Chapter 84

The temperature difference between the indoors and outdoors in winter was huge. Outside, heavy snowflakes swirled around the large floor-to-ceiling windows, while inside, a young and handsome man sat quietly at his desk, wearing only a white shirt. His head was slightly lowered as he focused intently on the piles of documents in front of him, his long, elegant fingers holding a pen.

Knock, knock, knock—

The door was gently tapped, then pushed open. A young and beautiful new secretary entered, carrying a tray with hot coffee and several delicate desserts. She walked in wearing high heels, the rhythmic clacking of her steps making her high ponytail sway dramatically with each movement.

The high heels echoed on the floor, creating a steady rhythm.

Gu Yang, sitting behind the desk, frowned slightly in annoyance, his gaze moving from the papers to the newcomer.

The young secretary immediately flashed a bright, sweet smile. She placed the coffee and desserts on the desk with grace and elegance, her voice soft and sweet as she said, “You seemed to be in a rush at lunch, so I thought you might be hungry now. I had these snacks prepared just for you. Please enjoy.”

Gu Yang glanced at the coffee and desserts, then nodded. “You can leave now.”

“Yes, sir.” The young secretary, clearly pleased with herself, turned and walked out with even more rhythm in her steps, her ponytail swaying higher.

Once outside, she returned to her desk and checked her face in the makeup mirror from her drawer. Her makeup was immaculate, as always, and she felt confident in her beauty. She felt certain that she was in the lead.

After putting down the mirror, she opened her browser to look at various limited-edition men’s items.

Tomorrow was Gu Yang’s birthday, and she was determined to make sure he received her gift as soon as he arrived at the office.

Apart from her, there were six or seven other secretaries and assistants working in the president’s office, each with their own tasks, and they all knew exactly what she was up to, which made them silently amused.

One of her senior colleagues sitting next to her couldn’t help but ask, “Are you picking out a birthday gift for Mr. Gu?”

The young secretary didn’t see any reason to be discreet. She nodded confidently. “Yes, I owe this job to Mr. Gu. I want to thank him properly for everything he’s done for me, especially on his birthday.”

The others thought to themselves that her getting the job probably had more to do with the HR department’s poor judgment than with Mr. Gu, since he wasn’t the one who interviewed her.

But, of course, they kept those thoughts to themselves out of politeness.

The senior colleague smiled and kindly offered a reminder. “Mr. Gu usually doesn’t come to the office on his birthday. He spends it with Doctor Lin. You might not have met him yet, but Doctor Lin is Mr. Gu’s Omega. There are pictures of him online. He’s quite handsome.”

The young secretary seemed completely uninterested. “I know that Mr. Gu got married right after graduation. With a family like his, I’m sure it was an arranged marriage,” she said, implying that their relationship was likely one without much emotion.

It was clear she was from abroad, but if she had paid a bit more attention to domestic news, she wouldn’t have said such things.

No one felt the need to correct her and let her continue her fantasies about picking out a gift for Gu Yang.

She, however, was thoroughly enjoying herself, spending the entire afternoon choosing the perfect present. She found excuses to visit Gu Yang’s office a few times, then returned to continue her selection.

Finally, just before the workday ended, she made her decision and placed an order, happily waiting for the next day. Just then, a guest entered the president’s office—a young man holding a three- or four-year-old child in his arms.

Both of them were exceptionally good-looking. The man looked like a man, though it was hard to pinpoint his age. He exuded a fresh, clean aura that seemed youthful and vibrant—he was, in fact, stunningly handsome.

The child in his arms resembled him a lot but was more prone to smiles. The child’s eyes curved in a familiar, joyful way. The secretary couldn’t help but feel like she had seen that smile somewhere before but couldn’t quite place it.

She looked over to see one of her senior colleagues standing up politely, greeting the newcomer. “Doctor Lin, you’re here?”

Doctor Lin?

The young man nodded.

So he was Mr. Gu’s Omega? Then this child…

“Excuse me, I haven’t come to see Daddy in a while.” The child chimed in sweetly, smiling at the colleague. “Sister, I’m going to kindergarten now. I don’t have time.”

Ah, that’s why the smile seemed so familiar. The child’s grin looked exactly like Mr. Gu’s.

So this was Mr. Gu’s Omega… and their child?

They were… so good-looking?

The secretary froze for a moment, trying to process what was happening. By the time she gathered herself, the two of them had already entered Mr. Gu’s office. Her colleague had just prepared the tea and was about to bring it in, but the secretary immediately volunteered. “I’ll take it.”

She took the tea from her colleague’s hands, turned, and headed for Mr. Gu’s office.

Hmph. So what if he was married? So what if he had a child? So what if they looked so perfect together?

As long as Mr. Gu didn’t like him, she still had a chance.

She was going to see for herself.

The moment the door opened, the young secretary froze.

Gu Yang, who had been focused on his work, was no longer at his desk. Instead, he was sitting on the sofa, holding his son. The delicate desserts she had brought earlier were untouched, but the little one was now happily eating them.

Gu Yang, holding his son, gently pinched the child’s chubby cheek before reaching over to take Lin Xiaoran’s hand.

“Your hands are so cold,” Gu Yang said, pulling Lin Xiaoran’s hand closer to his lips, using his own breath to warm them.

Earlier, Lin Xiaoran had looked cold, but now he smiled faintly, as if he were used to Gu Yang’s gestures. He didn’t mind at all and instead turned his gaze to Gu Yang’s child. “Ask your son. He insisted that I play in the snow with him.”

Gu Yang lowered his head and playfully poked his son’s cheek. Half-joking, he began to teach him, “Gu Rang, don’t you know that Daddy is afraid of the cold?”

The little boy, his cheeks full of food, seemed to suddenly understand, and quickly stuffed the half-eaten pastry into Gu Yang’s hand. With his little legs kicking, he climbed over to Lin Xiaoran’s side, grabbing his hand. Holding Lin Xiaoran’s hand with his chubby fingers, he leaned forward and blew on it several times. After a few moments, he looked up at Lin Xiaoran with big eyes. “Daddy, is your hand still cold?”

Lin Xiaoran smiled and shook his head. “Not cold anymore. Thank you, Rang.”

The little one, still holding his hand, blew on it again and rubbed it gently, his sweet voice saying, “From now on, I’ll play in the snow by myself. Daddy doesn’t need to come with me. I’m going to kindergarten now. I’m a big boy, I can play by myself.”

Even Lin Xiaoran, who usually appeared a bit indifferent, couldn’t hide the affectionate smile that appeared in his eyes as he looked at his adorable three-year-old son.

As for Gu Yang, his amber eyes were filled only with warmth and tenderness as he gazed at his Omega and son.

The young secretary suddenly realized how wrong her assumptions had been. Even though Gu Yang often appeared approachable, she never imagined someone like him could have such a gentle side.

And the man who made him so gentle, Lin Xiaoran, certainly had that ability.

With a silent sigh, the young secretary quietly placed the tea on the coffee table and tiptoed out.

As she closed the door behind her, Gu Yang glanced up at her.

Lin Xiaoran looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

Gu Yang shook his head. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking this new secretary might not be up to the task. I was going to ask HR to let her go, but after watching her for a while, she seems okay. I’ll leave her for a couple more days.”

Lin Xiaoran usually didn’t interfere with the company’s matters, so he didn’t comment. He had come to the office with the child because it was Gu Yang’s birthday, and Gu Yang had scheduled the evening with him long in advance.

For the past few years, their birthdays had always been arranged like this—Lin Xiaoran’s birthday first, followed by Gu Yang’s. So, Lin Xiaoran’s birthday celebrations were usually in the evening.

This year, their birthdays happened to coincide with the approaching New Year, and the heavy snowfall outside gave everything a festive air.

Sitting in the back seat with his child, Lin Xiaoran noticed that the little one was particularly fascinated by the snow. He leaned against the car window, eyes wide, staring out eagerly. But the little one knew he couldn’t ask Lin Xiaoran to play in the snow again, because Daddy didn’t like the cold. If Daddy got cold, he would get angry, and the little one would feel bad for him.

Hmm…

He tilted his head, thinking hard for a moment before his eyes lit up. He turned to Gu Yang, who was driving, and called out, “Dad, Dad, you’re not afraid of the cold, right? So tomorrow, will you come play in the snow with me?”

Since Daddy was afraid of the cold, he’d let his father come instead.

The little one felt so clever.

“No, I’m afraid of the cold too,” Gu Yang teased him on purpose.

The little one’s eyes rolled around as he thought. “But Daddy likes snowmen too, right? You like them, don’t you?” He looked up at Lin Xiaoran with his sweet voice, asking, “Dad, don’t you want to see the snowman? You really want to, don’t you? So, I’ll build it with Daddy for you, okay? You’re afraid of the cold, so you don’t have to help, just watch us, okay?”

Both Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help but laugh at the clever child.

They had no idea where the little one got such strong language skills at three years old. He spoke with such logic.

Maybe he took after his maternal grandmother, who was a host.

Since the little one had brought up Lin Xiaoran, Gu Yang had no choice but to promise to help him build a snowman tomorrow morning. After hearing the affirmative answer, the little one happily returned to staring out the window at the snow, humming a tune to himself.

Lin Xiaoran, however, noticed that the car had been driving for quite a while.

Every year on his birthday, Gu Yang would take Lin Xiaoran out to a different, exquisite restaurant that Lin Xiaoran had never been to.

This year, however, the restaurant was a bit far. Lin Xiaoran thought this as the car pulled over. He froze for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as he looked outside.

This wasn’t a restaurant. It was clearly a private villa.

The gates of the villa opened, and the car drove into the garage before coming to a stop.

Gu Yang got out of the car, walked around to open the door, and helped Lin Xiaoran out. He looked around with a smile and asked, “How do you like your birthday gift this year?”

Even though Gu Yang always came up with creative birthday gifts, this year’s surprise really caught Lin Xiaoran off guard.

“When did you buy this?” Lin Xiaoran asked, judging by his sense of direction. This place seemed to be very close to the hospital where he worked. The most surprising thing was that, in such a location, there was a villa.

He knew that Gu Yang had been looking for a new place to live—partly because Lin Xiaoran’s commute was too far. Even though they had moved once before, it was still not close to Lin Xiaoran’s workplace. The other reason was that with a child now, they needed a nanny. Gu Yang had always felt that their previous house wasn’t spacious enough, especially since it was a single-story. He felt there was no privacy, so he wanted to buy a villa to separate the nanny and their son from them.

However, finding a villa in the city center wasn’t easy.

This villa had actually been purchased three years ago by Gu Yang, who had paid a premium for the land, then designed the house and had it built.

Although it had been a hassle, building the house allowed Gu Yang to make it exactly to his liking, and, of course, Lin Xiaoran’s preferences were also considered. Gu Yang was confident that he understood his Omega’s tastes perfectly.

As it turned out, Lin Xiaoran and the little one were both very satisfied with the house after the tour. The little one even kept insisting that they could build a snowman in the garden tomorrow morning. However, when he realized that his room was on the second floor and that Daddy and Papa’s rooms were on the third floor, his little face scrunched up. He clung to Lin Xiaoran’s neck, looking pitifully at him, and asked, “Daddy, can I sleep next to you? Please?”

Lin Xiaoran could only sigh in response.

Before he could say anything, Gu Yang had already scooped up the little one, using all sorts of tricks to distract him. After a bit of convincing, the little one finally agreed to sleep on the second floor.

Seeing his son so easily deceived by his father, Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Gu Yang.

Gu Yang, however, didn’t feel guilty at all. In fact, after so many years of the little one always running to their room with a pillow, squeezing in with them, he was now thrilled that they finally had some peace and quiet. The thought of no one disturbing them made him happy.

In addition to bringing Lin Xiaoran and the little one to see the house, Gu Yang had also arranged for tonight’s birthday dinner to be held here. The servants had already prepared most of the meal, and only a few dishes and the birthday cake were being made by Gu Yang himself.

Lin Xiaoran found that Gu Yang was really quite talented in the kitchen. Even desserts that he followed a tutorial for turned out perfectly.

As for Lin Xiaoran… well, he was simply there to eat.

The little one, just like Lin Xiaoran, was more interested in eating than anything else. He ate happily and sweetly praised Gu Yang, saying, “Daddy is amazing! The food you made is the best! I love it!”

However, he didn’t eat much, as he had been at kindergarten all day, played outside in the snow with Lin Xiaoran, and had been running up and down the stairs. It was already late, and he was exhausted.

It was clear that Gu Yang wanted to spend some alone time with Lin Xiaoran. He had sent the servants away early, so after dinner, he would clean up the kitchen himself. Lin Xiaoran took the little one upstairs, gave him a bath, and read two stories to him. The little one soon fell asleep quietly.

After covering the little one with a blanket, Lin Xiaoran kissed his forehead and turned to leave. Just as he opened the door, he saw Gu Yang leaning against the doorframe. When Gu Yang saw him, he immediately rushed over and hugged him, burying his face in his neck, nuzzling him.

“Baby, where’s my birthday present?” Gu Yang asked, his voice filled with playful expectation.

Lin Xiaoran, feeling a little ticklish from the nuzzling, gently pushed him away. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was still half an hour until midnight. He immediately went into business mode and replied, “Not yet. Wait a bit.”

“Oh? Are you being so strict?” Gu Yang teased. “How about just giving me a little hint…”

Gu Yang was a bit curious about Lin Xiaoran’s attitude. In fact, Lin Xiaoran wasn’t particularly fond of birthday gifts. He wouldn’t say he didn’t care, but he didn’t seem to consider it a big surprise either. The past two years had been a bit better, with Gu Yang trying to make his gifts a little more creative, but nothing like today—where Lin Xiaoran was teasing him and making him wait—had ever happened before.

Before Gu Yang could ask, his phone rang. It was a work call from overseas. He had no choice but to let go of Lin Xiaoran to answer it.

The call lasted for about half an hour, and by the time it ended, Lin Xiaoran had already returned to their room.

Checking the time, Gu Yang saw that it was just about midnight, and his excitement for the upcoming birthday gift from Lin Xiaoran grew. He hurried upstairs, eager to see what was in store for him.

He almost ran to the master bedroom on the third floor, pushed open the door, and—

Click!

Gu Yang’s mind suddenly went blank. He stood frozen in place, unable to move.

Inside the room, Lin Xiaoran had just finished his bath and was stepping out of the bathroom. His hair was damp and soft, the steam still clinging to him. But what stunned Gu Yang wasn’t the wet hair or the misty aura—it was the two fluffy, pointed fox ears that had appeared on Lin Xiaoran’s head, nestled among his damp hair.

The sight left Gu Yang completely dumbfounded.

 

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