Su Huaiming hypnotized himself a few times, and given his carefree nature, he truly let go of his psychological burden. With a blank expression, he said in a tone reminiscent of reading a textbook, "Honey, I'm so stupid..."
Now it was Fu Jingfan's turn to be tormented. Fu Jingfan persisted until the third sentence, then paused and said, "Alright, that's enough."
Hearing Fu Jingfan's tone, Su Huaiming couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth downwards.
He increasingly felt that Fu Jingfan was just trying to amuse him, deliberately teasing him.
But given his relationship with Fu Jingfan, he couldn't directly ask him about it, so he could only swallow his anger and suffer in silence.
Fu Jingfan seemed to sense Su Huaiming's emotions, and instead of bringing up what had just happened, asked, "When are you coming back?"
"Three days later," Su Huaiming replied casually.
Fu Jingfan gave a soft "Mmm," and said, "I'll be waiting for you at home."
"Okay, I'll go back after the show."
Their conversation sounded like that of an ordinary married couple. Although they didn't act overly intimate, there was a familiarity between them that made them feel like they had lived together for a long time.
"Okay, it's getting late, you should get some rest." Fu Jingfan, true to his efficient style, said this and then hung up the phone.
Su Huaiming wanted to retract the message, but two minutes had already passed. Adhering to the principle of "out of sight, out of mind," he simply deleted the message.
As long as he can't see it, it can be treated as if it was never posted.
******
After the farce of the live-streaming e-commerce fiasco subsided, the production team released a new task the very next day:
Parents are invited to make an outfit for their child, expressing their care and love. Two days later, in the afternoon, the children will participate in a fashion show.
Sun Siyuan didn't have a partner with any children. He felt he didn't need to complete this silly task, so he relaxed, stretched, put his arms under his head, and lay comfortably on the sofa.
The director didn't let him off the hook, saying, "You are your own best companion. Even if there's no one else around, you can keep yourself company. Sun Siyuan wants to make himself a piece of clothing as a gift."
Sun Siyuan, however, was unconvinced. He sat up from the sofa, raised an eyebrow, and said in utter disbelief, "Am I crazy?"
Director. "..."
He never knew how to deal with Sun Siyuan, so he pretended not to hear, coughed, and said, "That's settled then. There are no other tasks this morning. Everyone can go to the local market to buy fabric or anything else they need."
Even after the director left, Sun Siyuan was still fuming and tantrums. Ji Mingzhe took it upon himself to calm Sun Siyuan down and kept trying to persuade him.
Yu Ruicheng walked to Su Huaiming's side and asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Su Huaiming casually said, "Just buy some fabric and make a dress for Xiao Xiao. What about you?"
Yu Ruicheng had never been involved in clothing making before and had no idea what it was all about, so he nodded and agreed, "That's what I thought too."
The group planned to go to the local farmers' market. Sun Siyuan was reluctant, but didn't want to stay home alone, so he gritted his teeth and followed along.
The local market was quite large, with stalls selling not only fruits and vegetables but also all sorts of snacks. Su Huaiming and his group walked a long way before finally finding a small fabric shop in an alley.
Ning Lei walked around for a moment, but didn't go in; instead, he continued walking forward.
Seeing this, Ji Mingzhe asked, "Aren't you going to buy it at this store?"
Ning Lei had come up with a brilliant idea, and fearing that others would imitate it, he smiled to cover it up, "This shop doesn't have any fabrics I like, I plan to browse a bit further ahead."
Ji Mingzhe didn't think much of it and simply nodded.
Ning Lei found yarn in a small shop ahead and prepared to knit a sweater for Jameel.
This not only demonstrates his deep paternal love, but sweaters have always been a symbol of warmth, so it's sure to touch the hearts of fans and viewers.
Ning Lei thought the idea was fantastic and didn't find knitting sweaters troublesome at all, choosing different patterns of yarn.
Su Huaiming and the others were still selecting fabrics in the store.
Since the clothes were for Fu Xiaoxiao, Su Huaiming gave him the choice and asked, "Xiao Xiao, which color do you like?"
Fu Xiaoxiao frowned slightly, her fair and delicate face unusually serious. She carefully observed for nearly ten minutes before pointing to the fabric at the front and saying, "I like that!"
Su Huaiming looked in the direction he was pointing and fell silent for a moment.
Children's aesthetic sense is strange and wonderful. The fabric that Fu Xiaoxiao chose was a very fresh green, like a newly sprouted bud. Most people can't pull off this color.
Su Huaiming paused, then asked, "Are you sure you want to choose this?"
Fu Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment, scratching her hair. "Actually, I want that green one too."
Su Huaiming watched as Fu Xiaoxiao pointed to the fluorescent green fabric that was stimulating the eyes.
... It's not even as good as that light green.
Su Huaiming paused, then asked, "Do you really like this color?"
"I love it!" Fu Xiaoxiao nodded like a chick pecking at food.
Seeing Fu Xiaoxiao's attitude, Su Huaiming stopped trying to persuade him and bought the light green fabric directly from the shop owner.
Sun Siyuan, unaware of his conversation with Fu Xiaoxiao, chuckled and said, "Are you trying to look young by wearing this color?"
Fu Xiaoxiao stood in front of Sun Siyuan with her hands on her hips and said in a very serious tone, "I'm very inexperienced, I don't need to pretend!"
Sun Siyuan: "..."
He was rendered speechless by the human cub's strange words, his lips twitching slightly before he could only agree, "That's good... this color suits you well."
Fu Xiaoxiao snorted smugly through her nose twice before finally smiling contentedly.
Compared to Fu Xiaoxiao, Ji Youyou and Yu Xuanxuan's aesthetic sense is more in line with the general public. One chose white fabric, and the other chose light pink fabric, both of which looked very good.
After paying, everyone carried the fabric back home and bought some local fruits at the market to try when they got back.
For the next two days, the production team didn't assign too many tasks, giving most of the time to the parents.
Ning Lei had never knitted a sweater before, so he had to start from scratch. It took him a whole half-day to barely learn how to knit.
Ning Lei was afraid he wouldn't be able to complete the task, so every day after dinner he would go straight into his room and stay up until 3 a. m. before turning off the lights.
Seeing Ning Lei so busy, the others couldn't help but worry about their own tasks, so they also rolled up their sleeves and stayed in their rooms making clothes.
Only Su Huaiming and Sun Siyuan seemed unaffected, their routines and activities remaining the same as usual.
The viewers in the live stream were quite puzzled by this scene.
Are these two planning to give up?
I knew Sun Siyuan wouldn't complete the task properly.
[It's one thing for Sun Siyuan, but is it really appropriate for Su Huaiming to do the same?]
[Yes, I can tell Xiao Xiao is really looking forward to the clothes Su Huaiming made for her. If Su Huaiming doesn't put in the effort, Xiao Xiao will definitely be very disappointed.]
Don't assume children are innocent; their hearts are very fragile, and if they are hurt, they may remember it for a lifetime.
[Su Huaiming is indeed a stepfather; he doesn't care about Xiao Xiao's feelings at all. This behavior is no different from child abuse.]
The barrage of comments turned against Su Huaiming. If the live stream had just started, it would have turned into a chorus of criticism against Su Huaiming. However, after a week and a half of the live stream, many netizens saw Su Huaiming's character and chose to believe in him. Even casual viewers refrained from criticizing him and waited for the day when the results would be revealed.
The production team recognized this as a potential topic and generated buzz online beforehand, with many people specifically waiting in the live stream to see this segment.
The production team went all out, turning the platform outside the cabin into a runway style and even hiring a well-known domestic host.
"Welcome to the annual children's fashion show! Today, we've invited four adorable children and a special guest to showcase the outfits their parents have lovingly prepared for them. Aren't you all excited?"
Ji Mingzhe and Ning Lei cheered enthusiastically for a few minutes, and Su Huaiming and the others clapped along. The four children backstage, hearing the commotion, couldn't sit still with excitement.
The hosts had already created a lively atmosphere, so they said, "Next, let's welcome our oldest child, Sun Siyuan, to warm up the atmosphere. Let's give him a warm welcome and let him feel our anticipation!"
When Sun Siyuan heard the words "the oldest kid" backstage, he rolled his eyes without hesitation, his expression quite disdainful.
As the curtain slowly rose, Sun Siyuan, with a deadpan expression, reluctantly walked the runway.
He bought black fabric at the shop, but didn't bother with a single stitch. Instead, he casually draped the fabric over his body, tied it in a tight knot around his neck, and used it as a makeshift cape.
The host, having already prepared for this, skillfully managed the situation. "Sun Siyuan's black cape is so handsome! I thought I was watching a period drama with him. However, while the black cape suits Sun Siyuan very well, is it really clothing? I'll leave that question to the parents and children in the audience; I'm sure they all have their own answers!"
Yu Xuanxuan peeked out of the house, almost revealing the clothes Yu Ruicheng had made for him, but luckily the staff carried him back in time.
But Yu Xuanxuan's voice still came from inside the house. "No, Brother Sun is wearing his own clothes!"
"Yes, Brother Sun should only be wearing a cloak."
"Wouldn't he be naked then?"
After the three little boys finished their discussion, Ji Youyou's childish voice rang out.
"No, Mom said it will make my eyes uncomfortable if I look at it!"
Hearing this, Sun Siyuan felt embarrassed, but to save face, he still snorted with a sour expression, "Who said I was going to take off my clothes?"
He also realized he had been too perfunctory, and readily agreed, saying, "However, I admit that a cloak doesn't count as clothing, so I'll rank myself last."
Sun Siyuan didn't care about the rankings or the audience's opinions at all. He walked down casually and sat down next to Su Huaiming.
The host had anticipated this scene and continued, "Now, let's welcome the second child to the stage to demonstrate!"
Yu Xuanxuan struck a cool pose and walked out of the house, imitating a model's catwalk, but she veered off course and almost bumped into Su Huaiming.
Upon seeing Yu Xuanxuan's appearance, the adults present fell silent.
Yu Ruicheng had tried his best, but he really didn't know how to make clothes; he had simply cut a hole in the middle of the white fabric.
Yu Xuanxuan covered herself with a cloth, which was white from head to toe except for her head, even covering her feet. From a distance, she looked like she was floating over, a very "ghostly" look.
The host praised Yu Xuanxuan from beginning to end, Yu Xuanxuan was so happy that she immediately danced on the spot—it looked more like a shamanistic dance.
Yu Xuanxuan left the stage, it was Ji Youyou's turn to walk the runway.
Ji Mingzhe was the most serious one besides Ning Lei. In addition, he was usually mature and steady, so everyone thought that the clothes he made must be very reliable.
But when Ji Youyou appeared, the effect was quite explosive.
For some reason, Ji Mingzhe cut the fabric into sections and wrapped them tightly around Ji Youyou's arms and legs, making her look like a pink and tender mummy.
Ji Youyou and Yu Xuanxuan walked together, and anyone who didn't know better would think it was a Halloween-themed event.
Ji Mingzhe sighed helplessly and said, "I originally wanted to make a dress for Youyou, but I lack experience, and the fabric kept getting smaller and smaller until it was unusable. But I don't have the money to buy a new one, so I had no choice but to resort to this."
Yu Ruicheng, who had also been tormented, patted Ji Mingzhe on the shoulder reassuringly, indicating that everyone already knew he had done his best.
Jameel was next on stage. Seeing how unreliable the previous three were, Ning Lei was very confident that he would amaze everyone.
Ning Lei knitted a black sweater for Yu Xuanxuan, with Jameel's favorite cartoon character on the chest. Although it was a bit too hot to wear a sweater now, Jameel's appearance when she came out looked great, and the viewers in the live stream finally saw a piece of clothing that a human could wear.
[It seems Ning Lei really put his heart into it.]