He placed several large boxes aside, saying, "These are gifts from everyone to Little Meatball."
"Thank you for your help, they went to a lot of trouble."
"Hey, beautiful lady, long time no see, you've gotten even more handsome." Deng Yifan greeted him warmly, and Wang Runqiu responded in a low voice.
Hello.
"Your little chubby girl is so beautiful. I can already tell she'll only be a source of trouble when she grows up—"
"You're the troublemaker!" Xiang Lan said discontentedly. "My little chubby is a cutie, an angel, not a troublemaker."
"New mom, you're right, aren't you?"
Fang Zi forced a smile, changed his shoes, and went upstairs to his study.
"Hey, what's wrong with you guys?" Deng Yifan nudged Xiang Lan, grabbed a grape from the plate and ate it. "Why does the beauty look so unhappy?"
"Postpartum depression, I guess."
"Are you kidding me? Even if it were depression, wouldn't it be you who gets it?"
"Can you suppress your human nature a little?" Xiang Lan complained. "Even if he's a beauty, you're being too biased."
Wang Runqiu asked softly, "Did you two have a fight?"
"No."
How can an argument even start? He apologizes as soon as she raises her voice slightly, but what's the use of apologies? She's not happy at all.
"You're really worrying me, having another episode?" Deng Yifan watched the little one yawn and fall into a deep sleep, and said enviously, "You're truly a winner in life now, you have a man, a child, and you don't have to worry about a house—"
"Wang Runqiu, do you think so too?" Xiang Lan asked, sitting on the sofa and resting her chin on her hand.
Wang Runqiu was surprised to be singled out and hesitated for a moment before saying, "You walked much faster than us, which is certainly good in terms of the result, but I can't quite put my finger on it. There might also be some downsides."
"For example?"
"Going out to have fun, drinking and staying up all night with everyone, that's part of the fun."
“Haha, you have a family now.” Deng Yifan agreed with Wang Runqiu’s statement with schadenfreude. “You can’t be promiscuous anymore. You’re a mother now. You’ve started to make people lose their sexual fantasies.”
Xiang Lan wanted to strangle Deng Yifan, but she was right. Her sociological significance had changed; she was no longer "me," but "a mother."
"I won't be stuck here, don't worry. Once Little Meatball is weaned, I can still roam all over the city." She glared at Deng Yifan and said, "I want to continue my studies, do some of my own things, and prepare for the postgraduate entrance exam."
"What's up?"
“I’ve been getting in touch with toy companies and art companies who want to collaborate with me on the little designs I post online. So I do it part-time to earn some extra money.”
"Is the money you earn enough for your baby's food, drink, and toilet needs? It's not even enough for your nanny's salary, is it?"
Xiang Lan was furious. "You look down on me?"
"I'm worried that she'll be left without anyone to take care of her, and then you'll be anxious and crying."
"What's there to worry about? If we get too busy, we can just leave it to my sister-in-law. She has to take care of them anyway, so two is just right."
Deng Yifan saw Fang Zidu coming down the stairs. He seemed to have heard Xiang Lan's words, and his whole body stiffened. She quickly nudged her. Xiang Lan turned her head and glanced at him, saying nonchalantly, "It's okay, it's fine like this—"
They were completely clueless about what the future held.
Chapter 65
Fang Zidu was in an unprecedented crisis. He judged that Xiang Lan had already made some unilateral decisions in her heart, refused to communicate with him, and went straight into the implementation stage.
He had to save himself; he had to get up from where he fell.
Xiang Lan kept a close eye on her little one, calling a postpartum nanny whenever needed, or at the very least, hiring a babysitter. After the nanny's contract expired, she did everything herself that she could, and for anything she couldn't do, she'd rather pay the babysitter more, completely neglecting him. She even tried to have him sleep in a separate room, but that didn't work because the little guy would wake up twice a night to be fed, and Xiang Lan was very alert, taking the opportunity to hold him and look for his mother to eat.
The baby's one-month celebration coincided with the Lunar New Year. To celebrate, the entire Fang family, including the over-seventy-year-old grandfather, traveled from Haicheng to this city. Not wanting to disturb the young couple, the elders stayed in another house, only visiting the couple's home occasionally.
The winters in this city are dry and cold, making it very uncomfortable. Xiang Lan originally wanted to take her child to the mountains to spend the winter, but Hu Li was about to give birth, and Liu Zewen and Xiang Yuan were too busy to handle anything else, so she had to put aside these thoughts and plans.
The full moon celebration banquet was held in a restaurant in the shopping mall across from the residential area. Fang Haoping used all his connections to squeeze a day out of the scheduled time and invited relatives and business partners from both sides.
Xiang Lan hadn't fully recovered her figure yet. Wearing a large down jacket, she sat in a small booth next to the banquet hall, holding her little one, waiting for all sorts of people to come and admire her. Before the banquet even officially started, she had already received a pile of red envelopes and gifts. Fang Zi had gone to greet the guests, while Deng Yifan helped her tidy up various odds and ends.
When Lin Li arrived, Xiang Lan was struggling to comfort the little one and stop her from crying. Clearly, it was her first time experiencing such a large scene, and she was not used to it.
"Xiang Lan, congratulations—" Lin Li was dressed quite elegantly and beautifully. He didn't seem embarrassed at all when he saw her. On the contrary, he was very enthusiastic. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. You look great."
"Thank you." The little one was too heavy, and her back ached a bit.
"Let me see, what a pretty little girl." Lin Li played with the little girl for a while, left her a red envelope, and said, "Her eyes are so bright and lively, she's so adorable. Let's buy her some toys."
"Quickly thank Auntie." Xiang Lan tugged at the little chubby hand, and the little girl made two "ah ah" sounds at Lin Li.
"Where is Zidu?"
"He's greeting guests in the hall. Go in and find him."
Lin Li carefully observed Lan's expression. There was no wariness or displeasure as usual. He smiled and walked away.
"Who is it? She looks like a leading lady!" Deng Yifan was extremely curious.
"Fang Zidu's senior sister, who works in the same lab, seems to like him."
"You're way too calm, aren't you?"
Xiang Lan wanted to retort something when Gu Yuan arrived, still with his imposing manner, accompanied by a female assistant carrying a gift box. Upon seeing her, he beckoned to someone behind him, and the female assistant respectfully presented the gift.
"Brother Yuan, you're still so handsome, no, even more handsome!"
Gu Yuan stood beside her with a hint of disdain, looking down at the baby in her arms, and after a long while said, "You don't fit the temperament of an artist."
What should be done?
"At least comb your hair and put on your makeup. You look like you've been a victim of domestic violence."
With a sharp tongue and piercing gaze, he sighed and said to Lan, "Go inside and sit down, the banquet is about to begin."
“Now is the time for you to produce your work. Don’t forget the pain of childbirth, remember that feeling, and increase your expressiveness. When it’s done, show it to me first—” Gu Yuan poked the chubby little face with his finger and swaggered into the banquet hall.
"Where did we find this monster?" Deng Yifan's mouth was practically watering. "Introduce me?"
“I’m afraid you’ll be controlled by him and turned into a psychopath.”
"You underestimate me?"
"Once you've won over Li Xingda, I'll take you to experience his allure."
Before the two could even discuss how to divide Gu Yuan, Liu Nanyang walked over with Mia, beaming. Milan followed behind, looking disgusted and covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Xiang Lan quickly straightened up and took the situation seriously. These three had caused trouble two or three times in the past few months, alarming both sets of parents. But due to Mia's insistence and Liu Nanyang's indifference, they still hadn't figured out who Xiao Mi Li's biological father was. Milan had already given up on these two scumbags.
Liu Nanyang presented gifts and a red envelope, then pulled Mia inside. Mia smiled apologetically. Milan waited until the two were inside before coming in with a pout, saying, "Why do you invite just anyone?"
"Who told them to be my uncle and his suspected aunt—" Xiang Lan enjoyed chatting with Milan, and they often liked each other's posts on their phones.
"Let me see the little chubby one, oh my god, it's much prettier than the little rice grain."
Is it necessary to target them like this?
"And you, how come you're still so fat? You need to lose weight, or your family will all be seduced again."
"I'm breastfeeding, so I can't lose weight," Xiang Lan said to her. "Why don't you try seducing him today and see how he reacts?"
Milan asked suspiciously, "Don't cry then?"
Xiang Lan remained silent, though she was still reluctant to part with him.
When most of the guests had arrived, Liu Zewen and Fang's mother came to relieve her and told them to hurry in and sit at the head table for dinner. Xiang Lan handed Xiao Rou Rou over to the two mothers and took Deng Yifan inside. They walked through the tables and soon saw several people gathered in the middle of the aisle.
Mia's face flushed red as she stood beside Gu Yuan, while Liu Nanyang looked on in surprise, and Milan looked on with a hint of regret.
"What's wrong?" Xiang Lan stood on tiptoe and pulled Milan.
"My sister seems to have gone crazy," Milan whispered. "She's dragging Liu Nanyang along and insists on sitting next to Gu Yuan."
Seeing Gu Yuan's calm demeanor, Mia's shy yet resolute expression, and Liu Nanyang's thoughtful expression, Xiang Lan knew there must be a story behind it all. Today's gathering was filled with relatives and friends, and she worried that things might get out of control and her uncle would lose face. Squeezing through the crowd, she pulled him aside, saying, "Uncle, what are you still doing here? My mom wants to talk to you—"
Milan also realized what was happening and helped Xiang Lan. The two of them practically dragged him to the first two tables. Fang Zi greeted them, saying, "You've finally come in. Come to the front quickly, we've saved you seats."
Fang Zidu stayed near the front, and several people sat around a table. Xiang Lan asked Deng Yifan to save her a seat, and then followed Fang Zidu to confirm the schedule with the people from the event company. When the time came and the banquet hall was full, Fang Zidu took the microphone and went on stage to give a speech. Xiang Lan took a break and slipped back to her seat.
"Why did you come back? Your husband hasn't even started speaking yet," Milan said.
"It'll be ready in a bit. I'm just hungry and waiting to eat."
Liu Nanyang seemed lost in thought. After sitting for a while, he said, "I'm going out for a smoke first—"
Xiang Lan and Milan exchanged a glance, both understanding each other perfectly. This playboy had been tragically cheated on.
Fang Zidu began to speak, first thanking everyone for attending Fang Ziqing's one-month celebration, thanking them for their care and support, thanking his family for their selfless dedication, and thanking his grandfather for traveling a long distance to visit his granddaughter despite his advanced age. Finally, he thanked his beloved wife, Xiang Lan. He offered a deep self-reflection, acknowledging that he had been too busy with work to take care of his family. He praised Xiang Lan for growing from a naive young girl into a qualified mother, commending her independence and maturity. He concluded by saying that the most important and fortunate thing for him was having his own family.
“Your beauty is watching you, hurry up and go on stage,” Deng Yifan nudged her.
"I'm not going," Xiang Lan said stubbornly. "It won't be that easy for me to forgive him—"
"I feel so sorry for the beauty, look at his disappointed little eyes."
Milan glanced at Liu Nanyang's empty seat and said, "I'm going to check on your uncle. He seems to be on the verge of a breakdown."
Xiang Lan looked at Milan, sensing that this day was going to be very chaotic.
Halfway through the banquet, she was thinking about her little one and was about to go out to let two other mothers come in to eat when Fangzi came over with a wine glass in hand, her face flushed.
"Xiang Lan, we need to go and offer toasts to the elders—"
Xiang Lan hung her head, unwilling to go, and tugged at Deng Yifan for help. Fang Zidu reached out to pull her, but Deng Yifan forcefully pried her hand away. Abandoned by everyone, she had no choice but to go.
Fang Zidu's alcohol tolerance still hadn't improved much. The two of them toasted their grandfather, then went around to the tables of various cousins. When it was Shen Chuan and Fang Jun's turn, they were forced to drink three more cups.
Shen Chuan is a heavy drinker, usually able to drink at least a pound of liquor. No one can outdrink him. Seeing that he was about to drink three more cups, Xiang Lan panicked, "Brother Chuan, if you get him drunk, you'll have to carry him home! I still have to take care of my little darling—"
"You still can't bear to part with it, huh?" Shen Chuan said unhappily. "Lanlan, you've become so materialistic since you got married. Drinking is just for fun. Today is such an important day, it wouldn't be right not to drink! Jun'er, hurry up and fill his cup. Don't take advantage of your young age to cheat."
Fang Zi had already finished drinking at several tables and was almost tipsy. He said, "Brother Chuan, I still have several tables to finish drinking. How about I come and drink with you alone after we're done?"
"A man's word is his bond. I'll be waiting for you here." Shen Chuan slammed two bottles of baijiu on the table, his imposing manner astounding.
"Are you crazy? Trying to outdrink him?" Xiang Lan muttered under her breath, following Fang Zidu. "You know you can't drink, aren't you worried about the smell of alcohol affecting Xiaorourou?"
Fangzi squeezed her hand to show that he understood.