For Gu Yuanting, this was his first time truly meeting Ranran’s parents in a meaningful way—and under such sudden circumstances, completely unprepared.

Though in his previous life he had also spent time with the parents of another “Su Yiran,” that was definitely something entirely different.

As the camera turned toward them, Gu Yuanting saw Su Papa and Su Mama on the video call. He immediately tried his best to smile at them, sitting up ramrod straight, as if he were facing some major inspection.

Nervously, he greeted them: “Dad, Mom.”

The moment he called them that, his heart began racing again. It hit him deeply—he and Ranran were legally married, a real family. Ranran’s parents… were also his parents.

Suddenly, he regretted not dressing more formally today. He shouldn’t have worn such a casual outfit. And was his sweater collar crooked?

“Hi there,” Su Mama responded cheerfully, then asked, “Tingting, what did you two eat for dinner tonight?”

Gu Yuanting subtly adjusted his sweater collar and replied seriously, as if reporting to a superior, “Sweet and sour fish rolls, moo shu pork, wolfberry stewed black-bone chicken, Dongpo tofu…” After listing everything, he asked in return, “What did you have tonight, Dad, Mom?”

Su Mama described their New Year’s Eve dinner, and Su Yiran joined in the conversation, chatting with his parents about the food.

Then Su Papa suddenly turned to Gu Yuanting, “By the way, how’s work lately? I heard from our boy that you went abroad on a business trip last month?”

Gu Yuanting tensed. He discreetly wiped the sweat from his palms on his knees, glanced at Ranran, and saw him subtly shake his finger—don’t explain. So Gu Yuanting straightened up and replied, “It went smoothly. The trip was a bit long, but that won’t happen again.”

Su Papa laughed, “That’s good. Business trips are normal. Young people should work hard…”

As Su Papa chatted with Gu Yuanting, Su Yiran, watching from the side, started feeling a little guilty and uneasy.

So much had happened recently. Before the call, he hadn’t thought through everything. Only when Dad brought it up did he remember—last month, he’d told his parents that Ting-ge was working at a finance company and had gone abroad for work.

If his parents found out that was a total lie, they’d definitely be upset, even if he explained everything later. Better to keep it quiet for now.

As for Ting-ge’s real background, he planned to tell them when the timing was right.

Realizing he was now helping Ting-ge lie, Su Yiran felt like an accomplice—a little liar. It’s all Ting-ge’s fault. He shot Gu Yuanting a glare.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

He asked a few more questions, showing care for Su Papa and Su Mama, earning their satisfaction and finally letting himself relax a little.

But just as he relaxed, another thought came to him: the original Gu Yuanting had probably also called them “Mom and Dad” countless times. That realization quietly stung.

Su Yiran didn’t notice Ting-ge was quietly feeling sour again. He touched his own lower belly, hesitated, and finally decided to tell his parents—though he wasn’t sure how shocked they would be.

He said hesitantly, “Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you.”

Gu Yuanting sensed what Ranran was about to say. He took a deep breath and clenched his hands into fists on his knees.

“What is it?” Su Papa and Su Mama noticed their serious expressions and grew a bit tense.

Su Yiran said, “It’s just that… um,” he paused awkwardly, his tone a bit strange, “I’m pregnant.” After saying it, he glanced at Ting-ge, a little embarrassed.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

Su Papa and Su Mama were stunned for a moment. Everyone stared at each other across the video call.

After a long pause, they exchanged glances. Su Mama asked cautiously, “Really, sweetheart? Could there be a mistake?”

Su Yiran nodded. “It’s true.”

Su Papa and Su Mama looked at Gu Yuanting, who immediately forced a calm smile and put his arm around Ranran. “It’s true, Dad, Mom.”

Then he promised, “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Ranran.”

Seeing how certain they were, Su Papa and Su Mama finally accepted it. Su Mama slapped her thigh in excitement and began pacing in circles. Su Papa couldn’t hide his delight either, looking at his son in amazement: “I… I’m going to be a grandpa?”

Su Mama spun around happily, repeating, “I’m going to be a grandma, going to be a grandma…”

Su Yiran, seeing their joy, was confused. “Aren’t you super surprised? I mean, I’m a guy…” He’d been utterly shocked when he first found out. Even Ting-ge had been just as stunned.

Su Papa laughed. “What haven’t your mom and I seen before? We just didn’t expect something like this to happen to you, our boy.” Being older, they actually knew about male pregnancy.

Su Mama calmed down a bit and returned to the camera, quickly rattling off a list of health precautions. Su Papa chimed in now and then. Both sons listened earnestly, with Gu Yuanting even taking notes.

Then Su Mama asked nervously, “Sweetheart, do you have any symptoms? Any discomfort?”

Su Yiran quickly replied, “No, I feel normal—eating well, sleeping well.”

Su Mama sighed in relief. “That’s good. And this year, don’t come back home for the holiday. The travel would be too much. Your dad and I will visit you in A City after the New Year.”

Su Papa and Su Mama had married young and were still under fifty. Not yet retired, they were still energetic and ran a small livestock farm in their hometown—raising chickens and ducks, hatching eggs, and even managing a fish pond. They were very busy, so even squeezing in a trip after the New Year would be tight.

Su Yiran thought her suggestion made sense and nodded. “Okay, but tickets during the Spring Festival rush are hard to get. Once you decide on a date, let us know. Ting-ge and I will help you grab tickets.”

Gu Yuanting said quickly, “Don’t worry. I’ve got connections. Leave the tickets to me.”

Hearing this, Su Papa and Su Mama didn’t think much of it and agreed. After chatting a little longer, they finally ended the call.

As the screen dimmed, Gu Yuanting suddenly grew nervous again. The thought of meeting Su Yiran’s parents in person soon made his mind spin with all the preparations. The more he thought about it, the more nervous he got.

Seeing him so tense, Su Yiran couldn’t help but pinch his cheek and laugh. “Your face is so stiff,” he teased. “It’s just my parents coming over. Why are you so nervous?”

Finding his anxious Ting-ge absolutely adorable, he leaned in and kissed him. “Ting-ge, you’re so cute.”

Gu Yuanting’s attention immediately shifted to Ranran’s kiss. His face flushed slightly from the rare compliment, heart warming sweetly.

He held Su Yiran close and kissed him back. Then he asked, “What do Dad and Mom like these days? I want to be prepared.”

Su Yiran thought for a moment. “Same as always—Dad likes drinking, Mom likes playing mahjong. When they get here, we can play a round together.”

Gu Yuanting: “…Okay.”

They discussed more about how to host his parents. Gu Yuanting mentally noted every suggestion Ranran gave, then pulled him into his lap again to snuggle while they continued watching the New Year’s gala.

—

Ten days later.

That day, Su Yiran finally went to his shop again—of course, with Gu Yuanting accompanying him.

Since learning about the pregnancy, Ting-ge had forbidden him from coming in every day and tiring himself out. Despite protesting, Su Yiran had to admit the shop was exhausting. Plus, they were now preparing to move, so he let it go for the time being.

After they’d agreed to move, Gu Yuanting had worked efficiently. It wasn’t long before he handed Su Yiran a curated photo book filled with potential properties, ready for him to choose.

Su Yiran had stared at the pictures of lavish and elegantly decorated homes, then glanced at their locations and sizes—absolutely stunned. Watching Ting-ge casually wave and tell him to pick whichever he liked made him finally realize: his partner was a legit rich CEO.

Though Su Yiran had always been a self-made, hard-working type…

Becoming rich overnight? Awesome.

After several days of discussion, they narrowed it down to three properties and had already visited two. Only one remained.

All the homes Gu Yuanting selected were either newly renovated or at least a year old—no formaldehyde worries.

From Ting-ge’s tone, he clearly wanted to move soon—preferably in time to celebrate New Year’s in the new home. That meant the next month would be very busy.

The shop had been running smoothly thanks to Zhang Xiaohong and the other trained staff. Su Yiran had promoted Zhang Xiaohong to store manager to handle daily operations.

When they entered the shop, Zhang Xiaohong immediately greeted them with a smile. Two regular customers were also there, surprised to see Su Yiran after such a long absence.

He smiled and explained, “I’ve had some things to handle lately, so I haven’t been around much.”

This visit was mainly to check on the store, hear a business report from Zhang Xiaohong, give her a few instructions, and—most importantly—take the streaming webcam home.

He used to livestream from the shop using the dedicated camera, but recently had streamed from home using just his phone camera, which didn’t look as good.

Originally, he’d planned to check in with Zhang Xiaohong first. But as soon as he stepped in and smelled the sweet aroma of desserts, he couldn’t help himself. Seeing a customer order taro ball grass jelly, he eagerly rolled up his sleeves and made it himself.

Gu Yuanting saw how happy he was and didn’t stop him, instead quietly helping on the side. He allowed Ranran to make one taro dessert… and then one coconut milk pudding.

But when Su Yiran looked like he was going to keep going, Gu Yuanting reached out and held his hand firmly. “Ranran,” he said with disapproval in his gaze.

Su Yiran looked back at Ting-ge and, under his stern yet caring eyes, finally gave in. “Fine, fine.” Even though he felt he still had energy to make a few more, he obediently stopped. He didn’t want Ting-ge to worry.

Because he loved him.

There was no winning against Ting-ge.

Gu Yuanting didn’t know what Ranran was thinking, but he suddenly felt a strange itch in his heart—and hands.

He couldn’t help but lift Ranran’s hand and kiss it, then kissed each of his fingers one by one.

“…!” Su Yiran blushed from the sensation. He also wanted to kiss Ting-ge’s hands, but with all the employees around, he shyly pulled his hand back.

Glancing around, he noticed the staff had all suddenly dropped their gazes, working with exaggerated seriousness—as if none of them had noticed what just happened.

Su Yiran: “…”