Inside the detached villa at Yuanlan Peak, the piano was being played with extreme impatience.
“What an absolute living Yama.”
Lian Wuchang muttered under his breath as he bent down to pick up the contract that Yan Chi had tossed onto the floor.
He carefully patted the cover of the contract, trying to appeal to Yan Chi: “It’s a parenting reality show with nothing but kids. It will be so much fun! Besides, children are far more persuasive; a single broadcast might just help you turn your image around.”
“If you like kids so much, you go.” Yan Chi remained unfazed, continuing to play the piano with a tense expression.
Yan Chi had been declared the sole heir of the Yan Group by Fifth Master Yan when he was just one year old. A top-tier Alpha who easily dominated the screen with his flawless looks, he insisted on taking the path of a talented artist.
Backed by a wonderful voice and hands skilled in various instruments, he debuted right after graduating from high school and reached the peak of his career instantly. He successively won numerous awards such as the Wave Best Newcomer Award, the 10th Best Singer-Songwriter, and the 28th Golden Melody Award for Best Singer, embarking on the King of Songs’ path that belonged exclusively to the King of Hell.
Yet, the King of Hell could also fall from his pedestal, suffering torments far more painful than the eighteenth level of hell.
At the age of 23, Yan Chi posted a Weibo status stating that he could not write songs lately, was suspending all commercial activities, and was going into seclusion, then vanished for over a month.
When he was found, Yan Chi seemed like a completely different person. Not only were his newly created songs vastly inferior to before and his fame plummeted, but he was also frequently embroiled in scandals with Omega celebrities in the entertainment industry.
It was precisely at this time that Lian Wuchang took on the position of manager for this King of Hell.
More than four years had passed, and Lian Wuchang still had no idea what to do with such a King of Hell.
Lian Wuchang let out an imperceptible sigh. Honestly, he really wished he could go in Yan Chi’s place.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t Fifth Master Yan’s grandson, and he didn’t need to salvage his image to take over the family business.
“I’d love to go, but this is Alpha Dad’s Childcare Journal,” Lian Wuchang said, pulling up a video on his phone. “I’m just a Beta.”
“Look, this is the kid who will be paired with you as temporary father and son.”
Lian Wuchang placed his phone on the piano keys, and a soft, milky, childish voice replaced the intentionally discordant music.
“My name is Chu Zhuo, and I’m three and a half years old,” the little boy in summer short-sleeved dinosaur pajamas in the video said obediently, standing by the wall and introducing himself like an adult at a job interview. “Everyone calls me Little Water Caltrop.”
“And what are Little Water Caltrop’s hobbies and interests?” a female voice prompted from off-screen.
“Eating,” Chu Zhuo bounced excitedly in place a couple of times. “I like Daddy, Daddy is delicious.”
“You like eating the food Daddy makes, right?” After helping summarize, the off-screen voice added, “Little Water Caltrop also likes playing the harmonica, doesn’t he?”
“Yes!”
Chu Zhuo opened his chubby little hands to catch a children’s harmonica and blew a short segment of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
“Wonderful! Little Water Caltrop’s talent show is over. Wave bye-bye and blow kisses to the uncles, aunts, older brothers, and older sisters.”
Upon hearing the command, Chu Zhuo’s hand holding the harmonica swung left and right, while his other hand brought itself to his lips, blowing several milky-scented flying kisses toward the screen.
After watching the video, Yan Chi gave a sharp-tongued evaluation: “Using a kid the size of a fist to make money, these parents are truly inhuman.”
Lian Wuchang took back his phone, looking at the cute toddler in the video with stars in his eyes.
“You can’t really put it that way. This child was accidentally caught on camera and slowly became popular. His account is only updated once a week, yet every post gets over a million likes. If his parents really wanted to make money off him, they would’ve capitalized on the traffic long ago and posted daily.”
With the music interrupted, Yan Chi lost his mood, walked back to the living room to pour a glass of water, and maintained his attitude: “I don’t care about any of that. Anyway, I am not going on this variety show.”
Reluctantly closing the video, Lian Wuchang brought up a schedule and showed it to Yan Chi: “If you really don’t want to participate in this show, you can’t just sit around either. Attend these events according to this schedule.”
Yan Chi glanced casually at the itinerary, and the mouthful of water he had just swallowed almost came back up.
“Shopping mall? Live streaming?” Yan Chi’s eyes widened instantly, and the blue wolf-tail hairstyle at the back of his neck trembled in disbelief.
“Mm-hmm.”
Lian Wuchang took back his phone, his tone calm.
“You know how fast the entertainment industry updates and iterates just as well as I do. You aren’t the King of Hell you used to be; your newly released album is ranked past the top fifty.”
“With too many negative news stories and scandals that are endless to delete, fans are no longer buying your act. Before you completely fade into obscurity, you still need to make some money for the company.”
“If you won’t do the variety show, you’ll have no choice but to sing in shopping malls and live stream to sell goods.”
Seeing the frustrated expression on Yan Chi’s face, Lian Wuchang fought hard to keep the minor twitch at the corner of his mouth under control, reminding him: “Oh, right, Chairman Yan and Professor Chi asked me to notify you that they are very busy during this period and won’t have time to take your calls. You’ll have to handle all your matters entirely on your own.”
These words completely cut off Yan Chi’s escape routes and made him realize the truth.
It turns out that this child-rearing reality show was an order jointly issued to him by his parents and Lian Wuchang.
“When does the variety show start filming?” Yan Chi asked through clenched teeth.
“Next Friday morning,” Lian Wuchang blossomed with a smile. “It’s projected to record for fifteen episodes, about three days per episode, wrapping up on Sunday afternoon.”
“Right,” he added as a reminder, “I’ll send you Little Water Caltrop’s information in a moment. And hurry up and dye your hair back.”
“I know,” Yan Chi stretched out his long legs and flopped defeatedly onto the sofa. “Remember to arrange for an assistant to help me pack my luggage.”
Lian Wuchang shrugged with a helpless expression: “Brother Chi, you have to pack your own luggage. King of Hell, you’re hitting your thirties; you should learn how to pack a suitcase. The recording starts from when you pack your luggage, and no outside help is allowed.”
Having been provoked several times in a row, Yan Chi closed his eyes, and a single word, get lost, popped out from between teeth laden with anger.
“Oh right, don’t forget the baby’s milk bottle.” After running through the drill three times, Chu Kai still felt uneasy and made Chu Zhuo repack his suitcase all over again.
“Give our little Zhuo a break.” Zhu Xinqing sat on the cartoon rug and pulled Chu Zhuo, who was taking tiny steps while carrying a milk bottle, straight into her arms.
Chu Kai lowered his head, his slender eyelashes fluttering, and the tear mole at the outer corner of his left eye gathered a trace of mist, adding a layer of highlight to his already fair skin.
“Xiao Kai,” Zhu Xinqing covered Chu Zhuo’s ears, leaned slightly toward Chu Kai, and persuaded him in a low voice: “You get to follow along with the crew and still see Xiao Zhuo every day, even if Xiao Zhuo won’t know it. Why are you still so worried?”
“I am just worried,” Chu Kai rubbed his damp eyes, reached out to grip Chu Zhuo’s tiny hand, and said, “I’m just afraid that temporary dad won’t take good care of him. The production team still hasn’t announced who it is, and I don’t feel settled at all.”
“Don’t worry,” Zhu Xinqing comforted him by patting the back of Chu Kai’s hand. “Whoever is revealed at the end is usually a big star. During the show’s recording, even if he’s just putting on an act, he’ll still have to treat our Xiao Zhuo well.”
“Daddy, Aunty,” Chu Zhuo opened his round, bright, and clear eyes, innocently kissing the backs of Chu Kai’s and Zhu Xinqing’s hands respectively. “Baby will be good.”
Hearing this, the trembling magnitude of the corners of Chu Kai’s mouth increased. He pulled Chu Zhuo into his embrace, gently patting his back: “No bedtime story tonight. How about Daddy sings a song for the baby?”
“Yay, Daddy singing!” Chu Zhuo cheered, kicking his little hands and feet about.
Zhu Xinqing glanced at the time, stood up from the rug, and softly said: “Xiao Kai, thank you.”
Then, rubbing Chu Zhuo’s chubby little head, she said: “Big Auntie is going back to rest. The baby needs to rest well with Daddy, too, so tomorrow you can play games and go on adventures with the other children, okay?”
“Okay,” Chu Zhuo said with an open, smiling mouth. “Aunty, goodnight.”
“Alright,” Chu Kai carried Chu Zhuo to the bed, gently patting him through the small blanket. “Which song does the baby want to hear? Do you want to hear Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?”
Chu Zhuo pouted his little mouth and shook his head, then cheerfully blurted out the song title he was looking forward to: “I want to hear Daddy sing Kai.”
Chu Kai’s hand movements paused abruptly.
That song was originally written by someone for him and sung directly to him back then.
Yet, because that song was truly unsuitable as a lullaby, Chu Kai rarely sang it to Chu Zhuo.
Perhaps it was Chu Zhuo’s innate musical talent that allowed him to hear the ingenious craftsmanship hidden within the track.
Musical talent was a strange thing; despite having heard so many lullabies and children’s songs, Chu Zhuo still liked this one the most.
Affection and past ties were strange things; even after being separated for so many years and intentionally avoiding entertainment news, Chu Kai could still catch wind of news regarding Yan Chi.
Though, mostly gossip.