MSFLC Ch6

The day after tomorrow would be Lu Zhishi’s hundred-day banquet, and both the Lu family and the Song family were incredibly busy.

The main character of the banquet, however, was quite relaxed, hugging his bottle and gulping milk down like glug glug glug, then lifting his face to look at the two little brothers in front of him.

The two kids had identical faces. They were leaning over the crib to stare at him, eyes big and round, both very pretty. Lu Zhishi was curious about them too.

The Song family only had Song Qinian, an only child, with hardly any cousins. Lu Ting’an was also an only child. No siblings, no cousins on that side either, except for one older cousin far away in S City. Everyone was busy, and the distance wasn’t close, so aside from phone calls, they rarely met.

These twins were Lu Ting’an’s cousin’s children—Lu Zhiyu’s younger cousins, and Lu Zhishi’s older cousins. They’d just turned four.

“Little brother is round and soft,” said the slightly chubbier child. “He looks like a marshmallow.”

“He’s like the white glutinous rice dumplings Dad cooked yesterday,” the child beside him nodded. He looked quieter in personality. “So well-behaved.”

Lu Zhishi’s eyes curved, smiling happily at them.

So cute. Human cubs. And two little dumplings who were both so pretty and looked so alike—Lu Zhishi liked them a lot.

Watching him kick his tiny feet in the crib, the two kids couldn’t help smiling too. They each reached out to touch his chubby cheek, then stopped themselves—Dad said little brother had just recovered from being sick, so they couldn’t touch him too much.

Lu Zhishi was still staring at them when an “uncle” walked up from behind them, bent down, tugged gently on his little hand, and called him a good baby in a warm voice.

The man had a handsome face and a gentle smile. Lu Zhishi heard the twins call him “Dad.”

Oh. Not uncle. Uncle on Mom/Dad’s side.

Along with him came the baby’s great-uncle and great-aunt from that side as well.

Uncle’s family was extremely generous. They brought Lu Zhishi and Lu Zhiyu tons of pretty little gifts, saying they were “for the kids.”

The hundred-day banquet gifts were another batch.

Lu Zhishi was stunned.

So this is the happiness of rich people?!
This is too happy!!

Happy drool dripped down in steady plop plop streams.

Huo Rulan held the little bundle, looked down and saw him giggling and drooling while babbling happily about who-knew-what. He laughed too and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the baby’s mouth.

Lu Ting’an was peeling apples for the kids, asking casually, “Xiao Xi still hasn’t come?”

“He’s busy. Says he’ll arrive tomorrow,” Huo Rulan said, cuddling the soft baby and gently shaking a rattle to amuse him. “He practically lives on set now. You never see him all day, and he doesn’t even come home.”

Lu Zhiyu had brought his two younger cousins along and dragged Chi Chen to sit on the carpet playing games. Their excited little voices echoed through the large villa.

Hearing the grievance in Huo Rulan’s tone, Lu Ting’an lifted the corner of his lips. He set the peeled apples down, wiped his hands with a damp cloth, and said, “The day after tomorrow, I should be joining the crew too.”

Then he added, “Director Ye said we’ll fly straight from A City to L Province. I won’t be coming home.”

The rattle stopped mid-shake.

Lu Zhishi lifted his face to look over and saw his uncle—who had been smiling gently—stiffen little by little until the smile vanished entirely.

…Why aren’t you smiling anymore?

***

Lu Zhishi only met that “Uncle Xiao Xi” the next afternoon.

Sure enough—he looked a lot like the two twins.

Huo Rulan went to the private airport outside the city to pick him up. When they returned, the trunk was packed with gifts.

His name was Ye Xi. His features were delicate and refined, his temperament gentle, very approachable. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and a crisp, clean white shirt. He looked cultured and proper, very similar to Huo Rulan.

Anyone with eyes could tell Huo Rulan and Ye Xi were very much in love. Lu Zhishi had seen them lean close to talk—sweet enough to make your teeth ache.

He’d also overheard a bit when Lu Ting’an and Song Qinian were chatting the other day.

They said this young director was astonishingly talented. So far he’d directed three films:

The first made Zhao Xiaoxin a breakout rising star.

The second launched the new “best actress” Angelina into fame.

The third revived a once-forgotten Best Actor, Shu Lin.

Last year, he even won Best Director at the international Golden Moon Awards. This year, he took Best Director and Best Screenplay at the domestic Golden Lotus Awards.

His fourth film would be a collaboration with triple-crown Best Actor Lu Ting’an. The plot couldn’t be revealed yet, but Lu Ting’an said it wouldn’t be able to release domestically. They were going to take a bold shot and push for next year’s Golden Tree Awards overseas.

Lu Zhishi listened with envy.

So impressive—for someone so young.

And honestly, from what Lu Zhishi had stealthily learned by eavesdropping… no one in his family or extended family was ordinary. If they weren’t big shots in business, they were big shots in entertainment.

Lu Zhishi hoped that when he grew up, he could catch up to their achievements too.

…Anyway.

Their family of six was staying at the Lu ancestral home. Song Qinian and Lu Ting’an had moved back a few days early as well. The Song ancestral home wasn’t far, and Chi Chen’s family home was literally next door—next door.

That day, the house was especially lively.

The banquet decorations were already complete. With everyone finally free to gather, the adults sat in the living room sipping tea and chatting. The kids ran off somewhere to play, returning later drenched in sweat.

Only Lu Zhishi, being the youngest—unable to talk, unable to crawl—was left at home to accompany the grandpas while they played chess.

Holding a black piece, Lu Zhishi slumped lazily in Grandpa’s arms. Grandpa would say where to place the piece, and Lu Zhishi would stretch out a hand and let Grandpa position it.

He was so bored he started blowing drool bubbles. The moment he saw Lu Zhiyu come back, his eyes lit up and he reached out babbling for a hug.

Lu Zhiyu’s heart melted. He fought down his excitement, then hoisted his heavy, obedient little brother up and ran off, saying he was taking him for a “ride.”

Song Qinian was a little worried, but since they were only circling the front yard of the estate, he didn’t stop them, though he kept half an eye on the kids the whole time.

Lu Zhiyu said he was taking his brother out for a ride, but honestly, this trip was mostly Chi Chen carrying Lu Zhishi.

No choice—the little chubby can was heavy, solid all the way through. He was full of real baby fat. Lu Zhiyu didn’t exercise much, so in terms of stamina, he really couldn’t compare to Chi Chen.

Lu Zhishi was only a three-month-old chubby baby. Whoever carried him felt the same to him. His plump cheek rested on Chi Chen’s shoulder as he looked around.

The twins, Chen’an and Jingxing, also wanted to hold the baby. Finally, a younger brother! They wanted a turn too.

They stared at Chi Chen with two pairs of round, pleading eyes. Chi Chen looked at the chubby little dumpling who was half a head shorter than him, and agreed. He bent down and carefully placed Lu Zhishi in their arms so they could each hold him for a moment.

The two kids each wobbled forward a few steps, then returned him to Chi Chen.

They liked little brother a lot…

…but they couldn’t hold him. He was kind of heavy.

To be fair, Chi Chen couldn’t hold him for that long either. He was just forcing it—too stubborn to say so.

Thankfully, Lu Zhishi sensed his struggle. He patted Chi Chen’s back, babbling that he wanted to go back inside.

That night after dinner, Lu Zhishi fell asleep with Lu Zhiyu, while his two dads stayed with the grandparents to go over the final banquet details for the next day.

Honestly, the hundred-day banquet was truly grand. So many guests came—people Lu Zhishi didn’t recognize. He almost felt too shy to “go out.”

Early the next morning, he was bathed and washed, dressed in a traditional “hundred-family outfit,” fragrant with children’s cream, then wrapped in a “hundred-family blanket” and placed in his little bed.

Guests arrived one after another to see him upstairs—smiling, praising him, and placing gifts onto his crib.

Safety locks, ruyi pendants, jade and emerald…

So many precious items he couldn’t even count them. And these were only the “small gifts.” The real gift list had already been stored in the gift room.

The most precious gifts of the hundred-day banquet were probably the ones from his family—

His two dads each gifted portions of their shares, a customized private “rabbit airplane,” and an entire room of baby toys.

Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu gifted a stretch of property in A City, several private islands, and shares from their holdings.

Grandpa Song and Grandma Song gifted several ships, properties in multiple countries, a private gold mine, and their own shares.

Rong Lan and Huo Chengsong also gave a lot, a jade mine worth billions. But to them, it was just a token of affection for the younger generation.

Huo Rulan and Ye Xi didn’t give something “as expensive”—instead, they gifted an entire high-end bespoke company, providing everything Lu Zhishi would ever need customized from childhood to adulthood: clothes, jewelry, and more—serving only Lu Zhishi.

The Chi family had always been close with them. Their gifts weren’t light either: several sets of customized baby safety locks, gold bracelets, thick gold chains, and a few boxes of beautiful little outfits.

—Everything Lu Zhiyu had received at his own hundred-day banquet, Lu Zhishi received too.

Chi Chen followed behind the two dads holding a plush rabbit toy, the perfect size for Lu Zhishi to hug while sleeping. Lu Zhiyu said Chi Chen made it himself.

And after the guests left, Lu Zhiyu placed a small smart robot he had assembled by hand onto Lu Zhishi’s bed. Half of it had been guided by a teacher, but it was still his sincere gift.

Lu Zhiyu leaned close and whispered, “When you turn one year old, big brother will make you an even prettier, more useful robot.”

It was… so solemn. Really.

Lu Zhishi had never experienced a ceremony like this.

Even if these things weren’t “much” to them, Lu Zhishi’s past life left him with a deep sense of not deserving it.

How could they give him things this valuable…?

If it were small gifts he could repay someday when he grew up, he could accept them happily. But these were too precious. He might not be able to repay them at all.

The little one frowned in worry, hugging the fluffy rabbit and spacing out.

Blood-bound, Lu Ting’an seemed to guess what he was thinking. He bent down, kissed Lu Zhishi’s hair, and told him seriously:

“Baby, love doesn’t need to be repaid. We don’t ask for repayment either. This is our love and our sincerity—it’s given willingly. You don’t have to pay it back.”

“Okay?”

He picked up the uneasy baby and coaxed gently. “Be happier. After today, our little Zhishi will be a chubby can who’s officially one hundred days old.”

With Lu Ting’an and Song Qinian’s gentle comfort, Lu Zhishi’s initial unease faded. Still, he couldn’t flip that mindset overnight. Time would have to do its work.

Maybe someday in the future… he would be healed by love.

After he worked through it, Lu Zhishi hugged the rabbit and played quietly in the room. Lu Zhiyu watched him, but his eyes kept flicking toward the little robot on the table.

Lu Zhishi accidentally met his gaze, followed it to the robot, and suddenly understood.

He lifted his face and babbled earnestly, trying to explain—

It wasn’t that he only wanted to hug the rabbit Chi Chen gave him and didn’t want to hug the robot Lu Zhiyu made.

It was because the robot was too heavy. He couldn’t hold it. And he was afraid he’d drop it and break it, so he put it on the table.

But Lu Zhiyu couldn’t understand a single word of the babbling.

He unconsciously lowered his head, lips drooping, looking a little aggrieved.

…He was jealous.

Lu Zhishi froze, babbling even louder, so frantic he was almost about to speak actual words:

“m… m… no!”

He yelled so loud that Lu Zhiyu was startled, and the grievance in his heart instantly got shocked away.

He couldn’t explain with words. So to make big brother believe him, Lu Zhishi decided that tonight he would sleep hugging the robot.

In the afternoon, when the auspicious time arrived, Lu Zhishi—still groggy—was held by his two dads while they pressed his little footprints onto a scroll Grandpa Song had prepared, then framed it.

A very old man they didn’t know held a blessing script and chanted “rolling away disasters” toward Lu Zhishi:

“Roll away disasters, roll away disasters—disasters go away. Baby is clever, baby stays healthy…”

In the end, Mother Lu

 personally put gold and silver ornaments on him—safety locks and pendants, gold bracelets and little gold bells—dressing him up beautifully. Then Lu Ting’an carried him downstairs to greet the guests in the reception hall.

After that, it wasn’t really Lu Zhishi’s job anymore.

After all, he could only drink milk. He couldn’t eat any of the banquet food.

By evening, the day-long hundred-day banquet ended. Guests left one after another. The elders stood at the entrance seeing them off. Lu Ting’an and Song Qinian went upstairs to check on their sleeping chubby baby.

That night, right after Lu Ting’an finished showering, his manager called him like crazy. Lu Ting’an answered while drying his hair.

“Someone leaked the little one’s photos. Netizens are reposting and discussing them like mad. Do you want to delete comments and control the discussion?” the manager asked.

Lu Ting’an frowned, opened Weibo, and scrolled while replying, “Are there any negative comments?”

On the other end, Ms. Tan rubbed her temples.

“…Not really. They’re just saying the little one is kind of… chubby.”

Lu Ting’an: “……”

Lu Zhishi, who overheard everything on speaker: “……”

The baby puffed his cheeks in indignation.

Where am I chubby?!

I’ve been this weight for ages, how am I chubby?!