VHBF – Chapter 78 Movie King Daddy (Part 37)

Every time an episode aired, Director Zhang Daxi would get scolded onto the trending searches—this had become standard procedure. He was very calm about it and didn’t bother responding.

Right now the problem was that they still needed one more father–child pair to fill the last remaining spot for the season. Season Two had to start filming immediately after, but they still hadn’t been able to contact Movie Emperor Zhu and his daughter. Later, he thought about it and decided to let it go. If the later seasons still needed them, he could try again then. At the moment, the show couldn’t afford to wait.

Now that the program was so popular, countless people were scrambling to join. Even A-list and B-list stars—so long as their schedules allowed—wanted to fight for a chance. As long as they had a cute kid at home, bringing them on the show for a few days could help rebuild a “Super Dad” persona and revive their popularity.

Those already fading wanted a chance to rise again. Newly popular artists wanted to ride the wave. Those doing well already could use the show to shine even more.

And for parents who hoped their children might enter the entertainment industry in the future—this was a golden opportunity. With Movie Emperor Zhu’s daughter as an example, even if their kids couldn’t reach her level of fame, gaining some recognition and leaving a good impression on the audience would still be a great start.

All these people had witnessed Zhu Ji’s comeback sparked by this show, and the faint signs of his reputation being washed clean. How badly had he been dragged before?

Yet just one variety show gave him the chance to turn things around. Many former fans returned, and he gained plenty of new dad-fans. Even more terrifying—his daughter’s tens of millions of “mom fans.” To some degree, father and daughter were inseparable; they were a family unit. Her fanbase had become a part of his resources. That was far more powerful than a simple “1 + 1.”

Look at Movie Emperor Zhu’s daughter: a three-year-old child who became this famous after just a few episodes of a variety show? Her follower count wasn’t far behind top-tier celebrities. With such a high starting point, if Zhu intended for his daughter to enter the entertainment industry, wouldn’t the whole industry become her playground?

Growing up pampered by fans like a real daughter… Even if she wasn’t especially talented in the future, with this foundation and loyal fans supporting her, she would never flop. At the very least, she’d be far better off than most people.

Thinking about it was enough to make others sour with envy.

And this was exactly why so many stars were desperate to join the show. Even though Zhu and his daughter received the most attention this season, the other guests were doing extremely well too.

Xie Liu had made netizens laugh their way onto trending searches several times, and the hype around his new movie skyrocketed. His Weibo followers surged. The other celebrity dads all had their own charming traits, and each got a good share of the popularity.

Everyone wasn’t stupid. With everyone benefiting together, who wouldn’t want to join such a program?

A few stars had received the invitation earlier but rejected it. The reason? “What if we film a show without a confirmed broadcast schedule and it gets shelved? How embarrassing would that be?”

So they declined. Now they were regretting it like crazy, green with envy at Xie Liu and the others—getting this kind of free boost must feel amazing, right?

Xie Liu admitted it did feel amazing. He’d even received a new movie script—playing a father—and his son had been brought into the production too.

His son would play the childhood version of the male lead’s son. The role had quite a bit of screen time and, due to the character’s childhood experiences, a lot of emotional highlights. It would definitely win over audiences. The only reason they snagged these two roles was the parent–child variety show.

The director had even grumbled straightforwardly, “If Movie Emperor Zhu’s daughter weren’t only three years old, I’d even consider girl-dressing-as-boy to have them play father and son. They’re all toddlers anyway—boy or girl doesn’t matter. With makeup and costumes, no one could tell.”

Xie Liu & Xie An’an: “…”

So painful… yet so happy.

Eek… they’d taken advantage of something huge!

Before going off to training camp, Yang Li also brought his son to shoot an advertisement for a sports brand. Father and son co-endorsing the brand.

Athletes didn’t earn much from salary stipends; they relied on bonuses and sponsorship deals. But how often could one win prize money? If it wasn’t competition season, there might not be a single bonus all year.

But with this endorsement fee, they could live comfortably for a whole year. Yang Li happily shot the commercial, handed the money to his wife for household expenses, and then went to training camp.

Before the arrival of Episode Three, Zhu Ji’s server research finally yielded results. The entire staff at the National Academy of Sciences’ Information Computing Office erupted with excitement that day.

When Zhu Ji first brought a half-finished concept to the Academy, no one paid much attention. He’d been allowed in mainly because the project truly wasn’t easy, his core ideas and technical level were impressive, and because old Professor Yu De personally recommended him. So the Academy made an exception.

The overall level of domestic servers was mediocre. Top-tier servers were mostly imported, and using someone else’s tech always carried risks—especially with something like network infrastructure, where manipulation at the server level was far too easy. This had always been a major concern for the government.

Since domestic servers couldn’t keep up, they compensated by tightening security. But ultimately, a server was like a building’s foundation—only with a strong foundation could you build anything reliably.

When they first allowed Zhu Ji to join, no one had high expectations. “One more person working on it can’t hurt—we might get lucky.”

Who could’ve imagined that in such a short period, not only did he make a breakthrough, he delivered a near-perfect result!

Several department heads tested it themselves. It far surpassed all existing domestic servers and was even top-tier on a global scale.

Zhu Ji named the server “Y2.” In several aspects they weren’t sure if it surpassed the world’s technological strongest, Country M, but its data retrieval speed and massive capacity were beyond anything the Academy had ever seen—like a bottomless pit capable of holding anything.

The Academy director was so excited he paced the lab for a long time before asking, voice trembling, “Technician Zhu… how did you do it?”

To be fair, because the Academy hadn’t invested much and Zhu Ji lacked seniority, no team had been assigned to help him. The Academy only provided the workspace and hardware. The project was essentially his alone, completed from start to finish independently.

His colleagues were dumbfounded. They’d watched him bustle around every day but never imagined that he’d quietly produced something this monumental.

Zhu Ji smiled. His smiles were always faint—gentle and refined like a spring breeze. For a moment, everyone was dazed, remembering that this quiet, low-key Zhu Ji was also the famously all-round Movie Emperor of the entertainment industry!

Zhu Ji said, “I mentioned this to the leaders before—I joined the Academy for a specific purpose.”

Several leaders nodded. This technician had been very honest from the start. He had said he came to develop a server and would leave to start a business once he succeeded. It was all reported and filed when he joined.

“You all know domestic servers are expensive and underperforming. If we want something affordable and efficient, it’s best to develop it ourselves.”

Everyone rolled their eyes internally.

If it were that easy, wouldn’t we have done it long ago?

This Zhu kid was an anomaly—normal logic didn’t apply to him!

Zhu Ji continued, “The software I’m developing is a learning-assistance platform. It covers all education stages from early childhood to university and includes all existing subjects. After the official launch, I plan to expand it to include graduate and doctoral content. Eventually, it will include knowledge beyond textbooks, allowing people from all fields—not just students—to use it. That’s why I need a server with immense computing capability and storage.”

At this point, everyone finally understood—the kid had needed a stronger server for his learning software, so he’d basically “borrowed” the Academy to build it himself.

A few leaders blinked, suddenly realizing something, and widened their eyes. “Technician Zhu, you’re saying this learning software can really be completed?”

“And can we have a specialized module for our Academy? You understand some of our internal information can’t be leaked. If we could have a private channel for internal academic exchange, it would be great!”

At this moment, hearing him describe it, they had no concept of how revolutionary the software would become. They only thought it sounded practical. As top scholars, they had no interest in anything below the PhD level. Their first thought was how convenient it would be to have a dedicated platform for themselves to advance together.

Later, once the platform launched, took the entire country by storm, and benefited millions of students—and even their own children—they finally realized its true power.

But for now, the leaders were smiling, giving casual suggestions before shifting their focus back to the server. They patted Zhu Ji on the shoulder with satisfaction. “Young people are truly creative. Well done!”

The director said, “We’ll send the server up for final testing soon. If all goes well, it’ll be deployed in military and other key sectors first. You’ve made a major contribution. I’ll report it truthfully. Prepare your thesis—you’ll need it in a few days.”

Then he laughed again, eyes narrowing. “Don’t worry, as we agreed, the server is yours to use personally—not for commercial sale—to avoid foreign exploitation.”

Zhu Ji nodded. He knew he would be packing up the next day to leave for his startup. The director felt reluctant and sighed.

“If I’d known you could complete it so quickly, I wouldn’t have agreed to let you leave after one project.”

“How about this—you remain attached to our Academy. When we need you, you’ll return and contribute. Your benefits will follow official regulations. After your thesis is submitted, we’ll also raise your professional title.”

“I heard you haven’t gotten your doctorate yet? Once this server becomes public knowledge, take your thesis straight to your university. I’ll speak to them. You can graduate directly. There’s nothing left they can teach you anyway.”

The director talked all the way, delighted to have discovered such a talent. He watched Zhu Ji return to the dorm to pack before leaving.

When Professor Yu De heard the news, he opened his treasured liquor and drank several cups—no one could stop him. Riding the excitement, he proudly told his family that his prized student shone everywhere he went, and he had never been prouder.

“Zhu Ji has been brilliant since childhood. When he entered university, I knew at a glance he was extraordinary and kept him close. Look—after all his years in the entertainment industry, he’s come back to our field and still performs flawlessly. Young people like to say something nowadays—what is it again?”

His son muttered, “Dad is still Dad.”

Professor Yu immediately picked up his chopsticks and smacked him. “Whose dad?!”

“……”

Meanwhile, Zhu Ji picked up his daughter to go home. That night, Episode Three began airing.