Chapter 5

Xue Xiaoshan had used the method for luring ordinary children, and what Xu Li could add in persuasion was merely that it was Ji Nuo who had saved the child. The two coaxed gently for a long time, but the child still kept his head buried in the phone.

“Many people are misunderstanding your Uncle Ji Nuo right now. Because there’s no surveillance footage capturing the scene of him saving you, many bad people online are scolding him for malicious publicity hype… uh, that means doing very, very bad things…”

Xu Li looked at the miniature version of Han Cheng right before her eyes and inwardly complained, are all people who look like this so difficult?

“Ao’ao, as long as you’re willing to go on the show with Uncle Ji Nuo, Auntie can give you another phone!”

Lu Aotian felt the timing was about right. He lifted his head, revealing a pair of grayish-blue peach blossom eyes.

Xu Li saw an opening. “Anything else you want, you can tell Auntie. Uncle Ji Nuo, who saved you before, truly needs Ao’ao’s help.”

Lu Aotian suppressed his voice to its lowest register. This way, he could avoid producing a soft, cute baby voice. He spoke deliberately, drawing out each word. “Will I be paid?”

Although Xu Li didn’t understand three or four-year-old children well, she still sensed that Lu Aotian was extraordinarily different. However, she quickly attributed it to children who’ve wandered the streets being unique. After all, her own big ragdoll cat was constantly beaten up meowing by the little calico with the tattooed sleeve she’d randomly picked up off the street.

Xu Li figured that no matter how magical a four-year-old kid was, the money he earned would be managed by the orphanage anyway. Either way, more or less, the money would be donated to the orphanage, and Han Cheng definitely wouldn’t mind. “Of course.”

Lu Aotian gave a slight nod. Compared to the experienced and worldly-wise old Dean, the simple-minded Ji Nuo was naturally easier to manage. Even if Ji Nuo couldn’t pass his review, this money could be considered a way for the two of them to be completely even.

Lu Aotian pursed his small mouth. “Then I want to give my salary to Ji Nuo…” He truly couldn’t bring himself to say the last two characters. He added instead, “I also won’t call anyone Dad on the show.”

Xu Li’s attention was entirely captured by the first half of his sentence. Upon hearing it, she smiled and sighed, “What a little clever clogs.” After saying this, she couldn’t help but inwardly muse: Could it be that people who look like this all have a penchant for giving money to Ji Nuo?

Ji Nuo this unlucky fool, encountering this “father-son” pair, might really be about to have his luck turn around.

~

With everything ready, Xu Li had Ji Nuo move into Han Cheng’s high-end apartment in Cloud Lake Sky City.

Once the afternoon’s orphanage formalities were completed, she sent the cub over to him so the “father-son” pair could get properly acquainted. That way, they could interact more naturally when the actual filming began.

She didn’t prepare much of a script for Ji Nuo. On one hand, Ji Nuo had been smeared so thoroughly before that the eyes of the masses were clear; any prejudice against him would only make them more critical. The moment any trace of acting was caught, Ji Nuo’s last shred of credibility would be completely bankrupt. To avoid overcomplicating things, it was better to just return to pure simplicity.

On the other hand, Ji Nuo had the looks and the figure. That he had managed to endure until now also demonstrated a resolute character. If he were someone willing to take shortcuts, he would’ve clung to a rich boss ages ago. So Xu Li felt there was no need to worry about Ji Nuo causing any drama; he simply wasn’t that kind of person.

Based on her years of experience as a Gold Medal Agent, if it weren’t for Cen Xi’s deliberate suppression, with the natural talent and personal qualities Ji Nuo displayed while playing the Little Book Attendant, even without capital or background behind him or the massive luck needed to become explosively popular, he could have quietly and steadily filmed acting jobs, living a stable mid-to-lower tier life with ease.

However, Xu Li meticulously planned for everything except one oversight. She had never imagined that Ji Nuo, at such a young age, would receive a terminal diagnosis. His mindset was now drastically different.

After learning that he would have to live in Han Cheng’s apartment until the kid variety show finished filming, Ji Nuo packed his four-season clothes and daily necessities into his suitcase. He could use them across different exterior shooting locations.

From now on, Xue Xiaoshan would temporarily become Ji Nuo’s Life Assistant. Worried the residential complex would be inconvenient for turning the car around, Ji Nuo had him stop at the mouth of the alleyway.

After getting out of the car, Xue Xiaoshan peered into the deep, long alley. Considering Ji Nuo’s thin, sickly frame, Xue Xiaoshan couldn’t help but call him. “Xiao Nuo, you sure you don’t need me to come up and help?”

Ji Nuo repeatedly refused. “Really no need, I didn’t pack much.”

Ten minutes later, Ji Nuo walked out carrying a twenty-four-inch large suitcase in each hand. Xue Xiaoshan immediately got out of the car to take them. “That’s quite a lot, why stand on ceremony? Come on, come on, give them to me.”

Ji Nuo curved his lips in a smile. “They’re really not heavy. Just help me open the trunk.”

Xue Xiaoshan watched him, seemingly not exerting much effort at all, so he didn’t fight him for them. He opened the trunk and let Ji Nuo load the luggage inside.

After getting in the car, Xue Xiaoshan didn’t forget to stress, “Don’t be so formal with me from now on. Sister Li assigned me to follow you exactly to help out.”

Ji Nuo good-naturedly curved his lips again. “Thank you. I’ll be relying on you from now on.”

His pair of bright, limpid peach blossom eyes looked exceptionally beautiful when smiling. It was just that his skin and lips lacked much color, carrying an obvious frail pallor.

Xue Xiaoshan had previously also had a poor impression of Ji Nuo, influenced by rumors. But he had also been a partial participant in Ji Nuo’s courageous rescue of the child.

Thinking about it, he had also encountered those human traffickers, but he had stupidly mistaken them for the child’s parents. Meanwhile, Ji Nuo, with his fragile and thin frame, had managed to help the child escape their clutches. It truly shamed him beyond measure. How could he still have the nerve to hold any negative opinions now?

After dropping the person off, Xue Xiaoshan, following Xu Li’s instructions, bought a bunch of vegetables, fruits, and meats, plus a whole heap of daily necessities.

Although this apartment was Han Cheng’s home in Cloud City, he was away filming all year round and went abroad during breaks to visit family and vacation. Opportunities to actually stay here were few. The three-hundred-plus-square-meter flat had absolutely zero human warmth.

“Xiao Nuo, you can pick any room to stay in, except the master bedroom… Oh, right, the kid should be arriving tonight. Do you think the child can stay alone?”

Ji Nuo had been assuming all along that the child coming would be the Little Child Star originally decided upon. He had some impression of that kid. He nodded upon hearing this. “I’ll go prep the kids’ room first.”

After Xue Xiaoshan left, Ji Nuo adeptly put away everything Xue Xiaoshan had purchased. Although the apartment had regular cleaning service, Ji Nuo, mindful of the child, still went over it carefully, checking for any missed spots or potential hazards.

He had already figured things out beforehand. He couldn’t let Han Cheng suffer losses, so he would cooperate with the filming. Nurse Orange hadn’t replied to him, so Ji Nuo planned to adjust his plan based on his own analysis.

Not only would he cooperate with the filming, he would make sure Han Cheng realized that there was absolutely no possibility between them. He would also seize every opportunity to use himself as a foil to highlight Han Cheng’s excellence and kindness.

The method to achieve this goal was very simple. First, firmly remember he was a purely Straight man who liked girls. Second, when everyone else was actively trying to show off their strengths in front of the camera, he would just lie flat.

Ji Nuo’s determination to repay kindness was extremely firm. After setting his policy, he looked at the pile of groceries Xue Xiaoshan had bought.

—Aren’t growing children at a crucial development stage? Shouldn’t they be eating well?

Anyway, filming hadn’t started yet. He just saw these ingredients were all bought from the high-end supermarket nearby. The prices were outrageously expensive; how could they go to waste no matter what…

Ji Nuo acted right away, first rummaging through the cabinets and fishing out three aprons.

One was fluorescent red, one fluorescent yellow, and one was printed with: “Congratulations on Great Prosperity’s 30th Anniversary Opening.”

Ji Nuo unfolded them and paused momentarily. It was his first time encountering aprons that were each so uniquely ugly.

The corner of his eye twitched. With the other two overly eye-catching aprons as a foil, the earth-yellow “Great Prosperity” one actually seemed quite tasteful in comparison.

Ji Nuo picked up the last one and put it on. As he folded the other two, he muttered under his breath: Probably knew Han Cheng never used the kitchen, so the housekeeper just bought whatever randomly…

Just as Ji Nuo, spurred on by how thoroughly Xue Xiaoshan had prepared, couldn’t help but cook up a storm, online chaos was erupting over a new Weibo post from “Where Are the Cubs Going?”

The trigger was still Ji Nuo’s “arrest” trending topic.

When the rumor of Ji Nuo being arrested for drug use was going strong, it was practically a carnival across the net. Cen Xi fans celebrated their idol finally shaking off this shameless, unscrupulous copycat who would stoop to anything.

Han Cheng fans rejoiced that their Best Actor could stay far from scandal and focus on his career. Passerby netizens also felt a D-lister with such trash character as Ji Nuo truly deserved to be banned. As for Ji Nuo’s fans…

Ji Nuo simply had no fans. The fans he’d initially attracted with the Little Book Attendant role had completely withered away after these years of countless eye-searing scandals, leaving only a massive swarm of Anti-fans who couldn’t stand him.

On top of that, after failing to buy his way onto the show, Cen Xi carried both new and old grudges, continuously buying online trolls to attack Ji Nuo.

Cen Xi was clear that Ji Nuo couldn’t be doing drugs, but he knew this guy was just a perpetual disaster magnet. He probably committed some minor infraction. Anyway, Cen Xi was adept at twisting truth into falsehood. He didn’t care what the truth was; just stir up the muddy waters first.

Moreover, right after initially learning he’d failed to buy his way in, he immediately had his studio staff leak to core fan accounts that Han Cheng had pushed him out by bringing his own investment.

As archrivals, Cen Xi fans were clear they couldn’t currently compare their idol to Han Cheng. But that didn’t mean they had to stomach even Ji Nuo, that inferior knockoff.

Thus, through multifaceted efforts, after Xu Li helped post the clarifying Weibo, the internet didn’t buy it at all. And just as she predicted, the Haters immediately switched tactics, slapping a black mark of malicious self-promotion on Ji Nuo.

Everything else might be debatable, but Ji Nuo, in his frail state, snatching a child from human traffickers? One hundred and ten thousand percent it was hired actors. Once they got to the police station, they’d call it a misunderstanding. Wouldn’t Ji Nuo’s goal be achieved? They directly slapped another accusation on him: wasting police resources.

So when the official Weibo for “Where Are the Cubs Going?” @HanCheng @JiNuo @Ao’aoChild and sent out the invitation for the final guest group, netizens instantly exploded.

——The production team is actually still protecting this trash Ji Nuo?!

The Cen Xi fans had extreme combat power, dragging out all of Ji Nuo’s old and new scandals to stir up noise again, calling for the whole internet to resist Tainted Artists polluting the purest kid variety show.

As an S-Tier variety show, the caliber of the other three Fixed Guest groups went without saying. The kid variety show on Mangosteen Platform was also something everyone had been anticipating. Nobody wanted to see a single mouse dropping ruin a whole pot of soup.

The uproar continued to the point where the female police officer involved in the investigation stepped forward in a personal capacity to speak up for Ji Nuo. Cen Xi fans, afraid of legal trouble, didn’t dare say it outright, so they insinuated that the policewoman had also been bought off by Best Actor Han.

After all, Han Cheng’s resources were always heaven-defying. Years before, plenty of disinformation campaigns claimed Han Cheng had red background connections, others said Han Cheng came from a centuries-old prestigious family. But Han Cheng always protected his privacy exceptionally well, so despite the wide array of opinions, there was never any solid proof.

~

Ji Nuo had developed a good habit of not checking Weibo after being incessantly cursed at since his debut. He was entirely unaware of everything happening online.

He was currently following a tutorial video on his phone, humming a tune while molding various small animal-shaped custard buns.

Ji Nuo especially loved cooking. Every time he cooked, he could empty his mind. Watching one delicious dish after another emerge steaming from the wok was an unparalleled form of stress relief.

Previously, constrained by his circumstances, neither the ingredients nor the tools were ever as complete as today. On top of that, exhausted from running around, he always just threw together whatever he could to eat.

A day like today, where he didn’t have to consider if he had enough time before his part-time job, didn’t have to worry if this one meal’s splurge meant he should cut back tomorrow and the day after, and could wholeheartedly make delicious food to share with others, brought him a long-missed feeling of relaxed happiness.

Ji Nuo was so happy he even prepared breakfast for the next day.

Considering he himself could eat a lot, and Xue Xiaoshan looked like he could definitely eat a lot too, for dinner, although it was only two adults and one child, he still made four servings. Ji Nuo rather proudly filled the rectangular dining table, shook his head, and smiled with feeling. “This is truly too luxurious~”

The doorbell rang right on cue. Ji Nuo pulled out a paper towel, wiping his hands as he headed toward the entrance hall.

A bright smile on his face, he pulled the door wide open. “Hello there, little friend! Is your tummy hungry?”

Facing the live broadcast camera at the door, the smile on Ji Nuo’s face instantly froze.

A staff member from “Where Are the Cubs Going?” handling the pre-show interviews raised the microphone in hand, smiling very professionally. “Hello, Ji Nuo! Congratulations, you’ve drawn the live pre-show interview slot! Come, first say hi to the audience friends in the livestream.”

Ji Nuo wore the “Great Prosperity 30th Anniversary” complimentary apron and flashed a stiff smile perfected over ten years of fish-killing. “Huh?”

Mangosteen Platform was always meticulous with their variety shows. To prevent the guests from being prepared, they originally notified everyone they’d gather at the studio tomorrow morning for photos plus the pre-show interview. Instead, they showed up without any warning, shoving a Live Broadcast Lens right into the guests’ homes for a surprise ambush.

Furthermore, afraid of leaks, they had only contacted the agents, who signed confidentiality agreements. All four guest groups were ambushed, and the live broadcast was only suddenly turned on right at the door of the “lucky guest” Ji Nuo.

When numerous netizens clicked into the livestream, their mindset was even more confused than Ji Nuo, the person involved. One second they were mass-targeting the production team to get Ji Nuo kicked off the show, and the next, a live broadcast had started? And the subject was actually Ji Nuo!

The Danmaku was a string of question marks:

[Damn production team! What are you doing? Are you hell-bent on whitewashing Ji Nuo???]

[Holy crap, the beautifying filter on the livestream camera is way too strong. Forget the signs of plastic surgery, Ji Nuo’s big double eyelids are almost buffed out, tsk tsk /Spit/Spit/Spit]

[“The Legend of the Fox Demon” was years ago. Maybe he found a good doctor for repairs? Otherwise, how could he latch onto the Movie Emperor’s thigh?]

About five or six people from the production team filed in. Before the door could be shut, another confused big head poked in. Xue Xiaoshan scratched his head, then pulled back to check the apartment number plate.

Immediately following, the livestream audience heard a childish yet low voice: “You’re stepping on me!”

The live broadcast lens turned along with Ji Nuo toward the doorway. Xue Xiaoshan was seen holding a small red-and-green suitcase, and standing next to him was a small, dark, and thin figure.