diff --git a/vlib/v/ast/ast.v b/vlib/v/ast/ast.v
index 5afaf2c04d..d86c5b9d86 100644
--- a/vlib/v/ast/ast.v
+++ b/vlib/v/ast/ast.v
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ pub mut:
 	end_comments []Comment // comments that after const field
 	// the comptime_expr_value field is filled by the checker, when it has enough
 	// info to evaluate the constant at compile time
-	comptime_expr_value ComptTimeConstValue = empty_comptime_const_expr()
+	comptime_expr_value ComptTimeConstValue = empty_comptime_const_expr
 }
 
 // const declaration
@@ -1006,9 +1006,9 @@ pub mut:
 	or_block      OrExpr
 
 	ct_left_value_evaled  bool
-	ct_left_value         ComptTimeConstValue = empty_comptime_const_expr()
+	ct_left_value         ComptTimeConstValue = empty_comptime_const_expr
 	ct_right_value_evaled bool
-	ct_right_value        ComptTimeConstValue = empty_comptime_const_expr()
+	ct_right_value        ComptTimeConstValue = empty_comptime_const_expr
 
 	before_op_comments []Comment
 	after_op_comments  []Comment
diff --git a/vlib/v/ast/comptime_const_values.v b/vlib/v/ast/comptime_const_values.v
index 4780b2a217..3b612b25b0 100644
--- a/vlib/v/ast/comptime_const_values.v
+++ b/vlib/v/ast/comptime_const_values.v
@@ -15,9 +15,7 @@ pub type ComptTimeConstValue = EmptyExpr
 	| u8
 	| voidptr
 
-pub fn empty_comptime_const_expr() ComptTimeConstValue {
-	return EmptyExpr(0)
-}
+pub const empty_comptime_const_expr = ComptTimeConstValue(EmptyExpr(0))
 
 pub fn (val ComptTimeConstValue) i8() ?i8 {
 	x := val.i64()?
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
index 80b6845a2a..c9c0506ce7 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/assign.v
@@ -493,7 +493,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) assign_stmt(node_ ast.AssignStmt) {
 					concrete_types := (left_sym.info as ast.Struct).concrete_types
 					mut method_name := left_sym.cname + '_' + util.replace_op(extracted_op)
 					method_name = g.generic_fn_name(concrete_types, method_name)
-					g.write(' = ${method_name}(')
+					g.write(' = ')
+					g.write(method_name)
+					g.write('(')
 					g.expr(left)
 					g.write(', ')
 					g.expr(val)
@@ -504,7 +506,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) assign_stmt(node_ ast.AssignStmt) {
 					&& !left_sym.has_method(extracted_op) {
 					g.write(' = ')
 					g.expr(left)
-					g.write(' ${extracted_op} ')
+					g.write(' ')
+					g.write(extracted_op)
+					g.write(' ')
 					g.expr(val)
 					g.write(';')
 					return
@@ -631,7 +635,11 @@ fn (mut g Gen) assign_stmt(node_ ast.AssignStmt) {
 					g.writeln(';')
 				}
 			} else if !g.is_arraymap_set && !str_add && !op_overloaded {
-				g.write(' ${op} ')
+				// ordinary `=` in `x = 2 * y;`
+				// Note, that this branch *deliberately does not use interpolation*
+				g.write(' ')
+				g.write(op.str())
+				g.write(' ')
 			} else if str_add || op_overloaded {
 				g.write(', ')
 			}
diff --git a/vlib/v/gen/c/infix.v b/vlib/v/gen/c/infix.v
index 0d74b77a94..374d94503a 100644
--- a/vlib/v/gen/c/infix.v
+++ b/vlib/v/gen/c/infix.v
@@ -1016,7 +1016,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) gen_is_none_check(node ast.InfixExpr) {
 		g.write(' ')
 		g.write('${left_var}.state')
 	}
-	g.write(' ${node.op.str()} ')
+	g.write(' ')
+	g.write(node.op.str())
+	g.write(' ')
 	g.write('2') // none state
 }
 
@@ -1030,7 +1032,9 @@ fn (mut g Gen) gen_plain_infix_expr(node ast.InfixExpr) {
 		g.write('*')
 	}
 	g.expr(node.left)
-	g.write(' ${node.op.str()} ')
+	g.write(' ')
+	g.write(node.op.str())
+	g.write(' ')
 	if node.right_type.is_ptr() && node.right.is_auto_deref_var() {
 		g.write('*')
 		g.expr(node.right)