Zhou Zhou stood in the doorway, staring at the camera while the camera stared back.
That wasn’t right. Yesterday he had combed through the schedule as well as the original owner’s chat history with his manager and the production liaison. Every single one of them had repeatedly told him the livestream would begin at nine this morning.
It was barely seven-thirty now.
What was going on? Why had the time suddenly changed?
The host reminded him, “Zhou Zhou, say hello to the viewers in the livestream.”
Zhou Zhou came back to himself and waved at the camera with practiced ease. “Hello, everyone. I’m Zhou Zhou.”
The host smiled. “When we called just now, you seemed to think we were delivering food. How are you still this scatterbrained?”
[Here it comes, the host introducing the classic persona.]
[Sure enough, he’s playing a character.]
Zhou Zhou’s eyes moved. Following the host’s lead, he nodded. “Right. I was dying for delivery. The schedule says filming starts at nine, so I wanted to sneak in some takeout before you arrived. I didn’t expect you at seven-thirty.”
His eyes curved as he smiled sincerely.
The viewers in the livestream, however, caught the implication.
[Is Zhou Zhou saying they came early?]
[Seven-thirty really is a bit early.]
There were only one or two relatively neutral comments like that. Most of the comments directed at Zhou Zhou were practically dripping with malice.
[How could the production team make a mistake?]
[He probably read it wrong himself.]
[Next scene: Zhou Zhou realizes he got the time wrong, taps his head, and says he’s such a little scatterbrain, sob sob sob.]
[Passing viewer here. Has Zhou Zhou always been this fake-sweet? I can smell the tea from here.]
Maintaining a proper smile, the host said, “Zhou Zhou must have read it wrong. The schedule says…”
“Hm?” Zhou Zhou immediately pulled out his phone and swiped twice. “Really? But mine…”
The host clearly had not expected Zhou Zhou to be this serious about it. Seeing the huge [9:00] on the schedule about to be displayed directly to the camera, he finally panicked.
“Sorry, sorry. We just checked. The mistake was on our side.”
So the production team really had come early.
The comments paused briefly, then flooded the screen again.
[So they came early. What’s the big deal?]
[Zhou Zhou already got paid. What happens if he starts an hour early?]
[The production team really did arrive early and didn’t clarify, leaving everyone thinking Zhou Zhou was wrong. What’s wrong with Zhou Zhou saying something?]
[Fine, say it, but Zhou Zhou didn’t need to target the host, did he?]
[Poor host. It wasn’t his fault.]
They were already here. Zhou Zhou could hardly send them away and tell them to come back at nine.
He stepped aside to let the staff in.
There would be a short interview in the morning, so they needed to arrange the set first.
Zhou Zhou said, “Please set up downstairs. I’m going upstairs to wash up and change.”
The staff answered in scattered voices, “Okay.”
Keeping a smile for the camera, Zhou Zhou went upstairs.
Paopao had already heard the commotion downstairs.
He stood at the stairway, leaning over the railing and sticking his little head out, uncertain whether he should go down.
As Zhou Zhou passed, he grabbed the collar of Paopao’s pajamas and hauled him back. “You move together with Dad.”
Dragged backward by Dad, Paopao looked up. “Don’t I need to greet them and make tea?”
That too was a scene the original owner had meticulously designed: the child would make tea for the production staff, initially displaying his “overpowered-genius ability.”
For this, he had even specially sent Paopao to tea-ceremony classes, where the child had been scalded by hot water several times.
Zhou Zhou: 🙂
“No.” Zhou Zhou took Paopao’s hand, turned toward downstairs, and shouted, “There are drinks downstairs. Help yourselves.”
The staff again answered in scattered voices, “Okay.”
Zhou Zhou led Paopao back to the room. “Baby, remember this. Family Rule Number Two: the child must stay with Dad.”
Paopao asked, “What is Rule Number One?”
“I told you this morning and you already forgot. Rule Number One: no entering the kitchen.”
“Oh.”
Zhou Zhou took him into the room and closed the door.
“The delivery will take a while. Play by yourself a little longer.”
“Mm.” Paopao obediently sat on the rug and continued playing with his old toy car.
In the bathroom, Zhou Zhou brushed his teeth while opening his phone and messaging the original owner’s manager, briefly explaining what had just happened.
The production team had deliberately arrived early. Their intentions were obviously unfriendly. He needed to prepare in advance.
But after a long time, the manager finally replied with only one cold sentence: [Obey arrangements.]
Zhou Zhou exited the chat and had no intention of replying.
Even though he knew little about the entertainment industry, he could tell there was something wrong with this manager.
A normal manager encountering something like this might not fight fiercely for their artist, but at minimum they would offer a few words of reassurance and help confirm the next steps.
They would not ignore the message for ages and then lazily reply with four words.
Zhou Zhou thought about it and opened the livestream.
Intern Dad had five participating families, each with its own livestream.
It was not yet eight. The other four had not opened. Only his had gone live early.
The camera showed the staff arranging things downstairs, yet even with Zhou Zhou off-screen, the comments were still numerous.
Naturally, not because he was popular. Everyone was insulting him.
One moment they accused him of targeting the host. The next they said he was rude for hiding upstairs. Worse, some even said Paopao had no manners because he had not come down to greet people.
Zhou Zhou: ?
A production team that deliberately arrived early, a perfunctory and cold manager, and “viewers” already waiting in the livestream first thing in the morning to insult him and his child right on time.
Obviously, he and Paopao were being deliberately targeted.
Zhou Zhou exited the livestream and tossed his phone onto the bed.
Paopao saw the movement and looked up. “Dad, are we going downstairs?”
Zhou Zhou strolled over. “At nine.”
He would be cursed at upstairs and cursed at downstairs. Why volunteer himself as a target?
If they said he was slow, then he would be slow. So what?
Zhou Zhou walked to the wardrobe. “I’m changing clothes. Do you want to change too? There’s a hole in the bottom of your pajama pants.”
Paopao, who had been expressionless, jolted and twisted desperately to look at his own backside.
“Where?!!!”
Covering his bottom, he spun around on the rug trying to find the hole in his pants.
Like a puppy chasing its own tail.
Zhou Zhou laughed shamelessly. “Heh!”
Hearing him laugh, Paopao realized what had happened and turned angrily, staring at Zhou Zhou with a stern little face.
Dad had tricked him. He knew it. Dad was a huge liar.
Zhou Zhou suddenly felt a chill at the back of his neck. The psychological shadow of “having his grave blown up by the great villain” surfaced.
He covered his mouth, restrained his arrogant laughter, and opened the wardrobe. “What do you want to wear? Dad will help choose.”
Paopao marched over angrily, ducked beneath Zhou Zhou’s arm, took out a brand-new little black suit, and prepared to change into it.
Zhou Zhou turned. “You want to wear that? It’s kind of hot today, and we might go outside.”
Paopao said, “But Dad told me a little genius should wear this.”
So the original owner had deliberately arranged it.
In the original novel, on the first day of the livestream, Paopao wore a heavy, stiff little suit and suffered heatstroke during an outdoor task.
The original owner then fully displayed the traits of a “little diva”: clumsy and incapable of caring for the child, while still expecting the child to care for himself.
Afterward he even felt Paopao had embarrassed him and complained that the child could not endure a little longer, causing them to miss screen time.
Zhou Zhou caught the child’s hand. “It’s hot today. This is too thick. Let’s change it?”
Paopao returned the black suit and took out another. “Then I’ll wear the gray one.”
Zhou Zhou’s fist hardened.
Damn the original owner. He had conditioned the child until he only dared wear suits!
Zhou Zhou crouched, pulled Paopao into his arms, and patiently explained, “Baby, you can wear other clothes. It’s so hot. You can wear a T-shirt and shorts, and little sandals. You don’t have to wear a suit.”
Paopao looked at him suspiciously. “Really?”
Zhou Zhou nodded seriously. “Really. Dad wants to wear a T-shirt and shorts too.”
Paopao put the suit back. Zhou Zhou rummaged through the wardrobe. “Do you have other clothes? Why is everything a suit? Do you usually walk around naked at home?”
Paopao said, “Dad told me to get used to wearing suits. All the other clothes were put away.”
“Where?”
Paopao turned and ran. “Here. Dad, follow me.”
Zhou Zhou followed him into the walk-in closet.
The moment the door opened, motion-sensor lights came on.
The closet was huge. Cabinets were filled with clothes and shoes. Only a small portion had ever been unwrapped; most were completely new.
Zhou Zhou: !!!
Was the original owner this rich? The novel never mentioned it.
Zhou Zhou asked uncertainly, “These are all ours?”
Paopao nodded. “Mm. This side is Dad’s. This side is mine. Big—”
Paopao suddenly remembered something, slammed on the brakes, and covered his mouth.
All of these clothes had been sent by Big Dad through his assistant: the latest releases from major clothing stores every month. Every six months, the assistant also brought several tailors to the house to take their measurements and make clothes.
But Dad seemed to hate Big Dad.
Dad often said that he was not the same as that little fool. He wanted freedom. He wanted to charge back into the entertainment industry and become a superstar. He would never let a partner, a family, or a son hold him back.
However, while pursuing freedom, Dad used Big Dad’s money, lived in Big Dad’s villa, and wore clothes Big Dad’s assistant delivered.
Paopao had heard that even their opportunity to appear on this show came from Big Dad.
The only “freedom” Dad pursued was that no one was allowed to mention Big Dad in front of him, and absolutely no one was allowed to remind him that these things came from Big Dad.
So Paopao did not dare say it either.
Zhou Zhou did not notice the change in the child’s mood. Beautiful clothes and shoes had blinded him. His eyes shone as he rushed into the closet, spread his arms, and slid dramatically across the floor while the sensor lights lit in sequence behind him.
Zhou Zhou high-fived an entire row of sneakers one by one.
“Hello! Babies! Nice to meet you!”
Like a fan meeting!
Paopao: “…”
Dad really had changed. He had become so silly.
And Dad’s “babies” were shoes. The ice-cream-hearted child was getting angry.
Author’s Note:
The clothes were sent to Zhou Zhou by Big Dad because he knew Zhou Zhou would definitely like them. They were not gifts for the “original owner.”