Xiao Pang followed An Wuyang’s gaze, looked again, and realized that things were not so simple.
The man in the coat walking through the snow looked a bit familiar.
With his tall frame and part of his face obscured by a hat, the closer he got, the more he resembled the renowned Mr. Huo.
He teasingly looked at his friend and said with a sly smile, “Are you only looking at the trees?”
“Huh?” The young man, who had been focused on the trees, suddenly saw the familiar figure and was very puzzled. “Why is he here? Could it be a coincidence?”
That would be great.
An Wuyang said, “You stay here and wait for me. I’m going out to give him a surprise.”
His friend was left speechless: “……”
This is definitely not my friend!
My friend isn’t this silly!
An Wuyang put on his down jacket, pushed open the door of the small shop, and the bell rang crisply.
To avoid being noticed by Huo Yunchuan, he couldn’t walk straight up to him, so what should he do? An Wuyang thought, and then saw rows of cars at the entrance and ran over.
Huo Yunchuan, who had long spotted a certain target sneaking around, thought: “……”
Generation gap, generation gap, generation gap.
He thought with a blank expression.
But what could he do with the wife he had chosen, other than cooperate?
“Cough…” He took long strides, his leather boots crunching in the thin layer of snow, inching closer to where An Wuyang was hiding.
The young man’s heart was pounding as he adjusted his hat, looking particularly nervous.
Has he arrived?
He peeked up cautiously.
An Wuyang saw Huo Yunchuan walking forward with a cold expression, completely unaware that someone was lying in wait.
An Wuyang secretly chuckled, then stood up to follow.
Noticing that the other person was completely unalert, he pursed his lips and cheerfully pounced on him, shouting, “Ha—”
Huo Yunchuan, who was being hugged by An Wuyang, thought to himself that it was finally over.
“Ah, it’s me, it’s me,” An Wuyang called out loudly to prevent being mistaken for an intruder and getting beaten up.
“Wuyang?” Huo Yunchuan saw it was him and finally put down his clenched fists.
“Ha ha, did I scare you?” An Wuyang jumped off him and circled around him twice.
“Hmm.” Huo Yunchuan said seriously, under the angel’s proud gaze, “That was dangerous. Don’t do that next time.”
If he hadn’t realized in advance that it was An Wuyang, the person who startled him would have been in trouble.
However, Huo Yunchuan thought, given the angel’s intelligence, managing to sneak up unnoticed… forget it: “Just be happy.”
Then An Wuyang said, “Of course I’m happy, to actually run into you here.” He asked, “Are you here for business?”
There were indeed quite a few places to have fun around here.
“Yes.” Huo Yunchuan gave his silly wife a deep look, his eyes gradually softening with a smile. “It’s cold outside; let’s find a place to sit.” He said, lifting his hand to brush off the snowflakes from An Wuyang’s head.
So it really was a coincidence?
An Wuyang thought, of course, Huo Yunchuan isn’t the type to cling; checking locations would be too creepy.
“Come with me.” An Wuyang led Huo Yunchuan into the small café where he and Xiao Pang were having drinks.
Huo Yunchuan, apologizing for interrupting their gathering, treated them to a meal.
After dining with the renowned Mr. Huo, Xiao Pang felt like he understood something.
—Bro, I finally get why Mr. Huo is into you.
—?? What do you mean?
—Because you have qualities that he doesn’t.
An Wuyang was pleased; he liked hearing that.
—What qualities?
—Mr. Huo is too smart.
—……
Confirming the response, Xiao Pang turned out to be a friend who couldn’t continue being a friend.
On the sixth day of the New Year, Jiang Shaofei organized a small gathering with not many attendees.
Huo Yunchuan took An Wuyang along to give their rarely-seen little angel a chance to mingle.
The location was a garden villa, where people included both familiar faces like Ji Mingxue and Lawyer Chen, and unfamiliar ones.
It was like a small-scale party.
An Wuyang admired the exquisite villa, especially the round glass terrace, which allowed a clear view outside without the cold.
“Hi, little brother Wuyang,” General Ji Mingxue of an entertainment company walked over with a mischievous smile, leaning on the railing next to An Wuyang. “How’s it going? How many red envelopes did you collect this New Year?”
An Wuyang was puzzled: “???”
After thinking carefully, An Wuyang replied with a vague amount: “About.”
“Tsk tsk, so much money,” Ji Mingxue said. “Have you thought about making some investments?”
An Wuyang was surprised again. Investment?
He was certainly interested in money.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have whimsically bought lottery tickets behind Huo Yunchuan’s back. But being too overt about loving money felt a bit awkward.
“Well, my money isn’t that much…” It seems to be depreciating in the bank.
“Our company is preparing a movie, with a good script,” Ji Mingxue said. “It’s adapted from a popular novel, written by a famous suspense writer from Jinjiang, known for detective and mystery novels.”
An Wuyang listened to Xiao Ming’s praise of the book and the author, imagining the potential returns.
He was slightly tempted.
Hesitantly, he asked, “How much are you asking for?”
An Wuyang’s red envelope money wasn’t actually a lot.
Ji Mingxue smiled and said, “The bigger the investment, the higher the returns. My advice is to invest as much as you can.”
The key was that Xiao Mingxue had the demeanor of a successful businessman, making it hard for An Wuyang to question his advice.
“So, the returns will be visible in a year, right?” An Wuyang still felt a bit unsure.
“Absolutely. For movies, a year is the longest cycle,” Ji Mingxue confirmed.
That made sense.
An Wuyang thought for a moment, “Then, I’ll invest 80%. I’ll keep 20% in my savings.”
“Sure,” Ji Mingxue said, spending about twenty minutes successfully convincing his buddy to part with his red envelope money, without any hint of guilt. “I’ll give you an account number; transfer the money to me when it’s convenient.” He added, “Do you need a contract?”
The little angel was too shy to ask, stammering, “Maybe not.”
Ji Mingxue patted his head, saying, “Just wait, I’ll help you make money.”
Ji Mingxue quickly sent An Wuyang the account number and said, “See that beautiful woman over there? I’m going to chat with her.”
He claimed it was for actively finding a partner, to get him a sister-in-law.
An Wuyang nodded, “Go ahead.”
Then he watched Xiao Mingxue walk away whistling.
What were they talking about?
Jiang Shaofei was curious. After the not-so-serious Ji Mingxue left, he walked over with a smile and greeted An Wuyang, “Wuyang.”
An Wuyang hurriedly responded, “Shaofei Ge.”
Jiang Shaofei nodded, “Were you chatting with Mingxue?” He glanced at Ji Mingxue’s retreating figure, feeling a bit concerned.
“Yes,” An Wuyang smiled, then awkwardly asked, “I have a question I’d like to ask you.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Shaofei replied, “What’s your question? Feel free to ask.”
He thought it might be related to Ji Mingxue and wondered if Mingxue had planted some outrageous ideas in the young man’s head.
However, An Wuyang quietly asked, “Well, I want to know… can two men, like Yunchuan and me, have a little girl?”
Jiang Shaofei was taken aback, then said, “Yes, it’s a matter of probability.” He was unexpectedly amused, “Are you hoping for a daughter?”
An Wuyang nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.
It hadn’t been long since Dun Dun was born. As a doctor and a friend, Jiang Shaofei advised, “Take it slow, and the chances of having another son are higher. If you don’t want another little boy, be cautious.”
Shaofei’s advice was very reasonable.
An Wuyang thought, “Okay,” and said, “I won’t consider it for the next few years. I’m too thin.”
According to Huo Yunchuan, if their physical condition didn’t improve, they shouldn’t expect to have a little girl…
“Yunchuan is here,” Jiang Shaofei said.
The man who had separated from the crowd was walking towards them.
An Wuyang met his gaze and raised his glass with a smile, “Hello.”
After the gathering ended and they returned home, An Wuyang sneaked into the bathroom and discreetly transferred the money to the account Ji Mingxue had provided.
— Xiao Ming, the money has been transferred to you.
— Don’t worry, you’ll see the return soon.
An Wuyang looked at the remaining balance in his small savings and sighed.
“Dun Dun.” With Aunt Zhang watching the child, “Your red envelope money is saved by Daddy. I’ll give it to you when you grow up.”
Dun Dun: “Huh?”
He looked up at Daddy, then tried to stand up from the floor, looking wobbly.
Daddy, worried, cleaned up the toys around his feet. “Come here.”
He then took a few steps back and clapped his hands.
“…” Dun Dun stood still, looking both eager and fearful, like a little lion trapped.
“Don’t be afraid, Dun Dun. Daddy’s here. Come,” An Wuyang encouraged, filled with excitement.
Dun Dun was finally going to learn to walk, which was wonderful.
“Wuh…” Little An looked pleadingly at Aunt Zhang.
“Don’t be afraid, go to Daddy,” Aunt Zhang said, staying at a distance and not helping, letting him go on his own.
Dun Dun hesitated for a long time but eventually mustered the courage to lift his little chubby legs and quickly ran over.
“Wow…” An Wuyang picked him up, thrilled as if he’d eaten two pounds of candy. “Great job, Dun Dun! Daddy will give you a kiss!” After an exaggerated praise, he added, “Let’s do it again.”
Dun Dun looked at Daddy, who was far away from him, and wondered: “???”
After the first experience, Dun Dun lifted his feet and walked steadily—he turned around to avoid Daddy and went to pick up the little bear toy nearby.
However, since he hadn’t perfected his bending skills, Dun Dun plopped down on the ground but finally managed to touch the toy bear with his little hand.
Daddy Huo stood at the door, secretly watching and feeling very gratified.
Their silly son had finally learned to walk before turning one year old.
Author’s Note:
Ji Mingxue: “I died from my own doing, if you’re not convinced, come and challenge me :)”
Huo Yunchuan: “… [glances at his German Shepherd]”
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️”
