It’s real, Fu Shizhao.

I’m not dreaming.

Tang Mian rested his chin on Fu Shizhao’s small shoulder and closed his sore eyes again, not knowing how to describe his current feelings. He felt like he finally regained something he had lost.

He thought Fu Shizhao wouldn’t come back again.

Just like in the previous life when he was brought back to the Fu family, he never returned to the Tang family, never celebrated his birthday with him again.

Fu Shizhao allowed him to hold him like this, and his small hand gently stroked his back, filled with heartache.

He got up early today and had his foster father take him back to the Tang family. He brought along the small gift he had prepared earlier and the strawberry dessert that Grandma Tai had the maid pack for him last night.

Seeing his return, everyone in the Tang family was very happy, and they warmly chatted with him for a long time. After learning that he was doing well over there, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

During a break in the conversation between Uncle Tang and his foster father, Fu Shizhao couldn’t wait any longer and quietly went upstairs to the children’s room, opening the door gently.

Tang Mian was still asleep, curled up into a small ball with slightly swollen eyes. He had cried again.

Fu Shizhao couldn’t bear to wake Tang Mian up, so he sat by the bed and watched him sleep for a long time, recalling many things from their past lives.

In their previous life, on the day he was brought back to the Fu family, Tang Mian had called him multiple times, but he didn’t answer. At that time, he was dealing with various unkind people at the Fu family, and he didn’t have his phone with him. Even if he had it with him, he wouldn’t have been able to answer.

That night, when he saw so many missed calls from Tang Mian on his phone, he typed a long message, but before sending it, he deleted it all and replied with a simple, “I’m fine over here, a bit busy, haven’t been checking my phone.”

Shortly after replying, his phone ran out of battery and shut down. After all those missed calls, the battery had been drained.

He didn’t bother to charge it and didn’t know how to face Tang Mian. Too many things had happened recently, and he needed to digest them first. He was tired and just wanted to lie in bed and clear his mind.

Later, he found out that the people at the Fu family had been monitoring him, and he didn’t dare to continue contacting Tang Mian.

He blamed himself for approaching him more and avoiding the situation altogether. That’s why things had escalated to the quarrelsome relationship they had in their previous lives.

If it weren’t for the events of their previous life, Tang Mian would have surely called him with his smart watch last night. Maybe they would have talked on the phone until falling asleep, just like they did when they were abroad.

But he didn’t.

The reason behind it was easy to guess – he was afraid of reliving the experiences of their previous life, of being rejected, of receiving half-hearted replies, of deliberate distance.

It wouldn’t be like that this time.

—

He returned to his side right on time, the first one to wish him a happy birthday. For all the birthdays in this lifetime, he would be there to celebrate with him.

Feeling the little head resting on his shoulder gently move, Fu Shizhao repeated his words from earlier, “Big Brother, happy birthday.”

Tang Mian listened and then released him, sitting on the bed with slightly swollen eyes, carefully examining him.

There didn’t seem to be any changes from yesterday when he had left.

He didn’t miraculously grow extra arms or legs just because he had returned to the Fu family. Why had things changed so much in their previous life?

Fu Shizhao quickly handed over the bag he was holding, looking at him with eager anticipation, like a puppy waiting for its owner to unwrap a gift.

The bag was quite large, and Fu Shizhao had almost squeezed it over.

Tang Mian lowered his head in confusion and began to take out everything inside one by one.

A new white kitten doll, soft to the touch and quite large, big enough for his three-year-old self to hug tightly, guaranteeing a comfortable sleep.

A brand-new set of crayons, as the old ones at home had been worn out during this period. And… lots of strawberry-flavored desserts.

Tang Mian couldn’t help but purse his lips.

They were all things he loved.

He had originally prepared himself for a birthday without much celebration, especially after what had happened yesterday. He didn’t really feel like celebrating his birthday.

But unexpectedly, Fu Shizhao not only came back but was the first to wish him a happy birthday and brought so many gifts.

Looking at Fu Shizhao, who was eagerly waiting for a response, Tang Mian awkwardly whispered, “Thank you.”

Fu Shizhao visibly brightened up, looking like an overjoyed puppy.

Tang Mian finally remembered something and quickly asked him about all of his experiences from yesterday. There must have been a point that was different from their previous life.

He had been too emotional yesterday, led by the events of their previous life, and hadn’t taken the time to calmly think about the situation.

Fu Shizhao obediently recounted everything that had happened yesterday to Tang Mian, except for the part about secretly texting the person from the Fu family and intentionally letting himself be taken to the old lady’s birthday banquet. He glossed over that part.

When he mentioned Grandma Fu, Tang Mian finally understood what had happened.

—

In their previous life, Fu Shizhao had been publicly announced as his son by Mr. Fu and had a banquet held for him that very evening. Even though he wasn’t the oldest among the younger generation of the Fu family, he was given the title of “Young Master Fu” simply because his father was the legitimate son of Mr. Fu’s wife.

Tang Mian had once suspected if Fu Shizhao was being mistreated in the Fu family, despite having the backing of Mr. Fu. However, Fu Shizhao always carried himself with such arrogance that there was no sign of any hardship. So, Tang Mian quietly dismissed this doubt in his heart.

Tang Mian didn’t have a favourable impression of Mr. Fu, but this time, Fu Shizhao wasn’t claimed by Mr. Fu; he was claimed by Grandma Fu, a name Tang Mian was familiar with. She was a much more formidable force than Mr. Fu, but that was all he knew about her.

It seemed that Grandma  wasn’t as strict in her control over Fu Shizhao. According to Fu Shizhao’s description, she seemed to be a kind-hearted elder who bought him lots of cakes to eat, prepared a spacious room for him, and even allowed him to invite Tang Mian over to play.

Tang Mian: “Will you continue going to the Kindergarten in the future?”

Fu Shizhao: “Of course, didn’t Dad say I have to finish the kindergarten before starting elementary school?”

Tang Mian: “Will you still be able to come to our home often?”

Fu Shizhao: “Sure, I’ve already told Grandma that I’m going to sleep with my brother tonight.”

Tang Mian: “You’ll come to my birthday party in a few days, right?”

Fu Shizhao: “Yes, Grandma said she wants to join the birthday party too.”

Tang Mian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had been worried about Fu Shizhao returning to the Fu family, everything now seemed to be going well. He hoped that this accidental reunion with Grandma Fu was a good thing.

Feeling much more at ease, Tang Mian got out of bed and obediently had Shen Siwan apply a cold compress to his eyes to reduce the puffiness. Shen Siwan had already done this while he was asleep last night, which is why the puffiness wasn’t as severe today.

After applying the compress, Tang Mian had breakfast and was about to enjoy the strawberry desserts that Fu Shizhao had brought back when he received another gift.

He hadn’t celebrated his birthday in a long time and hadn’t received so many birthday gifts from people who cared about him in a while.

“Baby, happy birthday,” Shen Siwan and Tang Minghuai brought a beautifully wrapped box to him.

Though the box was tied with a ribbon, it wasn’t completely sealed and appeared to be partially open.

Tang Mian leaned in, puzzled.

Suddenly, the box moved.

Tang Mian: “Ah!”

 Completely unprepared, Tang Mian was startled and instinctively held onto Fu Shizhao’s arm, who was standing beside him.

The gift turned out to be a living creature.

Tang Mian, after quickly recovering from the initial shock, had various speculations running through his mind and couldn’t wait to untie the ribbon on the box and open it.

Inside was a pure white, long-haired kitten, a tiny bundle. When it saw Tang Mian, it softly “meowed” and poked its little head out.

Tang Mian’s heart melted, and he carefully lifted the kitten out of the box. The soft texture exploded in his hand.

Not long ago, he had spent a long time playing with the cats at the photography studio where they had taken pictures. When he left, he was somewhat reluctant to part with them. Among all the plushies at home, most of them were cat plushies.

His parents must have decided to give him a kitten as a birthday gift because they knew how much he loved cats.

“Mian Mian, you can place the kitten on the floor to let it get accustomed to its new environment,” Shen Siwan guided.

Tang Mian nodded and bent down to place the kitten on the floor.

The kitten’s tail stood upright, and it curiously started exploring its new territory. Shen Siwan had the maid lay out all the supplies that had been prepared for the kitten: a cat bowl, a cat bed, a cat tree, a litter box, and more.

Their home was a small villa with high walls, well-protected against theft, so they didn’t have to worry about the kitten escaping.

Kittens at this age were usually very affectionate. After exploring their new territory for a short while, the kitten returned to Tang Mian’s side. It climbed up his leg with its short little legs and curled into a white kitten ball on top of his foot, completely still, as if it had fallen asleep.

Tang Mian’s heart had already melted into a puddle. He held Fu Shizhao’s hand and quietly bragged, “I have a kitty!”

Fu Shizhao saw his little reaction and found it incredibly adorable. He agreed enthusiastically, “Big Brother’s kitty is so cute.”

Tang Mian proudly hummed a couple of times.

But not long after, Tang Mian looked toward his own mother for help.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Siwan asked with a smile.

Tang Mian said, “My… my feet hurt.”

The kitten wasn’t exactly lightweight, and it had been curled up on his foot for quite a while, making his foot ache.