“Ye Xi?” Huo Rulan carried a bowl of nourishing soup and couldn’t find him anywhere. Panic rose in his chest. “Baby, where are you??”
Could it be… could it be Cheng Yun—
“I’m right here,” Ye Xi’s voice came from the study. He stepped out, hugging a photo album, holding his waist and slowly making his way down the stairs.
Huo Rulan quickly set down the soup, rushed up the stairs two steps at a time, and hugged Ye Xi tightly, burying his face into his neck and breathing heavily.
Ye Xi, standing one step above, hugged his head and gently stroked his hair. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I’ll let you know next time I go anywhere. Don’t be scared.”
Huo Rulan shook his head, his voice muffled. “It’s not your fault. I’m just too nervous. I’m sorry, baby.”
Ye Xi understood his panic and tension. This state had been going on for a long time—from being unable to sleep at first, to now getting anxious whenever Ye Xi wasn’t in sight. Huo Rulan constantly worried about him.
Ye Xi kissed his forehead. “I just went upstairs to get the album. I saw you were busy in the kitchen, so I didn’t call you.”
Lifting his head from Ye Xi’s neck, Huo Rulan kissed his forehead in return and helped him downstairs, supporting his waist.
“You could’ve called me to go with you, baby.”
Ye Xi squeezed his palm. “Okay~ I’ll remember that.”
Slowly making their way to the sofa, Ye Xi put down the album and finished the soup in his arms, then let out a little burp. His belly moved slightly.
Ye Xi smiled and gently stroked his bump. Huo Rulan wrapped an arm around him and massaged his aching back.
After drinking the soup, Ye Xi wanted to look through the photo album. Huo Rulan glanced at it and asked, “Haven’t we already gone through this one several times?”
“I want to look again,” Ye Xi said as he flipped through the album of their shared memories. “Just one more time.”
While looking, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Huo Rulan. “In the lowest cabinet of the bedroom, there are five more albums. Can you bring them for me?”
“Of course. You sit here and rest. I’ll be right back.”
Huo Rulan went upstairs to retrieve them. The bedroom was filled with traces of their life together—stuffed toys, couple photos hanging on the walls, matching outfits, night lights, a bubble machine… All things Ye Xi liked.
Huo Rulan straightened a tilted plushie, then opened the cabinet Ye Xi had mentioned.
As soon as he opened it, he froze slightly.
There were more than just five albums. Inside were also all the pregnancy check-up reports, the sketchbooks Huo Rulan had bought for Ye Xi, linked bank cards, and countless small cards and notes…
He took out the five albums, reached to touch the sketchbook and cards… but stopped himself just before touching them. He shut the cabinet and brought the albums downstairs.
“I saw your sketchbook and little cards in the cabinet,” Huo Rulan said as he placed the albums on the table and held Ye Xi, massaging his back.
Ye Xi gently stroked the photos, then paused and turned to grab his shirt, asking nervously, “Did you look at what’s inside the sketchbook or the cards?”
Huo Rulan blinked, raised both hands beside his head like a good boy, and said sincerely, “I didn’t read anything inside.”
Ye Xi sighed in relief, let go of him, kissed his chin, and said, “Then don’t peek, okay?”
Huo Rulan looked gently into his eyes, having already guessed a bit, and said, “Okay, I won’t.”
Ye Xi tugged his hand and divided the albums on the table. “These three are yours, and these three are mine.”
Huo Rulan looked confused. As he flipped through his three albums, he found one was his life’s timeline from birth to now, one filled with daily photos of him and Ye Xi, and the last one—decorated super cutely—was still empty.
He glanced over at Ye Xi’s set and found they were basically the same.
“Why are the photo albums split in two?” Huo Rulan asked, then opened the cute one. “This one’s for the babies, right?”
“We each get one. I’ll need mine later,” Ye Xi explained as he opened the baby album. “The cute one is for the babies—so it’s also one copy for each of us.”
Huo Rulan didn’t fully understand the purpose, but still supported him. “Okay.”
Ye Xi leaned back into his arms and looked through the childhood photos of Huo Rulan, laughing as he did. “Your mom said you had big pretty eyes as a kid.”
Huo Rulan peeked at the baby photo—chubby, diaper-wearing little him, sucking his fingers and staring wide-eyed at the camera. He turned away, face slightly red.
Ye Xi touched the baby in the photo and his eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Huo Rulan, it’d be great if the babies looked like you. Chubby little dumplings—just imagining it makes my heart melt.”
“I’ll love them no matter what they look like,” Huo Rulan said, stroking Ye Xi’s hand while Ye Xi continued flipping through the album.
Huo Chengsong and Rong Lan had adored Huo Rulan endlessly and never missed a moment of his life. They supported everything he loved.
In Huo Rulan’s personal albums, his parents appeared often, at every parent-teacher conference, every award ceremony, every amusement park visit, ski trip, his high school coming-of-age ceremony, and university graduation. So many photos—each capturing every step from birth to 28 years old. Huo Rulan had grown up surrounded by love.
Ye Xi spaced out a little.
Huo Rulan lightly poked his cheek. “What are you thinking about?”
Without hesitation, Ye Xi blurted, “You’ll be a great parent too.”
Huo Rulan hugged his waist. “I will. I’ll love our children deeply. I’ll support whatever they love. I’ll do everything they enjoy with them. I’ll be with them as they grow.”
Ye Xi nodded and lowered his gaze, pretending to focus on the photos, though his eyes had quietly turned red.
That’s good enough…
When the babies hit eight months, Ye Xi was supposed to go to the hospital in advance to prepare. He had agreed when Huo Rulan first mentioned it. But when the time came, he suddenly changed his mind and said, “Let’s wait a few more days.”
Huo Rulan had already packed everything. When he heard that, he didn’t even finish packing the last of their clothes.
“Didn’t we agree to go to the hospital tomorrow morning?” Huo Rulan squatted down by the bed, looking at Ye Xi. “Now you’re not going?”
Ye Xi lay on his side in bed, watching Huo Rulan. He raised his hand slightly, and Huo Rulan helped him sit up and placed a pillow behind his back.
Ye Xi held his heavy belly and didn’t dare look up. “I didn’t realize we were going to the hospital tomorrow… I’m sorry. I didn’t check the date carefully—I thought we still had a few more days before the eight-month mark…”
Huo Rulan sighed helplessly, lifted his chin, and gave him a gentle kiss. “It’s okay. The hospital room was booked long-term anyway, so it’s no rush. We can go a couple of days later. But if you feel uncomfortable, you have to tell me right away, okay?”
Ye Xi nuzzled against his hand and nodded obediently. “Okay.”
Huo Rulan stroked his cheek, then went back to folding clothes, glancing at Ye Xi from time to time. Eventually, he couldn’t help but ask—pretending to be casual: “Did you want to delay going to the hospital… because of me?”
Ye Xi looked at him, amused by how he was clearly concerned but still trying to act indifferent. He shook his head and lied, “No, it’s just that I still have some things I haven’t finished yet. That’s why I thought we could wait a couple more days.”
Huo Rulan had his back to him, folding clothes, so Ye Xi couldn’t see his expression—only that his movements slowed. His voice was muffled as he responded, “Oh… Okay. If you need help, just call me.”
Ye Xi chuckled silently. “Alright then, I’ll trouble you when the time comes.”
Huo Rulan’s head dipped lower. “…Okay.”
For the next two days, Huo Rulan was clearly downcast. He couldn’t understand why Ye Xi had forgotten his birthday. He suspected Ye Xi was pretending not to remember, but he wasn’t sure. Lately, Ye Xi had been forgetful, often fuzzy-headed and blanking on details, so it was entirely possible he had truly forgotten.
What’s more, when Huo Rulan had secretly gone to check on the gift Ye Xi seemed to be preparing for him, he found it missing. When he casually asked about it, Ye Xi told him that the item had been a gift for Gu Qing and had already been delivered.
Huo Rulan had managed to keep a straight face at the time, but once he turned away, his expression changed completely, like all the air had left him.
That morning, Ye Xi had just finished breakfast and was resting on the couch. Huo Rulan brought him a glass of milk, set it down, then sat beside him and started playing on his phone.
Ye Xi sipped the milk, glancing sideways at Huo Rulan from the corner of his eye.
Huo Rulan pulled up the calendar app and casually scrolled through the dates.
Whatever settings he had on his phone, the voice assistant suddenly announced:
“Today is August 2nd, an auspicious day for celebrations. If today’s your birthday, your birth flower is the Chrysanthemum—symbolizing happiness.”
With a straight face, Huo Rulan turned to Ye Xi and said seriously, “Weird, I don’t know what day it is today, but my phone randomly read the date aloud. Anyway, that Chrysanthemum flower sounds nice. I like it.”
Ye Xi nearly burst out laughing at how obvious he was being but still played along. “That flower does sound nice, really pretty. I like it too.”
Huo Rulan looked at him, opening and closing his mouth a few times as if wanting to speak but stopping himself. Finally, he turned his head away, voice full of grievance: “All you care about is the flower…”
Ye Xi reached out and slid his hand down from the back of Huo Rulan’s neck to his tailbone, slowly repeating the motion until Huo Rulan finally turned back around. His voice was hoarse as he grabbed Ye Xi’s hand. “Stop messing around.”
Ye Xi clasped his hand and leaned over to hug his arm. “No, my heart isn’t only for the flower. It’s for you, too.”
A smile returned to Huo Rulan’s eyes. He tapped Ye Xi’s nose. “Did you sneak some candy again today? Why’s your mouth so sweet. I’m getting cavities.”
Ye Xi giggled and wrapped himself around his waist, whining that he didn’t eat any candy. Huo Rulan sighed and hugged him back.
Forget it. If he really forgot… so be it.
At noon, Huo Rulan took a nap with Ye Xi. After waking, he stepped onto the balcony to answer a call. Ye Xi, still half-asleep, vaguely heard a few words:
“…I won’t be going anymore. I’m staying home with my wife and kids.”
Ye Xi walked over and stood a few steps away, waiting for him to finish. Huo Rulan noticed and quickly ended the call with Mu Chengyang, slipping his phone into his pocket.
He approached and held Ye Xi by the waist. “What’s wrong?”
Ye Xi rested his hand on Huo Rulan’s arm and started walking toward the door. Huo Rulan glanced down. “Want to go out?”
Ye Xi shook his head and kept moving. Seeing he couldn’t stop him, Huo Rulan had no choice but to slowly guide him to the door.
When they opened it, a deliveryman was already waiting. He greeted them with a big smile and enthusiastically handed over the packages.
Ye Xi told Huo Rulan to take the items, then smiled politely at the delivery guy. “Thanks for waiting.”
The deliveryman beamed. “Oh, no need to thank me! It’s my pleasure!”
He was beyond happy, this customer’s tip alone was worth two full days of deliveries.
After closing the door, Huo Rulan joyfully carried the large packages inside, then returned to help Ye Xi.
He spoke in a cheerful tone: “What’s the occasion today? You ordered groceries, a cake, and even got Chrysanthemum flowers. Who’s all this for?”
Seeing how delighted he was even while pretending to be clueless, Ye Xi couldn’t help but laugh too. “I’m cooking today, for our birthday boy, a proper celebratory feast.”
