Chapter 117: The Father Who Exploited His Child Star (10)

When Gu Jingtong followed the address Xie Hui had sent and drove over, he first sent a message to confirm. Only when he saw a familiar little guy open the gate did he walk inside.

“Hello, Mr. Xie.”

Just as he arrived, Xie Hui happened to finish preparing breakfast and was bringing it to the dining table.

Gu Jingtong, who had thought he wasn’t hungry at all because of work stress and was ready to tough it out until everything was settled, suddenly had his stomach growling in protest the moment he smelled the aroma of the food.

Xie Hui, not wanting to embarrass him, kept a calm expression. But a certain curious little one peeked over and looked directly at Gu Jingtong’s growling belly.

“Mr. Gu, why don’t we eat first and then talk properly? I happened to make extra today.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

The breakfast smelled so good that Gu Jingtong completely forgot to be polite. He sat down at the table without hesitation.

All he could think about now was getting this father and son to the film crew. While technically it was still just an audition, with the original author personally endorsing the child, the role was basically in the bag.

Since nothing was finalized yet, Gu Jingtong didn’t dare make any outright promises. But as he’d said on the phone, he brought cash with him just in case.

“Mr. Xie, when would it be convenient for you to come with me? The crew is really pushing hard.”

“Just need to pack a few things. Will the afternoon be okay?”

Seeing how anxious he was, Xie Hui didn’t try to make things difficult. He did need some time to get things ready, and the soonest they could leave would be the afternoon.

“Of course, no problem. You can bring more luggage if needed—I’ll call the driver now.”

Gu Jingtong came from a well-connected family. When he’d gone to find the child actor’s mother, he had come by car with a driver. The reason he was so meek in front of the director, even taking scoldings without protest, was because the director was his maternal uncle.

After finishing breakfast and agreeing to a pickup time that afternoon, Gu Jingtong started arranging the rest.

“Mr. Xie, I need to take a few photos of your son to show the director. Is that okay?”

As he reached the door and glanced at his phone, he saw that the author who had added him had sent over 99+ messages, pestering him to send the kid’s contact info.

If the kid were an actual little internet celebrity, it’d be easy—he could just send over their public profile.

But Xie Chu was just a small-time skewer stall boss’s kid, with no social media account at all.

With his phone buzzing non-stop, Gu Jingtong had no choice but to come up with a clumsy excuse.

“That’s fine!”

Before Xie Hui could answer, little Xie Chu came running over to agree.

“Uncle, where are we taking the photos? We can’t leave the yard!”

He had sounded so righteous when convincing his dad earlier, but now that he was facing the uncle he’d tricked, he felt a little guilty.

Gu Jingtong picked a spot and took a few short videos, sent them to the original author, and said goodbye to Xie Chu before leaving to make other arrangements.

After seeing him off, Xie Chu went back to the bedroom and pulled out his suitcase from the closet.

He had quite a few clothes. Ever since the skewer stall started making money, Xie Hui had bought him lots of clothes and shoes.

While Xie Hui washed dishes and cleaned the kitchen, Xie Chu stayed in the bedroom, folding his clothes and packing them neatly into the suitcase.

Once he was done, he set it aside, waiting for his dad to come check. Feeling bored, he leaned on the windowsill and stared outside.

When Xie Hui finished cleaning the kitchen and walked into the bedroom, he saw the little guy leaning on the window.

“Chu Chu.”

“Eh!”

Lost in thought, Xie Chu hadn’t noticed his dad approaching. When his dad called, he snapped back to reality and ran over.

“Daddy, look! I finished packing my clothes!”

Tugging at his dad’s sleeve, Xie Chu pulled him to the suitcase and knelt down, aligning the uneven edges, looking up for praise.

Xie Hui ruffled his hair, feeling the soft fuzz brush against his palm. His lips curved slightly, and he said softly:

“Chu Chu did a great job. Can you help Daddy fold his clothes too?”

“Sure! You worked hard washing dishes, Daddy. Sit down and rest.”

Xie Chu pulled out his dad’s suitcase, unzipped it, and started taking clothes from the closet. Piling them on the bed, he sat on a small stool and carefully folded them one by one.

At first, Xie Hui didn’t expect such a young child to help. He figured he could handle it all himself.

In his mind, a child’s childhood should be carefree and filled with dreams—something to smile about when looking back as an adult.

But this little guy was different. He was eager to help. If Xie Hui told him not to do something, he couldn’t even sit still—despite the stool right beside him.

Seeing him now, busy like a little bee, he seemed much more at ease and genuinely happy.

Maybe that was just part of each child’s unique personality and little habits. For small tasks he could handle, Xie Hui saw no reason to stop him.

“Daddy, should we pack the jackets too?”

“Yeah, take two.”

While the child packed clothes, Xie Hui sorted out their IDs and documents.

Seeing the jackets hanging in the closet, Xie Chu tiptoed to grab the hangers and compared the full closet of his own jackets with his dad’s nearly empty side.

“Daddy, didn’t that uncle give us money? You should go buy a few more jackets.”

He ran over with two jackets in hand, tugging at his dad’s sleeve.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? Two jackets are enough for Daddy.”

Like many fathers, Xie Hui believed his kid should be well-dressed, while he could get by with whatever as long as he wasn’t cold.

“Daddy, do you know—even though you’re just an ordinary person right now…”

“But in the future, you’ll be the dad of a Little Star. How can you only have two jackets?”

Xie Hui, who had been checking documents, looked up at his son and met those bright, clean eyes. For a moment, it genuinely felt like the little guy was feeling sorry for him.

“When we get to the big city with that uncle, our family’s Little Star can buy Daddy lots of jackets. How about that?”

Having agreed to leave that afternoon, Xie Hui couldn’t go back on his word. But seeing the little guy look like he might cry if rejected, he could only stall and coax him for now.

“Alright, then. When my Little Star becomes successful, he can buy Daddy lots and lots of coats.”

Xie Chu hugged his clothes in one hand and waved the other, trying hard to show Daddy just how much “lots and lots” really meant.

Xie Hui put the documents into his backpack, then turned and kissed the boy on the cheek.

“Then Daddy thanks his Little Star in advance.”

“Mm!”

Hugging his clothes, Xie Chu returned to the small stool and sat down. While folding clothes, he was seriously thinking that once he went with that uncle, he would work hard.

Initially, Xie Chu only wanted the three thousand yuan that uncle mentioned, but now he wanted even more—so he could buy Daddy more coats than he had himself.

To avoid the awkwardness of this morning, Gu Jingtong had eaten at a restaurant with the driver before coming over.

The father and son, having packed early, had cleaned the yard again and asked the landlord to help keep an eye on things. Their fried skewer cart had also been locked up.

The driver parked at the gate, came over to carry their luggage to the trunk, and helped them into the back seat.

“Little one, Uncle bought you some snacks. They’re in that plastic bag next to you—if you get bored on the road, feel free to try them.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Gu Jingtong turned back after the car started moving.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

On the way over, Gu Jingtong had deliberately asked the driver to stop at a supermarket for snacks. From here to the filming location, it was already 1 p.m., and they likely wouldn’t arrive until about 6:30 p.m.

Even adults got bored on long highway trips, let alone a child this young.

Thinking about their financial situation, and that Xie Hui might not be able to prepare well, Gu Jingtong had bought a whole bag full.

After thanking him, Xie Chu glanced at his dad and shrugged helplessly.

Sigh… Although Daddy hadn’t bought him snacks, Daddy made them.

In little Xie Chu’s heart, no store-bought snack, no matter how tasty, could beat something Daddy made.

Not long after getting on the highway, Xie Chu got sleepy and dozed off in his father’s arms.

Noticing he had fallen asleep, Xie Hui reached out to remove his little backpack filled with snacks. He moved carefully, but Xie Chu still stirred awake.

Bleary-eyed, he recognized Daddy and relaxed again, eyes closing with ease.

Xie Hui set the bag aside and cradled the boy fully in his arms. Watching his son sleep peacefully, a soft smile curled his lips.

Gu Jingtong had expected to arrive around 6:30, but an unexpected highway jam delayed them until nearly 8 p.m. before they reached the reserved hotel.

Having napped all afternoon, Xie Chu hopped a couple of times after getting out of the car, stretching his legs before returning to Daddy’s side.

At just over three years old, this was his first time in such a bustling, dazzling city. Everything here felt fresh to him.

Unlike the previous town, this one had towering buildings whose tops he couldn’t see, and dazzling lights that left him wide-eyed and gaping.

Feeling nervous in the unfamiliar city, Xie Chu clung tightly to his father’s clothes and hid behind him.

“Mr. Xie, I’m really sorry. I didn’t expect the highway to be that jammed. I’ve asked the driver to take your luggage to your room—how about we go get dinner first?”

In truth, Gu Jingtong had been the most agitated one during the traffic jam. He could already imagine how his uncle—the director—would bring this up as a joke at the next family gathering.

The director was already anxious about the production schedule and had wanted the child actor on-site ASAP, just to try on the costume and see if he fit the role.

If he was suitable, perfect. If not, they’d still have time to find someone else.

There were many child stars in the industry, but ones who could carry this much screen time were rare. Even actors in their twenties or thirties sometimes lacked the acting chops—let alone a three- or four-year-old child.

The director knew he shouldn’t expect too much from a kid, but as a perfectionist, he didn’t want even the smallest flaw in his work.

To him, the protagonist was the soul of the piece.

He had been involved in adapting the novel into the screenplay and had read the original author’s drafts countless times.

The more he read, the more convinced he became that the child might actually be the key character.

So even before the child actor arrived, the director had urged Gu Jingtong to hurry. Originally, he had told the crew to stay late, but once he heard about the traffic jam, he let them go.

Though they couldn’t shoot today, at least they could meet. The hotel was booked, and Gu Jingtong was instructed to bring the kid.

The director hadn’t had high expectations at first, but once the original author showed interest, he became restless, itching for the meeting.

“Mr. Xie, I figure the child must be hungry too.”

Hearing the uncle mention him, Xie Chu peeked over, his little brows furrowing slightly.

“Alright.”

Xie Hui agreed, then picked up his son to go have dinner with Gu Jingtong. If they were at home, they would’ve eaten long ago by now.

Being carried, Xie Chu wrapped his arms around Daddy’s neck and snuggled close.

“Daddy, you’ve worked hard.”

“It’s so late and Daddy hasn’t eaten yet. You must be hungry too.”

Always thoughtful toward his father, the little guy leaned in and gave him a big smooch on the cheek.

“Daddy’s the best. Once we’re with that uncle, we’ll get to eat dinner soon.”

Watching this scene, Gu Jingtong suddenly felt an odd longing… to have such an adorable son of his own.

At the restaurant the director had reserved in advance, a server opened the door to the private room. The director, screenwriter, and original author—who were in the middle of discussing filming matters—were drawn by the sound and instinctively looked over.