VHBF – Chapter 49 Movie King Daddy (Part 8)

“You’re here.”

Inside a very discreet teahouse private room, an elderly man in his fifties wearing a comfortable Tang suit sat waiting. When he saw Zhu Ji push the door open, he smiled.

He gestured for Zhu Ji to sit, poured him a cup of tea, and handed it over. “Do you regret it now?”

Zhu Ji knew that Professor Yu De was referring to the time when he ignored his advice and insisted on venturing into the entertainment industry.

With a wry smile, he shook his head. “Never regretted it. Right now, I just want a fresh start.”

“A fresh start?”

“Professor, I have a daughter now,” Zhu Ji said. “She’s an adorable child. I want to work hard and give her a better life.”

Professor Yu hadn’t seen Weibo and didn’t know about the trending hot search from last night, but he was aware of the turmoil his prized student had been caught up in recently. Sighing, he said, “Let’s set aside the child for now. Have you thought seriously about leaving the entertainment industry?”

“We scholars need to stay focused to achieve anything substantial. I don’t mean to belittle that circle, but fame and fortune are not on the same road as academic research. I hope that from now on you can dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to it…”

He took a sip of tea, his gaze on Zhu Ji carrying a glimmer of expectation. “Xiao Zhu, I happen to have a project on hand that I can recommend you for. You can start with groundwork, reacquaint yourself with our field, and at the same time pursue your PhD. With this project on your résumé and my recommendation letter, entering the Academy of Sciences in the future won’t be a problem. I believe in your ability.”

Back in university, Zhu Ji had been exceptional — a natural-born researcher with a sharp mind and extraordinary talent. With no parents, Professor Yu regarded him both as a disciple and as a son. So when Zhu Ji took the initiative to reach out, Yu De was overjoyed, thinking his student had finally come around and was ready to return to academic research.

But unexpectedly, Zhu Ji shook his head, his eyes apologetic. “Teacher, I want to start a business.”

The smile froze on Professor Yu’s lips. “Are you sure?”

Before leaving, Professor Yu patted his student’s shoulder and sighed. “Don’t waste your talent. Starting a business is fine too — at least it’s still connected to our field. If you need help, just tell me. I may not have the money to fund you, but this old face of mine still has some weight — I can introduce you to a few connections.”

Zhu Ji was not someone who lacked tact. On the contrary, he had always been highly perceptive, knowing when to advance or retreat. He didn’t refuse. Instead, he thanked him politely. In the old days, a teacher was like a father; receiving a teacher’s goodwill was perfectly proper.

Professor Yu nodded in satisfaction.

Their conversation stretched into half the day. Zhu Ji didn’t rush home afterward; he planned to visit a few people — fellow senior and junior classmates from his university days. They had worked on projects together before, even co-developed a small piece of software that sold for money.

Developing software alone was clearly not enough. Even if he had the skills, his energy was limited.

So Zhu Ji spent the entire day out, completely unaware that at home, the little one and the “weird uncle” had nearly turned the place upside down.

After Daddy left, Yinyin and the “weird uncle” put their bottle-collecting money-making plan into action. With her little schoolbag on her back, Yinyin even dug out a big woven sack from home. Her eyes lit up — perfect!

Clutching the sack, she gave it a shake and grinned in satisfaction. “Uncle, let’s use this one! It can hold sooo many bottles!”

Yang Bingbing didn’t mention how much money he had. Even just his own earnings in the entertainment industry amounted to tens of millions, sometimes even hundreds of millions a year. Though it couldn’t compare to Brother Ji’s past glory, his net worth was still considerable.

But seeing the little dumpling so enthusiastic about picking up bottles, he actually felt intrigued too. With a snap of his fingers, he ruffled her soft head. “Let’s go, Uncle will take you to pick up bottles!”

“Uncle, how many times have I told you? It’s Yinyin taking you! Yinyin’s the best at picking bottles!”

Yang Bingbing: “…Fine, fine, fine. Yinyin will lead, Uncle will follow. Let’s go!”

Only then did the dumpling nod her head in satisfaction.

Downstairs, near the exit by the stairwell, was the designated garbage area.

Although cleaners were hired, since the place was not as well-maintained as a proper residential compound, they usually only came every other day. The residents’ manners weren’t the best either — bottles and scraps of paper often ended up littered all over instead of in the bins.

Yinyin’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Grabbing Uncle’s hand, she hurried forward on her little legs. “Uncle, Uncle, hurry up, there are sooo many bottles over there!”

In her mind, picking bottles was a race against time. From past experience, she knew many others would compete with her.

The grandpas and grandmas loved picking bottles too. Yinyin knew she had to let the elderly go first. Every time, she’d feel embarrassed to compete with them. But if she was unlucky and they were already picking bottles, then she’d have to go hungry.

Fortunately, most grandpas and grandmas were kind. Seeing how young she was, they’d smile and even teach her tips — how to collect, how to sell. Even the scrap collector uncle at the compound gate had once been scolded by the elders and warned not to cheat the child out of her money.

Yinyin glanced around cautiously, waved her little paw, and urged her uncle to hurry.

She even divided the work efficiently: “Uncle, I’ll pick the bottles, you hold the sack for me!”

The corner of Yang Bingbing’s mouth twitched. He regretted coming out with only a mask. Dressed head to toe in designer brands, his dashing good looks made him far too recognizable. Picking trash like this, if fans saw him, wouldn’t his suave, princely image in the entertainment industry be completely ruined?

Still, he resigned himself to his role. After all, this was Brother Ji’s precious daughter. And since he’d been called her uncle… well, what else could he do?

Even if “weird uncle” made his fists itch whenever he heard it, he’d just have to swallow it down.

The little dumpling squatted on the ground happily picking up bottles. There weren’t too many on the ground, about a dozen or so. After gathering them all, she tilted her head up at the tall iron bin, looked at the strange uncle with a flattering smile, tugged at his pant leg, and said,

“Uncle…”

“Hehe, Uncle, can you help me pick the ones inside the trash can too?”

Yang Bingbing: “…”

Faced with the little dumpling’s eager expectations, and that chubby face that looked exactly like his brother Brother Ji’s, Yang Bingbing couldn’t resist. He ended up playing the role of manual labor, pinching his nose and digging through the trash for her.

The uncle and niece gained quite a harvest here, filling half a bag with bottles, about thirty in total at a glance.

The little dumpling dragged the bag herself, refusing to let her uncle carry it. She insisted that since this was her own task, she had to do it herself, and she shouldn’t trouble her uncle.

Yang Bingbing: “…”

Then why did you ask me to help dig bottles out of the trash earlier? And what was with that wary little look? Do I look like the kind of guy who needs to fight over bottle money?

With a roguish grin, Yang Bingbing reached his “sinful” hand onto the woven sack in her grip.  “Not hard at all, not hard at all, Uncle will carry it for you.”

“No, no! This is Yinyin’s!”

“Uncle, at worst—at worst, Yinyin will pay you wages after selling the bottles. You’re not allowed to snatch them! This is money to raise Daddy!”

Seeing her uncle trying to snatch her bottle bag, the dumpling hugged it tightly as if it were treasure. Her little eyes were full of vigilance, as if watching a giant monster about to snatch away her beloved bunny.

Yang Bingbing: “…”

What kind of child did his brother raise? My god, this was too funny—hahahaha! He looked at the video recorded on his phone, stifled laughter, and pressed save. He decided that the day his brother annoyed him, he’d take this out to mock him!

Look at you, the grand movie king, all your “bright moonlight and frosty ground” airs—tsk tsk. Your darling daughter is actually a little money-grubber, treating a few bottles like gold. Hilarious!

Meanwhile, the refined man meeting some friends outside rubbed his itchy nose.

Just as the uncle and niece were “arguing” over labor division, an old granny walked over and snatched the bag from the dumpling’s hands. All the bottles they had picked scattered across the ground.

She frowned. “The garbage around here is my responsibility. You can’t just pick at random!”

After that, she swept the bottles into her own big sack, shook her head, and looked at Yang Bingbing with disappointment. “Young man, of all the things you could do, why fight with an old woman for a living?”

The dumpling froze, staring at the granny’s actions. She looked so wronged she was about to cry, her eyes turning red. “Grandma, those are my bottles, not Uncle’s!”

The old woman glanced at the child and waved her hand. “What do kids know? This is my legal business. I have a sanitation permit, the street office assigned me this work. Do you have one?”

“Go away, let your dad take you to play somewhere else!”

Yang Bingbing saw his little niece’s tears about to fall and felt his heart twist. Bully his niece? That’s the same as bullying him!

“Elderly lady, these bottles were picked by us. Why should you sit back and take them for free?”

He thought about how, for the first time in his life, he had endured filth and rummaged through garbage, and his niece had looked at him in admiration and joy, which gave him a sense of accomplishment. But before he could fully enjoy it, their bottles were stolen!

Bah, bah, bah! What sanitation permit? Did she think he was dumb? Obviously, she just wanted to freeload off their hard work.

Yang Bingbing, the notorious short-tempered little prince, was not someone to take advantage of so easily!

Just as he stepped forward, ready to argue with the old woman, she suddenly clutched her chest and plopped to the ground, crying and wailing, “Bullying the elderly! Come look, everyone! This immoral young man is bullying me!”

The dumpling was dumbfounded, forgetting even to cry. Yang Bingbing also froze.

Nowadays, besides unruly brats, the most troublesome were unreasonable old people.

In the end, the dumpling dragged her now-empty bag with her head down, hand in her uncle’s, looking like a defeated little rooster. Both uncle and niece wore the same dejected expression.

The dumpling’s mind was full of the image of her father lifting heavy stones under the blazing sun. She felt so wronged, but clenched her little fists. “Uncle, we can’t give up! Daddy works so hard, we have to go pick bottles somewhere else!”

Her words amused Yang Bingbing, yet his heart also felt sour and tender. Such a good child—and she was his brother’s! Truly lovable!

He stroked her little head and agreed.

The two of them walked out of the residential complex, picking up whatever they found along the way. People sometimes tossed bottles after finishing drinks, and the dumpling’s sharp eyes spotted them immediately.

Dragging her big sack, her short legs scurried everywhere. By the time they reached the gates, she had already picked up ten more bottles. The dumpling nodded proudly—Yinyin was still the best!

She puffed out her tiny chest. “Uncle, let’s keep it up! We can do it!”

Inside the complex there were fewer people, since most working folks were at their jobs. Only a few elderly were out for a walk. But once outside, the crowd grew.

Seeing the dumpling so excited, Yang Bingbing shed his idol burden. Even in front of a crowd, he wasn’t embarrassed, following behind the little dumpling, the pair strutting with their heads high, energetically collecting bottles!

Many people noticed this odd duo. The young man, even with a mask on, was clearly dressed in expensive brands and had a good temperament—not someone who looked like he needed money. Yet here he was with a three-year-old, rummaging through trash?

The dumpling was greedy. Whenever she saw young men and women with nearly-finished bottles, she would run up and stare fixedly at the bottle in their hand. That gaze…

The people being stared at: “…”

Unable to resist such a pretty little angel with eyes like a hungry wolf, they hurriedly gulped down the last sip and handed the bottle over.

The dumpling’s delicate little face, inherited from her movie king father, broke into a sweet smile. In her milky voice, she earnestly thanked them: “Thank you, Sister!”

The girls’ hearts melted on the spot. They wanted to buy several bottles of water just to give them to her. But when they looked at the well-dressed man behind her, they glared at him as if he were a villain enslaving a child.

One girl bent down and whispered into the dumpling’s ear: “Sweetie, tell big sister—did that uncle bully you?”

The dumpling froze, then shook her head. She was a good child who didn’t lie, so she explained seriously: “No, I hired Uncle to help me pick bottles. Yinyin will even pay him wages!”

The girl’s lips twitched. She gave the man behind her a long, complicated look.

Yang Bingbing: “…???”

After all the running around, the uncle and niece managed to fill half a sack, with at least forty or fifty bottles. The dumpling tugged at his pants again. “Uncle, Yinyin is hungry, and my legs are sore.”

Yang Bingbing scooped her up in one go. “Let’s go, we’re heading home for dinner!”

By now, after a whole morning with the dumpling, Yang Bingbing’s face had grown thick. Even if people stared strangely at them, he just glared back as if to say: What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome man and pretty kid picking trash before?!

The half-full bag of bottles was slung over his back without care, while the dumpling rested comfortably in his arms as he strolled home.

What Yang Bingbing didn’t know was that this would become an unspeakable black history for him—because a street photographer had secretly recorded the whole thing and uploaded it online.