Husband, Hungry, Eat! Chapter 113

Chapter 113

"...Husband, should I be polite and invite Xiao Zhi's mom?"

It was pretty clear what he meant. He didn't really want to invite her, but since they'd already invited so many people, not inviting Zhao Qing seemed awkward—especially since Zhao Zhuo was already coming. But if they invited Zhao Qing, what if Jiang Qifeng came along too?

Qi Cheng's face showed his displeasure. He really didn't want Jiang Qifeng to show up.

Bai Zongyin found Qi Cheng's little pout funny. Qi Cheng always said exactly what he was thinking around him, completely open and unguarded. "Polite, huh—" He drew out the word, catching the young man's attention, and Qi Cheng snuggled into his arms.

Then he said: "Jiang Qifeng doesn't have time—he's abroad. Go ahead and invite her."

Bai Zongyin thought back to a long time ago, when Zhao Qing had been quite good to him too. Everyone had their own selfish interests and the people they most wanted to protect—that was only natural.

And even if Jiang Qifeng happened to be free and in the country, after all these years, if they met, they'd just put on a fake front and exchange empty pleasantries. Just wait a little longer. It wouldn't be long now. Bai Zongyin kissed the person in his arms.

Qi Cheng saw the world in black and white, and his simple way of looking at things was just him being considerate of Bai Zongyin's feelings.

Fanfan's first birthday had been planned well in advance, and preparations were thorough, so everything looked beautiful and lively. Uncle Quan had invited quite a few friends from his dance and chess groups, and Auntie Zheng and Uncle Li's family also came over.

On Qi Cheng's side, there were naturally Lu Yang and his friends from the studio.

Mingcheng in September was still bright and beautiful—clear skies, a gentle breeze, no more summer heat, just a touch of autumn crispness.

Early in the morning, Qi Cheng started dressing up his little goose.

Fanfan had thick, dark hair, and Qi Cheng joked around by clipping a little pink piggy barrette to it. Fanfan was overjoyed when he looked in the mirror, clearly very pleased with his look. He touched it with his chubby little hand and grinned at his dad with that silly, happy expression.

"Are you a little girl? That's why you're so happy, right?" Qi Cheng asked.

Fanfan fell for it: "Yesh yesh."

"Bahahaha. Alright, I'll leave it on for you today."

Seeing how happy his little goose was, Qi Cheng didn't take it off and let him wear it. As long as Fanfan was happy, that was what mattered. He changed Fanfan's clothes—unlike the red, festive outfit from the hundred-day banquet, today was more of a little boy look.

A goose-yellow hoodie, denim overalls, brown leather shoes, and white knee-high socks.

"What a handsome kid." Except for that pink piggy barrette still clipped in his hair.

Auntie Zheng was helping out on the side. When she saw Fanfan's outfit for the day, she said, "Such a handsome boy. Xiao Cheng, put a jacket on him too—it's a bit chilly in the morning."

"Okay."

Auntie Zheng handed over a beige knitted cardigan, and Qi Cheng put it on his little goose. The sweater had red and green flowers and leaves stitched on it, and Fanfan absolutely loved it—he always liked to grab and play with them, so Auntie Zheng had sewn them on extra tight to keep them from coming loose.

"He's a handsome, pretty little boy now." Qi Cheng admired the look, then kissed his little goose.

Fanfan touched the flowers, then raised his hand to feel the little piggy barrette on his head.

He nodded with extreme satisfaction and broke into a smile.

The family headed over in the morning. Fanfan was curious about the new place, his round eyes wide open. Uncle Quan unloaded the stroller from the car and said gently, "Fanfan, let's take a walk around with the stroller and check out the new place."

Fanfan had been able to stand at eight months, but he might have taken after Qi Cheng—he was a little lazybones. He'd stand for less than a second, then plop down on the play mat and refuse to move. Qi Cheng had been shocked the first time he saw that one-second stand.

Later, he realized that his little goose was truly lazy. At over nine months, they'd coax and encourage him on the play mat to stand more, and now he could walk—but he needed to hold onto the stroller for practice. He moved slowly, but steadily.

Uncle Quan, seeing through rose-colored glasses, praised him: "From the way our Fanfan walks, you can tell he'll be a meticulous person when he grows up. Slow is good—slow means less chance of falling."

"..." Qi Cheng really wanted to say that his little goose just didn't like moving or walking.

It must be because I didn't run away with the baby back then—otherwise Fanfan wouldn't be this lazy.

Sigh.

The venue was spacious, open, and large, with non-slip tiles on the floor. Fanfan pushing his stroller around wasn't at risk of falling, and today he was in a good mood, happily striding along on his chubby little legs to do his inspection. Auntie Zheng and Uncle Quan both gathered around to watch, so Qi Cheng let go of the reins.

He needed to check how the kitchen was doing.

By eleven o'clock, guests started arriving one after another. Jiang Zhi and Yu Qingshi were among the earliest to come—of course, the very first was Lu Yang. Lu Yang came with Liu Sinian.

"We came together since it was on the way," Lu Yang explained.

Qi Cheng: "Oh, that's nice. It's pretty far out here, so it's good that Mr. Liu happened to be passing by. You really should get your driver's license soon." He told them both to make themselves at home and look around.

After a while, something struck Qi Cheng as odd, and he asked his husband: "Is it really 'on the way' from our villa to Xiao Lu's medical university and then all the way out here?"

"It depends on the person," Bai Zongyin said.

Qi Cheng: ???

"That depends on the person" — what kind of answer is that? Shouldn't it depend on the route, like which way you actually drive?

Bai Zongyin held back a smile and didn't answer. Instead, he said: "Xiao Zhi and Mr. Yu seem to have arrived."

Qi Cheng's attention shifted, and he stopped worrying about whether that route was actually on the way. Jiang Zhi had changed a bit—he looked more mature, with a bit of that "CEO" vibe. At first glance, it was a bit startling—until he opened his mouth and turned right back into a goofball.

"Big Brother! Sister-in-law! Where's my big nephew Fanfan?"

Qi Cheng: ...Still the same Erha.

"Thanks for coming. Fanfan can walk now—he's playing inside." Qi Cheng chatted with Yu Qingshi about how they'd been doing. They talked occasionally, but not much—Yu Qingshi was always busy and quite famous now.

Yu Qingshi: "It's been alright. I just finished filming recently, and Fanfan's birthday timing worked out well."

"I wonder if he'll still recognize you. I remember last time he really liked you holding him—wouldn't let go..."

Fanfan was currently being held up in the air by Jiang Zhi, and he wasn't scared at all. When Qi Cheng walked in, all he heard was his little goose's giggling.

"Brother Qingshi, come here—it's so much fun!"

Jiang Erha was showing off his little goose to Yu Qingshi like a prized treasure. 

Qi Cheng: ...

Fanfan's round eyes sparkled, his chubby face still beaming with joy as he looked curiously at Yu Qingshi. He didn't remember him anymore—after all, he'd only been a few months old when Yu Qingshi last held him. But that didn't matter, because Fanfan was a little baby who was a total sucker for good looks.

"Eeeh~"

"Uncle~"

Fanfan babbled at Yu Qingshi. Jiang Zhi laughed, lowered Fanfan down closer to Qingshi, and said, "Play with him—he's so much fun now. He can understand what you say. He's saying hi. But don't hold him—Fanfan's a bit fat now—"

Qi Cheng: ...

"Blah blah blah!"

Fanfan understood that and blew a raspberry, scrunching up his chubby face to show he didn’t like the comment. 

Qi Cheng didn't even have time to warn him.

"Bahahaha, you really understood that? I was complimenting you, not insulting you!" Jiang Erha tried to talk his way out of it.

Please have some dignity as an adult, uncle. Qi Cheng silently roasted him from the sidelines.

Because he knew his little goose wouldn't let this slide. Normally, Fanfan was easy to fool—except when it came to anything about him being "stinky Fanfan," "not cute or pretty," or "getting fat." That was a hard sell.

The word "fat" was a no-go, but you could say "plump"—and if you added "chubby-wubby" it went over even better.

Probably because when Fanfan was little, everyone in the family naturally used that baby-talk tone with the doubled-up syllables, and Fanfan came to associate that with praise, play, and affection.

Sure enough, Fanfan was still unhappy now, his chubby face in a pout.

"He's not going to cry, is he? Okay, okay, Uncle was just teasing—our Fanfan is the lightest—" Jiang Erha tried to soothe him.

Qi Cheng was almost suffocating from secondhand embarrassment and wanted to roll his eyes. He thought, if Jiang Zhi can find a boyfriend with that kind of flattery, that's honestly amazing. 

Before he could warn him, Yu Qingshi elbowed Jiang Erha and said, "Don't say that—you can't tell a kid they're light." Then he opened his arms and said, "Let me hold him. Fanfan is adorable—he's even wearing a little piggy barrette."

He never mentioned the word "fat."

Fanfan transferred from the tall uncle's arms to the pretty uncle's and instantly brightened up, his earlier pout completely forgotten. Jiang Erha watched and said, "Fanfan's so smart—were you just tricking your uncle on purpose?"

Qi Cheng whispered to his husband: "Husband, Erha said Fanfan is smart, but honestly, I don't think Erha is very smart himself."

"..." Bai Zongyin lowered his gaze, hiding a smile. That's my silly Chengcheng for you.

It was like those novels he read as a teenager—seven- or eight-year-old hacker geniuses. Fanfan hadn't shown any signs of that yet, but he definitely wasn't dumb. He'd been sharp since he was tiny, knowing exactly what to do to get the best outcome.

This was Fanfan's first birthday banquet. The families they'd invited naturally brought their kids along, and at this kind of event, everyone knew what to wear and how to act to match the hosts' vibe.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but Qi Cheng felt like these people were especially eager toward him and his husband. At the Wang family banquet before, he hadn't remembered everyone's faces, but he knew how high society viewed his husband—as someone who coasted on the Jiang family's coattails and had no real ability.

Qi Cheng didn't want to repeat those ugly words.

Today was different. Everyone showed him genuine respect—he could feel it. It was an equal, polite, and warm exchange. That uneasy feeling he'd had at past banquets was completely gone. It was like his standing had gone up — the people coming over to talk now treated him in a whole new way. There was no need for tense, forced small talk, because their attitude made him feel comfortable enough to just be himself.

So the whole birthday party atmosphere was joyful.

"Xiao Cheng, where's Fanfan? Let me see him." Zhao Qing had arrived too.

Today, Fanfan was the center of attention—everyone who came wanted to see him. But everyone had boundaries. People with casual relationships rarely asked to hold him or touch his face and hands. They mostly just complimented how smart, cute, lively, and friendly he was.

When Zhao Qing saw Fanfan, she opened her arms and gestured for him to come to her. Fanfan looked at her with his big round eyes for a second, then babbled, "Pwetty~"

Some of the ladies laughed and teased, "What a little clever one—he didn't say 'pretty' to any of us. Fanfan really likes Mrs. Jiang." Others asked what perfume Mrs. Jiang was wearing—it had a unique, pleasant scent they hadn't encountered before.

Zhao Qing was used to this kind of flattery. She smiled gracefully and responded, and the conversation shifted to perfumes, so she forgot about holding Fanfan.

Qi Cheng scooped up his little goose and made a quiet exit.

At lunchtime, there were games, activities, and cake-cutting.

Everything was going well, but then Qi Cheng noticed Zhao Qing's expression change. She was still smiling, but it was different from when she'd arrived. He whispered, "Husband, did you notice? Erha's mom's face..."

He was clearly sharing some major intelligence.

Qi Cheng's imagination ran wild—he thought Zhao Qing had realized how powerful his husband had become, with his connections and good relations with the Zhou family and these guests, and he worried she might go back and tell Jiang Qifeng something.

Bai Zongyin could tell right away what wild theories were running through that little head of his. He asked, "Xiao Zhi and Yu Qingshi aren't here right now. Auntie Zhao just came down from the second floor. What do you think she saw that made her face change?"

!!!

The little puppy's face went full conspiracy mode, and he lowered his voice in shock: "No way? Were they upstairs doing it?"

No way no way no way.

"Chengcheng."

"?"

"Can you try to look a little less envious?" Bai Zongyin held back a laugh.

Is he really that envious?