Lin Wenbin couldn't shake off the man wrestling with him. He watched in horror as another intruder raised a syringe and charged toward the babies—not to kidnap them, but to kill them.

With a final burst of strength, he broke free and landed a hard punch to his opponent's temple. When he turned, he saw Lin Xiaoxiao—somehow already on her feet—moving with shocking speed. In the blink of an eye, she had the man in a chokehold and plunged the needle deep into his neck. It happened so fast it left him stunned.

Exhausted, Lin Xiaoxiao watched the man collapse, then sank weakly to the floor. She looked at Lin Wenbin, covered in blood, and asked quietly, "Where is Zhou Huai'an?"

Outside, footsteps pounded and voices shouted in alarm. Just then, Zhou Zhennan rushed in with several others. He took in the bloody scene—Lin Wenbin drenched in red, Lin Xiaoxiao slumped on the floor, utterly spent. "Quick, get a doctor!" he ordered.

Lin Wenbin waved a hand. "It's nothing—just a scratch on my back. Most of this blood isn't mine." He struggled to his feet and helped Lin Xiaoxiao up.

She had already sensed something was wrong. "Zhou Huai'an isn't here?"

Lin Wenbin nodded. "He was called away. An urgent mission."

Lin Xiaoxiao fell silent, allowing him to guide her back to the bed. Her eyelids felt heavy, her body hollowed out.

After a moment, she turned to look at the three babies sleeping peacefully in their bassinet, completely unaware of the danger they had just faced.

"Are the children alright?"

Lin Wenbin had expected his sister to break down in tears upon hearing Zhou Huai'an was gone.

After all, she had just been through a life-threatening ordeal—wasn't it natural to want the father of her children by her side?

Instead, she had absorbed the news in silence, remaining eerily calm.

"They're fine," he assured her quickly. "Two boys and a girl. All of them beautiful."

Zhou Zhennan, hearing the babies' genders for the first time, breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped closer. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. When I heard about the fire, I went to get security. I didn't expect things to escalate so quickly."

In truth, he had reacted as fast as he could. But Li Yunlan's emotional collapse had triggered a recurrence of her brain condition, requiring an emergency consultation with specialists. He had been torn between staying with her and rushing back here. He'd even called home, asking Zhou Bingwen to send reinforcements. When he heard the maternity ward was on fire, he ran straight to security and raced upstairs—but it still hadn't been fast enough.

If Lin Wenbin hadn't been here, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Seeing Zhou Zhennan's guilt, Lin Wenbin reassured him, "It's alright. I wasn't going to let anything happen to my sister or these kids. If they'd tried to take them, I would've hunted them to the ends of the earth."

He walked over and kicked one of the unconscious men on the floor for good measure.

Lin Xiaoxiao, leaning weakly against the pillows, overheard their conversation and struggled to sit up. "What's wrong with Mom?"

Zhou Zhennan sighed softly. "When Huai'an left and you went into labor, the stress was too much for her. She collapsed. Her brain tumor... it might be coming back."

Lin Xiaoxiao grew tense. "How is she now? Is it serious?"

Lin Wenbin knew what his sister was thinking. As a skilled neurosurgeon herself, she wouldn't stand by while Li Yunlan suffered. But in her current state, how could she help? Could she even stand at an operating table?

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is the best hospital in Beijing. She'll be fine. You need to rest now and save your strength—the babies will need to be fed soon."

Zhou Zhennan nodded in agreement. "Yes, don't worry. I'll take care of your mother."

He then called for security to remove the three unconscious intruders and take them to a secure location. Once they were gone, the room fell quiet.

Zhou Zhennan finally had a chance to look closely at the three newborns. They were so small, sleeping with tiny wrinkled brows. He couldn't help but smile faintly at the numbers inked on their foreheads—clearly marking the order of their birth.

Looking at them, he thought about how much had changed in just one night. What should have been a joyful celebration had turned into a nightmare. His eyes grew moist. He turned to Lin Xiaoxiao. "You've been through so much, Xiaoxiao. I'm sorry."

Lin Xiaoxiao forced a faint smile. "We're family, Dad. There's no need for apologies. These are my children—every bit of pain was worth it. You should go check on Mom. I'll be fine here."

Although worried about Li Yunlan, Zhou Zhennan waited until the guards sent by Zhou Bingwen had taken their posts outside the door before finally leaving.

Lin Wenbin stepped out to inspect the guards—standing tall and alert like sentinels on either side of the door—then returned to the room satisfied. He grumbled to Lin Xiaoxiao, "If they'd posted guards like this earlier, I wouldn't have gotten stabbed."

Only then did Lin Xiaoxiao remember her brother's injury. "You should go get your wound treated. I'm fine, and the babies are quiet."

Instead of leaving, Lin Wenbin pulled a chair up to her bedside. "If you're hurting, just let it out.

I'm here. You don't have to hide your feelings."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't answer. She just sat in silence, staring down at her hands resting on the blanket.

Lin Wenbin's heart ached for her. Even as a child, she had always bottled up her sadness, dealing with it alone in quiet solitude.

He gently ruffled her hair. "Silly girl. It's okay to cry. I'm right here. Remember when you were little, and Dad had to leave for that international medical mission on your birthday? You acted like it was nothing when you said goodbye, but then you hid in the attic all upset because he'd promised to take you to Disney. And who ended up taking you? Me."

"You still got to see your princesses. You still had a happy birthday."

Lin Xiaoxiao remained silent, studying her fingers. She did feel wronged, but she was afraid that if she spoke, she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears.

Lin Wenbin squeezed her hand. "Alright, you don't have to talk. Get some rest. I'll go get patched up."

But before he could stand, the three quiet babies suddenly began to cry—first Baby #1, then #2, and finally the little girl, their cries soft and kitten-like.

Lin Wenbin shook his head in mock exasperation. "Well, there goes my break. See? You still need your big brother when it counts."

When Lin Xiaoxie tried to get up, he gently pressed her back down. "Stay put. I can handle this. I do know a thing or two about babies."