VHBF – Chapter 65 Movie King Daddy (Part 24)

The man’s expression was calm as his long, slender fingers fiddled with the office notebook in his hands. No one knew exactly what he did, but in just a short while, the computer screen suddenly lit up. Though it wasn’t the main page, only a dark screen full of unintelligible code, at least it had opened!

Earlier, the shop owner had tinkered with it for a long time, yet the computer had been as unresponsive as a rock. But this man… he clearly had real skills.

The young owner of the computer’s eyes lit up instantly. He eagerly scooted over to sit next to Zhu Ji, his gaze fixed on the man’s hands.

Those long, jade-like fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out line after line of code. Before long, the black screen vanished, revealing the computer’s main desktop.

The young man was so excited that he shouted “brother!” on the spot, his admiration overflowing. He knew he’d lucked out today, bumping into a true expert.

After successfully opening the computer, Zhu Ji stopped typing, lifted his eyes, and said, “Your computer is infected with a companion virus. If you don’t get it removed, even if you back up files onto a hard drive, the virus will still copy over.”

“You now have one minute to decide whether or not you want it fixed. I’ve temporarily cracked part of it, but judging by the replication speed, the virus will completely reoccupy your system within a minute.”

The young man nervously asked, “If I don’t get it removed, will it just shut down again like before and not turn on?”

Seeing Zhu Ji nod, he hurriedly said, “Fix it, fix it—whatever it costs, just fix it!”

Zhu Ji nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard once more. Five minutes later, he handed the computer back. “Done.”

The young man tested it, discovering that it ran completely smoothly. Opening a few files, everything was quick and responsive. Zhu Ji added, “Your computer’s specs are actually pretty good, and you don’t have much stored on it, so it should never lag. If it does, the chances of a virus are very high.”

Hearing that, the shop owner, who had been watching from the side, felt his cheeks burn. He knew a little about tinkering with computers, but when it came to viruses and high-level issues like this, he was completely clueless.

At this moment, not only did the young man’s eyes glow with admiration, but even the shop owner who had turned Zhu Ji away earlier felt embarrassed. He apologized and asked if Zhu Ji would be willing to stay on.

After all, their shop did have a few machines they couldn’t fix. Normally, they had to send them out to specialists, making only a bit of profit from courier fees or replacing parts. But now that a real master was right in front of them, why bother sending them out?

The young man pulled out his phone. “Brother, how much? I’ll transfer it to you.”

Zhu Ji said calmly, “Opening the computer is one hundred. Removing the virus is another one thousand.”

The crowd gasped in surprise—what an easy way to make money!

In the countryside, even in more bustling towns, the average monthly wage was only about three thousand yuan. For this young man to make a thousand with just a flick of his fingers, in the eyes of the elders, he was truly remarkable.

An old man in the crowd lectured his grandson: “See that? That’s the importance of knowledge. Study hard, and one day you’ll be like this uncle, making big money. If you don’t study, you’ll end up like that uncle—earning little and still getting scolded!”

The shop owner, used as the bad example: “…”

The young man, however, didn’t think the price was high. In fact, he was a little surprised it was so cheap. He remembered one of his classmates had gotten a virus before and had to run around to several different repairmen. It cost over five or six thousand yuan before it was fixed. He felt this “brother” was truly fair and reasonable, so he was about to pay happily.

But Zhu Ji said, “Cash only.”

With the shop owner’s help, they exchanged cash. When the young man handed it over, Yinyin eagerly reached out with her chubby little hands and took the money. With a face full of pride, she said, “Big brother, see? I didn’t lie to you, right? Daddy is super amazing—he can do anything!”

Earlier, she had been sensible enough to stay quiet so she wouldn’t disturb her daddy while he worked. Now that it was over, she carefully tucked the money into her little backpack before finally letting loose and bragging.

After boasting, she thought of the waiters in the restaurant earlier, and mimicked them with a sweet smile, “Big brother, please come again next time!”

The young man: “…”

Zhu Ji gently patted his daughter’s head, letting her put the money away. He then wondered—would one thousand yuan be enough for a hotel stay? Judging by the prices here, things weren’t expensive. A thousand should be fine, right?

Once the crowd dispersed, Zhu Ji spent a minute negotiating with the shop owner and agreed to come back tomorrow to fix more computers. The price would range from five hundred to one thousand each, depending on the difficulty. The trickier ones would be a thousand; the simpler, five hundred.

These were computers the shop owner couldn’t fix anyway. He knew the market price was actually higher, since the ones he sent out usually cost more to repair. So he didn’t refuse, agreeing readily.

After closing the deal, Zhu Ji asked where he could find a hotel. “What’s the best one around here, and how much a night?”

The shop owner thought for a moment and replied directly, “If you walk five hundred meters down this street, then turn right at the fork and go another three to five hundred meters, you’ll see it. It’s called Yanxi Hotel. The best single room is about eight hundred yuan a night. If you want a suite, maybe around fifteen hundred.”

The cameraman following them was completely impressed. Just earlier, when Zhu Yingdi had taken his daughter for a feast, they thought he had spent all his money—one hundred yuan gone clean. They even wondered if the father and daughter planned to go hungry that night.

But in the blink of an eye, he’d earned over a thousand, and even secured more work for tomorrow. Who could compare to that? He was confident for a reason!

At this moment, everyone suddenly remembered that before entering the entertainment industry, Film Emperor Zhu had actually been the top scorer in the college entrance exams in his province, and later went on to become a distinguished student at the prestigious Imperial Capital University. He even graduated with a master’s degree. Even if he hadn’t pursued acting, just relying on that background, he could’ve easily found a very decent job.

Zhu Ji wanted to use the money he earned to take Yinyin to stay in a hotel, but he hadn’t expected that Yinyin stubbornly clung to her little schoolbag and refused to let go of the money. With tears in her eyes and a hint of anger, she glared at her dad:

“Daddy, it’s so hard to earn money. Even though Yinyin picks up so, so many bottles, she can’t get this much money. And you—you actually want to spend it all?!”

Yinyin was utterly shocked, staring at her father in disbelief. “Daddy, you’re too wasteful! Wastefulness is shameful, you know!”

In Yinyin’s eyes, that thousand yuan could last for such a long, long time. How could it be wasted like that?

“Daddy already built a pretty little house, and it doesn’t cost money. Why don’t we just stay there?”

The cameramen: “…”

In the end, the almighty Film Emperor had no choice but to carry Yinyin back. After all, the money was in the hands of his little housekeeper.

On the way, Zhu Ji bought vegetables and meat, planning to borrow a small kitchen later. Borrowing a kitchen wasn’t considered asking for help in the rules, so he figured he could trade some dishes for temporary use of a kitchen—it was fair exchange, and therefore allowed.

By the afternoon, the other celebrity guests were completely exhausted. These big stars, who were used to singing and dancing on stage, had put in so much effort and yet hadn’t earned a single cent. Worse still, they’d even spent money:

Five yuan for a popsicle for their child, two yuan for a bottle of mineral water for themselves, and later, unable to resist hunger, they bought a few pieces of bread. By the end of the afternoon, they’d spent twenty to thirty yuan, only to return drained like dead dogs, sprawled out and unwilling to move.

Just then, the long-absent father-daughter duo of the Film Emperor finally returned.

Zhu Ji held his child in one arm and carried groceries in the other, looking spotless and refreshed—without a trace of fatigue.

The corners of his lips curved into a faint smile as he stepped into the courtyard where Xie Liu and his son were staying.

Upon learning that Zhu Ji had come to borrow the kitchen, offering groceries in return, the father and son, who had been too stingy all afternoon to spend money on vegetables, instantly lit up at the sight of the bag in his hands.

Forcing a smile, Xie Liu said, “Teacher Zhu, what do you think about this? I know how to cook, and my skills are decent. I can help you in the kitchen. As for the groceries, we won’t take any—we just want to share a meal with you tonight. How about it?”

Their gazes were fixed hungrily on the fresh shrimp and lean pork in the bag. My goodness—such good ingredients! Don’t tell me he spent the whole hundred yuan the production gave them?

Yinyin piped up, “He did spend it, but Daddy’s amazing! He earned it all back again!”

She began counting on her little fingers all the yummy food they had eaten at noon, then pulled out a lollipop from her schoolbag and handed it to Xie An’an. “Here, for you.”

Although Xie An’an was a boy, he had quite the sweet tooth. He completely forgot about saving face and carefully accepted it, already planning to sneak a lick before bed.

At six years old, he thought silently: No wonder Mo Yang likes Sister Yinyin so much. He also thought she was super nice—for sharing candy with him! When they went out earlier, even his dad hadn’t been willing to buy him any.

With Xie Liu lending a hand, the two young fathers cooked together. Dinner turned out especially rich: fragrant seafood and lean pork congee, along with several golden, crispy egg pancakes stuffed with meat and sausage.

They ate at the stone table in the courtyard. The breeze carried the delicious aroma outside, and soon enough, there was a knock at the door. Mo Qi came in with his son, both looking listless, gnawing on mantou.

When Mo Yang spotted Sister Yinyin, his eyes lit up. He pointed next door and asked, “Sister Yinyin, do you want to stay at our place tonight? My daddy can stay with your daddy.”

Zhu Ji’s face instantly darkened.

His dad staying with him? Did that mean his daughter would be sleeping in the same room as another boy?

Mo Qi realized his four-year-old son was unintentionally being a little cheeky. Though the boy was too young to understand, as a father, it definitely didn’t sit well with him. He quickly smoothed things over.

But father and son stubbornly refused to eat the Film Emperor’s food. To them, unconditionally accepting a meal would be admitting defeat. So the pair gnawed on their plain mantou, surrounded by the tempting aroma of seafood porridge and egg pancakes. Mo Qi thought to himself bitterly that he’d never forget this humiliation. Once he got home, he’d have seven or eight bowls of seafood porridge, eat pancakes until he was sick of them—and only then would he feel avenged!

None of the dads who had drawn lots for houses had expected that Zhu Ji and his daughter, who got nothing but an empty lot and a tent, would be the ones living and eating the best.

By the next morning, the father-daughter pair looked refreshed and radiant, their cheeks rosy and spirits high. In contrast, the others sported dark circles under their eyes, their stomachs growling from hunger. Compared to the tent-dwellers, they were far worse off.

They couldn’t help wondering: was the tent actually good feng shui?

Yang Li even went to the director with his son, begging to swap. They didn’t want the big courtyard house anymore—just give them a tent!

The director: “…Heh, no way!”

Zhu Ji and Yinyin got up early. After eating steamed buns and soy milk for breakfast, they headed into the back mountain.

The villa was located halfway up a small hill, surrounded by lush greenery.

After walking for about half an hour, Zhu Ji carried Yinyin up a bit higher. From there, she spotted a big house in the distance and gasped, “Daddy, look! There’s a house! Such a big, big house!”

They went closer. Beside the villa was a vegetable patch, where an elderly couple was picking vegetables. Morning dew still clung to the leaves, making them look fresh and tender.

Yinyin’s eyes fell on the bright red tomatoes. She swallowed—so plump and pretty, they had to be delicious!

The old couple’s hands were steady and unhurried. When they saw the visitors, they greeted them kindly with smiles.

Yinyin wriggled down from her dad’s arms and toddled over, chubby hands on her knees as she bent forward and asked, “Grandpa, Grandma, are you picking vegetables?”

Round-cheeked and baby-faced, with delicate features and a plump, jade-carved look, Yinyin was irresistibly cute—like a little celestial child by a Bodhisattva’s side.

Old folks loved children like her. Seeing her so sweet and polite, they picked a small tomato and handed it to her. “Fresh, no pesticides. Just wipe it and you can eat it.”

Then they asked what father and daughter were doing here.

After chatting for a while, Zhu Ji—encouraged by his daughter—rolled up his sleeves and helped them pick vegetables. Though Yinyin was too small to do real work, they gave her a little basket and let her pretend by placing vegetables in it.

Half an hour later, the vegetables were all packed into a little electric tricycle. The old man explained that he and his wife sold some produce every few days.

Although the vegetables were fresh and pesticide-free, in rural areas like this, most families already had their own plots for growing greens. Meat and fish sold better—vegetables were harder to move.

To thank them, the elderly couple gave the basket of vegetables Yinyin had picked as payment.

Just as the father and daughter were about to leave, the old man—breathless—called out to them.

“My wife’s head is acting up again, and I need to stay home with her. Young man, could you help me sell the vegetables? They aren’t worth much, but if they’re left too long, they’ll go bad. It’d be such a waste.”

He smiled and added, “I also heard your little one say she admired our big house. Well, we hardly ever stay in it—just come by occasionally to clean. If you’re willing to help me sell all the vegetables, then you and your daughter can live in the house for a few days.”