MSFLC Ch3

Chi Chen stared at the chubby little face for two seconds, then carefully—very carefully—slid one hand under Lu Zhishi’s neck and the other beneath his bottom, lifting him into his arms.

He held him upright, the back of the baby’s head resting against his chest, one arm circling the little belly for support.

As his other hand came down, it seemed to brush—almost unintentionally—against Lu Zhishi’s puffed-up cheek twice.

Soft and fair, faintly pink, round and plump—
like Crayon Shin-chan’s peachy chubby face.

Lu Zhishi pretended not to notice. He leaned comfortably against Chi Chen, wide eyes listening to SpongeBob SquarePants. He laughed every now and then, his little hands occasionally grabbing Chi Chen’s arm.

They watched until eight o’clock.

Song Qinian finished organizing his documents and herded the three little ones upstairs for bath time.

Chi Chen had his own room here, arranged by Lu Ting’an in a style he liked.

Sometimes Chi Chen would be dragged into Lu Zhiyu’s room to sleep together. Other times, Lu Zhiyu would hug his little pillow and run into Chi Chen’s room, insisting they sleep together.

“Sleep together, sleep together! Then we can play games together!”

After Song Qinian finished bathing Lu Zhiyu, the boy immediately hugged his pillow and ran into Chi Chen’s room. He tossed the pillow onto the bed, kicked off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the carpet, turned on the large TV, and prepared the game controllers—practically buzzing with excitement.

Everything was ready.

All that was missing was Chi Chen.

Lu Zhishi reached out and touched Song Qinian’s arm.
He wanted to go too.

“Let’s go after you finish your bath, okay?”

In the baby bathroom, Song Qinian filled the tub with warm water, pressed a few buttons to adjust the temperature, slipped a float ring around Lu Zhishi’s neck, and gently placed him in the water.

“Swim by yourself for a bit. Daddy’s going to grab something.”

Lu Zhishi’s round head bobbed above the surface. Underwater, his arms and legs flailed wildly, the tiny baby drifting back and forth with the ripples in the large bathtub.

The little chubby can tried to hold it in—but failed.

He grinned, revealing a toothless smile.
“Hehe…”

So fun. I like it!

Song Qinian returned with the items and didn’t stop him from playing. He pulled over a small stool, sat beside the tub, and while one hand pushed the water to help him float, he sent a voice message to Lu Ting’an.

“Gege, there are twenty hours, thirty-six minutes, and seven seconds left until we see each other. I missed you today too.”

Lu Zhishi, floating beside him, nearly laughed himself crooked.

The couple was so sticky-sweet, like soaking in a jar of honey—everything about them was sweet.

Lu Ting’an probably hadn’t finished work yet and didn’t reply. Song Qinian sent several more voice messages in succession. When he set the phone down and turned around, he saw a little gossip can floating in front of him, eyes curved into happy crescents.

Song Qinian paused, then burst out laughing.

“You little gossip can—sneaking around eavesdropping, huh?”

Lu Zhishi grinned back.
“Ah…”

Seeing him admit it so shamelessly, Song Qinian laughed even harder. He picked up the phone and sent another voice message to Lu Ting’an, amusement in his tone.

“Gege, your son is eavesdropping on us…”

He laughed again mid-sentence.
“I’m getting embarrassed, my face is burning.”

Lu Zhishi laughed even harder.

Song Qinian moved the phone toward him.
“Say a few words to Daddy.”

Lu Zhishi cooperated enthusiastically, babbling into the phone for ages. By the time Song Qinian finished, he had sent twenty-three voice messages, and the baby had contributed even more. When the phone was taken away, he was visibly unhappy.

Before things could settle down, another kid rushed over and threw himself at Song Qinian’s leg.

“Is it Daddy? Did Daddy call on video? I want to talk to Daddy too!”

Lu Ting’an spent most of the year filming away from home. He had slowed down recently because of Lu Zhishi, but last month, just after being discharged from the hospital, he flew to S City again, no one could stop him. He usually only had time to call after finishing work late at night.

When he saw it wasn’t Daddy calling, Lu Zhiyu looked a little disappointed. Song Qinian wrapped an arm around him with his dry hand and hugged him.

“It’s okay. Daddy will be done soon. Do you want to send him a voice message first?”

Raised in love, Lu Zhiyu was lively and cheerful. After hearing that, he instantly perked up, happily sitting on Song Qinian’s lap and holding the phone to send voice messages to Lu Ting’an—every sentence starting with “Daddy, Daddy.”

Song Qinian held him, smiling down at him.

Lu Zhishi saw it clearly—the love and pride in Song Qinian’s eyes.

He froze for a moment.

It was the first time he had so clearly felt the difference between being loved and not being loved. The first time love and being loved had taken a concrete shape before him.

Children raised in love were like sturdy saplings—full of vitality, stretching their branches freely, drinking in sunlight and rain, growing wild and upward.

Optimistic. Confident. Clear-hearted. Gentle.

These were children who were loved—like Lu Zhiyu, like Chi Chen, like Song Qinian and Lu Ting’an…

Someone gently pinched his cheek.

Lu Zhishi snapped back to reality and saw Song Qinian leaning closer, speaking softly.

“Little chubby baby, what are you spacing out about? Still want to play in the water?”

Lu Zhishi blinked. Looking into those beautiful, smiling peach-blossom eyes, he suddenly felt like crying.

Now… he was one too.
He was a child loved by someone.

His eyes turned red.

Song Qinian panicked a little. Lu Zhiyu panicked too—he didn’t even want the phone anymore, leaning over the tub to comfort his brother.

“What’s wrong? Don’t cry, don’t cry! After the bath, big brother will play games with you!”

Song Qinian checked the water temperature—it was fine—but still worried the baby might be uncomfortable.

“If you don’t like soaking, then we won’t soak anymore. Let’s wash up, okay? Afterward you’ll be a nice, fragrant little chubby baby.”

Lu Zhishi kicked his feet and drifted closer, waving his hands underwater, clearly asking for a hug.

The small stool was left for Lu Zhiyu. Song Qinian brought another one.

He spread a small towel over his legs, gently lifted Lu Zhishi out of the water, removed the float ring, and covered the baby’s belly with a towel to protect his navel.

He squeezed out some baby shampoo and gently rubbed the round little head.

Lu Zhishi quietly tilted his face up to look at him—then suddenly smiled.

Song Qinian’s lips curved too, his eyes filled with warmth.

Lu Zhiyu stayed nearby, worried about his brother.

Since Lu Zhiyu hadn’t gone back, Chi Chen came over to check as well.

After watching for a while, he quietly stood to the side, blocking some of the light so it wouldn’t shine into the baby’s eyes.

After the bath and smelling all nice, Lu Zhishi’s cheeks were rosy. Wearing a onesie, he was carried into Chi Chen’s room by Lu Zhiyu.

Lu Zhiyu kissed his forehead and whispered reassurance, clearly still remembering how red Lu Zhishi’s eyes had been earlier.

Lu Zhishi just smiled, resting his face against his brother’s shoulder and rubbing gently.
“Ah~~”

Song Qinian went to prepare milk. When he returned, he also brought a temperature gun and a thermometer.

Two cups of warm milk for Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen.

A bottle for Lu Zhishi.

Song Qinian took Lu Zhishi from Lu Zhiyu’s arms and held him while feeding him.

He checked temperatures, forehead, underarm—and everything was normal. Only then did Song Qinian relax.

Lu Zhiyu wanted to hold his brother while playing games. Lu Zhishi liked staying with his brother too. After feeding him, Song Qinian placed the soft little bundle back into Lu Zhiyu’s arms, took his things, and quietly closed the door.

Watching Daddy leave, Lu Zhishi sucked on his pacifier and leaned against Lu Zhiyu, watching them play.

His little chubby feet swung now and then—
until they didn’t anymore.

Chi Chen glanced over and saw the little one asleep with his head resting on Lu Zhiyu’s chest. He looked again at Lu Zhiyu, who was stiffly holding still, afraid to wake him.

Chi Chen stood, carefully lifted the sleeping baby, placed him on the bed, and covered his round belly with a blanket.

Lu Zhishi groggily opened his eyes once—then fell asleep again.

Lu Zhiyu stretched his sore arms and got up to find Daddy.

Song Qinian was tugged over urgently, still in his sleepwear. One look at the sleeping little chubby can, and he understood.

Smoothing his wrinkled pajama top, Song Qinian bent down and gently picked up the baby. As he left, he turned back and softly reminded the two kids,

“Don’t stay up too late. Remember to brush your teeth and sleep on time.”

The two little ones nodded obediently.

Lu Ting’an must have run into something tricky. He didn’t call that night—only sent two messages saying he was busy and couldn’t call.

Lu Zhiyu felt a bit disappointed but understood.

Lu Zhishi slept soundly, unaware of anything, not even remembering Song Qinian changing his diaper and feeding him in the middle of the night.

The next day, the weather was wonderful—cloudless skies, a golden sun hanging high, a breeze carrying the scent of grass.

A new day brought new anticipation.

His Best Actor daddy was coming home!

Lu Zhishi was excited all day—evidenced by drinking two extra bottles of milk in the morning and at noon.

He missed Lu Ting’an so much. It had been a month.

In the afternoon, Bai Yansheng got off work on time and drove to the kindergarten to pick up Chi Chen and Lu Zhiyu.

Knowing Lu Ting’an was coming back and the family would want time together, Bai Yansheng didn’t invite them over for dinner. He dropped Lu Zhiyu off at Song Qinian’s office, gently held Lu Zhishi for a bit, then took Chi Chen home.

Song Qinian rushed to finish work, packed up, and took the two kids to the private airport outside the city to pick up Lu Ting’an.

Before heading to the airport, Song Qinian stopped by their usual flower shop to pick up the pre-ordered flowers.

Three bouquets in total.

One large.
One small.
And one tiny, mini bouquet.

At first, Lu Zhishi didn’t understand why there were three, but judging by Lu Zhiyu’s reaction, it was nothing unusual.

“Later, we’ll give Daddy a surprise,” Song Qinian said with a smile.

Lu Zhishi suddenly understood.

Romantic. Very ceremonial.

Song Qinian distributed the bouquets. He placed the large one in the passenger seat. The small one went into Lu Zhiyu’s arms.

As for the mini one—

Lu Zhishi stretched out both little hands, eyes sparkling, ready to receive it.

Song Qinian hesitated… then took it back.

The baby was too small. He was afraid Lu Zhishi would get greedy and chew on the petals—even though he didn’t have teeth.

Lu Zhishi puffed up his cheeks, waving his hands in protest, babbling seriously at Daddy.

“Ah-ya… da-ah…”

—I want to give Daddy flowers too. I won’t chew them. Give them to me, please~

Those bright, pitiful eyes looked straight at him. Song Qinian laughed helplessly and placed the mini bouquet into his arms.

“You have to keep your word. No chewing the flowers. When we get home, we’ll drink milk again.”

Holding the bouquet, Lu Zhishi grinned and answered,
“Mm-hmm…”

They drove all the way to the airport. At the exit of the runway, Song Qinian stood with the two kids, looking into the distance, checking his watch again and again.

“Daddy! That’s our plane!” Lu Zhiyu tugged excitedly at Song Qinian’s clothes, pointing upward.

This was the private airport of the Song and Lu families. Only their own planes landed here.

And recently, the only one flying was Lu Ting’an.

Song Qinian waited patiently, gripping the bouquet behind his back, his heart still racing.

Married for so many years, he still got nervous every time they met.

The man descended the stairs, holding a large bouquet of flowers. He wore a simple white shirt and slacks—neat and proper, broad shoulders, narrow waist, an unmistakable presence.

Lu Ting’an’s looks were cool and refined. His features were sharp and handsome, long phoenix eyes half-lowered, long lashes casting shadows that made him seem distant—yet the half-rim gold glasses softened that distance perfectly.

Fans liked to describe him as
“a refined gentleman, a young master from a noble family.”

With outstanding looks, a strong family background, and exceptional achievements, fame only enhanced his aura. In the entire entertainment industry, Lu Ting’an was a unique, awe-inspiring presence—someone who drew attention simply by standing there.

When he married Song Qinian back then, fans cried their hearts out—blessing their gege with happiness while secretly making voodoo dolls of Song Qinian.

For a long time afterward, whenever Song Qinian went out, he could feel the gnashing gazes of fans—just short of seeing them bite their handkerchiefs on the spot.