu finished speaking, the Eldest Cub immediately said, "Dad, we didn't force ourselves or feel wronged. We voluntarily acknowledged Lou Yu. While it's partly because we love you, we genuinely believe Lou Yu is a good person and capable of being a good father to us, which is why we're willing to acknowledge him."

"Yes, yes," the Second Cub chimed in, "We've seriously considered it. Having another dad will only benefit us, not harm us."

The Third Cub proudly declared, "We're smart and capable. Even if Lou Yu out badly in the future, we can just beat him up before getting rid of him. It won't affect anything."

Tao Qiu chuckled. If Lou Yu heard what Third Cub said, he would probably make him cry in his arms, feeling wronged.

"Dad is overthinking it. My darlings are very thoughtful; Dad doesn't need to worry about them at all."

The Second Cub, with his sweetest tongue, said, "Dad thinks of us so much because he loves us. Dad is the best dad in the world!"

Tao Qiu kissed each of their cheeks. "My darlings are the best little ones in the world."

A major issue that had been weighing on their minds was finally resolved, and Tao Qiu and her children breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to put on an act.

By the second day, Tao Qiu had calmed down and thought more deeply.

He said to the boys, "Yesterday's conversation was a bit rushed and sudden. You can take your time to consider it before Lou Yu's next visit. Even if you change your mind at the last minute before seeing him, that's okay. Boldly express your true wishes, alright?"

The kids didn't say they would never go back on their word, but instead obediently nodded in agreement.

In fact, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will have no reason to back out.

With Lou Yu joining their family, not only can their father prevent them from finding more rivals, but it also means they have another person who loves their father.

My father worked so hard before, and he's such a good person. He deserves to be loved by so many more people.

Second Cub excitedly raised his hand and said, "If we don't back out, when Lou Yu arrives, can we go pick him up instead? We want to give him a surprise."

This was something the three kids had secretly planned. They really wanted to give Lou Yu, their rival who had always been vying for their father's affections, a unique and memorable first meeting.

Tao Qiu had no idea that beneath the smiling faces of her children lay a heart set on playing a prank on their own father; she thought they genuinely wanted to give Lou Yu a surprise.

"Great, he'll definitely be very happy."

The kids' smiles grew even sweeter. "We'll definitely make him beam with joy!"

Tao Qiu's situation is progressing smoothly, enveloped in a bubble of happiness. She's just waiting for Lou Yu to come over next time so the family of five can truly reunite.

However, the situation at the human base was not optimistic, and Lou Yu's predicament also worsened as a result.

The problem arose because some crops in the planting area had issues. While they weren't diseased, the heading rate of wheat and rice was less than ideal, and the number of empty ears was also high. This means that the final yield of these two crops is unlikely to be very high.

Lou Quan was so worried about this that he couldn't sleep for nights on end, and the base's higher-ups were also anxious and upset.

They absolutely cannot afford the consequences if they fail to fulfill their promises to the people.

Little did they know that while the higher-ups were racking their brains trying to find a solution, news of the crop's impending yield reduction spread throughout the entire base overnight, and promotional leaflets with fresh pictures and explanations were distributed everywhere—as if they were afraid someone wouldn't see them.

After the crop problems occurred, Lou Quan instructed all employees in the planting area to maintain strict confidentiality. The fact that the news has spread so quickly and in such detail indicates there must be a traitor within the company.

Lou Quan quickly sent people to investigate and found the undercover agent, but the person disappeared after the incident. There were no records of him entering or leaving the main gate, so it was unknown whether he was still hiding in the base or had already infiltrated.