Chapter 178 (Combined with Chapter 178)
178:
After cleaning the house, the maid Xiao Mu cooked a meal and even washed apples for her elderly father and youngest son as dessert.
He asked politely, "Would you like me to cut it open for you, sir or young master?"
Young Master Ye Qingxi: ...
Master Mu Feng: "Not for now."
Mu Feng pulled Ye Qingxi to sit down, preparing to eat.
The meal was cooked on a traditional earthen stove in the countryside, and Mu Shaowu put in a lot of effort for it. Fortunately, Aunt Zhang was there to guide him, and he finally succeeded in completing it.
"Sweet and sour pork ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shrimp with garlic and vermicelli, eggplant with green peppers, and a meatball soup. How about these four dishes and a soup?"
"Why isn't there any fish?" Mu Feng looked at his son. "Didn't Xiao Xi want to eat squirrel fish recently?"
Ye Qingxi: !!
Ye Qingxi looked at his grandfather in horror. He only wanted to eat squirrel fish, not kill his father!
This dish requires such skillful knife work, so let's not make it too difficult for his dad!
Mu Shaowu: ...
"Why don't you just kill me, squirrel?"
Mu Feng: ...
Mu Feng gave him a disdainful look. "Sit down and eat."
"Okay." Mu Shaowu immediately served himself a bowl of rice.
He placed a piece of pork rib on his son's plate, saying, "Try it, Dad can make this really well now!"
Ye Qingxi immediately went to eat, and after finishing, she exclaimed, "Delicious! Daddy is amazing!"
Mu Shaowu was smug. Of course, he was so smart that cooking was a piece of cake for him.
Looking at his son's proud expression, Mu Feng suddenly found his unreliable son somewhat endearing.
Well, he thought, if he could really learn most of his son's favorite foods within a month, then he could be considered a barely qualified father.
After dinner, Mu Shaowu cut apples for Mu Feng and Ye Qingxi. Only then did Mu Feng finally step into the house to check on his cleaning results.
The floor was cleaned fairly well, the blankets were put on, and the bed was made fairly smoothly.
Mu Feng looked at the rickety window and asked, "Why wasn't the window fixed?"
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?
Mu Shaowu was shocked, "I have to take responsibility for this?"
"Otherwise what? If your room's window breaks, will you stand in front of the window to block the wind for Xiaoxi when he sleeps at night?"
Mu Shaowu: ...
Mu Shaowu thought what he said was damnably true!
So, the second young master of the Mu family began to learn how to repair windows, doors, and roofs.
Ye Qingxi: ...
I always felt that his dad was going to participate in a survival show instead of "Look the Daddy".
Ye Qingxi watched her father climb up and down like a monkey and thought to herself, how could He Yao compare?
His dad is incredibly strong now!
After finally passing his father's test, the incredibly strong Mu Shaowu called his agent and expressed his willingness to bring his son onto a variety show on Lemon TV.
Zeng Chong, on his deathbed, sat up in shock, exclaiming, "You've figured it out?!"
Mu Shaowu: "It's mainly because Xiaoxi wants to go out and have fun."
Zeng Chong: "I'll arrange it right now!"
Mu Shaowu: "Go."
Zeng Chong hung up the phone and immediately contacted the program director who had previously spoken to him. He said with a smile, "Good news, Director Wang! Good news! After my persistent persuasion, my son Shao Wu has finally agreed to participate in your variety show!"
Director Wang was overjoyed and immediately stopped his team's work. "Really?! Thank you so much!"
"No need for thanks. You know, Shaowu doesn't usually appear on variety shows, especially not on parent-child variety shows like this. So, whether it's filming or editing, you guys have to be careful and make sure nothing goes wrong. You know Shaowu's temper; if he flips the table and refuses to film, I can't stop him."
"That's right, that's right," the director laughed. "We will definitely cooperate fully with Teacher Mu and there will absolutely be no problems that shouldn't happen."
“This can’t be done by talking; we need a contract,” Zeng Chong said cautiously.
"Of course, of course," the director replied cooperatively. "Looking at Teacher Mu's side, do you prefer boys or girls? What kind of child with a suitable personality would be suitable for this intern dad?"
“That won’t be necessary,” Zeng Chong said. “Shao Wu will take care of the child himself.”
Director: ? ? Bring your own child?!
The director seemed a little confused. "He already has a favorite non-celebrity child?"
"Yes." Zeng Chong nodded.
Director: "Then please make arrangements so that we can meet with the child beforehand."
“No need,” Zeng Chong said. “You will see him during the recording.”
"That's true, but we also need to get to know the child a bit to see if they're suitable for our variety show, right?"
The director said kindly, "Teacher Mu rarely appears on a variety show, so he must be hoping for good feedback. Some of these kids are fine on weekdays, but they become completely different people when they're in front of the camera. So we want to understand them in advance so we can make a plan and see which angle to promote Teacher Mu and his intern babies."
Zeng Chong: ...
Zeng Chong was silent for two seconds, then said in a low voice, "It's not exactly an intern baby."
Director: Huh??
The director was increasingly confused. "Not an intern?"
"Our Shaowu won't take up a spot as an intern dad. You can reserve that spot for a guest who needs it more."
Director: ? ? ?
The director felt he couldn't understand it at all.
"Not taking up a spot as a trainee dad? Then Teacher Mu is...?"
“Just a normal dad,” Zeng Chong said.
Director: !!!
The director was shocked: "Teacher Mu has a child?!"
Instantly, everyone in the office turned to look!
What? Teacher Mu has a child?
Which teacher, Mu?!
They keep discovering new kids in their circle!
"It's not what you think," Zeng Chong quickly explained. "Teacher Mu is so young, how could she possibly have a child!"
The director breathed a sigh of relief; he knew it.
"But Teacher Mu's father had a friend who was old and unfortunately passed away, leaving behind a child. Teacher Mu is handsome and kind-hearted, and so is Teacher Mu's father. So after some discussion, they decided to raise the child under Teacher Mu's name. Teacher Mu came to your variety show this time to build a relationship with the child, you understand?"
Director: !!!
Director: He was wondering why Mu Shaowu suddenly agreed to appear on their variety show! And he even brought his own child!
Oh, I see!
Teacher Mu is such a good person!
"I understand." The director immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I will make sure that Teacher Mu feels at home on our show. Not only that, but I will also make him fully feel the deep father-son bond between him and his child!"
“That’s right.” Zeng Chong nodded slightly. “But when you make the official announcement, don’t reveal that he has a child. Otherwise, as you know, with Shao Wu’s popularity, if you make the announcement at 9:00, it will be trending on Weibo at 9:01, and by 9:10 the whole internet will be discussing that he doesn’t know who he has a child with.”
Director: ...That's right.
"When I make the official announcement, I won't reveal that Teacher Mu has a child yet, so that everyone will think that he is also a temporary father. Then, when the show starts, Teacher Mu will explain the situation himself. That way, everyone should not misunderstand."
Zeng Chong was satisfied. "This kid is teachable. This director is quite savvy!"
"Let's leave it at that for now."
"Okay, then we'll contact you again if anything comes up."
"Um."
After Zeng Chong finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
The other staff members from the TV station curiously gathered around Director Wang, asking, "Director, who has a child?"
"Yeah, another new baby?"
"Are you coming to our show, Teacher Mu? Which Mu?"
"It's definitely not Mu Shaowu. If it were Mu Shaowu, our show would be a huge hit!"
Upon hearing this, Director Wang turned to look at her and said, "It really is Mu Shaowu!"
Everyone: !!!
"No way! Mu Shaowu has a child!"
"Impossible! How could he possibly do that!"
"He's never even had a scandal, so where would he get a child from?!"
"He's not his biological son," the director quickly explained. "He's the grandson of Teacher Mu's father's friend. The old man passed away, and there was no one to take care of the child, so he recognized Teacher Mu as his father. That's why Teacher Mu decided to appear on our variety show to build a relationship with the child."
"Wow~" a staff member couldn't help but exclaim, "Teacher Mu is such a nice person~"
"So it really is Teacher Mu coming?!"
"Director, why aren't you signing the contract yet?!"
"I'm just about to sign it, aren't I?" the director laughed.
He had initially thought Mu Shaowu was coming to be a temporary dad, but unexpectedly, he ended up taking the dad's spot. Thinking about this, Director Wang felt that He Yao was lucky. You see, when he first heard Mu Shaowu agree, his first reaction was to remove He Yao, since he was not well-known and not proactive.
"Well," Director Wang thought, "considering how enthusiastic He Yao's agent is, I'll reserve this 'intern dad' position for him for now."
Director Wang glanced at the date on his phone and prepared to sign contracts with potential guests.
It was at this moment that Zhong Yan and Kang Cong went out to play basketball, and Zhong Yan twisted his ankle.
Upon hearing the news, Ye Qingxi immediately took the gifts and went to the hospital.
Zhong Yan was lying in the hospital bed with her leg in a cast, and two birds that looked like geese had been drawn on the cast by someone.
"Does it hurt?" Ye Qingxi asked with concern.
Zhong Yan said, feeling wronged, "It hurts so much."
Ye Qingxi sighed, "What happened?"
"I wasn't paying attention when I landed, and I twisted my ankle," Zhong Yan said pitifully.
"Then does that mean you can't go with me to record a variety show?"
Zhong Yan nodded.
Given his current condition, he naturally needs to rest and recuperate properly.
"I should have known better than to go play basketball," Zhong Yan said regretfully. "My foot hurts now, so I can't go out and play with you."
"It's alright," Ye Qingxi reassured him. "We'll go out together again next time. But will your foot cause any lasting effects?"
Zhong Yan shook her head, "No, my dad asked and said that once I recover, everything will be fine, and I can continue playing basketball!"
"That's good." Ye Qingxi felt relieved.
The two friends chatted intimately for a while until Zhong Yan was ready to sleep, at which point Ye Qingxi left the ward and followed Mu Shaowu back.
“If Zhong Yan doesn’t go, you’ll be all alone. Do you want to ask someone else, or should I talk to Xiao Cheng and ask them to bring Xiao Cheng along?” Mu Shaowu asked his son.
He still felt it would be better to have a familiar friend by his side, so that Ye Qingxi could relax more while recording the show.
Ye Qingxi felt it was unnecessary.
He never expected Zhong Yan to go.
Now that Zhong Yan has injured his foot and can't go, Ye Qingxi is actually more concerned about his foot injury than that he can't accompany her. Fortunately, his foot injury is not serious and he will be able to jump around again once he recovers.
That's good.
"It's okay, Dad. It's just the two of us. It's like an adventure for the two of us," Ye Qingxi said with a good attitude.
Mu Shaowu was amused by his choice of words, "It's just recording a variety show, why call it an adventure? What kind of adventure is this?"
They're about to face the protagonist head-on, so of course it's going to be risky!
After thinking about it, Ye Qingxi realized that it was actually better for Zhong Yan not to go.
Who knows what kind of trouble will arise when facing He Yao? Zhong Yan is an indigenous person, and might be affected by He Yao's protagonist halo, unlike him, who is a transmigrator and an "external force," and is undoubtedly safer.
"They said on TV that anything you haven't experienced before could be dangerous, so there might be dangers when we go out to film this variety show." Ye Qingxi looked at him. "But Dad, don't be afraid, I will protect you."
Mu Shaowu laughed heartily, "Really? Then Xiaoxi, you'd better protect your father well. My life is in your hands."
Ye Qingxi smiled, thinking to herself, "Your life was already in my hands."
He nodded. "Don't worry, Dad, I will definitely protect you."
Mu Shaowu couldn't help but laugh again, thinking his son was really cute.
"Okay~" he laughed, "From today onwards, you're Daddy's protector~"
After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but laugh again.
Ye Qingxi looked at the smile on his face, wanting to say something but not saying anything.
Well, it's fine if his dad doesn't know anything and just lives a silly, happy life every day.
Let him handle the matter of changing our destiny!
As for his father, all he needs to do is happily be a good father.
Ye Qingxi opened the car door, got in, and went home with her sweet and silly father.
He Yao was somewhat surprised when he heard his agent say that Mu Shaowu might also be going. "What did you say?"
"The production team sent me the contract today, and I asked about the potential guests again. From what Director Wang said, it seems that Mu Shaowu is also one of them."
"Why is he involved?!" He Yao exclaimed, "He doesn't even have children!"
"Maybe he's a temporary dad, just like you," the agent explained.
He Yao sneered, "Him? Can he even take care of a child?!"
The agent thought to himself: You might not be able to do it either!
"I'm telling you this not so you can judge whether he can take care of children, but so you can try to get along with him and get some of his screen time. He's popular, so the production team will definitely focus on filming his content, and more people will watch him. If you stick close to him, you won't get any less screen time, and you can gain more fans."
He Yao:? ? ? ?
He Yao thought he was just joking.
"Me, trying to get in his shot? No way."
Not only did he not want it, he also wanted to perform even better on the show, better than Mu Shaowu, so that after the show aired, everyone would know that Mu Shaowu was no match for him!
It's just taking care of kids, isn't it?
He has younger siblings; how could he not take good care of one child?!
Compared to him, a rich young master like Mu Shaowu probably can't even tell the difference between rice and millet. He'll have a lot to suffer in the future.
Thinking about this, He Yao felt that it was really good for Mu Shaowu to participate in this variety show.
Now, they finally have a chance to compete on the same stage and have a fair chance.
He can finally get his revenge for being replaced!
Soon, the production team released a rumor that Mu Shaowu would be joining them.
Mu Shaowu's fans and casual observers alike exclaimed in disbelief: "Really?! Mu Shaowu doesn't seem to appear on variety shows much!"
[Exactly, aside from promoting his own dramas, he seems to never participate in variety shows!]
During the peak of reality TV's popularity, someone revealed that a certain reality show offered him over 100 million yuan, but he refused. Why would he be appearing on a variety show now, especially a family-oriented one?
[Mu Shaowu has no children, how can he go?]
[I heard that this year's "Look the Daddy" on Lemon TV has added the role of "intern dad," so Mu Shaowu might be going on as an intern dad.]
[I don't believe it! How could Mu Shaowu possibly be taking care of a child?!]
I also don't think he's the type to be a good father.
Mu Shaowu's fans angrily retorted: "Why can't he be a good father? He was so gentle with the children he met during his promotional tours!"
[That's right, and in an interview last year, he also said that he really likes children!]
Although I also think this news is too fake, I'm sure Mu Shaowu will be a good father!
Immediately, the crowd began to discuss the matter.
Seeing that the buzz surrounding "Look the Daddy" was building, the production team opened a Weibo account at the height of the controversy, preparing for an official announcement.
They announced the other guests first, and then announced Mu Shaowu last, along with the intern guests.
Netizens are shocked!
Mu Shaowu's fans were even more shocked than they were!
Almost five minutes after the official announcement, Mu Shaowu's "Look the Daddy" became a trending topic.
A passerby exclaimed in surprise: "Wow! Mu Shaowu is actually going to film a parent-child reality show!"
【Ahhhh, when did he have a child?!】
[He's probably a trainee dad, right? He was the last one to announce his name, and the two before him were also trainee dads, so he must be one too.]
[My goodness, is Mu Shaowu about to start dating? He's practically a temporary dad!]
Is it related to his next film? Perhaps he wants to experience interacting with children beforehand?
【Ahhh, I love it! I love watching family-themed reality shows!】
[Does anyone have the connections to spoil which baby Mu Shaowu will be raising? Is it a boy or a girl, and what kind of personality will they have?]
[Whether it's a boy or a girl, the baby has to be good-looking! Our young master is so handsome, if the baby isn't good-looking, I'll be really distracted!]
Don't worry, everyone upstairs! The babies selected by the show are all very beautiful!
[So does anyone know which ordinary children were selected by Lemon TV?]
I'm so incredibly curious! I'm itching to find out!
[Hurry up, hurry up, when do we start recording? Will I be able to watch it this summer?!]
[This needs to be seen, production team, did you see it?!]
The production team certainly saw it. Not only did they see it, but they were also discussing whether to pull off a big stunt for the sake of generating buzz!
"Since netizens are so enthusiastic right now, let's do a live stream. That way, netizens can not only see the first-hand content, but also participate in the discussion directly. What do you think?" Director Wang suggested.
The staff had no objections, but the question remained: "Will the guests agree?"
"Why don't they agree?" Director Wang argued. "Aren't they all afraid we'll edit it badly? Then let's just do a live stream, without any cuts. Netizens can see the whole story clearly. Whether they praise or criticize, that's their business. We didn't do anything."
The assistant director nodded. "That makes some sense. Well then... shall we talk to the guests?"
"Yes," the director replied.
That evening, the staff contacted the guests who had signed the letter of intent.
The director then personally called Zeng Chong.
Zeng Chong: ? ? ?
Zeng Chong thought he was really bold to dare to do that!
He quickly reported this to Mu Shaowu.
After listening, Mu Shaowu calmly replied, "Sure."
Anyway, he's almost an all-rounder now, so what's there to be afraid of in a live stream?
If he hadn't done a live stream, his haters might have said, "Impossible, how could he possibly fix windows?" after he finished fixing the windows, implying that he was a big shot who hired staff.
Live streaming is great!
He repaired it right there on the spot, and everyone who saw it praised him for repairing it quickly and well!
Mu Shaowu felt that he was no longer the same person he used to be!
Only incompetent people are afraid of live streaming. For a dad like him who is capable in ten areas, live streaming is his stage!
His stage!
Go ahead and broadcast it!
Zeng Chong: ...You're really getting cocky!
"Then you'd better watch what you say and do," Zeng Chong reminded him. "Don't let your popularity drop completely after the variety show is over."
"Impossible." Mu Shaowu said confidently, "You know nothing about me now."
Zeng Chong: ...Then I really have no idea about your current inexplicable self-confidence!
Zeng Chong hung up the phone and replied to the director, "Okay."
The other guests also replied one after another. Some of them were a little embarrassed to refuse directly, so they asked, "What does Teacher Mu say?"
The director chuckled and said, "Teacher Mu agreed very readily!"
Guests: ? ? ?
The guests were speechless and could only reluctantly agree, "Alright then."
What else?
Mu Shaowu has already agreed; if they disagree, wouldn't it make them seem ungrateful?
Therefore, the director immediately decided on a dual broadcast method of live streaming and pre-recorded broadcast.
After consulting the oracle, he chose an auspicious day and prepared to begin recording.
Just two days before the recording, Director Wang received a call from the station manager, inviting him to dinner that evening.
Director Wang asked in confusion, "Wait, why are you suddenly inviting me to dinner?"
"I didn't invite them; it was Chairman Mu of the Mu Group who invited them."
Director Wang: ? ? ?
Director Wang was even more puzzled, "Why is that?"
You'll see when you get there.
Director Wang pondered, "Could it be because of Mu Shaowu?"
There have been rumors before that the "Mu" in Mu Shaowu's name might be related to the "Mu" in Mu Group.
However, no one has dared to ask, and Mu Shaowu has never brought up the topic, so everyone is just guessing and there is no confirmation.
But now, Mu Shaowu has just joined their variety show, and the chairman of the Mu Group invited him to dinner. This seems too coincidental.
Director Wang made a special effort to tidy himself up before leaving home, and arrived at the appointment on time.
Mu Feng came with Li Wei.
When he treated us to a meal, we naturally went to the best restaurant in town and ordered all of their signature dishes.
Director Wang and the station manager smiled and said, "You're too kind."
"What's so special about this?" Mu Feng glanced at Li Wei.
Li Wei walked up to the two of them and placed a box in front of each of them.
The box was opened, revealing a brand-new car key worth millions, bearing the car's logo.
Mu Feng said calmly, "I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll just say it directly."
"This gift is parked in the parking lot downstairs. You can drive it away in a little while."
"Of course, the gift isn't given for nothing. My grandson, Ye Qingxi, is participating in your station's variety show. I only have one request: that he go there happily and come back happily."
"Don't get hurt, bump into anything, or suffer any injustice."
"If we can do that, everyone will have a great year."
"If you can't do it, don't blame me for not doing it well."
Mu Feng looked at the people in front of him and asked, "What do you two think?"
Director Wang was stunned for a moment before belatedly realizing that after all this time, Chairman Mu hadn't come for Mu Shaowu!
It's for the child under Mu Shaowu's name!
Good heavens!
Ye Qingxi is truly spoiled! Her father participated in a variety show for her, and her grandfather tried both politeness and force.
Even for one's own son and grandson, this is a grand gesture!
Let alone sons and grandsons who are not related by blood!
This is more like a biological child than a blood relative!
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