The Cannon Fodder Dad of Three Villainous Cubs - Chapter 2

The brat ran back to his room, pouting and sulking. Ji Zhiqiu couldn’t be bothered to pay him any mind; he sat on the sofa, panting, and immediately pulled out his phone to order takeout. He was so hungry his eyes were turning green.

He had no idea what kind of “potion” he had been fed in the past that made him so subservient to the brat. By lunchtime, if the brat wanted to play with blocks, he would chase after him, kneeling on the ground just to feed him one bite. A single meal would take an hour and a half. Then, he’d be busy cleaning, going the entire day without even a drop of water.

The food arrived quickly. Ji Zhiqiu tore open the packaging and took a massive bite, squinting in pure bliss. He devoured the entire box of fried chicken, even licking the sauce clean, before tossing the container into the trash, satisfied. It was time to get down to business.

He listed his priorities, marking the crucial timeline nodes from the original plot, and created an overall plan. But as he calculated the minor expenses, he became increasingly alarmed. A vision of his family wearing tiny bundles on their backs, picking up trash on the street and “drinking the northwest wind” (starving), flashed before his eyes, breaking him into a cold sweat.

These are three “money-swallowing beasts”! I’d need to find several jobs with a monthly salary of 3,000 just to keep them fed!

He hurriedly grabbed his phone to check his remaining balance. The bad news was that there wasn’t a single cent left; the good news was that he had just found a job.

A month ago, a livestreaming platform had proactively contacted him, asking him to be a “visual-based” streamer. The specific content wasn’t written into the contract; they only gave him very unusual terms. He would only receive full attendance bonuses and a base salary if his channel reached a certain level of heat and popularity. The pay was pitifully low, but the cut he got from gifts was very high.

There was a hidden intention behind this: if he wanted to eat from this bowl, he had to create “effects” to earn gifts, and his face was his biggest trump card. This compensated for the contract’s inability to mandate specific content.

In the face of money, even a fool understands how to calculate. Ji Zhiqiu knew that showing his face was the most cost-effective way to stream, but the conditions simply didn’t allow it!

Those three little ancestors at home weren’t just “pit-dads” (dad-buriers); they were basically “dad-killers”! Throughout their growth process, he had to be cautious and meticulous, not making a single mistake, to prevent them from growing up into villains. If he livestreamed while showing his face, his real-world information would be exposed. If someone with bad intentions found them and did something to the three little villains, all his hard work would be in vain. He couldn’t bear the consequences. Furthermore, even though he had separated from the brat’s biological father, that man remained a ticking time bomb; he didn’t want any more trouble.

After careful consideration, Ji Zhiqiu made his choice. He didn’t waste any more time and set up his equipment.

The platform supported various streaming methods and included many special effects. He chose one where the person on screen wore a mascot head, completely obscuring their face. Streamers who didn’t want to reveal their identity usually chose this; the effect was incredibly stable and wouldn’t fall off no matter how they moved. Since the feature launched, there had been no accidents where the effect failed, forcing a streamer to “drop their mask.” It was highly trustworthy.

At first, he had to endure the loneliness. Ji Zhiqiu watched the viewer count of his room sit at zero, chatting away and making jokes with composure. After quite a while, the number ticked up to one. Finally, he didn’t have to talk to himself anymore. He was overjoyed and just about to greet them when a sudden change occurred.

The study door opened, and Ji Yanyan shot in like a cannonball. His cheeks were puffed out, and he stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Ji Zhiqiu.

Ji Zhiqiu froze for a split second and subconsciously looked at the livestream monitor. The platform was indeed reliable; it applied the mascot head-effect to Ji Yanyan at speeds faster than the human eye could process, completely shielding his face. Plus, since there was no one in the room, the possibility of exposure was infinitesimal.

He let out a sigh of relief and moved to close the stream, but Ji Yanyan bumped his hand away.

The child didn’t have much strength or strategy, so his only method of attack was his voice. He immediately unleashed a “magical sound” upon Ji Zhiqiu: “Play with me, play with me!”

Distracted, Ji Zhiqiu rubbed his ears. “Go play by yourself for a while, I’m busy.”

“No, I want you to play with me!” The brat possessed an inexhaustible supply of energy, desperately tugging at Ji Zhiqiu’s pants and jumping on the spot.

Ji Zhiqiu raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you were never going to talk to me again?”

The brat acted as if he hadn’t heard a word, continuing to throw a tantrum.

During this time, the number of viewers in the livestream room grew at a steady pace, and the chat began to fill up.

The platform had a mature recommendation mechanism. New small streamers were sent to a special partition to get some initial traffic. While it was minimal, it was precious to a beginner. It was also a test; if the retention and engagement were good, the platform would move him to the next round of promotions and offer special support policies.

Although Ji Zhiqiu’s stream had started with an “accident,” it happened to hit a nerve.

The world had long suffered from “brats.” Brats were certainly annoying, but the doting parents who indulged them were the true culprits. They gave birth but refused to discipline, offloading the responsibility onto strangers. If anyone finally couldn’t stand it and spoke up, the parents wouldn’t reflect at all; instead, they would stand on a moral high ground, accusing the other person of being “lacking in empathy” and “arguing with a child.”

People who accidentally wandered into the stream felt their anger boil over.

【I hate it when kids scream like that. It gives me a headache!】

Where did this brat come from? So annoying. I feel helpless that I can’t reach through the screen and slap him.】

【This parent is also top-tier trash, coddling him even when he’s this spoiled. He’ll learn when he finally causes real trouble.】

【People like this deserve to stream? Adding to the blacklist.】

The brat didn’t care about anyone else’s blood pressure; he continued his rampage. He was so spoiled and lawless that he felt invincible. Seeing Ji Zhiqiu wasn’t reacting, he stomped his feet twice. Too young to regulate his emotions or communicate, he grabbed a toy from the shelf beside him and smashed it heavily onto the floor. “Hurry up, I want you to play with me!”

Ji Zhiqiu: “…” Tsk tsk tsk. Who are you smashing that for? I’m so scared!

He mimicked Ji Yanyan’s expression from earlier: head tilted to the sky, eyes closed, and let out a wail. His body shook as if he were having a seizure. It was an enlarged version of a brat; the visual effect was incredibly prominent, almost explosive.

“Hmph, I’m angry too! I’m going to smash toys, too!”

After declaring this with zero emotion, Ji Zhiqiu let out a long howl, picked up a toy, and smashed it heavily onto the floor.

Because he stood taller and had more strength, the toy shattered into pieces, and fragments bounced onto the brat’s legs.

The chat, previously filled with vitriol, paused for a second. The viewers were stunned.

【??? What is he doing?】

【I’ve never seen this before, let me watch more.】

【…Why do I feel strangely satisfied?】

【Ahhh, he did something I’ve always wanted to do! So refreshing!!】

The brat stared at the fragments on the ground, completely dumbfounded.

That was my favorite toy… Wuuuuu, it’s broken.

His eyes brimming with tears, he looked up at Ji Zhiqiu and accused him with a sobbing voice: “Daddy is mean! How could you smash my toy!”

Ji Zhiqiu was acting like another brat right now; he wasn’t going to coddle him. He picked up another toy and held it high. “Didn’t you smash one first? Why can’t I?”

Ji Yanyan’s thick, curled eyelashes blinked twice. Tears hung from them, clearing his vision, and he finally saw the toy in his father’s hand.

T-t-that’s his favorite! He didn’t even want to let go of it when he slept!

He felt a sudden, inexplicable heartache and panicked completely. He stood on tiptoe, stretching his arms in an effort to snatch the toy back.

But he was no match for Ji Zhiqiu. Ji Zhiqiu just stepped back two paces, avoiding the boy’s hands. “Isn’t it true that if you’re angry, you smash things? Well, I’m angry too, and the consequences of my anger are very serious! I’m going to smash this one, no I’m going to smash all of them!”

Not acting like a decent human being is truly the most joyful thing.

Ji Zhiqiu had originally intended to give him a taste of his own medicine, pretending to be a brat so Ji Yanyan would realize the problem, but he ended up being himself, liberating his true nature. With a toy in each hand, he shook his body wildly, swinging them back and forth.

Although he was naturally optimistic and didn’t take things to heart, suddenly becoming the cannon fodder dad of three future villains had put immense invisible pressure on him. This “going crazy” acted as a total release, and his entire being felt sublimated.

Whew, refreshing.

Only after he felt mentally refreshed did Ji Zhiqiu turn to look at Ji Yanyan.

The effect was better than imagined. The brat’s arrogance had been extinguished, and he looked quite reserved a completely different person from the little monster he was moments ago.

“Daddy, good daddy.” Ji Yanyan pouted, extending his two little fleshy hands to softly hug Ji Zhiqiu’s leg. “Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

As expected, he had inherited his genes; the expression was incredibly cute. But Ji Zhiqiu’s heart didn’t soften. He kept his tone cold and hard, pretending to be temperamental. “But you just yelled at me, pulled my pants, and hit me!”

Ji Yanyan hesitated. Having been spoiled lawlessly, he didn’t even know what an apology was, but looking at the toy held high above his head, he surrendered. He flattened his mouth and said awkwardly: “Then… I’ll rub your leg for you, okay?”

While speaking, he wiped his nose and tears with his fleshy hands, then went to rub Ji Zhiqiu’s leg, smearing all the snot and tears onto him in the process.

The vein on Ji Zhiqiu’s temple throbbed twice; he hurriedly stopped him. “And then? Aren’t you going to apologize to me?”

The brat’s pout was so pronounced an oil bottle could hang from it, and his expression was extremely unwilling. Ji Zhiqiu hummed through his nose and made a gesture like he was going to smash another item. Terrified, the brat jumped up and hugged Ji Zhiqiu’s leg, acting spoiled. “Sorry! Don’t smash my toy!”

“Since it’s your favorite toy, why did you throw it? Remember: in the future, if you throw things, I throw things too. But the only person who will be heartbroken will be you.”

Ji Yanyan nodded repeatedly, looking longingly at his toy, pursing his lips at his father in hopes that cuteness would work on him.

Only then did Ji Zhiqiu slowly lower his hand and place the toy on the shelf.

“You wanted to play, right? Put the toy back together. Be quick about it. I’ll be cleaning up later; if there’s anything left on the floor, I’m sweeping it all up and dumping it in the trash!”

Ji Yanyan: “!!!”

Like a dragon guarding its treasure, he immediately sat on the floor, using his little hands to scoop up the scattered toy pieces, his fair, tender face filled with focus.

This cute appearance was a sharp contrast to his earlier behavior. Ji Zhiqiu watched the scene, triumphantly humming to himself.

Little brat, I’ve been a rebellious son for over a decade—you think you can fight me?

Ji Zhiqiu turned his head and caught a glimpse of the glowing computer screen, and his whole body froze.

He hurriedly walked over and looked at the viewer count.

The original “lone seedling” hadn’t been scared away, and several more had joined… He suddenly realized something was wrong, squinted, and counted carefully, discovering there was a second digit.

It was his first stream! He hadn’t done a single thing and had even caused a “streaming accident” how could there be dozens of people watching?!

He paused and tentatively asked, “Everyone… are you all real people?”

Viewers: “…”

【Hahaha, don’t worry, we’re all real people, not platform-generated data.】

【Not all of us are ‘alive,’ maybe 40% alive and micro-dead.】

【Streamer really knows how to choose effects. When you were going crazy, the orange head was grinning with its big teeth and bloody mouth open—it was hilarious, hahaha.】

【This poop-yellow orange head is the most evil one. Doge.jpg】

Happiness had come too suddenly. Ji Zhiqiu couldn’t quite process it. He didn’t know what they liked about him, but fortunately, the chat soon answered his confusion.

【It’s so satisfying! Don’t let him off just because he’s a child!】

【Beautiful! You smash, I smash—who’s afraid of whom?! Fairy Wand x10】

【Looking at the ID, this is the sister who was supposed to blacklist him. Why are you still here and even sent a gift? Hhh.】

【Followed. I misunderstood the streamer. He isn’t a ‘brat-parent’ at all. Watching this made my mammary glands feel unobstructed and my spirit refreshed.】

【Follow +1. What time do you stream every day?】

The follower conversion rate was almost one-to-one. Although the gift values weren’t huge, it was a fantastic start.

Ji Zhiqiu heard his own heartbeat accelerating, his eyebrows rising higher and higher.

Hmm. It seems I’ve found a new career path.