VHBF – Chapter 58 Movie King Daddy (Part 17)

Tickets were naturally sold out. Just as the man was about to leave with the child in his arms, the assistant director called out to stop him.

He explained the program to the man, but the man rejected him outright!

Li Da raised his eyebrows in surprise. Normally, if someone had the chance to be on TV alongside celebrities, wouldn’t they be thrilled? But this guy’s reaction didn’t match at all!

Meanwhile, the livestream comments were flying across the screen:

“I have a feeling this guy is a big shot!”

“No way, is this staged by the show itself?”

“Why does this man look a little familiar?”

“Wuwuwu, he seems kind of handsome!”

The young man grew impatient after being pestered by the assistant director, and finally pulled off his mask.

“You guys’ director is Zhang Daxi, right? Tell him to come talk to me directly.”

The instant the mask came off, the barrage of comments went dead silent. Li Da’s eyes widened in shock.

“Mom! Isn’t this that actor you like, what’s-his-name, the movie king Zhu something?”

Li’s mom gave him a glare. “His name is Zhu Ji! He’s the kind of actor who can bring any role to life. That handsome face, that acting skill—who’d expect to see him here?”

The older generation loved watching TV but rarely followed online trends. They didn’t know that Movie King Zhu had been blacklisted by the entire internet, cut ties with his agency, and had practically vanished in a forced semi-retirement.

Three seconds of silence later, the livestream comments exploded!

“Holy sh*t! MOVIE KING ZHU!!!!”

“Zhu Ji showed up ahhhhh! Did the program team plan this or is their luck just insane—picking a random passerby and it turns out to be a superstar?!”

“Wuwuwu, my brother! Haven’t seen him in forever! Still so handsome!”

“Trash movie king, undeserving of the title—why show up again? Is he colluding with this trashy show to make a comeback?”

“Zhu Ji get lost! I won’t watch any show with him in it!”

“Anti-fans scram! Don’t ruin my mood while I’m watching TV!”

“Am I the only one who noticed?! Wuwuwu! That kid who was picking up trash with Yang Bingbing—that’s actually Zhu Ji’s daughter! He even brought her on a variety show! Earth-shattering news!”

“Oh my god! I finally see what Movie King Zhu’s daughter looks like! I should have realized earlier—she looks so much like him!”

The assistant director then led Movie King Zhu and his little girl onto a sightseeing bus headed for the program crew.

At first, the audience had been so shocked by Zhu Ji’s sudden appearance that their heads were filled with “holy sh*t!”—but now they noticed something was off about the child in his arms.

Her little chubby face was scrunched up, her eyes red, filled with unease and guilt, like she had done something wrong.

Her big round eyes tilted up to look at her daddy.

Then the audience watched as the little one stammered out an apology, guilt-ridden, admitting her mistake to her father. She said the director uncle had asked her to bring Daddy to the amusement park. She wanted to be on TV to make money and support Daddy.

She explained that Daddy’s meal cost a hundred yuan, and she couldn’t raise enough by collecting bottles—so she agreed to the director uncle’s request.

Then she pulled a small wad of crumpled bills out of her little backpack and offered it up with both hands, showing it off proudly:

“Daddy, this is all for you!”

Through her words, the audience learned that this money came from collecting bottles. They immediately remembered that viral video: Yang Bingbing taking a three-year-old around to collect trash. The tiny toddler dragging a huge snakeskin bag, glancing around nervously, picking up bottles everywhere.

The stack of money in her little hands was wrinkled and pitiful, the biggest bill only ten yuan or so, the rest mostly one-yuan notes and even some coins mixed in.

With heartbreaking seriousness, the little girl told her daddy to spend it sparingly. She admitted she couldn’t support him just by collecting bottles, but she promised to work even harder at it!

Li’s mom was moved to tears, her eyes red as she grabbed tissues to wipe her face.

“This poor child, so young yet already knows to earn money to support her dad. It’s too heartbreaking!”

But then she frowned in confusion.

“Her dad is pretty famous, isn’t he? I’ve seen several of his movies and TV dramas. Aren’t actors supposed to make a lot of money? Why can’t he afford to raise his child?”

Li Da’s mouth twitched. “Mom, what you know is all outdated. Movie King Zhu had some scandals lately—he fell out with his agency, had to pay back loads of money to sponsors, and basically lost everything. He’s been living really rough.”

“Really?!”

Li’s mom sniffled again. “Then this child is way too sensible. She understands her dad’s hardships and even collects bottles to make money for him. When you were three, you were still wetting the bed and causing trouble every day! You’re thirty now and still don’t listen!”

She started crying again as she scolded him.

Li Da: “……”

What did this have to do with him? Why did the flames of battle suddenly spread to him?!

After admitting her mistake, Yinyin quickly tried to make amends by offering up the money she had earned from picking up bottles before. With her big, bright eyes fixed on her dad, she promised, “If Daddy doesn’t like being on TV, then we won’t go on. Yinyin will keep picking up bottles to make money. I’m not afraid.”

Many viewers watching felt their hearts ache. Even the scrolling comments (danmu) slowed down—at that moment, it felt like any words would seem too pale.

Such a three-year-old child deeply moved countless people. Even the haters who had tirelessly spammed messages earlier, telling Film Emperor Zhu to get lost, fell completely silent.

Yinyin asked the driver uncle to stop the car—they wouldn’t participate in the show anymore, because Daddy didn’t like it!

At this point, the scrolling comments started pouring in again.

“Ahhhhh, no, don’t stop! Wuwuwu, I just want to see such a cute little girl on the show. She’s so well-behaved my heart is breaking!”

“How is Film Emperor Zhu so lucky! I wouldn’t mind having a dozen kids like her!”

After a while, Film Emperor Zhu finally spoke. His gaze softened as he looked at the pink little dumpling in his arms. In a low voice, he said, “It’s okay. As long as it’s something baby wants to do, Daddy will do it with you.”

The comment feed exploded.

“Oh my god! I’m dead!!! Film Emperor Zhu saying that is inexplicably so charming ahhhh! He didn’t let his baby down. What kind of divine father-daughter duo is this! I’m a fan now!”

“Good girl, little one. Go on the show with Daddy. Big sis is going to vote for you right now! I’ll tell the production team to give you more appearance fees!!!”

It wasn’t until they arrived at the production site, and the director apologized to Film Emperor Zhu in front of the camera—admitting he had tricked the child—that the audience realized it really hadn’t been a coincidence.

“Trash director! Just to hype up the show, to milk Film Emperor Zhu’s popularity, you tricked a three-year-old child. Disgusting!”

“555555… But if the director hadn’t done this, I wouldn’t have seen this adorable baby. So I choose… guilty silence.”

“+1”

“Exactly! Totally worth it! Luckily I clicked in to watch, otherwise if I’d missed out on such a cute baby, I would’ve regretted it for life!”

Meanwhile, on Weibo, two hashtags were climbing rapidly up the trending list, both marked with the red “Hot” icon:

#FilmEmperorZhu’sMysteryGuest!#

#ZhuJiAppearsOnBabyDaddyBattleWithHisDaughter#

After Film Emperor Zhu shook hands with the director, had a brief conversation, and signed the contract, the program cut to a thirty-second commercial.

Taking advantage of the break, many viewers immediately started recommending the show to friends—sending messages, posting on Weibo, sharing to their Moments:

“Quick! Go watch Baby Daddy Battle on Banana Video, Zhu Ji is there with his daughter!”

“The mysterious guest turned out to be Film Emperor Zhu! Hurry, don’t miss it or you’ll regret it!”

“Wuwuwu, Film Emperor’s daughter is too cute, too sensible. I declare that she’s my baby now!”

With so many enthusiastic fans spreading the word, the show’s click rate and viewership soared. Just moments ago, the backstage atmosphere had been gloomy, but now the program staff all breathed a sigh of relief.

The assistant exclaimed with admiration: “As soon as the Film Emperor and his daughter appeared, the reaction was explosive! In just the time of a single commercial break, our clicks have more than doubled! It’s only going to keep climbing!”

Zhang Daxi smirked smugly, pleased with himself: “Didn’t I tell you all not to panic? Trust my eye for people. I said Film Emperor’s daughter would be a hit, and you didn’t believe me!”

At that moment, a staff member rushed over with their phone and shouted excitedly: “Director! We made it onto the trending searches!!”

Zhang Daxi took the phone, glanced at it, and said, “It’s a bit earlier than I expected, but completely normal. Film Emperor Zhu hasn’t shown his face in ages. For him to join as a guest—bringing along his mysterious daughter, no less—it’d be more surprising if we didn’t hit multiple hot searches!”

The staff finally started to relax. Before the broadcast, marketing accounts on Weibo had run polls, and their show only managed to secure 30% of votes. Compared to the rival dating reality show, their viewer base wasn’t even close.

Sure enough, when the broadcast started, their click rate couldn’t compete. Reportedly, the rival show hit three million clicks right at launch—meaning at least three million viewers were waiting from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, their own premiere only had tens of thousands of clicks, not even reaching one hundred thousand. The numbers were brutally lopsided… so bleak it was despair-inducing. If not for the director’s early confidence, their morale might have collapsed instantly.

Thankfully, from the moment Film Emperor Zhu appeared with his daughter, clicks skyrocketed at a pace that couldn’t even be counted by the naked eye. Once the hot search exploded with “Film Emperor Zhu bringing his daughter onto a variety show,” the viewership could only rise faster and higher!

Right after that, the program officially entered the game PK segment.

The director invited a few of the little ones on stage to line up and introduce themselves.

The film emperor’s three-year-old daughter, even while introducing herself, didn’t forget to include her daddy.

In her soft milky voice, she said: “My favorite person is Daddy.”

Audience: “…Yeah, we can tell.”

“My special skill is picking up bottles.”

Audience: “Picking up bottles to support Daddy, right?”

“My wish is for Daddy to have food to eat and be happy every day…”

Audience: “So just how poor is the film emperor?! Even his little girl is worrying herself sick over him!”

On the barrage, a few lines flew past:

“I propose we all chip in to raise Daddy for her!”

“Seconded.”

“+10086.”

When the audience saw the rules for the first round, they couldn’t hold back and cursed out the director—sand pits and blindfolds? Knowing that these babies are so small with such short legs, how could you set them up like this? Are you even human?!

The barrage was full of people worried about the film emperor’s little girl. She was the youngest and shortest among them, only three years old. Seeing those tiny legs stumble and wobble made viewers want to jump into the screen, scoop her up, and run, sparing her the struggle.

“Did you notice the film emperor’s eyes? He doesn’t see anyone else, only his daughter. Even when Movie King Xie talked to him, he got completely ignored.”

“Mmhm, caught that—he’s 100% a daughter-con!”

On screen, the film emperor’s daughter toddled forward on her little short legs, falling several times but always getting back up with determination, her chubby little face scrunched up as she kept going.

Meanwhile, Mo Qi’s son, Mo Yang, fell to the ground and refused to get up, throwing a tantrum. But the director’s one remark had him bouncing up instantly, making the audience roar with laughter.

“That brat definitely has his eyes on our little Yin!”

“Yeah! When Yinyin came down earlier, this kid stared at her nonstop. Before, he dissed Zhao Shunyan’s daughter YuanYuan, saying girls cry too much and are annoying. But now? Why isn’t he saying that about our Yin?”

“She’s only three, and you dare try to steal our Yinyin? Not allowed!”

“LOL, real-life ‘slap in the face’ moment! Even a four-year-old can’t escape the laws of attraction!”

The first round continued until the end. The other kids had all reached the finish line. Xie Liu’s son, Xie An’an, arrived first, but since he mistook the wrong dad, he got eliminated!

The rest of the kids were extra cautious and didn’t dare rush up to hug anyone.

That gave Yinyin plenty of time. Not long after, the “little tyrant” Mo Yang, now smitten, also ran up recklessly—only to hug the wrong dad too. In the end, just three little ones remained.

The audience flooded the barrage cheering on the film emperor’s little girl. Having learned from Mo Yang’s mistake, someone anxiously typed: “Yinyin, stop! The man in front of you isn’t your daddy!”

But instead of slowing down, Yinyin sped up with excitement. Just before she was about to run into Yang Li (who was not her dad), she suddenly swerved to the side without the slightest hesitation and threw herself straight into her real daddy’s arms.

Audience: “!!!!!!!!”

“All the other kids are crying—they tried so hard and still picked wrong, but Yinyin got it right! Does she actually know where Daddy is, or was it dumb luck?”

“Wait, did you notice? Her little nose twitched just now!”

The elegant, jade-like film emperor picked up his daughter, and she wrapped her arms around his neck with joy: “Daddy smells so good, Yinyin likes Daddy best!”

Audience: ???

A barrage comment floated by: “So… she literally sniffed out her dad?!”

Right at that moment, the cheeky editors added a dog-nose filter on Yinyin, making it wiggle as if sniffing. Countless people burst into laughter.

Li Da couldn’t help but laugh too—until he saw his mother laughing so hard she bent over gasping. Black lines filled his face as he patted her back, helpless: “Mom, stop laughing already, you’ll hurt yourself.”

Later, netizens even made memes of Yinyin. One particularly popular one had a villain-style Yinyin with the caption: “Don’t think you can escape my dog nose!”

It became one of the year’s hottest memes.

Round Two: Dads & Kids Guessing Game

This round brought even more laughs.

All the other dads were fired up, determined to win. But when facing the ultimate “Daddy’s little fan,” the film emperor’s daughter, their defeat was inevitable.

Standing opposite her dad, the host asked: “What does your daddy like most?”

Without hesitation, Yinyin answered: “He likes Yinyin best.”

Host: “…Correct. Next question.”

“Has your dad ever given you money?”

“No, Daddy is poor. But that’s okay, I gave Daddy money!”

Host: “……”

“Next, guess what your dad would choose.”

The staff laid out several colorful cards with pictures—fruit, chicken drumsticks, candy, etc. The candy looked the least tempting compared to the others.

Yinyin pointed confidently at the second card: “This one!”

The host leaned over to see. It was candy. Curious, he asked, “Why this one?”

Yinyin replied matter-of-factly: “Because Yinyin likes candy!”

The host fell silent, face blank. “…Fine. Strong logic!”

The audience was rolling with laughter. “As the universe’s No.1 daddy-licker combined with overflowing self-confidence, Yinyin is unstoppable! No normal human can compete!”

Unsurprisingly, the film emperor and his daughter won first place again.

Audience: “……”

Other dads: “……”

The editors piled on, pasting gloomy “life has no meaning” stickers on the other dads’ faces. Viewers couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for them. Against this cheat-level little girl, they never stood a chance.

“Am I the only one who noticed? The film emperor didn’t even do anything! He just stood there and won because of her!”

“What kind of heavenly daughter is this? Give me ten or eight like her, I won’t complain!”

Before Round Three A commercial break popped up.

Li Da took the chance to grab an ice pop from the fridge and plopped down beside his mom.

Mama Li glanced at him in disdain: “Don’t you usually hate watching TV? Go sit somewhere else!”

Li Da bit into his ice pop, eyes narrowing happily. He used to dislike watching, but… now it was kinda interesting?

Watching this show, even a bachelor like him started wanting to fall in love, get married, and have a little daughter. He swore he’d work hard to earn money and spoil his future “little cotton-padded jacket” just like the film emperor did.