Chapter 58

Having been scolded before, An An was now somewhat afraid of Yu Honghui. He cautiously glanced at him, and when Yu Honghui noticed that look, a flash of anger flickered in his eyes.

If it weren’t for the fact that this child was still young, he would have suspected that Gu Chen had discovered what he had done and was using the child to deliberately ruin his reputation.

They were both in the entertainment industry—how could Gu Chen not understand how important reputation was to an artist?!

“What’s wrong? Did I not do something well? Or do you not like this?”

Yu Honghui found an excuse for himself, hoping An An would be smart enough to go along with it so they could avoid making things awkward for both of them.

“N-No.”

An An shook his head like a rattle, then picked up another piece of pork rib and stuffed it into his mouth with a look of grim determination.

But just like before, the moment he started chewing, he couldn’t suppress his gag reflex. He quickly grabbed his small water bottle to rinse his mouth, but as soon as the cold water entered, he frowned even more. After spitting it out, he whispered,

“Uncle, I want warm water. Daddy says cold water makes my tummy hurt.”

Yu Honghui had never expected Gu Chen’s son to be this troublesome. He was already at his limit, but he didn’t dare show his impatience. Forcing a stiff smile, he apologized,

“Sorry, Uncle doesn’t usually take care of kids at home. Please forgive me if I overlooked something.”

At this point, most people would say it was fine out of politeness.

But unfortunately, An An was a child who didn’t understand social niceties. He just stared at Yu Honghui in shock, as if to say, Uncle, what are you even talking about?

【What’s wrong with cold water? Isn’t the weather getting warmer? This kid is way too hard to please. This just makes me more determined not to get married!】

【Exactly. It’s completely normal for a grown man like Yu Ge to not think about these things, isn’t it?】

【Compared to this, Hao Hao is so much better—at least he never makes things difficult like this.】

Yu Honghui’s fans weren’t many, but they weren’t nonexistent either. Especially now—other than those who liked An An, most of the people still watching the livestream were his fans. Since they finally found a point to argue against, they weren’t going to let it go.

【Are you guys serious? Just look at An An’s expression—he’s clearly thinking, Uncle, what are you even talking about?】

【I completely agree with the comment above. Please, do stick to your decision to never get married or have kids. Or if you’re already married, then don’t have kids. If you’re not ready to be a responsible parent, having a child is just harming both them and yourself.】

【An An might be able to endure it, but his body might not.】

【My son gets stomachaches every time he drinks cold water. Ever since he was born, we’ve lost count of how many times we’ve taken him to the hospital.】

【Unless it’s summer, no responsible parent would actually let their child drink overnight water, right?】

Traditionally, even adults didn’t like drinking overnight water, let alone children whose immune systems weren’t as strong.

An An’s little water bottle hadn’t been refilled—it still had the water Gu Chen had poured in yesterday afternoon. Luckily, he had only used it to rinse his mouth.

If Yu Honghui wanted to use “he’s a man, so he’s naturally careless” as an excuse, he’d have to see if others would buy it.

Forget Gu Chen, who was so meticulous in taking care of his child that even seasoned moms had to admit defeat—even Cheng Yingying’s father wouldn’t be this careless.

“What’s wrong, An An?”

“I don’t want to eat this.”

An An didn’t argue further with Yu Honghui about the water. He simply pointed at the dishes on the table—the smell alone made him lose his appetite.

“You don’t like it?”

After spending so much time cooking, not only did An An not appreciate it, but now he was openly expressing his dislike. The fact that his efforts weren’t being acknowledged but instead met with rejection—of course, he was upset.

“Mm, I don’t like it.”

An An made his feelings crystal clear. Looking at the piece of rib he had bitten into, he thought for a moment about not wasting it, then tossed it outside into the courtyard, where the landlady’s dog was.

The little dog sniffed the rib, then immediately ran off in the opposite direction. It didn’t just refuse to eat it—it didn’t even want to sniff it for too long.

【Wait… I was wondering if it was really that bad, but now…】

【Is this the legendary “even a dog won’t eat it” moment?】

【No wonder An An gagged—what little kid would fake something like that? Those who accused him of setting up Yu Honghui because of Gu Chen’s grudge—how about coming back to apologize now?】

At first, An An had only thought the food tasted bad, but when he saw that even the dog wouldn’t eat it, the frustration he had been holding back suddenly burst out. His eyes welled up with tears.

“Waaah! Daddy, I want Daddy! The dog won’t even eat it, but Uncle wants me to eat it!”

Yu Honghui had no choice but to try coaxing him, but a sulking child was like a little porcupine—anyone who got too close would get pricked.

“An An, it’s Uncle’s fault. Uncle isn’t good at cooking. How about I make you some noodles instead? It’s already very late, and it’s not safe to walk outside now.”

“The dog won’t eat it. I don’t want to eat it either.”

An An seemed to be gradually convinced that it wasn’t a good idea to bother others so late at night, but he still refused to eat Yu Honghui’s cooking.

Yu Honghui was completely at a loss with this little ancestor. He shot a pleading look at the director, who cleared his throat and called over a staff member who could cook.

If it were an adult, that would be different—Yu Honghui could have just played along, then had a cameraman secretly catch them sneaking food later. If he got lucky, he might have even trended on social media.

But An An was a three-year-old child. The director wasn’t heartless enough to let him go hungry.

By now, the sky was completely dark. An An’s stomach growled loudly, and the sound was clearly picked up by the recording equipment.

Realizing that everyone could hear his stomach growling, his face instantly turned bright red.

In the end, feeling a bit resigned, he simply covered his face with his hands and gave up struggling, wholeheartedly waiting for the meal. His small eyes occasionally glanced toward the kitchen.

Since it was late, the staff didn’t prepare anything too complicated. They just boiled some water and made a simple bowl of egg noodles. Knowing that most children didn’t like egg yolks, they chose to beat the egg and mix it in.

When the steaming hot bowl of egg and vegetable noodles was placed in front of him, An An couldn’t help but swallow. He clumsily picked up the chopsticks and tried hard to stuff the noodles into his mouth.

Perhaps because he was too hungry, he ate quickly, shoving large mouthfuls of noodles in and chewing while enduring the heat. His cheeks bulged like a hamster hoarding food.

Yu Honghui smelled the fragrance of the noodles and felt a little hungry too. However, all the dishes on the table were made by him personally. Even though An An disliked them, he couldn’t just not eat.

The dishes had already gone cold, and on this chilly spring night, even Yu Honghui himself didn’t really want to eat them.

Moreover, they were staying in an extremely ordinary mountain village. The landlady, wanting to be hospitable, had even taken out the lard she had rendered during the New Year. But with the cold wind blowing, the solidified lard made the food even harder to swallow.

Yu Honghui knew very well that after what had happened, he absolutely couldn’t refuse to eat a single bite. Otherwise, his reputation would get even worse. But at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to willingly eat it all either.

An An didn’t care about this uncle; he was only focused on filling his own stomach. Once he was full, he hugged his small water bottle and asked the landlady to refill it with hot water.

The weather was cold, so An An pressed his palms against the warm bottle, trying to warm up. Noticing that Yu Honghui was eating very slowly, he took the initiative to ask:

“Uncle, can you eat a little faster?”

“What’s wrong, An An?”

“I want to sleep.”

“Then go to sleep. The room is on the second floor, to the left.”

Hearing that An An was going to bed, Yu Honghui let out a huge sigh of relief. He really didn’t want to spend any more time with this little troublemaker.

An An’s eyes widened in shock. It took him a moment to process before he asked:

“Uncle, I need to wash up.”

“It’s too cold for a bath. Just go straight to bed.”

If he didn’t get An An out of here soon, Yu Honghui wasn’t sure if he would lose his temper on camera. He braced himself and tried to convince the kid to just go to sleep and not drag things out.

If it were another child, maybe they would have been fooled. But An An loved cleanliness—he wouldn’t even get into bed without changing into his pajamas.

“No way! I need to brush my teeth, wash my face, and wash my feet.”

With every word An An said, Yu Honghui’s expression darkened. He had no desire to eat that solidified lard dish anymore. But then again, this was a pretty good excuse to stop eating.

“Alright, alright, Uncle will go boil some hot water. An An, wait here like a good boy.”

“Mm-hmm.”

A well-behaved and adorable child would always receive extra care, no matter where they were. The live-stream audience watched as An An sat there hugging his hot water bottle, and the comment section was filled with praise.

【He’s so obedient! Yu Honghui really doesn’t know how to take care of kids. How could he just leave An An sitting there without giving him something to play with? Kids this age are full of energy!】

【Ever heard the saying, “If a child is too quiet, they must be up to something”? How does Yu Honghui dare leave An An alone like this?】

【Haha, my daughter was quiet for ten minutes today, and I immediately knew something was wrong. If I had gone in any later, she would’ve destroyed my entire makeup collection.】

An An occasionally glanced outside, then looked around the room, trying to distract himself.

Eventually, after failing to find anything interesting, he grew bored. Resting his chin on his arms, he mumbled pitifully:

“I miss Daddy…”

Yu Honghui personally went to boil the water and asked the staff to bring over An An’s usual washbasin, towel, and toiletries.

An An could handle brushing his teeth on his own, but he hadn’t learned how to wash his face properly yet. So, Yu Honghui had to help. Because he wasn’t very skilled, An An yelped in pain, and even the director couldn’t help but tell him to be gentler.

After adjusting the water temperature in the foot basin, Yu Honghui carried it over to An An. He stared at his own reflection in the water, nearly grinding his teeth in frustration.

Even his own parents had never been served like this, yet here he was, tending to a little kid who hadn’t even grown all his hair yet.

“An An, hurry up and wash your feet. Once you’re done, go straight to bed.”

An An, who had just taken off his socks, frowned and corrected him:

“It’s soaking my feet.”

“Fine, fine, soaking your feet.”

“Uncle, it’s a little cold.”

After testing the water temperature, An An shared his thoughts. At home, if he didn’t take a bath, he would always soak his feet before bed. It was the only way to keep them warm for the night.

Washing was one thing, but for soaking, the water needed to be hotter.

“I’ll add some hot water for you.”

On his way back with the hot water, a staff member handed a towel to Yu Honghui and reminded him that Gu Chen usually helped his son wipe his feet.

Yu Honghui took the towel without saying a word. After adding the hot water, the fussy An An finally stopped complaining. He placed the towel beside An An and walked away, sitting down with the program’s activity card in hand. He seemed to be studying the schedule for tomorrow, but in reality, he just didn’t want to deal with the kid anymore.

After finishing his foot soak, An An didn’t call for help. Instead, he picked up the towel and began drying his feet himself.

However, after drying his left foot and moving on to his right, he absentmindedly put his left foot back into the basin. Then, after drying his right foot, he put it back in too. He repeated this cycle several times, only to realize something wasn’t right.

Staring at his own feet in deep thought, he even wiggled his fingers, trying to figure out why they weren’t getting dry.

Yu Honghui didn’t want to deal with the kid any longer. Just looking at him was giving him a headache. He walked over, roughly wiped An An’s feet dry, then scooped him up and tossed him onto the bed.

“Uncle, you can’t lie on the bed with your coat on.”

An An slowly unbuttoned his coat. He thought he was being subtle, but he was still too young—his thoughts were practically written all over his face. It was obvious he found Yu Honghui unhygienic.

“Sorry, Uncle was just too tired today.”

After being tormented by An An, Yu Honghui was utterly exhausted. He had never realized taking care of a child could be this draining.

“It’s okay, I forgive you.”

An An generously waved his hand, lifted the blanket, and burrowed into the covers. If he hadn’t been shivering from the cold after taking off his clothes, he might have chatted with his uncle a little longer.

Seeing An An obediently close his eyes, Yu Honghui finally felt relieved. He opened the door and stepped out, only to be greeted by a table full of dishes that needed cleaning. He took a deep breath, preparing to tackle the task.

Just then, the director, who was about to leave for the night, gave him a reminder.

“An An doesn’t sleep very still. Don’t sleep too soundly tonight—make sure he stays covered.”

“Alright.”

Yu Honghui nodded absentmindedly. He hadn’t eaten much, and with the chilly spring night air seeping into the house, he suddenly regretted joining this show.

It wouldn’t boost his popularity much, but the frustration was real.

As long as the guests were awake, the cameras kept rolling. Even the bedrooms had fixed filming angles, though they weren’t included in the live broadcast. The contract they signed before joining the show clearly stated that their privacy wouldn’t be exposed.

Later, the footage would go through selection and editing. If anything interesting happened during the night, it might end up in the final episodes.

No matter how much Yu Honghui disliked An An, he had no choice but to treat him well. After cleaning up, he had endured a long and tiring day and couldn’t resist giving his sore muscles a light massage.

At first, Yu Honghui saw this parenting reality show as a potential breakthrough for his career and wished the filming would last as long as possible. But now, he couldn’t wait for it to be over.

In the middle of the night, in the silent bedroom, Yu Honghui suddenly punched his blanket in frustration.

Before being kicked awake by An An, he had assumed the staff’s warning about An An’s restless sleeping was an exaggeration. Now, he realized it was absolutely true. That seemingly small foot packed a surprising amount of force—it could actually wake up a grown man with a kick.

Yu Honghui glared at the blinking light in the dark, signaling that the camera was still recording. He was so frustrated that his arms trembled slightly.

An An, however, continued sleeping soundly, completely unaware of his poor sleeping posture. Gu Chen had never told him about it because he knew his son cared a lot about his image.

To this day, An An remained blissfully ignorant, thinking he was the most well-behaved sleeper in the world.

Yu Honghui already had trouble sleeping, and with An An beside him, it was even worse. Without any electronic devices, he had no idea what time it was.

When he finally couldn’t fight off his exhaustion and drifted off, he could vaguely hear the roosters crowing outside.

While the guests had all gone to bed, some of the production staff were still working overtime, preparing props for the next day’s activities.

The next morning, the sun was already shining—a rare good-weather day. The cameras captured the mist curling around the distant mountains, giving them an ethereal appearance.

In this still-chilly weather, waking a child was no easy task. Most kids were reluctant to leave the warmth of their blankets, and An An was no exception.

Yu Honghui stood by the bed, coaxing him until he started sweating. Annoyed by the noise, An An rubbed his eyes and sat up, mumbling,

“Uncle, can I sleep a little longer?”

“The activity is about to start soon. Be good, An An, and get up quickly, okay? Once today’s activities are over, you can go back to your dad.”

An An wasn’t particularly eager to cooperate with Yu Honghui, but the mention of going back to his dad caught his interest. So, he lifted the blanket himself and slowly started putting on his clothes.

Yu Honghui’s own son was raised by his mother and had excellent self-care skills—he had never needed help getting dressed. So, he naturally assumed all children were like that.

An An’s nanny had taught him how to dress himself, too, but slightly thicker clothes were still a challenge. He gritted his teeth and struggled through it, barely managing to look presentable.

The production team had prepared breakfast and didn’t make things difficult for them. After eating, Yu Honghui quickly took An An to the activity site, making them the first family to arrive.

A staff member handed them a card as a reward for being the earliest.

An An, who had been rubbing his hands for warmth, instinctively clutched the card tightly and softly said, “Thank you.”

“Come on, let Uncle see.”

Yu Honghui naturally reached out, hoping to analyze which type of card they had received before the other families arrived. But An An dodged, eyeing him warily as if guarding against a thief.

“No, I’m giving it to Daddy.”

Judging from the bad uncle’s reaction, this had to be something good. And if it was something good, An An wanted to save it for his favorite daddy.

Hearing this, Yu Honghui looked troubled. He crouched down, patted An An’s shoulder, and explained,

“That’s against the rules. Right now, you’re Uncle’s kid.”

“I don’t want to.”

An An was acting like a little miser. Yu Honghui didn’t want to scold him too harshly and ruin his own reputation, so he hoped the director would step in to help.

“This is a reward for the child’s effort in waking up early. An An can give it to whoever he wants.”

“Alright, I misunderstood the director’s intention.”

Of course, he hadn’t really misunderstood. He was just making up an excuse to save face.

“It’s fine.”

“No problem.”

The director waved his hand. Normally, the reward would go to the partnered parent, but this wasn’t exactly a normal situation.

After all this time, even the director couldn’t help but be curious—just what had Yu Honghui done to make An An dislike him so much?

The other parents arrived one after another. When Gu Chen appeared carrying Cheng Yingying and saw An An’s messily worn clothes, he instinctively walked over, his expression slightly cold.

“What’s going on with your clothes today?”

An An didn’t notice that his dad was a little upset. This was the first time he had dressed himself completely on his own, so the little guy puffed out his chest proudly, waiting for his dad’s praise.

“I dressed myself~”

That one sentence deflated Gu Chen’s frustration. Then, as he processed it, his gaze toward Yu Honghui turned a bit off.

“You don’t know how to dress a child?”

From the beginning of the show until now, this was the first time Gu Chen had directly questioned him, completely disregarding the cameras still rolling.

“Huh? A child this old still can’t dress himself?”

Realizing he had messed up, Yu Honghui forced a smile, quickly stepping over to adjust An An’s clothes while apologizing.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice.”

“Forget it, I’ll do it.”

Gu Chen, mindful of the ongoing filming, refrained from saying anything too harsh, though his expression remained unpleasant.

He carried An An over to a spot sheltered from the wind and redressed him layer by layer.

Aside from tucking his pant legs into his socks, the rest of his outfit was a complete mess. Once Gu Chen finished fixing everything, An An moved his body a little, then grinned foolishly at his dad.

“Wow, Daddy is amazing!!”

Gu Chen’s frustration instantly disappeared. He ruffled An An’s hair roughly and scolded him in a soft voice:

“If it was uncomfortable, why didn’t you say anything?”

An An drooped his head, obediently listening to the lecture, unwilling to admit that he had felt completely fine. If he hadn’t seen his dad getting upset, he had even planned to show off.

“You can’t do this next time.”

“Okay.”

After dressing him properly, Gu Chen carried An An back out. Yu Honghui took a close look—honestly, An An didn’t look much different now compared to before.

Once outside, the little guy started running back toward Yu Honghui but suddenly remembered his reward card and stuffed it into his dad’s hand.

“This is my early-riser reward.”

“Then you’re really amazing.”

Gu Chen never rejected gifts An An prepared for him. He didn’t believe in guilt-tripping his child—he just wanted An An to be happy.

After giving away his prize, An An was even happier than when he had it. He bounced with every few steps, visibly delighted. But in Yu Honghui’s eyes, the situation looked completely different.

He had gone through all the trouble of getting An An here early in the morning, but the reward ended up benefiting Gu Chen instead. Of course, he wasn’t feeling great about it.

The production team had worked late into the night to set up a maze for today’s activity. The dads had to randomly choose a door to stand behind while the kids searched for clues inside.

The reward card An An gave Gu Chen earlier contained the first clue. After fifteen minutes, the family with the most clues would win.

If a child didn’t manage to bring the clue to their dad before time ran out, it would be forfeited.

To win, they also had to find the right dad, making this a game of both collecting clues and recognition. The production team had spent quite some time brainstorming ways to make things interesting.

What they were most eager to see was whether a child carrying clues would hand them to their real dad or their temporary dad when the door opened.

The first to enter was Cheng Yingying. She was cautious and methodical, opening each door one by one after finding a clue.

When she happened to open the door to her real dad, he was already preparing a speech to convince her to follow the game rules and not give him the clue just because they were related.

But to his surprise, Cheng Yingying glanced at him once, confirmed he wasn’t Gu Chen, and immediately shut the door.

Seeing his daughter’s reaction, her father didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

After finally finding Gu Chen and handing him the clue, she turned back to continue searching—only to realize time was almost up. She had to hand over her hard-earned clue, leaving her sulking.

Hao Hao, another child, went around opening doors and also encountered Yu Honghui. Unlike Cheng Yingying, he hesitated for a few seconds before shutting the door.

An An was the last to enter the maze. Unlike the cautious children before him, he was noticeably greedier—touching things here, poking around there. If the director hadn’t been watching closely, he might have dismantled the whole maze.

Other kids carried their clues in one hand, but An An had gathered so many that he had to use his clothes to hold them, even accidentally dropping two.

The first door he opened led to Cheng Yingying’s dad.

The second led to another unfamiliar dad.

The third time he opened a door, Gu Chen was standing there.

Without any hesitation, An An dashed out, dumping his entire pile of clues into Gu Chen’s basket.

“This…”

Gu Chen barely had time to react, let alone stop him. Before he could say anything, An An had already sprinted back into the maze.

Most of the kids had managed to grab a few clues, but compared to them, Cheng Yingying, who had been the first to enter, was at a disadvantage. Originally ranked last, Gu Chen’s team suddenly jumped to the top—thanks to An An.

Watching An An emerge empty-handed, Yu Honghui’s mood was definitely far from great.

Under normal circumstances, as an adult, he wouldn’t need to be so petty over a small game in a variety show. But the problem was—it was Gu Chen. The person he wanted to surpass and replace.

An’an didn’t even offer an explanation. The director hadn’t specified in the rules that clues could only be given to temporary dads and not biological dads. It didn’t even count as exploiting a loophole.

【Those people who kept saying Gu Chen might not treat his child well should really come and watch this clip. If he weren’t good to An’an, how could the child trust him so much?】

【As a veteran fan of parenting variety shows, I can say without exaggeration that Gu Chen is the only dad I’ve ever seen who genuinely has experience taking care of children.】

【Gu Chen doesn’t just look after his child attentively; he also actively builds up the child’s confidence. He never lacks emotional support and encouragement.】

【If I were a child, I’d want a father like Gu Chen. If I were a wife, I’d want a partner like him.】

【Haha, same. Unfortunately, I am neither.】

This segment sparked a lot of discussion in the bullet comments. Kids who weren’t close to their dads played the game without hesitation. Unlike adults, who might show restraint for the sake of the show, children only cared about winning.

In the second round, An’an split the clues with Gu Chen. In the final round, he still brought half back. No matter what, Gu Chen wouldn’t be left empty-handed.

Cheng Yingying didn’t perform well in this segment. Her sense of direction was terrible—something her dad had already mentioned on the first day of filming.

But thanks to a little traitor running around tirelessly like an ant moving house, Gu Chen still managed to win first place and successfully received the reward.

When the director handed the prize to Gu Chen, An’an was so excited that he clapped his hands red. He waited patiently for the ceremony to end before throwing himself into his dad’s arms, stretching his hands out for a hug.

With this, the first episode of the show was almost complete. The production team informed them that there was one last farewell ritual: dads and kids would prepare dinner together, with staff assisting.

Out of all the dads, only Gu Chen had passable cooking skills. The others had never set foot in a kitchen—being able to wash vegetables was already impressive.

But if all the cooking burden fell on Gu Chen alone, the director knew—even without thinking—he’d be scolded to death by Gu Chen’s fans before the edited version even aired.

Since everyone was exhausted from the day’s games, the farewell dinner was scheduled for the next day. After recording that meal, the first episode would officially conclude.

That night, each child returned to their biological father’s side. An’an was the happiest of them all. Usually a reserved little boy, he couldn’t help but plant a big kiss on his dad’s cheek when he was picked up.

Understanding their fatigue, the production team gave the guests freedom to choose their dinner—either cook for themselves or let the staff provide food.

For those choosing the latter, they had to walk a distance, so many guests took their kids along.

Gu Chen, however, weighed the distance to the meal spot against their lodging and decided to cook by himself.

The elderly landlady of the village was kind and warm-hearted, allowing Gu Chen and An’an to pick fresh vegetables from her garden. The selection wasn’t vast due to the season, but An’an was thrilled to be part of the process.

He happily trotted behind his dad, chattering away.

No matter what An’an said, Gu Chen always responded patiently. The more attentively his dad listened, the more enthusiastic An’an became.

Initially, the livestream audience didn’t notice anything amiss. But when An’an returned to his biological father’s side, they suddenly realized just how restrained he had been around Yu Honghui.

Before, he was like a caged bird. Now, the cage door had been flung open, allowing him to fly freely. He was energetic and lively.

Even when he tripped in the vegetable garden, he simply let out a soft “ow,” patted his butt, and got up on his own—then ran off to find his dad again.

Despite having only been apart for a single day, it felt like they had been separated for years. An’an kept talking to his dad nonstop.

When he finally ran out of things to say, he brought up Yu Honghui.

“Daddy, I don’t like Uncle.”

“Hm?”

Gu Chen, squatting to pick vegetables, immediately looked up when he heard that.

【Wait, is this allowed to be said?!】

【LOL, I never expected this livestream to be this entertaining.】

【Yu Honghui’s fans must be panicking right now. But hold on—let me enjoy the drama first.】

【This is amazing. I never thought we’d get such an exciting twist!】

“Why don’t you like Uncle?”

Gu Chen knew discussing this on camera wasn’t ideal. But he had a habit of listening to An’an seriously. As long as An’an was willing to talk, he would listen.

“He’s bad. His food tastes bad. No water.”

At that moment, An’an finally remembered the grievance he hadn’t had the chance to voice earlier. He ran over, hugging his dad’s arm.

“Even the puppy wouldn’t eat it, but Uncle made me eat it.”

An’an looked genuinely wronged. But the more serious and aggrieved he seemed, the cuter and more pitiful he appeared. Even Gu Chen couldn’t help but chuckle.

“The puppy wouldn’t eat it?”

“Mm! It sniffed and walked away.”

“Alright, you won’t have to stay with Uncle again. Don’t be upset. What do you want to eat tonight?”

Gu Chen casually changed the subject.

Having been in the entertainment industry for years, he knew that even the worst colleagues had their own fanbase. If An’an said anything too damaging to Yu Honghui’s image, his fans would go wild.

Gu Chen was used to getting flamed, but he didn’t want his son to experience the same.

An An’s attention was successfully diverted, and he leaned closer to his dad, listing things one by one.

…

The next afternoon, the program staff started preparing dinner—it was, after all, the final meal of the first episode that would be captured on camera.

The show had been receiving great feedback online, and the director wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate.

An An and Cheng Yingying were watching the big geese nearby. The geese and roosters raised by the old lady in this household weren’t aggressive; as long as they weren’t provoked, they wouldn’t peck at people.

The two little ones crouched there, staring at the birds, keeping a safe distance.

“Will we see each other again after the show is over?”

Cheng Yingying was reluctant to part with her handsome little brother. An An nodded lightly and replied,

“Of course, the show isn’t over yet. There’s still a lot more to go.”

“That day, I got pecked badly by the goose.”

“I saw it.”

It was precisely because she got pecked so badly that An An became wary of the geese. As they talked, Cheng Yingying suddenly brought up another topic.

“But I really like restaurant-cooked goose. My mom once took me to have iron-pot braised goose—it was delicious.”

A moment ago, An An had shrunk back in fear, but after hearing that, he couldn’t help swallowing. His gaze toward the geese suddenly held an indescribable emotion.

“Do you like eating iron-pot braised goose?”

“I’ve never had it before.”

“I’ll take you to eat it next time.”

“Okay.”

An An secretly agreed to something behind his dad’s back, so when he heard his dad calling him for dinner, he felt a little guilty.

At the dinner table, some of the dads gathered for a drink, while the kids had fresh fruit juice. As the alcohol kicked in, their conversation became less restrained than usual.

At first, they chatted about all sorts of random things, but gradually, the topic started to shift. One of the dads picked up a peanut, looked at An An, and chuckled:

“Little An An, back then, your mom abandoned your dad and left with you—That ruthless… If she sees you two doing so well on TV now, who knows, she might be regretting it so much her guts are turning green, huh?”

Another boy’s father chuckled maliciously upon hearing this, nodding in agreement.

“Exactly. A heartless woman like that—listen to me, don’t even call her ‘Mom’ anymore.”

After saying this, he walked over to An An, placing a hand on his small shoulder. The strong smell of alcohol made An An shudder. Compared to the grown man towering over him, the little boy looked especially vulnerable.

Gu Chen had always kept this matter hidden well. He understood Su Ling’s reasons and didn’t want An An to learn about it before he was mature enough to handle it. Now, aside from fear, An An was utterly confused.

The man, emboldened by alcohol, was about to say something even more outrageous when a hand suddenly pressed down on the back of his own.

A cold voice followed immediately, right by his ear.

“That’s enough.”

The voice was so icy that it instantly sobered him up quite a bit.