Qi Cheng waved excitedly. "Fanfan Fanfan!"
Fanfan heard his dad's voice, bobbed his head around to find it, and Qi Cheng saw his little goose's round face press close to the camera – he cracked up laughing.
"Husband, Fanfan is so silly." Qi Cheng laughed.
Bai Zongyin adjusted their son's position, and Fanfan plopped back down onto his big dad's chest with a soft thump. But he wouldn't give up – he leaned his little body forward, trying to get closer to see his dad, babbling away.
"I'll move to the desk and zoom in," Bai Zongyin said.
Then he stood up with his son, the camera shaking a bit as he moved, and soon they were at the desk. He connected to the computer and zoomed in on the screen.
Qi Cheng saw his goofy, happy Fanfan make a "Wow" face with wide, round eyes – hahahaha, just like a little bun.
"Don't you recognize me?"
"Oh, did Fanfan cry today? Did he look for me?"
Bai Zongyin took his son's little fist and waved it at his dad. "He cried a little. Now he sees his dad, doesn't he?"
"Ya!" Fanfan showed his teeth, happy. "Baba."
Qi Cheng was happy too, and talked about what they did that day, the weather, the food – they chatted for over half an hour before finally saying goodbye.
When the call ended, Fanfan stared at the dark screen with wide eyes. His smile dropped in an instant. He turned to look at his big dad, waving his arms and pointing at the computer, babbling urgently: "Ya baba!"
"How about Big Daddy plays Miracle Baby Around the World with Fanfan?" Bai Zongyin wasn't busy with work, so he played with Fanfan until he got sleepy.
Normally, Fanfan slept with Auntie Zheng at night, but before bedtime, both Qi Cheng and Bai Zongyin would go to Fanfan's room to soothe him – tell a bedtime story, or play a bit, and only leave after watching their son fall asleep. It was a routine.
That night, with Qi Cheng not there, Fanfan felt unsettled. He rubbed his eyes, clearly sleepy but refusing to fall asleep, crying and shedding real tears. No matter who held him or tried to comfort him, nothing worked. Auntie Zheng and Uncle Quan were starting to get worried.
Bai Zongyin never let go of him. "Fanfan is sleeping with me tonight."
Since Fanfan was born, he had rarely fussed this badly. Auntie Zheng knew it was because he couldn't stand being away from Qi Cheng—after all, Qi Cheng was the one who gave birth to him. Maybe it was that "mother and child can't be apart" thing. The baby was still so young—it was probably better if Xiao Cheng didn't stay away for too long.
Uncle Quan kind of thought the same – mostly because he felt bad for Fanfan.
"When Chengcheng gets back, don't tell him Fanfan fussed this much." Bai Zongyin said.
In the past, Bai Zongyin wouldn't have said much. But seeing the look on Uncle Quan and Auntie Zheng's faces, he added: "Chengcheng is twenty-two this year. Most people his age are just graduating from college. I want him to do things he enjoys, not be tied down by family or Fanfan."
A young person should be a young person first, before any other roles.
Uncle Quan and Auntie Zheng had only felt that way because Fanfan was crying so much – maybe they didn't even realize it, it was subconscious – not meant as blame or complaint. But now, hearing what Bai Zongyin said, they remembered that Qi Cheng was only twenty-two.
Her own daughter at twenty-two was still running around having fun, barely coming home.
"I'm Fanfan's other dad. Fanfan is my responsibility too." Bai Zongyin said.
Auntie Zheng felt a bit embarrassed, but she agreed. And she thought to herself, Mr. Bai really does treasure Xiao Cheng.
That night, Fanfan didn't want Auntie Zheng or Uncle Quan – he only clung to his big dad. Bai Zongyin didn't work all night, just soothed his son, told stories, and played with him, with endless patience.
Qi Cheng was worried, so he video-called again past 9 PM. When he saw the scene, wow – his little goose was lying on his husband's chest, little hands gripping his husband's pajamas, wrinkling them up completely.
"Is he asleep?" Qi Cheng asked quietly.
Bai Zongyin held the phone in one hand while patting Fanfan's back with the other. "Just got him to sleep."
"Did he cry?"
"A little. Easy to soothe." Bai Zongyin turned the camera toward their son. Qi Cheng felt relieved – his little goose was sleeping soundly like a little pig, and he chuckled quietly: "Silly little piggy Fanfan."
The two husbands chatted for a while.
After hanging up, Bai Zongyin brought his laptop to bed to work. As soon as he moved, Fanfan started squirming and couldn't sleep deeply. But a couple of pats and he was back asleep quickly.
Not hard to soothe.
His son was just like his dad – easy to handle.
Day two on the island meant shooting, but there was no rush – everyone was in a happy mood.
And then, unexpectedly, they ran into Liu Sinian. Qi Cheng blinked. "What a coincidence."
"You guys are here too? Yeah, pretty coincidental." Liu Sinian smiled.
Lu Yang rolled his eyes internally, but didn't say anything.
The morning weather was cool and perfect for shooting. The island theme this time was "bad boy" and "sporty" – things with a sense of masculine appeal. Stuff like Lu Yang riding the waves on a surfboard.
Lu Yang: "Just kill me now."
Liu Sinian, standing nearby, said: "I know how. I can teach you. And if you really can't get it, I can take you with me."
That instantly lit a fire in Lu Yang's eyes.
"Who can't get it?!"
"You teach – come on, teach me."
Qi Cheng couldn't get a word in edgewise. He had been about to suggest that they didn't have to surf—they could switch to beach volleyball instead, since they had other plans ready. But Xiao Lu was absolutely set on surfing, and Mr. Liu seemed so eager, so Qi Cheng just stayed quiet.
Go ahead, surf away.
It was supposed to be a surfing shoot, but really they spent most of the day playing around. Lu Yang was stubborn and fiercely competitive – he and Liu Sinian spent the whole morning out on the water. Eventually the makeup touch-up team, assistants, camera crew, and the snack-eating boss all couldn't take the sun anymore and headed back first.
Qi Cheng yelled: "Lu Yang, don't overdo it!"
In the end, they did the shoot in the late afternoon, and Lu Yang actually picked it up—good news. But he could only stay standing on the board for a few seconds at a time—it was mostly for the camera. He'd tumble into the water within a minute or two, still pretty unsteady. Liu Sinian was concerned and stayed close by his side.
"Boss, Mr. Liu is in the shot." Lao Ke asked. A few of those angles had Lu Yang looking the best and most graceful, so deleting them would be a shame.
Qi Cheng said: "I'll ask if we can keep them."
Liu Sinian was indeed a nice person and agreed. Since the focus was on Lu Yang's face, Liu Sinian only appeared as a vague outline – though anyone could still tell his features were handsome.
But since the person himself said okay, they could use it.
Qi Cheng stayed on the island for just over two days. He was really worried about his husband and little goose, so he booked a flight for the afternoon of the third day. Before leaving, he said: "The villa is booked for a week – you guys can stay and play another two days if you want."
He thought Lu Yang would leave with him, but instead, Lu Yang stayed.
Qi Cheng: ???
That was a bit weird.
Lu Yang put a hand in his pocket and said: "I haven't finished learning to surf."
"...You're that dedicated?" They'd already finished shooting, but he still wanted to perfect it. Qi Cheng was impressed. "Awesome! Then I'm heading out – have fun, Xiao Lu, go for it!"
Qi Cheng didn't tell his husband he was coming back early.
On the way, he bought a bundle of colorful threads – they were braided together, the kind kids wear on their wrists or ankles during the Dragon Boat Festival, as a blessing or something? Anyway, Qi Cheng thought it looked very sparkly and matched his little goose's aesthetic perfectly, so he bought it.
When he got home, Uncle Quan and Auntie Zheng were both there.
Qi Cheng came in all excited and happy: "Where's my little goose?" But Fanfan was missing.
Uncle Quan: "Zongyin took him to the office this morning."
???
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