Extra 14: Happy to Be Dads
It was the fifth year of An Qingyan and Gu Fei’s marriage.
Gu Fei discovered he had fallen out of favor recently. Ever since they had a son, An Qingyan spent all his time with the little boy—talking to him, playing games with him, watching cartoons with him, and sleeping with him.
His status in An Qingyan’s heart had plummeted.
Even Little Orange, the family cat, spent all day by their son’s side.
Master Gu felt very unbalanced.
The story goes back half a month ago.
An Lingkang and Song Shuman, along with Gu Fei’s mother, Yu Qingtong, had been suggesting that the couple adopt a child.
Although there was no throne to inherit, having a child would liven up the house. They were all getting older, and to put it bluntly, if anything happened, there would be a child to keep them company.
Since Gu Fei and YanYan were both men, giving birth was impossible—this wasn’t an Mpreg story. So, the three worrying parents suggested they adopt from an orphanage; a boy or a girl would be fine.
Master Gu’s attitude on the matter wasn’t important; everything was up to his wife. Raising a child wasn’t a casual decision. An Qingyan deliberated for half an month before deciding to adopt.
His parents made a valid point.
So, the next day, the couple went to the orphanage, accompanied by the three parents, who had prepared a carload of gifts—toys, snacks, books, and the like.
The director welcomed them warmly. “The children are playing in the yard right now. Let me take you there; they’ll be thrilled to receive gifts.”
Before they even entered the yard, they heard crisp, childish laughter. About twenty children were playing inside—in the sandpit, on the slide, chasing each other—innocent smiles on their tender faces.
An Qingyan: “So cute.”
Gu Fei: “Mm.” So noisy.
For Master Gu, who preferred quiet, this was torture. One child was enough; more would be unbearable.
“Children, come over here! Uncles and grandparents have come to see you, and they brought gifts!”
Hearing about gifts, all the children stopped what they were doing and ran over cheerfully. They stared at the strange adults with innocent, wide eyes, greeting them enthusiastically or timidly: “Hello, Uncles! Hello, Grandparents!”
“Hello, children!”
“These children are so well-behaved.”
The three parents adored them. An Qingyan also seemed to like children very much, handing out gifts, squatting down to rub their heads, and smiling gently at them.
Master Gu sat aside, watching quietly. He could handle billion-dollar business deals with ease, but childcare was beyond him.
An Qingyan walked over from the group of children and sat beside him, whispering, “Fei ge, do you dislike children? If you do, we can just…”
Gu Fei shook his head. “I don’t dislike them.”
“Then I know what it is. You don’t know how to interact with children, right?” The young man teased with a smile. “True, imagining Master Gu taking care of a child is hard.”
Gu Fei: “…”
Life is hard.
“Look how cute they are…”
An Qingyan’s gaze swept over the children playing with the three parents, then suddenly paused. In an inconspicuous corner sat a small figure in blue—a child, quietly staying alone, not playing with the others.
He pulled Gu Fei closer and saw a little boy in a blue short-sleeved shirt. He looked about three or four years old, fair and cute, but a bit small and thin.
The boy was hugging a robot toy, his eyes lowered quietly. He looked lonely. Even when someone approached, he kept his head down, as if enclosed in his own little world.
An Qingyan seemed to see his past self in this child. Moved, he squatted down. Just as he raised his hand to touch the child’s head, the boy flinched away reflexively.
“This…” The young man stood up and looked at the man beside him. The man whispered in his ear, “He’s likely been abused. There are scars on his arms.”
That explained the instinctive flinching.
Just then, the director walked over, sighing with helplessness and heartache, and explained in a low voice:
“This child is Liu Xiaocheng, four years old. He came here half a month ago.”
“His mother died in childbirth. His father had violent tendencies and treated Xiaocheng poorly, beating and scolding him when drunk. He still has scars on his body. His father died in a car accident due to drunk driving half a month ago. None of his relatives wanted to take him in, so he came here.”
“For the past half month, Xiaocheng hasn’t spoken much or played with others. He just stays quietly in the corner. He’s a pitiful child.”
After hearing this, Gu Fei quietly took the young man’s hand, his eyes full of concern, because his little one had suffered similar experiences in the past.
An Qingyan smiled at him, signaling he was fine.
He squatted down again, looking gently at the thin little boy. His lips parted slightly, his clear voice gentle and sincere: “Xiaocheng, it will be okay. Everything will get better.”
Perhaps his voice was too gentle and pleasant, like sunlight in March, for Liu Xiaocheng finally looked up, staring timidly at the strange uncle with clear, dark eyes.
An Qingyan raised his hand again. This time, Liu Xiaocheng didn’t dodge. He gently stroked the boy’s hair, a tender smile revealing itself in his eyes and brows.
In that moment, Gu Fei knew his choice.
Without much hesitation, An Qingyan chose to adopt Liu Xiaocheng. On the day the adoption procedures were completed, he held Liu Xiaocheng’s small hand and promised seriously:
“From now on, we are your papas. We will love you very much and won’t let you get hurt anymore. Would you like to come home with us?”
Liu Xiaocheng nodded懵懵懂懂 (dimly/ignorantly).
From then on, An Qingyan and Gu Fei had a son. The three elders were overjoyed—they finally had a grandson to hold!
An Qingyan wanted to give his new son a new name, to bid farewell to the past and welcome a new life.
The new name was chosen by Gu Fei: Gu Yu’an.
Gu Yu’an—Gu with An. The child of Gu Fei and An Qingyan.
Because of his past experiences, Gu Yu’an still lacked a sense of security after arriving at his new home. Just like in the orphanage, he didn’t speak and always stayed quietly alone in a corner.
But this situation didn’t last long.
Although An Qingyan was now a household name, he wasn’t particularly busy. He only took on one or two dramas a year and made music in his spare time, rarely accepting other engagements. He wanted to save more time to accompany his lover and family.
After Gu Yu’an arrived, he canceled all his upcoming schedules to accompany this emotionally scarred child, hoping the boy would gradually accept him, integrate into the family, heal his trauma, and grow up happily.
Because An Qingyan had once suffered such harm too.
Besides An Qingyan, the rest of the An family treated the child very well. There was also Yu Qingtong, who accompanied the little guy every day—talking to him, playing games, watching cartoons, taking him shopping, to the amusement park, the zoo, the aquarium…
As for Gu Fei… he was cold and distant to everyone except An Qingyan. To this “cheap” son (adopted son), he naturally wouldn’t be overly gentle or solicitous, but he still cared for and protected him in his heart—loving the house and its crow (loving someone and everything connected to them).
Half a month passed like this. Under everyone’s meticulous care, the little guy’s condition improved significantly. He became cheerful and lively, talked more, and loved to smile.
And our Master Gu was dissatisfied and jealous. The aged vinegar jar was on the verge of tipping over.
His YanYan, his wife, hadn’t slept with him for three consecutive days, accompanying that kid Gu Yu’an instead, even telling bedtime stories gently every night to coax the kid to sleep.
Moreover, they hadn’t engaged in any “bed exercises” for a week. Usually, YanYan was very clingy when at home, but now he only focused on Gu Yu’an. Gu Fei was becoming invisible.
Master Gu swore silently in his heart that he would reclaim his status tonight.
…
Under the hazy moonlight, in the children’s room decorated with exceptional warmth and whimsy, the young man was leaning against the headboard, holding a storybook, gently reading a bedtime story to the little guy lying beside him:
“A hungry fox was preparing to go out for lunch when suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The fox opened the door, and standing there was a little pig…”
Little Gu Yu’an opened his big, curious eyes and asked in a milky voice: “Papa, is the fox going to eat the little piggy?”
An Qingyan put his index finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and coaxed softly: “An An can’t talk now. You have to close your eyes and go to sleep obediently.”
“Okay.”
Ten minutes later, the little guy fell asleep.
Gu Fei seized the opportunity, striding in from outside with his long legs. Without a word, he swept the young man on the bed up into a princess carry and turned to walk out.
An Qingyan struggled futilely, afraid of waking his little son with too much noise, so he could only lower his voice and demand: “Gu Fei, what are you doing?!”
“What do you think I want to do?” The man walked expressionlessly toward the master bedroom, placed the person in his arms directly onto the bed, trapped him underneath, and said in a low, calm tone laced with undeniable dominance: “Tonight you sleep with me, and the same goes for the future.”
An Qingyan was stunned, then burst out laughing. “Fei ge, are you jealous of An An?”
Gu Fei: “Isn’t it obvious?”
These past few days, he had practically carved the words “I am jealous” on his forehead. Usually, YanYan would have noticed long ago, but now… he just wasn’t paying attention to him.
“An Qingyan, tonight you have to pay back everything you owe.”
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