Chapter 55

Apart from the director, who was growing impatient, the other guests were also somewhat displeased. If the missing guest had been a major star, they might have chosen to ignore the delay to avoid unnecessary conflict.

But the one arriving late was Yu Honghui and his son. Yu Honghui had no particularly famous works in the industry, and his background was quite average. He wasn’t even a top-priority artist under his agency.

Even the least popular father in the group didn’t need to humble himself in front of Yu Honghui, let alone the others.

The moment Yu Honghui arrived, he could sense their unwelcoming attitude. His smile stiffened for a moment, but he forced himself to greet them warmly.

The reason he had chosen to join this reality show was that, in his past life’s memories, this season of Go, Adorable Babies! would break viewership records.

At a time when the show had been performing only moderately well, the director had taken a bold risk—without informing any of the guests, he decided to broadcast it live with no edits, streaming it directly on a live platform.

This unique broadcast format had never been done before in the entertainment industry. Combined with the director’s meticulous selection of filming locations and activity plans, what was previously an overlooked variety show had skyrocketed to become one of the most sought-after programs in the industry.

Most importantly, the director was a fair person who never engaged in malicious editing.

Yu Honghui had neither popularity nor financial backing at the moment, so he needed a good director he could trust.

He had seen too many artists in his past life get their careers destroyed by malicious editing simply because they refused to cooperate. He didn’t want to become one of them.

At first, Yu Honghui acted normally. But when he saw Gu Chen standing at the entrance with An An, his carefully maintained composure cracked, despite having lived through two lifetimes.

“Why are you here?”

Gu Chen found the question baffling. What do you mean, why am I here? What does that have to do with you?

“Mm.”

He nodded slightly, his tone distant, clearly uninterested in engaging.

Gu Chen usually didn’t go out of his way to offend people. But in this case, it was different. When they had worked on the same film project, Yu Honghui had openly shown hostility toward him.

No matter how carefully he managed their relationship, it wouldn’t improve. Even if he put on a friendly face, Yu Honghui’s hostility wouldn’t lessen.

Since that was the case, he might as well maintain a proud stance. They were never close friends to begin with, just acquaintances who barely acknowledged each other in the industry. As long as he kept things polite on the surface, that was enough.

Seeing Gu Chen’s noticeably colder attitude compared to before, Yu Honghui’s first thought was whether Gu Chen had discovered that matter. He stared intently at Gu Chen, trying to read his expression.

His reaction was so obvious that it only made him seem more suspicious. Even Gu Chen himself was perplexed, wondering if something was wrong with the man’s head.

“What are you looking at?”

“N-nothing.”

Yu Honghui clenched his suitcase handle, took his son’s hand, and walked inside.

His wife had strongly opposed bringing their child onto the show, and they had fought fiercely over it. If the program didn’t meet his expectations, this would be a complete loss for him.

An An rarely took the initiative, but now he ran up to Gu Chen, tugging at his hand to signal that he wanted to be picked up. Once in his father’s arms, he wrapped his arms around Gu Chen’s neck and whispered in his ear:

“Daddy, I don’t like him.”

Gu Chen didn’t respond in public. But once they returned to their room and shut the door, he mimicked An An’s secretive manner, leaning close to whisper back:

“I don’t like him either.”

“Mm, you have great taste!”

The system had repeatedly reminded An An to keep his father away from Yu Honghui.

An An didn’t fully understand the more complex explanations, but he grasped the general meaning—the system said that Yu Honghui had used dishonest means to steal something that rightfully belonged to his father.

A thief, feeling guilty after seeing the rightful owner, was now trying to get rid of his father altogether.

Since An An hadn’t learned this information through proper channels, he didn’t dare tell Gu Chen outright. Instead, he simply expressed his dislike for Yu Honghui in a roundabout way, subtly warning his father to be cautious.

Meanwhile, Brother Li had just returned from a meeting with the director.

The director had been bold enough to change the show’s broadcasting format without informing the other guests, but he wouldn’t dare keep Gu Chen in the dark. So, he had secretly called Brother Li over to give him a heads-up.

“What’s wrong? Who don’t you like?”

“Yu Honghui. I didn’t expect him to join this show. If I had known earlier, I would’ve picked a different one.”

Gu Chen rarely kept things from Brother Li. Back when they were on the same film project, Yu Honghui had deliberately targeted Gu Chen, even going so far as to glare at An An. Brother Li had remembered every bit of it.

Normally, there was no such thing as baseless hatred in this world. But after multiple investigations, Brother Li was almost certain—Gu Chen had never unknowingly offended Yu Honghui.

For Yu Honghui to hold a grudge against even a child, there had to be a deeper reason behind it.

“By the way, remember when you told me to look into his financial transactions?”

Large money transfers were hard to hide. Brother Li had connections in the right places, so getting a general idea wasn’t difficult.

“During that time, Yu Honghui’s wife transferred a large sum of money to him. Specifically… five million.”

It wouldn’t be right to accuse someone without evidence.

But no one would believe such a coincidence was purely accidental.

“It was him?”

“No solid proof.”

Brother Li’s words were as good as confirmation.

In many cases, concrete evidence isn’t necessary—as long as they are convinced in their hearts that the person is indeed Yu Honghui, that’s enough.

“I suggest you hold off for now.”

Without evidence, no matter how sure they are, they can’t make a fuss about it. Otherwise, in the eyes of others, it would look like they were deliberately framing someone.

They might even drag Gu Chen into this and tarnish his reputation.

Now that they had a suspect in mind, things were already much better than before. What had made Brother Li the most anxious earlier was not knowing who was targeting them from the shadows. But now that they had a clue, it felt like the tables had turned.

“I understand. Don’t worry, Brother Li. I won’t act impulsively.”

Gu Chen was no longer the reckless youth he once was, nor did he insist on seeking justice for everything. Given the current situation, all he could do was ensure he didn’t become a stepping stone for others.

“That’s good.”

Hearing his response, Brother Li finally felt relieved. At the end of the day, they were just ordinary people—none of them had the means to act without consequences.

“By the way, the director just mentioned that your variety show will be filmed live. Be mindful of that.”

With no post-editing, everything that happened during filming would be shown to the audience in its rawest form.

Even Gu Chen couldn’t guarantee he would perform flawlessly without any mistakes.

“Got it.”

…

Once all the guests had arrived, the production team announced that they would officially start filming in a small mountain village the next day. That morning, they would also record a short video of each guest arriving at the filming location.

The next day at 7 AM, staff members went to each guest’s door to wake them up one by one.

For adults, it wasn’t a big deal—Gu Chen was used to waking up early for work. But most of the children on the show were between three and five years old, which was a challenging age group. If they didn’t get enough sleep, they’d cry, and since most of the fathers weren’t used to taking care of them, even with assistants helping, they still struggled immensely.

Even from a distance, Gu Chen could hear the sound of other children crying.

Compared to those kids, who were loud enough to give people a headache, his own son—who was only squirming and whining a little after getting dressed—suddenly seemed like an angel.

When An’an didn’t sleep well, he could get irritable and lose energy, throwing a fit over the smallest things.

That might seem like a handful, but he was Gu Chen’s own child, after all. At the slightest whimper, Gu Chen would simply kiss his forehead or cheek until An’an’s bad mood disappeared entirely.

When all the guests gathered downstairs, the other children were being carried by assistants, their faces still streaked with dried tears.

Seeing how they were all being held, An’an looked suspiciously at his father, then glanced at the assistant beside him. With his groggy, half-awake brain still struggling to process things, he wondered if he was also supposed to be in the assistant’s arms.

“No need.”

Gu Chen seemed to read his thoughts and held him a little tighter.

Their time together was already limited—he had no intention of sharing it with anyone else, not even his own assistant.

An’an also preferred being in his father’s arms. He happily rubbed his head against Gu Chen’s neck.

Before they even went downstairs, the director had already ordered the cameras to start rolling. The moment they stepped down, the live broadcast began.

Other than Gu Chen, most of the guests had signed dual contracts—one with the production team and another with their companies. Everything the director was doing was legal and above board.

The entertainment agencies had willingly taken a gamble, betting on the potential success of the show.

Even though Gu Chen already knew from his manager that this variety show would be broadcast live, he pretended to be unaware, making no effort to find the camera.

To put it bluntly, he was intentionally trying to slack off this time—using the show as an excuse to spend time with his son. For once, he wanted to ruin his own “dedicated professional” reputation.

An’an had only overheard Brother Li mentioning it yesterday but didn’t fully understand what it meant. After coming downstairs and standing where the production team directed him, he curiously looked around.

【WTF, before seeing Gu Chen in person, I thought this show was falsely advertising!】

【Who would’ve thought they’d actually manage to get Gu Chen on the show?】

【That little baby in his arms must be his son, An’an, right? So cute! He looks even cuter than in the photos. I just want to pinch his cheeks!】

【He looks so much like Gu Chen. I’m calling him “son” first!】

【Wait, are we fighting over his son now?】

Gu Chen’s individual livestream room had the fastest-moving comment section, and the platform’s backend showed that his viewership was the highest.

All he did was stand there without saying a word, yet the audience engagement was off the charts.

In the chilly early spring weather, An’an took advantage of the moment when his father looked away to quietly unzip Gu Chen’s coat and sneak his cold little hands inside.

After completing this sneaky mission, he acted like nothing had happened, putting on an innocent expression.

【LOL, Gu Chen, can you see the comments? Look at your little one up to no good!】

【An’an’s hands must be cold—he’s just warming them up, haha! But will his butt be in trouble later?】

【Probably! They’re filming, after all—Gu Chen wouldn’t want people saying he doesn’t know how to discipline his kid.】

Of course, Gu Chen could feel what was happening on his chest, but he deliberately acted as if he hadn’t noticed, letting An’an do whatever he pleased.

His son was smart—knowing to warm his hands this way. If Gu Chen weren’t pretending not to see, he would have praised him.

Meanwhile, the other guests weren’t attracting much attention. Most of their kids were still crying, and the audience in the livestream was fascinated by this raw, unfiltered format.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s have breakfast first. After that, we’ll head to our first filming location.”

The director gestured toward the prepared meal area.

He had called in quite a few favors to get this chance to shake up the usual variety show format. While keeping the standard filming procedures, they also made it so the audience could experience the process firsthand.

No one had ever done this before; he was the first. While it could bring him success, it also came with immense risks.

The cameramen kept working. The other fathers assumed the recording hadn’t started yet and had no idea that even breakfast was part of the show.

When they couldn’t calm their kids down, they simply handed them over to the assistants. After finishing their own meals, they got annoyed by the crying and went out to the balcony to smoke.

Because Yu Honghui had been informed beforehand, he remained patient with his son. No matter how much Haohao fussed, he continued coaxing him gently.

In most Chinese households, fathers are largely absent from their children’s upbringing.

Although Yu Honghui was clearly inexperienced in caring for children—his unfamiliarity with the process was evident—his patience set him apart from the other guests. That alone earned him considerable goodwill from the audience.

Then there was Gu Chen and An’an, who stood out for a different reason.

An’an disliked being fed and preferred to eat on his own. So instead of waiting for his dad to spoon-feed him, he held his own bowl, drinking porridge while curiously observing the other guests.

Occasionally, he would reach for their food and take a bite, just like a weasel indulging in stolen melons from a field.

Seeing that An’an was eating at a good pace and not getting too distracted, Gu Chen let him be. After finishing his own meal, he went to the kitchen and made some formula milk for An’an.

An’an had a unique constitution—he had to eat until he was full, or he’d get carsick.

Since the breakfast selection wasn’t to his liking—the buns contained carrots for some reason, and the porridge was sweet rather than savory—Gu Chen made sure to prepare milk just in case.

Among the other four families:

Yu Honghui kept up his good-father act, patiently coaxing his son despite the tantrums.

One father barely held his temper while feeding his child, threatening to toss him outside if he didn’t behave.

The last two had completely given up—leaving their kids with assistants and heading to the balcony for a smoke, even striking up a conversation there.

An’an, witnessing all the drama, could hardly keep up. He wished he had more eyes so he wouldn’t miss any of the excitement.

“An’an, are you finished eating?”

An’an, having eaten all he could stomach of the unappetizing breakfast, quickly nodded and ran to his father’s side.

Gu Chen bent down and slung the milk bottle over An’an’s shoulder, reminding him, “Make sure to drink it soon.”

“Okay.”

With his dad’s words in mind, An’an took occasional sips from the bottle. By the time they got in the car, he had finished it completely. Gu Chen had his assistant pack another bottle filled with warm water.

Compared to cups, bottles were much more convenient when traveling—no risk of spills.

There were cameras in the car as well, capturing the guests’ journey.

At first, An’an was wide awake, excitedly pointing outside and asking his dad about everything he saw.

But after about ten minutes, he dozed off, tilting his head against Gu Chen.

Noticing immediately, Gu Chen carefully adjusted his position, cradling him in his lap.

He had intentionally worn a thick jacket today for convenience. Unzipping it, he draped it over An’an like a blanket.

【Among all the guests, only Gu Chen gives off the vibe of someone who regularly takes care of his child. His movements are so natural.】

【Forget the rest—how do these male celebrities, who brand themselves as “family men,” not feel embarrassed? They’re completely outclassed by a single dad like Gu Chen.】

【I used to believe them when they said they loved their kids, but now? My entire perception has shattered.】

【Wait, I’m single and clueless—besides their attitude toward the kids, what else gives it away?】

Some viewers, who had never been married or raised children, could only notice that some fathers seemed impatient and left their kids with assistants. Other than that, they couldn’t tell much difference, especially since all the kids were throwing tantrums.

They had planned to observe for a while before forming an opinion. But with so many bullet comments firmly stating that, aside from Gu Chen, none of the others seemed genuinely involved in their children’s lives, they grew curious.

The discussion in Gu Chen’s livestream chat remained surprisingly civil. Instead of arguing, viewers were happy to explain things to a newcomer.

【If you want to know whether they usually take care of their kids, just check if they brought a bag.】

【No parent takes a child out without a bag—ideally, a backpack.】

【Even if they have assistants, anyone who actually looks after a kid would bring a bag with essentials.】

【Like what?】

The newcomer was confused. Were they supposed to stuff the kid into the bag?

【Tissues for runny noses or tears, water if they get thirsty, snacks if they get fussy. Outerwear, too, but that’s optional.】

【So in that case, Yu Honghui isn’t too bad? He at least brought a bag.】

【That kind of bag tells me he doesn’t usually take care of his kid.】

Handbags weren’t inherently bad, but any parent who had taken their kid out more than twice would quickly realize that backpacks were far more practical.

Juggling a child and a handbag? Your arms would be sore before you even walked far. Even someone with great stamina wouldn’t last long like that.

In contrast, the black backpack Gu Chen had casually tossed aside after getting in the car showed he had real experience.

His small, unconscious actions while caring for An’an made it clear: he wasn’t putting on a show—he genuinely knew what he was doing.

The fault partially lay with the show’s marketing team.

To attract viewers and get people to buy into their new format, they had hyped up the participants—calling them “experienced fathers” and emphasizing male celebrities who had built their image around being family men.

But overselling the idea had backfired.

By making bold claims, they had inadvertently provoked skeptics—some people had specifically tuned in just to see if the show was as authentic as advertised.

Among the five families, aside from Gu Chen, who was informed in advance, and Yu Honghui, who had a cheat ability, the other three genuinely had no idea this was a live broadcast. They made no effort to conceal their impatience and neglect toward their children.

After getting into the car, one parent heard their child crying and immediately cursed, “So annoying,” before tossing the child into the assistant’s arms.

…

The first episode of the first season was filmed in a somewhat impoverished mountain village, though the scenery was quite nice. The temperature was pleasant, and the cherry blossoms on the mountain were in full bloom.

At the village entrance, the director used a loudspeaker to instruct them to hand over all electronic devices, as well as the children’s toys and snacks, into a plastic basket.

One child, who had just been pacified with a phone, instinctively hid it behind their back upon hearing this.

“You have ten minutes to put everything in here,” the director announced.

Gu Chen had not been aware of this rule beforehand; otherwise, he wouldn’t have packed so many toys for An’an. His plan was to use the familiar toys to comfort An’an in an unfamiliar environment.

He handed the small suitcase filled with toys to An’an and then crouched down in front of him, patiently explaining, “The rule here is that we can’t bring toys, phones, or computers.”

An’an frowned as he opened his suitcase. Ever since Gu Chen had taken him in, he had never lacked toys. Now, being told he couldn’t keep even one made him reluctant.

The suitcase was packed neatly with toys. Gu Chen brought over a plastic basket and placed it beside An’an.

An’an started by tossing in the toys he didn’t particularly like. As he reached his favorites, his movements slowed down significantly.

“Daddy, can I keep just one?”

Holding his favorite toy in his hands, An’an hesitated to let go. His chubby little face showed clear distress.

“The director said you can’t bring anything. But don’t worry, someone will take care of them for you, and they won’t get damaged,” Gu Chen reassured him.

But this didn’t comfort An’an. Without his favorite toy by his side, he felt uneasy. The once obedient little boy’s eyes began to redden.

“Ugh… what about this one?”

“No, that one has to go too.”

For each of his five favorite toys, An’an stubbornly asked the same question. Tears welled up in his eyes but didn’t fall.

“Daddy…”

The once full suitcase was now empty. An’an pouted as he zipped it up.

Though there was a minor hiccup, all the toys and electronic devices were successfully handed over. Most of the other children were more reluctant about their phones, some crying hysterically.

Two children even tried to snatch their phones back from the staff, shouting that they didn’t want to continue filming. Their fathers stood nearby, looking grim but not knowing how to intervene.

“Please help calm your children down. Once the time is up, our staff will have to collect the items by force,” the director reminded them when only three minutes remained.

However, the guests, seeing their children crying so desperately, remained silent despite the reminder.

Many people could tell they were waiting for the staff to forcibly take the items so they could play the “good guy” afterward.

When the final time was up, several staff members in black casual wear approached. With firm but non-harmful actions, they took away all the toys and phones, leaving nothing behind.

The overlapping cries of the children gave everyone a headache.

“Today, you’ll need to find the right clues. The first to obtain a valid clue will have priority in choosing a house,” the director announced.

Each father was given a card with hints. The back of the card showed five different houses:

A spacious and bright two-story house

A decently furnished two-story house

A simple one-story brick house

A slightly dilapidated brick house

The worst option—a house made of packed yellow earth

The guests were visibly shocked by the arrangement, and even viewers watching the live broadcast commented that these houses looked like something only their grandparents would have lived in—some even leaked during rainstorms!

Already upset from losing their toys, some children started crying again at the sight of the houses, pleading with their fathers not to let them stay in the worst one.

The director instructed them to move their luggage to a house where the staff resided. Walking along the muddy village road, even with boots provided by the show, they still stumbled frequently—let alone while carrying suitcases.

An’an, wearing boots and pulling his now-empty suitcase, suddenly found his boot stuck in the mud. Losing his balance, he fell straight onto the ground.

The splashed mud landed on his face, and the tears he had been holding back finally spilled over. Like the other children, he wailed loudly.

“Daddy! Waaa—Daddy!”

【If I remember correctly, Gu Chen once mentioned in an interview that he has OCD…】

【This is too tragic! Come here, let Aunty hug you!】

【I know it’s sad, but… cough, cough, the way his boot got stuck was kind of funny! Hahaha!】

【Once you have a kid, things like cleanliness go out the window. You’re too exhausted to care.】

【I’m curious… will Gu Chen still pick him up when he’s this muddy?】

【He has to. If he doesn’t, An’an will just lie there and keep crying.】

Gu Chen had already noticed the difficulty of the road and originally wanted to carry An’an, but An’an had been sulking ever since Gu Chen made him hand over his toys.

The more Gu Chen told him he couldn’t do it, the more An’an wanted to prove himself. And now, he had turned himself into a mud-covered little mess.

Gu Chen couldn’t say he wasn’t the least bit bothered, but after a brief hesitation, he handed his suitcase to Brother Li, quickly walked over, picked up An An, and pulled out his stuck boot before putting it back on his foot.

An An wrapped his little arms tightly around Gu Chen’s neck, sobbing in grievance as he pointed at the mud and complained through his tears:

“Bad! It wouldn’t come out, wah!”

This was the toughest stretch of the road—even Gu Chen had to be careful not to slip, let alone An An. He gently patted the boy’s back to soothe him before saying:

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Daddy will carry you, alright?”

“Okay, Daddy, be careful.”

Earlier, An An’s frustration had been directed entirely at Gu Chen, but now things were different. Now, this awful road had become their shared enemy, instantly putting the two on the same side.

“Mm.”

An An had smeared quite a bit of mud onto Gu Chen’s coat, but he didn’t show any sign of displeasure. After getting through the difficult path, he didn’t bother setting An An down again.

While the houses hadn’t been assigned yet, there was a temporary resting area where staff had already prepared hot water and fresh towels.

Gu Chen first rinsed the towel, then soaked it in a basin of warm water. He asked the staff to bring over a small heater before carefully undressing An An, one piece at a time.

Noticing that both An An’s sweater and undershirt were also stained, he apologized to the cameraman and had Brother Li close the door for privacy.

His pants weren’t completely dirty, but the outer layer was, and the inner layer had gotten damp. Catching a cold in this environment would be troublesome, so Gu Chen simply changed him into fresh clothes altogether.

He wrung out the towel and wiped off the dirt on An An’s body. After dressing him in clean clothes, he reminded him not to go outside in this weather.

When the door opened again, the cameraman resumed filming. Gu Chen took An An’s soiled clothes outside, intending to wash them right away.

They had brought six sets of clothing, which seemed like a lot, but in this rainy early-spring weather, who knew how long they’d take to dry? If An An had another tumble or two, he’d run out of clothes fast.

An An squatted beside Gu Chen, watching him wash the clothes. Every now and then, Gu Chen glanced at his watch, making sure he wouldn’t miss the scheduled activity the director had mentioned.

Luckily, An An’s clothes had only been changed that morning, and the mud wasn’t hard to wash off. After wringing them out, Gu Chen got a hanger from the staff and hung them to dry—just in time for the gathering.

The fathers grouped up to search for clues based on the given hints, while the children stayed behind to get to know each other.

Yu Honghui’s son, Hao Hao, was the most outgoing of the five kids. As soon as his dad left, he started rallying the others to go play together.

Whether intentional or not, he pointedly left An An out, leading the other three kids past him in a way that felt almost like a show of superiority.

But An An had no plans to go with them anyway—his dad had just told him not to go outside, and he wasn’t about to ignore his words.

Once the four kids left, An An turned his back to the director, fished a lollipop out of his pocket, and carefully unwrapped it before popping it into his mouth.

“Huh? Where did that candy come from?”

The cameraman was stunned by An An’s little maneuver.

At the village entrance, not only had they been required to hand over toys and electronics, but snacks were also banned. The staff had even conducted a thorough check to make sure nothing was missed.

An An knew what he was doing wasn’t allowed. Hearing the cameraman’s question, he quickly put a finger to his lips and whispered, “Shh, I hid it!”

His little face showed a hint of pride. That morning, while warming his hands in his dad’s coat pockets, he had sneakily stashed a lollipop inside.

“This isn’t allowed, you know.”

The cameraman cleared his throat and lowered his voice, trying not to attract the director’s attention.

An An had a recording device on him, so while the cameraman’s words were slightly muffled, they could still be made out.

“I’ll eat it secretly,” An An said, using the excuse of watching ants to hide in a small corner. If not for the cameraman filming, no one would’ve noticed at all.

Earlier, An An’s devoted fan moms had been proudly declaring that he had a natural curiosity about ants and would grow up to be a smart child.

Now, they could only flood the live chat with ellipses, at a complete loss for words.

【I bet he snuck it into Gu Ge’s pocket during breakfast, hahaha.】

【This kid is way too clever. I totally didn’t notice—I really thought he just wanted to warm his hands.】

【I just hope our sneaky little baby doesn’t get caught by the director.】

【Praying for him [candle emoji]】

An An’s cheeks were puffed out slightly from the candy as he squatted there, quietly savoring it while gazing at the distant mountains. From here, he could faintly see cherry blossoms in full bloom, standing out amidst the still-bare trees.

Just then, a sudden cry rang out. An An instinctively lifted his head and looked toward the source of the sound.