Chapter 121: The Father Who Exploited His Child Star 14

Xie Hui had just seen the child whimpering and refusing to sleep, and thought he was unwell, so he was scared and wanted to take him to the Hospital. He didn’t expect it was just a minor issue of not wearing socks when coaxing him to sleep.

He gently patted his bare feet. Hearing the child whimper aggrievedly, he got a pair of socks and helped him put them on.

With his socks on, the little one, this time without Xie Hui needing to remind him, quickly turned over and tried to crawl back into bed to sleep.

Xie Hui playfully slapped his bottom. Xie Chu, who usually faked tears at the slightest touch, must have been extremely sleepy today. He lay down in bed and pulled the covers over himself.

After Xie Hui took a shower, he washed both his and his son’s clothes. After hanging them to dry on the balcony, he turned and went back to the bedroom. Seeing his son sleeping very obediently, he lifted the covers and lay down beside him.

Time passed quickly, and it was almost time for them to leave. After the wrap-up party tomorrow, Director Xu said there would be interviews, promotional events, and other announcements, all of which would be paid to Xie Chu.

Xie Chu’s remuneration as a Child Actor had already been transferred to Xie Hui’s card. Because he had many scenes, even though he was a newcomer, the pay was substantial.

When they returned this time, they should be able to open the small shop directly. Then he would open a snack shop, send Xie Chu to kindergarten, and wherever the little rascal went to school in the future, he would open his Snack Shop there.

After planning his future, Xie Hui closed his eyes to rest.

Because he went to bed late, Xie Chu didn’t wake up until nine o’clock the next morning. After waking up, he rubbed his eyes and burrowed further into the covers, wanting to cuddle with his dad but finding an empty space. He instinctively sat up abruptly.

Looking at the empty hotel room, Xie Chu instinctively lifted the covers, jumped out of bed, and ran out, his mind filled with thoughts like, “Dad wouldn’t abandon me here, would he QAQ?”

As soon as he left the bedroom, he saw his dad standing on the balcony. After confirming his dad was still there, Xie Chu instinctively looked down at his feet, then stealthily ran back to the bedroom to put on his shoes. Only after putting on his shoes did he run to open the balcony door.

“Dad, are you secretly smoking again?”

Xie Chu leaned against the door, only poking his head out to look, which startled Xie Hui.

“When did I buy cigarettes? I’m looking at the message Uncle Gu sent, saying he’ll be over soon.”

At this hour, the hotel’s complimentary breakfast probably didn’t have much good taste left. Plus, Director Xu had prepared a wrap-up party for lunch. Xie Hui boiled hot water and made milk for Xie Chu in a bottle.

Xie Chu went to the living room and sat on the sofa, holding the bottle with one hand and taking out the remote control with the other, wanting to turn on the TV to watch some cartoons.

“Dad, let’s go buy a jacket this afternoon.”

Xie Hui was still wearing the jacket he brought. He had heard the little rascal mention buying him a jacket so many times that his ears were almost calloused. Plus, he did indeed need one, so he nodded and agreed.

“Okay, then we’ll spend all the money our Little Star earned.”

When Xie Chu heard his dad say this, a strange sense of pride swelled in his heart, making him instinctively puff out his chest.

“Mm, buy all the jackets for Dad!”

Seeing his son’s generous demeanor, Xie Hui smiled helplessly, walked over, and ruffled his head.

“That won’t do.”

“Huh?”

Xie Hui saw that he even stopped drinking milk and started staring at him nervously. He explained:

“Chu Chu is very capable. If all the money he earned this time is used to buy jackets for Dad, then Dad will have too many jackets.”

Xie Chu’s head drooped, and his eyes started to redden. After sniffing, he whispered:

“But Dad never said Chu Chu had too many clothes.”

Around the small courtyard they used to rent, there were also a few families who rented there to bring their children to school. Occasionally, when they chatted, Xie Chu would hear them mention him, saying that his dad didn’t look like someone who sold Fried Skewers, and that the sons of other small business owners didn’t have as many clothes as he did.

“Other aunties said that children Chu Chu’s age shouldn’t buy too many clothes.”

Originally, Xie Hui thought this was a very lighthearted topic, but seeing his son on the verge of tears, he pulled out a tissue and wiped his eyes.

Not just Xie Chu, Xie Hui had also heard those aunties kindly mention it to him many times.

Children grow fast, so buy clothes a bit bigger and fewer of them. They’ll last longer, saving money.

Xie Hui didn’t agree with this kind of frugality. New clothes didn’t fit when they were new, and by the time they fit, they were old. But seeing the little rascal, who was so focused on money, believe it, he could only explain:

“But Dad wants to see Chu Chu dressed very nicely. Dad will be very happy when he sees Chu Chu wearing all new clothes.”

Xie Chu’s drooping head suddenly lifted, and he nodded vigorously.

“Yes, Dad’s new clothes, Chu Chu is happy too.”

After going in circles, the conversation returned to the starting point.

“Alright, then I’ll trouble our Little Star to help Dad pick them out then.”

Hearing this, Xie Chu felt relieved and continued drinking his milk, cuddling with his dad and watching cartoons.

Gu Jingtong was also staying at this hotel. After sending a message to Xie Hui and confirming they were awake, he came over.

The little fellow, who was sitting there watching cartoons, heard a knock at the door. He pressed his dad’s arm, stopped him from getting up, handed him the milk bottle, and then jumped off the sofa to open the door himself.

“Chu Chu, why haven’t you changed your clothes yet? We’re going to the wrap-up party soon, and Director has a big Red Envelope for you there.”

Originally, Xie Chu thought the wrap-up party, as told by other staff, was just for eating. As soon as he heard about a Red Envelope, his eyes instantly lit up. He ran back to the sofa to get his milk bottle.

“Dad, where are my clothes? Hurry, hurry, we can’t let Uncle Director wait anxiously.”

Xie Chu, holding his milk bottle, was so anxious he stomped his feet and spun around. Seeing his dad still sitting there, he took a sip of milk, then walked over and pulled his dad’s arm, dragging him towards the bedroom.

Gu Jingtong stood outside, watching their father-son interaction, and always felt that Xie Chu, that little fellow, made him want to have a child every day.

Perhaps it didn’t need to be as sensible and cute as Xie Chu, just hearing a sweet little voice call out “Dad” would be nice enough.

Director Xu held the wrap-up party at a well-known hotel in the city. The main cast of the Film Crew was still there. During dinner, the Director prepared a Red Envelope for each actor. Xie Chu tucked the big Red Envelope into his pocket and smiled at Director Xu, saying:

“Thank you, Uncle Director.”

“Oh, such a sweet talker, here’s another one for you.”

Director Xu had originally prepared two Red Envelopes for Xie Chu, one for him and one for his father. His father had accompanied him through so many scenes, and Director Xu was not so stingy as to withhold a Red Envelope.

As the meal drew to a close, the atmosphere inexplicably turned a little melancholic when it was time for a toast. The male lead was fine; although Xie Chu played his son in the drama, they didn’t have many scenes together.

However, Female Lead Actress Yang Yu had basically filmed all her previous scenes with Xie Chu. Coupled with her dedicated effort, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness at the thought of how difficult it would be to reunite after they parted ways.

“Chu Chu, this is Auntie’s contact information. You must remember to message Auntie, okay?”

Xie Chu rubbed against Yang Yu’s arm and nodded seriously.

“I’ll remember. If I can’t remember, I’ll ask Daddy to help me remember.”

The Film Crew staff responsible for taking photos at the wrap-up party captured this image, and all of them were later uploaded to the official account.

While others felt the sadness of parting, Xie Chu, after hugging everyone, skipped into the elevator holding his father’s hand.

Oh yeah, two big Red Envelopes! Time to buy Daddy a jacket!

The drama hadn’t aired yet, and since Xie Chu was a child, he wasn’t considered a public figure, so they had no qualms about going to the mall. They hailed a taxi.

Upon arriving at the mall, Xie Chu wished he could take everything home, but after picking out two jackets, Xie Hui picked up his son.

“Daddy, I haven’t finished shopping yet.”

Even though his son had just filmed a drama and earned a high salary, Xie Hui had no intention of abandoning his old profession, only planning to treat this as extra income.

When they returned, he’d be busy cooking all day and wouldn’t have much time to wear such easily soiled jackets. Buying more would be a waste.

“But if Chu Chu buys too much, what if Daddy can’t carry it all back?”

Xie Chu, who had never considered this problem, was stunned when his father brought it up. He stared blankly at his father for a while before tentatively asking:

“Then can we buy more when we go back?”

“Okay.”

Later on, Xie Hui did pick out some clothes for the child, and the bags he carried grew in number, yet he didn’t seem to mind the weight.

Children of this age indeed grow very quickly. That morning, when Xie Hui changed his clothes, he noticed his pants were a bit short.

Upon returning to the hotel room, Xie Hui looked at the shopping bags arranged in the living room, then watched his father, who was fetching water to boil, squatting there and carefully counting them.

Comparing his own bags with his father’s, the more he looked, the more he felt that his father seemed to be tricking a child.

Xie Hui didn’t plan to stay long in this place, and with the New Year approaching, he bought tickets to go back on the third day after the wrap-up party.

The weather was getting colder, and that small town was even colder than the city where Xie Chu had been working. After stepping out of the heated train car, Xie Chu couldn’t help but shiver.

Xie Hui unzipped his jacket, enveloped his son inside, and walked out, carrying the suitcase with one hand.

As they exited the station, seeing his small hand restlessly trying to reach out and push open the curtain, he whispered:

“Put your hands inside and keep them warm.”

Xie Chu’s hand hadn’t even touched the station door curtain before his father noticed, so he could only shrink back into his father’s arms.

“It’s Daddy’s fault for not checking the weather forecast earlier. I didn’t expect it to be so cold here.”

“It’s not Daddy’s fault.”

Fearing the child would freeze, Xie Hui simply found a nearby clothing store and, without asking the price, bought Xie Chu a down jacket.

The small courtyard they used to rent had no air conditioning or heating, so Xie Hui went and bought a small “Little Sun” heater.

After being uninhabited for a while, even with the landlord occasionally helping to look after it, it still needed a good tidying up.

As Xie Hui tidied the courtyard, he saw through the window his son sitting on a small stool in front of the “Little Sun,” with both hands’ fingers spread out.

Next to him, a wild Little Orange Cat, who had appeared from who knows where, was also squatting, extending a paw to warm itself.

The light of the “Little Sun” fell upon the human cub and the cat cub.