Today's Chu Yi's smile was more attractive than the bread.

He took the bread out, added milk cream to the cuts on top, then put it back in the oven. Then he went back out to the restaurant.

The kitchen was busy right now, he couldn't just leave his spot.

And he wanted to keep an eye on Chu Yi.

Chu Yi's smiles today were different from usual, somewhat forced at the corners.

Chu Yi didn't tell him about his dad getting caught, but Yan Hang felt he was not unaware.

When Yan Hang wasn't around, Chu Yi didn't even have the forced smile for his dorm mates, looking absent-minded.

Yan Hang sighed softly.

Chu Yi's family must have told him about it already. With his mom "running away" and uncontactable, it must have been his grandma.

Yan Hang frowned. That person who didn't consider anyone's feelings, not even her own grandchild's, probably didn't even remember that today is Chu Yi's birthday. Even if she remembered, she probably didn't care. As long as she can make those around her uncomfortable, she feels good.

The potato bread was baked. Yan Hang smelled it - it smelled really good. Based on his ample experience, this bread tasted pretty good and looked nice too.

When he brought the bread to Chu Yi, Chu Yi's eyes suddenly widened and the reluctant smile on his face instantly turned into a very happy one.

"Is this for me?" Chu Yi asked.

"Mm," Yan Hang put the bread on the table. "This bread is called Mutt."

"Mutt?" Hu Biao was puzzled. "It smells so good!"

"The filling is baked potato and cream cheese," Yan Hang said. "Try it."

"Did you make this?" Zhou Chunyang asked.

"Mm," Yan Hang smiled.

"Such thoughtfulness," Zhou Chunyang remarked.

"Do you want some?" Chu Yi asked softly.

"I'm working," Yan Hang bent down and whispered in his ear, "You guys eat first, then go sing after you're done and I'm off work."

"Okay," Chu Yi looked back, "Then can you secretly eat a small piece, or the boss will notice?"

"Probably not," Yan Hang said softly, "You can break me off a bite."

"Okay." Chu Yi nodded.

He broke off a small piece with filling from the back of the bread. The others at the table were just waiting for him to take the first bite. As soon as he broke off a piece, everyone else dug in too.

Chu Yi smiled and brought the bread to Yan Hang's mouth.

Just as Yan Hang was about to take a bite, a server called out from behind, "Brother Hang, a customer wants you to sign something."

Chu Yi was startled, the bread was already at Yan Hang's mouth and he did not know whether to continue feeding him or pull back.

"Coming," Yan Hang responded. He swiftly moved forward.

Chu Yi hurriedly stuffed the bread into his mouth, even using his fingers to push it further in.

"You..." Yan Hang mumbled with his mouth full of bread, "Why didn't you just shove it straight into my stomach?"

"My arms are too short," Chu Yi said, embarrassed.

"I'm going to cook noodles for you," Yan Hang swallowed the bread and walked away.

None of the others at the table noticed this bread-feeding action. Even if they did, for these boys whose brains were filled with only girls, they would not think much of it.

Only Zhou Chunyang...he watched and sure enough, he was grinning at Chu Yi.

Chu Yi smiled back and hurriedly stuffed a mouthful of bread into his own mouth too.

It was very tasty.

Unlike the small Mutt bread Yan Hang made at home, this big Mutt bread had a sweet caramelized flavor.

When Chu Yi saw this bread, he finally felt his mood lift a little this afternoon.

Next was the steak and soup. The few of them ate with great enjoyment. If not for the fact that this was a high-end Western restaurant and there were foreigners around, Chu Yi felt they could have started shouting while chatting.

After a while, Yan Hang brought over a small bowl of beef noodles.

It was very small. Chu Yi estimated he could finish it in two mouthfuls.

"I was afraid you wouldn't have space for cake if I made too much," Yan Hang said.

"Mm," Chu Yi picked up a chopstick full of noodles and put it in his mouth.

"Happy birthday, puppy," Yan Hang said softly. "You're a year older now. You have to be happy every day."

"Mm," Chu Yi took a sip of soup.

"No matter what happens," Yan Hang said, "I'm here."

Chu Yi turned to glance at him then turned back to finish all the noodles in the bowl in one go, then tipped his head back to drink all the soup.

The birthday dinner Yan Hang prepared for him was very abundant. One look and you could tell he put a lot of thought into designing it. Other than the chocolate with puppy stickers from the start, when the salad was served, there were a few white chocolate puppy heads on top too.

The server said Brother Hang had sculpted them himself.

More than finding out about this sculpting skill, Chu Yi was surprised that Brother Hang could think of these little details.

When the birthday cake was wheeled to their table as Zhang Chen sang happy birthday, listening to his dorm mates singing happy birthday softly and the happy birthday tune coming from some other table, Chu Yi suddenly felt his eyes grow hot. He hurriedly closed his eyes and made a wish at the candles.

He did not know what to wish for, his mind was filled only with Yan Hang's face.

Then let it be a wish for him and Yan Hang to smoothly sail through everything in the future.

And...hope everyone stays healthy and safe.

Mm.

A Mutt's wishes come true easily.

They did not finish the cake. Zhou Chunyang said he would buy a big cake. And he really bought an enormous double-layer cake. Everyone had a slice and there was still more than half left.

"We can eat it while singing," Zhang Qiang said. "Singing takes a lot of energy, will get hungry while at it."

"You're still worried there won't be enough to eat?" Gao Xiaoyang said. "At most half an hour, even without singing I can eat two more slices."

"Really, seeing you eat so much every day," Hu Biao looked at him, "where does the meat go?"

"On you," Chu Yi said.

Everyone laughed. Hu Biao sighed, "Feels like all the meat we eat in the dorm ends up on me."

After the cake was repacked, Yan Hang came over and passed a name card to Zhou Chunyang, "I have twenty more minutes. You guys take a cab there first, whoever can't squeeze in can wait for me."

"You can drive?" Chu Yi asked.

"Driving Uncle Cui's car," Yan Hang nodded.

Zhou Chunyang brought Hu Biao and the others ahead first. Daqiang and Xiao Qiang stayed behind to take Yan Hang's car.