CHAPTER 77: FAMOUS!

He couldn’t risk hurting her feelings, bringing someone into their lives who might not love her as he and his wife did.

When he met Xu Meilin, he thought perhaps, just maybe, she could fill the role, and if that’s what Huaijin wanted, then he would marry that woman, even at the cost of giving up on finding his wife. But Huaijin cried and was angry after meeting her the first time, clutching his sleeve and refusing to speak.

That was the first time he made a decision.

No woman would enter their home unless Huaijin allowed it.

His fingers tightened slightly on the mouse.

But was he enough?

Was he truly giving her everything she needed?

His heart felt complicated.

.

.

.

Cameras rolled as the children lined up on stage.

Director Tang, now completely in "devoted disciple" mode, stood off to the side with sparkly eyes.

"Next, we have— Chi Huaijin!"

Cheers and applause erupted.

Huaijin walked forward with steady steps, holding a small wooden box.

"What talent will you show us?" the host asked, kneeling to her height.

"A small... shadow play," she said softly.

The lights dimmed. A screen was set up behind her. She lifted her hands, arranging her fingers with delicate precision, forming silhouettes that danced across the canvas.

A rabbit.

A dragon.

A woman holding a lantern.

A father holding his daughter’s hand.

The room grew quiet.

The shadows shifted smoothly as if alive, like they were telling a story rather than forming shapes. Huaijin’s eyes were calm, her movements fluid, almost meditative.

Back in the CHRONOS building...

Yuanfeng’s breath hitched.

She had never shown him this.

She had never told him she practiced something like this.

He watched the silhouette of the father and daughter again and again, unable to look away.

His throat tightened unexpectedly.

She... missed him?

Of course she did.

He worked late, hid things from her, and protected her so fiercely that sometimes, he forgot she wasn’t a porcelain doll; she was a child with feelings.

When the audience burst into applause, Huaijin pretended to smile shyly, but Yuanfeng, who was watching over her, couldn’t help but feel guilty as he whispered to the empty office:

"...You’re amazing, my child."

But no one heard that except himself.

.

.

.

Huaijin sat backstage, legs swinging from her chair as she ate fruit slices. Director Tang hovered protectively, ranting about how the lighting crew needed to improve their dimming timing "for her performance quality."

She smiled helplessly.

Her bracelet buzzed; her father sent a message.

Did you have fun?

She typed back:

Yes. Daddy!

Did you eat lunch?

A pause.

Then:

Not yet.

She sighed.

Dad... you have to eat on time.

Another pause.

Then, unexpectedly:

Okay. I’ll listen to you.

Her heart warmed as she typed quickly:

When will you be home?

A longer pause.

Then:

Soon. I’ll pick you up today.

Her eyes widened in surprise and happiness.

But today—

"...Dad is coming," she whispered.

Director Tang blinked. "Huaijin, what did you say?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, smiling.

Outside, the other children were being picked up one by one.

Mothers hugging them. Fathers patting them on the head. Warm laughter filled the hallway.

And for once...

She didn’t feel lonely.

Because her father—

Her very overprotective, secretive, and awkward father was coming too.

Back at the CHRONOS Corp office, Yuanfeng closed the live feed, stood up, and put on his coat. His secretary rushed in with urgent documents.

"President Chi, the quarterly—"

"Later."

"The Chi Corporation called for a follow-up—"

"Reject them."

"But sir, the shareholders—"

"Tell them I’m picking up my daughter."

The secretary froze like someone had hit him with a tranquilizer dart.

"Y-Your daughter?"

"Yes."

The entire floor fell silent as their president walked to the elevator with a calm expression and a completely melted heart.

The staff whispered.

"The legendary President is leaving work for... his kid again?"

"No way."

"Write this down. It’s history."

But Yuanfeng didn’t care.

He pressed the elevator button.

His reflection looked back at him, cold, sharp, and intimidating.

But his voice was soft when he whispered to himself:

"I’ll be there soon, Huaijin."

And somewhere across the city...

A little girl waited with sparkling eyes.

Morning sunlight filtered softly through the thin curtains of the dormitory building, casting a warm, golden glow across the floor.

The children were buzzing with excitement even before breakfast ended. There was something about the word field trip that made all of them vibrate like overcharged wind-up toys.

Director Tang, sleeves rolled up and a bright, suspiciously energetic grin on his face, looked more like a man preparing for a family outing than the director of a nationally broadcast reality show.

He had hardly slept last night, not because he was stressed or that he had work to do. But because he had spent the entire night planning—

Food.

Drinks.

Safety precautions.

Games.

Backup games.

Backup of the backup games.

Possible medical situations.

Possible emotional breakdowns.

Possible spontaneous hunger crises.

Possible "children went feral in the wild" situations.

He had everything written down in a thick notebook that he now carried with the pride of a father who had just assembled a toy house without instructions.

The entire production crew exchanged looks of mutual sympathy.

Their boss had gone insane. Fully, completely, eternally insane.

They all knew the exact moment it happened:

When a certain tiny girl smiled at him like a celestial being who had descended to earth.

From that day forward, Director Tang acted as if he’d transcended mortal limits.

He even wrote in the staff group chat: "Prepare yourselves. Grandpa Tang is taking his grandchildren out today. No one is allowed to cry except me."

Nobody understood why he was preparing to cry.

But they didn’t dare to question it either.

***

Huaijin felt the weight of Director Tang’s devotion long before they even stepped out the door.

Director Tang hovered around her like an overenthusiastic nanny who had downed five cups of coffee.

"Little Huaijin, your shoelaces are neat, perfectly neat. Good job!"

She blinked.

"...Thank you?"

"Do you want a sunhat? This color suits you, no, wait, what about this one? Or this one?"

"...I’m fine with this one."

"Should I carry your water bottle?"

"I can carry it myself, Uncle Tang."

He nodded with exaggerated solemnity, scribbling furiously in his notebook.

The other children watched the scene unfold with expressions that ranged from pity to amusement to blatant envy.

Mo Chen whispered loudly, "I wish Director Tang had favored me like this."

Yuanying snorted. "You wish. My cousin’s the most adorable kid. Of course, the director adores her, too."

Liang Lingzhi stroked her chin like a dramatic old scholar. "Ah, such is the fate of the chosen one."

The cameramen were trying their hardest not to laugh and ruin the footage.

Meanwhile, Huaijin’s little brows scrunched slightly.

Too much attention wasn’t good.

Not for the show or her persona as it was described, and especially not for her father’s peace of mind!

Yesterday, after hearing rumors from staff gossip, the production team had informed her gently that they would be creating an official Weibo account for her soon.

Her popularity had already skyrocketed within just two days; the clips of her waking up, smiling sweetly, and guiding the treasure hunt had all exploded across social platforms.

Even her extraordinary and funny facial expressions have been turned into memes and are now circling the internet, causing a hype because the netizens loved it.

People adored her. But the more people adored her... More people would also hate her.

And hate could turn vicious in online.

What if her father saw those comments?

What if someone dug into her background?

What if they found out where she lived?

It wouldn’t be a simple matter of haters posting mean things.

It could become dangerous.

Huaijin hugged her small backpack, anxiety weaving through her thoughts like thin threads. She knew how terrifying the world of business was.

She couldn’t afford to cause trouble.

’But... this is a children’s show. I have to behave naturally. If I act too withdrawn, netizens will think I’m cold. If I act too friendly, they’ll say I’m pretending. If I act too perfectly, they’ll say I’m fake.’

She was caught in a delicate balance.

But right now, she couldn’t dwell on it.

Because Director Tang clapped his hands so loudly that three kids jumped.

"Alright, little angels! Everyone, gather up! Time for our field trip!"