Fu Yanli directly video-called Jiang Shunnian and vented for a full ten minutes.
“How is it such perfect timing? I just got the school all set up!” Fu Yanli was on the verge of collapse, his tyrant CEO image shattered. Now he was just a terrified old dad afraid some creep would steal his son away. He chattered endlessly, “Why should I help Lucien look after his kid? Don’t I have my own child to care for? My Nono is so cute and clever—what if Atticus turns out to be a potential little creep? Stepping back, I could send him to Eton College, or any other school, right, Shunnian? Those places have teaching quality ten times better than Fu School. Fine, let’s settle on that for now.”
Since he’d known Fu Yanli, Jiang Shunnian had always seen him as steady and upright. This was the first time he’d witnessed him pacing back and forth in agitation—it felt refreshingly novel.
He watched for a moment before replying, “We can check out Atticus’s character first. Mr. Lucien has been partnering with Fu Corporation for so long; the kid he raised shouldn’t turn out too badly.”
It wasn’t that Jiang Shunnian lacked vigilance. From childhood to now, the people and events in his life had all been perfectly normal—Qin Family was the sole exception.
From Qin Guanyue to Qin Huan and the rest of the Qin Family, none of them were normal.
Jiang Shunnian even occasionally felt that the Qin Family was the truly out-of-place one.
If Lucien succeeded, his power and wealth would rise another level, becoming a massive boon for Fu Yanli. It would let him topple the Qin Family even faster.
That was one reason Fu Yanli hadn’t refused outright.
Besides, Atticus was just a five-year-old kid who’d traveled thousands of miles to their side, right in Fu Yanli’s territory. He shouldn’t pose any real threat.
Fu Yanli had weighed the pros and cons too, but he still wanted to wipe out every creep within a thousand miles of Nono.
“If Atticus makes any shady moves, I’ll cut ties with Lucien and pack him straight onto a plane,” Fu Yanli finally declared with such harsh words.
Jiang Shunnian couldn’t help but chuckle. He didn’t want to rile up this pitiful old dad any further. “Alright, I support you.”
Fu Yanli let out a breath of relief, the pent-up frustration in his chest finally easing.
He didn’t forget to check on Jiang Shunnian. “Shunnian, everything going smoothly on set? Anyone giving you trouble? Shixu Media still carries some weight in the industry—if some fool tries anything, just tell me, and I’ll handle it.”
Fu Yanli’s words were understated. In truth, Shixu was already one of the top agencies in entertainment, with countless A-listers under its banner.
Jiang Shunnian shook his head with a smile. “No such weird drama. There is someone who brought investment into the crew, but he’s kept a low profile and hasn’t crossed my path.”
He was referring to the young actor who’d tried to snatch his role during the costume fitting photos. Jiang Shunnian later learned his name was Xu Nanqiao, backed by some powerful investor. Plenty of people steered clear of him.
But surprisingly, Xu Nanqiao had been quite polite to Jiang Shunnian, even apologizing privately. He’d admitted he really loved the role of Su Yuqing, so he’d acted impulsively.
Jiang Shunnian hadn’t been angry, but he remembered how Xu Nanqiao had later snatched someone else’s role too. So he kept his distance, treating him with respect but caution.
During the script read-through, Jiang Shunnian shared his ideas for the character with director Lin Yusong. He suggested making Su Yuqing’s feelings for the female lead, Bai Jiyun, even more extreme—not just admiration, but worship and reverence. As a child, he’d collapsed by the roadside and been saved by the female lead. When he learned her ultimate goal was to save the world, he vowed to pour everything into helping her achieve it.
He knew how grueling her path would be, so he’d long prepared himself to die for her. Even when discussing taking her place in death with the male lead, he’d started mimicking her mannerisms.
It could add some intriguing hooks for viewers.
Lin Yusong considered it carefully and agreed it made sense. But then he thought of Nono’s looks and grinned warmly. “Shunnian, any interest in having Nono play your younger self? We could rub off some of Nono the Great King’s popularity too. Just two or three scenes—with Nono the Great King’s talent, we could wrap it in half a day.”
The Baby Travel Plan variety show hadn’t even finished airing yet, but Nono’s popularity was leagues ahead. His personal highlight clips had shattered view counts and dominated discussions, leaving everyone else in the dust. His commercial value was sky-high.
A child star who crushed everyone in looks and smarts—who wouldn’t want a piece of that hype?
The director sounded genuine, even dropping the nickname “Nono the Great King.”
Jiang Shunnian chuckled in surprise. “Director, even you’re calling him Nono the Great King.”
“Nono really is exceptional. If he dipped into acting, he’d skyrocket straight to top-tier status,” Lin Yusong said. “Think it over—no pressure.”
Jiang Shunnian replied, “Sure, I’ll discuss it with Nono.”
If it was just a half-day shoot, it was worth considering.
Plus, Nono looked just like him—perfect for playing the role’s childhood version.
Fu Shizhang’s checkup went smoothly. The old traditional doctor prescribed some herbs, and after a few days of medicine, he already felt less weighed down, much lighter on his feet.
With Jiang Shunnian away filming and Fu Yanli tied up at work, Nono couldn’t tag along to Fu Corporation every day before school started. So Fu Shizhang and Shen Lingyi discussed it and moved upstairs to Fu Yanli’s place. Once Nono started school, they’d head back to the Manor.
Jiang Shunnian called Nono to ask if he wanted to act with him. Nono was eager to help his dad but worried his acting might drag him down, so he didn’t commit right away. He’d try it out first and see.
Such a thoughtful little treasure only deepened Jiang Shunnian’s longing. He even toyed with skipping shoots to spend more time with Nono.
But he snapped back to reality quickly. Nono had just a week left before school—they couldn’t be together 24/7 anyway. He couldn’t exactly follow Nono to kindergarten.
Plus, his third male lead didn’t have scenes every day. On off days, he could fly back to reunite with Nono.
And they still had that body wash ad.
Thinking of it all, Jiang Shunnian felt the future brimmed with promise.
Ever since meeting Jiang Shunnian last time, Mo Zhen couldn’t get him out of his head. As a bisexual, he’d dated plenty—mostly C-list actors and pretty influencers—but nothing lasted over three months.
He always compensated generously, though, so they parted on good terms. His rep in the industry was solid.
A second-gen rich kid, his family ran a company with a stellar older sister. His parents weren’t sexist; seeing her talent, they let her take over. Bored with nothing to do, he drifted into entertainment.
At 183 cm with handsome features, solid acting chops, and no arrogance, Mo Zhen’s only flaw was his wandering eye.
Once he took a fancy to Jiang Shunnian, he asked his sister to dig into his partner’s background.
Mo Zhen knew the industry rules: he steered clear of anyone with a sugar daddy.
One male actor once eyed a female co-star during filming and tried to proposition her. Her backer showed up, and the guy ended up groveling—no dice. He drank till his stomach bled, landed in the hospital, and got blacklisted for a year.
But his sister turned up zilch—not even if Jiang Shunnian had a partner.
No surprise there. The Fu Family had locked down Jiang Shunnian’s info tight. Mo Zhen was just well-off, nowhere near elite circles. He couldn’t access it.
His sister cautioned him, though: either Jiang Shunnian truly had no backing, or it ran extraordinarily deep. Better think twice.
Mo Zhen said he got it, but deep down, he figured no real background.
If he had any, with those looks, he’d have blown up ages ago—not languishing as a third male lead after a four-year hiatus.
He didn’t push it, though. Instead, he approached as a friend, even running lines with Jiang Shunnian and chatting acting theory.
Jiang Shunnian ended up with a decent impression of him.
Fu Yanli had bodyguards on Jiang Shunnian, but they couldn’t spot Mo Zhen’s ulterior motives—just reported all clear.
Right now, Fu Yanli’s main guard was up for Atticus, arriving tomorrow afternoon. Out of courtesy, he had to meet the boy—maybe even share a dinner.
He’d arranged Atticus’s lodging in the same complex, but not the same building—a diagonal distance away.
Don’t ask why—just that the spot was the only suitable one.
Care for Atticus’s daily needs fell to Shen Boheng’s reliable arrangements.
Fu Yanli had planned a solo meetup, but Lucien reached out to Fu Shizhang too. Once Fu Shizhang heard, he took it seriously, called Fu Yanli, and insisted on dinner at his place that evening.
It upended all of Fu Yanli’s plans.
That night, Fu Yanli was so tense he barely slept. After video-calling Jiang Shunnian, he even lingered outside Nono’s door for a bit.
But no matter how Fu Yanli resisted, Atticus arrived safely.
Fu Yanli left work early and bumped into him downstairs, riding the elevator together.
Atticus was five, with golden hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and long, thick lashes—a striking, high-value foreign kid. Spotting Fu Yanli, he greeted him politely, every gesture radiating fine upbringing.
Fu Yanli nodded slightly, playing the steady, reliable elder. He asked if the trip had tired Atticus or if anything felt off.
“Uncle Fu, I heard you have a child named Nono. I brought him a gift—hope he likes it.”
He personally wheeled a small suitcase packed with presents for Nono.
His father had said Uncle Fu treasured his son like nothing else—just as Atticus himself was treasured. So in China, he had to befriend Uncle Fu’s boy.
As if I can’t buy gifts for Nono myself? Does he need yours? Fu Yanli thought. At the same time, he hoped Atticus’s gifts were childish toys Nono would disdain.
The elevator reached Fu Yanli’s floor. Suppressing his inner agitation, he waited for the doors to open—and there stood Nono.
Nono had waited obediently at the elevator to welcome him. Fu Yanli’s heart instantly melted.
“Dad! You’re back!” Nono ran happily toward Fu Yanli. Before Fu Yanli could scoop him up, Nono spotted Atticus inside.
Ever the well-mannered child, Nono greeted him in English: “Good evening, brother. Grandpa mentioned you’d be staying here a while. If anything feels off or you need help understanding stuff, you can always ask me.”
Atticus froze the instant he saw Nono, eyes glazing over.
How is there such a pretty, adorable little brother? Voice so soft and sweet, English accent so captivating.
Atticus seemed mild-mannered, but his standards were sky-high. Most people didn’t measure up in his eyes—not even his father rated higher than average.
Without exaggeration, seeing Nono was an aesthetic treat for Atticus.
The boy who scorned cheek-kissing back home stepped forward, leaning in to press his face to Nono’s.
Fu Yanli paled in horror, snatching Nono up like lightning. He barked, “What do you think you’re doing?!”
