There are a few days every year that the Huo family celebrates with great pomp. One of these days is June 15th, which is An Wuyang’s birthday.
Another is July 15th, the wedding anniversary of the head of the Huo family.
Before these, there is April 15th, which is Huo An’s birthday, but it is not celebrated much.
This is because there is a common belief that celebrating a child’s birthday too much can suppress their good fortune.
Huo An scoffed at this belief, as he knew that ever since his little dad married his big dad at eighteen, they celebrated his little dad’s birthday grandly every year.
This year, Huo An also turned eighteen and was about to take the college entrance exam right after his birthday.
On his birthday, when he returned home, the house was quiet, and only the housekeeper had prepared a meal for him.
Huo An pouted, ate the meal alone, and then called up some friends to go out and have fun.
“What? You want to come out and play?” The person on the other end of the line was surprised, “Didn’t you say you were preparing for exams?”
This guy always mentioned how strict his family was, and nine out of ten times he declined invitations to go out.
“Is anyone there?” Huo An asked.
He was referring to the bar he used to frequent before senior year.
“Yes, come over now,” his friend Deyan said, adding a couple of lewd laughs, “Knowing you’re coming, some people will be very happy.”
The “some people” referred to those secretly fond of Huo An.
“Hmm.” Huo An hummed, ending the call with Deyan.
Half an hour later, at the usual spot, a group of seventeen- and eighteen-year-old boys and girls gathered in a lively bar, drinking, dancing, and having fun.
Dressed in a white shirt and jeans, the cold-faced youth sat on the sofa with his legs on the table, silently drinking while watching others dance.
“Huo An, don’t be so boring, come dance with us,” a girl who had been observing him for a long time finally plucked up the courage to invite him.
“You go ahead,” Huo An glanced at her and declined.
Across from him, Deyan, who was playing on his phone with his girlfriend, looked up with a puzzled expression, sensing that Huo An was in a bad mood.
“Even such a pretty girl can’t get you to dance… don’t tell me you like guys?” A lazy voice interjected.
Huo An looked over at the familiar face but found it strange. Even though they had been in the same class for several years, they were not really acquainted: “You are…” He frowned, thinking for a while, then gave up, “Never mind,” he muttered, continuing to drink.
The classmate who was completely ignored: “…”
Deyan, sitting across, was sweating and thought, “Unbelievable.” In the entire X High School, only Huo An dared to thoroughly ignore the school tyrant, Lu Weichi…
However, Lu Weichi didn’t usually hang out with them, so his sudden appearance tonight was unexpected.
After finishing a bottle of wine, Huo An put down the empty glass bottle and leaned back.
Feeling miserable, it was almost midnight.
He glanced at the time and let out a breath.
He couldn’t drink anymore.
“Hey, Huo An…” Classmate Lu Weichi, who had been ignored, wanted to properly introduce himself, but suddenly there was a commotion among the crowd.
Following everyone’s gaze, he saw a handsome guy with refined features walking over, holding a small cake. The showy part was that there was a sparkler on the cake, sparkling and crackling.
Who was this person?
Everyone had this question.
Then, to their shock, they realized that the guy holding the cake was walking straight toward Huo An… Lu Weichi turned to look at Huo An’s face and, sure enough, the guy was stunned.
Only an idiot wouldn’t believe there was something going on!
“Sweetie, happy birthday.” The person holding the cake was An Wuyang.
He had just flown back from abroad. After landing, he went home immediately but found his son wasn’t there. So, he rushed to the place where his son often hung out to find him.
“You, why are you back?” Huo An looked at his smiling little dad, completely stunned… then quickly sat up straight on the sofa, making room for An Wuyang.
People around them: “???” Sweetie!!?
So, Huo An had a significant other!
“Of course, I had to come back for your birthday.” The gentle and refined young man came to his son and held the small cake with the sparkler, which was about to burn out, in front of him, “Happy birthday, make a wish, quickly.”
Huo An: “I…” Feeling very touched, the previous misery seemed to vanish as he looked at the sparkler, “Then I wish for your good health and happiness every day.”
An Wuyang was taken aback, smiling like a child: “Ah, but it’s your birthday.” He was very moved, “Then I’ll make a wish too, hoping all your dreams come true, and everything goes well.”
Before the sparkler burned out, as a father, he smiled and leaned in to kiss his son’s forehead.
“…” Huo An stared at his little dad’s face, illuminated by the sparkler, finally understanding that his big dad’s unwavering care over ten years was all to keep time from leaving its mark on this person.
“Thank you.” He reached out to remove the burnt-out sparkler, threw away the remnants, and scooped a bit of frosting with his finger, smiling at the sweet taste.
Their friends around them were either petrified or feeling extremely uncomfortable.
“Well then, continue celebrating with your friends.” An Wuyang said, handing the cake to him and preparing to leave.
“It’s so late now, I’ll walk with you,” Huo An immediately said, showing no intention of staying behind. After all, he was out drinking just because no one was home.
Also, he couldn’t let An Wuyang go back alone at this hour.
“Mm? Okay,” An Wuyang thought for a moment and said, “Then you say goodbye to your friends, and I’ll wait for you at the door.”
He stood up, smiling and nodding at the kids who were looking him over, his refined and elegant demeanor making a good impression.
Throughout the whole scene, no one dared to ask who Huo An’s companion was…
This was quite strange because, despite Huo An being a model student with a very proper image, and thankfully not the overly stuffy kind of proper, it was surprising that people didn’t know about his significant other.
“I’m heading back now, you all enjoy yourselves,” Huo An said to his friends.
“Uh…” Deyan hesitated, not asking the question out loud, “Alright.” He kept glancing at the small cake in Huo An’s hands, surprised, wondering if this guy liked sweets.
After waiting at the door for a few minutes, the tall and handsome son slowly walked over.
“Son, let’s eat the cake here before we leave,” An Wuyang said, pointing to a wooden table and chairs under the eaves.
“Mm.” Huo An, who looked a lot like Huo Yunchuan and stood 1.83 meters tall, sat down, still half a head taller than An Wuyang, “Do you want some?”
He held the cake out to his little dad.
“I won’t eat, you eat,” An Wuyang said, crossing his arms like a schoolboy, shaking his head and focusing intently on Huo An.
“Okay.” Huo An took a bite of the cake and could tell it was made by An Wuyang himself, enjoying it immensely.
“…Actually, I wanted to see if the cream was well-made,” An Wuyang couldn’t resist the temptation and scooped some cream into his mouth to satisfy his craving.
“…” Huo An, with his mouth full of cake, suppressed a laugh but said nothing.
After finishing the palm-sized cake, he asked slowly, “Is my big dad back?”
Actually, he was curious about how his little dad managed to sneak out.
“No.” An Wuyang’s answer surprised him, but this time there was a reason: “Your big dad had some official business to handle and is still abroad. It was just me and the assistant who came back first.”
So that was it.
Huo An nodded, took the wet tissue An Wuyang handed him to wipe his hands, and said, “Let’s go, my car is nearby.”
An Wuyang was startled and immediately said angrily, “You’re driving again?”
The rebellious youth rolled his eyes and pulled out his car keys, “I can’t do this or that, if I only study I’ll go crazy, you know?”
As far as he knew, his big dad had been free and unrestrained in high school.
Although he didn’t dare to hope to replicate his big dad’s growth path… he didn’t want to be too bound by conventional rules either.
“But you’re underage and you’ve been drinking,” An Wuyang looked at him reproachfully.
“Then you drive,” Huo An said straightforwardly, tossing the keys over.
An Wuyang held the keys awkwardly in his hands, looking like a cat that had just had its tail stepped on, his eyes wide open: “You, this kid…” He knew he couldn’t drive, yet he still said that.
“If you can’t drive, just sit in my car obediently; I’ll drive slowly,” Huo An said, taking the keys back from An Wuyang.
“No way.” An Wuyang insisted, “How about we take a taxi home?”
“I’m not getting in someone else’s car,” Huo An replied stubbornly, leaning against the wall, exuding the typical rebellious spirit of a teenager.
An Wuyang was annoyed with him but felt helpless: “How about riding a shared bike back?” He glanced at the little yellow bikes on the roadside, thinking it was a pretty good idea.
“Pfft…” Huo An couldn’t hold back his laughter: “Shared bike? Seriously, you, my little dad, came up with that? Today is my birthday, and you want me to ride a shared bike home?”
Is there still any love left?
“…” At that moment, An Wuyang thought to himself that he would sign up for driving lessons tomorrow; he absolutely had to learn how to drive!
The father and son, who were having difficulty communicating, stared at each other in silence for a while. Huo An was the first to compromise: “I won’t drive, but I’m not riding the little yellow bike either.”
An Wuyang looked puzzled: “Then how are we getting back?”
Huo An stood up dramatically and said, “We’ll walk back.”
Hearing this answer, the young man was dumbfounded. Walk? Three whole kilometers? This person was telling him they were walking back!?
“Are you trying to make me give up?” An Wuyang said, “If you say that, I still won’t let you drive.”
Huo An looked up at the starry sky and chuckled, “Then let’s go.” He grabbed An Wuyang’s wrist and walked confidently toward the roadside without any pretense.
“Really?” The pampered young man, who hadn’t walked for a long time, raised his eyebrows, showing a timid look.
“Mm.” Huo An walked forward with firm steps.
However, he quickly regretted his decision because halfway through, his little dad shamelessly suggested that he carry him home.
“Dun dun, my head hurts, and my feet hurt…”
Take a taxi, take a taxi!
The honorable Huo, who had sworn not to take a car, chose to carry his dad over taking a taxi without hesitation.
And then he discovered that his little dad’s daily meals must have gone straight to the dog’s stomach.
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! ❤️”
