VHBF – Chapter 48 Movie King Daddy (Part 7)

Emperor Zhu posted on Weibo!

This news was even more exciting than the revelation about his secret marriage and child! Previously, when the whole internet was hurling hate at him, all he had written was four words: “The innocent are self-clearing.”

That phrase “the innocent are self-clearing” had been used so much it was practically worn out. Netizens didn’t buy it—it only managed to comfort a handful of his diehard fans.

Since then, the Movie Emperor hadn’t posted a single word on Weibo.

No one expected that a news story about his hidden marriage and child would actually drag the long-vanished, Buddha-like Movie Emperor out of seclusion. Instantly, the internet exploded.

The few remaining loyal fans were almost in tears. They didn’t even have time to carefully read what their idol posted before rushing into the comments, hoping their messages might catch his eye.

“Wuwuwu, Brother, you finally appeared!!!”

“Brother, my husband! Please come out more often, those trashy haters are really too annoying!”

“So wait—you didn’t get married, and this child really is your biological daughter… then who gave birth to her?”

Besides squealing in joy at their idol finally speaking up, the fans were also overwhelmingly curious—how exactly did this child come into being?

Of course, under this post there were far more passersby and haters than fans. In less than half an hour, trolls and hired water armies had already taken over the comments section.

“Tsk tsk, Movie Emperor Zhu, the turtle finally shows his head. Out-of-wedlock child—this your illegitimate daughter? Which lover gave birth to her? Don’t tell me it’s one of those actresses you got through shady deals?”

“Illegitimate daughter is just an illegitimate daughter. Why act like it’s something noble?”

But then one fan’s comment struck a nerve:

“Can the haters just shut their filthy mouths?! Am I the only one noticing? When Zhu Ji was blackened by the whole internet, dropped by his company, had all his gigs canceled, paid enormous breach-of-contract penalties… he never once stepped out to explain. But now, the moment his daughter got dragged into this, he’s here defending her. This is a fairy-tale daddy—I believe it. Brother must really love his little darling!”

This comment was quickly pushed to the top, received countless likes, and—shockingly—was even personally liked by the Movie Emperor himself.

Netizens’ attention immediately shifted, all turning to dissect the content of his Weibo post.

“That line ‘Don’t bully my daughter’—I read it ten times!!! It made me cry! Confirmed: Movie Emperor is 100% daughter-obsessed!”

“Ahhh, I was just a passerby, but this one sentence made me a fan—what do I do?!”

“Hey, little cutie who’s hogging my Brother’s embrace—you’ve officially caught this auntie’s attention!”

Very quickly, Weibo went completely off-track and even shot up to the hot search list. Trolls and water armies: “……”

What kind of plot twist was this?!

The Movie Emperor shot back to trending with multiple hashtags:

#Don’tBullyMyDaughter

#MovieEmperorSpeaks

#MovieEmperor’sChildIsIllegitimate

#DotingDadMovieEmperor.

Zhu Ji glanced at Weibo for a moment, then shook his head with a faint smile.

Beside him, the little dumpling slept peacefully, completely unaware that she had already become famous, while the masses were scratching their heads in curiosity about her!

The system, of course, knew. But it wasn’t worried at all—after accompanying the dumpling through two worlds, it knew perfectly well just how lovable this little cub was. With her ridiculous luck plus the power of the “villain” role, the noise online was nothing to worry about!

Meanwhile, “Heartless Chasing Stars” was scrolling through the hot search, reading both the “Entertainment First Line” gossip post and Zhu Ji’s Weibo. That one sentence—“Don’t bully my daughter”—she stared at it for a long time. Tossing and turning in bed, she just couldn’t sleep.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, she clicked into her own Weibo page. After a moment of hesitation, she uploaded the photos she had once shared in a fan group chat.

Heartless Chasing Stars: “His daughter.” [Attached JPG]

Her account used to be named “Clinging to Brother Ji’s Thigh.” She had been a fan of Zhu Ji for years, always charging at the front lines of fandom, and had accumulated many followers who were also Movie Emperor fans.

The moment she posted the photos, they shot to the hot search.

Ever since Zhu Ji confirmed that the little girl was his biological daughter, countless netizens had been itching with curiosity about her true appearance. Even random passersby found themselves curious.

Think about it—Zhu Ji had been in the entertainment industry for years, famous but very Buddha-like. He had never had any scandals. Putting aside the recent wave of slander, he was practically the perfect man.

Not only was he the flawless “white moonlight” in fans’ hearts, even in the eyes of ordinary netizens, someone like Zhu Ji was basically untouchable—no one was worthy of him!

But now, this man actually had a child! And he was an out-and-out daughter-con! That instantly made him feel so much more down-to-earth. Netizens were thinking, Wow, Zhu Ji also has this side to him?

“Heartless Chasing Stars” uploaded two photos. She was using Apple’s latest model phone, so the quality wasn’t bad. Even though she had taken them from a bit of a distance, they clearly captured both father and daughter.

She had bumped into them at a shopping district. At the time, she only thought the man looked familiar—eerily like her former idol—so she instinctively followed them, snapping photos all the way until they reached the checkout counter.

The first photo was taken in the shopping area. The man wore a mask and pushed a shopping cart. Sitting properly in the child seat was a little girl in a cartoon dress, wearing a matching mask like his. Her big round eyes peeked out curiously, lively and adorable.

The Movie Emperor’s gaze was lowered toward the little head before him, his brows and eyes gentle, lips curved faintly—such a tranquil, heartwarming scene.

Their features were at least seventy percent alike. Sitting in the cart pushed by her dad, the dumpling had clearly inherited his good looks, even down to the fair, tender skin.

The second photo was snapped at the checkout counter. The dumpling had said something unknown, making her father laugh helplessly. He bent down, cradling her and speaking softly to her. The candid shot radiated warmth—no one could doubt they were a deeply affectionate pair of father and daughter.

“Ahhh, I’m dead!!! What kind of fairy-tale father-daughter pair is this?! Even though the baby’s face isn’t fully visible, I can already imagine how ridiculously cute she must be!”

“Sniff sniff sniff—give me more! Suddenly, I feel like Brother having a baby isn’t so bad. At least it looks like he hasn’t been beaten down by those haters. He must be strong because of her!”

“So heartwarming! I never imagined Zhu Ji could have such a side to him!”

“Am I the only one dying of curiosity about what the baby looks like?”

These two photos slightly quenched the netizens’ thirst. Immediately, they swarmed over to Zhu Ji’s Weibo, begging for more baby pictures.

“Hand over the child and no one gets hurt!”

The haters and water armies were dumbfounded. The focus had completely shifted onto the father and daughter. Instead of bringing Zhu Ji down, the incident had earned him a whole wave of new fans. Even the comments began rewriting the narrative around his past scandals.

Many argued that a man who loved his daughter so much couldn’t possibly be the kind of person accused of arrogance, shady casting deals, or drug abuse.

“How could a man with such a soft spot ever destroy himself?”

Previously, when Zhu Ji returned home after receiving an award, he had just gotten off the plane when the police took him away for inspection. Although he was released in less than half a day, the lack of proper PR, combined with the sensitivity of being “taken away by the police,” meant that by the time he came out, the outside world had already exploded.

Even though fans argued that the Best Actor didn’t take drugs—otherwise how could he have been released so quickly—the haters refused to let it go. Marketing accounts fueled the fire, claiming Zhu Ji was simply a habitual drug user who had gotten wind of the inspection ahead of time and therefore abstained for a while, so the test couldn’t detect anything.

Such a far-fetched reason wouldn’t have been believed in the past, but with an army of paid trolls stirring the pot—and with the earlier scandals involving videos and photos of “acting like a diva” and “using the casting couch with rookies”—his character was already in doubt. As a result, many people started to believe this version of events.

Now, however, this claim seemed on the verge of being overturned. The leader of the troll army glanced at Weibo’s trending comments and hot searches, gritted his teeth, and dialed the number of “Mr. 0.”

“Hello, have you seen the trending comments on Weibo? How should we handle this now? We can’t control the situation anymore…”

On the other end, the voice was low and suppressed, tinged with barely contained anger. “I told you before—when stirring things up, you need to be careful. Zhu Ji is not someone who can be easily provoked into responding. The fact that you managed to push him into posting on Weibo is already impressive!”

With a mocking tone, he added, “Since things are like this, let’s smash the jar completely—shift the focus to the child’s biological mother, to phrases like ‘illegitimate daughter,’ ‘out-of-wedlock birth,’ ‘corrupt morals’!”

“Do I really need to teach you how to do it? Once it’s done, I’ll give you another million. Don’t call this number again—wait for me to contact you. And if you can’t handle it, forget about that million. I’ll find someone else capable!”

The call was cut off. The troll leader curled his lip. That guy must have some deep grudge against the Best Actor—so determined to destroy him. If not for the money, he wouldn’t bother dealing with him at all!

Yinyin woke up and, not seeing her father beside her, ran out to the living room. On the table was a neatly prepared breakfast—golden fried eggs, soft and fragrant white porridge, and a plate of fresh green vegetables.

The breakfast was simple, but it smelled delicious. It was also the best life Zhu Ji could currently provide for his child.

After selling his last house and paying out the settlement money, he only had twenty thousand yuan left.

He didn’t need to pay rent, but he had no job, no income. With the current online frenzy, if he went out looking for work, people would probably recognize him too easily.

Zhu Ji was still pondering how to find a new job. Only with income could he give his daughter a good life. He wasn’t aiming for wealth and luxury, but at the very least, his daughter should have what other kids had.

That morning, Yinyin was delighted to see her father and the breakfast he had cooked. She greeted him sweetly, then, without needing a reminder, ran off to the bathroom. Standing on her little stool, she brushed her teeth carefully, clumsy but earnest—twenty strokes up and down, left and right, before she finally stopped.

Afterward, Zhu Ji wet a towel with warm water and gently wiped her small face. He patted her clean cheeks and said, “Go eat.”

“Daddy, where are you going?”

After breakfast, a strange uncle came to the house. Daddy said he needed to go out, and told her to stay with the uncle. Yinyin clung to the doorway, reluctant to part.

This was the first time Yang Bingbing saw his buddy-slash-mentor’s daughter—his little niece!

She was just as cute as he had imagined, with delicate features and big round eyes full of curiosity. Her chubby cheeks resembled Zhu Ji’s, giving her the expression of an adorable meme. The moment Yang Bingbing stepped inside, he couldn’t help bursting into laughter on the sofa.

Yinyin stared at him for a while, then looked back at her father with a mix of curiosity and disdain. In her milky voice, she asked, “Daddy, what’s wrong with this weird uncle?”

Yang Bingbing: “…”

Zhu Ji chuckled, patting her little head. “Daddy has to go out for a while. Be good and stay with this uncle. Daddy will come back later.”

After giving Yang Bingbing some instructions, Bingbing hesitated. “Brother Ji, why don’t you just work at my dad’s company? No one would give you trouble there.”

Yang Bingbing’s family was moderately well-off—they ran a small company with an annual output of several million yuan, enough for a good life. He had only gone into the entertainment industry because of his genuine passion for it.

But Zhu Ji declined his help. “Don’t get involved in this mess. Your dad’s company is his life’s work. If something happens because of me, none of us will be okay.”

He patted Bingbing’s shoulder and went on, “Take good care of Yinyin. There are cooked dishes in the fridge—just heat them up for lunch. Rice is already in the cooker, set to be ready around twelve.

“Yinyin likes milk. If she gets hungry, make her some. Watch her candy and snacks—don’t let her eat too much…”

Bingbing’s head was spinning. He stared wide-eyed at his friend. “Brother, did someone swap you out? Why are you so naggy? You’re about to rival Monk Tang!”

Originally, Bingbing hadn’t even asked where Zhu Ji was living, afraid of exposing his location and causing trouble. Though curious about his niece, he planned to wait until the storm passed before visiting.

He hadn’t expected Zhu Ji to call so early in the morning, asking him to babysit.

Bingbing: “…”

Was he really cut out for childcare??? Clearly his buddy misunderstood him!!!

Zhu Ji had once been a top scorer in the national college entrance exam, later admitted into the prestigious Imperial University, majoring in computer science. Even after entering the entertainment industry, he never abandoned his studies.

He completed the four-year undergraduate program in just two and a half years and was recommended for postgraduate study at the same university. He became famous in the entertainment industry as a true academic genius—no exaggeration at all.

During graduate school, he participated in a research project, and his professor personally mentored him, praising his talent. Unfortunately, because of his busy acting schedule and genuine love for performing, he didn’t pursue a doctorate after graduating and declined his professor’s offer to stay. It had been a great regret for his mentor.

This time, Zhu Ji was planning to visit that very professor, Professor Yu De.

After Daddy left, Yinyin and the weird uncle stared at each other. Yang Bingbing touched his nose, feeling oddly despised by his little niece.

It was all because she looked too much like his buddy—he couldn’t help laughing whenever he saw her!

Yinyin thought for a while, then dragged over a plastic stool, climbed on top so she was eye-level with the uncle, and asked, “Uncle, where did Daddy go?”

Just earlier, Daddy had said a lot of things quickly to this uncle. Yinyin hadn’t understood a word.

Bingbing pinched her chubby cheeks mischievously. “Your dad? Mm… he’s too poor, no money, so he went out to carry bricks to raise you!”

He sighed dramatically, “Having you is hard for him. He has to earn for two people now—sometimes there’s food, sometimes not. So pitiful!

“How about this, Yinyin comes with Uncle instead? Uncle has money and will buy you lots of yummy food!”

Standing proudly on the stool, hands on her hips, Yinyin’s eyes went wide. “Go away! Yinyin doesn’t want weird uncle to raise her—Yinyin wants to raise Daddy!”

The little dumpling’s heart ached. She knew how hard it was to carry bricks. Back in their old neighborhood, an uncle worked as a brick carrier—those heavy stones, under the hot sun. It was the toughest job in the world.

That uncle always had a furrowed brow, saying money was too hard to earn.

Suddenly, even cartoons and candies lost their charm. Her little brows furrowed, then her eyes lit up. She looked at the weird uncle with excitement. “Uncle, let’s go collect bottles!”

“There are so many bottles in the neighborhood! We can sell them for money and raise Daddy, so Daddy doesn’t have to carry bricks!”

Bingbing froze, staring at her serious little face. That tiny face, so much like his buddy’s, carried the same stubbornness.

Her father had gone online to defend her, and now was out working hard for her.

And this little dumpling was also determined to raise her father…

He gently pinched her chubby cheek. “Do you know how hard it is to collect bottles?”

She blinked. Collecting bottles was her specialty! “It’s not hard at all! We can sell them to raise Daddy!”

Bingbing felt a sour pang in his chest. Brother Ji truly was admirable—but also enviable.

“Alright, let’s go! Uncle will take you to earn money!”

Yinyin corrected him proudly, “Uncle, you’re wrong. It’s Yinyin taking you to earn money!”

“…”