diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v
index 3a3090c030..28d172a26e 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/cgen.v
@@ -5454,18 +5454,24 @@ fn (mut g Gen) return_stmt(node ast.Return) {
 	tmpvar := g.new_tmp_var()
 	g.defer_return_tmp_var = tmpvar
 	ret_typ := g.ret_styp(g.unwrap_generic(fn_ret_type))
-	if node.exprs.len == 1 {
-		// `return fn_call_opt()`
-		if (fn_return_is_option || fn_return_is_result) && node.exprs[0] is ast.CallExpr
-			&& node.exprs[0].return_type == g.fn_decl.return_type
-			&& node.exprs[0].or_block.kind == .absent {
+
+	// `return fn_call_opt()`
+	if node.exprs.len == 1 && (fn_return_is_option || fn_return_is_result)
+		&& node.exprs[0] is ast.CallExpr && node.exprs[0].return_type == g.fn_decl.return_type
+		&& node.exprs[0].or_block.kind == .absent {
+		if g.defer_stmts.len > 0 {
 			g.write('${ret_typ} ${tmpvar} = ')
 			g.expr(node.exprs[0])
 			g.writeln(';')
 			g.write_defer_stmts_when_needed()
 			g.writeln('return ${tmpvar};')
-			return
+		} else {
+			g.write_defer_stmts_when_needed()
+			g.write('return ')
+			g.expr(node.exprs[0])
+			g.writeln(';')
 		}
+		return
 	}
 	mut use_tmp_var := g.defer_stmts.len > 0 || g.defer_profile_code.len > 0
 		|| g.cur_lock.lockeds.len > 0
@@ -5758,7 +5764,7 @@ fn (mut g Gen) return_stmt(node ast.Return) {
 			// Don't use a tmp var if a variable is simply returned: `return x`
 			// Just in case of defer statements exists, that the return values cannot
 			// be modified.
-			if node.exprs[0] !is ast.Ident || use_tmp_var {
+			if use_tmp_var || !(node.exprs[0].is_literal() || node.exprs[0] is ast.Ident) {
 				use_tmp_var = true
 				g.write('${ret_typ} ${tmpvar} = ')
 			} else {
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/testdata/embed_with_prod_and_several_decoders.c.must_have b/vlib/v/gen/c/testdata/embed_with_prod_and_several_decoders.c.must_have
index 7b6518532c..0bb1da985a 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/testdata/embed_with_prod_and_several_decoders.c.must_have
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/testdata/embed_with_prod_and_several_decoders.c.must_have
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 VV_LOCAL_SYMBOL void v__preludes__embed_file__zlib__init(void);
 VV_LOCAL_SYMBOL _result_Array_u8 v__preludes__embed_file__zlib__ZLibDecoder_decompress(v__preludes__embed_file__zlib__ZLibDecoder _d1, Array_u8 data) {
-= compress__zlib__decompress(data);
+return compress__zlib__decompress(data);
 
 res.compressed = v__embed_file__find_index_entry_by_path((voidptr)_v_embed_file_index, _SLIT("embed.vv"), _SLIT("zlib"))->data;
 res.compression_type = _SLIT("zlib");