Stage Accident? No, It's Xiu'er

"Oh... heh, of course."

Homelander was hit right in his sweet spot. Like a big child who had finally received a long-desired toy after crying for ages, he announced to everyone with pride and arrogance:

"He is my son!"

"Wow!!!"

Host Cameron put on a look of astonishment, exclaiming repeatedly, "This is incredible. I mean, we never knew Homelander had a child."

"And such a cute, handsome boy at that."

"My god, this is absolutely the most shocking interview I've had all year! Homelander, why don't you give us a more detailed introduction?"

Homelander looked at Ryan with deep affection, then followed the script: "Son, everyone wants to know who you are. Why don't you tell them yourself, okay?"

"Mm."

Ryan nodded gently, responding with a hint of timidity.

The nervousness in his tone was plain to see, causing everyone seeing him for the first time—whether the live audience or those watching on television and the internet—to harbor a single question.

Homelander's son didn't seem to have much courage; he looked like a victim being bullied at school.

With a son like this, how could he inherit Homelander's immense power to protect the country?

Was he even worthy?

Just as the doubt arose, Ryan seemed to have gathered his courage on the show and began to speak.

"I... I am Ryan."

Ryan turned a deaf ear to the murmurs in the studio; at this moment, he was fully immersed in this rare performance.

Ryan knew clearly that his reliance had never been those superpowered skills he could add points to, but rather the acting chops he had honed through years of struggle on film sets in his past life, and his current foundation—the Best Actor System.

Therefore, he cherished every opportunity to perform, putting his heart and soul into it.

His gaze deliberately avoided the camera, and after giving the audience a clear hint, he recited: "I have a dad..."

"Sorry, I don't recognize that word!"

Ryan looked shy, turning his head slightly in embarrassment: "Dad, can... can I speak without looking at those words?"

"Whoa—"

The studio erupted in an uproar.

The audience in the studio could see the teleprompter facing away from them, and people were accustomed to it; no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

So, was this a production mishap?

Without the teleprompter, what would Homelander's son say? Was there some juicy gossip to be had?

On stage, Homelander froze, instinctively hesitating as he asked back: "Can... you?"

Host Cameron quickly took over, laughing to save the situation: "I will definitely lodge a complaint with the production team after the show. Why didn't they consider that we have an eight-year-old child here when preparing the prompts?"

Cameron cleverly attributed the situation to an oversight by the production team.

Just as she was about to hand the topic back to Homelander to control the pace of the conversation and prevent Ryan from saying anything outrageous that might disrupt the pre-planned flow, a directive from the director came through her earpiece.

"Cameron, let the kid talk!"

"Ratings are climbing again, the internet is in an uproar, and everyone is waiting for him to speak!"

"Give the floor to Ryan!"

The sudden instruction made her pause. She adjusted her prepared phrasing slightly and immediately raised her hand to signal: "Then Ryan, what would you like to say?"

"There is no need to look at the prompts; those are just the show's flow. Speak freely and boldly."

As soon as she finished, the whole room went quiet.

Homelander suppressed his earlier bewilderment, but his composed expression furrowed slightly once more; he had heard it.

"Thank you, Cameron."

Ryan thanked her politely.

He had also heard the instructions in the host's earpiece, but he didn't show any sign of it. Everything was going exactly as he had expected.

What did the American public like?

Certainly not a rule-abiding, well-behaved, ordinary superhuman child. Their lives needed explosive moments; they needed stimulation.

So...

Ryan would show them, and he would tell them.

"Actually..."

The crisp, pleasant voice of a child echoed through the studio: "A little over a month ago, I didn't even know I had a father who was still alive."

A bombshell to start!

Before people could even process it, Ryan continued: "If you ask me why, I don't really understand. After all, the world of you adults is just too baffling."

"I can only tell you that I love my mom very much, and now I love my dad very much, too."

Pausing for a moment, Ryan's little face twisted in conflict: "It's just that they can't be together anymore."

Cameron: "Did they have a fight?"

Ryan shook his head and sighed like a little adult: "It wasn't a fight. There's just this bad thing I don't understand that's keeping them apart."

"I'm a little sad."

Listening, Cameron wore a matching look of sadness and comforted him: "Ryan, you are a good boy. You can try to help your mom and dad defeat that bad thing."

"I can't, because that bad thing is something we can't see."

Ryan said this innocently, then shifted the topic: "It's okay, though. Mom is happy, and Dad is happy, too."

"And what about you, Ryan?"

"Hmm..."

Tilting his head to think for a moment, Ryan curled his lips, a shallow smile rippling in his eyes: "I'm very happy, too. Mom and Dad both love me very much, and that's already wonderful."

He swayed his little body, his tone light: "Even if they can't stay together, as long as everyone is happy whenever we meet, I'm satisfied."

"Right, Dad?"

Before Homelander could answer, a wave of gentle applause broke out spontaneously from the audience.

The viewers were moved by Ryan's simple contentment and pure maturity; those with lower tear thresholds even shed warm, touched tears.

This innocence of Ryan's also reflected into people's hearts through the lens.

It seemed that having a son like this wasn't so bad for Homelander.

"Ryan... my child..."

Becca, watching in front of the television, sobbed uncontrollably. She looked at her son sitting intimately with Homelander on the program, feeling both remorseful and helpless.

She regretted why she had given in to greed, coveting both a husband and a son by her side instead of continuing to maintain that fragile state of balance.

Regarding this, she had already lost control of the situation and felt utterly helpless.

"Becca, pull yourself together. Ryan is just being deceived by Homelander's hypocrisy."

Billy the Butcher spoke in a deep voice: "You heard Hughie's call, too. Starlight has already agreed to our request. When the time is right, we will bring Ryan back."

"Billy, promise me, you will definitely help me bring Ryan back!"

Billy nodded affirmatively.

Becca felt slightly more at ease, though another thought that had always lingered deep in her heart refused to dissipate.

In the room, besides Billy and Becca, the other members of The Boys were all present.

Oh, wait, no—Hughie was on a date, so only Mother's Milk, Frenchie, and the only other superhuman, Kimiko, were there.

The three of them glanced at each other.

Mother's Milk read from Frenchie's lip movements: Is that kid saying this on purpose?

He nodded and then shook his head.

The meaning was that it might be intentional, but he wasn't sure and needed to continue observing.

Kimiko looked at the two of them, her face full of confusion, not understanding at all.

She didn't bother to worry about it, simply casting her soft gaze back toward the television program.

The child's simple words seemed to soothe the grief of her brother's death just a little; she was starting to like this child.