Si Qianqiu is the rising “traffic star” the company Saint Entertainment is promoting this year. He joined the show to attract fans and build his image.
Given his relationship with Qin Sizheng, another goal was to remove the “substitute for Qin Sizheng” label. Management explicitly instructed him not to let Qin Sizheng have any chance to shine.
Wan Lai, understanding the rules of the industry, continued the process seamlessly: “All the kids have obediently handed over their toys. Now we’ll start picking houses. But first, we have a game—those who finish first get priority in choosing their house.”
He showed photos, from the clean, tidy village chief’s home, gradually descending to a dilapidated house with doors and windows barely hanging on.
Si Qianqiu instinctively glanced at Qin Sizheng—he was still asking Little Tomato which house he liked, likely ensuring he could pick what he wanted.
“You only deserve the dirtiest, worst one!”
“The game is a relay race. Kids and parents relay to fill a bottle of water—the first team finishes gets to choose their house first.”
Qin Sizheng estimated the kids’ abilities. Little Tomato should manage to get House No. 3.
Little Tomato clenched his tiny fists. “Daddy, I’ll do my best!”
Qin Sizheng genuinely liked this child, obedient like the little brothers he’d grown up with in the orphanage. He patted the boy’s head and encouraged him.
The game began. He Du’s son Dou Dou, the oldest, carried his cup steadily, spilling only a little. Next was Xu Jinhan’s Little Tangyuan.
Little Strawberry and Little Tomato were almost neck and neck.
Last was Rongrong.
Qin Sizheng bent slightly, ready to take the water from Little Tomato’s hand, and encouraged him, “Little Tomato, don’t rush, walk slowly.”
Si Qianqiu, unwilling to end up with the worst house, urged anxiously, “Come on, baby! Walk faster, they’re catching up!”
Little Tomato handed his cup to his dad two seconds before Little Strawberry did. Si Qianqiu’s brows furrowed sharply; he grabbed the cup roughly and poured it into the bottle, motioning for her to fetch more water quickly.
Little Strawberry ran back, going back and forth twice, while the host had already started the countdown.
He Du’s side had the most water, next was Little Tangyuan. Little Strawberry accidentally tripped Little Tomato, and the two tumbled together, needing to start again. Rongrong, surprisingly, overtook them and secured third place.
The gap between Little Strawberry and Little Tomato remained tight.
Everyone watched tensely. Little Tangyuan and Rongrong cheered for them.
Si Qianqiu and Qin Sizheng took the cups almost simultaneously. Just then—crash—one cup fell to the ground.
“My cup!” Si Qianqiu shouted.
Little Strawberry saw her cup shatter and burst into tears.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. Daddy’s sorry, it’s Daddy’s fault, I dropped it by accident, I’m sorry, Little Strawberry,” Si Qianqiu kept apologizing, his eyes reddened, voice trembling slightly.
The live comments were heartbroken.
【Qin Sizheng is disgusting—seeing he might lose and then breaking someone else’s cup? Disgusting.】
【Hug Brother Qianqiu, don’t cry! You’re breaking Mom’s heart!】
Since the show was live, they couldn’t replay to settle the dispute. Wan Lai quickly came up with a compromise.
“You two kids were both excellent. For the final house choice, let the dads play rock-paper-scissors, okay?”
“No problem, we’ll give the house to Sizheng,” Si Qianqiu crouched to wipe Little Strawberry’s tears, whispering, “Baby, don’t cry. It’s okay if we get a slightly worse house. Daddy will help you catch bugs. Don’t cry.”
Hearing the mention of bugs, Little Strawberry cried even harder.
Little Tomato, startled by Little Strawberry’s crying, reached for Qin Sizheng’s hand. “Daddy, can I give the house to Strawberry Sister?”
Qin Sizheng was taken aback.
“Daddy, can I? I’m brave and not afraid of bugs. Can I let Sister have the better house?” Little Tomato asked again.
With Qin Sizheng’s approval, he went to Little Strawberry, patted her head, and in a sweet babyish voice said, “Strawberry Sister, don’t cry. Daddy promised to give the house to you.”
In the end, He Du got the best village chief’s house, Xu Jinhan got the clean second house, Liu Mianmian got third, Si Qianqiu settled for the fourth, and Qin Sizheng with Little Tomato stayed in the worst, fifth house.
Off-camera, the room was pitch-black, a huge projection cast an eerie bluish glow on the walls.
Lu Xianqing rested his chin on his hand, eyes calm but fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest.
This was a typical entertainment industry setup, yet Qin Sizheng seemed oblivious.
Next moment, the handsome youth grasped the cup in Little Tomato’s hand, fingertips brushing the water, glinting in the sunlight. Off-camera, Lu Xianqing’s breathing grew heavy.
Grasping, holding, curling… his fingers seemed to carry fire, every movement igniting desire, making his throat dry, blood burn—stirring a long-dormant craving.
He had perfect hands, and a brain charmingly clumsy.
The house selection was quick. Little Tomato hesitated, worried about the dirt, especially with chickens, ducks, geese, and a litter of bunnies in the yard. Grapevines drooped with ripe grapes, and there was a small vegetable patch.
Truly… fools do have their blessings.
“Daddy, it stinks. I don’t want to live here.” Little Tomato backed up, wrinkling his nose.
Qin Sizheng peeked, “There are bunnies here. Do you want to feed them?”
Hearing that, Little Tomato was tempted, but still hesitant about the dirt.
Qin Sizheng added, “Daddy will clean the house and make you an ice cream. How about that?”
At the mention of ice cream, Little Tomato’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Only a little dog would lie!”
Chen Yue, used to the scheming of the entertainment world, was surprised by Qin Sizheng’s calm, accepting attitude. She expected him to explode, but he endured quietly—not at all like the rumored bad temper.
Lu Xianqing watched the “little monkey” pull out a plate to clean, then go to the yard, wash a cluster of grapes, and set Little Tomato on a chair to eat.
He hustled back and forth, his white shirt gradually soaked with sweat, revealing his fair nape and elegantly curved shoulder blades, a faint red mole barely visible.
Seeing him sweaty, Little Tomato handed his small water bottle to Daddy. Losing his balance, he tumbled into Qin Sizheng’s arms, soaking them both.
The wet shirt instantly reminded Lu Xianqing of two unhealed piercings he had seen at the gym—originally with rings, forcibly removed.
Lu Xianqing closed his eyes, like a desert traveler dying of thirst, desperate to bite, taste, and drink.
After a busy afternoon, Qin Sizheng finally finished cleaning the house.
Chen Yue handed him the task card. Not wanting to soil the bed, he sat on the floor, fanning himself with the card.
【Hahaha so cute, just sitting on the floor fanning himself, like my grandpa cooling off in summer.】
【My idol was my son, then my husband, now my grandpa? He’s only eighteen! Give the old man some dignity, lol.】
【Qin Sizheng used to be the kind of person who, if the crew had poor conditions, would just have someone set up a makeshift scene for him to sleep in—if he can survive a night in this broken house, I’ll officially acknowledge him as a father.】
【Is this live? Give the room number. Not that I want to watch him get slapped down, I just want to watch the heartwarming parent-child scenes.】
The live comments were laughing nonstop. Qin Sizheng, rested, called Little Tomato over to look at the task card together:
“Please work with your little one to earn ingredients through your own efforts and prepare two dishes for everyone.”
Little Tomato rested his chin on his hands on the bed, swinging his legs. “Daddy, can you cook?”
Qin Sizheng bent his arm in a muscle-showing pose. “Of course! Daddy is super awesome!”
“Then, Daddy, can I give some grapes to Little Tangyuan to share?”
Qin Sizheng was surprised at how quickly he had formed a sense of friendship. “Of course!” He took his hand and led him over to Xu Jinhan.
The villagers of Wild Fox Village were simple and curious about the filming, quietly watching from under the willow trees.
Qin Sizheng held Little Tomato with one hand and carried the grapes in the other, occasionally making eye contact with the villagers and politely smiling.
“Would you like some?”
The villagers were astonished and waved their hands. “No, no, you take them.”
Qin Sizheng smiled with squinted eyes and went over to Xu Jinhan, who had just finished tidying up. The place was decent, the house relatively clean, and the yard even had a stable with a sleek black horse.
“Senior Xu.”
“Little Qin is here, come in.” Xu Jinhan was in a good mood and showed no bias, inviting him to sit.
Little Tomato held the bowl of grapes and, in a sweet baby voice, asked, “Uncle Xu, can I eat with Brother Tangyuan?”
“Go ahead, Brother Tangyuan is washing his face.” Xu Jinhan ruffled his head and moved a chair for Qin Sizheng, asking how the fifth house was—if it was really bad, he could come stay here.
Qin Sizheng quickly said, “It’s okay, mostly tidied up,” and pointed out the little surprises in the yard. Xu Jinhan was pleasantly surprised. “Oh, not bad. I’ll come eat at your place tomorrow.”
The two kids sat in the yard eating grapes when a task card floated onto their laps. Neither could read, so they brought it to their dads.
Qin Sizheng took it: “Please teach your little ones a skill. Tonight we’ll have a campfire welcome ceremony, and dads will work with the kids. Good luck!”
Xu Jinhan chuckled. “Teaching kids isn’t easy. What do you plan to teach?”
Qin Sizheng knew he couldn’t sing or dance well, and the only skill he had was martial arts. So he timidly asked, “Tai Chi, Wing Chun, or Muay Thai… is that okay?”
Xu Jinhan was stunned.
The live audience almost died laughing at Qin Sizheng’s shy, cautious way of saying something so fierce.
【Hahaha Tai Chi, Wing Chun, Muay Thai? Why? Everyone else shows their skills in a fun talent show, and Qin Sizheng’s making it a full-blown fight scene!】
【Tai Chi is fine… might as well gather the grandpas and grandmas of Wild Fox Village for a senior competition, haha.】
【Seriously, I tuned in for Si Qianqiu, but now all I can think about is Qin Sizheng—too addictive!】
【Absolute chaos.】
【Was the last one sick? Don’t like it? Scroll away, stop seeking attention, annoying.】
【Looks like Xu Jinhan and Qin Sizheng get along well. Didn’t Qin Sizheng steal a prize from him once? How are they still friendly on a variety show?】
【It’s just acting. No one really thinks reality shows are real, right? Here’s a collection of Qin Sizheng’s bad reputation, click [link].】
Xu Zhao also had people keeping an eye on Qin Sizheng at all times—not online, but in real life—to prevent him from doing anything shocking again.
Unexpectedly, he was actually performing well.
Cute, down-to-earth, innocent yet slightly violent—a perfect mix for attracting fans. But… when did he even learn Tai Chi and Wing Chun?