Raising Kids C09

Chapter 9

When Xie Ze was watering the sunflower seeds, he unexpectedly discovered that one of them had already sprouted. He could barely wait to share this with his dad.

“Oh? Then, baby, will you take me to see it?”

Xie Hui, who had been indifferent when dealing with the Lord God earlier, immediately stood up to greet his son before he could even run over.

“Okay!”

Indeed, a tiny sprout had emerged from the soil. Two green leaves stretched open under the sunlight, radiating vitality.

“Daddy, when will it bloom?”

Xie Ze tilted his head in curiosity. In his eyes, his father was all-knowing and all-powerful, so whenever he had a question, his first instinct was to ask him.

“Daddy has never planted one before either, so I’m also curious about when it will bloom.”

“Then I’ll keep a close watch on it and make sure it blooms for you to see!”

Xie Ze clenched his tiny fists and made a promise. But before he could even finish speaking, he saw Xie Hui reaching out, seemingly wanting to touch the leaves. In a hurry, he wrapped his chubby little hands around his dad’s arm.

“Daddy, the sunflower planting manual says you shouldn’t touch this with your hands. And look, it’s so small—what if it gets hurt when you touch it?”

Xie Hui wasn’t sure if plants could feel pain, but seeing his son so convinced that they could, he cooperated and withdrew his hand.

“Mm, thank you for reminding me, baby.”

According to the filming plan, the first episode was to be filmed separately and edited into a single episode, with each family’s segment set to last three days.

However, Xie Hui’s family was an exception. The post-production team called the director, saying they already had enough footage. The director, eager to finish early, simply decided to wrap up the first episode ahead of schedule.

Before leaving, he specifically reminded Xie Hui that the next filming location was a famous ancient city, and given the season, they needed to take precautions against mosquito bites.

He also mentioned that if Xie Hui’s son hadn’t traveled before, it would be best to prepare him in advance to avoid embarrassing moments during filming.

Though the shooting period wasn’t long, the assistant director in charge of their group had grown genuinely fond of little Xie Ze, this three-year-old kid who liked to act mature. So, the night before they left, he had a long chat with Xie Hui.

This season’s show had invited three celebrity families, all featuring dads taking care of their kids.

Among them, one was a former heartthrob who had secretly married and had a child. When the media exposed it, his career took a nosedive.

The other was an established veteran actor, known for his slightly hot temper and strong acting skills. He had married his non-celebrity girlfriend at an appropriate age, which didn’t upset his fans. He was joining the show partly to promote his new movie.

The former had a daughter, while the latter had a pair of twins.

While chatting with the assistant director, Xie Hui was holding Xie Ze in his arms. The little boy was gripping a Rubik’s Cube with his chubby hands, turning it this way and that. Although he wasn’t solving it properly, he was very focused.

“Director Gu, thank you for telling me all this. I haven’t been keeping up with these things lately.”

Although Xie Hui didn’t find the information particularly necessary, he appreciated the director’s kindness and politely thanked him.

Director Gu, recalling how his colleagues often vented about work in their group chat, glanced at the father-son duo. Unlike some kids who threw tantrums, Xie Ze had been well-behaved throughout filming. He couldn’t help but add another reminder:

“There’s Ke Ting—when he was a rising star, he got married, and his girlfriend-fans couldn’t accept it. He hasn’t had much work since, and his personality is a bit gloomy. Plus, he spoils his daughter too much. When filming starts, just be careful.”

Before Xie Hui could respond, little Xie Ze had already put down his Rubik’s Cube, tilted his head up, and asked in a puzzled voice,

“Uncle Gu, do you have some snacks? Can you share one with me?”

Xie Hui glanced at his son, who was already swallowing his saliva. He reached out, pinched the boy’s nose, and reminded him in a low voice,

“It’s too late for snacks now. Do you want some chestnuts instead?”

Xie Ze instinctively covered his head, furrowing his brows as he muttered,

“Daddy, what are you planning again?”

Seeing the interaction between the father and son, Director Gu couldn’t help but smile.

From his years of experience in the industry, he was certain that when this season’s show aired, many viewers would love this duo.

Revealing that he had a son might not harm Xie Hui’s career at all. In fact, it could even help him gain more fans.

Luckily, Xie Hui had risen to fame early, and his agency had planned for him to transition into a serious actor. Since he hadn’t cultivated many girlfriend-fans, this was a crucial advantage.

“Your agency had great foresight.”

Director Gu, noticing Xie Ze’s puffed-up cheeks from not getting snacks, suddenly felt a bit guilty and turned away, deciding to leave.

“It was all thanks to my manager’s arrangements.”

Xie Hui answered politely. His original manager, Brother Jiang, had anticipated the fallout from revealing his son and had reported it to the higher-ups early on. He had also started transitioning Xie Hui’s image into that of a serious actor.

“Alright, I’ll head back to rest now. Little Xie Ze, next time we film, Uncle will bring you some delicious snacks, okay?”

Sitting in his dad’s lap, Xie Ze looked up at Director Gu. At that moment, the director’s image in his mind grew immensely—though still not quite as great as his dad’s, just a tiny bit behind.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“No need to thank me. Good night, little one.”

“Good night, Uncle.”

After Director Guo left, Xie Hui reached out and gave his son’s bottom a light pat. With a smile in his voice, he playfully teased:

“You little bootlicker.”

Xie Ze frowned and gave his father a disapproving look, shifting away slightly.

“Daddy, if you keep saying that, I’m going to get mad.”

Seeing how seriously his son emphasized this, Xie Hui suppressed his smile and gently nodded in agreement.

“Mm, Daddy was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

Xie Hui had always firmly believed that leading by example was far more effective than just preaching. The man who once wreaked havoc in an infinite world was now a model father.

“It’s okay, I forgive you.”

After saying that, Xie Ze wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, snuggling up to him.

With how clingy he was, Xie Hui couldn’t help but doubt that his son’s so-called anger would last even three minutes before he’d turn around and ask for another hug.

…

After the director’s team left, a staff member reached out to Jiang Ge to let him know that the show had already booked their flight. They would be flying to the next filming location—a historic city with a thousand-year-old papermaking tradition—in three days.

The three days were meant for rest and preparation before their departure.

The next day, when Jiang Ge arrived, he brought along the suitcase that Xie Hui had asked for over the phone.

Xie Hui had always been entirely focused on his acting career. Now that he had to pack his own bags, Jiang Ge, though not bringing an assistant along, couldn’t help but stay and watch.

Xie Ze had his own small suitcase, and Xie Hui asked him to pack the toys he wanted to bring.

Jiang Ge, feeling a bit bored, had just reached for a cigarette when he saw the little one sitting on the carpet, seriously packing his bag. With a quiet sigh, he withdrew his hand from his pocket.

“Aren’t you bringing any skincare products or makeup? There won’t be a professional makeup artist at the location.”

Seeing that Xie Hui was about to zip up his suitcase, Jiang Ge couldn’t resist asking.

“Forget it, Jiang Ge. I’m not chasing the idol route anymore, so there’s no need to be so polished. Besides, this little rascal likes to nibble on my face lately—don’t want him ending up with a mouthful of powder.”

Xie Ze, who was stuffing his favorite plush toy into his backpack, had sharp little ears and immediately caught on that his dad was talking bad about him again. He loudly corrected:

“That’s called kissing! Not nibbling! Daddy, the TV said it’s a way to show affection!”

“Alright, alright, Daddy was wrong.”

Back then, Xie Hui had worried that his son was too introverted and had encouraged him to be more outgoing. Who could have guessed he’d turn into such a little chatterbox?

Jiang Ge looked at Xie Hui with some surprise. No matter how much he had tried to persuade him before, Xie Hui had always been laser-focused on his career, never sparing much thought for his son.

A child’s reactions don’t lie. Seeing how attached and obedient Xie Ze was to his father now, it was clear that their relationship had been going really well.

“Be careful while filming, especially around that Ke Ting guy. When he was forced to go public, he cursed at paparazzi and fans alike, completely tanking his reputation. Now he wants to crawl back into the industry and make money—thinks the entertainment industry belongs to him or something.”

Jiang Ge sighed casually, then glanced at Xie Hui and added:

“Ke Ting holds grudges. Seeing that your situation is similar to his back then, he probably won’t do anything outright, but you never know what he might do behind the scenes. Better to be cautious.”

Xie Hui didn’t recall anything about Ke Ting from the original owner’s memories, nor did he remember any related events in the later storyline. It made sense, though—the original Xie Hui never paid attention to parent-child shows.

“I’ll keep that in mind. What about the other guest family? Are they easy to get along with? I’d like for my son to have some kids his age to play with. I don’t dare send him to another daycare after what happened last time.”

The way the daycare staff had blindly tried to smooth things over, pinning the blame on his son without knowing the full story, still irked Xie Hui whenever he thought about it.

“Oh, right. I’ve been so busy I forgot to tell you—last time, the head of that daycare called to apologize. The staff member who forced your kid to apologize has been fired.”

Jiang Ge suddenly remembered and quickly explained. The daycare owner, who was a friend of his, had reviewed the security footage and found that the employee didn’t meet their hiring standards, so they were let go.

If it weren’t for Jiang Ge refusing to expose Xie Hui’s identity, the daycare owner would have wanted to apologize in person.

“Forget it. Even if they apologize, I won’t be sending my son back there. No need to give him a bad memory.”

Jiang Ge thought that made sense. Originally, Xie Hui had just wanted to find some playmates for his son. Now, there was no need to send him back.

Looking at how much Xie Hui doted on his son now—bringing him along even for work—he clearly couldn’t bear to be separated.

After finishing his own packing, Xie Hui turned to check on Xie Ze. The little one was struggling to zip up his suitcase because one of his plush toy’s paws was still sticking out.

Face red from effort, and with sweat beading at his temple, Xie Ze pouted. When Xie Hui approached, he spoke in a soft, pitiful voice:

“Daddy, I can’t fit it in…”

—

—girlfriend-fans “女友粉” (nǚyǒu fěn) refers to fans who idolize a male celebrity as if he were their boyfriend, often feeling emotionally attached and protective.