A Warm and Cute Strike (GL) - Chapter 34

Zhou Ludong looked thoughtful. Leaving the assistant director to watch the monitors, he took out his phone and searched for the name “Xuening.”

The first few results were meaningless advertisements, but after a quick scan, Zhou Ludong’s gaze locked onto a profile entry on Souhu Encyclopedia.

Qin Xuening, born in XX year, daughter of the famous Chinese pianist Qin Mo. She showed extreme piano talent from a young age. Early this year, she was shortlisted for the junior category of the 50th International Youth Piano Competition but was unable to attend the finals due to a car accident. Her father was also killed in the crash…

Zhou Ludong’s expression shifted. He continued scrolling down, and a Weibo video caught his eye. It was posted a long time ago by Qin Xuening’s father, Qin Mo.

Zhou Ludong didn’t need to click it because he still had an impression of this video. It featured a little girl practicing the piano, looking only three or four years old. He had only seen it once, yet he still vividly remembered the girl’s serious, focused expression and her ten small fingers flying across the keys. That video had once gone viral, which was why he had seen and remembered it.

He hadn’t expected the little girl in the video to be the daughter of the famous musician. Her name was… Qin Xuening? What was her relationship with the “Sister Xuening” Xiang Nan’s daughter kept mentioning? Could they be the same person?

Zhou Ludong rubbed his chin, a piece of information flashing through his mind.

Meanwhile, in the center of the clearing, the fathers had mostly managed to settle their children.

Qi Jing, the oldest, possessed the air of a big brother. He was the first among the children to hand over his snacks and toys, appearing calm and composed.

The youngest, Ling Anhe, was teary-eyed. He was the smallest, looking delicate and fair, and spoke with a soft Wu-dialect accent. His milky voice was enough to melt anyone’s heart, making it hard for anyone to bear taking his things. The field director following his group instinctively looked at Zhou Ludong, only to find him appearing heartless and pretending not to notice; the director could only sigh.

Fortunately, under the gentle coaxing of his father, Ling Zhihan, the little fellow finally nodded. After his father handed over his toy car, he leaned against his father’s shoulder, looking utterly heartbroken.

As for the two little girls, Gu Yutong seemed a bit out of it. She didn’t react when the host finished speaking until her father reminded her and handed her toys and snacks. After a few seconds of daze, she carried her things to the center and dropped them into the basket.

And then there was Xiang Qingnuan. This brilliant, well-behaved little girl had already successfully captured the hearts of a crowd of “uncles” and “aunties” without even trying.

Among the five children, the one who made the biggest fuss was the third-oldest, Zhuo Yilin. Upon hearing the host’s “unreasonable” demand, he cried out of anger. Although he was eventually persuaded by his father, he still looked huffy.

Zhou Ludong nodded to himself. To have this kind of performance already was very good. Furthermore, the children had distinct personalities, which would increase the interest and viewership of the show. Since they were just starting, there would surely be a period of adjustment.

Well-behaved children were naturally lovable, but those who were rowdy and naughty at the start weren’t necessarily unable to “turn things around” later. Zhou Ludong looked forward to their future performances.

Seeing that things were ready, he gestured for Li Rui to continue with the pre-arranged process.

Li Rui took the hint, cleared his throat, and said, “The staff is now handing out maps of Linggu Village to everyone. Fathers and babies, please take a look—are there five marks drawn on your maps?”

Xiang Nan spread out the map and indeed saw the marks Li Rui mentioned. Looking at those small circles, he had a nagging sense of foreboding.

“Daddy, I want to see too.” Qingnuan stood on her tiptoes, peering curiously at the map in Xiang Nan’s hands. He quickly crouched down and flattened the map for her.

“Daddy, what do these little red circles mean?” Qingnuan pointed at them.

“They should be houses,” Xiang Nan frowned.

“Alright,” Li Rui raised his voice, calling everyone back to attention. “Since everyone has confirmed their maps, I am announcing the next task. Fathers, please follow the map’s instructions and take your children to see the houses marked on the map.”

“These houses have been carefully selected by our production team for you to live in. After you have seen them, please return here. We will draw lots to decide which residence everyone will move into for this three-day, two-night trip.”

With the signal to move, the families gathered and agreed to go see the houses together. Even the sulking Zhuo Yilin was led along by his father, following the main group.

Qingnuan held Xiang Nan’s hand, moving forward slowly on her short legs. She looked left and right constantly; this was her first time in such a place, and everything seemed novel.

So this is what the countryside is like. You could see the blue sky and lots of green trees, and hear all sorts of strange but interesting sounds. The houses were old and short, but they had a nice shape… They were going to find a house now—was this the “adventure” Daddy talked about?

“Nuannuan, are you tired? Do you want Daddy to carry you?”

“I’m not tired, I want to walk by myself!” The girl shook her head, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Soon, they found the location of the first house according to the map. it was an old building that used to be a school; now converted into a residence, it was spacious and bright. There were many books inside, giving it a scholarly feel. It was just a bit simple, with little furniture.

The fathers each gave their critiques. Next, they saw the remaining houses, each with its own minor flaws. However, when they reached the fourth house, everyone felt the first three were much better.

It was a dilapidated tile house. The rooms were filled with dust, and tattered spiderwebs hung from the eaves, swaying in the air. It clearly hadn’t been lived in for a long time.

“Are you sure we didn’t find the wrong place?” The celebrity fathers were shocked. They had likely never seen such a broken place. “Can people really live in this house?”

The fathers were stunned; the staff only smiled without saying a word. Still disbelieving, the fathers took the map to ask nearby villagers, but the conclusion was firm. They had no choice but to accept their fate.

From the moment they entered the room, Xiang Nan had taken his daughter into his arms. Qingnuan hugged his neck, curiously observing the broken house without showing any fear.

“Daddy, what’s that?” She saw a small, brownish-gray creature crawling on the wall. Its head was round, somewhat like a snake’s, but it had four limbs and a short body.

“That’s a gecko,” Xiang Nan glanced at the creature and explained.

He wondered: Don’t little girls usually fear these kinds of bugs? Look at the girl named Gu Yutong; she was hiding behind her father with red eyes, begging Gu Yuan to leave, looking as if she might cry at any moment.

Why did his own daughter look a bit… excited?

“Is it a ‘tiger on the wall’?” (A play on the Chinese name for gecko, bihu). Qingnuan stared at the little gecko. “Daddy, look! It’s looking at me! Its eyes are so big and round!”

The gecko glanced at Qingnuan, put on a look of terror, and then scuttled its little claws, vanishing into a crack in the wall in the blink of an eye.

“Oh, it ran away!” The girl’s voice carried a trace of regret.

“Haha…” Xiang Nan gave a stiff laugh, then didn’t forget to educate his daughter. “Geckos are beneficial creatures; they eat mosquitoes. So we have to get along well with them, okay?”

“Mhm! I know!” Qingnuan nodded, her large eyes sparkling without a hint of fear.

Seeing that the others had already left, Xiang Nan quickly led his daughter to follow. They soon found the fifth house: a Western-style house with modern decoration, complete with a sofa, color TV, refrigerator, and more. Compared to the previous ones—especially the fourth—this one was undoubtedly heaven. Almost everyone fell in love with it, including Xiang Nan.

“Nuannuan, do you like it here?” Sitting on the sofa and enjoying the electric fan, Xiang Nan asked his daughter.

Qingnuan nodded somewhat innocently. “I like it.”

Xiang Nan thought to himself: I have to draw this house later. At the very least, I can’t draw the fourth one! Naturally, all the fathers were thinking more or less the same thing.

After viewing the houses, everyone returned to the clearing.

“Since everyone has seen the houses and understands them, we will now draw lots to decide each family’s residence.”

Li Rui held five bamboo sticks in his hand, each of the same thickness and about the length of a palm. The ends he held were marked with red numbers corresponding to the different houses. The children looked at each other and finally, under the encouragement of their parents, stepped forward to draw.

“Sweetie, what number is it?” Xiang Nan watched his daughter return, almost afraid to look.

Qingnuan stared at the small number, tilting her head. “It looks like a five…”

“Really?!” Xiang Nan was overjoyed. He took the stick and saw it was indeed marked with a large “5.” He couldn’t help but cup his daughter’s face and kiss her cheek. “My baby is so amazing!”

“Waaaah—!”

Just then, following Zhuo Yilin, another child finally broke down in loud tears.

“I don’t want to live in the house with geckos…” Gu Yutong shouted, hugging her father and weeping. “Daddy, let’s go home… sob…”

Gu Yuan held his daughter, looking equally helpless. He was a burly man who usually played villains or tough guys in dramas; no one expected he had such a soft side with his daughter.

“It’s okay. Daddy will spray some insecticide later, and the geckos will die and won’t come out again…”

Hearing his words, Qingnuan looked up sharply, her eyes wide with shock.

“No… I don’t want to live in that house…” Gu Yutong shook her head violently, crying until she was out of breath. “I want to go home… it’s no fun here… sob…”

“Sweetie, didn’t you promise Daddy before we left? That you’d stay with me the whole time?”

“Waaaah…”

Qingnuan held her bamboo stick, looked at them, then looked at her father. She said hesitantly, “Daddy, why don’t we trade houses with Sister Tongtong?”

“Uh… Nuannuan, why do you want to trade?” Xiang Nan was stunned.

“I… I want to live in the house with geckos…” Qingnuan looked down at her toes.

Xiang Nan was even more bewildered. He hadn’t expected his daughter to like geckos that much.

“Daddy, is it okay?” Qingnuan looked up at him piteously.

How could Xiang Nan withstand his daughter’s “puppy dog eyes”? He admitted defeat in less than three seconds. He nodded with a wry smile and took the bamboo stick to negotiate with the production team and Gu Yuan.

Gu Yutong was still standing there crying sadly, whispering about going home. Qingnuan ran to her side, took her small hand, and said, “Sister Tongtong, I’ll trade houses with you. Don’t go home, let’s play together.”

“Tra… Trade houses…?” Gu Yutong gradually stopped crying. “But… but my house has geckos…”

“It’s okay, I like geckos!”

Looking at the girl’s bright, radiant smile, Gu Yutong nodded blankly.

The final result was smooth. Since both parties were willing, the production team naturally had no objection. Thus, the Xiang and Gu families swapped houses.

“Xiang Nan, I’m so sorry, it’s all Tongtong…” On the way to their respective homes, Gu Yuan said apologetically.

“It’s fine, really. My daughter loves that house!” Xiang Nan acted remarkably casual and generous, though deep down his heart was full of bitterness—he just had to swallow it. Who told my daughter to want it?

Gu Yuan exchanged a look of pure sympathy with him before carrying his daughter away. Xiang Nan, carrying his daughter and the vegetables, fruit, and mantou provided by the crew, arrived at the tile house where the geckos lived.

Looking at the seemingly precarious old house, Xiang Nan swallowed. He looked down at his daughter. “Nuannuan, do you really like this house?”

“Mhm. It’ll be fine once we tidy up.” Nuannuan probably knew she was “pitting” her father a bit, so she mimicked Gu Yuan’s gesture and gave his hand a comforting pat.

Xiang Nan ruffled her head, caught between a laugh and a cry. “Haha, as long as my baby is happy.”

Xiang Nan wasn’t someone who hadn’t experienced hardship. In his past filming, he had worked in extremely harsh environments, so he didn’t care much about the residence; his only fear was letting his daughter suffer.

Qingnuan said she could help, but Xiang Nan refused, only letting her stay in the yard while he tidied up. Sitting on a stone in the yard, Qingnuan rested her chin in her hands and looked at the broken house. For the first time, she felt it was lucky Sister Xuening hadn’t come. Sister Xuening loves being clean; it’s so dirty here, she wouldn’t be able to get used to it.

Xie Sha, standing off-camera, looked at the pair and felt deeply moved. How can there be such a generous and sensible child? She had given up the best house without hesitation for the worst one. Though she didn’t know the real reason, Xie Sha was shocked and touched, becoming an even firmer fan. Lin Hai and the others filming had more or less the same feeling.

Xie Sha spoke to the editor Su Ji and then walked into the room. At the moment, Xiang Nan was looking miserably at the dust-covered furniture, wondering how to start. Then, Xie Sha revealed the truth: it was actually a joke. The real “House Four” wasn’t this one, but the one next door.

Xiang Nan breathed a massive sigh of relief. He hurried out of the broken house, carried his daughter, and followed Xie Sha to the neighboring room.

Compared to the fake one, the real House Four was like night and day. It was clean and tidy, with full furniture, a TV, a fridge, and a small fan. Aside from being a bit small, it was no worse than House Five.

After the staff left, Xiang Nan cheered and rolled onto the bed with his daughter. “Sweetie, you’re amazing!”

“Hehe…” Seeing her father so happy, Qingnuan was also delighted. Now Mr. Gecko was safe, and she and Daddy didn’t have to live in a broken house. It was great.

The pair made do with a simple lunch and then lay down in the bright room for a comfortable nap. By mid-afternoon, Xie Sha knocked on the door to wake them. They returned to the clearing to gather with the other four families.

Qingnuan wasn’t fully awake yet. She had been too excited to sleep last night and was tired from the journey. She leaned against her father, yawning, and listened dazed to the host.

Under the director’s instructions, Li Rui assigned tasks to the children. Zhuo Yilin, Gu Yutong, and Qingnuan were one group, tasked with finding ingredients for dinner in the village. Qi Jing and the youngest, Ling Anhe, went to find fire-starting tools.

“Roger! Mission will be completed with honor!” The boy gave Li Rui a salute. After adjusting through the morning, Zhuo Yilin had recovered and was actively participating.

Then, under the encouragement of the adults, the five children set off on their adventure.

Qingnuan perked up again. She didn’t feel anything about leaving her father; instead, she grabbed her small basket and ran excitedly toward the village.

“Nuannuan, wait for me!” Gu Yutong, who had been gloomy about leaving her father, saw her companion run off and chased after her.

“Hey! You’re cheating by starting early! Watch me catch you!” Zhuo Yilin ran into the village after them.

“Don’t run too fast! Be careful!” The fathers were all a bit worried, calling out after them, but they were powerless. Children have to learn to grow up on their own one day.

“Nuannuan!” Using her longer legs, Gu Yutong soon caught up. Shortly after, Zhuo Yilin followed.

“Sister, let’s walk together.” Gu Yutong took Qingnuan’s hand.

“Oh! Okay, Sister Tongtong.” Qingnuan nodded, happy to make a new friend. The cameramen followed closely, capturing the scene and even taking a close-up of their joined hands.

The five children ran through the village according to their tasks, fighting for their dinner. Though the process was hard, it was full of novelty for their first experience. Ultimately, the three children didn’t disappoint, returning with baskets full of ingredients. On the way back, seeing Qingnuan panting, Gu Yutong stepped forward.

“Nuannuan, wait.”

Qingnuan looked at her in confusion, only to see Tongtong take some ingredients from her basket and put them into her own. “It’ll be lighter this way.”

“Thank you, Sister Tongtong!” Qingnuan didn’t refuse; she was indeed struggling with the weight.

“You’re welcome! I should be thanking you…” Clearly, Tongtong still remembered the house trade.

Zhuo Yilin also came over. “This is too heavy. Let’s each hold one side, it’ll be easier.”

“Mhm! Okay!”

The three children cooperated, stumbling and stopping along the way, finally carrying all the ingredients out of the village.

“Look, they’re back!” Qi Jing had returned long ago and had been waiting. Seeing them from afar, he shouted. The fathers ran over to meet them. Finally, the adults could start preparing dinner.

Unsurprisingly, most of the fathers couldn’t cook, and Xiang Nan was one of them. Although Zhou Ludong had given him a heads-up, he had been too busy with work to practice. Fortunately, Zhuo Yilin’s father knew how to cook, and surprisingly, the “tough guy” Gu Yuan knew a few things too, making everyone look at him with new respect.

While the adults prepared dinner, the children played nearby. Qingnuan picked up a branch and swiped at the reeds on the ground, then watched the wild geese in the sky, counting them one by one. But as she counted, she suddenly stopped. Looking at the darkening sky, her expression grew a bit lonely.

Sister Xuening… usually at this time, I’d be eating at the table with her…

Just as her lip began to tremble, Xiang Nan’s voice came over: “Sweetie, come eat!”

Qingnuan wiped her eyes, took one last look at the sunset, threw away the branch, and ran back.

Meanwhile, a certain someone back at the Xiang residence was also feeling far from peaceful…