Raising Kids C02

Chapter 2

Xie Ze’s small body hid behind his father, tilting his head up to look at his back. His eyes shone with admiration, as if he were looking at a great hero.

The old woman was so furious at Xie Hui that she nearly wanted to start a fight. The onlooking staff couldn’t help but wonder if she might actually get so angry that something would happen to her.

Xie Hui pulled out his phone, pressed the emergency number, and said with a smile, “Go ahead and collapse if you want. I’ll call you an ambulance afterward. Oh, and remember to pay the fee yourself.”

“You—! With a parent like you, no wonder your kid likes to hit people!”

Wang Hao’s grandmother pointed at Xie Hui’s nose and scolded him. She had seen plenty of parents who would scold their child a little or apologize just to smooth things over. But this was the first time she had encountered a parent who insisted on standing by their child.

Hearing this, Xie Hui’s eyes grew cold.

“My baby is so well-behaved. How could he possibly hit someone for no reason? Do you think kids just come up with that kind of talk on their own?”

The environment has a huge impact on children. Even an offhand remark from a parent could be imprinted deeply in their minds.

In a daycare full of two- and three-year-olds, Xie Hui simply didn’t believe a child that young could say something like that without learning it from an adult.

Xie Hui’s imposing aura startled Wang Hao’s grandmother. She glared at him, took her grandson’s hand, and turned to leave, muttering curses under her breath about how unlucky she was.

After they left, Xie Hui glanced at the assistant beside him and lowered his voice.

“See what kind of service we signed up for here. Zeze won’t be coming back tomorrow.”

The original host of this body had been busy with work, and since Xie Ze wasn’t old enough for kindergarten yet, he had sent him to daycare to play with other children.

But from the way the staff had acted, Xie Hui could already tell this place wasn’t suitable for his child.

Many adults assume children are too young to remember things and that nothing really matters at this age. But after experiencing countless worlds, Xie Hui knew that childhood traumas—severe ones—could leave a lasting impact on a person’s life.

“Xie, I’ll handle this matter.”

“Mm. I’ll take Zeze home first.”

Xie Hui turned around to see his little radish-head still secretly wiping his tears. His lips curved slightly as he crouched down and picked the child up.

Although Xie Ze had just turned three, he wasn’t used to being carried by his father, so he felt a little shy. A faint blush quickly spread across his milky-white cheeks. His freshly teary eyes looked exceptionally clear, with a hint of lingering grievance.

Softly, he said, “Daddy, I’ve been eating a lot lately. I’m really heavy.”

The implication was that he could walk on his own, but his chubby little arms still clung tightly around Xie Hui’s neck. He even rubbed his face against him.

Though Xie Hui had once complained that the Lord God was too stingy—kicking him out just for doing a tiny little billion worth of bad deeds—he had to admit he really liked this kid. A well-behaved, obedient, and sensible human child could easily soften anyone’s heart, even someone like him, who had traveled through countless worlds.

Since he always believed in doing his job well, Xie Hui was already planning out his son’s future.

“You’re not heavy at all. Daddy can carry you just fine.”

Carrying Xie Ze outside, Xie Hui found the driver still waiting for them and opened the car door.

In the back seat, Xie Hui placed his freshly-baked son into the child’s car seat, fastened his seatbelt, and carefully considered how to publicly introduce himself under the original host’s identity.

The original host’s wish had only been to be a good father—he hadn’t mentioned anything about his career. But as a dedicated tasker, Xie Hui wanted to do everything perfectly.

“Baby, we’re not coming back here tomorrow, okay?”

The moment Xie Hui said that, Xie Ze’s eyes lit up. He nodded eagerly and responded in his soft, childish voice, “Okay!”

He didn’t like daycare. He didn’t like those kids who kept saying Daddy didn’t love him.

Daddy clearly loved him the most! More than anyone in the world!

“Then, baby, do you want to come to work with me? We’ll be at home, but there will be lots of unfamiliar uncles and aunties, and they’ll be holding cameras to take pictures of you.”

Right now, Xie Ze was still very young. Unlike later on, when his expectations would be crushed time and time again, turning him withdrawn and gloomy.

When he smiled at Xie Hui, his big eyes looked like they were filled with stars.

“Okay! But can they make me look good in the photos?”

Xie Hui hadn’t expected him to be so vain at such a young age. He reached out and ruffled the boy’s fluffy hair, his lips curling into a smile.

“Baby, you’re so good-looking. No matter how they take the pictures, you’ll look great.”

Chatting along the way, the distance between father and son disappeared completely, and Xie Ze became a little tail following closely behind his dad.

The original host had been a second-tier celebrity in the industry, with an upcoming New Year’s holiday film awaiting release. According to this world’s timeline, after the film aired, his popularity would skyrocket. He would land two TV drama roles and another movie, officially stepping into first-tier stardom.

But children grow up in the blink of an eye. If you’re not careful, you’ll miss their entire childhood.

To Xie Hui, accompanying his child’s growth was clearly more important than his career.

So, as he sat on the couch reading a fairy tale book with Xie Ze, he called Brother Jiang.

“Brother Jiang, Director Li, whom we worked with before, is planning a new season of that parenting reality show, right? The one where celebrities take care of their kids. Can you contact them and see if I can be a regular cast member?”

On the other end, Brother Jiang, who was supervising new trainees, was momentarily stunned. It took him a while to process what he had just heard. When he finally calmed down, he spoke seriously.

“Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Brother Jiang had always urged Xie Hui to spend more time with his child, but he had never expected him to go public with it.

There were countless celebrities who had secretly married and had children. Hiding their spouses and kids saved them a lot of trouble.

“Brother Jiang, I’ve already made up my mind.”

“If you’re sure about this, I’ll contact them and ask. Just remember to set up your home properly first.”

Though he said he would ask, Brother Jiang knew very well that Director Li would never pass up such an opportunity. The news that Xie Hui had a child was already explosive enough.

“Thanks for the trouble.”

After hanging up the phone, Xie Hui looked over to see his son, who had unknowingly put down his storybook and was staring at him. He reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair and asked with a smile,

“Baby, why are you staring at Daddy?”

Xie Ze’s little face scrunched up in deep thought. He closed the storybook, hopped off the couch to put it back in its place, then ran back to his father with his short legs.

Lifting his head, he wrapped his arms around his father’s neck and sat on his lap. With a serious expression, he said,

“I’ll be really good at home. If Daddy has work, you can go ahead and do it. Every day…”

At this point, the baby fat on Xie Ze’s little face deepened as he hesitated. Then, leaning into Xie Hui’s embrace, he mumbled,

“Just call me once every two days, and that’ll be enough.”