Chapter 3
Leng Zhi got up very early; he couldn't sleep soundly here at all, and he had already gotten up and eaten breakfast before eight o'clock.
He actually spent the whole night thinking about how to get rid of this "contract of servitude".
With this piece of paper, he can't even find a job as a network administrator at an internet cafe.
According to the contract, whether he voluntarily broke the contract or was fired by the boss for failing to take good care of Jiang Mingzhe, he had to pay a penalty of 30 million yuan, which could almost be described as an unfair contract.
In other words, he can only retire honorably once he has actually earned 30 million, or once the boss finds the next suitable nanny/kindergarten teacher.
Leng Zhi's plan is to pursue both paths.
Thirty million is indeed difficult to earn, but it's not unattainable for a star esports player like him.
He quickly looked around on his phone and found that e-sports was very popular in this book world. Moreover, the popular MOBA game was almost identical to the one he played in his previous life, "Tianyao," even the name was similar, called "Diyao."
At worst, he can take care of the children during the day and then practice his full training hours at night. Although it will be tiring, he will have the opportunity.
In addition, he considered a second option: to find a new employer for his esteemed boss, President Jiang.
Considering that he has just arrived here and doesn't know anyone, this route will be put on hold for now.
There's only one problem now—he really doesn't know how to take care of children!
In the game "Tianyao", Leng Zhi's profession is support, and his best hero is the healer. However, he himself has little experience in interacting with children.
For example, right now, Jiang Mingzhe is wrapped in a blanket with his eyes tightly closed.
Leng Zhi didn't intend to waste time waking him up.
He was getting ready to head to an internet cafe for a couple of games to warm up his hands. He's just a kid—a little extra sleep should be fine.
If it hadn't been so late yesterday, and he hadn't been worried about arousing the suspicion of the housekeeper, he would have chartered a plane and stayed up all night. Although 250 yuan in savings wasn't much, it was more than enough to cover internet fees.
As for why he went to an internet cafe instead of using the computer in the Jiang residence, Leng Zhi also wanted to know. How could such a large mansion only have one desktop computer, which was President Jiang's work computer, and he wasn't allowed to use it?
When he asked the housekeeper, the housekeeper looked surprised: "Mr. Leng, didn't you say you wanted to get rid of all the computers in the house? You said at the time that these electronic devices were not suitable for children to be exposed to from a young age..."
Leng Zhi: "..." Haha, I'm impressed.
The original owner made a boast, and now he has to make it up.
None of that matters now. Putting on his coat and shoes, and imagining the sound of the keyboard, Leng Zhi felt completely relaxed and happy.
free!
Just as he was about to grab his car keys and head out for a spin, the butler stopped him: "Mr. Leng, where are you going?"
Leng Zhi casually made up a story: "Let's go for a drive."
The butler looked troubled: "Now? The production crew will be picking you up soon. They just called to say they've already left."
"What program team?" Leng Zhi's heart skipped a beat.
Butler: "It's 'Baby Go Forward,' we checked the time with you yesterday morning."
Leng Zhi's smile vanished: "!" How could it be so fast! Does that mean the internet cafe plan is ruined?
He now wants to swallow his boastful words from last night back down his throat. He was completely unprepared for something like taking his kid on a children's variety show!
Even Jiang Mingzhe was still lying in bed.
Leng Zhi immediately returned to the room: "Jiang Mingzhe, get up."
He pushed open the door and saw only half of a fair, delicate face peeking out from under the soft down comforter, the tightly closed eyebrows trembling slightly. The child was curled up in a ball under the covers, like a little hill, and moved back a little when he heard someone come in.
Jiang Mingzhe doesn't want to get out of bed today.
Children are very perceptive, and Jiang Mingzhe had already sensed the change in Leng Zhi's attitude. Before, Leng Zhi's father had always been accommodating, giving him whatever he wanted, but starting yesterday afternoon, he suddenly became a different person! He spent the evening fiddling with his phone by himself, refusing to play with his toys with him!
His father has become a bad father, and he wants to punish his bad father.
If his bad dad doesn't play with him, he'll play by himself! He'll stay in bed and play!
Hearing Leng Zhi enter, Jiang Mingzhe twisted his body in a huff, making his little genius watch rattle loudly.
He was playing a whack-a-mole game. He would tap wherever a squirrel appeared, and the more squirrels he caught within the time limit, the higher his score would be.
Jiang Mingzhe really liked this game because he had the highest score among his kindergarten classmates, and his classmates called him "Squirrel King".
But when I woke up this morning, the rankings had changed. Another classmate had secretly surpassed him, and his previous first place with 42 points had now dropped to second place!
"Whoosh—"
The blanket was ruthlessly pulled off by Leng Zhi, revealing Jiang Mingzhe's light yellow rabbit pajamas.
"Don't move! We're about to win!" Jiang Mingzhe yelled.
Leng Zhi then saw clearly what Jiang Mingzhe was holding in his hand.
A Little Genius watch? You can use this to play games? Kids these days have such fancy toys.
Leng Zhi frowned: "You play with watches? What are you playing with?"
Jiang Mingzhe looked at the final score of "32" on the screen and stood up angrily: "It's all your fault. We would have won if you hadn't come."
Leng Zhi glanced at the image Jiang Mingzhe was holding up and said, "Only this much? That's too weak."
Jiang Mingzhe's eyes widened. Although he was too young to understand what "vegetable" meant, it didn't sound like a compliment!
"I'm the 'Squirrel King' of my class!"
Seeing Jiang Mingzhe puffing out his cheeks in anger, Leng Zhi thought to himself that this was more than just a squirrel king; his puffed-up face looked more like an adorable pufferfish.
He couldn't help but laugh at the association, and chuckled as he read aloud, "Pufferfish boy."
Leng Zhi didn't give Jiang Mingzhe any chance to retaliate. He reached out and took the watch from Jiang Mingzhe's hand, then pressed the start button.
With one hand holding down the flailing Jiang Mingzhe, he quickly moved his other hand across the screen, and soon returned the watch to Jiang Mingzhe's wrist: "Alright, get up."
Jiang Mingzhe looked down and saw a huge number on it:
99!
Below is a smaller line of text: First in the whole school, congratulations baby!
Jiang Mingzhe was illiterate and not very good at addition and subtraction, but he knew that this number was much, much bigger than his 32!
Bad dad is amazing!
Jiang Mingzhe's gaze towards Leng Zhi changed instantly, becoming three parts envy and ninety-seven parts admiration.
"Dad, there are other games too, and I want to be number one in those too!"
Leng Zhi was surprised that this whack-a-mole game was so effective, so he came up with an idea: "Okay, but you have to promise me that for the next week you won't cry or make a fuss and will listen to me. Then I will teach you and make you the highest scorer in the class."
Jiang Mingzhe only heard twelve words from the long string of words: "I'll make you the highest-scoring student in the class."
He raised his arms and shouted, "Yay! You're the best dad!"
And so Jiang Mingzhe became his stepfather's biggest fanboy. This wasn't surprising; after all, he was dealing with an esports champion, and these kinds of games were child's play for Leng Zhi.
A moment later.
Leng Zhi was very satisfied to see Jiang Mingzhe eating his bread roll obediently.
Jiang Mingzhe is very obedient now, and there's no need to worry about him at all.
Fortunately, children are children after all, and they believe whatever they are told, which makes things much more convenient. Hopefully, Jiang Mingzhe's "well-behaved" experience card can last for a few more days.
-
Qin Wan had a dream of becoming a director since she was a child, but after working behind the scenes for several years after graduation, she finally got her current job opportunity—as an assistant director on the currently popular reality show about raising children, "Baby Forward."
The title of assistant director sounds impressive, but in reality, it's just assisting the guests participating in variety shows. They are responsible for the guests' personal affairs and also help them plan their individual program effects. They are all humble workers serving gods.
The Jiang family is a prominent business tycoon with a reputation throughout the country. This is the first time that the eldest son's secret marriage partner has made an appearance. Apart from improving the company's national image, Qin Wan can't think of any other reason why they would condescend to bring their child here.
Regardless of the circumstances, this person is still a living god, so Qin Wan must be on high alert and make sure to handle things well with this CEO husband and Little Golden Bean.
As she knocked on the door, the camera behind her was ready to go, and Qin Wan put on a professional smile.
The door was gently pushed open, revealing Jiang Mingzhe's chubby little face.
Wow! There are so many people at the entrance!
The camera immediately focused on Jiang Mingzhe, and the image was transmitted to the live broadcast room—this variety show focuses on live streaming in real time. In addition to the edited final product, multiple live broadcast rooms will be opened to play the real-time images of the guests through multiple cameras.
The live stream chat immediately became lively:
[Is this what a rich family's child is like? Oh my god, so cute!]
[Was that the CEO and his wife who flashed across the screen just now? Oh my god, I couldn't see clearly, but he looked like a handsome guy!]
[Baby, give Auntie a kiss~]
Leng Zhi's brows furrowed slightly.
He'd seen plenty of production crews like this. They said they'd film on the bus, but now they're already filming non-stop right in front of the door, without considering whether it would leak the guests' privacy.
After the furniture club gained fame, there were often media outlets that took advantage of the situation and tried to pry into the private lives of the team members. The home of the vice captain, Zou Shu, was accidentally exposed by these unscrupulous media outlets, and fans even followed him into the neighborhood, forcing him to move.
Leng Zhi, carrying his suitcase, didn't fully open the door. He squeezed through the crack and then closed the door.
"Hello, you must be Teacher Leng. I'm Qin Wan, the assistant director of the program. Just call me Xiao Qin." Qin Wan subconsciously reached out to take the suitcase.
Leng Zhi stopped her, saying, "Assistant Qin, I can carry the box myself."
Qin Wan was used to helping celebrities carry their bags, so she was a little flattered by Leng Zhi's politeness for the first time. She only came to her senses after watching Leng Zhi put the suitcase in the trunk and then hurriedly went to open the car door.
Two groups of people were already sitting in the car, and when they saw someone coming in, they all looked up at Leng Zhi.
The first person to greet him was a young man with curly hair, dressed in an elegant overcoat, just like his name: "Hello, you must be Teacher Leng. I am Lei Shen, and this is our son Lei Xixi. We'll need your help when we're filming the variety show."
As he spoke, he pulled out a chubby boy from behind him and greeted Leng Zhi and Jiang Mingzhe.
Leng Zhi nodded slightly: "Hello."
Then he patted Jiang Mingzhe on the shoulder lightly: "Say hello."
Jiang Mingzhe looked at the child, who looked to be about his age, with curiosity: "Hello, Xixi! My name is Jiang Mingzhe!"
Lei Shen: "Hi Mingzhe, which one of you is the older brother and which one is the younger brother?"
The chubby boy paused for a moment, then said gently, "I am five years old this year, born in the Year of the Dragon, and my birthday is in August."
Jiang Mingzhe: "Then I'm the younger brother! My birthday is in October!"
When Lei Shen saw Jiang Mingzhe and his child calling each other "brother" and "little brother" affectionately, he also became warmer: "The two children really get along well. I even went to Jiang Mingzhe's first birthday party and held him back then."
Upon hearing this, Leng Zhi finally lifted his eyelids to look at Lei Shen.
He remembered that Lei Shen had quite a few scenes in the original text.
If his original owner was a low-level cannon fodder male supporting character, then Lei Shen is a high-level cannon fodder.
The original owner's methods were rather crude and were quickly dealt with, while Lei Shen was much more cunning. On the surface, he was friendly with everyone, but in reality, he cared more about his ranking than anyone else, and used all sorts of underhanded tactics to exclude others.
Like the original owner, Lei Shen also came from a wealthy family, but he was just a nephew from a branch of the Lei family, and could only be considered from a middle-class family. He was scouted by an MCN company and packaged as a rich second-generation heir raising a child, becoming an internet celebrity and profiting from selling this persona.
The variety show "Baby Go Forward" was a good match for Lei Shen's profit-making persona, so his company introduced him to the show. He became an instant hit in the first season and now has a solid fan base.
However, in the second season, Leng Zhi suddenly appeared out of nowhere—Leng Zhi is also a wealthy family raising a child, and her husband is Jiang Yijing. Who doesn't know that the Jiang family is really rich?
What to do when there's a conflict in personas? Of course, you'll use every means possible to put each other down.
Therefore, in the original book, Leng Zhi's elimination was mainly Lei Shen's doing, while the protagonist Yun Jingcheng reaped the benefits.
Lei Shen thought he had hidden his little scheme well, but unfortunately Leng Zhi had already read the script.
Leng Zhi shifted his gaze: "I haven't heard President Jiang mention it."
The comments section became lively:
Who is this new guest?
[He's probably a rich second-generation like Lei Shen, but his family isn't as wealthy as Lei Shen's, right?]
[He certainly doesn't seem as particular as Lei Shen; his clothes are all unbranded.]
[Ha, indeed, Lei Shen's clothes are all luxury brands; he never wears the same thing twice!]
Lei Shen was rebuffed and cursed Leng Zhi in his heart, but his face remained expressionless: "Hehe, President Jiang is a person of high status and has a bad memory. It's normal that you don't remember the first birthday banquet when so many people were there."
Leng Zhi chuckled lightly: "Oh? Yi Jing did mention a few guests who came to the Lei family back then, but it seems that none of them were there—maybe Teacher Lei is using a stage name now. We can check their real names privately later."
He made it up.
Having just transmigrated yesterday, he had absolutely no idea about birthday party invitations, the Lei family, the Jiang family, or any related history.
However, he knew that the Jiang family would definitely not invite Lei Shen, a self-proclaimed rich second-generation, to Jiang Mingzhe's first birthday party. Lei Shen was simply bragging to solidify his image as a rich second-generation.
He said this to give this scheming guy a warning.
Stay away from me.
[So Lei Shen was just his stage name?]
Does anyone know his real name? I'm so curious!
[Why does this new guest seem so arrogant? Is he even richer than Lei Shen's family?]
[Does anyone have an inside story to share?]
Lei Shen was indeed stunned. His mouth was slightly open, but he couldn't utter a single word. He just chuckled a few times: "Ah... haha..."
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