Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next morning.

Lin Yi woke up naturally and then lazily sat up in bed, yawning.

Ever since he transmigrated into the book, he had been able to sleep as much as he wanted every day, making up for all the sleep he had missed in his previous life.

Sitting on the bed, he spaced out for a while, thinking about the task the production team had given them yesterday.

It seemed they were supposed to go mushroom picking on the mountain today and have a competition to see who could sell their mushrooms for more money?

Even though it was a competition, Lin Yi wasn't worried at all. He slowly got out of bed and prepared to wash up.

Huo Mianmian woke up earlier than Lin Yi.

After waking up, he didn't disturb Lin Yi but instead moved a small stool to the window, propping his face with his soft little hands, sitting there quietly and watching the scenery outside the window.

When he heard movement behind him, he turned his head and saw that his dad had woken up.

Huo Mianmian's big, beautiful eyes immediately brightened, and he slid off the stool, walking over to Lin Yi with his short legs, looking up at Lin Yi.

As Lin Yi walked, a tiny figure suddenly appeared beside him.

This little one was looking up at him with an expectant gaze.

At first, Lin Yi didn't understand what Huo Mianmian's expectant look meant. He casually patted his head and said, "Mianmian, why did you get up so early?"

Huo Mianmian didn't say anything but continued to look at him with his watery big eyes, his gaze particularly bright.

Today, Huo Mianmian was wearing a rabbit costume, with two long rabbit ears on the hat and a round rabbit tail on his backside.

When he wore the hat, the two rabbit ears stood upright on his head. With his rosy lips and white teeth, he looked truly like a little rabbit.

Lin Yi, being stared at by such a cute little one first thing in the morning, felt his whole day become wonderful.

Since Huo Mianmian didn't talk much, Lin Yi pondered the situation for a moment and then asked, "I know, are you excited because we're going mushroom picking today?"

Huo Mianmian nodded his little head, and the rabbit ears on his head swayed cutely.

At this time, the production team knew the father and son had woken up, so they entered the bedroom to film.

The netizens in the live stream saw Huo Mianmian nodding his head as soon as they entered, and they were instantly charmed.

"Ahhh, what a cute little one!!"

"I want to hug and kiss him so badly!!!"

"Wahhh, this feeling of seeing but not being able to touch is so frustrating!!"

"Countless times I've had the urge to steal this kid!"

Lin Yi was equally charmed by Huo Mianmian and couldn't help but exclaim, "Tsk tsk, I really want to steal this kid!"

Huo Mianmian blinked his beautiful eyes.

Lin Yi squatted down, touched his little face, and said, "Mianmian, how about I steal you home?"

Huo Mianmian nodded immediately without any hesitation.

Okay, okay.

He was willing to live with his dad.

Seeing Huo Mianmian nod without hesitation, Lin Yi felt quite gratified and laughed, "Alright, it's settled then!"

But then he thought again, "Wait, you're already part of my family, no need to steal!"

His tone was full of pride.

"Drawing swords! This is too envious!!"

"Lin Yi must have saved the galaxy in his past life to have such a cute kid in this life!!"

"If everyone wants to snatch the kid, I'll snatch the adult then!"

"No way, Lin Yi is mine, no one can snatch him!!"

After playing with the little one for a while, Lin Yi was in a great mood and went to the bathroom to wash up.

One of the cameramen followed him with the camera.

The production team hadn't filmed the guests washing up in the morning yet, so now was a good opportunity.

Most importantly, Lin Yi had the best-looking face among all the guests, and not filming him would be a waste.

Lin Yi started by brushing his teeth and then began washing his face.

While he washed his face, many netizens were quite eager to see.

After all, Lin Yi's skin was so good that many people felt inferior, and they wanted to learn his skincare secrets.

In the end, after watching eagerly for a while, they were left dumbfounded.

Because Lin Yi had no special skincare routine; he simply cupped his hands to scoop some water and splashed it on his face, and that was it.

That's it?!!!

All the netizens: Ah?!

Generally speaking, as an artist, both men and women need to take care of their skin. I didn't expect Lin Yi's skin to be naturally so good that he doesn't need any aftercare.

"Envy, jealousy, hate!!!"

"Ahhh, why don't I have such great natural skin!!"

"Crying over my pile of skincare products!!"

"Wow, truly good skin only needs some water, right??"

The key is that Lin Yi just washed his face with water and still looked incredibly handsome.

His skin was particularly fair, and his features were strikingly captivating. His charming almond eyes seemed to exude a deep emotion, with the corners slightly lifted, adding a touch of nonchalance.

At the moment, after washing his face, there were still many small water droplets on his face, making his features appear even clearer and cleaner.

Soon, those droplets rolled down his face, sliding past his chin, then his neck, and finally disappearing into the edge of his pajamas, evoking endless imagination.

"Ahhhh, help, I'm starting to blush and my heart is racing, what should I do?"

"My husband is too tempting, ssshhh~"

"Who did Lin Yi marry? I want to challenge that person to a duel!"

"Suddenly feeling Cao Cao's joy!!"

The live stream was in an uproar, with netizens almost flipping the room upside down.

At this moment, Lin Yi took a few steps toward the bathroom door, then leaned against the frame with one hand, tilted his head, and said lazily to the cameraman, "I'm going to change clothes, could you please step out?"

His figure was slender and well-proportioned, slightly thin, and the pajamas hung loosely on him, revealing a particularly delicate and supple waistline.

Moreover, when he leaned against the door frame, his sleeve slipped down, exposing a section of his pale forearm.

What he said was a perfectly normal sentence, but due to his casual expression and movements, it somehow carried a flirtatious vibe.

"Just change!! Is there anything our esteemed VIP members can't see?"

"Don't go, cameraman, I want to watch my husband change clothes!!"

"Heavens, my husband's waist is amazing! If your hands were a bit bigger, you could probably hold it with both hands!!"

"Who is enjoying all of this? I'm so jealous!!"

"The person who married Lin Yi is enjoying it."

"The netizens are not doing enough; how come they haven't found out who that person is yet?"

Half an hour later, Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian were ready and set off for the mountain where they would be picking mushrooms today.

Apart from Lin Yi's group, He Nian, Zhao Jin, and Zhou Ke had already left earlier with their respective groups.

Of course, there was a group even more lethargic than Lin Yi's, which was Shen Feng and Song Yutao, uncle and nephew.

When Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian left, these two were still fast asleep in bed. They wouldn't sacrifice their sleep for a mushroom-picking competition!!

To make climbing easier, Lin Yi wore a simple casual outfit: a hoodie, sports pants, and sneakers.

This attire made him look particularly youthful and vibrant, like a college student coming to climb a mountain.

Huo Mianmian, dressed in his rabbit costume, adorably followed Lin Yi as they walked forward.

He had been eager to pick mushrooms, as he could only see them in picture books before, and now he could finally experience it firsthand.

To prepare for picking mushrooms, he even brought a small basket, fully equipped.

Father and son walked happily onward.

Soon, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

This mountain was very high, with dense and sturdy trees, making it an ideal place for picking mushrooms.

However, one downside was that the path up the mountain wasn't easy to navigate.

After all, the mountain path was muddy and somewhat steep.

Lin Yi, being an adult, didn't mind, but he was a bit worried about whether little Huo Mianmian could continue climbing.

Thinking of this, he turned his head to look.

At that moment, Huo Mianmian was carrying his small basket, taking one step at a time, climbing upward.

His body was too small, with short arms and legs, making it look difficult for him to climb. Sometimes, encountering a larger stone could almost trip him, as he was the youngest child participating in the show, only three years old, while the other children were four or five.

Seeing this, Lin Yi was about to ask Huo Mianmian if he wanted to stop climbing.

However, at that moment, Huo Mianmian noticed that Lin Yi had stopped and thought he might be tired, so he asked first, "Dad, are you tired? Do you want to rest for a while?"

Lin Yi's heart softened instantly.

How could this little treasure be so considerate?

Lin Yi replied, "I'm not tired. If you're tired, you can rest for a while."

Huo Mianmian shook his head, "Mianmian isn't tired either."

Saying this, he pursed his little lips and continued climbing forward.

From behind, it looked like a fluffy little rabbit moving through the woods.

Lin Yi watched Huo Mianmian's tiny figure and couldn't help but exclaim, "It turns out raising a child is such a joyful thing!"

"It's just because this child you're taking care of is exceptionally well-behaved!"

"Exactly! My kid is so rowdy every day, he can make your heart ache with frustration!"

"If I could raise a child like Mianmian, I'd definitely want to give him the best of everything in the world!"

After that, Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian continued climbing up the mountain.

To prevent Huo Mianmian from falling, Lin Yi stayed right behind him. If Huo Mianmian slipped, he could quickly lend a hand.

Huo Mianmian's legs were too short, so each step was only a small distance.

Lin Yi followed slowly behind, with plenty of energy to think about other things.

He wondered why Huo Mianmian had a condition similar to autism.

After all, such an adorable child must have been raised with great care and love; there shouldn't be any psychological issues.

Could it be that Huo Mianmian experienced something bad when he was even younger, or perhaps it's genetic?

However, the latter seemed unlikely.

Lin Yi didn't know much about the entire Huo family and didn't want to jump to conclusions.

His belief was that one should not make subjective judgments without fully understanding a situation, as it could negatively impact others.

But at this moment, Lin Yi found himself slightly concerned about these matters.

After all, a child as cute and well-behaved as Huo Mianmian would be hard for anyone not to care about.

So far, it was clear that Huo Mianmian's psychological issues hadn't fully healed.

He still didn't talk much, speaking only a few words throughout the day, and most of the time, he kept to himself. Most importantly, he sometimes woke up in the middle of the night...

This wasn't typical behavior for a three-year-old.

Lin Yi walked and pondered along the way.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

He Nian frowned deeply, looking at Hao Hao who had fallen to the ground.

Because He Nian was in a hurry, his steps were large, and Hao Hao, trying to keep up, became flustered and fell.

Seeing Hao Hao on the ground, He Nian's frown deepened.

He chose to bring Hao Hao on the show because Hao Hao was a child actor with a fan base, and his parents always boasted about how capable their son was. So, he brought Hao Hao along.

But since the filming began, Hao Hao hadn't provided much assistance, which increasingly frustrated him.

Especially now, with Hao Hao falling and slowing him down.

He had already suffered due to the incident at the agritainment place involving Lin Yi's mother and Lin Jie, damaging his reputation. He wanted to win today's mushroom-picking competition to prove himself.

But now this happened.

How could he pick the most mushrooms and come in first?

He Nian was furious inside but couldn't show it in front of the cameras. He managed a forced smile and said to Hao Hao, "Hao Hao, take your time. I'll go ahead."

Although Hao Hao was more independent than other children, he was still only five years old. Hearing He Nian say he would leave him alone in the forest, fear filled his eyes: "I-I'll go with you!"

They weren't particularly close, but in this eerie forest, Hao Hao could only rely on the adult participating in the show with him.

He Nian suppressed his impatience and spoke in his usual gentle tone, "Don't worry, the cameraman will be with you. Take your time!"

With that, he took a few steps forward.

Today, nothing would stop him from winning first place.

He had to perform well and crush Lin Yi thoroughly.

After all, Lin Yi had always been just a supporting character to him. As a supporting character, he should never surpass him!

Seeing He Nian leave without hesitation, Hao Hao panicked and limped after him, ignoring the pain in his leg.

Don't leave me behind!

As He Nian walked further away, Hao Hao's tears started falling.

Waaah, what should he do?

"What the hell! How could He Nian be so cruel?"

"Damn! This makes me so angry!"

"Isn't this considered child abuse?"

"He Nian has done this before. During previous tasks, he always pushed Hao Hao to work hard, regardless of the fact that he's just a five-year-old."

"How can people still praise him as kind and wonderful? How do they have the nerve to say such things?"

He Nian still had a significant number of fans.

Some immediately came to his defense.

"Now we're in the middle of a competition. It's understandable that Nian Nian wants to do better, right?"

"Besides, there are cameramen following us. What's the big deal??"

However, He Nian's irrational fans were quickly shut down by everyone else. Those fans realized they were in the wrong this time and promptly fell silent.

Lin Yi and Huo Mianmian had already climbed some distance.

According to the staff from the production team, starting from this area, mushrooms began to grow. However, to find more mushrooms, they would need to climb further up.

Lin Yi was an adult with enough stamina, so continuing the climb wasn't an issue for him. However, he was concerned about Huo Mianmian, who was only three years old and had already climbed quite high.

So, he decided to ask for Huo Mianmian's opinion.

At that moment, Huo Mianmian suddenly seemed to have discovered something. He reached out his little hand and tugged at Lin Yi's sleeve.

Not knowing what had happened, Lin Yi raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"

Huo Mianmian pointed a finger forward.

Lin Yi looked in the direction Huo Mianmian was pointing and saw a child leaning against a large rock, crying softly.

Lin Yi was puzzled.

Isn't that Hao Hao?

Why isn't he with He Nian, but crying alone here?

Lin Yi walked over to Hao Hao with Huo Mianmian.

He squatted down in front of Hao Hao and asked, "Hao Hao, what's wrong? Why are you crying alone here?"

Hao Hao lifted his tear-filled eyes and, upon seeing Lin Yi, like a trapped little animal seeing someone come to rescue him, his voice became even more choked up: "Brother Lin Yi, waaahh!!"

All the children in the program liked Lin Yi, and Hao Hao was no exception. However, He Nian usually kept a tight rein on him, not allowing him to get close to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi reached out and gently wiped away Hao Hao's tears before asking again, "Take it easy. What happened?"

Under Lin Yi's gentle comfort, Hao Hao's emotions finally calmed down a bit, though he still sniffled as he said, "I fell... My leg hurts..."

Upon hearing that his leg hurt, Lin Yi immediately rolled up Hao Hao's pant leg to check his knee.

Sure enough, Hao Hao's right knee was red and swollen, with some mud on it.

Lin Yi frowned slightly, then turned to Huo Mianmian and asked, "Mianmian, did you bring any tissues today?"

After all, their little Mianmian had a slight cleanliness obsession and always carried tissues with him to wipe away any dirt.

Sure enough, Huo Mianmian had brought tissues this time too.

He took out a pack of tissues from his pocket, handed them to Lin Yi, and then quietly squatted down to watch Lin Yi tend to Hao Hao's wound.

Lin Yi gently wiped the mud off Hao Hao's knee with the tissues and checked again. Finding that it was just a scrape without any other injuries, he felt relieved.

He folded Hao Hao's pant leg above the knee to prevent the fabric from rubbing against the wound and said, "Don't worry; it's just a minor injury."

Hao Hao finally felt completely reassured after hearing Lin Yi's words: "Thank you, Brother Lin Yi."

Lin Yi wiped away the remaining tears on Hao Hao's face and smiled, saying, "That's right. Boys should be brave."

Hearing Lin Yi praise him for being brave, Hao Hao stopped crying.

He wanted to be a brave little boy!

"Waaahh, why am I crying now?"

"So touching! When my wife Lin Yi is gentle, it's just too powerful!"

"How can Lin Yi be so kind? No wonder the kids in the show all love playing with him. If it were me, I'd want to play with him too!!"

After Hao Hao finally calmed down, he remembered something else and said worriedly, "Should I catch up? I'm afraid of getting scolded."

He didn't specify who he was afraid of, but the answer was clear.

Lin Yi told him, "Your foot isn't suitable for walking right now. Don't try to catch up."

Then he added, "Don't worry. With me here, no one will dare to scold you."

His words were firm and reassuring, giving a strong sense of security.

Hao Hao felt relieved and finally showed a long-awaited smile.

This was the first time he had smiled so freely since joining the show.

"Ahhhh, my wife was so cool when he said that!!"

"Yes, even through the screen, I can feel the security!!"

"Both gentle and secure, how could anyone not like him?"

"If He Nian really dares to scold anyone, I'll be the first to call him out!!"

"Exactly, does he think netizens are pushovers?"

With Hao Hao now part of their group, Lin Yi decided to rest for a while and then gather mushrooms nearby.

While they were resting, Shen Feng and Song Yutao, the uncle and nephew pair, arrived late, yawning with each step.

Upon seeing Lin Yi, Shen Feng suddenly perked up and stopped yawning.

He asked Lin Yi curiously, "What are you doing sitting here?"

Lin Yi glanced at him lazily. "Isn’t it obvious? We’re resting."

Shen Feng ran his hand through his disheveled hair. "Aren’t we supposed to be in a competition? You’re actually resting here?"

Lin Yi: "…"

How could this person, who arrived even later than he did, have the nerve to say such things?

Shen Feng didn’t think there was anything wrong with his question. Seeing Lin Yi resting on a rock, he also wanted to sit down.

Unfortunately, as soon as he approached, Lin Yi stood up.

Shen Feng immediately widened his eyes, looking somewhat incredulous. "Why do you look so disgusted by me?"

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

Didn’t he show nothing of the sort?

Shen Feng insisted, "Of course you did! As soon as I came over, you wanted to leave!"

And he had even wanted to chat with Lin Yi while sitting together.

"Hahaha, Shen Feng looks like a big dog that’s been abandoned by its owner."

"I noticed long ago that ever since he met Lin Yi on the first day of the show, his personality has changed. He used to be irritable and cold, but now he’s a bit attention-seeking and proud!"

"Hahaha, ‘attention-seeking’ is a very accurate description."

Lin Yi knew that Shen Feng, this young master, had a peculiar temper and didn’t bother arguing with him. He simply said, "Didn’t you say we’re in a mushroom-picking competition? Naturally, I need to be proactive."

Shen Feng complained, "How is what you’re doing proactive?"

Clearly, this person had just been lounging around with a carefree attitude.

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "What tone is that? What if I end up winning first place?"

Shen Feng often made bets with his friends, so he instinctively replied, "If you win first place, I’ll call you dad!!"

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Was there such a good deal?

After shouting that out, Shen Feng realized what he had blurted out in a moment of haste. Feeling annoyed, he quickly tried to backtrack. "But what if you don’t win first place?"

Lin Yi thought for a moment and said calmly, "Then I’ll call you son?"

Shen Feng: "Deal!!"

After a few seconds, he reacted. "Wait, how can you be so unfair??"

Lin Yi: "Hahahaha!!!"

"Hahaha, Shen Feng seems a bit lacking in intelligence when he’s around Lin Yi."

"Yeah, he’s like a husky."

"Lin Yi will never lose in terms of intelligence and reaction speed. Don’t forget, he solved a multiplication problem with two-digit and three-digit numbers in just three seconds during a mental arithmetic competition."

"Why is Lin Yi so perfect!!"

"I like Lin Yi even more today!!"

After their playful banter, everyone really started searching for mushrooms nearby.

After all, the staff had mentioned that there were mushrooms in this area, though they were sparse. So most people continued climbing further ahead.

However, because Hao Hao’s leg was injured, they decided not to go any further.

Huo Mianmian had been looking forward to picking mushrooms for a long time, and now his wish had come true.

He seemed much happier than usual, carrying a basket in his small hands and searching through the woods.

Since he was wearing a rabbit costume, he looked like a little bunny picking mushrooms.

In no time, he found two small mushrooms, his eyes lighting up. He happily placed them in his basket and continued searching.

"Wow, our little Mianmian is amazing; he found mushrooms so quickly!"

"That’s expected; look who’s doing it!"

Lin Yi was also searching for mushrooms.

However, his approach was much more casual, just looking around aimlessly.

Shen Feng was different from the others.

He didn’t search for mushrooms but instead crossed his arms and followed Lin Yi closely. "Are you sure you can find mushrooms here? The staff said the mushrooms are mostly higher up."

Lin Yi responded matter-of-factly, "Who said I can’t find them here? Because no one comes here, I might get lucky."

He had considered this earlier. Everyone wanted to pick more mushrooms, so they kept climbing up,

which meant the higher areas might already be picked clean. It was better to try his luck here.

Shen Feng was momentarily speechless.

Lin Yi’s logic seemed to make sense?

But he wasn't about to agree with Lin Yi; if Lin Yi came in first place, wouldn’t he really have to call him "Dad"?

At this moment, Lin Yi glanced at him. "Why are you following me instead of looking for them yourself?"

Shen Feng raised his chin. "None of your business; I do what I want!"

Lin Yi didn’t bother with this person and continued searching.

Yet Shen Feng didn’t leave, chattering incessantly by his side. "Didn’t you say you’d get first place? Looks like your hopes might be dashed."

Lin Yi was getting annoyed by the constant chatter and just wanted to get rid of this nagging person. So he replied, "Who said I can’t find any?"

Shen Feng gloated, "You still have nothing in your hands, don’t you?"

After all, it was a matter of whether he had to call Lin Yi "Dad," so naturally, he was extra concerned.

After hearing this, Lin Yi casually pointed to some rustling leaves nearby and said, "There’s plenty over there. I’ll go pick them now, so you should leave and not interfere with my performance!"

As he spoke, he walked towards that direction to get away from Shen Feng.

Seeing Lin Yi’s confident demeanor, Shen Feng’s mouth twitched.

Did this guy think he was an idiot?

Did he really think he could point randomly and find mushrooms?!

Lin Yi took a few steps forward and finally got away from Shen Feng’s nagging.

He was about to start searching seriously when he noticed something odd.

The spot he had pointed to earlier seemed to actually have many mushrooms?

Lin Yi wasn’t sure and looked closely.

Sure enough, there were mushrooms!

And their color and shape looked so much like the legendary matsutake mushrooms!

At this moment, the cameraman also focused the lens on those mushrooms on the ground.

The comments exploded instantly.

"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!!! What did I just see?!!!!!!!"

"Are these matsutake mushrooms???"

"Holy crap!!! Is this possible???"

"I just widened my eyes instantly!!!"

"So what did Lin Yi just do?"

"He did nothing, just pointed randomly."

"Help, what kind of luck does Lin Yi have??"

"I’m going to worship Lin Yi; maybe my wishes will come true next second."

"Ahhh, my Lin Yi is too amazing!!!"

On this side, Shen Feng saw Lin Yi stop walking and followed him curiously.

Then, he also saw those matsutake mushrooms, and his eyes widened even bigger than bells.

Damn, how is this possible??

Lin Yi was cheating too much!!!!

Shen Feng wore a rare look of frustration.

After all, if Lin Yi got these incredibly precious matsutake mushrooms, he would definitely win this competition.

So, did he really have to call him "Dad"?!

Just then, Lin Yi turned to look at him with a half-smile. "Do you remember what you said earlier?"

Shen Feng: "..."

Could he headbutt a tree and pretend to have amnesia right now?!