"Oh! My dearest father, your most adorable son has returned!"
Gu Zhijing's voice arrived before he did.
Gu Junxing and Nian Suian were waiting in the living room for the young Gu's return.
As soon as Gu Zhijing saw them, he dropped his backpack and ran over.
"My dad, my papa, my father and daddy! Happy birthday to you!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Nian Suian was amused by Gu Zhijing's playful antics.
She instructed Gu Zhijing: "Zhijing, go get the cake from the fridge."
"Little Mom Sis! I must say, this cake you made is... truly cake-tastic!"
"Gu Junxing, I made this cake with my own hands," Nian Suian said, pointing at the cake and emphasizing the words "own hands."
"From choosing the eggs to balancing the cream, I did it all by myself!"
"Ahem!" Gu Junxing coughed to hide his amusement. "Well done."
Thinking that the sooner this ugly cake went into their stomachs, the better, Nian Suian immediately said:
"Now, let's move on to the second agenda item—singing the birthday song, making a wish, and blowing out the candles."
"3, 2, 1... Zhijing, light the candles!"
The candles were number candles Nian Suian had bought online. She had thoughtfully purchased two "18" candles, so that figuring out Comrade Gu Junxing's real age would require some simple calculation, greatly protecting his privacy...
"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~... Make a wish now!"
Gu Junxing symbolically closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them almost immediately.
"Dad, what did you wish for?" Gu Zhijing couldn't contain his curiosity and leaned in to ask.
"I wished for you to get into a top university."
"...Dad, I think, sometimes, you know, wishes shouldn't be too demanding on people."
This time, Gu Junxing spoke first to the two of them: "I request to move on to the next agenda item."
"No, this item isn't over yet!" Nian Suian rejected Comrade Gu Junxing's request, "We haven't cut and eaten the cake yet!"
Hearing her words, Gu Junxing didn't object and directly picked up the knife to start cutting the cake.
Nian Suian looked at the piece of cake on her plate, which happened to have "Gu Junxing" written on it, and laughed.
"I didn't expect Mr. Gu to be so clever." Nian Suian held up that piece of cake and waved it in front of Gu Junxing's eyes.
Gu Junxing's lips curved slightly, "Just a coincidence."
Nian Suian forked the character "xing" into her mouth. She had seen him give the piece with "Happy" to Gu Zhijing.
Hmm, she was sure this was Mr. Gu's little trick.
After eating half the cake, they couldn't eat anymore, so Nian Suian announced an early start to the next agenda item.
"It's gift-giving time!"
"Ahem! Let me go first, let me go first." Gu Zhijing was somewhat impatient. Just as he was about to take out the gift, he remembered that it was still in the backpack he had dropped halfway, so he quickly ran back to retrieve it.
"Dad, happy birthday!" Gu Zhijing handed over the gift, which was wrapped in paper, concealing what was inside.
Gu Junxing unwrapped the gift under the expectant gazes of the other two.
"Pffft!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!"
Upon seeing it clearly, Nian Suian burst into laughter.
"This is very practical, Dad. I think you should seriously study it right now."
Yes, the gift that young Gu Zhijing gave his father was a book.
"Be a Good Man—Ten Types of Men Women Admire Most" (image in comments)
Gu Junxing put down the book with a complex expression, then pulled up Nian Suian, who was laughing so hard she had crouched down on the floor.
"What about yours?"
Nian Suian, holding back her laughter, took out a small box from her pocket and handed it over.
Looking at the elegantly packaged box, Gu Junxing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least this thing looked normal...
The gift Nian Suian bought for Gu Junxing was a pair of cufflinks. While not very creative, she had spent a long time choosing the style.
The cufflinks were in the shape of eagles, with sapphires set as the eyes. When Nian Suian saw them, she felt they matched Gu Junxing perfectly.
"Thank you, I like them very much."
"Dad! You didn't thank me. Don't you like what I gave you?"
"Zhijing, don't you have a surprise for your dad?" Nian Suian reminded him, seeing the kid constantly dancing on the edge of danger.
"Oh, right!"
"Mwah!"
Gu Zhijing's so-called surprise was—
He hugged his dad's face and planted a big kiss on it, making a loud noise.
Nian Suian couldn't help but look up to see how colorful Gu Junxing's expression was, while pinching her thigh to keep from laughing out loud.
Gu Zhijing ran away right after the kiss, and a few seconds later, his voice came from afar:
"My agenda is over, goodbye!"
Gu Junxing paused, took two tissues from the table to wipe his face, and fixed his eyes on Nian Suian, saying:
"Your turn?"
"My what?" Nian Suian started playing dumb again, but her slightly reddened ears betrayed her true feelings.
Gu Junxing bent down, leaning close to Nian Suian, "Your surprise, is it the same as Zhijing's?"
"Not... not quite the same."
Nian Suian reached out her hands, taking advantage of Gu Junxing's bent posture, and carefully hugged him.
"Mine is like this."
Her hands overlapped behind Gu Junxing's waist as she silently counted down from five in her heart.
Five The body she embraced stiffened for a moment
Four She felt a force on her back as well
Three Breathing, not hers
Two Heartbeat, hers, and also not hers
One "Thank you, I'm very surprised."
"Um..." Nian Suian struggled a bit, retreating from Gu Junxing's embrace.
"I declare that all agenda items for Mr. Gu Junxing's birthday party are hereby concluded!"
After saying this, Nian Suian hurriedly ran upstairs. It wasn't until she entered her room and drank a large glass of water that she calmed down a bit. This kind of scene was still too stimulating for her, a lifelong single.
"Knock knock— It's me."
Her heart, which had just settled, began to flutter again.
"What is it?" Nian Suian walked to the door but didn't open it immediately.
"Can you open the door?"
After a moment's hesitation, Nian Suian opened the door. "What's wrong?"
Gu Junxing stepped forward and closed the door behind him.
"I think the agenda isn't over yet."
"Huh?" Nian Suian asked instinctively, "What else is there?"
"There's still— the item where Mr. Gu Junxing expresses his gratitude to Ms. Nian Suian."
"No need to thank me."
"But I must."
Nian Suian said angrily, "Why are you being so forceful? How do you want to thank me?"
Gu Junxing bent down, lowered his head, and leaned in.
Nian Suian watched as the person in front of her got closer and closer. Her reason told her she should step back, but her legs seemed nailed to the spot.
Helplessly, she could only instinctively close her eyes.
Warm breath brushed her face. She smelled the fragrance of strawberry cake—it was the strawberry jam she had added by hand, very sweet.
The next second, a soft touch gently pressed against her forehead.
"Rest early, good night."
