439 Surprise… Gone Wrong

Zhuang Zhuang blinked in disbelief and rubbed his eyes vigorously.

Although it was hard to believe, his father had appeared suddenly just like that. It was absolutely the real deal. Nothing more, nothing less.

Ahem, sorry to digress.

After Zhuang Zhuang recovered from his surprise, although his mind was still in a mess, he knew that if he took too long, he would wake the two of them up. Hence, he decided to put away the luminous stone.

But at this moment, Jiang Danhe, who was supposed to be sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes.

Zhuang Zhuang’s hand shook and his heart felt like it was about to go numb from the shock. When he took another look, he found that his father’s eyes were shut. He didn’t open his eyes at all.

Zhuang Zhuang thought he was seeing things, and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was his first time doing something on the sly, therefore he was feeling a little nervous.

After calming himself down, Zhuang Zhuang placed the luminous stone back in its original spot. Then, he crawled under the blanket and tried to get back to sleep. However, he couldn’t fall asleep at all.

Smart as he was, Zhuang Zhuang couldn’t figure out the reason for his father’s sudden return.

Suddenly, a thought flashed across his mind. “Did he come back for my birthday…?”

When he thought of this possibility, the little guy couldn’t suppress the joy in his heart.

Coupled with the strange behavior of his mother and the others during this period of time, Zhuang Zhuang finally understood everything.

“So that was why!” He was truly, truly, truly overjoyed.

Jiang Danhe, who had opened his eyes earlier to tease him on purpose, had shut his eyes at this moment. He was listening to the boy’s small movements in the darkness. The corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily. “That’s my cute and silly son.”

—-

Speaking of which, Xiaoyi was still sleeping soundly. Even when Zhuang Zhuang got up to get dressed, took off his mask and his shoes, and covered him with a blanket, there was no reaction from him.

Before Zhuang Zhuang left, he looked at Xiaoyi solemnly. “Brother, I’ve given you a chance. Forget it. Just sleep well. I’ll wake you up before dinner.”

After saying the words silently in his mind, he left the room and closed the room door after him.

When Zhuang Zhuang came out, his eyes were lit up by the decorations in the main hall.

There were twice as many streamers as there were last year. At this moment, they had filled up the entire ceiling. Little figurines that were the mini versions of Zhuang Zhuang were hanging from the straps of each flower decoration. Although the drawings were mediocre, the effort put in was monumental.

Looking at the familiar and unusual style of illustration, he could easily tell who had drawn it. Besides his mother, who was adorable and skilled in both literature and martial arts but bad at drawing, who else could it be?

From the moment Zhuang Zhuang found out that there was a birthday surprise for him, he had been looking forward to it. He felt very regretful and ashamed for thinking that his mother didn’t love him.

With a quick dash into the kitchen, Zhuang Zhuang lifted the curtain and grinned at the few people, saying, “Thank you for the surprise you’ve prepared for me!”

The people in the kitchen were stunned for a moment. They thought that it was Xiaoyi who had come in. Unexpectedly, it was the protagonist who had made an early appearance.

Apart from Jiang Danhe, everyone else was very shocked.

Zhuang Zhuang pounced on Xiaoguo’s back and said happily, “I knew it! Mother wouldn’t forget my birthday…”

“I definitely would not forget your birthday.”

Xiaoguo wrapped her arms around Zhuang Zhuang. Although it was a little different from the surprise she had imagined, it was not a big deal. The most important thing was that the boy was happy.

“Thank you, Sister Xiao Zhu and Sister Yu Ling.”

Zhuang Zhuang was looking extremely cute as he thanked everyone while he was still in his mother’s arms.

Xiao Zhu and Yu Ling shared a common trait that many young girls have, which is a love for cute things. Zhuang Zhuang had always been cute in their eyes, but today, he looked even more adorable.

When they heard the little cutie thank them, the two girls became all starry-eyed. The little boy was really too cute…

Jiang Danhe put down his spoon and squatted down to look at Zhuang Zhuang. He asked in a jealous manner, “What about me?”

The blushing Zhuangzhuang made up his mind and let go of Xiaoguo. Without hesitation, he threw himself into his father’s arms and hugged him tightly, saying, “Thank you, Father… and I love you.”

When saying the words “I love you”, he spoke in a very soft voice. Right after saying that, he hid his head against Jiang Danhe’s neck, feeling so shy that he couldn’t face anyone.

It was true that Zhuang Zhuang constantly expressed his love for Xiaoguo, but it was the first time he was saying those words to Jiang Danhe. The feeling was awkward and mildly gratifying at the same time.

Jiang Danhe was momentarily stunned and he couldn’t hide the joy that was emerging in his eyes. He looked at Xiaoguo anxiously for affirmation. “Did you hear that? Zhuang Zhuang said that he loved me!”

Xiaoguo also looked very happy. She nodded silently, and did not disrupt the wonderful atmosphere between the father and son.

Jiang Danhe felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest. This was the first time Zhuang Zhuang had declared his love for him. He immediately thought of countless ways to reply to him, but none of them were as sincere as this sentence.

“I love you too.”

He wrapped his arms tightly around the little man in his arms and stroked his little shoulders. A special connection between flesh and blood instantly surged through his heart.

Jiang Danhe imitated Xiaoguo’s usual actions and stroked Zhuang Zhuang’s round head stiffly and carefully.

Zhuang Zhuang lay quietly in his father’s arms, enjoying his caress. His heart was filled with joy. He really liked his father, and he was so happy that he could come back in time.

—-

Breakfast was already served, but there was still no sign of Xiaoyi waking up. He was still sleeping comfortably by himself, tossing and turning in the bed that belonged entirely to him.

Zhuang Zhuang watched as Xiaoyi rolled over again before reaching out to wake him up.

To be honest, he didn’t quite have the heart to wake his friend up. He was sleeping so soundly, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to wake him up halfway through his sleep.

However, no matter how inappropriate it was, he had to wake him up. The buns that his mother had steamed today were especially fragrant. It would be a pity if he didn’t get to eat them while they were hot.

Zhuang Zhuang nudged Xiaoyi, but the little guy only waved his arm and turned away in frustration, showing no signs of waking up.

Feeling helpless, Zhuang Zhuang started shaking and calling out to him, “Xiaoyi, wake up. It’s time to eat…”

“Hmm… I’m up…”

Xiaoyi’s words and actions were contradicting each other.

The more he said, the more lazy he felt.

“Xiaoyi, wake up. It’s time to eat…”

“Yes, I’m awake…”

“You’re not awake at all! Xiaoyi, Xiaoyi, Xiaoyi!!”

Zhuang Zhuang had never met anyone who was more of a bedhead than himself. However, he was not as patient as Xiaoguo. After all his violent efforts, the other party still showed no signs of waking up. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

“Xiaoyi, what are you doing here?”

The sleeping Xiaoyi was listening subconsciously to Zhuang Zhuang. What was he here for? There was supposed to be a surprise… A surprise!!

At the thought of this, the little guy woke up immediately. He sat up abruptly and his blurry eyes instinctively locked onto Zhuang Zhuang, who was snickering.

It took him a long time before he came back to his senses and slowly accepted the fact that his surprise plans had gone down the drain.

“I actually fell asleep…”

Xiaoyi did not want to face reality. There was no one dumber than him in this world. He had failed to deliver a surprise and had even made a fool of himself.

“That’s considered a surprise too. I’m very happy to see you! Very, very happy!”

Xiaoyi smiled shyly in response to the warmth and comfort that he just received.

Although the surprise didn’t work, Xiaoyi’s appearance was the biggest surprise for Zhuang Zhuang.

Just when he thought that Xiaoyi was going to say some touching words, the other party only scratched his head and asked with wide eyes, “Is the food ready yet?”

He vaguely heard someone mention that there was some delicious food.

Zhuang Zhuang sighed helplessly. “Yes, get up and eat.”

What was he even expecting from Xiaoyi?

Xiaoyi swore that he had never gotten out of bed with so much speed and motivation. If the people who served him in the palace saw this, their jaws would probably drop.

Was this the same crown prince that they had to threaten, coax, and persuade to get out of bed? He must have been switched out along the way.

Even though it was hard to believe, this miracle really did happen, but they would never get to witness it for themselves. This miracle would only happen when Zhuang Zhuang and Xiaoguo were around.

Those palace attendants would never have thought that Xiaoyi would dress and wash up himself, fold the bed sheets, and eat so much when he was away from the palace.