VHBF – Chapter 52 Movie King Daddy (Part 11)

The three-year-old little dumpling wore all her thoughts right on her face. Seeing her obvious temptation, Zhang Daxi pressed on, coaxing her further:

“Uncle tells you this—joining the program to film a TV show means there’ll be lots of delicious food, all free to eat as much as you want! And they’ll even cover meals and lodging!”

The dumpling propped her chubby chin on her hand, eyes widening in surprise. “Meals and lodging included?! Can they also take care of Daddy? The kind that doesn’t cost money!”

Zhang Daxi held back a laugh and said, “Yes!”

He had a strong hunch that this child would definitely make his show explode in popularity!

Yang Bingbing: “……”

He froze for quite a while. In just a blink, the dumpling had nearly been coaxed away right under his nose. Hurriedly, he picked her up and set her on his lap, holding her firmly in his arms.

Yang Bingbing’s gaze turned sharp and wary as he glared at the lecherous-looking man in front of him who was trying to abduct his niece.

“Who are you? What are you trying to do?”

Zhang Daxi pulled out a business card and handed it over with a smile. “Brother Yang, don’t be so anxious. I’m not a bad person. I’m Zhang Daxi, a TV drama director—remember?”

Yang Bingbing had never met him before, but he had heard of Zhang Daxi. At his peak, Zhang Daxi had been one of the top-tier directors in the TV drama industry, producing several blockbuster, phenomenon-level series. It was only in the past two years that his luck had turned sour and his career had declined.

Studying the business card carefully, Yang Bingbing tightened his arms around the dumpling, terrified she’d be snatched away in an unguarded moment. If his older brother ever found out, he’d kill him!

He pushed the card back with a snort. “Who knows if it’s even real? Besides, my niece is only three years old! What kind of TV can a three-year-old do?”

Yang Bingbing wasn’t stupid. His brother was currently surrounded by scandals—it was obvious someone was out to get him. The situation online was already intense. If his brother’s daughter appeared on a TV show, how much malice would she have to endure from haters?

She was only three. Forget his brother—even he couldn’t bear to let the child suffer such grievances!

Zhang Daxi dragged over a chair and sat down beside them, smiling wryly. It was always the same reaction. “Don’t be in such a hurry to refuse. Let me explain the program properly.”

“This show is different from those outdated variety shows. It’s a parent-child reality program. We film everything continuously, and apart from editing a two-hour episode every Saturday for TV broadcast, we also upload the full eight-hour daily recordings with no cuts onto our partner video platform.”

“So this show guarantees no misleading edits. And you know as well as I do, Emperor Zhu’s current situation doesn’t look good. I think the program could present him to the audience in a different light—maybe with unexpected results.”

He glanced at the little girl, who was listening wide-eyed, even if she didn’t understand half of it, and chuckled. “Besides, with an actor like Emperor Zhu having such an adorable daughter, it’ll definitely draw fans.”

Finally, the director pointed at the number on his business card and said gently to the dumpling:  “Sweetheart, Uncle’s phone number is right here. You can call me anytime.”

The dumpling nodded obediently, instantly filled with fondness for this uncle who promised her money, free meals, free lodging, and even to raise her daddy!

After all his efforts, Zhang Daxi’s persuasion did have some effect. Yang Bingbing began to waver. What if… what if his brother really could make a comeback through this show?

But then he remembered his brother’s calm, indifferent eyes—those eyes that seemed to want nothing. Suddenly, he shook his head hard. No, no, his brother would never agree!

Feigning indifference, Yang Bingbing resolved to bury the matter and never mention it. If his brother found out that he had taken his daughter out and almost let someone lure her away… just thinking about it was terrifying!

Quickly, he flicked the business card from the dumpling’s hands to the floor, scooped her up, and left. “Come on, let’s go home. This is all just a scam. Next time you meet a strange uncle like that, don’t talk to him!”

“What a shady guy, following us around—bah!” He wasn’t fooled. Wolfish ambition, that’s what it was!

Yinyin wriggled a little and said she wanted to walk on her own. “Uncle carrying me is too tiring. Yinyin can walk herself.”

Usually, this little dumpling bossed him around to pick up bottles without the slightest courtesy, treating him like a servant. Now she was finally showing consideration for his hard work. Yang Bingbing was instantly overjoyed, utterly charmed by her words.

He set her down right away, coaxing her sweetly: “Good girl, Yinyin is the best, even knows how to care for Uncle.”

He puffed out his chest, waving his hand grandly. “Let’s go, Uncle will buy you some candy!”

Yinyin piped up in her childish voice, agreeing happily. But then her eyes fell on the business card tossed to the ground, and she bit her lip. Adults never listened to children—it was really troublesome!

Thinking for a moment, she said: “Uncle, turn around. Yinyin wants to play hide-and-seek with you, okay?”

Yang Bingbing was in such a good mood—how could he say no? Whatever his little niece said went. With his hands behind his back, he turned away. “Uncle will count to three before turning around. But if Uncle catches you, you’ll have to give me a kiss!”

Silence followed. He started counting. Since they were in a children’s themed restaurant, it wasn’t strange for adults to play games with kids, so no one gave them odd looks.

The moment her uncle turned away, the dumpling squatted down and carefully picked up the fallen business card. She stared at it as though it were one of her precious bottles. No—that wasn’t right. This was worth far more than bottles. Bottles couldn’t raise Daddy!

Yinyin tucked the card into the pocket on the front of her overalls, hiding it carefully. Just as she finished, her uncle turned back, spotting his chubby little niece crouching on the floor with her big round eyes looking up at him adorably.

Yang Bingbing broke into a doting smile, scooping her onto his shoulders. “Uncle’s legs are long, I’ll carry you home!”

Just as Zhu Ji was on his way to pick them up, the two of them returned.

Yang Bingbing, feeling guilty, rubbed his nose and quickly slipped away without even staying for dinner.

Zhu Ji took his daughter’s hand as they headed home, asking, “Did anything happen today?”

The dumpling quickly shook her little head. “No, no.”

Before bedtime, she cautiously brought up Uncle Yang’s “job.” “Daddy, Uncle said his job is being on TV. Is being on TV fun? Can you earn lots of money from it?”

Zhu Ji’s gaze darkened. A three-year-old wouldn’t lie, so who had spoken in front of her?

Smiling gently, he stroked her head and told her the truth: “Being on TV can earn a lot of money. But Daddy will earn even more for you in the future, much more than Uncle Yang. How about that?”

The dumpling agreed, burrowing her little head into her daddy’s arms.

She whispered to the system in her heart, “System Uncle, Daddy treats me so well! But I want to earn more money for Daddy right now, so that Daddy won’t be so tired.”

The system: “……”

Even as a bundle of advanced data, it was starting to feel jealous of the villain. What to do about this?!

For several days straight, Zhu Ji was so busy that his feet hardly touched the ground. His team had already taken shape, currently consisting of five people including himself.

But because the team was originally formed by him, and since he already had a plan before this, the core code was being developed by him alone—so naturally, he was the busiest.

Yang Bingbing had been forced by his agent to return to his schedule of gigs. With no one to help him watch the child, Zhu Ji stopped going out, spending every day typing away in the study.

Fortunately, his little one was very well-behaved. Even though he, as a father, wasn’t doing much—unable to spare time to take her out to play—she was still obedient. Knowing Daddy was busy, she would quietly sit by his side playing with toys, or go to the living room to watch cartoons.

However, for a child as young as her, keeping something in her heart for two days was already the limit. She could no longer hold it back. The phone number of the “rich uncle” was still hidden in her pocket, carefully tucked away.

“System Uncle, I want to go on TV to make money. If… if I contact that uncle without telling Daddy, will Daddy be angry?”

The system knew about this. For the past few days, that director had been calling Zhu Ji nonstop, but Zhu Ji didn’t want his little cub to join a variety show.

In the original world, the villain Zhu Ji never had this whole “software development” storyline. After being framed and forced out of the entertainment industry, he was persecuted again, which led him to retaliate. But his retaliation was very Buddhist-like: he simply killed the male protagonist who had gained a trashy system’s help, and then jumped off a tall building to his death right in front of the police.

In worlds formed from certain novels, if the protagonist was the type who clawed his way up through underhanded means—an entirely negative character—then the story was nothing more than a hollow power fantasy. Even if the male lead died and the world collapsed afterward, it wouldn’t really matter much.

Though in the novel, Zhu Ji was considered a “villain,” standing like a towering mountain blocking the male lead’s path in the entertainment industry, from the world’s timeline perspective, the System Bureau actually supported villains overthrowing the male lead and becoming the protagonist themselves.

From some angles, the villain indeed had the potential to become the main character. His destiny wasn’t weaker than the protagonist’s. If he became the new “hero” of this world, it would still run smoothly.

That’s why the system supported Zhu Ji’s return to the entertainment circle. This man should be at the top of the industry, admired by thousands. Then, after eliminating the harmful male lead, destiny would return to him. At that point, he wouldn’t blacken, the world wouldn’t collapse, and the system could complete its mission happily!

The system thought for a while before saying, “Little cub, you can try contacting him first.” After a pause, it reluctantly added, “He’s your father. Your father shouldn’t get angry with you.”

When her daddy was busy in the study, the little dumpling snuck into the next room and pulled out her watch-phone.

A few days ago, Yang Bingbing had been taking her out every day. Afraid something might happen, Zhu Ji had gotten her a children’s watch with a call function.

The call was picked up after two rings. She spoke in a tiny voice, “Un… uncle…”

The other side immediately raised his voice, “Is this little Zhu Yinyin?”

“Uncle, I’m Yinyin. Daddy… Daddy doesn’t seem to like being on TV. Can Yinyin go by herself?”

The little dumpling was far too innocent. Zhang Daxi couldn’t help but chuckle. He would’ve loved to lure her away, but she was only three years old and had no authority to decide. If he tried to abduct her, that would be illegal. If he angered the Movie King and got dragged into court, he’d be ruined!

So Zhang Daxi patiently coaxed the child on the phone, “Don’t worry, listen to uncle. Our show will start filming in a week. When the time comes, I’ll call you beforehand. Then you can ask your daddy to take you to a fun place…”

His plan was good. When filming started, he would simply tell the other celebrity pairs that the last pair of guests was chosen randomly on the spot. When the Movie King and his daughter showed up, he’d make it seem like they just happened to bump into them—claiming they were the “lucky winners” selected as “guest participants.”

This way, even if the Movie King was displeased, he couldn’t really hold him accountable. After all, it was “just coincidence.” And if he agreed willingly, even better! With the Movie King’s adorable daughter acting as the perfect helper, surely the Movie King’s resolve would falter under her sweet pleas?

Zhang Daxi was determined to transform himself. This time, even if it meant risking offending the Movie King, he had to secure this high-profile father-daughter pair.

After hanging up, his assistant muttered, “Director, that’s too devious…”

Zhang Daxi waved his hand confidently. “These days, without a few tricks, how can you achieve great things? And besides, I’m not breaking the law. If the Movie King agrees, I’ll even pay him his original appearance fee—much higher than the other guests. This is a win-win situation!”

The Fruit Channel had already announced on their official account that they would select one variety show to air during the prime Saturday evening slot. Two competing shows would be produced, and the final winner would be chosen based on a combination of online votes and viewership ratings.

This novel idea—allowing viewers to decide which show would air—felt even fresher than survival audition programs.

Of the two candidate shows, one was a romance variety directed by veteran Gao Xin, starring current top idols. The show would feature them clearing challenges and playing games while sprinkling romance throughout.

The other was a bold adaptation of a hugely popular foreign reality show, innovatively reimagined. It would invite celebrity parents and children to record together.

The first was the safer choice. With an existing fanbase and the popularity of its young stars, it was unlikely to flop even if it didn’t become a massive hit.

The second was riskier. It was novel, but no one knew how audiences would respond. After all, “dads with kids” wasn’t as thrilling as watching idols fall in love and flirt.

Most netizens agreed—it didn’t sound very promising.

Luckily, the voting channel wouldn’t open until both shows had finished recording. Otherwise, the parent-child show might have been canceled before it even began.

Zhang Daxi had been filming TV dramas for over twenty years and had directed several hits. Even though he was shifting to variety now, he still had strong connections. After pulling every string, he really did manage to invite a few heavyweight guests. Judging by the cast, his show didn’t lose out to the romance program at all.

He had already secretly called the little dumpling, telling her an address. Afraid she’d forget, he repeated it over and over until she could recite it back. Only then did he hang up.

Zhu Ji, meanwhile, noticed since last night that his daughter was acting strange. She kept sneaking glances at him with guilty eyes.

That morning, he had promised her that he wouldn’t work, and would spend the whole day with her. His little one was always so obedient, never asking for anything. How could he bear to refuse?

Developing software wasn’t something that could be done overnight. Even the simplest version would take months to finish—sometimes it took teams years to produce a successful product.

But for Zhu Ji, it wouldn’t take years. With his clear concept already in mind, he estimated three months would be enough to complete a prototype.

So he wasn’t in a rush. Reflecting a little, he realized he should at least spare a third of each day to accompany his child. Leaving her to play alone all the time wasn’t right.

The little dumpling didn’t know what her father was thinking. Happily, she stuffed her beloved candies and snacks into her tiny backpack, didn’t forget her watch, and grabbed her daddy’s hand to head out.

“Daddy, Daddy, hurry up!”

She couldn’t figure out how to say it properly, so she repeated the words the uncle had taught her. Once in the car, she tugged on her daddy’s hand and shook it.

“Daddy, that, that place called… Sky Amusement Park, Uncle said it’s really fun…”

Lowering her little head, she whispered “Yinyin wants to go.”

Zhu Ji assumed she was talking about Yang Bingbing. Knowing Yang Bingbing’s unreliable, chatterbox nature, it wasn’t surprising he’d say such things to a child.

His daughter hadn’t been to an amusement park before. Without thinking, Zhu Ji agreed and told the driver to head to Sky Amusement Park.

The driver grinned, “Wow, you two have such a close relationship. Unlike me, always out driving with no time for my daughter. She’s so distant now. Sometimes if I don’t see her for days, she even forgets I’m her dad…”

Taxi drivers are rarely bad with words. He sighed and shook his head, glancing enviously at the handsome father and his adorable daughter in the back seat. The young dad clearly had money and time, able to take his little girl out to play.

Meanwhile, over at Sky Amusement Park, the program team had gone all out, renting the entire place for a day. Things were already bustling, and the celebrity guests were arriving one by one.