DASB Ch33

Huo Rulan helped Ye Xi over to the sofa and propped a cushion behind his back.
“The head chef can wait in the living room for now. I’ll prep the ingredients and call you later.”

Ye Xi turned his head to watch Huo Rulan excitedly dash into the kitchen, donning an apron, washing and chopping vegetables, his face couldn’t hide his happiness.
Ye Xi wanted to be a little closer to talk to him, so he stood up, holding his belly and supporting his waist, and tried to drag a chair from the dining room. But before he could, Huo Rulan rushed out and helped him move the chair to the kitchen doorway.

As he helped him sit down, Huo Rulan couldn’t help but scold him a little:
“If you need anything, just call me. Don’t do it yourself. Your belly’s too big now, you shouldn’t lift anything heavy. Next time, ask me to do it, okay?”

Ye Xi realized it wasn’t right of him and quickly nodded to promise,
“There won’t be a next time. I’ll ask for help.”

Satisfied, Huo Rulan stroked his cheek gently, gave a few more reminders, and went back to washing vegetables.

Ye Xi sat at the door watching him and said, “Sorry, Huo Rulan. Because of me, you couldn’t go to the birthday party Chengyang-He and the others threw.”

“Hm?”

Huo Rulan handed him an apple to snack on and said, “How can I blame you? I already told them I wasn’t holding a birthday party this year. That call from Mu Chengyang just now was him being bored and asking again. Don’t worry about it.”

Ye Xi took a bite of the apple and relaxed.

He lowered his head, his eyes filled with emotion. He was being selfish, he just wanted to spend one birthday with Huo Rulan. Otherwise, he might never have another chance.

He looked up and asked, “Are we going to the hospital tomorrow?”

Huo Rulan was chopping vegetables. He paused and turned to look at Ye Xi,“When do you want to go? I’ll go along with you.”

“Then let’s go tomorrow. Can we leave a bit later in the morning?”

“Of course, you can sleep in tomorrow.”

At the mention of sleeping in, Huo Rulan smiled and glanced at him.

Ye Xi knew exactly what he meant and rolled his eyes in mock annoyance, taking a big bite of the apple.

“It’s not that I like to sleep in. It’s the babies! Don’t wrong me.”

Huo Rulan raised his eyebrows, eyes full of amusement.

“Oh, so it’s the two little sleepyheads who like to sleep in.”

“Little sleepyheads…” Ye Xi looked confused. Then the ‘little sleepyhead’…
Wasn’t that him?

He shot Huo Rulan a look. “You’ve gotten so slick with your words.”

Huo Rulan plated the vegetables and gave him a nod and smile:
“Thank you for the compliment, baby.”

Ye Xi threatened him, “Your reward tonight is sour pickles.”

Huo Rulan wasn’t the least bit afraid. He calmly put the soup ingredients in the pot and turned it to simmer.

“You’re bluffing. I don’t believe you. I washed those veggies. You think I wouldn’t know if there were cucumbers in them?”

Ye Xi burst out laughing. “That’s true, huh.”

Huo Rulan chuckled quietly, this cute little dummy.

By the time the prep was done, it was nearly 4:30 PM. Ye Xi saw everything was ready and got up to head into the kitchen.

Huo Rulan helped him and hesitated a long while before trying to talk him out of it:
“Why don’t… why don’t I just handle it? You can go watch some TV?”

“No, I want to do it myself.”

Ye Xi had him tie on an apron, picked up the spatula, turned on the stove, and added oil, his movements smooth and practiced as he seasoned the pan.

Huo Rulan hugged him from behind, supporting his heavy belly, his eyes slightly red. He closed his eyes and gently kissed Ye Xi’s cheek.
“Thank you, baby.”

“And thank you too, Huo Rulan. Thank you.”

Thank you for loving me, thank you for letting me be loved once, even if it’s at the end of my life.

Ye Xi’s eyes turned wet. He gently caressed Huo Rulan’s hand and, not wanting him to know what was really in his heart, changed the subject.

“The first dish is your favorite, tomato and scrambled eggs. My skills might not be the best, though. It’s just a plain home-cooked meal.”

He cracked a few eggs into a bowl, beat them with chopsticks, and poured them into the pan with tomatoes. The rich aroma filled the kitchen.

Huo Rulan pressed his face to Ye Xi’s hair, smiling with joy:
“Your cooking is the best in the world.”

Ye Xi giggled,“Did you eat candy today too? Why are you so sweet?”

Huo Rulan replied, “With you here, I don’t need candy.”

They stayed close together, whispering sweet nothings, occasionally kissing each other’s cheeks and sharing soft smiles.

Ye Xi looked into Huo Rulan’s ever-loving eyes and thought:
Even if the future fades, time will remember this.

***

As the sunset dyed the sky, Ye Xi sat at the dining table, eyes following Huo Rulan as he brought dishes to the table and ran upstairs to get candles. After setting everything up, Huo Rulan fetched three large bouquets of red roses from the door.

One was from him to Ye Xi, one was ordered for Ye Xi for later, and the last bouquet was for their candlelit dinner centerpiece.

With the candles lit, they sat across from each other. Huo Rulan raised his glass, clinking it with Ye Xi’s, then downed his milk.“I’m really happy today,” he smiled.

Ye Xi sipped his milk, propped his face on one hand, and said, “I’m happy today too.”

He picked up some food for Huo Rulan.

“I only know how to make simple meals. Try it and see if it tastes okay.”

Huo Rulan showed him with action, it was more than okay. He ate two bowls.

Ye Xi smiled as he watched Huo Rulan eat heartily, eyes shimmering with tears, reluctant to look away.

His own appetite had been small lately, so he finished earlier than Huo Rulan. He rested his chin on his palm and simply watched.

Huo Rulan looked up and met his gaze, smiling as he asked:
“You’ve been staring at me for so long. Aren’t you tired of it yet?”

Ye Xi smiled as he told him, “Even if I looked at you for a lifetime, I’d never get tired of it.”

As the sky darkened, Huo Rulan finished eating, tidied the table, and headed to the kitchen to get the cake. Ye Xi followed him slowly, staying close behind as they returned together.

The cake was still Huo Rulan’s favorite: white peach flavor. Ye Xi lit the candles on the cake, then stood beside him and gently placed a birthday hat on his head.

“Huo Rulan, make a wish.”

“Okay~”

Huo Rulan turned and kissed Ye Xi’s forehead. Then, facing the cake, he closed his eyes, clasped his hands, and sincerely made his wishes.

First wish: For Ye Xi’s health and safety, and a life without worries.

Second wish: For the babies to be born healthy and joyful.

Third wish: For Huo Rulan and Ye Xi to stay together forever, growing old hand in hand.

While his eyes were still closed, he heard the sound of camera shutters going off beside him, more than once.

After making his wishes, Huo Rulan and Ye Xi blew out the candles together.

Ye Xi wrapped his arms around Huo Rulan’s waist, guided his hand to the back of Huo Rulan’s neck, and kissed him gently.

“Happy birthday, Huo Rulan.”

Huo Rulan hugged him back, holding the back of his neck as he returned the kiss.

“Thank you, baby. You’ve worked hard.”

They ate the cake and cleaned up the table. Then Huo Rulan helped Ye Xi to the living room to rest.

While walking slowly with his hand on Huo Rulan’s, Ye Xi suddenly said,
“Can you help me get something from the bedroom? It’s in the bottom of the left wardrobe. A big box.”

Huo Rulan paused, a bit of a guess already forming in his mind. He grinned foolishly and agreed. After helping Ye Xi sit down, he cheerfully ran upstairs and brought down a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Huo Rulan placed it on the table in front of Ye Xi and sat beside him, still smiling foolishly. Ye Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or scold him.

Ye Xi poked his silly face, “Aren’t you going to open it?”

“Oh, oh, right! I’ll open it.”

Snapping out of it, Huo Rulan carefully opened the gift box. Inside was a sketchbook he once said he wanted to see but never had, along with a stack of small cards.

He gently took them out and held them reverently, too afraid to flip through.
“They’re love letters, right? I feel like they are.”

Ye Xi grew a little embarrassed.

“I drew and wrote them all myself. They’re nothing expensive… Happy birthday, Huo Rulan.”

Huo Rulan caressed the sketchbook and cards, looking at Ye Xi with reddened eyes.

“They’re very expensive. Too expensive. They’re priceless.”

He began opening the cards one by one, and the more he read, the redder his eyes became.

Each tiny card was filled with Ye Xi’s love.

“February 17th, 2302: I love you. -Ye Xi”

“February 18th, 2302: I love you just as much today. , -Ye Xi”

…

“August 2nd, 2302: Another day I love you more than anything. Happy Birthday, Huo Rulan!! -Ye Xi”

“August 2nd, 2303: Still loving you this year. Happy 29th, Huo Rulan!! HYe Xi”

“August 2nd, 2304: This year too, loving you so much. Happy 30th birthday, Huo Rulan!! – Ye Xi”

Huo Rulan wanted to keep going and read the rest, but Ye Xi reached out to stop him.
“You can read the rest later. For now, take a look at the sketchbook.”

Huo Rulan ruffled Ye Xi’s hair with a smile and agreed. He carefully placed the cards back into the box and slowly opened the sketchbook.

Inside were drawings of all the moments they shared together.

First page: February 17th, 2302.
Huo Rulan was holding Ye Xi, who had accidentally fallen down the stairs. One arm wrapped protectively around Ye Xi, face filled with panic, and his other hand was slightly trembling. Ye Xi looked up, meeting his gaze.

Second page: February 18th, 2302.
Huo Rulan remembered Ye Xi wasn’t doing well that day, so he had taken the day off to be with him.
In the sketch, they sat at opposite ends of the sofa. Huo Rulan was working on his laptop, while Ye Xi drank milk and peeked at him quietly.

Seventeenth page: March 3rd, 2302.
Huo Rulan, dressed sharply in his work attire, returned home holding a cake and a bouquet of flowers. Ye Xi was sipping soup, his ears perked up to the sound of footsteps.

Eighteenth page: March 4th, 2302.
Huo Rulan was driving Ye Xi to work. He kept sneaking glances at Ye Xi while driving, while Ye Xi stared out the window, his peripheral vision sneakily watching Rulan back.

And so on…

The remaining pages showed them shopping in matching outfits for baby clothes, visiting maternity boutiques, buying a bubble machine at the supermarket, going for prenatal checkups, visiting amusement parks, playing claw machines…

So many moments, too many to describe with words, overflowing with love and memories.

Huo Rulan’s nose had turned red. He wiped his eyes and kept flipping pages until he reached one.

August 2nd, 2302.

In the drawing, Ye Xi was slipping a ring onto Huo Rulan’s finger, holding his hand tightly.
Huo Rulan held a bouquet of flowers. Beside them sat a cake, with the words written next to it:

“Happy 28th birthday, Huo Rulan. I will love you forever.”

His vision blurred, and he could no longer make out the drawing clearly. His eyes red, he turned to look at Ye Xi, who was smiling at him tenderly.

Huo Rulan flipped again. After that birthday page was a blank one.

He kept flipping, only to see scenes of himself holding two children. In the following pages, he was helping them walk, playing with them…

But there was no Ye Xi.

He wanted to flip further, but Ye Xi stopped him again and gently put the sketchbook back into the box.

“The rest is just you and the babies. You can look at it later.”

Ye Xi looked at him with a soft smile. One hand moved behind his back to reveal a hidden bouquet of roses. With his other hand, he pulled out a small, elegant ring box from his pocket.

Opening it revealed two simple but luxurious men’s rings.

Huo Rulan’s eyes were red from crying. His ears, the tip of his nose, his cheeks, and even his neck were flushed an alarming red. Droplets of tears fell one after another, soaking the bouquet Ye Xi held out to him.

Ye Xi used the back of his hand to wipe away the tears on Huo Rulan’s face. His own eyes were slightly reddened too. He looked at Huo Rulan nervously and said,

“I bought the rings with money I earned from commission work. They’re not expensive, but they’re really pretty.”

“Huo Rulan, will you wear the ring I got for you?”

 

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T/N: Sorry I forgot July 31 exists

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