VHBF – Chapter 44 Movie King Daddy (Part 3)

An hour later, a tall man and a small child walked out carrying two suitcases. Yinyin had a small, worn-out backpack on her back—the only luggage she had brought. Inside was a little dress and a pair of shoes, all the property she owned.

She also held tightly in her arms an old, fuzzy little rabbit doll.

Yinyin tilted her head up to look at her tall father. Just a while ago, an uncle and an aunt had come over to talk to her dad. She didn’t understand a word, but not long after, her father had packed up their things and taken her away.

That couple happily locked the door with the key her father gave them and walked off.

Yinyin looked back at the locked door, then at her father carrying two suitcases. Her tiny brows furrowed in confusion as she whispered, “Daddy, th-this isn’t our home anymore?”

Zhu Ji rubbed her head. “It belongs to someone else now.”

When the taxi arrived at the neighborhood entrance, Zhu Ji didn’t say much. He put on a black mask and also helped Yinyin wear one. Since the mask was adult-sized, it covered almost her entire little face.

The driver didn’t recognize this was the actor who had recently stirred up such a storm online. Chuckling, he said, “These days it’s not about parent-child matching outfits anymore—now it’s matching masks! Haha!”

Then he asked Zhu Ji where they were headed.

The man glanced at the child beside him and reported an address. It was in one of the city’s most infamous slums. Because of its location, all the nearby buildings had been rebuilt, except for that one spot, which still kept the style of the 1980s and 1990s—what people commonly called “tube-shaped apartments.”

Most residents there were elderly people living alone or migrant workers who couldn’t afford commercial housing, renting here instead. A single room cost only three to five hundred yuan a month—very cheap.

But because of the low rent and the lack of property management, the environment was dirty and messy, much like a village-in-the-city.

Zhu Ji happened to have a place there, left behind by his late parents. Over the years, as his career flourished, he had never thought about selling it. He had kept it unrenovated for the sake of preserving their memory. Now, it had become his only shelter.

The driver was a chatterbox. Seeing that the young father didn’t seem in the best mood, he tried to lighten the atmosphere.

At one point, he praised how adorable the little girl was. Another moment, he remarked how alike the two looked. “People say daughters resemble their fathers—it’s true!”

Hearing this, Yinyin blushed and quietly scooted closer to her dad, clutching his arm tightly. She rubbed her head against it, her eyes curving into crescent moons above the mask, utterly content.

The driver wasn’t just making things up. Both father and daughter wore masks, and the visible brows and eyes looked strikingly similar. When Yinyin had first been brought to Zhu Ji by Yao Li, he hadn’t noticed this.

Now, hearing the driver’s words, he instinctively turned to glance at the fidgeting little girl. When she saw him looking, she lifted her face and gave him a sweet smile. “Daddy!”

Zhu Ji’s lips twitched. Then he realized the driver wasn’t wrong—there really was a resemblance. He remembered the only photo of himself as a child; his face back then looked seventy percent like the girl beside him now.

Yinyin, being a three-year-old girl, still had baby fat on her cheeks. Even though she hadn’t been well cared for while with Yao Li, her little face remained round and soft, like a carved jade doll—irresistibly cute.

Zhu Ji, on the other hand, was a grown man. No matter how refined his features were, his face had sharp, defined lines. Yet once pointed out, the resemblance became undeniable, especially with the mask hiding Yinyin’s chubby cheeks, leaving only those brows and eyes visible.

Before this, Zhu Ji had never thought of this child as his daughter. When that strange woman had appeared at his door, he had been slightly startled but more concerned that the child hadn’t been living well.

That woman had kept calling her a “little idiot” and “burden.” Looking at how Yinyin instinctively feared her, timid and shrinking back, he could easily guess how much she had been mistreated.

Especially when Zhu Ji noticed the bruise marks on her neck, clearly finger marks from being strangled. A child’s skin was delicate, which made the injury even more shocking.

When she had thrown herself into his arms, he didn’t know why, but his heart softened. This well-mannered man suddenly felt compassion. His only thought was: with a mother like that, it’d be better for the child to have none at all.

So, to prevent this poor little girl from being exploited by her greedy, selfish mother, he had taken it upon himself to sever their mother-daughter relationship.

But now, his own situation was difficult. The money from selling his house and car was gone. Feeding himself wasn’t a problem, but raising a child would be hard.

He had once read a post online explaining how expensive it was to raise children. He knew it wouldn’t be easy. Yinyin no longer needed diapers, but kindergarten fees alone were a big expense. A decent one cost tens of thousands a year.

On top of that came the nutrition a growing child needed, toys, clothes, milk powder—nothing was cheap.

Zhu Ji had first entered the entertainment industry to save money for tuition. Later, it was pure love for acting. He had incredible talent and deeply enjoyed the craft.

But immersing himself only in acting had led to betrayal by his trusted manager and agency.

He had originally signed a ten-year B-level contract with Jinyuan Entertainment. When he became popular, it was upgraded to an A-level contract.

Two years ago, when his contract expired, the company president begged him to renew. Out of sentiment, Zhu Ji extended it for two more years. Today marked the twelfth year.

With the contract ending, Zhu Ji had planned to establish his own studio. Few young actors who rose to fame early were willing to stay loyal to a single company this long. But he didn’t care—he was still young and capable, and he didn’t mind a few lost years.

What he hadn’t expected was that when he insisted on leaving, the agency and manager turned on him.

He knew there was someone else pulling strings behind the scenes. The agency had only added fuel to the fire. But his manager, Amy… Over the years, while he had been absorbed in acting, he had entrusted her with part of his assets. And she had drained them.

When they entered the community, the tall modern buildings contrasted sharply with the few shabby tube apartments in the middle. Below were piles of scrap paper, empty drink bottles, and takeout boxes stuffed into large iron bins, with flies buzzing everywhere. Some bottles missed the bins and lay scattered on the ground.

Looking at the filthy place just as he remembered it, Zhu Ji instinctively glanced down at the child holding his hand. Surely she hadn’t seen such a place before. Worried she might not adapt, he bent down, wanting to say something.

But her eyes lit up, staring at the empty bottles on the ground. Those round, clear eyes shone with excitement.

Her tiny fingers twitched eagerly. She wanted to pick up bottles.

Face full of admiration, Yinyin looked up and said, “Daddy, this place is amazing! So rich! So many bottles!”

Zhu Ji: “…”

He froze. “B… bottles?”

The always composed, humble movie king was momentarily at a loss. He suddenly didn’t understand children’s logic anymore.

He picked her up as she wished, but she wasn’t particularly happy. Leaning over his shoulder, she watched the bottles grow farther away, sighing regretfully. Her chubby little face scrunched with heartache. Now she couldn’t pick them up—daddy was so unreasonable, not letting her collect bottles!

Before she even learned to walk properly, Yinyin had already been worrying about her livelihood. Picking bottles was the only money-making skill she knew. Watching them slip away was torture.

Hearing her pitiful sighs by his ear, Zhu Ji felt his first real headache in life. What kind of hobby was this? Other kids liked toys, but his liked picking bottles???

Then he thought—maybe she sensed he had no money and wanted to help. After all, she’d seen him sell the house and hand over the keys. Now they’d moved to this kind of place. Children were sensitive; maybe she had noticed.

With that thought, his heart softened again. For the first time, he felt that living with a three-year-old wasn’t so bad after all. It wasn’t nearly as troublesome as the rumors made it sound.

The old apartment, unused for years, was covered in dust. This two-bedroom, one-living room unit was barely thirty square meters, located on the third floor of the second building.

When he opened the door, he held Yinyin’s head against his chest to shield her from the dust. Inside, the living room had an old cloth sofa, a tea table missing a leg, a peeling wooden dining table with two equally battered stools.

Both bedrooms were tiny. When Zhu Ji was little, one had been his, the other his parents’. After they passed, he converted theirs into a study.

Each room could only fit a bed and a desk, with a few low plastic boxes stacked in the corner instead of wardrobes.

The apartment had no real kitchen—only a makeshift one on the balcony. Originally, these tube apartments hadn’t even had private bathrooms; everyone used shared ones in the hallway. Later, after his parents’ death, Zhu Ji had converted a storage room into a small bathroom. Narrow, dim, but functional.

Thankfully, the wiring and plumbing still worked. Zhu Ji wiped down the sofa, set Yinyin on it, and pulled a pack of candies from his bag, placing it in her lap.

“Sit here, don’t move. Be good and eat candy. When I finish cleaning, we’ll talk about your problem.”

Yinyin didn’t understand what problem he meant. She just heard “be good” and that she could eat candy. That was enough!

“Don’t worry, Daddy! Yinyin is the most obedient!” Her round little face, so like his own, was earnest and excited as she promised.

Zhu Ji: “…”

He fetched water and began cleaning from the living room. Having taken care of himself since young, he was efficient with housework. In no time, the living room looked spotless.

At first, Yinyin sat properly on the sofa, munching her sweet candy, quietly watching her father clean.

Ten minutes later, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Daddy, can I move now?”

Busy cleaning, Zhu Ji turned his head at her voice. She was still sitting exactly as he had placed her, both little hands resting neatly on her short legs, back straight, her chubby face scrunched from holding it in.

She wiggled shyly. “D-daddy… Yinyin, Yinyin wants to pee…”

Zhu Ji: “…”