"I know of a rejuvenation surgery, quite expensive, that can turn a person from an aged state back to a youthful one, and there's also a reverse aging surgery that does the opposite," Jiang Ye said, staring nervously at the dean. "Can our child undergo such a procedure?"
"Of course!" the dean smiled. "In fact, the mechanism of this surgery is the same principle as your child's condition."
Jiang Ye breathed a huge sigh of relief.
As long as immortality was possible, then reversing decades of life wouldn't be a problem.
If one viewed age change as waves, most people started from the trough, while his son started from the crest. After a few cycles of ups and downs, the initial starting point would no longer matter.
"Is there no way to treat it?" Cen Yemeng frowned.
"Not for now," the dean replied. "But please rest assured, the medical conditions on Hal Star can guarantee that your child will be born healthy and grow up healthy. After you return home, you can find some caregivers who specialize in looking after the elderly to care for the child."
"Since this condition is about continuously getting younger, how young will it eventually become? An infant? An embryo? A fertilized egg?" Jiang Ye suddenly thought of something.
"Generally, they don't revert to infancy. They usually pass away around the age of seven or eight, as their organs and brains are also regressing," the dean paused. "Actually, the state of an infant and an elderly person is very similar: both have incomplete bodily functions, both have muddled minds and slow movements, and both require care."
"Alright, thank you. Is there anything else we need to be aware of?" Cen Yemeng asked.
"We also need to discuss the delivery with you," the dean said, taking out a medical contract from his drawer. "I recommend you use artificial amniotic fluid delivery, or you can opt for traditional delivery methods."
"Artificial amniotic fluid delivery?" Jiang Ye frowned.
"Yes, this technology is quite mature. Your wife is a modern woman and should have heard of it. Let me explain," the dean said.
"Artificial amniotic fluid is a liquid created to simulate the maternal environment, but with subtle differences from human amniotic fluid. The mother will deliver in an environment of artificial amniotic fluid, with only her shoulders and above exposed above the water surface."
"Delivery in this manner results in less bleeding, minimal perineal tearing, and no abnormal changes in fetal heart rate. Furthermore, the delivery time is relatively shorter, making it more comfortable for the mother."
"That sounds good!" Jiang Ye said immediately. "Are there any drawbacks?"
"There are almost no drawbacks. Some in academia believe that a significant portion of a mother's love for her child comes from the pain of childbirth. If delivery is too comfortable, it might affect the mother-child bond. However, this claim has not yet been widely accepted."
Jiang Ye turned to look at Cen Yemeng. "Let's go with this. Less suffering. Childbirth is quite dangerous, and this method sounds safer."
"Okay," Cen Yemeng nodded.
...
Time flew by.
A week before the due date, Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng checked into the Divine Palace Hospital.
At two in the morning, Cen Yemeng woke up and was in the artificial amniotic fluid room within a minute, with medical staff in place within three minutes.
Jiang Ye waited outside the delivery room, silent.
When he was young, he had imagined this day, the day he would become a father, countless times.
Back then, his thoughts were simple: if he didn't do well, he might be waiting outside the corridor of a small hospital in his hometown, just like his parents had when he was born. If he did well, then who knew where rich people gave birth?
As for the mother of the child, when he was young, he thought it might be a classmate, a colleague, or someone from a blind date. Where else would he find a wife?
He never expected that when this day finally arrived, it would be in a Divine Palace Hospital on an alien planet, and the mother of the child would be a female boss he met on another planet.
But there was no time to reflect on life's changes. The cries of the child's mother rang out, heartbreaking.
Jiang Ye felt his heart pounding like a drum.
He began praying to all the gods he knew, reciting their names in his mind, praying for the safety of mother and child.
He felt like a long time had passed, and the cries had become screams, piercing the door like arrows and flying through the corridor.
He checked his watch. Damn it, only ten minutes had passed? Was this broken watch even working?
They said this delivery method was supposed to be more comfortable. It still sounded like torture.
His heart felt increasingly uncomfortable, and Jiang Ye suspected he had heart disease.
The lump of flesh that had been beating in his chest for over twenty years suddenly felt like it no longer belonged to him, as if it wanted to fly out, higher than the sky, or sink down, to the center of the earth.
For a few moments, it felt as if there wasn't one heart in his chest, but eighteen hearts beating together erratically, making his intestines and liver tremble.
A man might face a cannon without flinching. But when the woman he loved was giving birth, it was impossible not to have his heart pound.
...
Finally, the screams abruptly stopped.
Jiang Ye rushed to the door, his hands clammy with sweat, staring intently at the door.
After a long while, his gaze felt like it was about to shatter the door.
The door finally opened, and a nurse emerged.
"Mother and child are safe. You'll need to wait a moment before you can go in," the nurse said. "The child does indeed have the reverse aging condition, but all organs are healthy. Further in-depth examinations are required."
Jiang Ye let out a long sigh of relief.
His forehead felt cool, and when he reached up to touch it, it was covered in sweat.
...
The infant's in-depth examination took a long time.
At dinner time, Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng finally saw the infant in the ward.
Most newborns are ugly, but this child was exceptionally so. Its face was wrinkled, with small age spots and dry, shriveled skin. It looked completely like a tiny old man.
Moreover, the child didn't cry. Its eyes were already open, and it was quietly gazing at its parents with narrowed eyes.
Cen Yemeng picked up the baby to feed it.
The child ate quietly, slowly, pausing for a long time after each sip.
Cen Yemeng shed tears.
Jiang Ye asked worriedly, "Did it bite you?"
"No," Cen Yemeng replied, her eyes red. "I don't know why, but I gave birth to a child like this... I feel a bit sorry for you, and a bit sorry for this child. It's an old man from birth, and its life will surely be difficult."
"This isn't your fault. It's my responsibility. If my driving skills had been better back then, none of this would have happened," Jiang Ye said, stroking her head. "Besides, reverse aging actually has its advantages."
"What advantages?"
"Think about it. When people are young, they don't understand anything, their minds are immature, and they often waste their youth. But our child is different. By the time he understands everything, his body will be at its peak, and he can enjoy life, or conquer the world!" Jiang Ye said. "I have money, plenty of money. He can live very well under my protection, and he has a mother as wonderful as you. His life will be more comfortable than ours."
There was a knock on the ward door.
"It's me!" came Li Nannan's voice. "The baby's name has been decided!"