**Chapter 39**

Shi Chen, that little demon, gradually approached without anyone noticing.

Zhao Louqin had already arranged for Zhao Jiusi to take a leave of absence from his homeroom teacher, which was easily approved. Given Zhao Jiusi’s grades, taking off two days—or even a week—wasn’t a big deal.

The day before his birthday:

“Jiusi, isn’t your birthday tomorrow?” the boy with a buzz cut, Song Yu, asked while picking his teeth.

“Yes, but my dad is throwing me a banquet tomorrow. The people there are boring, and I don’t want you guys to be looked at like merchandise,” Zhao Jiusi said sincerely. Although it would be his first time stepping into a social event like that, he had seen those kinds of looks in others’ eyes a long time ago.

When he was very young, he had also attended such banquets.

Those people appeared glamorous and dazzling, but when they met you, the first thing they would do was inquire about your identity, sizing you up to see if you were worthy of speaking to them. Only then would they consider you as a person. Even when they smiled and spoke with you, it always sent a chill down your spine, making them quite unpleasant.

There was even a particularly detestable woman who once dug her long nails into him while smiling and talking. His dad was very angry afterward, and he never saw that woman at a banquet again.

Zhao Jiusi didn’t like such situations, but he knew he had to adapt to them. He understood that when he grew up, he could do as his uncle said—host a banquet whenever he felt like it and watch them scramble around, and when he wasn’t in the mood, he could just shut the doors and refuse any guests.

Zhao Jiusi didn’t want his good friends to be at the banquet because it would make him feel very uncomfortable. Therefore, he preferred to invite them for a meal in advance to explain things clearly.

“Yeah, I don’t like it either. But those old guys just love endlessly attending banquets,” the refined boy, Wu Ji, shrugged and replied. “Comparing clothes, shoes, jewelry, and even husbands’ companies and children’s grades is indeed quite meaningless.”

“But my gift is still at home; I was planning to give it to you tomorrow,” Song Yu said, half laughing and half frustrated. “Never mind, I’ll give it to you when you get back.” Song Yu then awkwardly scratched his head. “I know you like furry things, but I’m not sure what to pick, so I asked my cousin for advice. I almost embarrassed myself with the store clerk.”

“Pfft.” Wu Ji clearly knew the details of the situation. Song Yu, the fool, had gone to a pet market to choose a squirrel and asked questions like whether the squirrel’s fur was soft, if its tail was fluffy enough, whether it bit, and how easy it was to care for. The store clerk thought Song Yu was choosing a pet for a girlfriend and couldn’t help but ask a few more questions.

“What’s so funny? Aren’t you the same?” Song Yu whispered sharply. “Can you honestly say you weren’t like that when you went to buy a blanket?”

Wu Ji, pampered by his older brother and holding a large amount of pocket money, dismissed the idea of a small squirrel and instead went to a high-end store, requesting a custom-made blanket made entirely of rabbit fur.

The reason he didn’t choose an even more expensive blanket was due to a lack of time and money. After all, Wu Ji requested a purely handmade one with the highest quality.

Both of these gifts took a lot of thought and effort, all to surprise his friend.

Although he couldn’t give the gift to Zhao Jiusi on his birthday, it didn’t matter. Their gifts would definitely be the best.

Of course, they couldn’t reveal what the gifts were yet; otherwise, the surprise would be ruined.

“Thank you,” Zhao Jiusi said sincerely. Having two good friends was already the best birthday gift.

At midnight:

Zheng Yixu sneaked into Zhao Jiusi’s room with a huge stuffed toy and a colorful party popper in his mouth.

“Dad.” Zhao Jiusi, sitting on the bed, brightened up when he saw the stuffed toy in Zheng Yixu’s hands. His attention was completely captivated by the huge, adorable stuffed animal!

Just as Zheng Yixu was about to close the door, the lights in Zhao Jiusi’s room suddenly turned on.

Zhao Jiusi, dressed in a cute pajamas, was standing with a clearly smiling Zhao Louqin by his side.

Zhao Louqin was holding a huge cake box, clearly another surprise for his son.

“Happy Birthday!” Zheng Yixu, unfazed by being caught, shoved the stuffed toy into Zhao Jiusi’s hands, pulled the party popper, and streamers burst out.

Bang!

“Hehe, son, congratulations on turning sixteen,” Zhao Louqin said, leaning down to kiss Zhao Jiusi on the cheek.

Wow, there’s actually a way to take advantage of this?

Zheng Yixu quickly followed suit, giving Zhao Jiusi a kiss on the other cheek, and pulled out his phone to snap a photo, setting it as his phone’s wallpaper.

Zhao Jiusi, holding onto each of them, smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Father.”

Every year, just after midnight, Zheng Yixu and Zhao Louqin would quietly sneak into the room one after the other, bringing in the birthday gift as soon as possible.

When Zhao Jiusi was younger, he would get startled, but as time went on, he learned to take a nap beforehand and would be waiting in his room around 11 PM for Zheng Yixu and Zhao Louqin.

He’d also check to see which one of his parents would be faster.

In the past, Zheng Yixu was usually just a little bit quicker than Zhao Louqin.

But this time, Zhao Louqin was faster… He didn’t tell Zheng Yixu, planning to wake him up later and show off!

However, unexpectedly, even after losing his memory, Zheng Yixu still did the same thing.

This made Zhao Louqin both happy and a little bit jealous.

Was the son’s position really more important?

If Zheng Yixu knew what Zhao Louqin was thinking, he would probably mock him. Isn’t this kind of surprise normal? A lot of people celebrate birthdays like this, right?

Zhao Jiusi’s bedroom was still quite spacious.

There was just a large bed in the room, with one or two big stuffed toys and some reference books on it, making it feel less empty.

However, it was still more than enough space to seat three people.

Zhao Louqin placed the huge cake box in the middle of the bed, not caring if it might dirty the sheets. Today, the whole family could sleep together—yes, right here on his bed. The son would sleep on the left, and Yixu on the right.

One hand holding his son, the other holding his lover—life would be perfect!

Ahem, though it was just a fantasy.

Zhao Jiusi would definitely still sleep in the middle, just like every year.

“This cake…”

Zhao Louqin began to unwrap the box layer by layer, revealing a three-tiered cake.

The first layer was covered in chocolate, the second in cream, and the third in nuts, with various flower petals adorning the sides. The most remarkable part was the third layer. In the middle of the nuts, a small three-person family was crafted from different colored creams and sugars.

The little figure with blonde hair in the center was undoubtedly Zhao Jiusi. The tall blonde figure beside him was Zhao Louqin, and the black-haired, black-eyed figure was Zheng Yixu.

The faces of the three little figures were made from round cookies, with a few candy pieces forming the eyes and nose, and some dried fruits making up the mouths.

Other details, like their clothing and poses, were crafted with great care, showcasing the chef’s skill.

Zheng Yixu had never seen a cake like this, whether it was for someone else’s birthday, his own, or even in a cake shop. He couldn’t help but be amazed.

“I made it, hehe,” Zhao Louqin couldn’t resist bragging, his pride showing. “I’ve always known how to make sweets. Cakes are easy to make; it was these three little figures that took up most of my time.” He even had three custom molds made and wasn’t sure how many little figures he ruined before finally succeeding with these three.

The bodies were made of chocolate, and they could stand steadily only after solidifying. But fixing the three little sugar figures in place was tricky, and only the last set turned out right. The other two sets of figures? Zhao Louqin had slowly licked them all up (yes, *licked* them up).

“Father, it’s a very cute cake. You worked hard; I really like it.” Zhao Jiusi almost couldn’t bear to eat it. He held the knife in his hand, hesitating about whether or not to cut into the cake.

“Not bad craftsmanship,” Zheng Yixu glanced at Zhao Louqin, unable to resist a compliment.

Though the other person might be a bit of a mess, there was nothing to criticize when it came to how he treated their son.

Hearing Zheng Yixu’s praise, Zhao Louqin was even happier. “If you both like it, I can make another one next time, and even change the outfits and poses~”

For some reason, in this warm and cozy scene, Zhao Louqin’s words sounded a bit off, with an unexpectedly suggestive tone.

But more likely, it was Zheng Yixu’s own tendency to overthink and his vivid imagination that made everything seem off.

“No worries, we can eat the little figures first. Otherwise, they’ll start to melt. After we’ve eaten them, we can light the candles and make a wish,” Zhao Louqin suggested seriously.

Once the candles were lit, these three little figures would probably melt, ruining their appearance. It was better to eat them first.

Zhao Louqin had already made his plans and was just waiting to put them into action.

“Alright, Jiusi, which one do you want to eat?” Zhao Louqin picked up a fork, ready to dig in with eager anticipation.

“I’ll eat myself,” Zhao Jiusi said with a tilt of his head, sensibly choosing himself.

“Alright, good choice,” Zhao Louqin was very pleased with his son’s answer. With a quick flick of the fork, he picked up Zhao Jiusi’s sugar figure and placed it on a plate in front of him.

Then, without hesitation, Zhao Louqin put Zheng Yixu’s sugar figure on his own plate, taking a lick before doing anything else. Under Zheng Yixu’s =0= expression, he then placed his own sugar figure on Zheng Yixu’s plate.

A man should be this direct!

By licking it first, Yixu had no way to take back the sugar figure—ha ha ha!

How could I be so clever =v=~.

Zheng Yixu remained silent, staring at the sugar figure of Zhao Louqin on his plate, which he found particularly annoying. So, with a decisive stab, he speared the figure’s head with his fork, tossed it into his mouth, and crunched down on it with extra force!

— **Zheng Yixu’s Little Diary** —

Today is my son’s birthday, and there might be some new surprises!

Look, what did I find?

A little sugar figure made of chocolate, candy, cookies, and nuts!

The head and limbs are all edible, packed with protein and fat!

Chocolate-flavored, crunchy!