TSBDRA 80: Main Story Complete

…

From an app recommended by the nanny, Yan Yushan picked up a great habit—keeping a photo diary to document the baby’s growth.

Yan Qingci was growing fast. By the time he was three months old, his sensitivity to color had sharpened. He especially loved bright, colorful things, with a particular preference for anything yellow. So Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan began training his grasping ability, using toys in his favorite colors to attract his attention and encourage him to hold them.

Like now—Todou was completely fixated on the longevity lock gifted by his grandma. He stretched out his chubby little arms, using his pudgy fingers to try and grab it.

Xu Xishuang had fully discovered the joy of playing with a baby. He deliberately raised the longevity lock higher, then moved it behind Yan Qingci’s back—basically doing everything he could to keep it just out of reach.

Frustrated, Yan Qingci squirmed his plump little body and, to Xu Xishuang’s surprise, rolled over and successfully grabbed the longevity lock, flashing a big, toothless grin.

Xu Xishuang froze for two seconds, then shot up to his feet and shouted toward the upstairs, “Yan Yushan! Come down right now—your son just rolled over!”

To make it easier to take care of the baby, the soundproof door they’d installed during renovations had been removed and replaced with a thin, non-soundproof door. So when Yan Yushan heard Xu Xishuang’s shout, he immediately pushed open the door and ran downstairs. He didn’t even bother taking the elevator. He strode quickly to the crib and saw Yan Qingci happily playing with the longevity lock, then raised his camera.

Xu Xishuang picked up another golden-yellow toy shaped like a potato and waved it in front of Yan Qingci. As expected, Xiao Todou was immediately distracted by this second potato. He let go of the longevity lock and reached out for the new toy in Xu Xishuang’s hand.

Xu Xishuang repeated the same trick—and sure enough, still lacking even a kindergarten diploma, Yan Qingci fell for it again. He rolled over once more, and Yan Yushan, who had been standing by, quickly pressed the shutter, snapping several photos in a row to capture the precious moment.

In the pictures, Xu Xishuang looked gentle and warm, while Yan Qingci adorably reached for the potato toy. Watching them, Yan Yushan couldn’t help but smile. Then he stood up and headed upstairs to develop the photos, placing the newly printed shots into the diary.

Xu Xishuang titled the photo diary that accompanied these pictures “Todou’s Growth Journal.” As the days went by, the number of photos in Todou’s Growth Journal steadily grew—there were pictures of Xu Xishuang feeding Yan Todou, of Todou’s first tooth coming in, of him crying uncontrollably after his first vaccine, of him sitting up for the first time, his first crawl, his first time standing…

And on the day Yan Todou called out “Dad” for the first time, Yan Yushan took a photo too. That very day, both he and Xu Xishuang received a call—Yan Yushan’s film Bitter Summer had been nominated for Best Feature, and Xu Xishuang had been nominated for Best Actor for his leading role in Who’s Standing Behind the Door. The organizers invited both of them to attend the awards ceremony a week later, where the final results would be announced.

In this world, film and television awards were presented together at a single event, making it convenient for Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang to attend as a pair. The ceremony was scheduled for the week before the Spring Festival. Although the organizers had assured everyone that the venue would be well-heated—and even the red carpet area would have heating—Xu Xishuang still stuck a few extra warm patches under his clothes, then stepped out of the car arm-in-arm with Yan Yushan.

Ever since they appeared on the variety show A Trip on a Whim, the two of them had practically vanished from the public eye. It had been almost nine months. The moment they showed up again, the live award ceremony’s comment feed was instantly flooded by fans.

【Aaaaah you two finally appeared! Even if you were on a nine-month honeymoon, couldn’t you at least post something on Weibo? Vanishing without a word is terrifying, okay?!】

【Yan-ge, stop turning to look at your husband all the time—he’s already holding your arm, he’s not going anywhere!】

【I’m dying—Yan-ge’s wife-obsessed nature is showing again. And it’s even worse now that they’re married! He literally can’t take his eyes off him.】

【I seriously don’t get those people who were talking about a breakup. Look at how clingy Yan-ge and Shuangshuang are—you call this a breakup? They’re clearly still in their honeymoon phase!】

【Yan-ge’s black suit and Shuangshuang’s white one are such a perfect match, sob. One’s handsome, the other’s stunning, and they both have roses in their lapel pockets!】

【I don’t know why, but Xu Xishuang just radiates this husband energy… that kind of… mmm, really gentle vibe?】

【Can we just agree right now that both Yan-ge and Shuangshuang win awards tonight, please?】

As the invited guests took their seats and the host finished the opening remarks, a respected veteran in the industry stepped onto the stage to present the awards. The murmur of conversation around the venue gradually died down, and even the live comment stream slowed, as everyone waited anxiously for the results.

The TV drama awards came first, and as luck would have it, the presenter this year was a familiar face—Xiang Yao.

One award after another was announced, the room erupting in cheers and applause, steadily building the excitement. The tension among the nominees was palpable. In this growing anticipation, Xiang Yao opened the final envelope—the one containing the name of the Best Actor winner. He glanced at it, a smile appearing on his face, then raised the microphone, looked out into the audience, and declared loudly, “Congratulations to this year’s Best Actor—“

“Xu Xishuang!”

Cheers and screams erupted from every corner of the venue. Xu Xishuang looked up in surprise. He exchanged a glance with Yan Yushan beside him and his racing heart suddenly calmed. He smiled, stood up, and walked steadily toward the stage.

On the big screen, scenes from Who’s Standing Behind the Door began to play. Xu Xishuang’s character, Chen Muzhou, was the embodiment of darkness—cunning, ruthless, and cold-blooded, exuding an irresistible villainous charm. His performance radiated power and nuance, a testament to Xu Xishuang’s extraordinary acting skills.

Xu Xishuang accepted the trophy from Xiang Yao. Holding it in his arms, he began his acceptance speech with calm composure. “Thank you all for this recognition. Thank you to the judges and senior mentors. Thank you to my agent and assistant for their support and care, to my partner, and to Director Cheng and the screenwriter, as well as the rest of the cast and crew. I’m grateful for all your help and support.”

Standing beside him, Xiang Yao noticed how formal and composed his tone was. To liven up the atmosphere, he smiled and asked, “Is there anything you’d like to say specifically to someone in the audience?”

Everyone in the venue instantly knew who that “someone” referred to—Yan Yushan. Gentle laughter rippled through the room as they all leaned forward slightly, curious to hear what Xu Xishuang would say to his new husband.

Xu Xishuang paused. There were so many things he wanted to say to Yan Yushan, but he wasn’t the type to easily bare his heart in public—confessing on stage like this was still a bit too much for him. In the end, he looked toward Yan Yushan, who was sitting in the audience and watching him with the same gaze. Xu Xishuang pressed his lips together, then softly said, “From now on, I want to spend every New Year with you.”

The rest of the audience might not have understood the depth behind that sentence, but Yan Yushan did—completely.

To him, those words were no different from a confession. He knew it was a promise from Xu Xishuang. That for all the years to come, they would be together—forever, never to part.

【Wuwuwu Shuangshuang baby you’re amazing! Best Actor well deserved!】

【Yan-ge is smiling so gently… I think this is the first time I’ve seen him smile like that!】

【“Spend every New Year with you”… That’s a confession, right? That’s definitely a confession! What kind of god-tier romance is this, I can’t take it!】

Amid the teasing cheers and applause, Xu Xishuang stepped off the stage, cheeks slightly flushed, and returned to Yan Yushan’s side. Since the cameras were still rolling, a kiss wasn’t appropriate. Instead, Yan Yushan simply intertwined their fingers, carefully stroking the back of Xu Xishuang’s hand, quietly feeling his warmth.

As expected, the award for Best Feature Film went to Yan Yushan. He waved confidently to the camera and walked up to the stage, accepting the trophy from a highly respected senior in the industry. He held the trophy up toward the audience, acknowledging their applause, and then stepped up to the mic to give his speech.

“Not to sound too humble,” Yan Yushan began, drawing chuckles from the crowd, “but as an actor, I’ve stood on this stage to receive awards quite a few times.”

He smiled as the audience laughed along. 

“But this is my first time standing here as a director. So first and foremost—thank you for the recognition and encouragement. Thank you to everyone who worked on this film. And thank you to the one who gave me the inspiration to create it… and supported me through it all.”

The venue erupted into even louder cheers and playful teasing applause. Many in the audience turned to look at Xu Xishuang’s reaction, and when they saw his face had turned bright red, the laughter grew even more delighted.

【Why are you two so in love, wuwuwu, just kill me already, it’ll make your romance even more dramatic】

【Ahhh Shuangshuang baby’s blushing again—he’s so shy hahaha Yan-ge stop bullying him already!】

【Thank you, Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang. I believe in love again. You two have to stay happy!!】

【I heard Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang are joining the production for Who’s Standing Behind the Door Part 2 this April—is that true??】

【Part 2!! Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang, hurry up and get to work! No more lazy honeymoons! If I don’t get a new drama by the end of the year I swear I’ll die aaaaahhhh】

The awards ceremony ended in laughter and celebration. As soon as it was over, Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang made their way home, skipping over the socializing with others. By the time they arrived, it was nearly midnight.

Their arrival woke up Yan Qingci, who had been sleeping in his crib. He blinked sleepily at the two of them and at the gleaming gold trophies in their hands. Because both Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang’s trophies were so shiny and golden, they instantly became Yan Qingci’s new favorite toy. He clutched one tightly, refusing to let go, and in the end, Yan Yushan had to bribe him with a bottle of milk to get him to fall back asleep. Only then did he sneak the trophy into the cabinet in the study.

Yan Yushan captured that moment on camera too—Yan Qingci hugging the trophy—and filed it into the Yù·Yánzhēnglǐ’s Todou’s Growth Journal album.

The next major photo in Todou’s Growth Journal was their New Year’s family portrait.

On New Year’s Day, Xu Xishuang brought Yan Qingci with Yan Yushan to visit the Yan family home. Yan Jingmo was already waiting at the door. The moment he saw the adorable Yan Qingci, a rare smile appeared on his face. He reached out to take the chubby Xiao Todou and carried him into the house.

The moment Mother Yan laid eyes on Yan Qingci, her face lit up with joy. She called out “Good Xiao Todou!” as she took him into her arms, then pulled Xu Xishuang down to sit with her on the couch, chatting away. Meanwhile, the kitchen was handed over to the two brothers—Yan Jingmo and Yan Yushan—who were put in charge of preparing this year’s New Year’s meal.

After the meal, the family stepped into the courtyard to take their New Year’s family portrait. Xu Xishuang wore the red scarf Yan Yushan had given him the year before, while Yan Yushan had on a new red scarf, and Yan Qingci sported a bright red knit hat. The three of them stood on the left side of the group photo, with Father Yan, Mother Yan, and Yan Jingmo on the right. Everyone was smiling warmly at the camera.

After the family photo, tradition dictated that Xu Xishuang, Yan Yushan, and Yan Jingmo would go around visiting relatives. Xu Xishuang glanced at Yan Qingci, who was sitting on the sofa playing by himself, then silently looked away and followed Yan Yushan out the door.

“When Todou is a bit older,” Xu Xishuang said softly to Yan Yushan, “let’s go public with him. I want to be able to bring him along when we visit family during the New Year.”

Yan Yushan wrapped an arm around Xu Xishuang’s shoulders. “Alright. Whatever comes, we’ll face it together.”

Following the family portrait, the next important photo in Todou’s Growth Journal was from Yan Qingci’s Zhuazhou—the traditional first birthday grab ceremony.

On Yan Qingci’s first birthday, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan laid out a variety of small objects in a fan shape in front of him, letting him pick one. According to tradition, the item a child picks during Zhuazhou is said to hint at their future career path.

Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan made sure none of the items they prepared were yellow, just in case Yan Qingci started grabbing anything yellow he saw. After Xu Xishuang placed Yan Qingci in front of the pile, Yan Yushan set up a camera on the opposite side to record the whole grab-the-item ceremony.

Yan Qingci sat on the floor for a few seconds, staring at the pile in front of him. Then, with firm resolve, he crawled in one direction and grabbed the item he had his eyes on—

An abacus.

Everyone: ?？

Not long after Yan Qingci’s grab ceremony ended, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan joined the production crew to start filming the second installment of Who’s Standing Behind the Door.

Most of the second film was shot overseas. To get back to Yan Qingci as soon as possible, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan deliberately pushed the production pace, hustling through scenes every day. Yan Yao, Qu Yue, and Luo Huai were forced to sharpen their acting skills just to keep up.

During filming abroad, even in their short breaks, Xu Xishuang would get hit on four or five times a day. At first, Yan Yushan silently stewed in jealousy—after all, Xu Xishuang wore a ring and never responded to anyone. But eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore. He kept score in his heart, then found time back at bed to coax a little sweetness out of Xu Xishuang, over and over again.

Later, there was a time when Yan Yushan was approached by a voluptuous woman. According to eyewitness Yan Yao, Xu Xishuang was practically radiating cold air at the time, scaring Yan Yushan into rushing back immediately. That same night, Xu Xishuang suddenly turned the tables and took the initiative, sweetly overwhelming Yan Yushan to the point that Xu Xishuang couldn’t even get out of bed the next morning.

During breaks in filming each day, Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang would avoid the crowds and retreat to their nanny van to video call Yan Qingci. On the other end, Xiao Wang would answer the call and point the phone at Yan Qingci, and Xu Xishuang & Yan Yushan would sit there listening to his baby babble. All their exhaustion from filming would melt away.

The day before they were set to return home after finishing the overseas shoot, Yan Yushan told Xu Xishuang that Professor Fred happened to be in the same city and had invited them to come see something. Xu Xishuang agreed, and together they went to the professor’s mountaintop lab—only to hear something from Professor Fred that left them both stunned—

“Xu, in the year after I performed your surgery, I took on two more patients. Both of them, like you, became pregnant.” Professor Fred spoke seriously, laying a stack of redacted medical files in front of Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan. “One of them is also a doctor. He’s agreed to make his case public to the world—to let everyone know that some men are capable of having children.”

Professor Fred let out a sigh. “He… was forced. His family carries a genetic trait like this, so he knew from the start that he could have children. He chose to study medicine in hopes of curing himself, but unfortunately, he failed… His previous partner was what you would call a scumbag—he forced him into pregnancy. He chose to make his case public in hopes of pushing legislation in this area, to prevent others from suffering the same way he did.”

Then Professor Fred turned to Xu Xishuang. “The reason I invited you both here today is to ask your opinion—would you be willing to let me include Xu’s medical case, with the details anonymized, as evidence that men can also conceive? I plan to write a paper and publish it on the most authoritative academic platforms to support that doctor.”

Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan exchanged a glance. Xu Xishuang then turned to the professor and nodded firmly. “Yes.”

“You don’t have to anonymize my case,” Xu Xishuang exhaled softly, tightening his grip on Yan Yushan’s hand, drawing strength and courage from it. “I want to make my case public. I won’t let Yan Qingci—my child—go unacknowledged.”

Professor Fred was deeply moved. He knew how much courage it took to make such a decision. Most people wouldn’t dare admit something so unusual about themselves, afraid of being called a monster. Xu Xishuang wasn’t just anyone—he was a public figure, an actor with countless fans.

“Thank you, Xu,” Professor Fred wiped away his tears. “I’ll finish the paper as soon as possible and include my gratitude to you in the acknowledgments… I’ll let you know once it’s published.”

Xu Xishuang nodded and left with Yan Yushan after bidding Professor Fred farewell.

In February of the following year, a groundbreaking academic paper about male pregnancy shocked the world. The author, Professor Fred, faced an avalanche of skepticism—but the real-life cases detailed in the paper left people with no choice but to believe.

When scholars in China saw Xu Xishuang’s name, their first reaction was that it must be someone with the same name. But many quickly pieced together the timeline of Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan’s disappearance, concluding that they had definitely taken time off to raise a child after their wedding. Adding to the speculation was a clip from a variety show where Xu Xishuang’s slightly rounded belly was briefly visible. Suddenly, Weibo exploded with theories and debate.

In response, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan posted a video clip from their wedding.

In the video, solemn wedding music played in the background as a little boy, nearly two years old, appeared on screen. He was dressed in a custom-made suit, walking slowly down the red carpet with a serious expression, holding a ring box in his hands.

His eyes resembled Xu Xishuang’s—long, thick lashes, rosy lips, and fair skin—but his high nose bridge and facial structure were clearly from Yan Yushan. His chubby baby face looked like a little glutinous rice dumpling, and the contrast between his calm expression and soft features was irresistibly cute. The guests at the wedding couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

When the little boy reached the middle of the red carpet, he stumbled over a small fold in the fabric, making everyone’s heart skip a beat. He quickly regained his balance and continued walking forward, step by step, until he reached Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan. He held out the ring box to them and said in a crisp, clear voice, “Wishing Father and Daddy a happy wedding, a hundred years of harmony, and eternal love.”

The video ended abruptly.

Netizens watching the video: ??!?!

One minute later, Weibo crashed.

Half an hour later, Weibo came back online. Xu Xishuang tightened his grip on Yan Yushan’s hand, took a deep breath, and refreshed the comments. The first top-liked comment he saw was:

【Aaaaah wishing your family of three a lifetime of happiness!!】