Chapter 43 – A Guest Arrives (Part 2)
At this moment, a myriad of thoughts raced through Xiao Ma’s mind. Brother Xiao is pregnant? Brother Xiao is a third gender? A rare specimen! Looking at his belly, it didn’t seem like something that could develop in half a month. That meant he had been hiding it from him the entire time he was acting, and he never said a word even when filming fight scenes. Wait, when did Brother Xiao become such a model worker in the industry? Didn’t he always live by the philosophy of just getting through one day at a time? He clearly liked Yan Yunyang four months ago, so how did he end up pregnant with President Fei’s child in the blink of an eye? Wait, the child should be President Fei’s, right? Could it be, could it be that Brother Xiao had been hiding his true abilities all along? That hooligan-like image he had before was acted out too realistically. Xiao Ma instantly felt a new level of admiration for Xiao Fang. What should he say now? The thoughts in Xiao Ma’s mind exploded like firecrackers, scattering everywhere. Finally…
Xiao Ma, his face flushed red, slowly squeezed out two words from his mouth: “…Congratulations.”
Xiao Fang looked at Xiao Ma’s expression; the kid seemed quite scared! He dropped the idea of teasing him and patted his shoulder. “Don’t hold it in like that. There are no outsiders here. If you want to ask something, just ask.”
Xiao Ma glanced at the tycoon’s face beside him. He certainly didn’t dare to ask anything too excessive, so he could only ask some mild questions. “Brother Xiao, how come you’re a third gender?”
“I have a hidden gender. I only found out when I got pregnant,” Xiao Fang said generously.
There were still many doubts in Xiao Ma’s eyes, but looking at Xiao Fang, the doubts vanished into thin air. No matter how many secrets Brother Xiao had, he was still a good person. “Brother Xiao, I believe you’re a good person no matter what. I won’t ask about anything else. I wish you happiness!”
Xiao Fang smiled warmly, not saying any of that sentimental stuff. He slung his arm around his shoulder like a bro. “Good brother.”
Xiao Ma chuckled, then immediately thought of something else. “Brother Xiao, with such a long leave of absence, I’m a little worried about the role we fought so hard to get.” Nowadays, actors were scrambling to get to film sets. The audience’s affection had a time limit. If you disappeared for too long, they might not like you anymore when you came back.
Xiao Fang stroked his chin. Just as he was about to answer, Fei Xiangnan cut in.
“You don’t need to worry about resources. I’ve already lined up several dramas. Once Xiao Fang is past his maternity leave, he can pick a few for himself.” How could Fei Xiangnan let his officially certified spouse work so hard? He would do things the way a high-level player would.
Xiao Ma, who was initially a little worried: What was I even thinking? He has a husband! It’s not shady at all to use connections!
As Xiao Ma’s envious gaze was cast over, Xiao Fang finally experienced the feeling of being envied for his wealth. His little tail started to perk up again.
“Don’t be discouraged. Work hard, and you’ll reach the pinnacle of life too!” Xiao Fang encouraged him with a serious face.
This wasn’t a matter of working hard at all, okay! Xiao Ma roared internally. Fortunately, he was an ambitious young man, not someone who would just sit around and envy others’ lives.
“I’m going to make good money! I’ll make my future wife proud of me!” This was the declaration of a regular guy.
However, this time, the two opposite him fell silent.
Xiao Ma looked at them, bewildered. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Fei Xiangnan, knowing full well what was going on, chose not to say anything and looked away.
Xiao Fang extended a probing thought. “Xiao Ma, you… don’t seem to like girls that much, do you?”
Xiao Ma’s appearance was completely that of a standard uke. He was barely 1.7 meters tall, with skin that was perpetually pale and delicate, and he had a pair of doe-like eyes. With a little primping, he was the very standard of a seductive uke! How could he possibly like equally soft girls!
Xiao Ma keenly caught the doubt in Xiao Fang’s eyes and puffed out his cheeks to retort, “Why can’t I like soft girls?”
Xiao Fang smiled sheepishly, the disappointment in his eyes obvious. “My apologies, my apologies. I was kind of shipping you and Que Jiang. Since you like girls, I won’t fantasize about it anymore.” Xiao Fang held up three fingers as a guarantee.
Xiao Ma’s eyes widened, his lips trembling uncontrollably. But he knew that the more he asked, the more interested Xiao Fang would become in him and Que Jiang. He chose not to say anything, which was the best option.
All of this was seen by Fei Xiangnan. It seemed his subordinate hadn’t succeeded yet. Should he perhaps impart some of his successful experience to him?
“Brother Xiao, are we eating out today?” Seeing that it was almost mealtime and no auntie had come to cook, Xiao Ma guessed as much.
“Ding-dong!” At that moment, the doorbell rang. Fei Xiangnan got up to open the door, and Xiao Fang chuckled.
“How can we ask a guest to eat out? We also invited Que Jiang today. You two probably haven’t seen each other in a while either. We can all chat together over dinner.”
“You’re here too?” A voice that made Xiao Ma’s scalp tingle sounded from behind him.
For the first time, Xiao Ma felt that Xiao Fang could also be quite the trickster!
“Brother Xiao, I suddenly remembered I didn’t turn off the gas at home. I’ll just…” Xiao Ma stood up straight, not daring to even look at Que Jiang, and made to leave.
Que Jiang wasn’t in a hurry. He spoke with a calm and composed demeanor, “Your home uses electricity. When did you get gas installed?”
Xiao Ma’s footsteps came to a screeching halt. He was stuck, not knowing whether to leave or stay.
“I… I suddenly remembered I haven’t fed my Pang Hu today.” Pang Hu was the orange cat Xiao Ma owned. Due to his doting father and its natural tendencies, it had been raised to be plump and sturdy.
Que Jiang slowly walked up to Xiao Ma, his scorching gaze making Xiao Ma uncomfortable. “Pang Hu has a cold and was sent to the vet yesterday. The doctor will feed him, and it will be healthier than your feeding.”
It was over. Now he was out of excuses.
Xiao Fang finally saw the clues in their interaction and slowly retreated from the battlefield to stand beside his partner.
“I just knew my intuition was right. There’s definitely something fishy going on between these two!” Xiao Fang lifted his little head proudly, and even his cowlick stood up with pride.
How could Fei Xiangnan not know Xiao Fang’s dazed nature? He had definitely only just figured it out. He reached out and pressed down on his little cowlick, but as soon as his hand was released, the cowlick stubbornly stood up again, just like its owner.
“Meow~” Nuomici, who had just woken up, rubbed against Xiao Fang’s pant leg.
Xiao Fang bent down and scooped it up in one go, saying with a grin, “Let’s go, Daddy will take you to eat!”
“Meow~”
“Wait! Brother Xiao, I’m coming too!” Xiao Ma’s attention was completely diverted. Hearing Xiao Fang teasing the cat, he stuck to him like he’d seen a savior.
Xiao Fang clearly felt a resentful gaze, its owner being Que Jiang. Xiao Fang was on the verge of tears. He really didn’t do it on purpose! How could he just throw away free entertainment?
“Uh, Xiao Ma, don’t you and Que Jiang have things to talk about? How boring would it be to feed the cat with me!” Cold sweat beaded on Xiao Fang’s forehead.
Xiao Ma held onto Xiao Fang’s arm tightly and whispered in his ear, “Brother Xiao, for the sake of all the years I’ve served you, can you please not sell out your teammate on the spot???”
Xiao Ma’s voice sounded extremely reluctant, and Xiao Fang also looked at Fei Xiangnan with a miserable expression.
When his wife was in trouble, a husband naturally had to be the first to stand up. Fei Xiangnan coughed. “Que Jiang, come to my study. I have something to discuss.”
Que Jiang nodded calmly, his face showing no reluctance. He followed Fei Xiangnan into the study without a sideways glance, while Xiao Fang took Xiao Ma to Nuomici’s dedicated room.
These days, a tycoon’s pet had to have its own exclusive bedroom. The overall blue and white theme made the room look very cozy. The floor was padded with a soft white carpet, and it was fully equipped with a cat tree, scratching post, and more. This was on a completely different level from Xiao Ma’s own splurged-on equipment.
Xiao Fang skillfully mixed the cat food, and Nuomici meowed obediently before starting to eat with its head down.
Xiao Ma looked on with envy. “Ah, kittens are so cute and clingy. Not like that master of mine at home, who gets colder and more aloof the older he gets.”
Xiao Fang gently stroked Nuomici’s head and said, “I’ve only ever seen pictures of Pang Hu. Next time you’re free, bring him over to play. It would be nice for Nuomici to have a companion.”
At this, Xiao Fang received a distrustful look from Xiao Ma.
Xiao Fang looked at Xiao Ma unhappily. “Why are you looking at me like that? What, are you afraid I’ll kidnap your Pang Hu?”
Xiao Ma said faintly, “If Pang Hu could live in a mansion like this, I’d be happy for him to be kidnapped. But, Brother Xiao, you clearly knew what was going on, so why did you still call Que Jiang over?”
I didn’t know!! Xiao Fang roared internally. It was clearly his partner who knew and didn’t tell him. But if he told the truth now, how stupid would he look? Living together day and night, yet he couldn’t see that his two assistants had something going on. That was too embarrassing. Xiao Fang, who valued his pride, decided to bite the bullet and not admit it.
Xiao Fang put on a magnanimous air and said earnestly, “Some things need to be cleared up. It’s not right to keep hiding, is it!”
“I’m not hiding!” Xiao Ma was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “I’ve already told him very clearly that I like women. My mom is still hoping I’ll give her a big fat grandson in the future.” As he spoke, Xiao Ma’s expression immediately drooped. It seemed he really didn’t want to get involved in this mess.
Although gender was no longer the standard for love in this world, procreation was still a factor, and families still hoped for an heir.
Xiao Fang nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t think Que Jiang is the type to pester someone relentlessly. Since you’ve made it clear, why isn’t he willing to let go?”
Xiao Ma’s expression froze. If he told Xiao Fang this, he would really go crazy. “I don’t know. Brother Xiao, if you can persuade him, please help me. I’m planning to go back for a blind date this New Year. It’ll be even harder to explain things then.”
Seeing that Xiao Ma had made up his mind, even if Xiao Fang wanted to enjoy the drama, he had to be realistic. “Really no interest?”
Xiao Ma thought for a moment and shook his head decisively.
“Sigh, then I’ll ask Xiangnan to talk to him. Of course, if you change your mind~”
Xiao Ma immediately shook his head. “Absolutely not possible!”
Love these days, it really made Xiao Fang sigh!
“Meow~” Little Nuomici didn’t understand its daddy’s sorrow. It meowed obediently, patting its clean food bowl with its little fleshy paw, waiting for its daddy’s praise.
Xiao Fang immediately picked up his big furball. “My Nuomici is so good. Daddy will give you a kiss.”
“Meow~” Nuomici had gradually gotten used to its daddy’s kissing game.
“This is your little uncle, Uncle Ma. Be good, say ‘uncle’~” Xiao Fang held Nuomici up to greet Xiao Ma.
Nuomici, who had no idea what its daddy was saying, still meowed obediently.
Xiao Ma, also a cat lover, was instantly captivated.
“Hey, it’s our first meeting. Here’s a red envelope for my Nuomici.” Xiao Ma fished out a small packet of catnip from his pocket, tore it open, and gave it to Nuomici to play with.
“Quick, thank your Uncle Ma.” Xiao Fang was very meticulous in educating his child. He must be a good child who is well-rounded in morality, intelligence, physical education, aesthetics, and labor!
“Meow~” Nuomici’s little kittenish cry successfully melted the two elders.
Compared to the atmosphere between these two, Fei Xiangnan’s study was much more solemn.