Yan Xingli went to work, while Qi Youyu wandered around the film set, here and there, and even stopped by a claw machine arcade for a while.
Every time, just when Youyu thought victory was in the bag, she failed. It was truly a bleak and desolate scene; those unscrupulous capitalists were toying with me, driving this good-natured kid absolutely crazy.
That night, as soon as she got home, she hand-crafted a claw machine with a 100% success rate.
“Ugh, that astrology blogger said Leo and Pisces are under Mercury retrograde this month. I didn’t believe it at first, but the month has barely started, and I’ve already lost my keys twice. Then last week, my company announced layoffs…”
“Don’t even get me started. Same here. I’ve been so unlucky this month; three clients in a row got snatched away from me. It almost gave me depression.”
Outside the claw machine arcade, Qi Youyu pricked up her ears to listen to the passersby’s conversation, taking in information about her new surroundings.
The little girl’s earnest expression was simply adorable. One girl couldn’t help but bend down and ask with a smile:
“Little one, do you understand what we’re saying?”
Qi Youyu nodded confidently, showing no trace of embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping: “I understand! You’re talking about zodiac signs.”
The girl tried to tease her: “So what’s your zodiac sign?”
“I’m a Triangle Rice Ball.”
The little girl was already a die-hard fan of Triangle Rice Ball, and the two girls burst out laughing.
“I can tell you really love Triangle Rice Balls.” Girl A eyed the one-piece spacesuit she was wearing. “Little sister, do you cosplay too?”
Qi Youyu waved her hand. “I’m not a cheapskate, but my uncle is a bit of a cheapskate.”
The two girls naturally turned their gaze toward Xiao Lin, standing nearby.
Xiao Lin quickly denied it.
Qi Youyu: “Sis, can you help me pick out some clothes?”
Choosing just two items from a dazzling array of beautiful clothes was simply too much for her, a little scientist.
The children’s clothing store was right next to the claw machine arcade, and after hesitating for two seconds, the two girls followed her inside.
When Qi Youyu emerged from the store again, she looked like a completely transformed heiress from a wealthy family, exuding elegance from head to toe; even her hair had been freshly styled.
Qi Youyu was very pleased with herself. She rummaged through the small silver bag on her back and pulled out two bracelets: “Sisters, these are for you. They’re bubble shields I made myself; they’ll protect you.”
The bracelets looked much like the trinkets found in a typical dollar store, with a crystal bead strung in the center.
The two girls didn’t think they were anything special, but they found the name quite amusing.
After accepting Yuyu’s gift, they parted ways cheerfully. Seeing that it was nearly time, Xiaolin took the children back to the film set.
Qi Youyu returned just as Yan Xingli was wrapping up for the day.
“Uncle.”
Yan Xingli turned at the sound of the voice. From a distance, a little boy decked out in jewels and finery ran toward him with great vigor. He stopped right in front of him and proudly tilted his head back:
“Did you miss me?”
Yan Xingli cupped Qi Youyu’s head in his hands. “Be careful, or your crown will fall off.”
This thing costs nearly ten thousand yuan; he had to make sure it paid for itself.
“Uncle, do I look good?”
“Mm-hmm, you look good.” After giving a perfunctory reply, Yan Xingli looked at Xiao Lin, who was standing nearby with bags of all sizes. “Let’s put the stuff in the car first.”
With the child’s clothes and shoes finally bought, Yan Xingli turned to tally up the expenses and deeply appreciated just how difficult it was to raise a money-guzzling monster.
He might have thought that, but it didn’t stop him from placing orders on Taobao, child car seats, play ladders, children’s tableware, and more, not a single item was left out.
Qi Youyu, thinking about the seafood feast, sat on the small sofa in the RV, eagerly awaiting it.
After finishing his preparations, Yan Xingli picked up a mirror to check his appearance. Hmm, in the face of such top-tier good looks, even his dark circles became a plus.
Qi Youyu propped her chin in her hand, gazing longingly at the superstar’s vain silhouette:
“Uncle, hurry up. Stop admiring yourself so much.”
“……”
Xiao Lin stifled a laugh.
Yan Xingli put down the mirror, ground his teeth, and turned around: “Alright, stop rushing me.”
Since he had a magazine photoshoot in the afternoon and couldn’t indulge in a big feast, Yan Xingli took Qi Youyu out for a seafood feast. He barely touched his food, however, spending the entire meal with his head down, playing on his phone.
“Wow.”
“This shrimp is bigger than Uncle’s head.”
“I’m going to make a hat for Uncle out of the crab shell.”
Yan Xingli ignored her. With the recording of My Little Kid scheduled for next month, the company had already arranged for a young guest, and he was worried about who to entrust Qi Youyu to.
The little girl ate her meal while bobbing her head back and forth, her mouth never stopping. Xiao Lin happily stayed by her side, helping to peel the shells and keep an eye on her.
That afternoon, Qi Youyu stayed put on set and didn’t go anywhere.
When Yan Xingli returned from a makeup touch-up and break, he saw the little girl sitting in a female crew member’s lap, a tablet on the table, completely engrossed in what she was watching.
Not only that, but she was opening her mouth wide, waiting to be fed, with snack wrappers scattered all over the table, looking incredibly comfortable and relaxed.
“You sure know how to enjoy yourself.” Yan Xingli pinched Yuyu’s cheeks and gave them a shake. “Do you think you’re the Empress Dowager?”
Seeing Yan Xingli arrive, the female crew member blushed and stood up.
The little boy looked up in confusion, then corrected him with a serious expression: “Uncle, I’m not thick, I’m flat.”
“If you don’t believe me, you can give me a hug.”
Yan Xingli: “You wish.”
The tablet was playing a recently popular period drama. Yan Xingli raised an eyebrow and asked, “Do you understand this?”
“No.”
Yan Xingli picked up his water cup and took a sip, chuckling. “If you don’t understand it, watch something you do. All the kids here watch cartoons.”
Yu Yu: “No way, cartoons are too childish.”
“But you won’t understand the shows adults watch either.” Yan Xingli looked at her amusedly. “Aren’t you bored?”
Yu Yu batted her thick, curly eyelashes, giggled, and hopped down from the small stool to wrap her arms around his arm. “Uncle, teach me how to watch.”
The little girl’s dark, wide eyes were full of anticipation. Yan Xingli had intended to refuse, but the words died on his lips, and he sat down beside her with a flourish.
“What does ‘greedy for money’ mean?” Yu Yu asked.
“It means you can’t take your eyes off money, you’re obsessed with it.”
The child thought for a moment, then nodded earnestly. “Okay, Yuyu gets it.”
“Uncle.”
Qi Youyu pointed at the tablet with his little finger. On the screen, the heartbroken female lead was scattering paper money. The child asked, “Why is that lady scattering potato chips?”
Yan Xingli suppressed a smile. “Those aren’t potato chips, they’re paper money.”
The child remained puzzled: “Why are they scattering paper money?”
“Because people need money even after they die,” Yan Xingli explained bluntly. “If they go down there without any money, they won’t even be able to buy a bag of potato chips. They might as well stay alive.”
Yu Yu was deeply shocked: “Can people still eat potato chips after they die?”
“And they still have to spend money?”
Judging by the child’s reaction, Yan Xingli surmised that people three hundred years from now likely wouldn’t celebrate festivals like Qingming or Zhongyuan anymore.
Thinking of how these traditions, passed down for thousands of years, might vanish in the future, Yan Xingli couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy and regret.
Just as he was pondering this, a clear, resolute child’s voice rang out beside him.
“Uncle, from now on, I’ll scatter joss paper for you every day so you can buy potato chips to eat.”
“I’ll definitely make sure you don’t have to live a hard life.”
Yan Xingli felt a twinge of heartache.
Never mind. He’d play the role of a parent who doesn’t dampen the mood, after all, it was the child’s sincere expression of filial piety.
After working all day, Yan Xingli was so exhausted by the time he got off work in the evening that his eyelids were drooping. He lay down in the RV and fell asleep.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly felt a strange chill and heaviness on his eyelids. Yan Xingli forced his eyes open to find a little round head perched above him, revealing a few snow-white baby teeth.
Yan Xingli’s brow twitched sharply.
He had locked the door, how had this little brat managed to sneak in?
Yan Xingli hurriedly sat up, reaching out to catch whatever had fallen from his eyelid while simultaneously flipping on the bedside lamp.
In the warm white light, Yan Xingli recognized the game tokens in his hand and asked in a flat, emotionless tone:
“Qi Youyu, what are you doing?”
Yan Xingli was a bit annoyed. For entertainers like them, who work long hours and are constantly on the go, snatching a few minutes of sleep whenever possible is essential, so being disturbed was bound to ruffle his feathers.
Qi Youyu: “You money-grubbing jerk.”
Yan Xingli: “?”
“Is that right, Uncle?” The little girl was bursting with pride. “I’m really good at being money-grubbing, you know.”
The little scientist could effortlessly master the world’s most difficult formulas, yet she was completely clueless when it came to language arts.
A classic case of a student who aces science but fails humanities.
Yan Xingli hesitated, unsure what to say.
Should he be moved by the child’s thirst for knowledge, or laugh at her uniquely quirky way of thinking? Either way, he couldn’t stay mad at her.
Yan Xingli gave the child’s face a rough, playful rub: “Your understanding is fantastic. Alright, the door’s over there. Please.”
Qi Youyu tilted her head in thought, then stood up and tapped him twice on the head with lightning-fast speed.
“!”
Yan Xingli, having taken two little whacks: o.o
The force was just right, enough to stun him without causing any harm.
No, wait.
He’d turn the heavens upside down and beat up his ancestors!
“Uncle, you’re talking nonsense. Let me fix you up.” Qi Youyu quickly pulled her little hand back, her big eyes full of sincerity as she said happily, “Look, Uncle, you’re all better now.”
Yan Xingli was bewildered.
What nonsense had he been spouting?
After half a second of thought, Yan Xingli figured it out: because the little illiterate didn’t understand English, she’d given him two little slaps.
“Fixing it” meant patting her head, as if she were an air conditioner, TV, or washing machine… Wait, who’s the boss here, anyway!