Chapter 116 – The Father Who Exploited His Child Star (9)

That evening, while Xie Hui was helping him bathe, the little guy was still trying hard to count on his fingers, figuring out exactly how many days he and his dad would need to sell fried skewers to make three thousand yuan.

After the child was clean, dressed in fresh pajamas, and tucked into bed, Xie Hui went to take his own shower. He finished washing his clothes and hanging them up to dry, and just as he opened the bedroom door, a small head peeked out from the covers.

“Daddy, I still think it’s a great deal.”

As he spoke, Xie Chu saw his father still standing at the door and quickly climbed out from under the blanket, waving his little hand enthusiastically.

“Daddy, come over here! I’ll explain it to you slowly.”

Xie Hui hadn’t even had time to put away his jacket before seeing his son’s eager expression. He helplessly set the clothes down and walked over to the bed.

As soon as Xie Hui sat down, Xie Chu crawled into his lap on his own.

“Daddy, look—right now you’re working so hard. If you say yes to that uncle, you’ll get to rest for several days!”

He bent one of his fingers as he spoke.

“Tomorrow, let’s go talk to that uncle and ask him to give us the money in advance. If he refuses, then he’s a scammer.”

“We’ll just go through the motions. Once that uncle says I didn’t get selected, Daddy, we can still spend a few days playing in that city!”

“Didn’t Daddy say he doesn’t like that crappy village and wants to go see the outside world? Isn’t this a great chance? And we don’t even have to pay!”

Xie Chu counted on his fingers seriously. No matter how he calculated, it still seemed like a great deal.

With that cunning little look on his face, it was hard for Xie Hui not to suspect that the kid was just scheming to swindle Gu Jingtong out of that three thousand yuan.

It seemed like from beginning to end, Xie Chu had never once considered the possibility that he might actually be selected.

“What if you are chosen, Chu Chu? Would that mean Daddy has to rely on you to support him from now on?”

Hearing that, Xie Chu felt a surge of pride. He clenched his little fists and thumped his chest, giving a solemn promise in his childish voice:

“If I get picked, then Chu Chu will take care of Daddy! So Daddy can stay home every day and play games!”

Maybe it was because the Entruster had spent so much time playing games that it left a deep impression on Xie Chu—now whenever he talked about the future, it was all about letting Daddy enjoy a life of gaming every day.

“Ai, Daddy, you’re so naive. With so many kids out there, how could they pick me?”

“Let’s just treat it like someone’s paying you to take Chu Chu out on a trip!”

After saying that, the little rascal even patted Xie Hui’s shoulder very seriously.

Seeing him rack his brain trying to persuade him, Xie Hui found himself strangely unable to say no.

“You really want to go?”

Xie Chu nodded enthusiastically like a pecking chick. Xie Hui reminded him again:

“Is it truly what you want? Daddy works hard for our future, so I don’t feel tired at all. You don’t need to count whether Daddy is tired when you make your decision.”

After saying this, Xie Hui felt a bit ridiculous. To Xie Chu, this was probably the most important part—how could it be left out?

“I really want to go.”

Nestled in his father’s arms, Xie Chu rubbed his cheek affectionately against him.

“Other kids’ dads get to rest on weekends, but mine doesn’t. So this time, let’s take a break, just this once.”

He had learned this from the customers who came to buy fried skewers—other dads only worked five days a week and got two days off.

But his own dad had to work hard selling fried skewers come rain or shine, weekdays or weekends.

He often said aloud that Daddy was working so hard, but the feelings in his heart were hundreds of times deeper than what he could express.

“Alright.”

Looking into his son’s slightly reddened eyes, Xie Hui lowered his head and kissed him. He nodded and agreed.

“Then this time, Daddy’s lucky to have Chu Chu—we’ll get a few days of rest.”

Xie Chu wriggled out of his dad’s arms, turned to face him, and threw his arms around him in a big hug.

“Then Daddy better enjoy it properly!”

“Mhm.”

That night, after Xie Hui put Xie Chu to sleep, he lay in bed with his eyes open, thinking for a long time.

Whether it was because this child truly loved it or because of their harsh reality, as long as Xie Chu was willing, Xie Hui wanted to give him this one chance.

Unlike the Entruster, Xie Hui didn’t plan to treat Xie Chu as a money-making tool—everything would be based on the child’s own will and safety.

Besides, Xie Hui wasn’t like the Entruster—afraid of hardship or incapable. The Entruster would accept every script no matter the content, just because he was afraid of offending people as long as someone handed it to him.

And every time he felt a bit sorry for the child’s suffering, he’d think about the good days they used to have and force himself to ignore the injuries on the child’s body.

But Xie Hui was different. If something would harm the child, he wouldn’t take it. The worst outcome would just be getting blacklisted in the industry. So what? He could always go back to selling fried skewers.

If it hadn’t been for Gu Jingtong coming up to him while he was working the skewer stall, Xie Hui’s original plan was to keep selling for a while, save up some money, and open a snack shop.

The shop would ideally be near Xie Chu’s school, so he could keep him company. A snack shop where skill and flavor mattered most—Xie Hui was confident he could build a good life for the two of them.

Life was full of unexpected surprises and opportunities. Even with risk, Xie Hui didn’t shy away.

He felt that being a father was like being a big tree—providing shade and shelter for his child. No matter what happened, his child would always be protected beneath his canopy.

The next morning, while Xie Hui was making breakfast, his charging phone rang. His hands were busy chopping vegetables, so he glanced toward the courtyard.

They had planted some scallions in old unused pots. When Xie Chu found out you could grow green onions and garlic at home without spending money, he became so excited he watered them every morning with his little toothbrush cup.

“Chu Chu, answer the phone for Daddy.”

“Coming!”

After watering the onions, Xie Chu put the cup back and ran into the bedroom. He unplugged the charger and swiped the screen.

“Hello? Who are you?”

Last night, when Gu Jingtong returned to the hotel, he got scolded by the director. The lead actors’ scenes were nearly done—if they didn’t find a child actor soon, the whole schedule would fall apart.

It wasn’t like Gu Jingtong hadn’t tried. He had gone to find the previous child actor’s mom and ended up getting chewed out and thrown out of the house!

Back then, when everyone online was criticizing that child, their film crew truly didn’t speak up. In situations like that, any statement from the crew would’ve only fanned the flames, made the backlash worse, and negatively impacted the entire production.

So they pretended not to see anything, thinking that silence would let things blow over. Unexpectedly, it made the child actor’s mother decide to quit for good.

“Hello? Little one, do you still remember me? I’m the uncle from last night.”

“I remember.”

“Uncle’s calling to ask—has your dad made up his mind?”

Xie Chu really wanted to go, but he also knew not to speak out of turn before his dad gave the okay.

“Not yet. Daddy’s making breakfast. Uncle, wait a sec, I’ll bring him the phone.”

Holding the phone, Xie Chu walked to the kitchen doorway. Xie Hui, hearing his son’s voice draw nearer, lowered the heat and bent down. Xie Chu stood on tiptoe and held the phone up to his ear.

“Mr. Xie, hello. Things are a bit rushed on our side, so I wanted to ask if you’ve come to a decision?”

Last night, Gu Jingtong had been scolded by the director after returning to the hotel. Most of the scenes with the male and female leads had already been shot—if they couldn’t lock in a child actor soon, they’d fall behind schedule.

It wasn’t that Gu Jingtong didn’t want to find someone. He’d tried contacting the previous child actor’s mother, but got cursed out and kicked out instead.

Feeling annoyed, Gu Jingtong had been scrolling through short videos in bed when he happened to spot a very familiar-looking child. He saved the video and posted it to the work group chat this morning. Surprisingly, the usually-silent original scriptwriter popped up and said she thought this kid was perfect—just like the child she imagined when writing the novel.

In the novel, the child had been described repeatedly as a “warm light,” a presence full of life and uniquely radiant.

The original storyline had been done to death by now, but the novel still held a special place in the hearts of many readers. In the world of online literature, it was a true classic.

It was your typical rebirth-revenge plot: the female lead, burdened with deep hatred, reincarnates into a good-for-nothing body and climbs her way up. Every time she nearly falls into darkness, it’s her child who pulls her back.

Most fans even felt the story would be better if it just focused on her and the child’s warm journey of cultivation—forget the scumbag male lead altogether.

【Is that the viral toddler? I live on the internet and haven’t seen this one before. @Gu Jingtong, add me so I can see which baby I’ve missed!】

Afterward, Gu Jingtong explained that not only was the director pressuring him to get it done, but the scriptwriter was also hounding him for the kid’s contact info.

So that morning, before he’d even eaten, Gu Jingtong impatiently called.

Xie Hui had already made up his mind the night before. So now, when Gu Jingtong asked, he responded:

“Mr. Gu, if he’s selected, I’d like to review the script first to make sure there’s no danger involved for my son.”

Before he could say anything else, Xie Chu stood on tiptoe and leaned in to the phone, earnestly adding:

“And also, Uncle has to give us the money first, okay?”

For Gu Jingtong, none of this was an issue. After getting Xie Hui’s address, he immediately got in his car and rushed over, eager to take them back that very day.

Xie Hui looked at the breakfast he was preparing, then decided to make a bit more.

While he was washing vegetables, he noticed Xie Chu had pulled up a little stool and was sitting in the kitchen.

“What are you doing in here?”

Xie Chu rested his chin in his hands and looked up at his dad. After a while, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity anymore.

“Daddy, aren’t you worried that if you tell that uncle your son has to be safe, they won’t want us?”

Xie Chu still remembered his dad once saying that if a role was dangerous, it could be considered—if the pay was higher.

Xie Hui put down the vegetables, came over, and squatted so he was eye-level with the little guy. He answered seriously:

“Because to Daddy, your safety is the most important thing. If they don’t want us, then we’ll just go to the market later, buy some ingredients, and keep selling fried skewers tonight.”

Xie Chu wanted to correct his dad—this mindset wouldn’t make them any money—but the excitement in his heart made him grin from ear to ear.

“That’s fine too!”