Became an Overnight Sensation After Joining a Parenting Variety Show with My Older Brother - Chapter 1

#Film Emperor Xie Xiran to Participate in Parenting Variety Show with Younger Brother#

As soon as the news was released, it instantly sparked enthusiastic attention from netizens.

Xie Xiran had been famous for many years and kept a very low profile. Just as the movie he had wrapped up filming finished production, and his fans assumed he would be taking a break for a while, they instead saw the announcement that he was joining a reality show.

And it was a parenting variety show at that!

Earlier rumors had suggested that “Things About Raising Children” would feature a heavyweight guest. Netizens had guessed every single person imaginable, but nobody had thought of Xie Xiran.

Over at the Bai household, Bai Shu was standing on the balcony, holding his phone in one hand while gently plucking at the succulent plant in front of him. A smile crept uncontrollably onto the corner of his lips as he asked in a slightly spoiled tone, “Why are you going to participate in this variety show?”

The person on the other end said something, causing Bai Shu to exert a little force and accidentally pluck an entire succulent leaf right off.

“You didn’t have to go that far… I’ll be back soon anyway.”

Bai Shu’s face grew slightly warm, and pink bubbles seemed to float all around him.

Just then, a fuzzy little head poked out from behind the curtain. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he stared at his older brother, who was radiating the obnoxious stench of budding romance, and puffed up his cheeks in utter displeasure.

His name was Doudou. He was Bai Shu’s younger brother and also a cast member of the parenting show. However, his older brother had been struggling in the entertainment industry for years and was still a total nobody. After the production team officially announced the cast, practically nobody paid attention to them they couldn’t even compare to a single finger of Xie Xiran’s.

Yet, Doudou knew that his older brother had already captured Xie Xiran!

Without a single doubt, the person on the other end of that phone call was Xie Xiran!

A veteran nobody in the entertainment industry and an immensely popular reigning film emperor were secretly engaged in an underground romance!

Don’t ask how he knew; if you ask, it’s because he transmigrated into a book.

Cupping his chubby little face, Doudou squatted down, looking like a little mushroom as he watched his brother chat away.

When Bai Shu hung up the phone and turned around, he was almost scared out of his wits. Overwhelmed with a sudden sense of guilt, he stammered, “Doudou? Why are you awake?”

Feigning casual nonchalance, Bai Shu walked over and scooped up the little mushroom.

Doudou immediately grabbed his older brother’s ear, pulling a tight face: “Older brother is not allowed to fall in love!”

Absolutely not!

Bai Shu felt a bit awkward. For some reason, ever since Doudou found out he was in a relationship, the child had been acting extremely anxious.

Sighing softly, Bai Shu planted a kiss on the little baby in his arms. “Even if older brother falls in love, I will still love you just as much.”

Doudou’s little face flushed red, and he almost broke character. Why did older brother suddenly kiss him?!

He was trying to talk about a very serious matter here.

Almost seduced away by his older brother’s sweet words, Doudou shook his head fiercely to force himself to stay firm.

Then, Bai Shu watched as Doudou’s big eyes instantly welled up like fried eggs, looking at him with a pitiful, teary-eyed expression. With a grievance-filled voice, he declared, “Doudou doesn’t want older brother to fall in love. You’ll die.”

Bai Shu: !!!

What on earth was going through a little kid’s mind?

What Doudou said was entirely true. In the book, his older brother was a major villain, while the film emperor Xie Xiran was the protagonist gong. Later on, before the protagonist shou even appeared, the protagonist gong would break up with his older brother once the shou arrived. But his older brother would cling desperately and refuse to let go, ultimately earning the protagonist gong’s disgust and being blacklisted by the entire internet, leading to a thoroughly tragic ending for the entire Bai family. This was the exact scenario he had seen in his dream last night.

Releasing his grip on his older brother’s ear, Doudou pressed his chubby little face against Bai Shu’s, trying to snatch his brother back: “Older brother Didn’t you say Doudou is your absolute favorite? Why do you still want to date someone else?”

He squirmed his tiny body, pressing close to Bai Shu as he acted spoiled.

He could have accepted almost anyone else, but Xie Xiran was simply too dangerous. A sweet, innocent pushover like his older brother would never meet a good end.

Alternating between laughter and tears, Bai Shu pinched Doudou’s cheek. “Tell me, what kind of TV shows have you been watching lately? No more everyday family dramas from now on, stick strictly to cartoons. What on earth are you learning?”

With that, he carried Doudou off to wash up.

Puffing out his cheeks, Doudou kept his little mouth open wide while his older brother brushed his teeth for him.

No matter what happened, he was not going to give up!

Deciding to plan his strategy carefully, Doudou sat with a deadpan, serious expression amidst a pile of toys, letting his mind wander back to the romance movies he had watched recently until an idea finally popped into his head.

He was going to play the role of the wicked mother-in-law and tear apart Zhushu and the protagonist!

The wicked mother-in-law in the television show had succeeded, and Doudou clenched his fists he would definitely succeed too.

Meanwhile, Bai Shu was busy guiding the production crew as they installed cameras and recording equipment around the house.

“Things About Raising Children” required some footage to be shot right at home.

Currently, only he and Doudou were left in the entire Bai family. The moment his parents found out he was taking Doudou onto a variety show, they grabbed their suitcases that very day and ran off to enjoy a two-person world, acting as carefree as could be.

They had dumped Doudou straight onto him, though thankfully Doudou was a well-behaved baby.

Even so, the child had been acting a bit strange these past two days, becoming exceptionally clingy.

It must be because Mom and Dad left home, leaving the child lacking a sense of security, Bai Shu thought to himself.

Right at that moment, he felt a furry sensation against his calf. Looking down, he saw Doudou holding a toy car and sitting cross-legged on the floor, hugging one of his legs to play.

The toddler had curly hair, eyes identical to his own, chubby cheeks, a pouting little mouth, and stubby little legs stretched out. They swung back and forth as the toy car drove forward and backward, making him look just like a roly-poly toy.

A mischievous smile playing on his lips, Bai Shu reached out and poked his younger brother’s bun-like cheek. Taken by surprise, Doudou tipped over and flopped flat onto the floor.

Doudou: ?

He knitted his little eyebrows together, looking up at his older brother with eyes brimming with accusation: Why did you push me down?

Looking sheepish, Bai Shu rubbed his nose. His younger brother was so soft that he just begged to be poked; he simply couldn’t help himself.

Just as he reached down to pick the child up, his phone suddenly rang. Hearing that custom chime, a bright smile instantly lit up Bai Shu’s face.

That was the exclusive ringtone he had set specifically for Xie Xiran.

Are we going shopping for supplies tomorrow? I’m not sure what I need to prepare.

Bai Shu replied instantly.

Yes, yes! I’ve made a list and I’ll send it to you for reference.

Before the other side could reply, Bai Shu shook his head. No way!

They hadn’t made their relationship public yet, and now that Xie Xiran had just officially announced his variety show appearance, every single move he made would definitely attract public attention.

Though he deeply relished the chance to go shopping together, Bai Shu painfully typed out a reply.

Never mind, it won’t be good if we get photographed. Why don’t you take Zhuyi with you instead?

After sending the message, Bai Shu anxiously chewed on his fingernails, wondering how Xie Xiran would take it.

Lying on the floor for quite a while, Doudou waited in vain for his older brother to come pick him up. Instead, he heard the clacking sounds of his brother chatting away with someone, a pair of rosy blushes blooming on his face as he nervously chewed his fingers.

!! Danger!

The two of them must be chatting again.

Decisively, Doudou announced, “Zhushu, Doudou wants to go change clothes!”

Putting aside whatever reaction Xie Xiran might have, Bai Shu bent down and picked Doudou up.

Smoothly snatching Bai Shu’s phone away, Doudou chimed in, “Doudou will hold it for you.”

Since Bai Shu’s hands were occupied for a moment, the phone successfully slipped into Doudou’s grip.

While Bai Shu was busy picking out an outfit for Doudou, Doudou unlocked his older brother’s phone.

Sure enough, a chat thread was open. Hmm, but he couldn’t read the words yet.

He only recognized the character for “Bai”

On the right side was his older brother, and on the left was Xie Xiran.

Glancing over at Zhushu, who had stepped into the bathroom to run a warm bath for him relying on the sound of rushing water as cover Doudou pressed his thumb against the little microphone icon and loudly declared into it: “Zhushu is, Doudou’s! I advise you, leave early!”

Flustered by his own nervousness, Doudou ended up stuttering slightly, but he felt immensely satisfied, thinking the line sounded incredibly imposing.

Awesome! He had actually said it out loud.

Bai Shu vaguely heard something, but couldn’t quite make it out. He turned off the faucet, poked his head out of the bathroom, and asked curiously, “What is it, Doudou?”

Quickly hiding the phone behind his back, Doudou shook his head vigorously. “Nothing at all, Doudou didn’t do anything.”

Suspicious, Bai Shu narrowed his eyes. That definitely meant he had done something.

Reaching out a hand, Bai Shu demanded, “Hand it over.”

Pouting unhappily, Doudou poked his little index fingers together, lowering his head in a fit of guilt.

Since it was the little baby’s first time doing something like this, he was still a bit clumsy at it.

When Bai Shu looked at the screen, he saw that Doudou had actually sent a one-second voice message to Xie Xiran. He promptly gave Doudou a light rap on the head with his knuckles.

This little troublemaker really was up to no good.

Doudou?

That was Xie Xiran’s reply. Taking a deep breath, Bai Shu tapped on the voice message.

“Mister”

Squatting down, a solemn expression on his face, Bai Shu pinched his younger brother’s little cheek. “You’re not allowed to be impolite. You have to call him older brother, not mister.”

Opening his wide, innocent eyes, Doudou stared pleadingly at Zhushu’s phone. Why didn’t it play the rest? He had said so much more!

How come it was only the very first part where he called out to Zhushu?

“It’s not like that, it’s not…” Doudou wanted to explain, but he paused midway.

Wuwuwu, he had forgotten what he had just said! Right now, his mind was completely filled with Zhushu…

The little kid was nearly frantic with anxiety.

Seeing his younger brother deny it, Bai Shu looked entirely satisfied. “Right, it’s not like that. You need to call him older brother. I’ll introduce him to you later; he’s a very good person, and you’ll like him.”

Pouting his cheeks in a huff, Doudou buried his face straight into the bed.

He would never, ever like Xie Xiran!

Finding his moody, unpredictable younger brother baffling, Bai Shu felt like he truly couldn’t keep up with a child’s train of thought the mood swings were just too fast.

One second happy, the next second angry.

Scooping up his little brother, Bai Shu patted his bottom. “Alright, older brother is taking you to take a bath.”

Meanwhile, back on the other end, Xie Xiran was still anxiously waiting for a reply. Hearing a young child’s voice piped through, his entire being instantly settled into peace.

Zhushu had actually gone so far as to introduce him to his younger brother; it seemed he was still quite satisfied with him after all.

For this middle-aged man whose shopping invitation had just been rejected, his heart finally dropped safely back into his chest at that exact moment.