Lin Xiaoxiao shook her head. "No. We'll wait for Zhou Huai'an to name them."

After all, it was easy enough to change a child's registered name later before they started school. But she was firm on this—Zhou Huai'an should be the one to choose their names.

Everyone understood what she meant. The calmer she appeared, the more it weighed on their hearts.

Li Yunlan, holding the second baby, suggested gently, "Xiaoxiao, with three children, why don't you name one—let that one take your surname—and we can wait for Huai'an to name the other two?"

But Lin Xiaoxiao remained stubborn. "No. We wait for Zhou Huai'an. I'm sure he's already thought of names."

Lin Wenbin knew that once his sister dug her heels in, no one could change her mind. He quickly changed the subject. "Let's focus on you getting some rest now. The doctor said if everything looks good, you can go home tomorrow."

Since she'd had a natural delivery, she could be discharged as long as no complications arose.

Lin Wenbin, however, was still preoccupied with the three intruders. Once Lin Xiaoxiao fell asleep, with Li Yunlan and the housekeeper watching the babies, he stepped out to talk with Zhou Zhennan.

Zhou Zhennan knew what was on his mind. "I've already launched an investigation. The Hu family isn't ready to let go. But after this, they will be completely neutralized—no one will dare try anything again. We were careless this time. We didn't expect they'd still seek revenge after everything."

Lin Wenbin said nothing more. He didn't know much about the Hu family, and he likely never would. But there was still Cheng Mingyue to deal with.

He was certain she had something to do with the fire the other night. What role had she played?

Cheng Mingyue wanted her son to attend school in Beijing, didn't she? Well, Lin Wenbin would make sure that her son never got that chance. And as for Cheng Mingyue herself—did she really think she could just leave Beijing unscathed? Dream on.

Zhou Zhennan's investigation hadn't found evidence linking Cheng Mingyue to the attack, but Lin Wenbin was convinced she was involved—or at the very least, knew about it.

On the afternoon of the second day of the New Year, Lin Xiaoxiao returned home with her three babies.

Worried that Li Yunlan might overexert herself, Zhou Zhennan asked a relative—his cousin Zhou Liyun—to help out. She was a kind-faced woman in her forties, gentle in both speech and manner.

The house felt livelier with three newborns, but Lin Xiaoxiao was quieter than ever. She noticed Zhou Xiaohong wasn't there, but she didn't ask.

By the third day, Lin Xiaoxiao still hadn't produced any breast milk. The babies were being fed formula, and Zhou Liyun was growing concerned. "Formula alone isn't enough, Xiaoxiao. Maybe you should try more pig trotter soup? I've heard there are herbal remedies that can help with lactation—I could get some."

But Li Yunlan understood—this was more than a physical issue. Lin Xiaoxiao was heart-sick. Zhou Huai'an's sudden departure had hit her hard, even if she wouldn't admit it.

What woman wouldn't feel hurt if her husband left while she was giving birth?

Fighting back tears, Li Yunlan slipped out of the room to find Zhou Zhennan. "Any news from Huai'an? Can we contact him? He needs to know Xiaoxiao and the babies are safe."

Zhou Zhennan shook his head. "It's against protocol. We can't break radio silence. You have to stay strong. Don't let Xiaoxiao see how upset you are—it'll only make her feel worse."

Meanwhile, Zhou Huai'an hadn't slept for two nights. His thoughts occasionally drifted to Lin Xiaoxiao and the baby—were they alright? Had the baby been born? Was it a boy or a girl? But he could only allow himself a moment's distraction before forcing his focus back to the mission—the situation could escalate at any time.

The one surprise was running into Zhou Xiaocheng.

Command had told him they were assigning him a new partner—someone with extensive undercover experience, familiar with enemy intelligence, skilled in stealth and tracking enemy radio signals. They'd deliberately kept the identity a secret.

Zhou Huai'an finally met Zhou Xiaocheng on the morning of the third day of the New Year. The Lancang River glittered under the rising sun.

Zhou Xiaocheng stood in uniform, his features sharp and confident. He smiled at Zhou Huai'an, then straightened up and saluted. "Scout One, Zhou Xiaocheng, requesting to rejoin the team!"

Zhou Huai'an was stunned. He had imagined meeting Zhou Xiaocheng before, wondering what his twin brother would be like.

But facing him now—a mirror image of himself—he was momentarily speechless.

Zhou Xiaocheng grinned. "I should call you ge, shouldn't I? Surprised? I was too when they assigned me to work with you. But I'm glad to see you."

He extended a hand. "I'm happy we finally get to meet like this."

Zhou Huai'an pressed his lips together, then shook his hand. "You shouldn't have come. It's dangerous here." His concern was simple—he didn't want his brother caught in the crossfire.

Zhou Xiaocheng laughed softly. "I've heard about you for years. I've always admired you. I guess being twins means we're connected in ways we don't even understand."

Zhou Huai'an wasn't much of a talker, but Zhou Xiaocheng was. The two brothers sat by the Lancang River and talked about everything—the past, the future, the war.

But neither mentioned their family. It was an unspoken agreement—some things were too precious, too fragile to bring into a place like this. They both knew this mission could mean never leaving the banks of the Lancang.

Back in Beijing, on the fifth day of the New Year, the Zhou family received another wave of visitors. Everyone had heard about the triplets and came with gifts and tonics. The babies were still too small to be seen, so guests stayed downstairs briefly before leaving.

Li Yunlan was feeling better—she was taking her medicine and was in good spirits, especially with three newborns to dote on. She often shared bits of gossip with Lin Xiaoxiao to lighten the mood.

Zhou Liyun also enjoyed chatting. While Li Yunlan talked, she would chime in with additional details—whose daughter-in-law had caused a scene at her parents' house, whose son had gotten into trouble using his father's name.

At one point, Li Yunlan sighed. "The Luo family is really pushing Xiao Ran into marriage."

Zhou Liyun knew all about Luo Anran and Zhou Xiaocheng—how they'd grown up together and were deeply in love. But with Xiaocheng gone, it made sense for Xiao Ran to move on, though she didn't like the family Luo had chosen for her. "Xiao Ran is such a sweet girl. If she marries into the Geng family, what kind of life will she have?"

Lin Xiaoxiao usually wasn't interested in other people's gossip, but the name caught her attention. "Xiao Ran agreed to this?"

From what Zhou Xiaoling had said, their relationship had been very strong.

Zhou Liyun sighed. "She must have. The wedding is set for the eighth. Can you believe it? So rushed. People are saying it's because she's pregnant and they have to marry quickly."