AATP 77

The surgery was scheduled for August 23rd, a very auspicious date. Although the doctor had repeatedly assured him that it wasn’t a major operation, with a success rate of over 99%, when Ke Mingxuan watched Bian Yiqiu, dressed in a surgical gown and about to enter the operating room, he still felt a deep sense of unease.

It was as if he had been transported back to more than two months ago, standing outside the operating room, helplessly watching Bian Yiqiu face the god of death while he could do nothing. The loneliness, fear, and helplessness wrapped around him tightly. He couldn’t see or hear the people or sounds from outside. He stubbornly stood by the door for a full seven hours, until the doctor, drained of energy, finally said, “The surgery was successful.” The joy he felt in that moment was like being in heaven, but the doctor’s next words, “He’s still not out of danger,” sent him crashing back to hell.

He went through the agony of being in heaven one moment and hell the next, moving from the operating room door to the ICU door, not leaving for a single step, guarding him for four days. Only when Bian Yiqiu finally opened his eyes and hoarsely called out “Ke Mingxuan” did his heart finally, truly, settle back in place.

And now, he had to repeat this process, standing once again outside the operating room, entrusting his most beloved person to the doctors, letting them decide his life and health, while he still couldn’t do anything. Just thinking about that scene made Ke Mingxuan’s heart ache uncontrollably.

Bian Yiqiu, dressed in his hospital gown, sat on the bed, casually video calling Lu Xiao, complaining that the hair he had just grown out was about to be shaved off again. “God, this really sucks,” he muttered.

Lu Xiao reassured him, “It’s fine, even if you go bald, Qiu ge, you’ll still be the most handsome bald guy.”

The two of them joked and laughed for a while, until the medical staff came in to prepare for the surgery. Reluctantly, they ended the call, not at all treating this surgery as something serious.

On the way from the ward to the operating room, Ke Mingxuan didn’t say a word. When they reached the door of the operating room, Bian Yiqiu finally sensed something was off. Before going in, he asked, “Are you scared?”

Ke Mingxuan replied, “Yeah, a little.”

Bian Yiqiu said, “It’s fine, didn’t the doctor say? It’ll be over quickly.”

Ke Mingxuan nodded. “Mm.”

Bian Yiqiu didn’t say anything more and was about to be wheeled into the operating room.

Before they could move him any further, Ke Mingxuan grabbed his arm. With the medical staff and the two bodyguards looking on in surprise, he said, “Bian Yiqiu, how about we set autumn as our intended time?”

“???” Bian Yiqiu, confused, didn’t understand what he meant.

Ke Mingxuan looked him in the eye, speaking very clearly and seriously. “When you’re out of the hospital, it’ll be around autumn. We can have a wedding then.”

Bian Yiqiu raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and asked, “Are you proposing to me?”

Ke Mingxuan smiled and said, “Yes.”

Bian Yiqiu thought for a moment and then asked, “Who’s marrying whom?”

Ke Mingxuan smiled sweetly, “Either way works.”

“Good idea.” Bian Yiqiu nodded seriously, then grabbed his wrist. “Let’s go, Grandfather Bian is getting you a ten-carat diamond ring!”

“…”

At that moment, Young Master Ke had the same question as Lu Xiao once did. Why does Bian Yiqiu, this 24K pure gay, think like a straight man?

Of course, with all the medical staff, He Xu and Zuo Cheng’s strong objections, the ten-carat diamond ring was never bought. Just before Bian Yiqiu was dragged into the operating room, he was still persistently telling Ke Mingxuan, “Baby, wait for me to come out, and we’ll go buy the diamond ring together!”

Young Master Ke’s inner thoughts were… well, words couldn’t describe it.

Half a month later, Bian Yiqiu was discharged from the hospital. The surgery had been a great success. There had only been a small incision at the back of his head, with minimal trauma. They only shaved a small patch of hair around the wound, but Bian Yiqiu thought it looked too ugly, so he had them shave all his hair off.

After undergoing two major surgeries one after the other, his physical condition was not what it used to be, and it would take at least a year or so for him to fully recover. Ke Mingxuan bought a villa in the Upper East Side, and the two of them planned to spend some time resting and recuperating in the U.S., while also taking care of their plans for having children.

Ke Mingxuan asked if they should each have one, and Bian Yiqiu thought for a moment before saying, “Let’s have one first and see how it goes.”

The implied meaning was probably: If it’s fun, I’ll have another one. If it’s not… then forget about it.

Ke Mingxuan had no objections. The surrogate mother and egg donor were both carefully selected by the two of them. The lady who provided the eggs—aside from her height, weight, and appearance, her background was flawless. Her IQ had even been certified by Mensa, the prestigious high-IQ society, and she held both an M.D. and a PhD.

What persuaded such a woman wasn’t just a blank check with no limit, but more importantly, Ke Mingxuan’s DNA test report. Her exact words were, “Perfect.”

Ten months later, the baby was born, inheriting all the best traits from both of his biological parents. He had faintly blue eyes and long, curled lashes, swaddled in a pink and blue satin ribbon bow. The doctor brought him from the delivery room and placed him in the arms of his two fathers.

Bian Yiqiu’s first reaction was to take a deep breath, silently reach out and poke the baby’s soft cheek, then glance sideways at Ke Mingxuan. “He’s more handsome than you.”

Ke Mingxuan twitched his lips, choosing not to respond to this idiot.

However, our little Ke was suddenly triggered by his father’s poke and began to cry loudly. Bian Yiqiu was startled and immediately turned to run, which only made the baby cry even louder. His cries were so loud they seemed to shake the heavens.

Bian Yiqiu paused for a moment, then turned back to see Ke Mingxuan, under the doctor’s guidance, awkwardly and carefully cradling the baby. He looked so tense, as if he was about to face a firing squad.

Bian Yiqiu had never seen the usually calm Ke Mingxuan so flustered. With a mix of amusement and curiosity, he walked back over and said, “Let me hold him.”

The moment Ke Yichen, who had been crying his heart out in his father’s arms, was handed over to his dad, he stopped crying immediately. His big, watery eyes stared at him, and he blew two little bubbles.

“……” Bian Yiqiu thought to himself, Is this little guy a fish or something?

For some strange reason, from that moment on, Ke Yichen seemed to have attached himself to his dad. The once-feared gang leader, who had once dominated the streets, was now reduced to a full-time super dad.

Ke Mingxuan arranged for three nannies and also called in Aunt Lan, who had been serving the Ke family for over thirty years, to come from China. Originally, Feng Shuxian was supposed to come in person, but she was stopped by a stern “No!” from Ke Zhenshan.

Feng Shuxian, the new grandmother, had mixed feelings as she prepared over seventy kilograms of luggage, all filled with baby supplies and food she had personally purchased, including top-grade fish maw and tongcao to help with breastfeeding.

Ke Zhenshan’s cold, stern expression was on the verge of cracking. He coldly asked, “Who’s supposed to eat all these supplements?”

Feng Shuxian paused, then realized she might have made a mistake. She shot him an exasperated glare. “…Definitely not for you!”

When Ke Mingxuan met Aunt Lan at the airport and faced the massive luggage and heavy-hearted motherly affection, he really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Then the two men ended up living under the same roof as four women and one baby.

It turned out that no matter how excellent they were at managing a company or how well they had done in the underworld, it didn’t help at all when it came to raising a child or dealing with nannies.

The three nannies came from different backgrounds, each with their own approach, while Aunt Lan, who had raised Ke Mingxuan, was from the old-school camp. Together, they were like four immovable mountains. Just the question of whether to pick up the baby when he cried, whether to do it immediately, or whether to pick him up every time he cried was enough to spark a battle between the four of them.

Two months later, Ke Mingxuan and Bian Yiqiu reached a consensus. This kind of life with their little family had become unbearable!

So, two of the nannies were dismissed on the spot, and Aunt Lan sent them off with a generous red envelope before they boarded their return flight.

It was just a baby, after all. How hard could it be for two powerful CEOs?

Ke Mingxuan naively thought so and then took the little one to the guest room to sleep, claiming he wanted to let Bian Yiqiu rest. But within a few days, dark circles appeared under his eyes.

“Hey, Young Master Ke,” Bian Yiqiu kicked the almost asleep Ke Mingxuan with his foot. “How about bringing those two nannies back?”

At that moment, the three of them were basking in the sun in the glass conservatory of the villa’s backyard. The warm winter sunlight poured down, and Ke Yichen, completely naked, was lying on Ke Mingxuan’s chest, enjoying an air bath.

Ke Mingxuan opened one eye, let out a big yawn, and said weakly, “After all this effort, it’s not like we’re just having a kid for the nanny to raise.”

Bian Yiqiu lightly nudged Ke Yichen’s soft, chubby little bottom with his toe and asked, “Just the two of us… can we really take care of this little guy?”

Ke Yichen’s tiny face turned bright red as he struggled to lift his heavy head with his slender neck. He gave Bian Yiqiu a big, silly grin.

Ke Mingxuan laughed, and after a pause, confidently declared with a hint of arrogance, “Is there anything in this world the two of us can’t handle?”

Bian Yiqiu didn’t reply, simply making a funny face at Ke Yichen. The little one was stunned, staring back at him with big, shiny eyes. As they locked gazes, a long string of drool escaped from Ke Yichen’s mouth.

Unfortunately, Ke Mingxuan’s bold words didn’t hold up for long. As He Sheng Media’s U.S. branch began to take shape and many domestic affairs required his personal attention, the busy CEO’s time with his son became increasingly scarce. The responsibility of taking care of Ke Yichen fell almost entirely on Bian Yiqiu’s shoulders.

After dinner, while Ke Mingxuan was in the study holding a video conference with senior executives back home, Bian Yiqiu took the little one for a bath.

He adjusted the water in the oversized massage tub to the perfect temperature, then quickly stripped both himself and the baby before stepping in. The two of them, one big and one small, had a blast playing in the water.

With a childish streak, Bian Yiqiu grabbed a small yellow rubber duck filled with water and sprayed it at Ke Yichen’s face. Ke Yichen burst into laughter, his chubby little hands and feet slapping the water with delight, sending countless splashes onto his dad’s face. A perfect revenge.

Bian Yiqiu shook his head in mock defeat, leaned in, and gave the baby’s rosy cheek a playful bite, muttering, “You little rascal, you’re quite the troublemaker.”

After the bath, Bian Yiqiu wrapped little Ke Yichen snugly in a soft towel, turning him into a tiny silkworm cocoon. Whistling happily, he carried him out of the bathroom.

But as soon as they stepped out of the bathroom, Ke Yichen’s expression changed. First, he frowned, then squinted, his tiny face twisting into a peculiar look, as if he were straining. His little brows knitted tighter and tighter, and his palm-sized face turned beet red.

Bian Yiqiu stared at him in confusion, stopping both his whistle and his steps. He stared for a moment before realizing what was happening. His face fell. “Young Master Chen, are you—”

Before he could finish, a strong, awful smell hit him. In an instant, he spun around and rushed back into the bathroom like a gust of wind.

“Aaaaargh!”

The once-feared and revered Bian Yiqiu, who had dominated the streets for thirty years, let out a howl of despair, wishing for nothing but sweet death. But before dying, he had to clean up the little troublemaker first. 

Despite his rough upbringing, Bian Yiqiu had always been a bit of a clean freak at heart. After washing Ke Yichen a second time, Bian Yiqiu wasn’t taking any chances. He immediately put a diaper on the baby, carefully adjusting the leg cuffs and smoothing out the waistband until it looked just right.

“Perfect,” he said, feeling proud of his handiwork.

After saying that, he swiftly picked up the already fresh and clean little one, holding him securely in his arms, and strode toward the living room. Ke Yichen, enjoying the up-and-down motion, squealed with delight.

Bian Yiqiu felt a growing sense of accomplishment as he glided across the room, almost like dancing the waltz. Ke Yichen laughed happily, and Bian Yiqiu spun in several circles before finally collapsing onto the baby play mat in the center of the living room. He held the soft, warm body close, the little one comfortably nestled in his arms.

From the study, with the door slightly ajar, Ke Mingxuan looked out. In his gaze was the sight of his two most beloved people. The soft, warm yellow light bathed them in a gentle glow, creating a perfect, cozy circle—his whole world.

The night before Ke Yichen’s first birthday, Bian Yiqiu had fully recovered, and the family of three quietly returned to Z City, without informing anyone but Feng Shuxian.

After a domestic meeting, Ke Zhenshan was predictably promoted to a higher position and entered a committee, further elevating the political standing of both the Ke and Feng families. However, for Ke Zhenshan, the only noticeable change was that his usually stern face had become even more grim.

That evening, Ke Zhenshan returned home and, as usual, headed to his study. Just as he sat down, he caught a glimpse of something small and furry at the door, a little head with dark hair and big eyes.

His brows furrowed tightly, and his eyes flashed with cold intensity. As his gaze lowered, he noticed a pair of tiny, bare feet.

Then, the little feet carefully stepped onto the carpet, taking a cautious step forward.

Ke Zhenshan’s stern expression suddenly softened, and he tried to muster a smile.

The little one wobbled toward him, calling out sweetly, “grandpa…”

Before he could finish, the chubby little body tripped on the carpet and fell face-first.

“Mingxuan!” Ke Zhenshan immediately sprang to his feet, stepping forward in a hurry to scoop the child up, his heart tightening in concern as he called out his son’s name out of reflex.

He only realized what he’d said after the words left his mouth. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering if he should put the little bundle down. In the end, he straightened his face and seriously asked, “Whose child are you? Where’s your father?”

The only answer he got was a big bubble of saliva. A smiling face, exactly like Ke Mingxuan’s from when he was a child, pressed up to him, and before he could react, the little one kissed his nose, then sweetly called out, “grandpa…”

Feng Shuxian’s footsteps stopped outside the study, smiling in a way that was both complicated and reassuring.

Ke Mingxuan and Bian Yiqiu returned to their home at Junlin Tianxia, which had been well taken care of for quite a long time, still as clean and welcoming as ever.

As they stepped through the door, Ke Mingxuan turned to Bian Yiqiu and said, “We’re home, the place where we’ll remain, until the very end.”

Bian Yiqiu’s response was a loud thud as he kicked the door shut, yanked Ke Mingxuan’s collar, and kissed him passionately.

-The End-