Chapter 1296 - Happiness Breeds Complacence

It was already past midnight when the people in the waiting lounge area outside the delivery room heard about the good news. Dom was the bearer of the happy announcement, instantly dispelling the heavy atmosphere that pervaded the long, agonizing wait for almost the entire day.

Booming laughter resounded.

"Bahahahahaha! Did you hear that? A boy! When can this old man see my great-grandson? Hurry up and tell me! I want to know!"

"Don't worry, Grandpa Boss!" Dom assured the delighted old man. "I'll bring you in later when all the necessary medical examinations are completed."

"Good! Very good! Bahahahaha!" Grandpa Lu's smile almost stretched from ear to ear.

"How's my sister?" Lu Zihao asked.

"Don't worry, Big Brother Boss! Everything went fine. No complications whatsoever. Everyone is healthy. Boss went to sleep right after breastfeeding for the first time."

Lu Zihao's scary expression eased a lot.

"Oh, that's a relief!" Huang Yuyan exclaimed. "I'm so glad that Xiulan and my grandson are both safe and healthy. Thank you for letting us know, Dominic. I know that my son doesn't want to leave his wife's side even for just a second."

"Ehehehe. No worries! This is what I should do."

Grandma Li was not present. She had already gone to sleep. Unlike the sprightly Grandpa Lu, her energy level was already nose-diving due to her advanced age.

Long Tengfei had fallen asleep on the couch but Yang Jiahui woke him up just in time to hear Dom's announcement.

As for Meimei, the overworked webtoon artist had already fallen asleep in Little Jun's room in the middle of talking to Jiang Ying Yue.

Dom returned inside the delivery inside and came out again soon afterwards. His expression was sheepish when he faced the others.

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"I'm sorry," he said. "Sir boss says that it's already very late and that everyone should sleep tonight first. You can meet the baby tomorrow."

"WHAT?!!!" Grandpa Lu roared. "Tell that pinhead to come out! This old man wants to meet my great-grandson now!"

"I'm sorry, Grandpa boss. But sir boss says that he won't change his mind."

Before the old man could throw a tantrum, a firm and heavy hand pressed down on his shoulder.

"Old man, just sleep," Lu Zihao said. "You're tired waiting but my sister should be the most exhausted among us. She had been in labour for almost the whole day. Third Brother stayed with her the entire time so he must be tired as well. Both of them are not in any condition to entertain us."

"Zihao is right," Huang Yuyan interjected. "Uncle, let's go to sleep first. It's just a few hours anyway. We can meet my grandson first thing in the morning."

"Hai, fine!" Grandpa Lu sighed. His shoulders slumped with regret but he quickly perked up. "By tomorrow, I'll have the perfect name for my precious baby great-grandson! That stinky boy and Xiulan my girl asked their beloved Grandpa Lu to name their baby! Yes, that's right. Watch this old man choose the best name for your grandson, Yuyan! Bahahahaha!"

"I'm looking forward to it, Uncle."

Nearby, Long Tengfei looked jealous.

"What's wrong?" Yang Jiahui asked him in a whisper.

"I wanted to be the one to name my grandson," he muttered. "How come my daughter didn't ask me?"

She sighed and patted his arm. She couldn't bear to tell her husband that his daughter was closer to her in-laws than to her maiden family. He already knew it, though.

Now that he was at this age, she knew that her husband had a lot of regrets when it came to his relationships with his children. Fortunately, he was doing his best now to make amends and become closer to each of his four children. It was better late than never.

"Let's go to sleep, too," Yang Jiahui said. "The earlier we sleep, the earlier we'll wake up, and the earlier we'll meet your grandson."

Long Tengfei nodded.

Everyone headed to their own assigned bedrooms. Nobody wanted to leave the mansion, not because of the late hour but because they wanted to meet Iris and Jin Liwei's newborn as soon as possible in the morning.

Lu Zihao was the only one left in the waiting lounge area. He stood by the huge windows and gazed at the starless night sky outside. His hand fished something from his jeans pocket.

It was the Smoking Devil.

He rubbed it between his fingers while reminiscing about the past.

The memories of his beautiful little sister with her golden locks and bright emerald eyes played in his mind.

The times when she sneaked in his room and asked him to play with her.

The times when she ran to him while crying after being frightened by horned animals.

The times when she showed off a new computer that she assembled herself.

The times when she performed a new original composition in the piano to him as the sole audience.

The times when she sought him to comfort her whenever their mother punished (tortured) her for refusing to work for the family organization.

All these memories might not always be joyful but each and every one of them was precious to him.

He only had this one beloved little sister who he was lucky enough to meet again in their new, second chance in life after their tragic past life as the crown prince and sheltered princess of the infamous Vetrovs.

"I can't believe that you've now become a mother, Evelinka," he murmured in Russian. "And I, too, will soon become a father."

Happiness began to spread inside him. But before it could fill him completely, the faint sparkle from the bejewelled Smoking Devil caught his eyes.

The Smoking Devil was a direct remnant of his life as Nikolai Vetrov.

His mind cleared. The happiness was ruthlessly tamped down.

Happiness bred complacence.

He couldn't be complacent.

Never.

He glanced at the closed door of the delivery room.

"Jin Liwei, take care of my sister and your children."

Then he added, "And ifsomething happens to me, I know that you'll take care of my woman and my children as well."

He returned the Smoking Devil inside his pocket and walked along the empty hallway.

Yes, the road to hell only needed one person to walk it.

Him.

While carrying the bloody heads of all his enemies.