VHBF – Chapter 79 Movie King Daddy (Part 38)

Zhang Daxi, who had been scolded by the audience for an entire week, finally got to breathe. He had just wrapped up filming and rushed back right after the second season finished shooting.

This was the grand finale of the first season. All staff members who participated in filming the first season consciously stayed behind to work overtime. Not a single person wanted to go home early.

If the first season hadn’t built such a solid foundation, it was still uncertain whether their show would’ve earned such a prime-time slot on Fruit Channel. Thinking back, they still felt fortunate that they managed to beat a veteran director like Director Zhao. Without inviting Film Emperor Zhu and his daughter, it might not have gone so smoothly.

At seven that night, households across the country consciously turned on their TVs, computers, or simply picked up their phones.

During this period, many families had formed a habit—Saturday nights meant no fighting for the remote. Everyone automatically switched to Fruit Channel to watch the “little princess.” No discussion needed.

In the beginning, young people still resisted watching, but eventually succumbed to the authority of their household elders. Reluctantly at first—but once they fell into the pit, they could never climb out again.

The previous episode had ended right when a few “daddy contestants” were following behind the hyperactive and suspiciously excited duo, Xie Liu and his son. The audience had been dying to know what they were up to.

This cliffhanger had tormented viewers all week.

The show didn’t waste time. After a one-minute blooper montage and the opening theme, it immediately aired the scene everyone had been waiting for.

The camera first captured the sinister smile at the corner of Xie Liu’s lips. He even glanced behind him, clearly aware he was being tailed, and perhaps deliberately so.

The camera followed Xie Liu into a large house—a luxurious countryside villa.

He casually dropped his luggage to the side without bothering to unpack. Instead, he turned and walked straight to the window, looking out at the group outside.

For nearly half a minute, the people outside whispered to each other before entering. The cameraman cut to a close-up of Xie Liu, who, upon seeing them come in, curled his lips into a sly grin.

Then he quickly ran to the sofa, sat down, turned on the air conditioner, crossed his legs, and put on an air of exaggerated swagger.

The audience collectively felt their teeth ache from secondhand embarrassment. The screen was full of comments telling him to be a decent human being—or simply mocking him.

The few dads who entered were stunned, like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden. When they learned that the villa belonged to someone who lent it to Film Emperor Zhu and his daughter, and that Xie Liu had come with his son to rely on them, their expressions went from shock to disbelief.

They looked completely dazed—and the audience nearly died laughing. Especially since last episode had aired just last night for them. The dads had sat together talking about Film Emperor Zhu, saying he was like a dragon who showed its head but never its tail, imagining how miserable his life must be.

No food, no water, no shelter. The production team turning a blind eye. They even felt sympathetic, treating the father-daughter pair as inspirational figures. They comforted themselves by thinking, At least we’re not the worst. Someone has it worse than us.

Who knew—just one night later—their worldview would be shattered!

Off-camera, Film Emperor Zhu and his daughter were living like immortals. This lifestyle was identical to what the dads had before joining this “black-hearted” program—luxury houses, air conditioning, cold drinks, TV, snacks, and hearty meals with meat every day. Simply put, ridiculously good.

Xie Liu, that treacherous rascal, even kept adding commentary to help them “show off.” The dads’ faces went blank. They had no idea what expression to make—they simply looked dumbfounded.

The audience could clearly see that Xie Liu secretly signaled to the cameraman for a close-up. Laughter exploded online. Viewers joked that he must have been mentally destroyed by Zhu Ji and his daughter and was now dragging the other dads down with him. Truly wicked!

Even Xie Liu’s own fans couldn’t defend him… He used to be so reliable—handsome, family-oriented, a well-respected actor who finally earned a heavyweight award after years of hard work.

Fans had been bragging nonstop about how dependable he was, mature and steady, the very image of an “old cadre.” Someone you could safely stan for life.

But just after they bragged, their idol delivered a critical hit—destroying all the praise they had put out there. Now everyone was laughing at them.

In the end, they could only weakly say:

“Our Film Emperor Xie only acted like this because he was mentally overwhelmed… Normally he really is reliable and mature.”

“Yes, yes, it’s all Film Emperor Zhu and the little dumpling’s fault. They’re living too well…”

The explanation only made things worse—more laughter erupted.

“Stop explaining! Xie Liu is a husky at heart. He was just pretending all these years. When his mentality collapsed, his true nature showed. Accept it. My condolences.”

“…”

The episode reached its second plot twist.

The dads returned with their souls half gone, their worldviews destroyed. Their children abandoned them without hesitation, choosing to cling to the villa and refusing to leave. Their tragic silhouettes, paired with dramatic captions and music, instantly shot to the trending list.

The dads watching the broadcast: “…” They felt utterly destroyed. They had no face left. It was all Xie Liu’s fault!

They gritted their teeth, wishing they could drag him out for a beating. They also hated themselves for being so useless—it’s not like they’d never lived in a villa before or eaten good food. How could such basic temptations collapse their dignity?

After some thought—they still blamed Xie Liu. The memory of how they had sympathized with Zhu Ji the previous night, even planning to secretly help him, only to be slapped in the face the next morning… and Xie Liu had kept silent the whole time! Watching their own idiotic expressions on screen made their faces twist.

They didn’t even want to keep watching—too embarrassing.

They had been excited, ready to help sell vegetables and follow in Film Emperor Zhu’s footsteps toward wealth. But who knew…

The audience was dying of laughter. The finale was packed with comedy from start to end. Many people ate dinner while watching—only to laugh so much their stomachs hurt. Some didn’t dare eat anymore for fear of spitting food everywhere.

The delicate little dumpling stood in the center like the moon surrounded by stars, with the other little kids following behind her. Fans swarmed over and emptied their vegetable basket within ten minutes. Later, many returned to give them snacks, refilling the empty baskets.

The dads were dumbfounded. From the moment they entered the villa with Xie Liu the day before to today’s attempt to sell vegetables, their most consistent expression had been: utter confusion.

Seeing this, even the normally merciless audience felt a sliver of sympathy.

Pitiful. So pitiful! They enthusiastically tried to sell vegetables, hoping to replicate success through hard work. These handsome dads shouted themselves hoarse—but no one bought from them. People passing by gave them looks as if they were idiots.

“Hahahahaha! Sorry, I snorted like a pig laughing at my computer. My mom told me to be quiet so I don’t disturb her watching the little princess… yeah, she’s watching on TV in the living room.”

“I suddenly get the charm of clueless middle-aged men… I’m serious!”

“Heaven has a door yet you refuse to enter; hell has no gate yet you charge in. You think you can compete with our little dumpling? Know your limits, bros!”

“Grandpas and aunties: Who are these silly boys? Move, you’re blocking my view of the little girl!”

“I’m afraid if the dumpling spends too long with these uncles, she’ll catch their foolishness.”

The dads had just been roasted without mercy. But to Mo Qiyang and the others, the worst wasn’t the shouting or the lack of customers.

It was the brutal comparison.

Little Yinyin, just three years old, didn’t have to do anything. She just stood there sweetly and smiled occasionally—and customers bought vegetables instantly. And once the mom-fans swarmed in, their destructive power was like a locust swarm.

Meanwhile, these thirty-year-old men were crushed eight streets behind, thrown from the city center straight outside the fifth ring. They quietly closed their laptops in their rooms. Enough. No more. Their dignity was dead.

“Hahaha those dads are too pitiful. No, I must follow them now—give them strength so they keep acting foolish and bring us joy!”

“Of all people, they chose to compete with the dumpling? Don’t they understand how powerful mom-fans are? They’re unstoppable!”

“I finally understand what ‘not giving up until you hit the Yellow River’ means. Look at their hopeless faces—I’m screenshotting these for memes.”

“The person above is evil! Dads: Do we look like we need this? Get lost!”

“Life is already hard, and now they have dumb netizens making it worse. Candles for them.”

“My Yinyin is calm and composed through it all. What a tiny general! That’s my baby!”

“Or… maybe she’s too little to understand those customers came specifically for her?”

“Mom-fans: …That hurts.”

“I don’t care—I’m protecting our Yinyin until she grows up! One day she’ll know how good her mommy fans are!”

Everyone was exhausted after a long day. When they returned, they completely gave up on the tasks, copying Xie Liu’s approach—carrying their bags straight into the villa and lying down to enjoy the air-conditioning and snacks.

The audience continued laughing. Even the cunning production team had to bow before little Yinyin.

The show came up with a compromise to motivate the guests again—a revival challenge.

And the deciding factor? The votes from the children at a local welfare home.

The children of Sunshine Welfare Home were watching TV. When they heard their welfare home mentioned, they exclaimed and turned to the director, asking excitedly if the next scene would be the one filmed when the uncles visited them.

When the director nodded, the children cheered—they were going to be on TV just like Yinyin!

The dads tried everything—buying snacks, toys, giving up pocket money, playing with them all afternoon. Yet when voting time came, the kids asked:

“Are you sure we can’t vote for Sister Yinyin?”

The dads nearly developed trauma from hearing her name. Their mouths twitched violently.

This part was heavy for the audience. Although there were joyful moments, most viewers could clearly see how hard life was for the welfare home children.

They dressed in their best clothes, but the clothes were faded, ill-fitting, or outdated, clearly hand-me-downs.

At first, they were cautious, but after playing with the well-dressed visiting children, they gradually opened up. They were unbelievably sensible—careful not to dirty the visitors’ clothes. It made one’s heart ache.

When sharing snacks, some younger children whispered that they wished they could have such delicious snacks once a week. Just once would be enough.

They said Baby Ya had never eaten snacks since birth because she was weak and couldn’t digest them. If she did, she’d get a stomachache.

The audience noticed that Yinyin became troubled from that moment. She was sensitive—she quietly sat listening, not eating her favorite snacks and pushing them to her new friends instead.

Viewers felt their hearts twist. They could never have imagined that this tiny money-grubber, whose lifelong mission was to earn money to support her dad, would make such a decision…