A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 33

“Haha,” Xiang Nan chuckled, rubbing his daughter’s small head dotingly, but he didn’t forget to correct her. “Nuannuan, you should call him ‘Uncle’ instead.”

“Uncle?” Little Qingnuan tilted her head, looking up at the man standing a step away. She thought he was very tall, seemingly even a bit taller than her father.

“Yes, this gentleman is older than Daddy, so you should call him Uncle, okay?”

Qingnuan nodded as if she understood and followed the advice smoothly. “Hello, Uncle.”

Her soft, milky voice made Qi Tao inexplicably think of his own young daughter.

They say a daughter is a father’s “padded jacket”—warm and close to the heart. Although his love for his son and daughter was equal, he undoubtedly showed more indulgence toward his daughter, a fact his wife often nagged him about, calling him a “daughter-slave.”

He looked at little Qingnuan; she only reached the middle of his thigh, looking like a tiny, soft puff that made his heart melt. She wore a small pink lady-like dress, her soft hair falling smoothly, adorned with a pink-and-white lace headband. Coupled with her delicate features and sweet, innocent smile, she looked incredibly well-behaved and lovable no matter how one looked at her.

The corners of Qi Tao’s mouth curled up slightly, and his expression softened. Compared to the serious, intimidating look he had while scolding his son just a moment ago, he seemed like a completely different person.

“Hello there. What a good little girl.” Qi Tao smiled with paternal affection and couldn’t help but reach out to touch the top of her head—he didn’t overstep, his fingers pulling away after a mere touch to express his fondness.

“Are you all here for the reality show too?” Xiang Nan smiled.

“Yes. Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet…”

“Haha, I know you, Mr. Qi Tao. I’ve seen your work before. Excellent—a true veteran actor!”

“Director Xiang, you overpraise me.” Qi Tao waved his hands hurriedly, clearly knowing who Xiang Nan was as well. “And please, don’t call me Mr. Qi. Just call me Old Qi.”

“Then you call me Ah Nan…”

The two adults exchanged pleasantries. Though they had been neighbors for years, they had only met today; it was a strange twist of fate.

Qingnuan listened to them talk, finding it very amusing. She stole a few curious glances at the “big brother” opposite her. Ever since his father scolded him, he had been wearing a long face, looking quite unhappy.

“This is my son, seven years old.” After some small talk, Qi Tao pulled his eldest son forward. “Xiao Jing, why don’t you introduce yourself to the Xiang family sister?”

Qi Jing was actually in a bad mood after the scolding, but looking at the little girl whose gaze was fixed on him, he forced himself to perk up. He introduced himself with clear, formal articulation:

“Hello, my name is Qi Jing. Qi, as in ‘Qi jia zhi guo ping tian xia’ (regulating the family and ruling the state); Jing, as in ‘liang chen mei jing’ (beautiful scenery). You can call me Brother Xiao Jing!”

Qingnuan blinked. She didn’t quite understand the literary references, but it sounded very impressive. Seeing Qi Jing waiting for her response, she smiled brightly. “Hello, Brother Xiao Jing. My name is Xiang Qingnuan. You can call me Nuannuan~”

Qi Jing nodded, quite satisfied. Having recently learned many new idioms at school, he confidently showed off: “So, are you the Qingnuan from ‘Qing nuan hua kai’ (Sunny warmth and blooming flowers)?”

“Qing nuan hua kai?” Qingnuan froze, looking up at her father uncertainty.

Xiang Nan adjusted his glasses and gave a stiff smile.

A flash of awkwardness crossed Qi Tao’s face. He looked down, rubbed Qi Jing’s head, and corrected him: “Son, that’s Chun nuan hua kai (Spring warmth and blooming flowers)…”

“That’s not right, it’s clearly…” Qi Jing’s eyes widened, and just as he was about to argue, he realized he had indeed remembered it wrong.

In an instant, his face turned a deep shade of crimson.

“Can you delete that part for me?” The boy turned and asked the cameraman who was filming them.

The cameraman shook his head, indicating it was against the rules; he could report it to the director, but deleting on the spot was impossible.

Qi Jing bit his lip, his cheeks puffing out in frustration. He stole a glance at Qingnuan and saw her looking over curiously; his face burned, and he wished he could go back one minute in time and keep his mouth shut.

Did I just look incredibly stupid?

With his face flushed red, he could only grab his father’s hand, wanting to leave this embarrassing spot immediately. “Daddy, let’s go! I need to go to the bathroom!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll take you.” Qi Tao felt his clothes were about to be torn, but understanding his son’s feelings, he said goodbye to Xiang Nan and led the boy away.

“Daddy, what’s wrong with Brother Xiao Jing?” Even after the pair had walked away, Qingnuan was still dazed, unable to comprehend what had happened.

“Nothing, he just went to the restroom,” Xiang Nan said vaguely. “What about Nuannuan? Do you need to go too?”

Qingnuan thought about it and nodded. So, Xiang Nan asked Xie Sha to take his daughter to the hotel restroom.

By the time they returned, the other three families had arrived one after another. The crew fitted everyone with microphones, and after confirming everything was working, the group boarded a bus to their destination with much fanfare.

There were five children participating in this season of Daddy, Where Are We Going?, consisting of three boys and two girls. The youngest was a boy even younger than Qingnuan, only three and a half years old, named Ling Anhe (nicknamed An’an). Another was a five-year-old boy named Zhuo Yilin (nicknamed Wenwen), whose father was the voice actor Zhuo Yang. As for the other girl besides Qingnuan…

“Sister, what’s your name?” The two little girls were seated together. “My name is Gu Yutong. I’m six years old. You can call me Tongtong.”

Qingnuan was happy to meet a new friend. She smiled and said, “Hello, Sister Tongtong. I’m Xiang Qingnuan, four and a half years old…”

“Then I’ll call you Nuannuan.” Gu Yutong touched the little girl’s cheek. “Sister, you’re so cute.”

Qingnuan became a bit shy. “Thank you. Sister Tongtong is very pretty too!”

Of course, Sister Xuening is still the prettiest! Qingnuan added silently in her heart, swinging her short legs.

Since it was a reality show, several cameras were installed on the bus, recording the children’s most innocent reactions and sweet interactions for post-production material.

The road gradually became uneven. Enduring the bumps along the way, they finally arrived around noon at the filming location—Linggu Village, situated on the outskirts of the capital.

The village was built at the foot of a mountain. The groundwater nearby was so abundant it formed a small lake that the villagers called Reed Lake. It was a picturesque place, surrounded by mountains and water. Most of the young adults had left to work elsewhere, leaving only the elderly and children in the village. It was a perfect, secluded location for the production team.

The driver parked the bus in an open clearing outside the village—a flat space used by villagers for drying grain. Not far away was Reed Lake, its shores covered in towering, lush green reeds, a scenery quite different from the city.

The children were carried off the bus by their fathers. Under the guidance of the staff, the five families gathered in an area cleared specifically by the crew.

Qingnuan shrank slightly into her father’s arms. Being faced with over a hundred staff members carrying “long spears and short cannons” (cameras), even an adult might find it hard to remain indifferent, let alone a child facing such a massive setup for the first time.

“Don’t be afraid, Nuannuan. Daddy is here.” Xiang Nan held his daughter. Feeling her dependence on him, a sense of satisfaction and responsibility welled up in his heart. For the sake of this little one in his arms, he would do anything!

“Alright, fathers and children, please take out your toys and snacks and place them in the baskets in the center of the clearing,” the host, Li Rui, instructed after reciting a long opening monologue.

As soon as he finished, wails broke out across the clearing. To these pampered children, toys and snacks were indispensable parts of life.

“Besides toys and snacks, please hand over your mobile phones as well,” Li Rui added an even more “cruel” requirement. “Rest assured, they will be returned to you after the recording is over.”

The strongest reaction came from Zhuo Yilin, who cried loudly, refusing to give up his toys. Except for the older Qi Jing, all the children showed some degree of resistance.

Qingnuan was no exception. She pouted, looking as if she were on the verge of tears.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong? Are you sad about the croissants? Do you want one more bite?” Xiang Nan took the bento box out of his daughter’s suitcase. They were leftovers from breakfast that she had insisted on bringing.

Qingnuan shook her head. With red eyes, she said, “No… without a phone, we… we can’t take photos to send to Sister Xuening…”

Xiang Nan hadn’t expected that to be the reason. He laughed and pointed toward the cameramen in the distance. “Nuannuan, see those uncles carrying the big black machines?”

Qingnuan nodded.

“Those black machines are cameras. The uncles are helping us take photos and videos,” Xiang Nan said, wiping a tear from her eye. “When we go back, we’ll ask them for the photos. They take much better pictures than Daddy does.”

Qingnuan stopped being sad. She looked at the distant cameramen, then at her father. Suddenly, she reached out for the bento box. Under Xiang Nan’s surprised gaze, she pitter-pattered over to the nearest cameraman.

“Big brother, thank you for taking pictures of me and Daddy. This is for you to eat.” The girl smiled sweetly, her voice crisp.

The young cameraman stared at the bento box, momentarily stunned. It wasn’t until his colleagues nudged him that he reacted and took it.

“Thank you, little Nuannuan!” The cameraman’s face turned red; he had heard Xiang Nan calling her that.

“Hehe, you’re welcome.”

Seeing the bread delivered, Qingnuan smiled radiantly and ran back to her father.

The show’s chief director, Zhou Ludong, naturally noticed this scene from behind the monitors. He watched the Xiang father and daughter; the girl was now looking up, asking the host Li Rui if her iPad needed to be turned in as well.

Gazing at her well-behaved, adorable appearance, Zhou Ludong rubbed his hands. He truly had found a treasure! After the initial excitement, he couldn’t help but rub his chin.

Sister Xuening… Xuening… why does that name sound so familiar?