Chapter 132: The Father Who Exploited His Child Star 25

All of Xie Chu’s previous anxiety and disappointment vanished. He gripped his mobile phone tightly and instinctively walked towards the school gate, his legs moving so fast he wished he could grab Nezha’s Wind-Fire Wheels and fly there.

“Dad? You’re back in the country?”

“Yes, I just got tired of playing over there, and I missed my precious son, so I came back to see you. I also brought you something to eat.”

When the call ended, Xie Hui noticed a slight nasal tone in his son’s voice.

He had raised the child himself, and they rarely separated. The child’s dependence on him hadn’t changed, even after growing up.

Anyway, he was just traveling abroad, and there would be other opportunities later, so Xie Hui simply booked a flight, packed a few things, and flew back after hanging up the phone.

It’s normal for children to miss their parents after leaving home. When conditions allowed, Xie Hui also wanted to cater to all of Xie Chu’s minor grievances.

Xie Hui never thought about whether the child was being sentimental or not; he just felt that the child he raised was his to cherish.

Upon reaching the main gate, Xie Chu, from a distance, excitedly waved at his father.

“Dad, you really came?”

“When have I ever lied to you? Let’s go eat over there. It might get cold soon, and then it won’t taste as good.”

Xie Hui pointed to a long bench not far away. Xie Chu took the things from his hand, letting his father walk ahead while he followed behind.

Perhaps because the memory of last night was so vivid, Xie Chu was a bit sentimental now.

When he habitually took things from his father’s hand, he remembered how, when he was little, his father would always take his schoolbag after school and hold his hand, letting him skip all the way home.

The iron pot stewed goose was something Xie Hui had just finished making not long ago, and it was still a bit hot to eat.

The goose was also a rural goose that Xie Hui specifically bought from the market after returning. After cooking, he put it in an insulated container and immediately brought it over.

The goose meat was very firm, and because Xie Hui spent a long time cooking it, it was stewed very tenderly. A slight bite would make the meat melt. Although it melted in the mouth, it wasn’t mushy at all, and chewing it filled the mouth with a savory flavor.

“Dad, I’ve always felt that no one else’s cooking tastes as good as yours.”

This sentence came entirely from Xie Chu’s heart.

Even if it was the exact same dish, his dad’s cooking had a strange flavor that no matter how good a restaurant was, it couldn’t match.

After finishing the goose, Xie Chu habitually soaked his rice in the gravy from the iron pot stewed goose. The rice absorbed the goose gravy, and he didn’t need any other dishes to enjoy his meal.

“Didn’t your agent tell you to watch your figure?”

Xie Hui watched him devour his food and waited for him to eat for a while before asking about it.

Xie Chu paused slightly in his eating, then looked up at his dad and nodded gently.

“Yes…”

After all, the camera is very demanding. Even the smallest flaw can be infinitely magnified under the lens.

Not to mention a newcomer like Xie Chu, who is just starting out.

“Then what about this meal you’re eating today?”

Xie Chu’s mouth still had the aroma of the iron pot stewed goose. When his dad mentioned it, he subconsciously chewed a bit, then shoveled more rice into his mouth.

“I, I’ll exercise after I finish eating. It should be fine, right?”

Xie Hui was just asking and didn’t mean to make things difficult for him. Thinking about it, he had been abroad for so long, and his son had always loved his cooking since childhood. Indulging once wasn’t out of the question.

He could start thinking about how to prepare low-calorie, delicious food for him soon.

“Dad, why did you suddenly come back? A while ago, didn’t you tell me that making wine was fun? And you asked me if I had time during the New Year to go abroad and be with you?”

Xie Hui had indeed planned that. After spending a long time making food in this world, he also developed an interest in winemaking.

During his missions, Xie Hui would never give up learning whenever possible. For him, every mission was a process of constantly enriching himself.

“Oh, didn’t I see those rumors online? I was a bit worried about you.”

Xie Hui wouldn’t tell his son that he knew his son missed him. After all, Chu Chu was already so grown up, he needed to save some face.

“Hmm?”

“Look at how many artists in the Entertainment Industry have had problems every year due to too much pressure. This time, when people were talking about you, I just thought it was a good time to come back and be with you.”

During class, Xie Chu had also heard his teachers talk about things like how to relieve stress. At the time, he listened attentively, but he didn’t think he would ever need to apply it.

It’s just a few words from people, right? It didn’t affect him directly. For him, as long as it didn’t affect him directly, everything was fine. At worst, he just wouldn’t look at it.

Actually, he had seen some comments saying that he was bullying people by taking advantage of his good relationship with Gu Jingtong, followed by a string of vicious curses.

At the time, Xie Chu just brushed it off, but now that his dad started caring about him, he inexplicably felt a bit wronged.

“Dad, it seems like I didn’t do anything, and people are still scolding me.”

While saying this, Xie Chu didn’t forget to shovel rice into his mouth.

Xie Chu took out another insulated container from his bag, took out a spoon, and handed it to him, preventing him from choking if he only ate rice.

“Chu Chu, in the Entertainment Industry, as a public figure, being discussed is unavoidable.”

Xie Chu was just starting out now. When he became popular later, this kind of thing would only increase.

A tough education would tell him to quit if he couldn’t handle the pressure. But when the child was already feeling a bit down, Xie Hui preferred to be a gentle comforter.

“We can’t control what others say; that’s their freedom. However, we can control what we do; that’s your freedom.”

“If Chu Chu feels their comments are affecting him, we just won’t look at them. It’s the people who scold you who have the problem.”

Xie Chu took a sip of soup, swallowed it, then looked up to meet his dad’s gaze, sniffled, and asked:

“Dad, aren’t you worried that it really is my problem? What if I made a mistake? What if I was deliberately bullying someone?”

Rather than Xie Chu genuinely asking his father a question, it was more like he just wanted an excuse to act spoiled with his dad.

He was afraid it would sound too sentimental to say it openly, after all, he was already so grown up.

“Oh, what do I have to worry about? Dad is willing to believe that the Chu Chu I personally taught wouldn’t be the kind of person who deliberately bullies others.”

“It’s okay to make mistakes. Even saints make mistakes, let alone Chu Chu, who is just an ordinary person. Just apologize sincerely and try your best to make amends after making a mistake.”

Even Xie Hui couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t make mistakes, so of course, he wouldn’t use that to demand perfection from his child.

In the end, Xie Chu ate all the food his dad brought, burped contentedly, and even felt that if his dad had prepared anything else, he could still eat it.

“Dad, how long are you planning to stay this time?”

Sitting on the roadside bench, Xie Chu leaned against the backrest and turned his head to look at his dad.

Selfishly, he wanted his dad to stay with him for a while longer. But he also clearly understood that before his dad became his dad, he was his own person, and he should have his own life.

When he was little, it was understandable to tie his dad down, but he couldn’t keep his dad confined by his side and endlessly demand from him now that he was so grown up.

“It’s been a bit tiring running around outside; I want to rest. Our Zhaocai’s daughter had another litter of cubs, so I’ll stay here to look after them.”

After Xie Chu received his admission letter here, Xie Hui also bought a small villa here, hired a maid, and brought all the little cats over.

“That works. Dad, I recently landed a new role through my godfather. I’ll need to take some time off for filming soon.”

The moment Xie Chu heard his dad say he’d be staying for a while, his tone lit up with excitement as he eagerly shared his recent updates.

“It’s great that I’m back too. This weekend, when you’re free from classes, we can go visit your godmother together.”

“Okay, Dad. I wanted to go a while ago, but I never had the time.”

Previously, because Yang Yu’s career was on the rise and she was going international, the couple had no plans to have children.

After Yang Yu won the International Film Queen award, she settled down to prepare for pregnancy, and then a little darling came along.

Actually, Gu Jingtong always liked children, but he couldn’t bear to force his wife. After Yang Yu was confirmed pregnant, he got drunk and sent Xie Chu more than a dozen Red Envelopes.

“Godmother has been quite annoyed with godfather lately. I heard him say that every day when he comes home, godmother can smell perfume on him.”

“Hehe, godfather also said he wished he could scrub himself thoroughly with a steel wool.”

Xie Hui curled his lips when he heard this, finding it a bit amusing.

“Perhaps your godmother’s sense of smell is more sensitive during pregnancy.”

“My godfather even messaged me saying that he thinks godmother’s nose is even more sensitive than a dog’s after she got pregnant. Even after he showered and changed clothes and lay in bed at night, she’d still complain about the smell of smoke.”

Chatting about these trivial matters, time flew by. It wasn’t until Xie Chu’s own alarm clock rang that it interrupted his desire to tell his dad about a particularly round cat at their school.

“It must be time for class, right? Go back quickly, don’t be late for class.”

“Mhm.”

As Xie Chu stood up to go back, he shuffled along, taking small steps. After three steps, he took a big step back.

“Dad, can your grown-up son still hug you?”

Xie Chu’s answer was Xie Hui putting down his things and actively giving him a hug, accompanied by a laughing voice in his ear.

“You talk as if you’re not my son just because you’re grown up. Hurry back to class.”