The Salted Fish Transmigrates as a Wealthy Stepdad and Goes Viral on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 20

Two figures, one large and one small, came into view. As soon as Chu Yian saw the cameraman trailing behind them, he knew this was the non-celebrity guest.

The others on the beach looked over simultaneously. Being stared at by several pairs of curious eyes, Gu Wancheng paused for a moment, his lips twitching slightly.

[He almost gave Chengcheng social anxiety.]

“Hello everyone, I am Gu Wancheng, and this is my son,” Gu Wancheng said with a gentle smile as he introduced himself.

“Good morning, Uncles and Aunties. My name is Chaochao,” Chaochao said politely, poking his head out from behind Gu Wancheng’s leg in a sudden bout of shyness.

Jian Yue leaned in closer; he loved teasing shy children the most. “Chaochao, you should call me Brother. Do I look that old? Hmm?”

Gu Wancheng shot him a look of pity. This man was definitely about to get shut down by Chaochao.

Sure enough, Chaochao opened with a bombshell. “Why? Does Uncle want to be my brother? Are you planning to become the eldest son of my Father and Baba?”

[Wait, is that how he interprets that?]

[Look at Brother Jian’s face; that is a look you only see once in eight hundred years.]

[Why is this so funny?]

Jian Yue looked at him in shock. When did he ever say he wanted to be their eldest son?

Gu Wancheng thought, See? I told you.

The group turned their heads in unison to look at Chaochao’s father. What is up with your kid?

Gu Wancheng cleared his throat. “Chaochao, you cannot speak like that. Call him Brother Jian, and call that one Brother Chu.”

He then pointed at Jiang Yu. “This one is Brother Jiang.”

Chaochao blinked and opened his mouth to ask a question, but Gu Wancheng, sensing it coming, covered his mouth.

“No matter what questions you have, greet them first.” He narrowed his eyes at the boy. Chaochao immediately felt a bad omen; his sharp sixth sense told him to skip the questions and greet them obediently.

Jian Yue, currently at a loss for words, nodded solemnly, while Chu Yian responded with a smile.

To prevent Chaochao from continuing the previous topic, they quickly hurried him off to go play with Xiaolin and the others.

Zhao Chengyu tried to lighten the atmosphere. “Good morning, Wancheng. You can just call me Brother Zhao. If you need anything, you can find me.”

Gu Wancheng nodded but did not take it too seriously, knowing these were mostly polite formalities.

Looking at Jian Yue, who was still immersed in shock, Gu Wancheng asked, “Are you okay?”

Jian Yue snapped out of it. “Not really. Your kid is truly special.”

Gu Wancheng gave an awkward smile in response.

Xu Xiashi observed him silently. Although he was not the girl she had hoped for, a handsome man was a nice addition; he was easy on the eyes and seemed okay overall, as long as he was not a troublemaker.

Looking at his approachable demeanor, her intuition told her that Gu Wancheng was not that kind of person and was worth getting to know. Her intuition was usually quite accurate.

As they chatted casually, Gu Wancheng suddenly felt an uncomfortable gaze. He looked over and saw Jiang Yu watching him. The look was not friendly, but Jiang Yu quickly flashed him a brilliant smile.

Jiang Yu’s eyes darkened. He was certain Gu Wancheng would get in his way. Suppressing the malicious thoughts rising within him, he returned the smile.

The others did not notice the undercurrent between the two.

“Gather around, gather around!”

Everyone turned to see Chen Liqing standing there with a megaphone. The device was repeatedly blaring those three words while he wore a beaming smile.

Beside him stood a little one, the final guest, Su Anchen.

Seeing them look over, Chen Liqing pressed a button to turn off the noisy megaphone.

He said gently to Xiaoxiao, “Xiaoxiao, can you introduce yourself?”

Xiaoxiao looked at this strange man with an expressionless face and introduced himself calmly.

“Hello everyone, my name is Su Anchen, my nickname is Xiaoxiao, and I am four years old.”

Upon hearing the call to gather, the other children ran to their respective adults and stood obediently to watch Xiaoxiao’s introduction.

“Alright, that brother over there will be looking after you. Go stand by him.”

Xiaoxiao glanced at Jiang Yu, who was smiling at him with a gentle expression, then looked away and walked over silently.

[Ah, is Xiaoxiao a “poker face”? Scratching head.jpg]

[I get the feeling Xiaoxiao does not like to talk.]

[Maybe he is just shy.]

After Xiaoxiao was in position, Chen Liqing stood before them and scanned the group with narrowed eyes. Internally, he was screaming, Damn it, I chose the wrong spot. This sun is blinding!

However, Chen Liqing was too stubborn to move and lose face.

Chaochao pulled on Gu Wancheng’s sleeve and whispered, “What is this Grandpa doing?”

Gu Wancheng’s lips twitched as he replied, “Call him Uncle Director.”

“Why? Do Uncles not have hair?”

“Because Uncle Director is still young. You need to go to sleep early, or you will end up bald too.”

Bald!

Several children clutched their heads in fear. Help, we do not want to be bald!

Chen Liqing, whose hair was thinning due to staying up late and mental exhaustion, was speechless.

With his sharp ears, Chen Liqing’s face darkened. Why were the others “Brothers” and “Uncles,” but when it came to him, he was a “Grandpa”? Just because his hair was sparse? Is it my fault my hair is thinning?

Zhao Chengyu, standing next to Chaochao, almost burst out laughing. Seeing Chen Liqing’s dark expression, he peeked at the director’s head and cleared his throat. “Director Chen, please announce where we are going.”

Jian Yue chuckled directly and muttered, “Still loves acting like a big-shot director.” His movements resembled a dean, and his hairstyle did too. They felt like students being lectured. What, did he want to be a dean in a past life?

Hmph! Chen Liqing glared at the troublemaker Jian Yue, then suddenly chuckled.

A chill ran down everyone’s spines, and a bad feeling emerged. The children hid behind the adults. This strange Uncle is scary.

The “Strange Uncle” Chen Liqing dropped his smile and picked up the megaphone, putting on a serious face. “Our first trip is a half-month stay on a sea island.”

[Wow, a sea island! Can we go beachcombing?]

[There is a beach, so probably!]

“Shortly, we will take fishing boats to get there.”

Chu Yian raised his hand. “I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are we taking fishing boats, and where are they?”

Chen Liqing remained silent. Could he admit it was because they were too poor? Cruise ships and helicopters were expensive!

He chose to ignore the first question and answer the second.

“They are behind you.”

The group turned around, and massive question marks appeared over their heads. They looked back and forth between Chen Liqing and the boats.

Six small fishing boats were docked at the shore. These boats emitted a decaying aura, telling everyone they had weathered many storms. As the sea breeze blew past, the boats wobbled precariously.

The group stood there dumbfounded.

These boats were truly small, fitting three people at most. Excluding the driver, it was just enough for one family per boat.

[Um, this!]

[Where did the production crew find these antiques?]

[Can these boats really still be used?]

Xu Xiashi snapped out of it and gave him a look. “It must have been hard for you to find these ancient relics.”

Chen Liqing did not even blush; he took it as a compliment. “It was no trouble at all.”

Xu Xiashi sneered. This “dog” of a man really had the nerve to accept that.

Jian Yue’s eye twitched. “With how stingy you are, you better watch out or someone will put a sack over your head in a dark alley.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, several pairs of large, innocent eyes stared straight at him. His reflection in their pure, untainted eyes made him feel an immediate wave of guilt.

Jian Yue fell silent.

Usually eloquent, he was now speechless and looked toward the others for help.

Gu Wancheng sighed and spoke up to distract the children, receiving a look of profound gratitude from Jian Yue.

Chen Liqing immediately announced, “Good! Since no one has any more questions, let us set off!”

The group collectively thought, Wait, what?

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