At the end of November, it was Li Tongzhou’s birthday.
For once, Jiang Min was at home and asked, “Is there anything special you want to eat for your birthday? Mom took a day off from work today and will cook for you.”
Li Tongzhou, who was about to head out, shook his head and replied, “No need. I’ve made plans with my classmates to go out and eat.”
Jiang Min was quite happy for him integrating in the group. She took out some money from her wallet and told him, “Treat your classmates to a meal together and have fun.”
After Li Tongzhou took the money, he asked her, “I might be coming home late.”
Jiang Min replied, “Of course, you can, but you have school tomorrow. Don’t tire yourself out too much.”
Li Tongzhou agreed with a nod and headed out.
He made arrangements with Guo Jingyu to go to a nearby restaurant. The chef there was skilled, but the restaurant was quite small. They required advance booking, especially for private rooms, which needed to be reserved one or two days in advance. Besides the delicious food, one unique aspect was that pets are allowed. The head chef himself owned a small dog, which he pampered like it was the apple of his eye, bringing it along every morning when he went shopping for ingredients.
Guo Jingyu had everything arranged in advance, just waiting for the birthday boy to arrive.
When Li Tongzhou arrived, Guo Jingyu was already sitting inside, pouring tea. Beside their table was an unopened cake box. It was small, just enough for two people. He waved his hand to call Li Tongzhou over, smiling as he said, “Come on, I’ve just ordered some dishes. I was wondering when you’d show up!”
Li Tongzhou sat down, and Guo Jingyu pushed the menu toward him. “Take a look. Their signature dishes are chestnut roasted chicken and sour cabbage stewed fish. I’ve already ordered everything else. I just can’t decide between these two. Which one do you like?”
Li Tongzhou replied, “Either is fine, let’s go with the chestnut roasted chicken.”
Suddenly, the canvas bag on the wide chair beside them wriggled a bit, making a faint noise but the restaurant was noisy. With his sharp eyes, Li Tongzhou caught sight of it and asked, “Did you bring the Fan Tuan out?”
Guo Jingyu smiled, “Yes, we’re celebrating your birthday together. Are you surprised?”
The dishes were quickly served. Guo Jingyu said to Li Tongzhou, “I let Fan Tuan out. Close the door to the private room and be careful not to let it run out. When I brought it in just now, it kept trailing at my feet, almost following the wrong person…” Guo Jingyu lifted Fan Tuan out of the canvas bag and tapped its forehead as if scolding it, “You almost went with the kitchen staff, didn’t you?”
Li Tongzhou asked curiously, “The kitchen staff?”
Guo Jingyu nodded, “Yeah, I had a word with the head chef here. I asked him to cook you a bowl of longevity noodles. Since we’re dining out this time, I won’t be cooking. I’ll make it up to you next time.”
Li Tongzhou sat aside, nodding. “Okay.”
Guo Jingyu held the Fan Tuan, pinching its paw. “The head chef’s pet is a cute little Pomeranian that looks like a little fox with those eyes, round and shiny, and its tail curls up fluffy like a squirrel’s tail…”
Li Tongzhou interrupted him, “Fan Tuan is smart.”
Guo Jingyu couldn’t deny this fact. Their little one was indeed quite clever. He and his friends, led by He Xiangyang, visited the art building every day to see it, teaching it various things in different ways. Surprisingly, the little fellow picked up quite a lot, never mixing up what it learned, even after several days without practice. It was obedient and well-behaved. Especially with the teachings from Li Tongzhou, it had actually learned to solve simple addition problems, enthusiastically picking up cards.
As soon as the Fan Tuan was placed on the ground, its little paws made a crisp sound as they hit the floor, and then it began to joyfully run back and forth between the two men, extremely excited. It loved nothing more than having both its dads together with it!
Li Tongzhou waved his hand, and Fan Tuan immediately ran to his feet, squatting down and tilting its head to look up at him, its chubby little body still carrying a hint of milk fat like a snowy white ball.
Li Tongzhou looked at it for a moment and said, “Fan Tuan is very cute too.”
Probably understanding the praise, the little one wagged its tail from side to side.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
It had grown a bit since it first arrived, but maybe because of its breed, it was still small enough to be cradled in one’s arms. When Guo Jingyu took it for a follow-up visit to the veterinarian, he asked about its breed. The vet couldn’t identify a specific breed but praised how strong it was. Fan Tuan was thriving, enjoying delicious meals and the company of his two dads, leading an extremely happy and contented life. After his minor injuries healed, he was growing healthily.
Xeb Alcuse qeiifv bea j rwjii qbgmfijlc ybki ogbw atf mjcnjr yju, jcv ja atf rluta bo la, Mjc Kejc yfmjwf fzmlafv, rqlcclcu lc mlgmifr. Xeb Alcuse delmxis ufraegfv obg delfa, jcv Mjc Kejc byfvlfcais ibkfgfv lar ogbca qjkr ab atf ugbecv, kjuulcu lar ajli gjqlvis ktlif ifaalcu bea j rboa “kbbo.”
Guo Jingyu picked out a few pieces of chicken for it and also found a larger bone for it to gnaw on.
Then, Guo Jingyu opened the cake box, took out some candles, and lit them, joining Li Tongzhou in making wishes.
As usual, Li Tongzhou didn’t say his three wishes. Instead, after making the wishes and blowing out the candles, he held Guo Jingyu’s hand.
As they divided the cake, Fan Tuan came over with its bowl, waiting for a treat. Guo Jingyu didn’t dare to give it any cream but picked out a small piece of cake base for him instead. Fan Tuan gobbled it up in two bites and whimpered, still wanting more. Guo Jingyu hesitated, considering whether to give it more, but Li Tongzhou stopped him, saying, “I’ve checked. Dogs shouldn’t eat cake.”
Guo Jingyu was stunned, “What should we do then? I just gave it some. Will it get sick?”
Li Tongzhou replied, “He will get fat.”
Guo Jingyu: “…”
Guo Jingyu thought to himself, although this person claimed his son was beautiful, deep down he knew that the little one was chubby!
When they had eaten their fill, the head chef brought over the longevity noodles. He greeted Fan Tuan with a smile and said, “Come play with Sisi next time.”
Guo Jingyu agreed and had Fan Tuan stand up to bow in thanks for the invitation.
The head chef looked on with envy.
After leaving the restaurant, Li Tongzhou slung the canvas bag over his shoulder, and the little one inside behaved exceptionally well, allowing him to carry it without a fuss. They didn’t go to any particularly noisy places with Fan Tuan. Instead, they circled around and returned to school. Sneaking in through the back door, they entered the art building together.
After hiding in the school for almost half a month, Fan Tuan had become quite familiar with the surroundings. After returning to its little nest hidden behind the cardboard boxes in the corner, it wiggled its butt and wriggled inside. Soon, it came out with a small plastic container in its mouth. It was the same one Guo Jingyu had used to feed it for the first time, covered in tiny bite marks, cherished beyond measure.
Li Tongzhou asked, “You’re still keeping this?”
“It’s not like I want to. I threw it away twice, but it found its way back from the trash bin both times. It’s gotten cleverer now, hiding it in a different place every day,” Guo Jingyu said helplessly, squatting down and tugging at it. The little one hesitated, reluctant to let go, making an aggrieved sound.
Li Tongzhou said, “If he likes it, then let’s just keep it.”
After Guo Jingyu let go, Fan Tuan immediately carried the worn plastic container over to Li Tongzhou’s side. Maybe sensing that he wouldn’t snatch it away, Fan Tuan placed the plastic container by Li Tongzhou’s feet.
Guo Jingyu teased, “It seems to like you a lot, giving you its precious broken container.”
Li Tongzhou looked down for a moment and asked, “Do you want it?”
Guo Jingyu waved his hand. “What do I need that for? I don’t need to chew on it. It’s still young. It’ll stop playing with that box after a while.”
Li Tongzhou responded, “It won’t.”
“Huh?”
“Memories from infancy are the most profound. It remembers this box, so it won’t forget.”
The seriousness of Li Tongzhou’s words caught Guo Jingyu off guard. He glanced up at him, but couldn’t discern anything unusual, though he felt a bit strange in his heart. They had both informed their families, and it was still early. Guo Jingyu decided to use Li Tongzhou as a model and began sketching a portrait of him.
While Guo Jingyu was drawing, he could openly look up at the model. But the model was even calmer than him. He openly gazed at the young artist with gentle, affectionate eyes, sometimes even seeming to smile with laughter twinkling in his eyes.
While Fan Tuan played with the plastic container, it eventually grew tired and fell asleep under Li Tongzhou’s chair, still holding onto the box.
After finishing the portrait, Guo Jingyu rolled it up and handed it to Li Tongzhou. “Happy birthday.”
Li Tongzhou took the painting but continued to look at him, as if waiting for something else.
Guo Jingyu touched the tip of his nose and took out a small box from his pocket. Inside was a pair of silver rings. He handed one to Li Tongzhou and said, “I happened to see a silver jewelry store on the street that day, so I bought it casually…”
Li Tongzhou looked at the ring in his palm for a moment before asking, “Which silver jewelry store was it?”
“In the capital city,” Guo Jingyu replied.
Li Tongzhou leaned in closer to him, whispering, “Did you plan this out so early?”
Guo Jingyu didn’t say anything. Instead, he leaned in and kissed him.
Not only had he planned it out, but he had also made numerous plans for the future, and in each of them, there was someone named Li Tongzhou.“
In early December, during Guo Jingyu’s birthday, Li Tongzhou bought two platinum necklaces and attached the two silver rings to them with fine chains, with each of them wearing one.
Guo Jingyu felt like he had received a talisman, giving him an extra boost of confidence when going out for exams.
The art entrance exams, which had been going on for over two months, began. Guo Jingyu joined thousands of art students across the country, heading to the exam halls. First, they took the specialized exams at the designated test centers in their province, then they went to the capital city. The enrollment brochures from various prestigious art schools were also released one after another. Guo Jingyu flipped through them while carrying his drawing board and paintbox, rushing to the next exam venue, busy with the final sprint of his professional exams.
Father Guo drove their family car over, accompanying him during the exams and witnessed firsthand the hard work of these children.
Guo Jingyu was somewhat fortunate. He could have a warm meal and rest a bit in the car at home during lunchtime. Most of the examinees outside of school only bought a box of lunch, simply filling their stomachs. They endured the cold wind in their down jackets, waiting for a while. As soon as the exam venue opened its doors, they hurriedly went in for the next exam.
Father Guo watched with a heavy heart and took care of his son even harder.
This time, Guo Jingyu applied to 17 universities. In fact, with his abilities, he originally only intended to apply to two art academies in the capital city. But to be on the safe side, he chose several more universities, all of which were the most famous comprehensive universities located throughout the country.
Because some of the schools had similar exam schedules, Father Guo drove him there each time in a sprint. There were several instances of round trips between Beijing and Tianjin. Guo Jingyu slept in the car at night and washed his face with cold water in the morning to freshen up before immediately going in for the exams.
Father Guo felt sorry for him. After accompanying him through the exams, he specifically asked for an extra day off from work so that Guo Jingyu could have a good rest.
Guo Jingyu didn’t refuse. He slept soundly for more than ten hours. When he woke up, it was already dusk. The heating was on at home, and a familiar aroma of cooking wafted through the air, making his stomach growl.
Guo Jingyu reached under his pillow and found his phone. He unlocked it and checked his messages. The message he had sent to Li Tongzhou before sleeping showed as read, but Li seemed busy and hadn’t replied yet.
After freshening up, Guo Jingyu, dressed in his pajamas, went to find something to eat. Leaning against the kitchen door, he sniffed and said, “Dad, did you stew pork ribs? Don’t make them braised, just clear stewed!”
Father Guo agreed repeatedly, while also busy preparing a sauce.
During dinner, Guo Jingyu suddenly spoke up after a few bites, “Dad, Mom, if I do well in the professional exams this time, will there be any rewards?”
Mother Guo was busy tearing meat off the ribs and putting it into his bowl. She chuckled and said, “The results aren’t out yet, and you’re already thinking about rewards. Alright, we’ll promise you. What do you want?”
Guo Jingyu looked around and asked, “Can you promise anything?”
Mother Guo was wary of him and didn’t relent. She said, “That depends on what you ask for. I can’t agree to everything you want.”
“It definitely won’t be excessive, just a small reward,” Guo Jingyu said. “Mom, the next six months will be focused on reviewing for the academic subjects. You have to let me concentrate peacefully. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease, and I won’t be able to focus on studying…”
With Guo Jingyu’s persistent persuasion and Father Guo’s encouragement from the sidelines, they finally managed to soften the head of the household, who agreed in the end. But they repeatedly reminded, “It can only be a small reward. We agreed on this. Principle matters cannot be compromised. You’re still a student, so prioritize your studies.”
“I understand!”
The last winter vacation of senior year was almost non-existent. Guo Jingyu returned to school for supplementary classes. He went to the art building first to see Fan Tuan. But after he arrived, he discovered that Fan Tuan was nowhere to be found. Even its dog bed was gone, and the classroom was spotlessly clean. He searched for a while, sweating on his forehead, and only then noticed his phone vibrating. He answered and heard Li Tongzhou’s voice, “Jingyu, have you returned to school?”
Guo Jingyu said, “Yeah, I just arrived. Have you seen Fan Tuan?”
Li Tongzhou replied, “With the recent drop in temperature, I took it back home so I could take care of it.”
Guo Jingyu breathed a sigh of relief and adjusted his collar. “You scared me. I thought it was lost. I’ve been searching in the art building. I even mentioned it to my mom yesterday, saying that I’ll bring it home once I pass the professional qualification exam… By the way, can your home keep it?”
Li Tongzhou replied, “Not upstairs, but we can keep it in the basement. There’s heating there. It can stay for a couple of days.”
Guo Jingyu chatted with him half-heartedly, feeling much relieved after learning about Fan Tuan’s whereabouts. Now that he looked at the classroom, he remembered something. Normally, nobody would clean the floor so thoroughly except for Li Tongzhou. He had taken Fan Tuan away and even cleaned up the place.
Guo Jingyu calculated in his mind and realized that he would receive his first professional certificate by early March, which was just a few days away.
As he had expected, a few days later, good news arrived.
During self-study class that afternoon, Guo Jingyu was busy with his papers while Li Tongzhou sat beside him, marking the papers online. Guo Jingyu was writing the final question of the last paper while Li Tongzhou had already begun sorting out the mistakes in the first two papers.
The head teacher walked in, holding an envelope, and placed it on top of Guo Jingyu’s stack of textbooks, gently tapping it.
Guo Jingyu was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t even lift his head, let alone notice the envelope.
It was Li Tongzhou who noticed first. He nudged Guo Jingyu’s arm gently, saying, “Jingyu.”
Guo Jingyu’s handwriting almost went crooked. “You should’ve nudged me earlier. Don’t even think about docking my marks this time. The typo just now was because of your nudge…”
Li Tongzhou interrupted, “It’s your letter.”
This time Guo Jingyu noticed the head teacher. This time, the teacher’s attitude towards him was unusually kind and gentle, with a warm smile on his face as he handed Guo Jingyu the letter, saying, “It’s your professional certification. Go ahead, open it.”
Guo Jingyu took the envelope, and without even needing to open it, he saw the name of the school printed on it: Nankai University.
This was the first professional certification Guo Jingyu had received.
On that day, Guo Jingyu packed the letter along with the dog into his backpack and took it home!
His posture when entering was different, he was very confident. When Mother Guo first heard the noise and came out to look, her eyebrows shot up, but immediately her attention was drawn to the letter that Guo Jingyu slapped onto the table. “What’s this?” she asked.
Guo Jingyu said proudly, “This is Fan Tuan’s ID! From now on, it’s officially a member of our family.”
Haha, Fan Tuan officially admitted at their door. 😁
Fan tuan’s id lmaoooo