To accommodate the children, the director specially ordered a sweet and sour tomato hot pot and a milder clear broth hot pot, and also prepared a lot of fresh seasonal vegetables.
Everyone, including Su Huaiming, had exhausted a lot of energy and were starving. They sat at the table, their eyes fixed on the bottom of the pot, and no one was in the mood to talk.
After the first batch of meat and vegetables was cooked, everyone picked up their chopsticks and devoured the leftovers, not caring about their appearance at all.
Viewers in the live stream swallowed hard upon seeing this.
[That's too much! Livestreaming this on my way home, are you trying to make me drool?!]
[Mingming just had hot pot yesterday, but seeing Su Huaiming and the others enjoying it so much makes me craving it again, sob sob]
[Is this really not a mukbang (eating broadcast) variety show?]
[I've been to this hot pot restaurant! Their ingredients are super fresh, and the broth is especially delicious. Before even starting to cook the ingredients, I drank two bowls of tomato soup in one go—I just couldn't stop!!]
I can't take it anymore, I'm going out for hot pot!
After Su Huaiming and the others had eaten about half their fill, they slowed down and began to chat.
Everyone was already quite familiar with each other, so there were no reservations when chatting, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Ji Youyou especially loves shrimp paste, Ji Mingzhe specially ordered a portion for her, which was mixed with sweet and tender corn kernels and cooked together.
Ji Youyou was very obedient and sensible, and did not urge him. She just stared longingly at the bubbling pot, and couldn't help but lick her lips.
Su Huaiming and Ji Mingzhe were both charmed by her cuteness and couldn't wait to scoop out the shrimp paste to make Ji Youyou happier.
The shrimp paste was finally cooked, and just as Ji Mingzhe was picking up the strainer, the door to the private room was pushed open without warning. Everyone present was famous, and the show was very popular. If everyone knew they were eating hot pot at this restaurant, it would probably cause a sensation and disrupt the restaurant's normal operations.
Yu Ruicheng was sitting by the door, immediately stood up and looked at the doorway warily, wanting to persuade the uninvited guest to leave before causing any chaos.
He froze when he saw the small figure at the doorway.
Standing at the door was a chubby little boy, about four or five years old, much taller than Fu Xiaoxiao, with chubby cheeks.
The little boy frowned, his gaze sweeping around the room before finally settling on the shrimp paste that Ji Mingzhe was holding.
He wasn't shy at all and immediately ran to Ji Mingzhe's side, standing on tiptoe to try and snatch the strainer from Ji Mingzhe's hand.
The shrimp paste was freshly caught. Ji Mingzhe, afraid of bumping into the little boy, moved aside and didn't give him the strainer.
The little boy immediately protested, his brow furrowing deeply, and he loudly demanded, "Why won't you give me any to eat?"
Ji Mingzhe noticed that the child was being a bit rude, but he didn't get angry. Instead, he patiently explained, "Don't reach for it, I'm afraid you'll get burned."
The little boy ignored Ji Mingzhe's words and pressed his chubby body against him, waving his arms and forcibly pulling on Ji Mingzhe's arm.
The little boy was chubby and fair-skinned, with a roll of flesh on his arms that was thicker than Fu Xiaoxiao's calves. He was surprisingly strong, Ji Mingzhe was pulled so hard that he almost let go, accidentally burning Ji Youyou who was sitting next to him.
Ji Mingzhe took a deep breath, his mind returning to normal, and he couldn't help but frown.
He politely didn't argue with the little boy and, in front of him, put the shrimp paste on Ji Youyou's plate.
His daughter wanted to eat shrimp paste, which was specially made for her. He wasn't going to pretend to be a kind and generous parent and give the shrimp paste to this little boy he didn't know.
The little boy was very domineering. Looking at Ji Mingzhe's actions, he glared at him with wide eyes and said indignantly, "Why are you giving it to her? This is Mingming mine!"
Ji Mingzhe was too lazy to reason with the little boy and said dismissively, "I'll give it to you once the next shrimp paste is cooked."
The little boy couldn't wait any longer. Without permission, he climbed onto the chair, stretched out his arms, and stirred the boiling pot with chopsticks, trying to find another shrimp paste.
Sun Siyuan didn't want to waste time on the little boy. He wanted to add some vegetables, but the little boy used too much force, and the soup in the pot splashed out, landing right on the back of his hand.
Sun Siyuan abruptly pulled his hand back, gasped, and saw a patch of red on the back of his hand.
Feeling the burning pain on the back of his hand, Sun Siyuan glared at the little boy.
He has a very self-centered personality and doesn't care about worldly opinions. He will hold a grudge against anyone who offends him, whether they are a child or a child.
"Where did this brat come from? How can you be so rude?" Sun Siyuan said without any mercy. "Is this your private room? What right do you have to barge in, steal our food, and stir the pot with your chopsticks! Do you know how hot the soup is? If someone gets burned in the eyes, can you take responsibility?"
Sun Siyuan didn't control her voice and looked particularly fierce, but the little boy wasn't intimidated. He stood in front of Sun Siyuan with his hands on his hips, exuding an air of arrogance, and said matter-of-factly, "I want to eat it, and you have to give it to me. If you dare yell at me again, I'll tell my mom someone's bullying me!"
Upon hearing this, Su Huaiming sensed a familiarity and raised an eyebrow.
Sun Siyuan was so angry that he laughed on the spot, threw down his chopsticks, and strode towards the little boy.
He has to teach this unruly brat a lesson!
No sooner had he stopped than the door to the private room was kicked open.
A plump, middle-aged woman adorned with gold and silver appeared at the door. Upon seeing her son, she exclaimed "Oh dear!" and rushed over, tenderly embracing him and checking him over carefully.
"Mingming, how could you run off like that? What if you run into bad people and they take you away? Then Mommy will never see you again in this lifetime!!"
Seeing his mother arrive, the little boy became even more arrogant. He glanced defiantly at Sun Siyuan, swayed in his mother's arms, and pointed his finger at Sun Siyuan's nose, saying, "Mom, this is the person who bullied me, and he even tried to hit me!"
Upon hearing that her beloved son had been wronged, the middle-aged woman immediately stood up, her flesh jiggling as she stared intently at Sun Siyuan with a terrifying expression.
Zhou Hanyan had always been at odds with Sun Siyuan, but seeing the middle-aged woman's actions, he unusually sided with Sun Siyuan and briefly explained what had happened.
Children may be ignorant, but are adults not? If the middle-aged woman had any sense, she would have apologized with her son.
To everyone's surprise, the middle-aged woman raised an eyebrow, glared, and snorted arrogantly, saying, "With so many adults like you, do you think you can be bullied by my son? You must have made this up!"
Even with his good temper and upbringing, Ji Mingzhe couldn't swallow this insult. He hid his frightened daughter behind his back, frowned at the middle-aged woman, and said seriously, "This is a live broadcast. Everything is being recorded. If you don't believe me, you can watch the replay."
"Live broadcast?" The middle-aged woman paused for a few seconds, squinted at Ji Mingzhe, and recognized his identity.
"You're the one filming, right? And..." The middle-aged woman's gaze swept over everyone.
Su Huaiming felt his exposed skin was sticky, and the gaze was fixed on him like a leech, making him very uncomfortable.
The middle-aged woman recognized them and scoffed, rolling her eyes as she said, "Don't think too highly of yourselves. Just because you're popular doesn't mean you can bully my son and me. Even if word gets out, we're in the right!"
"Bullying you two?" Sun Siyuan, already short-tempered, had this pushed him beyond his limits. He rolled up his sleeves and strode forward. "Are you kidding me! I'll say it again, your son barged into our private room without permission, stole food, and burned me. You're calling this bullying your son for no reason?!"
Sun Siyuan was tall and broad-shouldered. The middle-aged woman thought he was going to hit her and hugged her son with a look of fear in her eyes.
To everyone's surprise, Sun Siyuan's raised hand did not turn into a fist and fall on them; instead, he showed the middle-aged woman the back of his scalded hand.
"You may not believe the live stream footage, but the burn marks on my body don't lie, do they?" Sun Siyuan looked at the mother and son as if they were bedbugs, utterly disgusted. Once the middle-aged woman saw clearly, she immediately withdrew her hand.
The middle-aged woman had been arrogant before, confident that Su Huaiming and his group wouldn't make a move, but seeing Sun Siyuan's appearance, she suddenly became a little scared and was no longer as reckless as before.
She shielded her son behind her, licked her lips, and tried to raise her voice to appear more imposing, "You didn't get any blisters, which proves it's not serious. This was just my son's unintentional mistake. Why are you, an adult, arguing with a child?"
His words implied that his son had done nothing wrong, and even if he had, the adults shouldn't hold it against him.
Sun Siyuan had never heard such absurd logic before. He was so angry that his ears were ringing and all the blood in his body rushed to his head.
He never restrained his temper, nor did he care about the consequences. He was already on the verge of exploding. If the middle-aged woman dared to say another word, he would definitely teach the mother and son a lesson himself!
Su Huaiming wasn't worried about the middle-aged woman; he was just afraid that Sun Siyuan might act impulsively and make a mistake. His reputation was already bad, and every move he made would be magnified. Under the media frenzy, his career might be ruined.
Su Huaiming frowned, and just as he was about to step forward, he felt a blur before his eyes, and Fu Xiaoxiao rushed over like a small cannonball, crashing headfirst into the middle-aged woman's stomach.
Although Fu Xiaoxiao was young, he ran very fast. In addition, he used all his strength, and the middle-aged woman was caught off guard and was knocked backward, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain.
The middle-aged woman gasped, glaring at Fu Xiaoxiao, her hand already raised as if she wanted to scratch Fu Xiaoxiao's face. "Why did you bump into me, you brat? Do you believe I'll beat you to death?!"
Fu Xiaoxiao was a little scared, but he didn't back down an inch. Head held high, his clear eyes reflecting the middle-aged woman's frightening appearance, he mustered his courage and said, "You just said adults shouldn't argue with children, so even if I bump into you, you can't hit me!"
Middle-aged woman. "..."
She hadn't taken Fu Xiaoxiao seriously, but she hadn't expected a three-year-old child to be so logical, using her own words to refute her.
The middle-aged woman wasn't particularly bright to begin with, and Fu Xiaoxiao's move left her completely bewildered; she opened her mouth but couldn't utter a single word.
Fu Xiaoxiao was actually a little scared, but he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, so he absolutely couldn't back down.
Su Huaiming had originally intended to deal with the middle-aged woman, but seeing Fu Xiaoxiao's appearance, he smiled with relief and simply walked to her side to offer her strength.
Fu Xiaoxiao felt a gentle weight on his head. He looked up in a daze and saw Su Huaiming's smile.
Encouraged by Su Huaiming, Fu Xiaoxiao couldn't help but smile.
In that moment, he felt that as long as his father was by his side, nothing in the world was scary, nothing he could not defeat.
Fu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, ignoring the middle-aged woman, and instead tilted her head to look at the little boy hiding behind her.
The little boy was a head taller than Fu Xiaoxiao, but Fu Xiaoxiao wasn't afraid of him. She said, word by word, "Come here."
The little boy was spoiled rotten by his mother. As long as his mother supported him, he felt that he would not be criticized no matter what he did. But now he keenly sensed that his mother could not go against these people, nor could she protect him.
Realizing this, the little boy immediately cowered, looking timidly at Fu Xiaoxiao.
Fu Xiaoxiao kept a straight face and didn't look away, as if to say, "He won't stop until the little boy comes over."
The little boy pursed his lips, looking helplessly at his mother, but the middle-aged woman was still in shock and ignored him.
The little boy couldn't find anyone to support him, so he could only lower his head and walk forward with small steps, terrified of Fu Xiaoxiao, who was two years younger than him.
Fu Xiaoxiao ignored the little boy and climbed onto the chair using both her hands and feet. Under Su Huaiming's concerned gaze, she stirred the pot with her chopsticks.
The little boy had no idea what Fu Xiaoxiao was going to do; his face was full of confusion. After a few seconds, he suddenly felt a pain in his hand.
The little boy's hand burned, and he screamed, tears welling in his eyes from the pain.
The middle-aged woman then came to her senses, rushed forward protectively, hugged her son tightly, and checked the burns on his hands.
The middle-aged woman's hair was disheveled, making her look like a madwoman. She glared fiercely at Fu Xiaoxiao, Su Huaiming quickly pulled Fu Xiaoxiao behind him, preventing him from seeing the woman's terrifying appearance.
"You heartless brat!" The middle-aged woman's voice trembled with heartache. "If anything happens to my son, I'll never forgive you, even if it kills me!!"
Su Huaiming knew all along that middle-aged women weren't good at saying nice things, so he quickly covered Fu Xiaoxiao's ears.
Fu Xiaoxiao only saw the middle-aged woman's mouth open and close. After she finished speaking, she peeked out from behind Su Huaiming, ignoring the middle-aged woman and focusing her gaze on the little boy. "Does your hand hurt a lot?"
The little boy sniffed, tears streaming down his face. "... It hurts."
Fu Xiaoxiao nodded and said very seriously, "You burned Uncle Sun like this just now. You're in so much pain, don't you think he's in pain too?"
The little boy was stunned when he heard this, and subconsciously looked at Sun Siyuan standing next to him.
Fu Xiaoxiao continued, "If you keep doing this, you're very likely to hurt yourself and others. Do you want to go through that pain again?"
Unlike Fu Xiaoxiao, the little boy was not logical and his thoughts were completely captivated by him. He subconsciously shook his head.
Fu Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, looked up at Su Huaiming, and continued, "I hurt you, and I apologized to you. But you hurt Uncle Sun, so shouldn't you apologize to him too?"
The little boy felt a burning pain in his hand and understood the meaning of the phrase "empathy" for the first time. He nodded slightly.
"I'm so sorry." Fu Xiaoxiao's voice trembled with tears. He realized that hurting others also made him feel terrible. "I didn't want to do it, but if I didn't, you wouldn't apologize to Uncle Sun."
When the little boy heard Fu Xiaoxiao apologize to him, he looked timidly at Sun Siyuan and whispered, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I know it hurts you..."
After saying this, the little boy burst into tears and shook his head vigorously.