Chapter 26 Part 3

The open kitchen was a disaster zone. Han Cheng was stir-frying with his head down, a splash of tomato sauce on his cheek. He didn’t look like he was making Tomato Scrambled Eggs, but rather locked in a life-or-death battle with a “criminal tomato suspect.”

Little Friend Lu Ao’ao had completely given up hope. Covering his ears with his small hands, he sucked furiously on his pacifier, reluctantly consoling himself that at least this useless celebrity could boil water…

Sigh! Ao’ao sighs.jpg

Ji Nuo was amused by the Little Dumpling’s complex and vivid expression. Noticing him approach, Han Cheng turned off the heat first and said over the noise of the range hood: “Hungry? Give me two more minutes, I just need to heat up the soup and we can eat.”

Ji Nuo originally wanted to help, but as he got closer, the smoke choked him first. Looking at the evenly distributed Tomato Scrambled Eggs both in and out of the wok, the burnt smell was not surprising.

Hearing his cough, Han Cheng immediately told him to go sit with Ao’ao.

Fortunately, with the experience from the Tomato Scrambled Eggs, Han Cheng heated the soup very smoothly.

The remaining Thelephora ganbajun and Oil-Fried Termite Mushrooms had been brought over. Lu Aotian first filled up on milk, then mixed some Thelephora ganbajun with the congee to eat.

On the table, besides the Tomato Scrambled Eggs, there was also a dish fried from the leftover Bamboo Worms and Bee Pupae. Lu Aotian no longer wanted to recall the “flying bullets of war” when Han Cheng was frying the bugs.

Han Cheng had never done it before, just followed a tutorial. He didn’t know that after washing the bugs, you had to use kitchen paper to thoroughly dry the surface moisture. So when they hit the hot oil, the pot was as “lively” as could be. If not for Han Cheng’s background in action scenes, giving him some martial arts basics to dodge with, he really wouldn’t have avoided it all.

Fortunately, frying bugs only required adding them to hot oil and removing them when cooked. Han Cheng’s batch was darker in color but hadn’t reached the burnt stage yet.

Ji Nuo ate his congee with the Chicken Stewed with Fish, occasionally picking up a chopstick-full and saying it was delicious.

Han Cheng and Lu Aotian uniformly refused this “fried maggots” dish.

It was also Ji Nuo’s first time eating chicken and fish stewed together. The flavor was indeed very fresh. The Free-Range Chicken and Cold-Water Catfish had good texture. The only slight flaw was in the ingredient preparation.

One bite revealed the chicken blood hadn’t been properly drained. The black membrane inside the small catfish’s belly was troublesome to clean, so the chef simply didn’t bother, choosing to suppress the meat’s fishiness with spices and rice wine. But ultimately, a fish’s eye can’t pass for a pearl. Lu Aotian frowned just at the smell and didn’t even try it.

Ji Nuo was fine. Though he prepared food meticulously when cooking, he wasn’t too picky about ready-made meals and could tolerate a bit of fishiness.

Seeing Han Cheng only eating the misshapen Tomato Scrambled Eggs, it finally dawned on Ji Nuo that Han Cheng didn’t eat fish either. He’d been sleeping groggily in the car that afternoon.

But it was too late now, guilt was useless. He reached out his chopsticks to try a bite but was stopped by Han Cheng: “I like heavy flavors, used a lot of seasoning. Not suitable for a patient.”

This, however, piqued Lu Aotian’s interest. He scooped a piece of the mushy tomato with his small spoon. His little face went pale, nearly crowing like a rooster from the saltiness.

Lu Aotian had wanted to personally taste it to gather solid evidence for mocking this useless celebrity. Instead, he had to gulp down three huge mouthfuls of congee just to recover, the saltiness even washing away his desire to mock Han Cheng.

The live stream audience cracked up again at this scene:

[Hey hey hey? Where are all the Han Cheng fans who were spamming the screen earlier? Still want to eat a feast personally cooked by your idol?]

[Hahahaha laugh to death, Ao’ao: Meal standards plummeted!]

[If the Tomato Scrambled Eggs were bad, why isn’t Brother Cheng eating the Chicken Stewed with Fish? I saw the other guests eating it super enthusiastically!]

[The commenter above must be a new fan? Brother Cheng doesn’t eat fish.]

[Huh? Han Cheng doesn’t eat fish, yet he calls Ao’ao picky? Ao fans rage! Hypocritical adult, get lost!]

[Ji Nuo: This family would fall apart without me…]

After dinner, Ji Nuo’s cough and nasal congestion became more pronounced. Fortunately, he didn’t have a fever, just a slight cold from heat. Han Cheng took the Cub downstairs to buy two boxes of suitable medicine.

His little face full of refusal, Lu Aotian was still carried down by Han Cheng. Baring his little white teeth, a murderous glint flashed across his face.

When they returned, Ji Nuo had already quickly showered and collapsed back into bed. The wave of fatigue made it impossible for him to stay upright.

Han Cheng expertly boiled water, mixed the cold medicine granules, and handed it to him. Then he took the Cub into the bathroom for a bath.

Under Lu Aotian’s fierce protest, he completed the bathing process independently. Han Cheng waited outside, only entering when the Cub said he was done, lifting the towel-wrapped Cub out of the tub.

Just when Lu Aotian thought the terrible day was finally over, Ji Nuo, worried about being contagious, changed the sleeping arrangements.

Ji Nuo slept close to the edge of the bed, back to the two. Han Cheng slept in the middle, separating him from the relatively weakest cub.

Since Lu Aotian had always despised squeezing in with Ji Nuo, Ji Nuo figured now that the bed was wider, switching to Han Cheng made little difference.

In truth, Lu Aotian knew he always unconsciously burrowed into Ji Nuo’s arms after falling asleep, smelling the refreshing light fragrance on the young man and sleeping especially soundly.

So switching to Han Cheng made a huge difference to him! But regarding this arrangement, he couldn’t voice any objection whatsoever.

All he could do was request an extra blanket. Thus, the family of three each covered themselves with their own blanket and settled down to sleep.

Initially, Lu Aotian feared Han Cheng’s presence would “sully” his majestic Long Aotian’s “Dragon Body,” so he wrapped himself in a blanket roll far away from Han Cheng.

However, once asleep, the body was beyond the brain’s control. He was long used to snuggling with an adult, especially Ji Nuo who was cool to the touch—very comfortable to hug in summer.

Even though, in his sleep, Lu Aotian felt tonight’s embrace was especially warm, he still slept on that way.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, when Han Cheng woke Lu Aotian, the sky hadn’t fully brightened. Estimating the local time, it was only around six-thirty.

Lu Aotian’s little face stiffened. He asked in a fierce little milk voice: “Wha do oo wan!”

Han Cheng took the child’s hand, which was rubbing his eyes, and guided it down to his little sleeping pants. Lu Aotian was instantly wide awake.

HOW COULD THIS BE!

Hadn’t he completely gained control of his body?!

Meeting the man’s meaningful, half-smiling gaze, Lu Aotian’s mind went completely blank for a rare moment.

It had to be from drinking milk and eating congee the previous night!

It was all Han Cheng’s fault!

It had to be his scheme!

~

A blessing amidst misfortune: Lu Aotian had fallen asleep wrapped in a blanket roll the previous night, and most of his body was pressed against Han Cheng. So when the floodgates opened, it was first absorbed by Han Cheng’s pure cotton pajamas and the blanket pressed under his side.

Ji Nuo, beside them, was in a deep sleep from the cold medicine, completely unaware of the silent, standoff negotiation unfolding on the mattress right next to him.

It ultimately ended with Han Cheng rolling the Cub up in the “mapped” blanket, holding it in front of him, and silently moving into the bathroom.

Thus, heaven knew, earth knew, the viewers didn’t know. Only the peed-upon party involved, Han Cheng, held the firsthand truth.

Lu Aotian had never felt so humiliated. But compared to the whole world knowing he wet the bed, being temporarily held hostage by Han Cheng alone wasn’t such a big deal.

His little face indignant, his glare at Han Cheng resembled two ultra-powerful laser beams: “What do you want me to do for you?”

Although the pair hadn’t spent a long time together, Lu Aotian’s disposition was far too distinct. Han Cheng didn’t consider himself some noble and upright gentleman. Grabbing the Cub’s pigtail, he made a lion’s demand: “Three things.”

Lu Aotian nearly glared his eyes out of his skull in anger: “Three?! You!”

Han Cheng turned as if to leave: “Forget it.”

Lu Aotian stomped his foot: “I agree!”

Half an hour later, Lu Aotian emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes, his face black as the bottom of a pot. Before closing the door, he still couldn’t resist spitting in Han Cheng’s direction: Despicable!

Early in the morning, there weren’t many viewers in the live stream. The narrow slice of the Live Broadcast Lens wasn’t very clear either. But someone still noticed Han Cheng rolling the Cub into the bathroom before dawn. A long time later, the Cub stomped back into the frame, fuming.

The Danmaku buzzed with various theories, but no one guessed the truth. After all, peeing the bed so precisely wasn’t common.

And in the viewers’ impression, Little Friend Lu Ao’ao had super-strong self-care skills, far surpassing the other cubs. They never associated him with bedwetting.

~

After taking medicine and sleeping heavily, Ji Nuo’s condition visibly improved upon waking. His complexion returned to its normal pallor, the nasal congestion completely gone, just a tiny cough remaining.

The room booked by the Production Team included breakfast. The family of three went to the buffet area and had a hearty, satisfying meal.

Lu Aotian was already a picky eater to begin with. After being fed by Ji Nuo for a while, he was even pickier. He looked down on the breakfast buffet level of a five-star restaurant in a prefecture-level city. But under Han Cheng’s suggestive gaze, he still puffed up his cheeks and ate his breakfast.

Although cooperating with Han Cheng was only temporary, and he was already scheming how to retaliate, Lu Aotian was still deeply displeased inside. Once again, he dragged the dog System out and flogged it repeatedly in his heart.

The family of three took the ten-thirty flight back to Cloud City. The first phase of “Where Are the Cubs Going?” – the Mountain Wilderness Journey live broadcast recording – concluded. Over the next few days, the Production Team would work overtime to edit nearly one hundred hours of live footage from the four groups of guests. Over the weekend, “Where Are the Cubs Going? Highlights” would air in two parts.

Just as the three walked into the boarding gate, not far away, a familiar figure pressed the shutter one last time. It was Cui Xiaoxue, who had been temporarily recruited by Han Cheng Studio.

Seeing the figures of the family of three completely vanish into the boarding gate, Cui Xiaoxue, now two shades darker, hummed a little tune as she headed to her own gate. She had bought a ticket for the next flight back to Cloud City.

At the same time, a post suddenly appeared on a well-known gossip forum: 《Deep Dive into Script-King Ji Nuo and His Magical “Son”, If You Can Think of It, Capital Can Do It!》