By the time Huo Yunchuan finished dealing with matters abroad, his beloved son’s birthday had already passed by three whole days.
“Secretary Chen, what do you think an eighteen-year-old would like as a birthday present?” he asked, a slight furrow in his brow reflecting his inner guilt.
Work had disrupted the original plan to return to the country with An Wuyang to celebrate their son’s birthday together.
Now, he could only choose a gift that the boy liked as compensation—this was probably the most straightforward way Huo Yunchuan could think of.
“Uh, eighteen?” That would be a gift for young An, Secretary Chen said. “A coming-of-age gift—how about a car?”
Boys always have a unique fascination with cars.
Giving him a car at eighteen is unlikely to be a mistake.
“That’s a good suggestion,” Huo Yunchuan affirmed. Reminded by Secretary Chen, he did recall that Huo An had liked a particular model of car for a long time, but because he was underage, An Wuyang forbade him from driving and wouldn’t allow him to order the car himself.
Even though Huo An had enough savings to buy the car he wanted.
The problem was that all the money Huo An received in red envelopes over the years was in his small dad’s hands. Trying to take the money privately to buy a car was not so simple.
Huo An’s grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and other elders probably didn’t know that the money they had given him over the years never stayed in Huo An’s hands for long.
In the country, on a sunny Saturday morning, the teenager, who was sleeping in, was woken up by his dad pulling off his blanket, revealing his slender body wearing only a pair of shorts.
This vibrant youthfulness was something the young man waking his son had once experienced himself.
“Get up! We’re going to the airport to pick up your dad.” An Wuyang called out while patting his son’s round buttocks, producing a crisp, pleasant sound. “Dundun!”
Dundun: “…” He pulled the pillow over his head, revealing a face that looked like it wanted to destroy the world.
“Get up, handsome boy,” An Wuyang said, his voice a hundred times gentler than before, as he cupped his son’s face and gave him a kiss.
“…,” the teenager, who wanted to be angry, immediately lost all his anger.
Alright then.
He reluctantly sat up, scratching himself with no regard for his image in front of his small dad, and asked in a raspy voice, “What time do we leave?”
An Wuyang checked the clock, “The flight is at eleven.” He then grabbed his son’s arm as he tried to lie back down, “Hey, if you get up now, wash up, and have breakfast, it’ll be just about time!”
“It’s only eight!” Huo An wailed.
“But it takes over an hour to get to the airport, so we need to leave by 9:30. Dundun, get up!” An Wuyang said.
Huo An was most afraid of his small dad’s coaxing tactics and had no resistance to it. “I’m really annoyed,” he said as he sat up. “Why didn’t he come back for my birthday, and now I have to go pick him up?”
An Wuyang: “Because he’s your dad.”
Huo An: “…”
There is a difference between them, you know?
Between the stern, serious dad and the gentle, soft, and easily deceived dad, he definitely preferred the latter.
However, considering that the stern dad could destroy the world for them in a heartbeat, he decided to go pick him up.
Half an hour later, the teenager, dressed cool and stylish, was sitting with his overly meticulous small dad at breakfast, watching him eat.
“This, this, and this, finish them,” the devilish Dundun continued in his father’s footsteps, almost wanting to snatch the spoon from An Wuyang’s hand and feed him two big bowls.
“Do you want to stuff me to death?” An Wuyang cried in frustration, not expecting that even away from Huo Yunchuan, he was still under control.
Huo An: “You think this is enough to stuff you? Look at your weight. Do you want to die young and leave my big dad alone to guard an empty house or what?”
Such heavy words.
Between dying young and overeacting, An Wuyang silently chose to eat more.
On the way to the airport in the chauffeur-driven car.
“Are there any girls at your school who like you?” An Wuyang asked.
“I refuse to discuss such a stupid question with you,” Huo An said while flipping through a thick original text.
An Wuyang: “…” He held his chin in both hands, sulking.
The teenager, secretly observing his small dad from the corner of his eye, couldn’t help but smile. He then put down his book, leaned over, and kissed his pouty dad on the cheek.
“Ahem, so, is there?” Someone with reddened earlobes resumed the proper demeanor of a parent and asked seriously.
“Of course,” Huo An said. “But so what? Does it matter if a high schooler likes someone?”
The tone in which he said this was the same as his helplessness when he was in kindergarten, making it particularly hard to accept the childishness of his peers while expressing his own maturity and ability to think.
Indeed, Dundun was excellent and mature, An Wuyang thought.
He was ten thousand times better than I was in high school.
“But… when I was your age, I already had you,” said the dad reminiscing about his youth in the car, with the look of someone who had been through it. “Isn’t that how your big dad and I got through it? So it can’t be generalized.”
“But,” Huo An looked at him, “how many people in this world are like you?”
If there were, he would certainly want to seize the opportunity.
A little later, they were at the exit, patiently waiting for the person who was about to come out.
The teenager, taller than his parent, with slender yet strong arms, kept his arm around the person beside him, consciously avoiding letting them be jostled by people around them.
Usually, when his big dad was around, this was his big dad’s job.
Now that his big dad wasn’t there, it was his responsibility to look out for his small dad.
“This waiting is so boring, let’s take some photos,” An Wuyang suggested, taking out his phone to play selfies with his son.
The cool and handsome teenager, who looked good in any photo, cooperated with his parent’s antics, striking all kinds of currently popular photo poses.
“Dundun, you’re too tall, which makes me look super short. Can you squat down a bit?” An Wuyang requested.
The tall Huo An immediately bent his knees slightly, bringing his head level with An Wuyang’s, and together they made a small heart gesture towards the camera.
“Haha, let’s send this to Grandma,” An Wuyang said with a smile.
He quickly sent the photo to the ‘Happy Family’ WeChat group.
As a doting dad, Huo An downloaded the photo from the group and posted it on his Moments, showing off his adorably cute dad: “[Image] Today’s weather is as bright as your smile.”
Huo An had very few people in his Moments.
So his Moments were mostly just him amusing himself, almost entirely filled with photos of himself and An Wuyang. There were occasionally some photos of Huo Yunchuan, but they were rare.
“Your dad is calling,” An Wuyang said, answering the phone. “Hello? Yunchuan? Have you landed?”
“Yes,” said the man who had just landed, wasting no time in making the call. “Are you at the airport? With Dundun?”
An Wuyang smiled and said, “Dundun said he didn’t want to come pick you up, so I’m here alone.”
Next to him, Huo An looked at his mischievous small dad with a resigned expression.
“Hmm?” Huo Yunchuan was taken aback, feeling a bit guilty. “Is that so? Is he mad because I didn’t come back to celebrate his birthday?”
After all, although not elaborate, every April 15, the three of them would spend a warm time together.
“Seems like it. You should make it up to him when you get back,” An Wuyang said seriously.
“I will,” Huo Yunchuan said.
“If you don’t, he’ll think you don’t love him,” An Wuyang said, turning off the speakerphone and giving a sly look at his eavesdropping son.
“He won’t. He knows I love him,” Huo the boss’ declaration of love was simple and direct, carrying a mature man’s charm.
As expected, Huo An raised his eyebrows and leaned in to the phone, saying, “Dad, I love you too, and by the way, you’ve been fooled by small dad.”
“Hey…” Unbelievable, he exposed the truth!
An Wuyang glared angrily, pretending to hit him.
“Hey, you were the one who started it… Okay, fine, you can hit me,” the teenager extended his palm, willingly letting his small dad hit his palm.
Slap.
A light tap.
A tall man emerged from the exit, his eyes quickly scanning the crowd for the two people he loved the most. Soon, he spotted the tall and slender Huo An, holding their almost forty-year-old angel.
“Huo An,” Huo Yunchuan called out, his face relaxed, his gaze fixed on the gentle and elegant young man.
Hearing his dad’s voice, the teenager lifted his hat and said to An Wuyang, “Let’s go.”
“Huh? Ah, Yunchuan!” As soon as An Wuyang’s eyes met Huo Yunchuan’s figure, he cheered in surprise, “Hi, hi!” while waving and happily rushing over.
“Hi.” Huo Yunchuan stepped forward to catch him, holding him in his arms and giving him a kiss. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, made more prominent by his happiness, showed his age.
After all, he was nearly fifty years old, and time had left some marks on his face.
Fortunately, their thirty-something little angel seemed to be untouched by time.
Still straightforward, still pure.
What time had given An Wuyang might just be a peaceful acceptance of the world and an increased tenderness towards his family.
“I missed you,” the little angel whispered.
“I missed you too,” Huo Yunchuan murmured, feeling proud.
After a moment of intimacy, An Wuyang stepped away from Huo Yunchuan, giving him time to speak with Huo An.
“Go ahead.”
Father and son exchanged glances, and Huo An was the first to speak with a smile, “Dad.”
Huo Yunchuan responded with a soft grunt, taking a set of car keys from his pocket and presenting them solemnly to Huo An. “Birthday gift. I hope it’s not too late.”
Huo An looked at the emblem, astonished, holding his forehead with his hand. “…” This was too surprising. What was it with this year’s birthday…?
Maybe abandoning the traditional dinner and gift routine made things more touching?
…Whatever, as long as it was a happy surprise.
“Thank you, Dad.” Not late at all. He didn’t have his driver’s license yet, but he’d get it right after his college entrance exams!
After accepting the car keys, Huo An opened his arms and hugged Huo Yunchuan.
This domineering and stern man, who was completely devoted to them, deserved to be cherished.
1TL: YSIAD “I can’t believe Dundun is already eighteen ?? and he took after Huo Yunchuan 😭
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