Chapter 27

Chapter 27

With the live broadcast of the second episode of *Zai Zai the Superman*, more and more netizens learned that today’s recording was taking place at the film studio complex.

In the show’s fan forums and those of its guests, many viewers and fans were excitedly discussing plans to visit.

“Bad news: the studio lot requires reservations at least three days in advance.”

“No wonder it’s mostly older tour groups with guides doing self-guided tours—regular people can’t even get in!”

Wen Cishu’s ancient costume look under the hashtag #AncientStylePrince rocketed to the top of hot searches within just two hours.

Clueless netizens mistakenly thought he was the male lead from a newly announced S+ project on some streaming platform.

“This tall, slender figure, this flawless face from every angle, those classical, full-of-aura phoenix eyes—oh my god, is that his natural face? If so, I’m buying stock right now!”

“Excuse me, with looks like this, who could possibly play the female lead? Isn’t he basically a male heartthrob?”

“Think differently—why not pair him with another male actor? Tsk, look at that waist! You guys don’t know how to appreciate this!”

“A boys’ love adaptation? Now you’ve got my attention, hehe~”

Reality show fans clarified in the comments, and netizens realized he was actually just a regular guest on the program, prompting waves of disappointment.

An influential entertainment blogger added fuel to the fire: “Just heard that a major fashion magazine tried to invite a civilian father-son duo from a certain reality show for a cover shoot, offering a record-high appearance fee. But they turned it down~~ The editor-in-chief said they’d try reaching out through industry contacts (I wish them luck).”

“Omg omg omg—it must be the gorgeous dad and Ming Zai! Which magazine? Step up your game!”

“Why won’t they do it? This is so frustrating!”

“He probably isn’t trying to break into the industry at all—he’s just doing the show for fun with his kid.”

“Ming Zai wanted to blow up, right? Well here’s your chance! Please just take one photo—just one would be enough!”

As the hype continued to rise, the show’s official account responded swiftly, releasing batch after batch of high-definition photos of the guests before noon.

Clearly inspired by the previous episode, they had adopted a real-time content strategy.

Under the official posts, commenters unanimously praised the crew for their efficiency and responsiveness.

-

On set, Wen Cishu encountered a small mishap.

A mother carrying her baby entered the teahouse for tea.

Since everyone else was busy, Wen Cishu helped serve the tea. As he bent over, his long black hair spilled over like water from one side.

The baby, only a few months old, reached out and grabbed a strand.

The chubby-cheeked little one babbled excitedly, kicking their legs in their mother’s arms as if trying to jump right out.

Startled, the mother quickly stood up with the child. “Honey, don’t pull!”

The baby, thinking their mother was encouraging them, kicked even harder.

“It’s fine, really,” Wen Cishu said, not feeling much pain. Looking at the adorable little butterball, he couldn’t help but smile. “This child is so lively.” Just like his own little rascal at home.

He didn’t pull back, afraid of tugging on the baby’s tiny hand.

At that moment, Bao Yiming rushed over in a panic and gently cupped the hair.

"Baby Mingming, don’t grab Papa’s hair, okay?"

The mother reached out to pull the baby’s hand away.

Seeing her move, Bao Yiming quickly stopped her. "Let me do it!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Bao Yiming gently pinched the baby’s tiny wrist, pressing gently on the soft back of its hand, and the tightly clenched fingers naturally loosened.

"There we go~"

Bao Yiming smiled and looked up at his Papa, as if asking: Pretty cool, huh?

Wen Cishu pulled the little rascal closer by the shoulder, laughing. "Such a smart Baby Mingming."

The mother clearly hadn’t expected this. She stared at her giggly, cute little one.

As a new mom, she often had trouble with her baby snatching things randomly, usually resorting to pulling or waiting for the child to let go on their own.

She quickly asked, "Kiddo, how did you do that just now? Can you teach me?"

Bao Yiming raised his own hand to demonstrate. "Just press the back of their hand gently. The little fist can’t stay clenched—it’ll open right up."

He noticed the baby’s big eyes still fixed on Papa’s hair, so he quickly steered his dad toward the counter, sweetly saying, "Ma’am, let me get you some tea."

The mother tried it on her baby’s hand and found it really worked.

"Kiddo, how did you know this?"

Bao Yiming pointed at his Papa. "When I was little, I loved grabbing Papa’s hair too. Big Dad did this to my hand, so I remembered. It doesn’t hurt at all—you can ask the baby."

He bent down, hands on his knees, and blinked at the baby. "Baby, did Big Bro hurt you?"

"Giggle giggle~~" The baby grinned widely, clearly not understanding but laughing happily.

The mother nodded in understanding. "Thank you. Now I get it too!"

"I think I’ve got it too! Any babies around? Let me test it out!"

"Ming Zai’s dad actually knows this stuff? Is he a parenting expert?"

"Probably didn’t want his wife to get hurt. Wife’s clearly the favorite; kid was a happy accident."

Ming Zai snaps: "Who’s a happy accident? Wanna explain that?"

After two busy hours, it was finally time for lunch.

Bao Yiming put up the sign his Papa had just written—“Closed for Lunch”—outside the door.

A team entered the teahouse carrying fancy lacquer lunchboxes, placing them neatly in a line on the long table in the hall.

The guests gathered around, and when the lids were lifted, they revealed gorgeous, tasty dishes.

Chu Han asked, "Did the crew set up such a special lunch today?"

The staff nodded. "It’s a special treat."

He wore white gloves as he carefully arranged eight servings of soup on the table. "Everyone worked hard this morning. Dig in while it's still hot!"

Zhou Xu, holding Xiao Qi, took a seat and waved everyone over. "Then we won’t hold back! Come, sit down!"

Wen Cishu was nearby, using a wet wipe to clean ink stains from his fingers. As he glanced at the dishes being taken out of the lacquered lunchboxes, a hint of confusion flickered across his almond-shaped eyes.

Zhu Wei noticed he was distracted and gently pulled him to sit. "Yiming’s dad, are you tired from standing too long this morning?"

Zhou Xu poured a glass of water and slid it toward Wen Cishu.

Wen Cishu thanked him and explained, "No, it’s just that the food smells amazing. I must really be hungry."

He accepted the chopsticks and bowl of rice Chu Han handed him.

The shiny, plump rice grains and aroma felt unexpectedly familiar.

"Let me try the dishes."

Zhou Xu picked up a piece of poached chicken from the plate, tasting it without any dipping sauce first. His eyes lit up with surprise. "Oh, this is Zhanjiang-style chicken!"

Zhu Wei laughed. "Guess I was right calling you the Culinary Master."

Chu Han took a sip of the soup. "This soup is especially fresh too. Tastes like it was simmered for hours without too much seasoning."

"Zhou Xu’s amazing. No wonder he doesn’t want to stay in the entertainment industry—probably aiming for the chef world instead."

"Whoa, why the feast today? Is it New Year’s or something? (Me too! Yum!)"

Wen Cishu picked up a small spoon to taste the soup. Looking at the lavish spread, he didn’t need to guess who had arranged this lunch.

Bao Yiming took a bite of braised gluten (four-joy kao fu), suddenly beaming. "Dad! This tastes just like how we make it at home. I thought only our family prepared it this way."

Xing Xing leaned in curiously at the unfamiliar dish. "What’s this? Is it good?"

Bao Yiming took Xing Xing’s chopsticks, dipped a piece of the gluten into the rich sauce for a few seconds, then brought it to his lips.

The cold gluten burst with savory sauce in one bite.

Xing Xing was astonished. "Mom, how come I’ve never had this before?"

Chu Han picked up a piece. "Mom tried it when filming in Shanghai before. If you like it, I’ll learn how to make it."

Wen Cishu knew this sauce was their family chef’s special recipe and made a note to himself to have some sent to Xing Xing’s family later.

Rong Rong waved her little hands eagerly. "Yiming gege~~ I want some too!"

Zhu Wei said, "Mom’ll get you some. Brother’s too far."

"And Xiao Qi too~"

The chubby little sweetheart pouted so hard his lips nearly puckered into a beak.

Zhou Xu served him a piece. "Never seen you this excited for Dad’s food before."

Xiao Qi giggled with a sweet, babyish laugh.

Wen Cishu figured this lunch was planned at least a day ahead—no way they could’ve pulled this together last-minute.

Especially with all the production team logistics involved.

He absentmindedly fiddled with his ring, thinking to himself:

When Bao Tingyuan goes all-in on being thoughtful, he really is meticulous about it.

"Is Ming Zai low-key hinting at something? Mommy’s expression looks suspicious—what’s the deal?"

"Bet someone was worried wifey wouldn’t eat right, so he totally sent a lunch through the crew?"

"No need to guess—wifey fiddling with his ring says it all."

"Who called wifey the real MVP? Nailed it!"

Between bites, the group bantered. Bao Yiming brought up how his lil’ dad had been learning to cook at home: "My lil’ dad thought cooking would come up again, so he actually studied up."

Zhou Xu laughed and asked, "Is Yi Ming’s dad gunning for my Culinary Master crown?"

Wen Cishu snapped back to reality, lifting his face to reply, "I can’t just let y’all cook every time—gotta pull my weight too."

Zhu Wei, dishing food for her kid, told him, "No need to cram—cooking’s tough."

Wen Cishu nodded, feeling even more nervous.

—Zero chance he’d ever get it.

"Mommy, why so extra? Learning to cook at home? Wild!"

When the hottie’s quiet, he’s got major ice-prince vibes, okay? Don’t let that pretty face fool you—he was totally a nerd in school.

Xiao Qi sat on his dad’s lap, occasionally reaching under his arm to tug at his little uncle’s sleeve.

He joined in, saying in his adorable baby voice, "Yi Ming gege, Daddy’s been singing in the shower—mmph!"

Before he could finish, a big hand covered his mouth.

Zhou Xu leaned down, whispering, "Xiao Qi, maybe keep that one to yourself, yeah?"

Xiao Qi tried to pry the fingers off, mumbling protests.

"Whoa! Uncle Zhou, hustling for clout or what?!"

Bao Yiming’s voice predictably shot up, full of excitement, "Uncle Zhou, drop us a song later?"

Zhou Xu waved him off, "Xiao Qi’s tripping. Who sings in the shower? Nope."

Wen Cishu tugged Xiao Qi’s tiny fingers playfully, smiling, "Xiao Qi’s ears work fine—no way he misheard."

"Yeah, yeah~~"

Feeling supported, Xiao Qi kicked his little legs happily, practically ready to dive into his uncle’s lap.

"Aww~ The hottie’s team Ming Zai—cute!"

Zhou Xu really ran with Ming Zai’s advice last time, huh?

Zhou Xu stans are losing it. Ming Zai FTW! <3

The meal wrapped up with laughs and gossip.

Zhou Xu, with his sharp eyes, joked, "Yiming’s dad has quite the appetite today—I saw you try every dish."

Rong Rong bravely chimed in, "Xiao Qi's dad, I saw Uncle take seconds of every dish~"

She gestured with her tiny hands.

Zhu Wei said, surprised, "Rong Rong, you observed so carefully today? That's amazing!"

Rong Rong happily leaned toward her mom.

Even the usually quiet Xingxing spoke up, "Uncle had more rice than usual today, too."

Wen Cishu lifted his eyes, his gaze full of confusion.

He couldn’t help but chuckle, rubbing his forehead, "Why are you all so focused on Uncle? Shouldn’t you be focusing on your food? That’s not very well-behaved, you know."

Chu Han stuck up for her son, "They’ve all been eating well—I can vouch for Xingxing."

Zhu Wei joined in teasing, "Our Rong Rong ate very well too."

Wen Cishu poked the little troublemaker, "Yiming, aren’t you going to speak up for Dad?"

"Oh—" Bao Yiming finally caught on, "I know why Dad ate more!"

Several people at the table asked in unison, "Why?"

Just as Bao Yiming opened his mouth to answer, Wen Cishu had already grabbed a napkin and clamped it over his mouth.

"Here, let Dad wipe your mouth for you."

"Huh?!" The others perked up with curiosity, "What’s going on?"

Wen Cishu winked at his son.

Bao Yiming, quick on the uptake, piped up cheerfully, "Break time! We’ve got the shop to open soon!"

"Mom, that’s not wiping—that’s a gag! *facepalm*"

"Called it again! Two for two, LOL."

"Papa Ming, if you’re sneaking your wife food, why not just show your face already!"