Chapter 101 – Happy Birthday~
After the storm of their confession subsided, Xiao Fang’s birthday was next on the agenda. He was pleasantly surprised by the whole affair, completely forgetting the pain in his rear. President Fei, however, was not so pleased, wearing a sour expression from start to finish.
He had meticulously planned a birthday celebration on a small island he had recently purchased. But now, the situation required Xiao Fang to bring along the three children from home. Lang Lang and Nuomici were one thing, but Xiao Xu was a complication. A disgruntled President Fei had no choice but to settle for a slightly less satisfying birthday on a domestic island.
Due to the time constraints, buying another island was unrealistic, so they had to temporarily rent one. Fortunately, the island was a fair distance from the mainland. It wasn’t large, with a small forest in the center and a villa built on the coast. Half of the villa was constructed over the sea, so one side was made entirely of glass. Fei Xiangnan and Xiao Fang’s master bedroom was surrounded by the sea on three sides, with only the back wall being solid. This design was the only thing that brought Fei Xiangnan a sliver of satisfaction; otherwise, the birthday would have felt completely unremarkable.
As for why it satisfied him, only Old Rogue Fei himself knew the reason.
Before setting off, Xiao Fang received a flood of birthday messages from his friends. It was less common for guys to exchange gifts, so they usually just sent their congratulations followed by a red envelope. The most lavish of these came from Ruan Tan and Zhang Yuanxiao, who sent him 88,888-yuan red envelopes without a second thought. Xiao Fang was so delighted by the money that he burst out laughing on the helicopter.
Sitting in the back, Xiao Xu looked at Xiao Fang in confusion.
Fei Xiangnan immediately understood the reason for the smile and said with practiced ease, “Don’t mind him. He’s just money-grubbing.”
Xiao Xu lowered his head thoughtfully. He hadn’t seen any holes in the helicopter floor for money to fall into.
***
The family of five arrived on the island right at eleven o’clock. Since Lang Lang and Xiao Xu needed someone to look after them, they had brought along their nanny, Auntie Chen.
The small island was in the tropics, and even in March and April, the temperature was already over thirty degrees Celsius. Having spent his previous life in an inland city, Xiao Fang had never seen the ocean before. The sight of the boundless blue sea and sky sent him into a state of euphoria. He hadn’t stopped moving since he got off the helicopter.
“Come on, come on! Let’s get Lang Lang into the super cool little swim trunks I bought him. And yours too, Xiao Xu,” Xiao Fang said, fussing over the children. Three minutes later, a boy in little yellow duck swim trunks and another in little whale trunks stared blankly at the vast sea before them. At their feet was the chubby Nuomici. Given that cats dislike water, it had wisely followed Big Daddy into the villa to get a sun umbrella.
The two remaining little ones struck different poses—one was crawling determinedly while the other stood in a daze, with Auntie Chen watching over them.
Xiao Fang scooped up Lang Lang and waded into the waves. The cool seawater washed away the last trace of restlessness from his heart. The water was so clear he could faintly see shells and conches on the seabed. With great confidence, Xiao Fang held Lang Lang afloat on the surface. It must have been the power of their fathers’ genes, as three-month-old Lang Lang showed no fear at all. His chubby little hands splashed at the water as he broke into a flowery smile, his gurgling laughter echoing across the beach.
Xiao Xu, on the other hand, was much more timid and didn’t dare approach the water. By then, Fei Xiangnan had already set up a large sun umbrella and a lounge chair. Xiao Xu immediately ran over, having found his safe zone.
Fei Xiangnan wasn’t one for small talk, even with his new family members.
“Not going to pick up shells?” he asked dryly.
Xiao Xu shook his head so vigorously it resembled a pellet drum.
Fei Xiangnan had expected this. Like a magician, he produced a journal from behind his back. “Then read a book for a while. It’s about the sea. And put this sunscreen on.”
From that moment on, Fei Xiangnan’s image grew immensely in Xiao Xu’s mind. This big brother seemed to know everything!
Meanwhile, the unreliable brother, Xiao Fang, was frolicking in the waves with his son.
“Don’t worry about what happened when you first came to this family,” Fei Xiangnan said calmly, standing his ground instead of immediately joining Xiao Fang. “It had nothing to do with you. It’s your unreliable brother who needs to be taught a lesson.”
Xiao Xu was the type to keep everything bottled up inside. Hearing this, the knot in his heart loosened a little.
“Brother… is a good person,” Xiao Xu said, not specifying who. But Fei Xiangnan understood perfectly.
A comfortable smile appeared on his face. “He really is.”
Despite their large age gap, both of them looked at Xiao Fang with the same fervent gaze.
After frolicking in the sea for ten minutes, Xiao Fang was summoned back by Fei Xiangnan. He was first given a lecture, and then Fei Xiangnan slathered sunscreen on both of them. Xiao Fang lay on the lounge chair, so comfortable he was about to fall asleep, while Xiao Xu took on the task of applying it to Lang Lang.
Just as Xiao Fang was about to drift off, his old husband started issuing commands. “Flip over.”
Xiao Fang immediately obeyed, turning over. He was in such a good mood that he didn’t mind the suspicion that his old husband’s tone was comparing him to a salted fish.
When the sunscreen was applied to his stomach, Xiao Fang was clearly tickled. He let out a chuckle that he couldn’t stop. Xiao Fang’s laughter was highly infectious to Fei Xiangnan; from the very beginning, he had been unable to ignore this person’s smile. It was like a drug.
Making sure the children weren’t looking, Fei Xiangnan gave his butt a light slap. He leaned down and whispered a suggestive comment that instantly made Xiao Fang’s face flush red.
Now, no matter how ticklish it was, Xiao Fang didn’t dare to laugh for Fei Xiangnan to see. This man was simply too terrifying!
Meanwhile, Xiao Xu applying lotion to Lang Lang was a completely different scene. He had never held such a small child before. At eight years old, he looked more like he was five. He struggled to hold Lang Lang up, then dipped a hand in an appropriate amount of sunscreen and spread it over Lang Lang’s body.
“Aowu?” Lang Lang wasn’t ready to settle down yet. While Xiao Xu was diligently applying the lotion, his chubby little hand reached for Xiao Xu’s face. The unique warmth and touch of a baby startled Xiao Xu, but he couldn’t let go. A mix of emotions caused his face to turn red.
That was nothing. When Xiao Xu picked Lang Lang up to apply lotion to his back, Lang Lang innocently touched Xiao Xu’s face, then slowly leaned in. A milky-scented kiss landed on Xiao Xu’s cheek. Before Xiao Xu could even react, Xiao Fang exploded.
“Ah! Lang Lang’s first kiss was for his little uncle! I’m so jealous!!!”
F-f-f-first? Xiao Xu felt like steam was about to pour out of his head. The soft little thing in his arms suddenly felt scorching hot.
But Fei Xiangnan slapped away Xiao Fang’s thoughts. “He’s just a child. What kind of ideas are you putting in his head? You need to be taught a lesson!”
Xiao Fang wouldn’t let it go, constantly muttering about his son’s first time. The considerate Fei Xiangnan, seeing that Xiao Xu was about to faint from embarrassment, simply scooped Xiao Fang up and carried him further down the beach. Xiao Fang was still scuttling around like a crab until a crisp smack silenced him, and he didn’t dare to move recklessly anymore.
“Auntie Chen, remember to bring out the fruit and ice cream from the villa for Xiao Xu to eat!” Xiao Fang might be playing, but he still had to take good care of the kids. Auntie Chen responded with a beaming smile.
Blue sky, white clouds, and the azure sea all merged into one line, creating a warm and beautiful scene.
With all his worries gone, Xiao Fang truly enjoyed his freedom.
He held Fei Xiangnan’s hand, and the two of them stepped through the waves, savoring this happy moment.
“Actually, when is your real birthday? We can celebrate it again on that day.”
Xiao Fang shook his head, his eyes bright and clear. “I actually don’t know when my birthday is. Our director just had each of us kids draw lots, and whatever day we drew became our birthday. It didn’t really mean much. I didn’t celebrate it much back then anyway. This day is wonderful. Thanks, ge.” Xiao Fang squeezed Fei Xiangnan’s hand.
Fei Xiangnan thoroughly enjoyed being called ‘ge’. Seeing Xiao Fang’s happy little face, he didn’t hesitate and leaned in for a kiss. They were an old married couple, after all, so Xiao Fang wasn’t shy either, relaxing and enjoying the moment.
“I have a surprise for you tonight,” Fei Xiangnan said mysteriously at the end.
Xiao Fang chuckled, rubbing his hands together and nudging Fei Xiangnan’s shoulder. “A little hint?”
Fei Xiangnan adopted an expression of ‘no comment,’ which made Xiao Fang’s heart itch with curiosity. However, the subsequent activity of catching crabs made him completely forget about the matter.
In reality, they couldn’t catch many crabs in a place like this. It was mainly for fun, especially since the villa was already stocked with all sorts of seafood. The main point was to be happy.
For someone like Xiao Fang who had never played by the sea, he was completely hooked for the entire day. First, he caught crabs and various shellfish, then he went for a swim. When he got tired, he would just lie on Fei Xiangnan’s back in the shallow water and chat. Later, the two of them came up with all sorts of fun games, like kissing in the sea. The ideas were always Xiao Fang’s, and he was also the one who couldn’t keep up in the end.
It wasn’t until dusk that the two of them finally had enough fun. The two children and the cat had already had a good afternoon nap in the villa. By the time they returned, it was time for dinner—Xiao Fang’s birthday dinner.
There was a variety of seafood cooked in different styles, along with some of Xiao Fang’s favorite side dishes. In the center was his birthday cake. It was a very simple cake; for the two of them, a cake didn’t need to be overly fancy. It was just about the gesture.
The moment that moved Xiao Fang the most was when they sang the birthday song. It was obviously asking too much of someone like Xiao Xu to sing. Lang Lang and Nuomici clearly hadn’t mastered human language yet. So, the only one left who could sing was Fei Xiangnan.
Xiao Fang hadn’t actually expected someone with Fei Xiangnan’s personality to sing such a song. But when the candles were lit and Fei Xiangnan’s deep voice began to sing the somewhat childish yet very sincere “Happy Birthday” song, Xiao Fang nearly burst into tears. This was the most official and happiest birthday he had ever had in his life.
Xiao Fang posted a photo of the cake online and received a huge wave of blessings from his fans. The top few comments were from his old acquaintances, and the rest were from fans. Xiao Fang saw that the most-liked comment was: I firmly believe President Fei is with Fangfang for this birthday! The shippers will never admit defeat~
A smile lifted the corners of Xiao Fang’s mouth. Indeed, he was here for this birthday, and he would be here for the rest of his life.
As for the surprise Fei Xiangnan mentioned, Xiao Fang finally found out what it was that night. Auntie Chen wasn’t staying in their villa, and the two children and one cat were on the second floor, which was incredibly soundproof. Xiao Fang only went back to the bedroom after putting the two kids to sleep.
This bedroom, facing the sea on all four sides with its all-glass design, was indeed very thoughtful. By the time Xiao Fang saw the wolfish expression on Fei Xiangnan’s face, it was too late for regrets.
“Baby, put this on.”
“I-I-I’m not wearing women’s clothes!”
“Be good. You’ll like it.”
“Ahhhhhh!”
…
All in all, the birthday was quite wonderful. Xiao Fang arrived full of excitement and left with his legs feeling like jelly. The two-day island trip came to an end just like that.
Just as Xiao Fang was about to return to continue filming, the movie Sour, Sweet, Bitter, Spicy was officially released.