He stroked Chaochao's little curls. "Which questions don't you know how to do? I'll teach you."
Chaochao pointed at some questions. "These, these, and these. I can't do any of them."
Gu Wancheng looked, and his mouth twitched. He might as well just say he couldn't do any of it.
He turned to Chaochao, who gazed at him innocently. Taking a deep breath, he put on a smile. "Come on, I'll teach you."
Over half an hour passed. After helping Chaochao through two pages of arithmetic, Gu Wancheng felt mentally drained.
Knock, knock-
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Gu Wancheng sprang up and practically sprinted over to open it.
From the way he bounded along like a wild horse, it was clear he had escaped his sea of suffering, with freedom within reach.
He pulled the door open hard. "Butler Chen! You're a god!"
Butler Chen: ? When I put up a question mark, it doesn't mean there's something wrong with me. It means there's something wrong with you.
He woodenly handed over the tray he was holding. "Mr. Gu, here's the snow pear and white fungus soup you asked for."
Ignoring Butler Chen's bewildered gaze, Gu Wancheng took the tray. "Butler Chen, how come you're the one bringing it?"
"I wanted to ask if there's anything else you need prepared, Mr. Gu."
"Just do as you see fit."
Butler Chen nodded. "Would you like to take a look, then?"
Gu Wancheng shook his head. "No need. I trust you."
Butler Chen nodded amiably. Gu Wancheng took the two bowls of pear soup inside and set them down, then returned the tray to him.
Butler Chen took the tray and left, and Gu Wancheng closed the door.
"All right, study break. Let's have some pear soup first."
Chaochao immediately tossed down his pencil and cheered loudly. "Yay! Long live Daddy!"
Gu Wancheng chuckled and pinched his chubby little cheek.
"Drink slowly. Careful, it's hot."
Chaochao answered absently, his eyes constantly darting toward the two bowls of pear and white fungus soup.
The sight made Gu Wancheng shake his head. He gave a light cough. "I'm not stopping you. Go ahead."
At that, Chaochao immediately pulled a bowl of pear soup in front of him. The white fungus had been simmered until gelatinous, and the pear was very soft, with a delicate texture and a sweet, fragrant flavor.
"It's yummy!"
Gu Wancheng nodded in agreement. It really was good. He decided he would have it again tomorrow.
There wasn't much in a bowl. After only a few mouthfuls, Gu Wancheng stared blankly at his empty bowl. That's it? This bowl is way too small. It's not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth.
"I'm full!" Chaochao put down his spoon.
Gu Wancheng: ...Fine, it was enough to fill a child's tummy.
Chaochao tilted his head. "Do we still have to do homework?"
Homework? Let's not, unless you're doing it yourself.
Gu Wancheng glanced at Chaochao a couple of times. Remembering the painful experience of helping him with homework just now, he made a decision. "No more today. Go play."
Chaochao's eyes instantly lit up. "Really?"
"Really."
"Yay!" Chaochao picked up his bowl with a cheer and ran excitedly out of the room.
Gu Wancheng followed behind. "Careful. Don't run with a bowl."
Chaochao slowed down, put his bowl in the kitchen, and went to the living room to watch TV.
He sat on the sofa with his feet off the floor, picked up the remote, and searched for My Little Pony. His constantly swinging legs made it clear that he was in a very good mood.
"You can't watch for too long. Just half an hour."
Chaochao answered without turning around. "Mm-hmm, I know."
Really? You don't look like you know.
Gu Wancheng beckoned to Butler Chen. "Butler Chen, please keep an eye on him. He can only watch for half an hour."
Butler Chen nodded. "Rest assured, Mr. Gu. I'll keep an eye on the young master."
Gu Wancheng smiled and nodded, stroked Chaochao's head a couple of times, then turned and walked away.
Too engrossed in My Little Pony, Chaochao completely ignored the touch on his head and kept his eyes glued to the TV.
That made sense. Because he often left his homework unfinished, he hadn't watched TV for days. Now that he finally had a chance to watch for a while, of course he had to give it his full attention.
Butler Chen sighed. If the young master took his homework this seriously, he wouldn't have been banned from watching TV. Sir quite liked doing homework when he was little.
Gu Wancheng returned to his room, turned on his computer, and refined his earlier sketch. After looking it over, he sent it to the client.
The client must have happened to be online, because a reply came immediately after he sent the image.
[Wow! You're amazing!]
[Thank you ( ꈍᴗꈍ). Sweetie, take a look and see if you're happy with it?]
The client's screen name was MantaRose (translated as Manta rose, whose flower meaning was "the place where dreams begin"). Her profile picture was an adorable anime girl; he wouldn't have guessed she liked Cthulhu-style things.
She examined the sketch carefully. She had thought that something done so quickly would be slapdash, but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It wasn't carelessly done as she had imagined; certain details showed how much care Gu Wancheng had put into it.
The more she looked, the more she liked it, and she typed excitedly.
[Thank you! I love it. You're really amazing!
(๑˃́ꇴ˂̀๑)]
[Thanks for the compliment, sweetie. Is there anything you'd like changed?]
[No, no, I'm very happy with it.]
In a room decorated in soft pink, a girl lay on her bed and squealed with excitement. Heaven knew how many people she had approached, yet none had produced anything she was satisfied with. This first draft from Gu Wancheng had instantly hit her right in the feels.
[As long as you're happy, sweetie. The finished piece will be ready tomorrow. ( ꈍᴗꈍ)]
[Thank you, and thanks for your hard work! ~(^з^)-♡.]
He hadn't expected there to be no revisions. Looking at that anime profile picture, Gu Wancheng was deeply moved. Clients this easygoing were rare.
Moved as he was, his terminal procrastination kept him from concentrating on work, so he would leave it for now and draw tomorrow.
With his decision made, Gu Wancheng started playing on his phone with a clear conscience.
[Shocking! Why is a four-time Best Actor appearing on a parenting variety show?]
[Best Actor Zhao's secret marriage]
[Esports god takes his younger sister on a parenting variety show]
[Accomplished singer Jian Yue signs on for parenting variety show]
[Best Actress Yu joins parenting variety show with daughter Mi Tu]
[Jiang Yu, trainee dad]
When he saw the name Jiang Yu, Gu Wancheng's finger paused, and he tapped it.
As soon as he opened it, he saw a poster of Jiang Yu. On it, Jiang Yu wore a shy smile on his fresh, sweet face, looking like an entirely guileless boy next door. Unfortunately...
Remembering how, in the book, he had stepped on the original owner to get ahead while acting innocent, with all the good reputation going to him, and how he had only been able to act so brazenly because the original owner was a non-celebrity with few fans, even though the Bo family was powerful, Gu Wancheng chalked it up to a plot kill.
He lowered his eyes, his lips pulling into a mocking smile. On his phone, Jiang Yu was still smiling shyly in the poster.
What rotten luck, he grumbled inwardly, then simply left the page. Out of sight, out of mind. He was afraid another glance would give him a heart attack.
He opened the first trending topic. The four-time Best Actor was named Zhao Yunqing, thirty-four years old, and an actor known for his skills. Unlike idols, who couldn't date, he wasn't afraid marriage would affect his career.
As for his suddenly taking a child on a parenting variety show, apart from a few fans who reacted strongly, felt deceived, and immediately stopped being fans, most weren't resistant to it. After all, Best Actor Zhao was old enough to be married.
They all called out on Weibo for Best Actor Zhao to post some pictures of his little one.
As for the esports god Chu Yi'an, the book described him as a true extrovert, a "sunny, cheerful boy." His younger sister Chu Yuetong was also a true extrovert. Her personality gave the family quite a headache, and they also wanted her to go on this show to change her somewhat hyperactive disposition.
Gu Wancheng chuckled. Although neither sibling was socially anxious, there was still a bit of a difference between them. Chu Yi'an was a little less talkative.
Suddenly, the sound of a car came from outside the window. Gu Wancheng stood up, pulled back the curtain, and looked down.