Lu Aotian’s little brow furrowed tighter and tighter. His beautiful peach blossom eyes gradually turned into two small knives, coldly fixed on Han Cheng.
How could this star named Han Cheng be worthy of using the same character model as the great and mighty Long Aotian!
While Lu Aotian was scrutinizing Han Cheng, Han Cheng was also observing this cub who looked remarkably like himself.
He had never imagined having a child, nor what that child might look like. But upon seeing this kid called Lu Ao’ao, the chaotic thoughts that had been floating like mist suddenly crystallized. He had to admit, there probably wouldn’t be a second child in the world more like him than this cub.
The child resembled him so much that even he began to suspect there might truly be some familial connection between them?
He knew this child was a trafficked little orphan, remembered his name was Lu Ao’ao, and had those grey-blue eyes…
Ji Nuo’s intervention broke the standoff between the big one and the little one. He scooped up the cub, somewhat awkwardly bidding Han Cheng good morning: “The water is ready. A wash and you can eat.”
Han Cheng rubbed his brow and nodded slightly.
Ji Nuo tightened his embrace, walking outside while soothing the milk-fierce cub baring his teeth in his arms: “Guess what delicious food Uncle made this morning?”
Lu Aotian thought to himself, this stinky little brother’s topic-changing technique was too clumsy. But thinking of his precious beef chunks, Lu Aotian smacked his lips and cooperatively asked, “Besides beef brisket, what else?”
Ji Nuo smiled and started listing the dishes. The fire in Lu Aotian’s eyes gradually extinguished, transforming into sparkling anticipation. He wiggled impatiently in Ji Nuo’s arms: “Put me down, I want to wash my face and brush my teeth!”
Ji Nuo placed him on the small stool, handed him his shoes, and watched the little guy put them on expertly and dash off.
Seeing this, Ji Nuo smiled helplessly. He had discovered it: this cub was a little foodie who prized eating above all else.
Ji Nuo scooped the chestnut-braised beef, now rich with reduced sauce, from the wok. Efficiently washing the wok, he added a little oil to flash-fry, tossing in garlic slices, ginger slices, and scallion sections to sizzle fragrant.
Over the past few days, he had fully gotten used to the cub not eating scallions, ginger, and garlic. So he only sautéed them for their flavor. When they turned slightly golden, he fished them out, suddenly realizing as he did so that Han Cheng also didn’t eat these.
The two almost perfectly overlapped in their picky eating. Besides scallions, ginger, and garlic, there was also cilantro and celery. The latter two were things they couldn’t even stand the borrowed flavor of.
Thinking of this, Ji Nuo shook his head and chuckled. These two really were… more like father and son than actual father and son.
Han Cheng changed into a light-colored sports suit, also requested in advance by Xu Li. Since Ji Nuo mostly wore light colors, she told him to wear light colors too for a better CP feel.
The man stood backlit at the kitchen entrance, his already tall figure appearing especially outstanding.
Coincidentally, little Lu Ao’ao also changed into a blue-pink sports set today. Standing together, the three of them looked somewhat like they were in matching family outfits.
The live stream viewers expressed their opinions:
[This family of three looks even more real than a real one. Too harmonious!]
[Right right right, I thought from the start, Ao’ao not only looks like Teacher Han, but his brows, eyes, and the curve of his lips look like NuoNuo. Plus those amazing little dimples, it’s simply Ctrl+C then +V.]
[Speaking of which, I really love Ji Nuo’s lips. The bottom lip is plump and looks super kissable! Mwah mwah mwah!]
However, contrasting with the unusually harmonious morning comments, the atmosphere at the dining table was somewhat tense.
As soon as Lu Aotian reached the table, his little face puffed up at the sight of the braised beef. Han Cheng, after washing up, naturally walked to Ji Nuo’s side, proactively helping to bring out the other dishes.
Ji Nuo instinctively wanted to refuse, but then remembered their current relationship status. Out there, Han Cheng wasn’t the guiding star he revered, but his publicly acknowledged lover.
In the split second Ji Nuo’s thoughts flickered, Han Cheng had already taken a plate and a large bowl of chestnut-braised beef from the dazed Ji Nuo’s hands.
Their fingertips met unexpectedly beneath the bowl. Unlike the palms calloused from habitual work, the skin on the back of Ji Nuo’s hand was delicate and soft. Also, due to his congenital deficiency, his hands and feet were always cold since childhood.
It would be hard to endure in winter, but on this summer morning already spreading warmth, it felt exceptionally pleasant to the touch.
Han Cheng unconsciously curled his fingertip. Looking at the rosy face so close to him, he quickly suppressed an odd notion and turned away as if nothing had happened.
With his excellent hearing, he then caught a barely audible soft sigh from behind him, as if in relief.
By the time Ji Nuo brought over the remaining dishes, the three sat down, officially about to start the meal.
The child seated to Ji Nuo’s left suddenly stood up on his stool. He pointed to the center of the table where the braised beef brisket sat.
Lu Aotian’s small brow was furrowed intensely. His lowered, milky voice was extremely stern: “This brisket. Is there a piece missing?”
Though phrased as a question, his tone brooked no doubt.
When his sharp peach blossom eyes turned to Ji Nuo, they were especially razor-edged, as if equipped with internal Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, shooting rapidly at the Ji Nuo next to him.
Ji Nuo hadn’t expected the child to observe so meticulously. Targeted by those little knife-like eyes, his tongue faltered: “Uh… it’s in the small pot. I cooked it into a vegetable and minced meat congee for lunch.”
Lu Aotian keenly detected the discomfort in Ji Nuo’s expression. He twisted his little butt, expertly sliding off the stool, and stomped toward the small pot placed in the corner.
The meat congee was cold and only a small bowl’s worth remained. Connecting this to the sudden appearance of Han Cheng…
There was only one truth!
His cheeks puffed out, Lu Aotian stomped back to the table in a fury. He was so angry he wanted to slam the table, but he wasn’t tall enough, so he had to settle for slamming the stool instead.
“You!” Lu Aotian took a deep breath. “You stole my beef brisket and gave it to him! Didn’t you?!”
Though the child was somewhat domineering, seeing the cub’s serious, food-guarding little manner, Ji Nuo found it incredibly hard to suppress his laughter amidst his helplessness.
“It’s our beef brisket. Of course, Uncle Han Cheng can eat it.” Ji Nuo tried to soothe him as gently as possible.
Lu Aotian’s furious eyes instantly bulged. “It’s mine!” He traded it working like a dog, it was his!
Ji Nuo shook his head, continuing to gently explain they were family and shared food and so on. Lu Aotian, his little mouth downturned, couldn’t listen to a single word.
Bullshit!
What family sharing? They weren’t family. Besides, he had died at the hands of so-called family in his last life. Not a word Ji Nuo said was what he wanted to hear.
This cunning, stinky little brother must have purposely cut the braised brisket so small so he couldn’t identify whether the missing piece was Noah, Louis, Angus, or Mary!
If not for his extreme sensitivity to spatial volume, he would have almost been fooled.
Just as little Lu Aotian was very earnestly being angry, Han Cheng picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a large piece of tendon-rich brisket, dipped it in sauce, and placed it in Ji Nuo’s bowl. “Eat first.”
Then he took a piece for himself. His long, narrow dark eyes glanced at the cub not far away. Under Lu Aotian’s watchful gaze, he ate the cub’s heart’s treasure, the precious brisket.
Lu Aotian fiercely inhaled a breath of rage, then immediately scrambled onto his stool and started gorging.
It wasn’t a truce. It was just that he would never do something as stupid as killing a thousand enemies but losing three hundred million of his own.
The furious little Lu Aotian ate with whirlwind speed. His goal was direct: since communicating with Ji Nuo was useless, he would use his little belly to claim all the food for himself.
He even went for the dreaded milk pancake. His eyes lit up as he ate, and he crunched down three skewers in a row.
Humph, it was all his!
The third day of the live variety show. The Weng and Chu families, who had been suffering its torments the whole time, were so exhausted their faces lacked luster. Fortunately, it was already the final day of the first phase of the kid variety show’s live recording.
Regardless of whatever new tricks the production team could conjure today, if they gritted their teeth and endured, they could triumphantly return tomorrow. Even if work was piled up at home, it was still better than here.
Thus, when Ji Nuo boarded the vehicle, he was met with the weak yet hopeful faces of the Weng and Chu families.
Director Bai Yong was outside the live broadcast camera, teasing a child: “Tiantian, Ruirui, do you have the confidence to complete today’s baby task?”
“Yes!”
“…Yes.”
The two children answered almost simultaneously.
Although the specific content of today’s task hadn’t been announced in advance, they were told to wait at home as the production team’s rented vehicle would pick everyone up together.
The people in the vehicle watched as Ji Nuo boarded with his child, followed by Han Cheng. Silence reigned for a moment before they broke into greetings: “Teacher Han, you finally made it!”
“What time did you arrive last night?”
“Are you mentally prepared to suffer? Maybe not, your family’s Ji Nuo is very capable.”
“…”
On this side, Ji Nuo looked down and asked the cub: “By the window again this time?”
Lu Aotian raised his eyes to sweep around. He found they were sitting right behind the Chu family again, and Chu Jiarui was still seated by the window. Some very unpleasant memories, tinged with the fishy smell of egg custard, surged up.
Lu Aotian’s face darkened. “I want the aisle.”
When Ji Nuo asked Han Cheng, Lu Aotian added, “I want to sit next to you.”
Meaning, Han Cheng had to sit by the window.
Hearing this, Han Cheng directly sat inside. Ji Nuo sat next to him in the middle. Lu Aotian satisfiedly took the aisle seat.
Ji Nuo didn’t see Zhenzhen’s family. A staff member explained, “Linlin had heart discomfort last night. Their family stayed in the county town and will head directly to the task location from there, which is closer.”
Ji Nuo nodded, a little concerned for the little Zhenzhen whose eyes were always sparkling.
Lu Aotian, having overeaten this morning, was hit by a fierce food coma. As the minibus bumped along the mountain roads, he was so sleepy his eyelids were fighting, but his grudge over Han Cheng stealing his brisket ran deep.
After settling in, he stubbornly fought off his drowsiness, observing the “biological weapon” ahead diagonally through the gap in the seat backs—Chu Jiarui, who was dizzy and about to vomit.
Actually, Lu Aotian wasn’t that petty. He had shared Ji Nuo’s fried rice with the silly and sweet mother-daughter pair before.
But Han Cheng was both a famous movie star, had taken his adult character model, and conspired with his little brother to take his beef brisket while he slept. Each and every one of these things was dancing on the landmines of his Long Aotian’s territory.
After the vehicle traveled for fifteen minutes, Lu Aotian saw through the gap that Ruirui was starting to rub his neck. He immediately perked up.
Soon after, Chu’s mother opened the window at the child’s request. Ruirui, just like last time, stuck his head out a little, enjoying the wind while brewing a rising and falling urge to vomit.
The wind howled past outside. Apart from Lu Aotian, the former victim, no one noticed the little dumpling was carsick again.
A cold gleam flashed in Lu Aotian’s eyes. He abruptly turned to Ji Nuo and declared emphatically, “I’m hot. I want to open the window for some air.”
