Chapter 237: A Celebrity’s Alcoholic Father – 5

Xie Hui didn’t answer him. He silently put the items he had taken out back into their places, organizing everything neatly, exactly as the client used to do.

In the evening, after dinner was finished and the living room was tidied up, Xie Hui planned to watch the news for a while before heading to the bedroom to rest. Just then, Xie Chuan walked out carrying a basin of water.

He placed it next to the sofa, looked up into his father’s eyes, and spoke with great sincerity.

“Dad, I don’t know why I used to find you so repulsive back then. I know I was wrong now. I hope you can give me a chance to make it up to you.”

The client hadn’t thought much of it at the time, and Xie Hui felt the same. Back then, Xie Chuan was just a kid in kindergarten who had just been taught about hygiene by his teachers. It was normal for a child not to want to touch something dirty.

At that stage, Xie Chuan even found his own little feet repulsive.

“Mm.”

Xie Chuan rolled up his sleeves. He had once played a character in a movie who gave foot massages. He had specifically studied the technique back then, and his movements were quite professional.

Xie Hui leaned against the back of the sofa, staring at Xie Chuan in front of him, feeling that it was truly a pity.

From the original host’s memories, he knew that after Xie Chuan passed away, the last film he shot during his lifetime became a massive hit, leaving countless people in mourning.

The client’s desire for control had been too strong. While the boy had been obedient as a child, he wanted to chase his own dreams once he grew up, only to be shackled by his father in the name of love.

“I’ve been thinking lately… if perhaps I was the one who was wrong.”

His father’s words made Xie Chuan pause mid-motion. He snapped his head up to stare at him.

During this recent period, Xie Hui had been reflecting on why things had spiraled out of control so quickly in the original timeline. After thinking it over, he felt that someone must have been pushing things from behind the scenes.

During the period when the client had fallen into depravity, anyone with an agenda could have found plenty of evidence to use as “black material^[1]” against Xie Chuan.

If an ordinary person tried to clarify things, they would be accused of intentionally leeching off their child’s fame. It would be better to use this reality show to explain all the misunderstandings clearly.

That way, those incidents would no longer be stains on Xie Chuan’s reputation, but rather the best evidence of the sincerity behind his current words.

“Dad?”

Under Xie Chuan’s shocked gaze, Xie Hui took a nearby towel and dried his feet. He slid them into his plush slippers and pulled out the items he hadn’t put away earlier.

“Do you still remember an essay you wrote when you were little? You said that when you grew up, you wanted to start a very, very big company.”

Xie Chuan took the essay and looked at it. The handwriting was crooked and messy; it was likely something he wrote in elementary school.

Essays were mostly made up anyway. In his childhood writings, his father had taken him to the hospital in the middle of the night more than ten times. How could he possibly remember things so clearly?

He did have a tiny bit of memory regarding this specific piece, however, because his teacher had criticized him back then, saying his dream was too materialistic.

“From the moment you told me your dream, I imagined your future countless times. Your grades were always excellent growing up, and I thought you would be very successful.”

“That’s why I was so angry when I found out you changed your university applications behind my back to go to the Film Academy.”

Xie Chuan had always thought his father simply believed the acting profession was beneath them. But now… it seemed that was part of it, but not all.

“A while ago, I ran into Old Wang’s son from our neighborhood. Back then, his son’s rebellious phase was so bad he almost committed suicide. He insisted on playing professional video games, saying he could support himself. Old Wang was so angry he ended up in the hospital for several days.”

“In the last few years, that kid has actually made something of himself. He’s doing quite well. I’ve been wondering if I was wrong too…”

Xie Hui spoke slowly about the past, which immediately reminded Xie Chuan of the time he and his father had fought so bitterly that things became irreconcilable. Back then, he had also felt that he might as well be dead.

But now, looking up at the few strands of white hair visible at his father’s temples, he wished he could travel back in time and give his past self a harsh slap across the face!

“Dad…”

“Let me finish.”

A slight smile played on Xie Hui’s lips. He didn’t look like the silent, grumpy old man from before, and Xie Chuan subconsciously nodded.

“Actually, I didn’t have any other motives. That Film Academy you mentioned… I had never even heard of it before.”

Xie Chuan knew his father. The only schools he recognized were Tsinghua University and Peking University^[2]. His test scores had been high enough to get in, so when he chose the Film Academy instead, his father had nearly beaten him to death with a stick.

“Do you know how hard life was for those without an education when I was your age? Someone with a degree would do a job and the boss would pay them a thousand yuan a month. Someone without a degree, even if they knew how to do the work, would only get three hundred.”

Xie Chuan was born in a better era. Even without a degree, there were other paths to take. As long as one was willing to work, they wouldn’t starve. He had never heard of a past like this.

“Those with degrees sat in offices doing light work, protected from the wind and rain.”

“Those without degrees sold their physical strength outside. They’d be riddled with pain and illness while still young. And if they ran into a crooked boss, they might work a whole year for nothing.”

“I know you like this acting business, but I always felt you needed a proper job to make a living. Look at you now, your work is unstable. What young lady would be willing to marry you?”

Hearing his father’s blunt disapproval, Xie Chuan rubbed his nose innocently. Thinking about the things he had kept hidden from his father, he felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of guilt.

The client had a strong need for control. After losing his wife and his career, all his focus had shifted to his child, resulting in a paranoia he didn’t even recognize in himself.

He wanted his child to be like he once was—starting a business and being the boss—because his subconscious told him that such a life was the best.

No one to boss you around, plenty of freedom, and financial security.

“After hearing what Old Wang said, I felt like he had a point. I’m old, and I’ve lost touch with society. There are probably many things I don’t understand. That school you got into is very prestigious. I looked it up; many big stars graduated from there.”

“You are very outstanding. You aren’t just drifting through some ordinary school like I thought you were.”

Xie Hui reached out and gently patted Xie Chuan’s shoulder.

The feeling of being validated by his father made Xie Chuan, a grown man, unable to stop his eyes from welling up.

“Dad…”

“I know the things I did before were wrong, and I caused you some trouble. I’m sorry. Your dad was wrong.”

The tears Xie Chuan had been holding back for so long finally fell uncontrollably. He wiped them away with his sleeve.

No one knew better than him just how proud and stubborn his father’s personality was. Even when his father wasn’t in the right, he could usually twist logic into some crooked reasoning just to keep being stubborn with people.

Therefore, seeing his father lower his head to apologize and admit his mistakes didn’t make Xie Chuan happy at all. Instead, it felt agonizingly painful.

“Dad, I’m your son. Why are you saying sorry to me?”

From the moment his father started talking about the past, Xie Chuan completely forgot he was filming a Reality Show. When he went to pour out the water, he found a hidden spot to wipe his tears dry.

As this episode’s filming concluded, the staff members were all deeply moved.

Most of them were a bit older than Xie Chuan, and their own fathers were older than Xie Hui. Their fathers were just as stubborn and pedantic; usually, saying more than two words to them felt incredibly annoying.

But… did that really mean they didn’t love their children?

The director in charge of this group had extensive professional experience. Although they had only just finished filming, he already guessed that once this aired, this pair would definitely cause a significant stir.

That night, after all the staff had left, Xie Chuan went back to his room and let out all his pent-up emotions.

When he saw his father drunk every day, neglecting his health, and scolding him whenever he asked about it, he was only human; he felt hurt and aggrieved.

But after hearing what his father said to him, all that resentment and hurt transformed into endless guilt.

He had never explained to his father that his university was actually quite good. He had never told his father how good his job was or that it offered security. Even at his lowest, his salary was much higher than that of an average person.

He had always been annoyed by the things his father said to him, feeling as though the man was just chanting sutras.

Though he never said it out loud, Xie Chuan had always felt he was doing well enough.

His father’s words had suddenly snapped him into clarity. He had always assumed his father should understand those things, but in reality, his father didn’t. In the beginning, his father even had to ask others just to learn how to use a smartphone.

Once he and his father had their falling out and he became unwilling to talk about his life, the only way his father could learn about him was through various entertainment news outlets.

In those reports, a simple nod and a smile to an ordinary investor could be spun into a story about him being “kept” by a benefactor, taking a tiny rumor and blowing it out of proportion.

Fans wouldn’t believe such things, but his father might.

After Xie Chuan finished crying, he sat at his desk and opened the window to let the night breeze blow in.

Because he had seen the brilliant world outside, he assumed his father had seen it too. But it was his father who had supported him, allowing him to stand in this position to see everything from a higher vantage point.

His father stayed in this small town and used his savings to send him to a more prosperous city, only for Xie Chuan to turn around and blame him for not understanding anything.

After reflecting on all of this, Xie Chuan opened his door and walked out. He was surprised to find the living room lights were still on. Looking out, he saw his father still sitting there reading a newspaper.

“Dad, I have something to tell you.”

Sitting there, Xie Hui heard these words and set the newspaper aside. He had guessed that the boy probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, which was why he stayed up waiting for him.

The Client’s personality was such that he would never have said these things out loud. Even though the Client knew he was out of touch, he was unwilling to admit it. Occasionally, when that stubborn streak hit him, he would even scold Xie Chuan a few times.

“Mm, go ahead.”

Xie Hui thought the boy might want to share his inner thoughts. To his surprise, Xie Chuan knelt directly in front of him.

“Dad, I’m sorry…”