Su Yiran, who had almost fallen asleep with his eyes closed, suddenly said, “…???”

He opened his eyes speechlessly and saw that Ting-ge was actually being serious. He couldn’t help but twitch his brow—no, the baby hadn’t even been born yet, and he was already thinking about the next one?

Gu Yuanting was still holding him gently, swaying him softly, and seriously asking, “Is that okay? Will you say yes, Ranran?”

Su Yiran: “…”

Su Yiran said, “Bring your head closer, I’ll tell you.” When Gu Yuanting leaned in, he added, “Lower… a bit more…”

Gu Yuanting obediently leaned down.

When Su Yiran saw his head was low enough, he pulled his hand out from Gu Yuanting’s embrace and gave him a sharp slap on the forehead—smack!

Gu Yuanting: “…”

Su Yiran couldn’t be bothered to respond, withdrew his hand, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

Watching his Ranran close his eyes and ignore him again, Gu Yuanting felt a little wronged—but he didn’t dare disturb his sleep.

Once he heard Ranran’s breathing gradually become long and steady, he hugged the sleeping Ranran, kissed his forehead, and couldn’t help but start fantasizing recklessly again.

—

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month passed.

Today was the day Su Yiran’s family planned to move into their new home.

The new house had long been selected and finalized. Su Yiran didn’t know what method Ting-ge had used, but the property was transferred incredibly quickly in just a few days.

These days, most of their time had been spent discussing how to decorate the new home, what furniture and ornaments to buy. Sometimes they would even visit home goods markets together.

Although the house they bought was already furnished in a style they both liked, and each room was well arranged, they still wanted to make a few additions and subtractions to match their personal preferences.

After the property was transferred, Gu Yuanting eagerly spent several days setting up the new house before telling Su Yiran they could move in right away.

Over the past two days, they had also been slowly packing up the old place. However, what puzzled Su Yiran was that Ting-ge seemed determined to throw away almost everything from the old house and replace it with new items.

For example, just now—

When Su Yiran tried to pack a small speaker from the living room into a box, Gu Yuanting said, “Let’s just leave that here. And those little ornaments too—I think we don’t need to bring any of them. Let’s get all new stuff.”

Su Yiran: “…”

Looking at Ting-ge, who looked like he wanted to throw everything out and start fresh, Su Yiran was speechless for a moment, then rejected the idea again: “No, some of these things don’t need replacing at all. And many of these little ornaments are tied to memories we shared.”

He shook the small speaker in his hand. “For example, this—it was your birthday gift to me. Are you going to throw this out too?”

Gu Yuanting’s temples throbbed: “…”

He had to resist the overwhelming urge to snatch that junk speaker and toss it out.

And to think, on such an important occasion as Ranran’s birthday, the original Gu Yuanting had only given him a lousy speaker.

Seeing how insistent Su Yiran was on taking things from the old place, Gu Yuanting, afraid that he would get tired, said, “You sit down. I’ll do the packing.”

So Su Yiran obediently sat to the side, giving instructions on what to pack.

He discovered that once they started packing, the memories tied to this house came flooding back—so many from college, and all the years after marriage. He couldn’t help but pick up the small objects and chat with Ting-ge, reminiscing fondly.

Gu Yuanting: “…”

Grinding his teeth in silence, invisible steam of jealousy rising from his head, Gu Yuanting had no choice but to follow Ranran’s instructions and personally pack up all these objects filled with memories of Ranran and the original Gu Yuanting.

He would take all these items to the home that belonged to him and Ranran now.

Looking at the large packed boxes, he quickly sealed them with tape—out of sight, out of mind. He made up his mind: once they moved, he’d stuff them all into some hidden corner and never look at them again.

So far, they had only packed about half the house. There was still a lot left to do—probably two more days of work.

That evening, after dinner, Su Yiran looked around at the increasingly empty house and felt reluctant to leave.

He asked Ting-ge, “Why the rush? We could wait until after the New Year to move.”

Gu Yuanting replied with sound reasoning, “The sooner we move, the sooner we settle in. We’re going to move anyway, and we can celebrate the New Year in the new house. Plus, we can welcome your parents there too.”

Hearing this, Su Yiran nodded. “You’re right.”

He realized that his parents didn’t know about Ting-ge’s family background yet. It would be best to give them a heads-up before explaining everything in detail when they visited.

So he asked Ting-ge cautiously, “What about your relatives…?”

After Ting-ge had opened up to him before, Su Yiran had gleaned bits and pieces. He knew Ting-ge didn’t want to talk about the Gu family. And given how Ting-ge had been trafficked by his stepmother, it was obvious that the Gu family wasn’t exactly a warm memory. Su Yiran had always refrained from pressing him.

But now that his parents were going to meet Ting-ge, they’d inevitably ask about his biological family—so he had no choice but to ask.

Gu Yuanting was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “My mother… passed away when I was about one or two.”

Su Yiran was stunned. He had always assumed Ting-ge had a stepmother, and guessed maybe his biological mother had divorced—not… this.

Seeing Ting-ge’s calm expression, his heart ached.

He hugged Gu Yuanting tightly, feeling guilty for bringing it up. “I’m sorry, Ting-ge.”

Gu Yuanting shook his head and gently patted his hair. “It’s okay. I was too young to remember much about her.” Even if there were once vague impressions, they had long faded.

He continued, “My father… is ill and receiving treatment in Country D.” He paused, then gently stopped Ranran from speaking, and added, “My grandfather… his health isn’t good either. He’s in a nursing home in Country D.”

He didn’t want Ranran to worry, so he didn’t go into details—just gave a simple explanation.

Su Yiran could tell Ting-ge didn’t want to elaborate, but he could still sense the emotion in his voice.

Not wanting to stir up old pain, he didn’t ask further—just hugged him tighter and kissed him gently to comfort him.

Gu Yuanting, feeling the soft kiss filled with care, melted inside. He stroked Su Yiran’s hair and back and gently kissed him back.

After a long moment, he said, “Ranran, I’m okay. Now I have you.”

That only made Su Yiran feel worse. He hugged Ting-ge tightly, then took his hand and placed it on his own belly. “And we have our baby.”

Gu Yuanting: “…”

He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to pull his hand away. Pretending to be the original Gu Yuanting, he gently caressed Ranran’s belly and forced himself to say, “Yes.”

Su Yiran placed his hand over Ting-ge’s, touching his still-flat belly. There was nothing to feel yet.

In fact, ever since he found out he was pregnant, the shock hadn’t worn off. Though he had carefully treated himself as a “pregnant husband” under Ting-ge’s protection, it still felt surreal when he looked at his belly.

Now, to comfort Ting-ge, Su Yiran ignored that weird feeling and used his trump card. He said, “From now on, the three of us will live a good life together.”

Gu Yuanting’s heart ached with emotion. He bit back his feelings, thinking that soon, very soon, he’d make it a family of four. On the surface, he nodded as if comforted.

Then Su Yiran added, “And when my parents come, we’ll be a family of five.”

As a child, after they had escaped from the beggar gang, Su Yiran had returned home, and with nowhere to go, Ting-ge had been taken in by Su’s parents. Though they never officially completed the adoption paperwork due to circumstances and time, he had always been treated as family.

Gu Yuanting knew that the original Gu Yuanting had grown up with Su Yiran in the Su household. Just like his past life, he had been taken in by Su’s parents, though at a different time—and with a different outcome.

Swallowing down his sour and jealous thoughts, he held Ranran tightly and kissed him fiercely.

It was almost time. Their new life was about to begin.

—

Finally, the moving day arrived—just as Gu Yuanting had been hoping for.

Before leaving, Su Yiran looked at the now-empty house, feeling reluctant to say goodbye. Gu Yuanting, seeing his hesitation, held his hand tightly and said, “Let’s go.”

Su Yiran nodded. “Okay.”

They just drove themselves over, while the items from the old house were handled by movers that Gu Yuanting had arranged.

Their new home was in a luxury community near East Lake, with excellent surroundings and top-notch facilities. Su Yiran had heard of this place before and knew only the wealthy lived here. Back then, he never would have imagined that one day, he and Ting-ge would live here too.

Their new home was a standalone, three-story villa with a modern, fresh aesthetic, mainly decorated in light tones, and felt warm and cozy.

It had a garden, a rooftop pool, and even a small elevator connecting the underground garage to the rooftop.

Besides the usual living room, study, guest rooms, bedrooms, dining area, kitchen, and bathrooms, it also had a gym, home theater, conservatory, tea room, and a nursery for the baby. There was even a special baking room for Su Yiran’s desserts.

Their master bedroom was on the third floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the lake—a stunning view.

Su Yiran had once wondered if such a large house would feel too empty for just two or three people. Ting-ge had replied that they’d get used to it. Most of the rooms had specific functions, and when you set those aside, the actual living space wasn’t much different from their previous place.

Su Yiran thought about it and agreed.

The house was too big for the two of them to maintain alone, so Gu Yuanting hired two housekeepers to rotate in shifts for cleaning.

The house was mostly set up already. After moving, a couple of days of tidying would settle them in completely.

Su Yiran walked to the large window and looked at East Lake. Even on an overcast day, it looked beautiful.

Gu Yuanting came up behind him, hugged him, turned his head gently, and kissed him by the lakeside window.

At last, they had a home of their own.

A new place, a new life, a new future.

Gu Yuanting was overjoyed, truly happy from the heart. Su Yiran, feeling that joy, was also filled with excitement and happiness.

—

Soon, they welcomed Lunar New Year’s Eve in their new home.

From morning, Gu Yuanting was busy preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner. Su Yiran sat beside him making dumplings. Normally Ting-ge wouldn’t let him do anything, but today he wanted to share the experience of cooking together—so he let Su Yiran join in.

The dumpling wrappers and fillings were all ready, and Su Yiran quickly made a full row. He occasionally glanced at Ting-ge cooking beside him, and Gu Yuanting also looked at Ranran from time to time. Their eyes would meet, and they would smile at each other.

The New Year’s dinner was lavish. Unlike earlier celebrations, Gu Yuanting’s cooking had improved significantly. Just the aroma made Su Yiran hungry.

By 6 p.m., the dishes were all ready. The dumplings Su Yiran made were saved for a late-night snack.

After dinner, they cuddled on the couch watching the Spring Festival Gala. Su Yiran felt that aside from the bigger, fancier house, everything else felt just like their old cozy home.

But to Gu Yuanting, it was a whole new world. All the old things he didn’t want to see were now buried in the basement. When Su Yiran asked, he simply said they were “stored,” and Ranran didn’t press.

To him, it felt like shedding a layer of the old self and finally beginning a new life with Ranran.

During the show, Su Yiran called his parents. Gu Yuanting had dressed up nicely just for this, greeted them confidently, and chatted smoothly—becoming more and more natural in front of Su’s parents.

After the call, they resumed watching the gala. When it got late, Gu Yuanting asked softly, “Ranran, are you hungry?”

Su Yiran said, “A little. Let’s eat the dumplings.”

Gu Yuanting boiled them and brought over two bowls.

Su Yiran said, “I put two coins inside. Whoever gets one will have good luck. Let’s see who gets them.” He secretly hoped Ting-ge would get one.

Gu Yuanting said, “Mm.” He wanted Ranran to get one too.

As if by magic, they each got one. Su Yiran exclaimed, “That means we’ll both have great fortune this year!”

Gu Yuanting stroked his cheek and smiled gently. “I already am lucky.”

They couldn’t set off big fireworks in the city, but small ones were allowed. After the comedy skits ended and the rest of the gala turned to music, Su Yiran said, “Ting-ge, let’s set off fireworks.”

Gu Yuanting nodded, picked up the fireworks, and bundled Ranran up warmly. “Let’s go to the rooftop.”

They went upstairs and arranged the small fireworks in a row. Gu Yuanting told Ranran to stand back, lit them quickly, and sparks shot into the night sky.

Su Yiran smiled at the dancing lights. “Ting-ge, Happy New Year.”

Gu Yuanting looked at him, eyes sparkling. “Happy New Year, Ranran.”

Just then, as if on cue, a burst of large fireworks lit up the sky—soon followed by more and more. The official firework show had begun.

Brilliant flowers of light exploded in the night sky.

In Su Yiran’s eyes, reflected by the fireworks, Gu Yuanting saw such deep love that it imprinted on his heart.

He gently cupped Su Yiran’s face, utterly intoxicated.

Under the dazzling fireworks, he gave him a deep, gentle, lingering kiss.

Looking at Su Yiran like this, his heartbeat out of control, he couldn’t help but blurt out—

“Ranran, I love you.”

Su Yiran looked up and saw Ting-ge holding his breath, waiting for his answer.

In those deep black eyes, he saw nothing but love and longing, as if a sky full of stars was shining just for him.