Chapter 48
The midday winter light was at its most intense, with beams of light pouring into the house, bringing a golden brightness to the room.
With a warm sun on his head, Shen Tiantian walked back with red-rimmed eyes, sniffling.
Shen Xiuze hadn’t gone out just now and didn’t know what had happened. Seeing the little one tugging on his grandma’s clothes in a wronged manner, he went over and asked:
“What’s wrong? I just heard a chicken crowing. Did a chicken run away?”
Ye Jiabao, on the side, had all his attention on Lin Chen’an. Hearing this, he quickly spoke up first, tarnishing Shen Tiantian’s image.
“Tiantian was being chased by a chicken. He’s too naughty. Why did he have to provoke a rooster?”
Tiantian was a little scared from being chased by the chicken. He craned his little neck and said with a huff:
“That’s not it. It’s that chicken that’s too bad. Grandma, let’s eat it. I want to eat its butt!”
Let it chase him and peck his butt.
Tiantian huffed, thinking that he would eat this bad chicken’s butt all up!
Grandma was a doting person. She said “yes” a couple of times and went to the side with Grandpa Qin to pluck the chicken.
Before leaving, she repeatedly reminded:
“Lin boy, you must stay for dinner. It’s all thanks to you this time, or this chicken would have really pecked Tiantian badly.”
Lin Chen’an said “yes” in acknowledgment. He looked at the toddler-sized child in front of him and asked with amusement:
“Your name is Tiantian?”
Tiantian was in the middle of telling his brother about his great battle with the rooster. Hearing someone call him, he turned his head and looked at Lin Chen’an with his moist, dark eyes.
Just one look, and Lin Chen’an felt that this child was too suitable to play the little protagonist in his drama!
“That’s right, my name is Tiantian. Uncle, thank you for saving me just now.”
Lin Chen’an waved his hand and said it was nothing. He ruffled his weed-like hair, laughed twice, and introduced himself.
“Don’t look at me like this. I’m actually a director. I just came back to the village to take care of some things and got all dusty. Don’t mind.”
Ye Jiabao quickly chimed in:
“Of course not. Uncle Lin, the dramas you film are super good. I’ve watched them several times!”
He couldn’t help but show a hint of longing and suggestion, his little face flushed, beaming with a brilliant smile:
“If I could act in your drama, I would be so lucky!”
Lin Chen’an was surprised for a moment, thinking that this child was quite a drama queen.
“Really? I’m such a niche director, and I only film some not-so-famous dramas. It’s rare to be liked by someone.”
Ye Jiabao finally struck up a conversation with Lin Chen’an, his eyebrows raised in joy. He quickly and enthusiastically invited him into the house and busied himself with serving water and tea.
Shen Tiantian, this little glutton, had already run to the kitchen door, holding onto the stove and staring intently at the chicken stewing in the pot.
He stared at the pot without blinking, watching with his own eyes as the chicken was dismembered and stewed into a rich and fragrant chicken soup.
Smelling the fragrance of the stewed chicken, Shen Tiantian smacked his little lips and said to his grandma:
“Although this chicken is fierce, it’s also fragrant.”
Grandma added a piece of firewood to the stove, smiled, and reached out to ruffle the little one’s head.
“You don’t know this, but the fiercer the chicken, the more flavorful it is, and the chewier the meat.”
Shen Tiantian couldn’t wait to take a bite of the fragrant chicken. He was drooling and was reluctant to leave the kitchen.
In the main room.
Ye Jiabao became the main force in entertaining Lin Chen’an.
He was talking to Lin Chen’an and also took a moment to glance at the kitchen, a hint of disdain in his heart.
Little glutton, you don’t even know how to seize an opportunity when it’s right in front of you.
Still staring at that worthless chicken, not knowing that the biggest benefactor is sitting in the room.
Lin Chen’an was drinking tea. Seeing Ye Jiabao busily serving fruits and melon seeds, he quickly waved his hand.
“No need to serve me. Little friend, you should also rest. I’m the one who’s freeloading, so I’m a little embarrassed.”
As he spoke, he looked over at Shen Xiuze, who was silently looking at his phone.
“Are you… Manager Shen?”
Lin Chen’an had seen Shen Xiuze a few times before. At that time, Shen Xiuze was just a manager of a branch company.
Shen Xiuze nodded, clearly not remembering Lin Chen’an.
The two of them chatted on and off, interspersed with Ye Jiabao’s occasional words of admiration for Lin Chen’an, and managed to last until the food was served.
At this time, Shen Tiantian was busy running back and forth with small bowls and chopsticks, and from time to time, he would also carry a small stool and put it down.
“It’s here, it’s here. Time to eat.”
When it came to eating, Shen Tiantian was particularly cheerful and lively, the entire cub overflowing with a festive energy.
Lin Chen’an really liked this bright and brilliant energy in Shen Tiantian. After a couple of bites, he couldn’t help but ask:
“Does Tiantian want to act? I have a drama here that’s almost finished, but I still haven’t found a child actor.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Jiabao, who had a smile on his lips, instantly tightened his grip on his chopsticks, and his expression gradually became gloomy.
Grandma was old and didn’t understand this. In addition, Tiantian was now being raised by the Shen family, so she naturally couldn’t say much.
Looking at Shen Xiuze, Grandma said:
“This matter should depend on Tiantian’s meaning.”
Shen Xiuze hummed in a cold voice and also said:
“It depends on Tiantian’s thoughts.”
However, with the little one’s smug energy, he probably wouldn’t refuse.
At this time, Tiantian was engrossed in gnawing on the chicken, his little mouth greasy, immersively finishing a chicken butt.
After finishing, he had to quickly stuff a mouthful of rice into his mouth.
That little mouth was always puffed up, as if it could never be idle.
Ye Jiabao really couldn’t understand how this Shen Tiantian, who was like a little pig reincarnated and only knew how to eat and drink, had inexplicably caught Lin Chen’an’s eye.
Or were some things destined to be unchangeable?
He was unwilling. He tried his best to suppress his anger and forced a smile.
“Uncle Lin, Tiantian only knows how to eat. It definitely won’t work. I think I will perform better than Tiantian.”
Tiantian’s little ears twitched. He lifted his head and immediately frowned and denied.
“That’s not it. I’m the best child.”
Shen Tiantian’s biggest advantage was that he was never self-deprecating and was confident.
And both his mother and his grandma had said that he was a super great little friend, and no one could refute it!
Lin Chen’an couldn’t help but laugh. He ignored Ye Jiabao’s covetous expression and looked at the happily eating Shen Tiantian.
“Then does Tiantian want to act? This role is quite suitable for you. I think you can just be yourself.”
Shen Tiantian didn’t know what acting was yet. His mouth was too busy eating to stop, and he asked with slurred words:
“What is acting? Is it a live stream? I already have a variety show live stream. I’m a little star now.”
Lin Chen’an really didn’t know this. He didn’t pay much attention to live variety shows. Hearing Shen Tiantian say this, he couldn’t help but let out a surprised “oh.”
“Really? I’ll go and search for it.”
After searching on his phone, Lin Chen’an found that Shen Tiantian’s popularity in this variety show was not low.
On short video websites, many netizens had spontaneously edited various cute live stream clips of Shen Tiantian.
Lin Chen’an was amused by some of the clips and laughed out loud. He explained to the eating Shen Tiantian:
“Acting is different from variety shows, but both require performing in front of the camera. It’s also a job of being a star.”
As soon as Shen Tiantian heard this, a light instantly lit up in his dark pupils, bright and sparkling. He couldn’t wait to nod his little head.
“Okay, okay! I’m a little star. I have to act.”
Lin Chen’an didn’t have the contract with him. He told his company on his phone and first drafted an electronic contract.
After eating, Lin Chen’an looked back at Ye Jiabao, whose expression was resentful and unwilling. He felt that this child was going to get sick from anger.
Being too aggressive and attentive sometimes backfires.
But for the sake of Grandma’s hospitality, Lin Chen’an thought for a moment and said again:
“Why don’t you act too, Jiabao? There’s also a little villain. You can probably just be yourself.”
Ye Jiabao: “…”
He almost cursed, but Ye Jiabao couldn’t just watch the opportunity slip away. He suppressed the urge to curse and agreed.
Then Ye Jiabao let out a few more breaths and consoled himself.
It’s fine. A villain is fine too. Some villains have extreme and distinct personalities and are more likely to stand out.
Ye Jiabao remembered that in his previous life, the child actor who played the villain in this drama had also done well after growing up and had even become an acting star.
As for someone like Shen Tiantian, who was just a pretty face, once his youth was over, wouldn’t he just become a has-been?
It’s better for him to be an acting actor, Ye Jiabao thought.
After a meal, both little grandsons had become little actors, and Grandma was clearly overjoyed.
When Lin Chen’an was leaving, she insisted on giving him an old hen to take with him.
Lin Chen’an was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry, but he couldn’t refuse the old woman’s kindness and could only take the knocked-out hen back.
He also reminded them:
“My film crew is in the film city in C City. Tiantian, and also Jiabao, if you two have time in the next two days, go and find the assistant director at the film city. I’ll go over after I’ve dealt with my matters here.”
After leaving his contact information, Lin Chen’an left first.
Shen Tiantian held the small paper with the phone number, stood at the door, and a gust of wind blew, making him shrink his little neck and tuck his little hands into his sleeves.
He had learned this hand-tucking action from his grandma.
Before it got dark, Shen Tiantian also had to go back with his brother.
Before leaving, Tiantian mysteriously pulled his grandma to the side, preparing to take out the small emeralds and gold bars he had packed this morning from his pocket.
But after fumbling for a few times, huh?
Why aren’t they there?
After fumbling with his small hands a couple more times, Shen Tiantian finally belatedly realized that he had put the little gems in his pajama pocket this morning.
He had changed into a down jacket before going out, and his pajamas had been left at home.
The sky is falling!
Tiantian sat on the ground in disbelief, his little expression dazed, making his grandma think that something had happened to him.
“What’s wrong? Hurry up and get up, Tiantian. The ground is cold.”
Tiantian was pulled up by his grandma. He didn’t recover for a long time and pouted with unshed tears.
Ye Jiabao, on the side, was impatiently urging:
“What are you doing, Tiantian? We have to go. It’s not good to travel in the dark.”
Shen Xiuze, on the side, lifted his eyes. He thought of the pile of clinking little emeralds and gold bars from last night, and Shen Tiantian’s mysterious actions today. His mind whirred, and he locked onto an answer.
He wanted to give the things to his grandma, but he found that he had forgotten to bring them.
This kind of thing happening to Shen Tiantian was not strange at all.
Shen Xiuze sighed with amusement. He lifted his head and saw Shen Tiantian running straight towards him.
“What are you doing?” Shen Xiuze had a bad feeling.
Shen Tiantian, on the other hand, stood on his tiptoes, looked up with his little face, and called out in a soft and sweet voice:
“Big brother, what are you wearing on your hand?”
Shen Xiuze glanced at the black jade bracelet he had been wearing on his wrist for years.
Shen Xiuze’s eyelid twitched violently.
