Chapter 128

Once An An got into character, there was no stopping him. Just as the staff member was about to change the subject to ease the awkwardness, An An put down his bowl of peas and clung to her arm.

“Wuwu, my dad died such a tragic death.”

Tragic? The staff member instinctively glanced in Lu Mingzhe’s direction. Li Lulu had lost her balance and he reached out to steady her. The scene had an oddly artistic beauty to it.

Working on a variety show crew, even if you try not to pay attention, it’s impossible not to hear some gossip.

She had been one of those who eagerly anticipated the drama that might unfold once Lu Mingzhe showed up.

But no one could have expected that little An An didn’t even recognize his biological father, and was absolutely convinced that his dad had long since passed away.

“Mommy works so hard to raise An An. An An has to be good.”

【This is kind of funny, not gonna lie.】

【Haha, does Lu Mingzhe even know he’s supposedly dead?】

【Look at An An trying so hard to cry but failing. I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts.】

People who love watching cute kids thought An An was adorable no matter what he did. But Lu Mingzhe’s fans felt strangely offended by what An An said.

【What kind of parenting is He Dongling doing? Why would she let the kid think his dad is gone?】

【Honestly, He Dongling reminds me of some of my own relatives. After a divorce, they’d tell the kid the other parent died, scaring them to tears. Disgusting!】

【This kid talking about his own biological father like that? Clearly he’s not a good one either.】

【A child who curses his own father as dead, and people still think he’s cute?】

【Poor Lu Mingzhe, working so hard to support his family, only to have his kid say he’s dead.】

【Hugs to Lu-ge’s fans. It’s okay, now he has Lulu. Their future kids will definitely be well-mannered.】

The female staff member had worked in production for years and knew just how easily public opinion could be swayed. Some extreme netizens wouldn’t hold back their venom just because the target was a child.

She handed the bowl of peas back to An An, trying to help him explain.

“An An, why would you say something like that? It’s not right for little kids to say things like that. You shouldn’t curse people.”

“Huh?”

An An looked up, big eyes full of innocence and confusion. After tossing a peeled pea into his mouth, he frowned and muttered,

“An An doesn’t lie~”

“I’ve never met my dad. He must be dead.”

The staff member sighed helplessly. She was trying to help the little guy out, but he just wouldn’t play along.

“What if your dad is working hard outside to support you? A lot of the things we use every day cost money. Without money, it’s hard to raise a child.”

An An clapped his hands after finishing the peas, picked up the bowl and gave it a little shake. Then he carefully picked up the pea shells that had fallen on the ground and put them into a plastic bag.

Only after making sure nothing was wasted and no trash was left behind did he relax.

“No, Grandpa raises An An. An An knows. Grandpa gives Auntie the money.”

Watching An An try so hard to explain himself made the staff member feel even more worried about the online backlash he might face.

Right now, Lu Mingzhe was extremely popular. His fanbase rivaled that of the hottest young male stars, and they were fiercely loyal.

“Maybe An An is just too young and forgot that Daddy came to visit?”

“No, he didn’t. Not even once.”

On this point, An An refused to accept any vague explanations. He firmly repeated “no,” his face turning red with frustration.

Viewers who liked An An felt their hearts ache seeing him so upset. Meanwhile, Lu Mingzhe’s fans were still attacking him in the comments.

No one expected them to use such cruel language against a child who clearly didn’t understand what was going on. Even fans of Zhu Yinghou and Xiao Yangyu couldn’t stand by and watch.

【Stop living in your own delusions.】

【Don’t you know your idol’s schedule? Just check it and you’ll see if he ever went home. An An isn’t even four yet. It’s not hard to verify.】

【If he never appeared in the child’s life, why should the kid see him as a father? Just because he donated some sperm?】

【A child over three who’s never seen his dad and has no memory of him—what else would he think but that he’s dead?】

【Stop trying to explain. We get it, you’re panicking because your idol’s been declared dead, but calm down.】

The two sides started fighting directly in the comment section. Some of An An’s fans even dug up Lu Mingzhe’s schedule from the past three years.

For a celebrity, this kind of information wasn’t exactly private.

Lu Mingzhe’s fans used to proudly share his schedule everywhere, using it as proof of how hardworking he was.

But after a closer look, it turned out his private schedule was sparse, mostly consisting of casual meetups with other celebrities for afternoon tea.

Fans had once claimed that even his private time was spent working for his career. Now, that very schedule had become damning evidence.

One entry showed a vacation abroad lasting over two weeks, which matched up with Li Lulu’s private schedule.

CP fans had used this as fuel for their shipping fantasies, even creating a lot of fanfiction from it.

【So he had time to go on an overseas vacation with his rumored partner, but no time to visit his kid?】

【No wonder An An doesn’t remember him. He never came home!】

【What else is there to say? Let’s see what angle you’re going to spin now.】

Even with the evidence laid out, Lu Mingzhe’s fans refused to back down. Instead, they immediately pushed back.

【How do you expect him to raise a child without making money? Should he survive on air?】

【It’s public knowledge that He Dongling used to only get bit parts. How much could she have earned? It was all thanks to Lu-ge.】

【Lu-ge worked so hard to support the family, and now he’s being blamed for not being around!】

【Yeah, let’s just blame Lu-ge for not being able to clone himself so he could work and visit the kid at the same time.】

If that had really been the case, it might have been hard to accept, but at least it would have made some sense.

For thousands of years, parents have held a dominant role over their children. Even in today’s society, some still believe that “parents can do no wrong.”

Just as the comment section was starting to calm down, a flashy comment floated across the screen.

【Lu Mingzhe fans, stop putting him on a pedestal. Check out this clarification.】

It included a link. Clicking it led to a casual discussion thread on the streaming platform’s forum.

The original poster introduced herself first, explaining that her sister had been An An’s nanny for the past three years.

With the employer’s permission, she posted some redacted documents.

The nanny handled all of An An’s daily needs—clothes, toys, household items—and even attached receipts.

She also shared her sister’s salary payment records, which clearly showed the remitter as He XX.

【1st comment: What a plot twist! What kind of scumbag is this?】

【2nd: I’ve never seen such a shameless celebrity and fanbase. And they dare say he’s supporting the family? More like supporting a mistress.】

【3rd: He didn’t go home for three years. Didn’t send money for three years. And you blame the kid for thinking he’s dead?】

【4th: Just like my dad. I’d rather he died out there. At least then Mom and I could get some compensation.】

【5th: Any Lu Mingzhe fans here? I’d love to know what angle you’re going to spin next~】

After caring for An An for so many years, the nanny had long since developed genuine affection for the child.

When she heard that Lu Mingzhe’s fans were insulting the child she had looked after all this time, she turned to her younger sister, who was in college.

They consulted Grandpa He, and once he gave the green light, they printed out the evidence and posted it online to set the record straight.

The poster happened to be studying a related field in college, and it was obvious from the way the data was organized that she was a professional.

When Lu Mingzhe’s fans questioned her qualifications, she didn’t shy away. She directly confirmed she was indeed a professional and even posted some redacted credentials.

【So An An was raised by his grandpa?】

【Grandpa provided the money, and the nanny took care of him. Mommy had to work, so she probably didn’t have much time for little An An either.】

【Wuwu, Mommy feels so bad for you. Come here, Mommy hugs you.】

Even with one piece of damning evidence after another, some of Lu Mingzhe’s most delusional fans still tried to argue, saying that since Grandpa raised An An, they should blame He Dongling too.

【Just realized today how entertaining fans in your circle are. Haha.】

【I’m so dumbfounded by the brainless comments that I can’t even be bothered to argue anymore. Sure, whatever you say is right.】

【Then why don’t you guess what kind of relationship An An’s grandfather has with An An’s mother?】

【Guess why the grandfather wouldn’t raise a child who has nothing to do with him?】

【These fans are cracking me up. HahaHaha.】

After seeing that public opinion was shifting in a positive direction, the nanny’s sister quietly deactivated her account.

She worked in this industry and knew very well that some fans were completely irrational.

Even if their idol did something wrong, they wouldn’t blame the idol. They’d only lash out at the person who exposed the wrongdoing.

In the kitchen, He Dongling was prepping ingredients while Zhou Jingkai cooked beside her. The two worked together with seamless coordination.

On the other side, Movie King Jiang and Queen Zhu Yinghou had no experience in cooking. Fortunately, they had professional chefs guiding them, so they didn’t embarrass themselves in front of everyone.

Among female celebrities, Li Lulu’s cooking skills were considered decent. And since she wanted to impress Lu Mingzhe, she had specifically bought ingredients for dishes she was good at.

Lu Mingzhe only needed to occasionally lend a hand. Her younger brother kept calling him “brother-in-law” from the side.

Since the two of them were still in the middle of hyping up their CP, Lu Mingzhe played along with a joke when her brother said that.

In the past, most people wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But now, knowing that Lu Mingzhe didn’t even care about his own son yet had time to go on vacation with his CP partner, it left a bitter taste.

People weren’t just annoyed with Lu Mingzhe anymore. Even Li Lulu came off as fake.

After all, even though Lu Mingzhe hadn’t mentioned his wife on Weibo in years, the fact that he was married wasn’t hard to find out.

The internet was so developed now that the news articles from their wedding were still accessible.

What kind of person would agree to go on a private overseas vacation with a married man?

When Lu Mingzhe went to grab some tools they needed, he noticed the crew members looking at him strangely. He casually found an excuse and went to ask his manager what was going on.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Ever since Lu Mingzhe joined this variety show, his manager and assistant had been closely monitoring public opinion.

Given Lu Mingzhe’s current status and popularity, the manager had never supported him joining this kind of show.

The risks were too high. One wrong move could undo everything he had worked for.

When An An made that statement and Lu Mingzhe’s fans still defended him, the manager had a bad feeling.

And sure enough, things went downhill from there. If he hadn’t quickly deployed paid commenters to control the narrative, Lu Mingzhe would’ve already been trending for all the wrong reasons.

His rivals wouldn’t have missed such a perfect opportunity to drag him down.

The manager acted swiftly, but the situation still caused some damage.

If any of Lu Mingzhe’s rivals decided to use this to smear him, no matter how skilled their PR team was, it would still be a headache.

“Why didn’t you go home even once before? That kid doesn’t even know who you are!”

Lu Mingzhe had thought it was something serious, but after hearing that, he relaxed. He rubbed his temples and said helplessly, “Is that all?”

The way the crew looked at him was strange. If it was just something this minor, it didn’t make sense for them to react like that.

Whether the kid knew him or not didn’t matter to Lu Mingzhe. He had zero interest in the child He Dongling gave birth to.

“Do you know how many fans that kid has now?”

Seeing Lu Mingzhe’s arrogant attitude gave the manager a headache. He knew that if he didn’t lay out the facts, Lu Mingzhe was going to suffer a major loss.

“How many? More than me?”

In recent years, everything had gone smoothly for Lu Mingzhe. He had even successfully divorced the wife he never cared for. That made it hard for him to return to the cautious man he once was.

“And he’s just a kid. Who takes fans like that seriously?”

In Lu Mingzhe’s eyes, fans who couldn’t be monetized were meaningless. He didn’t care for that kind of affection.

Sure, variety shows could quickly attract fans, but those fans were like fair-weather friends, ready to jump ship at the first sign of trouble.

Seeing that Lu Mingzhe still clung to his views, the manager couldn’t help but speak up for the sake of his career.

“Don’t you realize what it means for him to attract that many fans in such a short time?”

“What does it mean? Have you ever seen a child star in this industry more popular than me? Stop worrying about nothing.”

A child star was still just a child star, never as impressive as a grown male celebrity like him.

After saying that, Lu Mingzhe returned to the livestream. Even if the manager wanted to say more, there was nothing he could do.

If this blew up in front of the livestream audience, it would turn into a full-blown broadcast disaster.

The manager walked to the smoking area outside, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag. But his mood remained foul.

The livestream had only been going for a short while, yet An An had already attracted so many fans. His popularity even surpassed Xiao Yangyu’s.

And Xiao Yangyu had the added advantage of her famous parents. Many of their fans liked her simply because she was their beloved little princess.

But An An was different. Even if He Dongling’s past dramas stirred some nostalgic feelings, that was years ago. No one would become a die-hard fan just because of that.

Every single one of An An’s fans was drawn in by his own personality and charm.

Online, people were already in an uproar out of sympathy for An An. Things had escalated to this point, and Lu Mingzhe still arrogantly thought it was no big deal.

After returning to the camera, Lu Mingzhe acted much more naturally than before. He even made a point to interact with Li Lulu.

Her younger brother egged them on from the side, while Li Lulu shyly looked down. The atmosphere seemed warm and cheerful.

【I don’t even know why… I used to enjoy watching them together, but now it just feels off.】

【Are they really sweet? One ignores his own son, and the other goes on vacation with a married man.】

【I’m out. Goodbye.】

【The way I was raised, I just can’t support this anymore. What’s the difference between this and being a homewrecker or a scumbag?】

【If you’re leaving just because of something this small, you clearly didn’t like them that much to begin with. Good riddance.】

Seeing so many people firmly deciding to leave the fandom, the more extreme CP fans started spamming dismissive comments.

But those with a more grounded perspective, who were still on the fence, suddenly made up their minds to quit after seeing how unhinged the others were.

Staying with people like that would eventually twist their own values too.

Some even got curious and switched over to the livestream of He Dongling’s group.

In the kitchen, worried about hot oil splashing on An An, they had him sit outside the glass door. He perched on a little stool, hugging Haha’s head, eyes glued to the kitchen.

There was no flirtation or unnecessary contact between Zhou Jingkai and He Dongling, but their unspoken understanding gave off a chemistry that was hard to describe.

Lu Mingzhe and Li Lulu’s CP fans were seasoned “sugar hunters,” always looking for sweet moments in every little detail.

Quietly, a CP super-topic for Zhou Jingkai and He Dongling was created.

Even random screenshots from the livestream had a strong sense of atmosphere.

After lunch was ready, He Dongling got Zhou Jingkai’s permission and asked the staff to help bring some dishes over to Zhu Yinghou.

She had been thinking about the audition opportunity Zhu Yinghou gave her not long ago. Even if people said she was trying to cozy up to someone powerful or ride on their popularity, she didn’t care.

She had just sat down and hadn’t even started eating when she received a message from Zhu Yinghou.

[Thank you so much. Every dish we made was burnt. We were about to eat instant noodles.]

Then came a voice message. As soon as He Dongling tapped it, Xiao Yangyu’s voice rang out.

“Thank you, Auntie~ Thank you, An An~ Thank you, Haha~”

In the end, they could still faintly hear the slightly frustrated voice of Film Emperor Jiang asking his daughter why she was thanking Haha.

“Wow~ Uncle, you’re amazing~”

“Mmm, smells so good.”

As soon as An An sat down, he began clapping enthusiastically. Haha, being quite clever and having spent a lot of time with An An, had developed a bit of awareness.

Now, hearing An An praise the food in such an exaggerated tone, Haha couldn’t help swallowing a bit of drool and instinctively tried to cover its mouth with its paw to stop any from dripping out.

Zhou Jingkai placed a special dog bowl in front of Haha and gave its head a good rub.

The three of them had delicious food, so of course they wouldn’t leave Haha out.

During the meal, An An was peeling shrimp for his mom, Zhou Jingkai was peeling them for him, and only He Dongling was quietly eating on her own.

It wasn’t that she wanted to be like that, but aside from eating, she couldn’t think of anything else she could do.

Peel shrimp for Zhou Jingkai? Given their history, He Dongling still couldn’t face him calmly.

Peel shrimp for An An? That would make her and Zhou Jingkai look like a couple parenting their child together.

Peel shrimp for herself? She could already imagine the livestream comments accusing her of being greedy.

After thinking it over, He Dongling decided to play it cool and wait until after the meal to take care of An An.

By the time she finished eating, An An had just about finished peeling all the shrimp. Zhou Jingkai, who had already washed his hands, picked him up and took him to wash his little hands clean.

Back in his seat, An An held his spoon tightly. One spoon of rice, one of vegetables, and one of shrimp—he ate each separately, never mixing them.

He Dongling, who had wanted to take care of him, hesitated when she saw this.

According to the parenting books she’d read recently, children at this age were developing a strong sense of order.

It was best for parents not to do everything for them, as that could actually be detrimental.

An An noticed his mom staring at him, and his chewing started to slow down.

After thinking for a moment, he pushed the freshly squeezed juice that Uncle had made for him toward his mom, tilted his head, and asked:

“Do you want this~?”

Most of the production crew didn’t know Zhou Jingkai’s identity, but He Dongling knew very well. Many of the items they used were specially made, like this glass cup.

It was small, just the right size for An An’s little hands, filled with his favorite orange juice, and even had his favorite cartoon characters printed on it.

But when He Dongling held it in her hands, it just felt off.

Still, with all her experience raising her son, she knew that if she refused now, he’d definitely pout and pretend to cry.

“Okay, thank you, An An.”

“No need to thank me~”

Anything related to his mom made this little guy especially generous. He was so happy when she accepted it.

After lunch, the production team had staff assigned to clean up. Most guests who rarely cooked were already exhausted after preparing lunch.

If they had to clean too, the production team would be torn apart by fans.

He Dongling hadn’t done much, so she wasn’t tired. When she saw that Haha had somehow rolled in a pile of dirt in the backyard, she even considered giving him a bath.

As soon as the word “bath” was mentioned, Xiao Yangyu, who was being held by Film Emperor Jiang, instantly perked up. She lifted her head and stared intently at Haha, then patted her dad’s shoulder and muttered:

“Daddy, you already held me today, so you can’t hold anyone else.”

Film Emperor Jiang, forced to put his daughter down, was completely baffled by her words.

Before he could make sense of it, Xiao Yangyu had already dashed off in a hurry, shouting as she ran:

“Haha, I’m coming!!”

She left her dad behind for a husky, eyes filled only with Haha, not even glancing back once.

Film Emperor Jiang looked over at his wife. Zhu Yinghou just shrugged helplessly.

“It’s only a few days of filming. Just bear with it.”

“Alright.”

Even Film Emperor Jiang didn’t understand how someone as severely allergic to fur as he was could have a daughter who wanted nothing more than to snuggle in fluff all day.

Haha was well-behaved in most things, looking at An An like a kindly old grandfather watching his grandson. But when it came to baths, he simply refused to cooperate.

At first, people even suspected Haha wasn’t a real husky. Maybe to prove them wrong, he became especially mischievous during bath time.

“I’ll take An An and Xiao Yangyu to give Haha a bath. You can go back and read your script. Leave it to me, don’t worry, I can handle it.”

Zhou Jingkai had a naturally mature demeanor, and his words carried a reassuring weight.

“I…”

He Dongling instinctively felt it wasn’t right to push everything onto Zhou Jingkai. Just as she was thinking of how to decline, An An had already slipped his little hand into Zhou Jingkai’s palm, cutting off anything she was about to say.

“Alright, then I’ll leave it to you.”

During the bath, Haha refused to cooperate, shaking his body vigorously and splashing all three of them with water.

Zhou Jingkai was usually calm and capable, but even he found this task a bit of a headache.

It took nearly two hours to get Haha clean. When it came time to blow-dry his fur, Haha kept howling as if cursing him.

While they were drying him off, Xiao Yangyu was taken back by Zhu Yinghou. She had gotten quite wet, and even though the weather was warm, they didn’t want her catching a cold.

On her way back, Zhu Yinghou reminded He Dongling to give An An a bath too.

Thanks to this, Film Emperor Jiang once again had to keep his distance from both his wife and daughter.

While bathing An An, He Dongling also washed his hair. Now squeaky clean from head to toe, An An sat on the swing chair on the balcony, basking in the sun.

Just then, the same staff member from earlier approached again, trying to strike up a conversation.

Lu Mingzhe’s agent had contacted the production team, insisting they clear up the previous misunderstanding and not allow anything that could damage his image.

Since Lu Mingzhe’s agency was one of the show’s investors, the production team had no choice but to comply, even if they were reluctant.

The director, unwilling to do anything against his conscience, sent over the same female staffer who had gotten along well with An An before.

“An An, you haven’t seen your dad in a long time. Do you feel sad? Have you ever thought there might be some kind of misunderstanding between you two?”

An An, eyes closed and enjoying the sun, had his chubby sock-covered foot lazily tracing circles in the air.

“Nope~ I believe my daddy is watching over me from another world~ I’m not sad, and I’m not mad.”

His generous, composed demeanor left the staffer speechless, all her prepared questions stuck in her throat.

No matter what, he firmly believed his biological father was already dead.

And he didn’t show a hint of resentment just because his dad wasn’t there. He seemed like a truly kind and thoughtful little boy.

“What if your dad is still alive?”

The staffer decided to be blunt. An An, who had been lounging comfortably, suddenly sat up straight and stared at her seriously. After a long pause, he said:

“That’s impossible.”

“Why not?”

“No dad would ignore their baby.”

The freshly bathed husky had searched the villa and finally found An An. From a distance, he came bounding over happily, his tail wagging as he lay down beside the swing chair, curling his tail around An An’s ankle.

“See, even Haha comes looking for me if he doesn’t see me for a while.”

Even a dog misses its owner. How could a child not miss their dad?

Through her earpiece, the staffer heard the director telling her to leave. She placed the gift prepared for An An in front of him, smiled, and said goodbye.

Just as everyone was getting ready to rest after lunch, Lu Mingzhe received news from his assistant that a hard-won fashion endorsement had just been canceled.

The reason? The brand’s representative said his son’s attitude made them question whether Lu Mingzhe’s image would suffer in the future, making him unfit to represent their brand.

Only then did Lu Mingzhe realize how serious the situation was. After skimming the details, he contacted his agency and told them to demand the production team help clean up his image.

When that didn’t work, he personally sought out He Dongling, who was on the balcony tending to the flowers.

He reached out and closed the solid wooden balcony door, making sure there were no cameras or microphones before finally speaking.

“Even if we’re getting a divorce, there’s no need to make it this ugly.”

“You still want to build a career in the entertainment industry, right? I can get you a second female lead role in a major production. Just help me clear up this whole situation.”

“You know exactly where I stand in the industry right now. If I wanted to, I could make sure you never make it big for the rest of your life.”

He Dongling set down the shovel in her hand, washed her hands clean, then replied calmly and unhurriedly, “Sorry, I can’t help you.”

Her cool and indifferent attitude completely infuriated Lu Mingzhe, who had just lost a major endorsement and was already seething with anger. His tone turned even nastier as he snapped, “Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.”

Just as the words left his mouth, a deep male voice suddenly came from behind the flower trellis.

“A forfeit? Let me see what kind of drink that is.”

Translator’s Notes

• sugar hunters: ‘Sugar hunting’ is a Chinese fan term (磕糖; kē táng) meaning to seek out or revel in sweet, romantic, or affectionate interactions between a beloved celebrity pairing (CP).

• Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.: A Chinese idiom (敬酒不吃吃罚酒; jìng jiǔ bù chī chī fá jiǔ), meaning: Don’t refuse a polite offer only to be forced to accept something much worse later—i.e., accept kindness instead of facing consequences.