At nine-thirty in the morning, four real father-and-son pairs arrived first at the first location for the shoot, the entrance of Pingci Village.
The oldest in age and seniority among them was the award-winning Best Actor Wang Zhiling, who became famous at a young age.
His son, Wang Zhiyu, was 7 years old this year and the oldest among the children.
The child ranking second in age was Jing Sichen, also known as Ruby, the 5.5-year-old daughter of the model Jing Yuanwei.
Half a year younger than Ruby was Liang Xun, nicknamed Xunxun, the daughter of retired swimmer Liang Zhuo.
One year younger than her was Zhou Hewen, also known as Oliver and nicknamed Zhouzhou, the son of actor Zhou Lesheng.
Next, stepping out of a slowly approaching car, were the two intern babies.
Seeing Chu Zhuo carrying a small backpack and greeting the children in a cute, babyish way, Chu Kai could hardly hold back the urge to rush over and hold him, tightly gripping his trembling little hands.
Yet at this moment, no matter how excited Chu Kai felt, he could only stand behind the crowd, wearing his mask so as not to be recognized by his own son.
“Welcome, our two little darlings!” Village Chief Wan Hua, who was in charge of hosting, enthusiastically pulled the two intern babies to his side, squatted down, and asked softly, “Are you looking forward to seeing your Alpha intern dads?”
5-year-old child star Bai Jiayu squeezed into the village chief’s arms and said gleefully, “Looking forward to it!”
Chu Zhuo touched the harmonica necklace at his neck and shyly learned to reply, “Looking forward to it.”
Observing Chu Zhuo’s shyness, the village chief also pulled him into his arms, looked toward the camera on the other side, and said, “Shall we call out to the intern dads together?”
“Okay.”
Just as the children’s answering voices faded, two figures suddenly appeared from the side, and the music started playing right after.
Dancing energetically at the front was Bei Yan, an idol-turned-actor.
Aside from his professional skills, Bei Yan’s polite and gentle personality had also attracted many fans.
With such a personality, he would definitely be able to take good care of the shy Chu Zhuo.
However, according to the news Zhu Xinqing had inquired about, Bei Yan and the dance-loving child star Bai Jiayu had already been paired up by the production team.
Therefore, Chu Zhuo’s Alpha intern dad had to be this man who hadn’t been officially announced on the official website and stood with his back to the staff, playing the violin.
Chu Kai lifted his foot slightly, looking toward that person.
That broad back, familiar wolf-cut hairstyle, and well-defined profile were almost enough to take Chu Kai’s breath away.
His eyes widened involuntarily. He took a few steps forward and tried hard to stretch out his neck.
“How could it be him?” Chu Kai rubbed his eyes, blinking in disbelief a few times as his blank mind mechanically confirmed it several times.
It wasn’t until the music stopped and the two intern dads began their self-introductions that Chu Zhuo finally convinced himself he hadn’t seen wrong.
He hurriedly retreated, using his arms to wipe and cover up his panicked expression.
He retreated to the side of a big tree, his body softening to the point of barely being able to support him, and whispered anxiously in his heart: “Why is Yan Chi here? Why is it Yan Chi?”
Liao Zhenzhen, who was standing nearby, quickly supported the crumbling Chu Kai, softly reproaching him: “Zhu Kai! It’s so hot outside, yet you insist on wearing a mask. Did you get a heatstroke? Go take a rest quickly.”
“I…” The corners of Chu Kai’s eyes were red, and his brows were tightly furrowed.
He grabbed his mask back, and while putting it on, he ran in a bent posture from the rear side toward the room arranged by the production team, “Zhenzhen, I’m going back to wash my face first.”
“Mm-hmm, I choose this dad. He plays the instrument, and it sounds so nice.”
“Hello, little Lingjiao, I’m your Yan Dad, and we’ll take care of each other these next few days.”
The dialogue from behind shattered the core of Chu Kai’s heart, and the surging blood turned into droplets of tears that flashed from his eyes.
He never expected that in this lifetime, he would still be able to see Yan Chi in this manner.
He never expected that he would try his utmost to avoid everything related to Yan Chi, only to run into him on this variety show.
The place where the staff lived wasn’t far from the village entrance, but Chu Kai had already run out of strength halfway through.
Huddled in a corner, he breathed heavily and called Zhu Xinqing: “Sister Qing, this show. This variety show. Can we switch to another one? Can we change to a different one, please? This one won’t do, it won’t do, really won’t do.”
Listening to Chu Kai’s voice carrying a crying tone and his completely illogical words, Zhu Xinqing soothed him: “Xiaokai, speak slowly. Is someone bullying our child? Don’t panic, I’ll call the director right now.”
“No, it’s not,” Chu Kai shook his head while covering his head, “It’s not the director, no. It’s Yan Chi. Yan Chi.”
Zhu Xinqing was stunned at first, then smiled and comforted him:
“Oh, Yan Chi. I also just found out he’s the hitherto undisclosed intern dad. Don’t worry, he was once the King of Songs. Although his popularity has faded and he’s currently caught up in scandals, he knows many musical instruments. He’ll definitely be able to get along well with our little Zhuo, who loves singing and instruments.”
Chu Kai was so distressed that he choked up, his voice slightly hoarse as he said, “Yan Chi is my ex-boyfriend from before.”
The smile on Zhu Xinqing’s lips stopped abruptly, and she stuttered out of shock, “Xia-Xiaokai, yo-you’re not joking with me, are you?”
“No, I’m not,” Chu Kai continued to shake his head, trying hard to control his emotions, “Everything I said is true.”
“This.” Zhu Xinqing paced back and forth in the office, caught in a dilemma.
Chu Kai’s only Alpha ex-boyfriend turned out to be the scandal-ridden Yan Chi.
Even though Chu Kai said he and the Alpha had broken up amicably, in Zhu Xinqing’s mind, Yan Chi’s image as a scumbag had already been completely solidified.
Once the Alpha finds out.
Zhu Xinqing shook her head. Wouldn’t that be equivalent to costing Chu Kai his life?
Yet the contracts had already been signed. If they made Chu Zhuo withdraw from the variety show now, they would face millions in penalties.
“Xiaokai,” Zhu Xinqing’s brain worked at top speed. After stabilizing her emotions, she asked, “Did Yan Chi recognize you?”
“No,” Chu Kai replied, sniffing, “I was wearing a mask, and there were staff members in front. He didn’t see me.”
“As long as he didn’t see you, it’ll be easy to handle,” Zhu Xinqing breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re a Beta with no pheromones. As long as you hide yourself well, there’s a high probability he won’t discover you.”
“Right, right,” Chu Kai wiped away his tears and echoed this conclusion, “I’m a Beta with no pheromones.”
Back then, when Yan Chi had pulled him into his arms and discussed these very issues, his heart had skipped a beat.
Yan Chi didn’t shy away from discussing these realistic matters.
He said that parents and elders had expectations for their descendants, and he also had the right to choose his partner.
Chu Kai had curled up in Yan Chi’s arms, his long eyelashes trembling continuously, feeling both terrified and not knowing what to say.
Yet the rhythm of the heartbeat pulsing from Yan Chi’s chest grew steadier and steadier. He stroked Chu Kai’s face, saying that he would never leave Chu Kai.
Chu Kai raised his gaze to look at him, those deep pupils almost devouring Yan Chi whole.
“Our Yan family is a big family. When the time comes, we’ll pick a child who catches our eye, legally adopt them, and let my mom and dad raise them,” Yan Chi said, biting Chu Kai’s lower lip, “and the two of us can continue living our world for two.”