A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 28

“What’s a reality show?” little Qingnuan asked.

“Well,” Xiang Nan scratched his cheek, pondering how to explain it. “Nuannuan, remember the TV program we watched with Mommy and Daddy last night?”

“Mhm!” Qingnuan nodded, her large eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge as she gazed at her father.

“That is a reality show.”

Qingnuan tilted her head, thinking it over. “Is it where a pretty auntie asks questions, and then Daddy and I answer them together?”

A flash of pride crossed Xiang Nan’s eyes. His daughter was young, but she already showed a certain level of observation and summary skills; what she described was indeed the core model of a talk show.

“Nuannuan is very right, but the one Daddy wants to take you to is a different kind—not like the one Mommy and Daddy did.” Xiang Nan tried to pique her interest.

“How is it different?”

“The reality show Daddy is taking you to will have other children, and their daddies will participate too,” Xiang Nan said, using language his daughter could understand. “We will go to a very far place and see things and people Nuannuan might have never seen before. Then, you and Daddy will complete some little missions together. It’ll be like an adventure trip.”

“That sounds wonderful!” Qingnuan’s interest was sparked, her eyes looking as if they were studded with stars.

Xiang Nan smiled gently. “It is. So, does Nuannuan want to go with Daddy?”

However, the little girl didn’t agree immediately. She tilted her head, looking at Xiang Nan. “Is Sister Xuening going too?”

Xiang Nan froze. He hadn’t considered Qin Xuening, as the station had only invited him and his daughter; they hadn’t mentioned bringing a second child. Furthermore, given the girl’s quiet personality and physical condition, she probably wasn’t suited for it. It was an outdoor reality show, after all, requiring a certain amount of physical and mental stamina.

“I can ask her,” Xiang Nan said, not ruling it out entirely.

“Mhm!” Qingnuan nodded vigorously, her little face full of excitement. “When are we going?”

She was already looking forward to going on an adventure with her father and her Sister Xuening. Seeing her eagerness, Xiang Nan laughed and rubbed her head. “At least a month from now.”

“Okay!” Qingnuan had no real concept of time. Hearing his answer, she nodded. “Then where are we going? What missions do we have to do?”

“It’ll definitely be somewhere far from home. We’ll have to take a car or a plane…”

Xiang Nan and his daughter went back and forth, sketching out the fun things they might encounter. Qingnuan listened with pure joy, her anticipation growing by the second.

“Is this your daughter?”

In a booth at a coffee shop, two men sat facing each other. One of them held a tablet, watching a video with shining eyes.

“Yes, my daughter, Xiang Qingnuan.” Xiang Nan took a sip of his coffee, satisfied with Zhou Ludong’s reaction.

Xiang Nan was a man of action. Once he became interested in the show and reached a consensus with Ye Feifei, he invited Zhou Ludong out to discuss the details face-to-face. Zhou Ludong had initially requested to meet Qingnuan in person, but Xiang Nan, for his own reasons, declined, only agreeing to film a short video for him to see.

“What a great name!” Zhou Ludong grinned from ear to ear. He hadn’t expected to find such a treasure by just taking a chance. Xiang Nan’s daughter had perfectly inherited the best traits of both parents; she was not only spirit-like and cute but also clever and sharp. Although she looked a bit thin and small, that only made her more “moe”!

Zhou Ludong felt that this move was a sure win. Now he just had to focus on how to film the show well.

Xiang Nan also felt his daughter’s name was well-chosen. He nodded in acceptance and then asked, “So, Senior Brother Zhou, can you reveal the mission contents and the filming locations?”

A look of difficulty appeared on Zhou Ludong’s face. Everything Xiang Nan asked about was currently in the confidential stage. He liked to create “surprises” so that the guests would have genuine reactions to unexpected events—those reactions made the best material for editing. His reality show pursued “reality” first and “show” second, which was likely why he wasn’t particularly popular with some.

“Is it inconvenient?” Xiang Nan pressed.

Zhou Ludong finally softened. He said, “I can’t reveal the missions, but Mr. Xiang, it would be best if you mastered some life skills beforehand.”

“For example?”

“Cooking.” Zhou Ludong smiled. “During filming, you have to take care of the child yourself.”

He emphasized the word “yourself.” He had planned to wait until a few days before filming to tell the fathers; by then, even if they knew, they wouldn’t have time to cram. However, he was grateful for Xiang Nan’s timely help and didn’t mind a little leniency. Besides, even if he told him now, with Xiang Nan’s busy schedule, he probably wouldn’t have time to learn anyway.

Sure enough, after a brief surprise, Xiang Nan’s expression grew serious. He asked, “And the location?”

“For outdoors, we naturally can’t stay in the city. The first location isn’t far; it’s near the capital.” Actually, it was because the budget was tight, but Zhou Ludong obviously couldn’t say that. “That’s all I can tell you.”

Xiang Nan nodded in understanding. He pondered for a moment and asked, “What if I wanted to bring another child? Is it possible? We can discuss the compensation.”

“Uh, doesn’t Junior Brother only have one daughter?” Another one? Zhou Ludong was shocked.

“Not my child,” Xiang Nan said vaguely. “A friend’s daughter.”

Zhou Ludong shook his head with some regret. “I’m afraid that won’t work. It doesn’t fit the concept of our show… By the way, the name of the show has been officially decided. It’s called—Daddy, Where Are We Going?“

“Mhm, a very good name,” Xiang Nan nodded. He didn’t actually care much about that; he was participating mainly to let his daughter interact with the outside world and broaden her horizons. He confirmed again: “Is it really not possible?”

“Junior Brother, it’s really difficult… Most importantly, our show’s concept focuses on parent-child interaction,” Zhou Ludong said, rubbing his hands together. “If an ‘extra child’ appears, it would put a lot of pressure on the production team from public opinion, and it wouldn’t be good for the child either…”

Xiang Nan realized Zhou Ludong might be misunderstanding, thinking he was trying to use a “friend’s child” to gain fame or pave the way for them. Zhou Ludong might even be imagining the child was related to his new film and that he was using the show for promotion.

Xiang Nan frowned. While he understood the misunderstanding, the truth was hard to explain. Since he hadn’t originally planned to force Xuening to go, he decided to proceed with the original plan. Finally, he expressed his understanding. After finalizing things with Zhou Ludong, they set a time to meet again for the official contract signing.

After returning from the hospital, Qingnuan had been constantly thinking about the reality show. But since her father told her to wait, she had to suppress her excitement and refrain from mentioning it to Qin Xuening.

However, how can a child keep a secret? Xuening noticed her strange behavior almost that same evening, though she couldn’t guess what the little girl was thinking.

That night, after dinner, Xuening wiped her mouth with a napkin, looked at Xiang Nan, and asked, “Uncle Xiang, is there something you want to tell me?”

Qingnuan also looked up, gazing expectantly at her father.

Xiang Nan smiled wryly, put down his cutlery, and said, “In the middle of next month, Nuannuan and I are going to participate in a reality show. Are you interested, Xuening?”

He figured asking was for the best; he was eighty percent sure Xuening wouldn’t agree, which would give him a reason to explain it to his daughter.

“Yes, yes! It’s a reality show where we go to a far place for an adventure with other children!” Finally able to ask, Qingnuan was incredibly happy. “Sister Xuening, let’s go together!”

Xuening’s palms tightened. Remembering the reality shows she saw on TV in her past life, her brow furrowed. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, you two should go.”

She didn’t like being exposed to people; it reminded her of the past life where she was stared at and mocked. She didn’t want to be in a noisy crowd; it made her feel very insecure.

“But…” A look of disappointment appeared on Qingnuan’s face.

“I’m truly sorry. Please enjoy your meal.” Xuening couldn’t bear to see the girl’s lost expression. She put down her napkin and almost fled toward the elevator in her wheelchair.

“Sister…” Qingnuan watched her retreating back, feeling as if she had been abandoned.

“Nuannuan, it seems Sister Xuening doesn’t want to go with us…” Seeing things proceed as expected, Xiang Nan felt a slight relief, but his face showed an expression of regret.

“Daddy… if Sister doesn’t go, I… I don’t want to go either…” Qingnuan lowered her head, twisting her fingers.

“Nuannuan, didn’t Daddy tell you? We shouldn’t give up easily.”

“But Sister doesn’t want to go…” Qingnuan pouted. She really wanted to go out and play; the world Xiang Nan sketched for her was so beautiful that she kept thinking about it. But she wanted to be with the big sister even more.

“It’s okay. The show doesn’t start filming for a month. Nuannuan has a month to persuade Sister to come with us.” Xiang Nan looked at his daughter. “Don’t you want to go out and play with Sister Xuening?”

“I do… but she…”

“Maybe she’ll change her mind in a month? She’s only been at our house for a few days and is still unfamiliar with us, so it’s understandable she doesn’t want to go, right?”

“Mhm…” Qingnuan was hesitant, but it seemed her father was right.

“So when she gets more comfortable with us, maybe she’ll be willing? Don’t you think?” Xiang Nan coaxed.

Qingnuan was finally persuaded. She nodded and replied, “Then I’ll try.”

Xiang Nan’s eyes flickered. His slightly upturned lips, combined with his glasses reflecting the fluorescent light, made the smile look a bit eerie. “Mhm, do your best, Nuannuan!” He rubbed her hair in encouragement.

The next day, Xiang Nan returned to work. His new film was in the editing phase. Because his relationship with his wife was exposed, it had actually generated a massive wave of hype for the film; once they entered the promotion period, it would likely be even busier.

For the following month, Xiang Qingnuan used every trick in the book, pestering her big sister every day to get her to agree to the reality show.

While Qin Xuening’s attitude toward Qingnuan had softened significantly, she remained firm on the reality show issue. During this time, her leg recovered, and the cast was removed. Although she could stand and walk, she couldn’t engage in strenuous exercise yet.

Perhaps the bone repair during the healing process promoted growth; in just over a month, Xuening had grown noticeably taller. When she and Qingnuan stood face-to-face, the little girl could only reach out and wrap her arms around her waist.

“Sister Xuening, just come with me!” At this moment, the little “bean sprout” was hugging her, nuzzling into her arms.

After a month together and thanks to Qingnuan’s persistent spirit, while Xuening was still defiant about the show, their relationship had become much closer. The most obvious sign was that the little girl acted spoiled much more often and spoke more boldly.

“No,” Xuening said, unmoved.

Qingnuan was a bit dejected. Her father said that the day after tomorrow, people were coming to pick them up, yet she still hadn’t persuaded the big sister.

She went to Xiang Nan’s study. After he sat her on his lap, she lowered her head and said lostly, “Daddy, Sister still doesn’t want to go.”

“Sigh. Since Nuannuan has worked hard and she really doesn’t want to go, then we shouldn’t force her.”

“Then I’m not going either…” Qingnuan muttered.

“But Daddy already promised them. The aunties and uncles have made many preparations just to see Nuannuan. If you don’t go, they will be very, very sad.” Xiang Nan continued to pile on the pressure. “And Daddy signed a contract. If we break the promise, they’ll go to the police and sue Daddy.”

Xiang Nan made a piteous expression.

“Will… will it be very serious?” Qingnuan’s eyes widened.

“Yes. Daddy might have to pay a lot of money, and the police might lock Daddy up…”