After I Died, My Childhood Friend Became Daddy - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Good Brother! Being Ranran’s Parent for the First Time

Although Fang Ran had only drunk a little alcohol, he had never drunk before, so the reaction was quite strong.

While in the car, Fang Ran felt rather uncomfortable, complaining of dizziness and nausea. Huo Yan pulled him into his arms, gently stroking his back and coaxing him, “Be good, we’re almost there.”

Fang Ran rested his chin on Huo Yan’s shoulder and let out a yawn, his voice slurring slightly, “I was just thinking… After I went missing, you must have been so bored by yourself. No one in class talks to you; it’s suffocating.”

Huo Yan only had him as a friend. If even he was gone, who would Huo Yan play with?

The moment he imagined Huo Yan sitting like a lonely mushroom in the corner of the classroom, Fang Ran felt a strange pang of heartache.

The man’s eyes darkened, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he held Fang Ran even tighter.

Baby. Such a good baby. How could he not love him? He loved him to the bone, loved him so much he wanted to eat Fang Ran up, to swallow him whole.

“It’s okay,” the man whispered. “Ranran knows… I never cared about anyone else anyway.”

In Huo Yan’s eyes, the world was nothing more than a mass of black-and-white mosaics; only his Ranran was a lively, moving color. Therefore, what happened to others had nothing to do with him.

He spoke in a low, husky voice.

“As long as Ranran is by my side, it’s enough.”

By now, Fang Ran had drifted into a daze, leaning most of his weight against Huo Yan like a soft, obedient doll, allowing himself to be handled.

Huo Yan moved very gently, taking Fang Ran’s hand and placing it against his lips for a soft kiss.

When the car stopped, Huo Yan didn’t want to wake him, so he carried him directly into the villa. However, Fang Ran wasn’t in a deep sleep; the slight movement of entering the house woke him up.

He murmured dizzily, “Are we home?”

“Be good, we’re here.”

Huo Yan whispered, “Since you’re awake, don’t sleep just yet. I’ll have Liu Ma cook some sobriety soup. Drink a bit, or you’ll have a headache tomorrow.”

Fang Ran gave an obedient hum, “Okay.”

He didn’t climb down from Huo Yan. Perhaps because the alcohol hadn’t worn off, he was still very clingy, hooking his arms around Huo Yan’s neck like a bewildered young animal.

This suited Huo Yan’s heart perfectly.

He supported Fang Ran’s bottom and carried him back to the bedroom. Fang Ran was mid-yawn when he suddenly felt a chill on his backside. He froze, snapping into a state of semi-sobriety, and looked down to find to his horror that his trousers had been removed. His bare legs were draped over the man’s waist.

Fang Ran’s eyes went round as he stammered, “You… you took off my pants…”

“Mm.” Huo Yan’s tone was perfectly natural. “Changing you into pajamas.”

Stripping the pants wasn’t enough; the man placed his hands on Fang Ran’s waist, paused, and asked, “Do you need to change your underwear?”

Fang Ran was fully awake now, his entire face flushing crimson. He kicked his legs, struggling to jump down from the man, and ran toward the inner room in a panic. “No, no need!”

Huo Yan narrowed his eyes, his gaze tracing every inch of Fang Ran. The youth was lean, his waist and back so narrow, leading down to a bottom wrapped in white boxer briefs plump and perky. His legs were long, thin, and a dazzling white.

The man’s gaze darkened. Unable to help himself, he followed. Fang Ran had just finished changing into pajamas when he turned around to see Huo Yan walking toward him with a heavy gaze.

Fang Ran was startled and plopped down onto the bed.

Why does it feel like this childhood friend of mine… looks like he wants to eat me?

“A-Yan, what are you doing?”

Huo Yan snapped out of it slightly, lowering his eyes to hide his expression. His tone was flat: “You’re drunk. I was afraid you’d fall.”

“I’m not drunk, I only had a little,” Fang Ran emphasized. “My tolerance isn’t that bad.”

The man smiled, his expression tinged with doting affection. “I didn’t say it was bad. Come on, let’s go downstairs for the soup.”

Fang Ran followed obediently. “And my cake!”

“It’s too late; only a few bites of cake.”

The Huo Yan of ten years later was even more controlling than before. He watched Fang Ran finish a whole bowl of sobriety soup and only cut a pitifully small piece of cake for him.

Fang Ran truly regretted it; if he’d known, he would have eaten more at the party. Now that he’d brought it back, he was being managed by Huo Yan.

While he ate, Huo Yan sat on the sofa beside him replying to emails, a laptop propped on his legs. As he typed, he would find time to check if Fang Ran was being obedient.

As the last bite of cake went down, Fang Ran sat on the small rug on the floor, biting his fork and speaking indistinctly, “There were two questions today I didn’t know how to do. Could you explain them to me when you’re free?”

It had been like this back in school; Huo Yan was the one who explained all of Fang Ran’s homework.

The man also recalled the past. His lips curled as he sent the final email, closed the laptop, and set it aside. He reached out and scooped Fang Ran up into his lap.

“Alright. But no rush. It’s too late now; you need to sleep.”

Fang Ran blinked. “Late? Which senior high student goes to sleep at 10 PM?”

“You’re different from others.” Huo Yan whispered, “Your health is more important.”

The man wouldn’t take no for an answer and firmly tucked Fang Ran into the quilt. He turned off the small nightstand lamp and looked down at him. “Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?”

Fang Ran shook his head like a rattle.

Are you kidding? Sleep together again? Am I supposed to be poked every single morning?

Huo Yan let out a low chuckle, said nothing more, closed the door, and left.

…

Because of the alcohol, Fang Ran slept very deeply the next day and nearly overslept. He hurriedly changed his clothes and ran out, only to see Huo Yan still sitting steadily at the dining table. He couldn’t help whispering a complaint, “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“What’s the rush? If you’re late, you’re late.” Huo Yan secretly wished Fang Ran wouldn’t go. “Does your head hurt? Do you want to take the day off?”

Fang Ran’s eyes widened. “Are you joking? I just started school; how can I take a leave?”

“It’s fine. Take one if you want.”

Fang Ran huffed, hands on his hips. “I see how it is. Now that you’ve graduated university, you don’t want me to go!”

Huo Yan raised an eyebrow but didn’t defend himself.

After a frantic breakfast, Fang Ran urged Huo Yan to drive him to school. Huo Yan, however, was unhurried, even forcing Fang Ran to eat more than half a bowl of porridge. Only after Fang Ran grumpily stepped on his feet several times did he finally let him go.

When the car pulled up at the gate, Fang Ran opened the door to run, fearing he’d be late, but Huo Yan caught him. He adjusted his collar and firmly buttoned the top shirt button.

Fang Ran felt it and said unhappily, “Everyone else leaves it open.”

Open for what? To let others look for free? Do those people even deserve to look?

There were several other parents dropping off students at the gate, but none were like Huo Yan, holding onto someone and nagging endlessly.

“Don’t be a picky eater at lunch. Eat your vegetables. Your stomach isn’t great; don’t sneak out to buy ice cream.”

Fang Ran looked at the time, frantic. “I know, I know!”

“Shall we have a video call at noon? You have to pick up if I call.”

Huo Yan truly had severe separation anxiety; he wished he could keep Fang Ran under his gaze every second.

Fang Ran gave a perfunctory agreement, “Fine, fine, fine.”

While they were talking, another car stopped nearby. Zhao Yan got out and was immediately spotted by Fang Ran, who waved happily.

Zhao Yan, who had wanted to slip away upon seeing President Huo, forced a smile and braced himself to walk over. “Good morning, Fang Ran.”

“Good morning! Let’s go together.”

Fang Ran struggled to rescue himself from Huo Yan’s grip. Carrying his backpack, he waved at Huo Yan. “I’m going!”

Huo Yan gave a helpless smile. “Call me if anything happens.”

After saying this, his gaze swept toward the side with intentional weight. Zhao Yan shuddered, his whole body stiffening.

Finally having sent Huo Yan off, Fang Ran and Zhao Yan walked toward the classroom. Judging by the time, they were definitely late. Fang Ran stopped rushing and walked leisurely, mumbling, “Huo Yan is getting more and more naggy. Is it because he’s getting old?”

Zhao Yan, beside him, didn’t dare respond.

They reached the classroom during morning self-study, but the teacher didn’t say anything, simply letting them return to their seats.

“This Friday is the midterm exam. After the exam, we will hold a parent-teacher meeting over the weekend. This is the last parent-teacher meeting before the Gaokao. No leaves allowed; parents of all students must attend.”

As soon as he sat down, Fang Ran was hit with this bombshell. He was stunned.

Parent-teacher meeting?

His old school knew about his and Huo Yan’s situation, so they were always exempted from such things. But what about now? Who would attend for him?

Huo Yan?

Thinking of this, Fang Ran felt a strange sense of shame.

Clearly, he and Huo Yan were “good brothers” and childhood friends.

But now, Huo Yan was going to act as his “parent”…

Fang Ran’s face felt hot. For the first time in class, he secretly took out his phone and sent a message to Huo Yan.

【Are you busy this weekend?】

Huo Yan had just arrived at the company. Upon seeing the message, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl. He replied immediately.

【I’m not busy. I’m very free.】

Is the baby asking him on a date?

Baby: 【The teacher said there’s a parent-teacher meeting this weekend.】

Baby: 【[Emoji]】

【I’m going.】

He was too excited and sent it instantly. Huo Yan quickly followed up with another sentence.

【Ranran, I will attend the parent-teacher meeting.】

Baby: [Cupped Fists Emoji]

Baby: Good brother!

Huo Yan stared at the screen, his expression darkening again.

The secretary was waiting nearby to report, watching President Huo’s expression fluctuate between clear and cloudy, feeling apprehensive.

Finally, with a flick of his finger, Huo Yan deleted the “Good brother!” message.

Looking at it now, the screen was much cleaner.

He never expected that one day, he too would engage in self-deception.

Huo Yan put down his phone and looked up slightly at the secretary. “Call some brand designers over this afternoon to custom-order a suit on short notice. Also, get a stylist and arrange everything in advance for the weekend.”

The secretary nodded. “Understood, President Huo.”

Huo Yan smiled faintly. “I’m going to attend Ranran’s parent-teacher meeting this weekend. Being Ranran’s parents for the first time… I should be a bit formal.”

Secretary: “…”

Wait.

I didn’t ask, did I?