Chapter 108 – The Father Who Exploited His Child Star (1)

“Xie Hui, are you really sure you can bear it? That slapping scene isn’t just for show.”

Just as Xie Hui arrived in the new world, he heard this sentence. Looking up at his surroundings, he seemed to be in a Hengdian film set. He was squatting by the roadside with a cigarette dangling from his lips.

Not fully understanding the situation, Xie Hui instinctively responded with a questioning hum.

“Hm?”

“That slapping scene is brutal. The male actor really doesn’t hold back. The last child actor got slapped so hard that his mother couldn’t take it and pulled him out. Aren’t you afraid?”

Xie Hui stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it into a nearby trash bin. He lowered his head as if in a daze, but in reality, he was receiving the memories of the original host of this world.

The child was his own, named Xie Chu. The original host had divorced his wife due to irreconcilable differences, and he had adamantly refused to let her take the child.

The original host worked at a small, ordinary company, and after the divorce, he drifted aimlessly through life. He made a mistake at work and got fired. Coincidentally, a relative working in Hengdian offered him an opportunity.

While drinking with that relative and others back home, the relative saw Xie Hui’s son. The child had good looks, and with a few drinks in him, the relative started bragging, saying he’d turn Xie Chu into a star.

Of course he regretted it once he sobered up, but having already made the claim, he didn’t want to lose face and never took it back.

So Xie Hui brought his son along and followed the relative to Hengdian, where it just so happened that a child actor was needed.

It was a historical drama, and the child didn’t have many lines. To portray the villain’s cruelty, there was a scene where the villain had to beat his own son to death with several slaps.

Xie Chu was a gentle, introverted boy who grew even closer to his father after his mother left. He obeyed everything his father told him.

The entruster never considered that this child was simply placing trust in him. He thought the boy had a natural talent for acting.

He didn’t care how the child felt. All he saw was how his son could make more money with just a costume change, a few lines, and simple actions than he himself could after several days of hard work.

It started with slap scenes like this. Then, by sheer luck, they landed a few roles. Xie Chu began as a child star and remained in the entertainment industry as he grew.

Though he never hit major fame, the money he earned was far beyond that of an average person.

Later, Xie Chu played a role in a drama adapted from a very famous novel. Under his father’s demands, he went through extreme dieting and plastic surgery, completely ruining the image of the beloved “White Moonlight” character.

He was attacked by a deranged anti-fan who splashed acid on his face. After being disfigured, he was forced to withdraw from the industry.

Even so, the child never once blamed his father. Instead, he turned around and comforted the entruster.

It was only then that the entruster suddenly realized how outrageous his past behavior—like he had been possessed—had been.

That was his child! His own son! Taken to sets as a toddler and made to earn money for him.

Xie Chu had said many times that he didn’t want those surgeries, but the original host was fixated on the idea that plastic surgery would make his son more attractive and more profitable.

The surgeries turned Xie Chu’s once-distinctive face into a bland, assembly-line product—stiff and lifeless. Even the best acting skills fell flat on such a face, and people mocked him for overacting.

“Don’t agree. Please, don’t agree. That actor is trash—he once beat my son so badly he had to be hospitalized.”

Hearing the entruster’s voice in the space, Xie Hui nodded. He hadn’t intended to agree in the first place.

As a father, even if he had to beg on the streets, he couldn’t bear to let his son get slapped for money.

The entruster had started off as an ordinary person and was brought into showbiz by a relative. Kids like Xie Chu, who were obedient and good-looking, were rare and happened to be profitable.

The entruster toiled every day, while his son earned more by doing a few actions and saying a few lines. Comparing the two, the entruster stopped trying and began forcing Xie Chu to perform.

In his youth, the entruster had once fantasized that someone would discover his good looks and pull him into the entertainment world, turning him into a star.

But while his looks were above average among regular folks, they were far from enough for showbiz.

So when his child stumbled into the industry, he pinned all his unfulfilled dreams on him, hoping Xie Chu would achieve what he never could.

In this circle, money came easily, and so did praise. Looking at his child glowing under the flashbulbs, the entruster quickly lost himself.

Only after death did he seem to awaken, and so he sought out Xie Hui, hoping he could help make it up to the child.

Xie Chu had spent almost his entire childhood on film sets. He hadn’t even gone to kindergarten, and his elementary education was spotty at best.

He had hardly anything that truly belonged to him. Like a puppet on strings, he fulfilled his father’s every wish.

The man who had just spoken to Xie Hui nudged him lightly with his elbow to hurry him along.

“Xie Hui, where’s your son? If you’ve really made up your mind, hurry and get him changed so we can try the scene.”

Their time didn’t matter, but the people inside were all big shots—every step they took cost money.

“Forget it. I’m sorry, man. I thought it over, and I really can’t bear it. I’ve never once hit my son—not even once. Doing it for a bit of money just isn’t worth it…”

The man didn’t look pleased. Xie Hui had clearly agreed before—why was he backing out now?

If Xie Hui didn’t want to go through with it, that meant he had to find someone else, and suitable replacements weren’t easy to come by.

Still, thinking about it, he could understand. What kind of parent could really bear to let their kid get slapped around like that?

“Fine, whatever. Next time you owe me a meal.”

“Got it, got it. Really sorry, man.”

After sending the man off, Xie Hui turned to see the little boy sitting on a chair. He walked over and ruffled the child’s hair, planning to take him home.

Let him rest early. Tomorrow, he’d get up and find a job. It was already too late to send Xie Chu to school this year. He needed to save up some money and send him to kindergarten next year.

Xie Chu jumped down from the chair, wrapped his arms around his father’s leg, and looked up at him, his tender, childish voice tinged with a trace of sobs, his little face full of worry.

“Daddy, I’m not afraid of pain.”

“Don’t let Uncle leave, please. I’m really not afraid of pain. If I don’t go act, what will we do if you can’t afford to eat?”

“I don’t want Daddy to starve to death…”

Xie Hui scooped up the little one clinging to his leg, saw the worry in his eyes, and leaned in to gently nuzzle his cheek with the tip of his nose.

“Let’s go home first.”

—————

Hengdian refers to Hengdian World Studios in China, the world’s largest film set. It’s famous for its massive historical sets and is the go-to place for filming Chinese costume dramas. Many actors, extras, and crews live there to work on film and TV productions.

In this context, the MC sees Hengdian as a cheap, overused film set—full of recycled props, low-budget productions, and struggling extras, giving it a shabby, mass-produced feel.