Chapter 21: Chapter 21 “I Really Don’t Have~”

Chapter 21: "I Weawy Didn't~"

Lu Tingan patted Lu Zhishi’s round head and said helplessly, "Alright, alright, we bought it, a small bouquet."

Sure enough, when the shop assistant brought out the packaged flowers, Lu Zhishi saw one large and two small bouquets.

"Daddy~" Lu Zhishi hugged his small bouquet of lisianthus, looking up at Lu Tingan with large, dark eyes sparkling, clearly touched.

He plunged into Lu Tingan’s arms, rubbing against him happily, unable to contain his joy.

Hearing the little one’s innocent laughter, Lu Tingan smiled slightly and ruffled his hair, not saying anything for now.

After politely saying goodbye to the fans who were seeing them out, Lu Tingan carried the child and left.

Once in the car, Lu Tingan brought his face closer and pointed to his cheek.

Lu Zhishi blinked his dark, bright eyes and immediately understood, puckering his lips to give Lu Tingan a kiss on the cheek: "Daddy~"

Lu Tingan squinted contentedly.

After buying groceries at the supermarket and returning home, Lu Zhishi carried his small bouquet around, looking for a vase.

Lu Tingan changed his shoes at the entrance, brought the ingredients to the kitchen, then picked up the little one and went upstairs to get a vase.

The vase collection room had many vases, most of which Song Qinian had gotten from auctions and given to Lu Tingan. A few smaller ones were picked up by the two of them during dates or walks.

Lu Tingan selected two vases that matched the color of the lisianthus and helped the child put the flowers in.

Lu Zhishi held his vase, gently touching the petals of the lisianthus while glancing at the flowers in the small vase beside it.

Gege has flowers, but Brother Xiao Chen doesn’t have flowers.

...

It was only around 2:30 in the afternoon, still too early for dinner, so Lu Tingan took the child upstairs for a nap.

With rhythmic pats on his back and his father's familiar scent lingering in the air, Lu Zhishi gradually grew drowsy. He curled into a small ball, snuggling against his father before slowly closing his eyes.

In his dream, bizarre, vivid scenes unfolded—a terrifying doctor in a white coat smiled at him while relentlessly giving him injections in his arms and legs.

The scene felt so real that Lu Zhishi startled awake in fright.

Wide-eyed, he stared at the ceiling for a while before lazily turning over and sitting up, his bottom in the air.

"Hmm..." I never want to see a doctor in a white coat again.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead and rubbing his eyes, Pang Xiaoyu, with his messy curly hair, looked around the room.

He was alone; his father was nowhere to be seen.

Two blankets were tucked around him, preventing the sleeping child from rolling off the bed.

Plop, he fell back onto the blankets, closing his eyes in a daze, too sleepy to fall back asleep.

When Lu Tingan entered the room, he saw Pang Xiaoyu lying face down on the bed, bottom in the air, still with his eyes closed.

He gently pushed the little one’s bottom, and the child squirmed and grumbled, then... nothing else happened.

Poke and he’d move, poke again and he’d move again—if not poked, he wouldn’t budge. Such an adorable little lazybug.

A gentle smile tugged at Lu Tingan’s lips as he leaned down to pick him up, pinching the child’s tiny nose.

"Still not getting up?"

Lu Zhishi opened his eyes, wrapped his arms around Lu Tingan’s neck, and rested his head limply on his shoulder: "Daddy, sleepy~"

"You’ve been sleeping for a long time." Lu Tingan nuzzled his hair and smoothed down a stray tuft. "Daddy's about to finish work soon."

He took the child to the bathroom, washed his face with a warm towel, then helped Pang Xiaoyu into a small jacket and carried him downstairs to the sofa. After turning on the TV, he handed him a white peach.

"Daddy’s going to cook. Be good and watch TV—no running around."

"Okay~" Lu Zhishi opened his mouth wide, took a small bite of the white peach, and chewed with puffed cheeks.

He had already finished watching Pineapple House and was now engrossed in a cat-and-mouse story.

Having not watched it for so long, Lu Zhishi had forgotten much of the plot, but he swung his chubby little feet, thoroughly enjoying it.

Lu Tingan checked from the kitchen doorway to check on him and saw the little one curled up on the sofa, giggling while holding the peach. Smiling softly, Lu Tingan returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Compared to the skilled Chef Song, Lu Tingan could only make a few simple dishes. After all, he often worked away from home filming, and Song Qinian had been the one preparing meals for Pang Xiaoyu all these years.

He made a few simple home-style dishes: three meat dishes and one vegetable dish, plus a soup.

The bone broth had been simmering for a while. When he lifted the lid, the rich, milky-white soup smelled delicious, especially after sprinkling some chopped scallions on top.

After turning off the heat, he ladled some into a bowl to taste, placed the rest of the dishes in the food warmer, and brought a bowl of broth to the living room.

"Come, try this."

Lu Zhishi’s little nose followed the bowl, his eyes lighting up. "Smells good~"

Lu Tingan fed him a spoonful, and Lu Zhishi took a big mouthful, his eyes sparkling even more. "Yummy! Daddy’s amazing!"

Pleased by the little one’s enthusiasm, Lu Tingan smiled faintly and prepared to feed him another spoonful.

Lu Zhishi tentatively held the small bowl, his eyes fixed on Lu Tingan, pulling the bowl, and Lu Tingan’s hand, closer.

"Go ahead, there’s more in the kitchen." Lu Tingan felt both amused and helpless.

The child’s mannerisms were just like his brother’s when he was young, though Lu Zhiyu had been not as polite, often gulping down soup as if fighting for it—adorably fierce.

Come to think of it, Pang Xiaoyu actually took after Song Qinian more. As a child, he’d look up with those longing eyes and tentatively call him "brother" in that sweet, childish voice.

After gulping down the soup, Lu Zhishi set down the bowl and noticed Lu Tingan staring off into space, a faint smile on his lips, as if seeing someone else through him.

No need to guess—he was clearly thinking about his big Daddy.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Lu Tingan looked down into a pair of bright, dark eyes and smoothed down the child’s stray hair again. "I was thinking about your big Daddy. He used to drink soup just like you when he was little."

Lu Zhishi nodded understandingly—he got it.

Speak of the devil—the familiar sound of a car pulling up came from the front door. Through the floor-to-ceiling window, they could see Song Qinian’s Maybach entering the driveway and parking temporarily in the yard.

As soon as Song Qinian stepped out of the car, he turned to see Lu Tingan holding the child, standing at the doorway and watching him.

The chubby little one waved enthusiastically: "Daddy~"

Song Qinian chuckled, retrieving several bags from the trunk before walking over to his partner and child, leaning in to kiss their cheeks. "So enthusiastic today?"

“We were just talking about you with the baby, and here you are back.”

“Speak of the devil.” Song Qinian followed them inside, put down his things, and went to wash his hands. “What were you talking about?”

Lu Tingan chuckled softly. “We were talking about how you used to drink soup when you were little.”

Song Qinian blinked, his smile widening, his ears tinged with a faint blush. He said shyly, “You mean how I used to grab your hand and fight for the bowl to drink soup?”

“Yeah, looking up at me with those eager eyes, calling me ‘gege’ over and over.”

Lu Tingan hoisted the little one higher in his arms. “Back then, I thought you were adorable—round-headed, with chubby cheeks, and a head full of curly hair, like a mixed-race baby doll. Your voice was so sweet and baby-like.”

Lu Zhishi perked up his little ears, listening intently, his lips curling into an unconscious smile. His chubby face broke into a grin.

Aww, childhood friends are just the sweetest!

Song Qinian clearly froze for a moment, standing there in a daze, blinking at Lu Tingan, his lips quirking up unconsciously.

Then, Lu Zhishi witnessed the entire process of Song Qinian turning red right before his eyes.

It was visibly obvious—he turned into a red tomato, blushing from his neck all the way up to his cheeks, his ears burning bright. His beautiful, expressive peach-blossom eyes glistened with a faint sheen of moisture. He turned his head away and coughed lightly, unable to conceal his embarrassment.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me…”

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Lu Tingan’s waist. Despite his size, Song Qinian buried his face in Lu Tingan’s neck, feeling both embarrassed and thrilled. “I used to worry that you thought I was an annoying little tagalong.”

Lu Tingan struggled to hold the child with one arm while using the other to pat his lover’s back. “I was too embarrassed to admit it back then.”

“Gege,” Song Qinian nuzzled into his neck, turning to plant a kiss there, his voice sweet and needy. “I love hearing it. I want you to tell me you love me a hundred times every day.”

Lu Tingan instinctively tilted his head back, tugging lightly at Song Qinian’s hair to pull him away a bit. He pinched the back of Song Qinian’s neck, his tone resigned. “Alright, I’ll say it a hundred times a day.”

Might as well call him Song Sticky instead of Song Tea.

The Song Qinian in front of Lu Tingan was completely different from the one others saw. His teaseful antics were reserved solely for Lu Tingan, which was why fans called him Song Tea.

As the fans put it, Song Tea was full of that playful, coquettish charm, sticky and sweet—and Lu Tingan just happened to eat it up.

The aloof, distant movie star Lu probably could only be won over by a passionate and persistent little green tea, especially when that green tea was the childhood friend he’d raised himself.

The couple was all lovey-dovey, and Lu Zhishi, squeezed between them and nearly turned into a grilled cheese sandwich, thought: “Hey, Dad, could you maybe notice your little Tubby-shaped third wheel here?”

He pulled out a hand and accurately pinched Song Qinian’s red ear, tugging at it until he successfully pulled his silly dad away.

Straightening up, Song Qinian saw the sulking little one and finally remembered there was a child present. Embarrassed, he took him into his arms and kissed his chubby cheek.

“Sorry, baby, Daddy forgot you were here.”

Lu Zhishi: “Waa!” You awful, silly dad! Poor little Fat Cheese!

Under the little one’s steady gaze, the couple felt a bit embarrassed. Lu Tingan pinched his own ear and went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.

Song Qinian carried the little one, bouncing and soothing him. “Daddy really didn’t mean to. You’ll understand when you’re older. Sometimes, Daddy only has eyes for your Tingan dad…”

Lu Zhishi pinched his chubby cheeks, thinking it over. He sort of understood. Is that really how it is?

Noticing the confusion and innocence on the little one’s face, Song Qinian ruffled his hair and said gently, “You can think about that when you’re older. Your job now is to eat well, sleep well, and grow tall.”

Bringing this up, Song Qinian turned serious and began lecturing Lu Zhishi. “The check-up results say your nutrition is unbalanced. From now on, you can’t be picky about your food and avoid vegetables, or Daddy will get angry…”

Lu Zhishi’s eyes darted around, looking a little guilty and embarrassed. But then he thought of something and puffed out his chest. “No, I, I ate them~”

It wasn’t that he didn’t eat vegetables—he just ate less of them compared to meat.

“You did. Last time, you even sneaked the vegetables and put them in Brother Xiao Chen’s bowl. Daddy saw it.”

The reason he didn’t put them in Lu Zhiyu’s bowl was entirely because Lu Zhiyu was also picky and didn’t like vegetables. Even the veggies in his own bowl ended up being passed to Chi Chen.

Lu Zhishi puffed up his chubby cheeks. “No, I did not~”

“You did.”

“Did not~”

“You did.”

“I really did not~”

Lu Tingan came out to see, and found the father and son arguing about this—about whether he’d really avoided vegetables or not, both sides sticking firmly to their own views.