Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next day, Dudu woke up to find his dad gone again.

When the nanny pushed open the bedroom door, she saw the tiny toddler sitting on the bed by himself, hugging his chubby legs, and struggling to pull socks onto his little feet.

“Oh, Dudu’s awake? Why didn’t you call Grandma?”

“Grandma Wang!” Dudu’s voice was still sweet and clear after a night’s sleep.

His dad had left a cup of water by his bedside before leaving that morning, so Dudu had already drunk it all by himself upon waking.

But the more independent Dudu was, the more he tugged at the heartstrings of adults.

Grandma Wang hurried into the bedroom. “Your dad left late today—he didn’t head out until 5:30 AM.”

5:30 AM was already incredibly early for most working people, but Wei Ran often left home around three or four in the morning. Even Grandma Wang, who was naturally an early riser, couldn’t keep up with that schedule.

“I used to think being a celebrity was the easiest job—just show up and money rolls in. But after seeing your dad, I realize this job is truly tough.”

Dudu nodded vigorously. “Tough!”

Wang Shuqin had grown more talkative with age, especially since little Dudu was such an attentive listener—always paying attention and responding earnestly.

So as she helped Dudu put on his socks, Grandma Wang smiled and began her daily chatter: “Now that I’ve gotten used to Mr. Wei’s work hours, even 5:30 feels late… Dudu, when you grow up, you must take good care of your dad. He works so hard.”

Dudu: “Works so hard!”

“Good boy, let me have a look.” After putting on the socks, Grandma Wang lifted Dudu off the bed, checked him over, and continued praising him. “Our Dudu is the best. Got dressed all by himself after waking up, didn’t cry or fuss at all. Come on, let’s go wash your face and have breakfast.”

Wei Dudu snuggled softly against Grandma’s shoulder, eyes bright. “Dudu is the best!”

Today’s breakfast consisted of a rabbit-shaped vegetable bun, a bowl of steamed egg custard, and a few vegetable-stuffed meatballs.

The meatballs were made from fresh beef ground by Grandma Wang herself, seasoned with spices, then mixed with carrots, diced vegetables, and corn kernels into a smooth paste. She sprinkled chopped green onions on top, shaped them into small patties, and pan-fried them.

The result was crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside—exactly how Dudu liked them. Paired with the silky-smooth egg custard, Dudu ate happily.

Grandma Wang loved watching Dudu eat, especially the way his chubby cheeks puffed out—it was utterly adorable.

She took a video with her phone to send to Wei Ran and said to Dudu, “Your dad rushed out this morning. I made some egg custard for him too, but he didn’t eat any—just grabbed two buns and left. Dudu, eat well, and let’s make Dad jealous.”

“Mm-hmm.” Hearing this, Dudu wiggled his little feet dangling from the high chair and ate even more enthusiastically.

Dad didn’t like eating much, Grandma Wang said, so Dudu had to set a good example—if Dad saw how delicious food was, he’d want to eat too!

Remembering that Dad had only taken two buns, Dudu picked up the small bun from his plate with both hands and started biting into it directly, looking determined.

Dudu preferred meat and disliked vegetables—even vegetable buns were usually rejected by the little one.

But every time Grandma Wang told him to be a role model for Dad, Dudu would summon all his energy and eat with enthusiasm.

Whenever he heard what Dad had taken for breakfast, Dudu would focus intently on eating the same thing and ask Grandma Wang to record it and send it to Dad.

Like today—if Dudu could make this bun look delicious enough to make Dad hungry, then Dad would eat properly too!

He even pulled the vegetables out of the bun first, nibbling them like a little goat grazing on grass, while Wei Dudu stared wide-eyed into Grandma Wang’s camera, chewing carefully.

Even though he didn’t like them, his round, grape-like eyes sparkled, and the whole child radiated joy, as if saying directly to his dad: It’s yummy!

Wang Shuqin on the side was already laughing heartily.

Though Wang Shuqin was a professional nanny hired to care for children, Wei Ran was about the same age as her own kids, so in her eyes, he was still just a young man.

Young people work so hard—if they don’t eat well, how can they keep going?

Besides, her method not only got Dudu to eat vegetables but also encouraged his dad to eat better—it solved two problems at once.

After breakfast, Grandma Wang took Dudu to preschool.

Wei Ran was a considerate employer. He clearly stated that Grandma Wang only needed to take care of Dudu and didn’t need to do housework. A cleaning service came during the day to handle the rest.

Moreover, for convenience and safety in transporting Dudu, Wei Ran had also hired a bodyguard who doubled as their driver.

This was also why Wang Shuqin cared so deeply for the father and son.

In life, kindness begets kindness.

Besides, who wouldn’t adore a well-behaved child like Dudu?

At 3:30 PM, after picking Dudu up from school, Grandma Wang took the little boy to join the line for sweet potatoes.

Since Wei Ran usually came home very late and didn’t eat again at night, and since Wang Shuqin herself had high blood sugar and controlled her diet, and Dudu couldn’t finish a whole sweet potato alone, the leftover sweet potatoes always ended up being eaten by the driver.

At first, Wang Shuqin didn’t agree with Dudu lining up every day to buy sweet potatoes. She thought it wasteful to buy them if no one in the family could eat them.

But soon, after learning that Dudu was actually observing how popular his dad was through these outings, Grandma Wang—who didn’t fully understand the world of celebrities—was amazed at how much the little boy understood and became happy to bring him along.

For the past two weeks, buying sweet potatoes had become a fixed routine for grandmother and grandson.

Today, the line for sweet potatoes was even longer, stretching into a winding queue.

Dudu stared at the long line, his round eyes widening into an “O” shape, unable to hide his surprise and delight.

But he didn’t rush to join the queue. Instead, he hurried over to the neighboring roasted chestnut stand.

“Uncle, how much are the chestnuts?”

The chestnut vendor, whose business had been slow, looked down to see a round little head suddenly appear in front of his counter. Meeting the child’s big, bright eyes, he immediately stood up, his voice instantly shifting to a high-pitched, playful tone: “Fifteen yuan per jin—and get one jin free! Little buddy, how many do you want?”

In the end, Dudu walked away with two jin of chestnuts—after finally understanding what “buy one get one free” meant.

“Look, isn’t that the little fan of Wei Ran everyone was talking about online yesterday?”

As Dudu chatted with the chestnut vendor in his clear, crisp voice, whispers spread among the sweet potato line.

“It’s really him! His skin is so fair, his eyes so big—that little watermelon haircut is unforgettable!”

“It’s strange. Usually, all kids look alike to me, but this one stands out so much. Who’s his mom? She must be stunning!”

“Has Wei Ran’s little fan come to check in again today?”

Someone else instantly switched to a high-pitched, cutesy voice.

But there were also some less harmonious voices in the crowd. A blond youth near the back of the line muttered to his friend:

“Hah, I told you Wei Ran couldn’t have such a young fan. See? He went straight to the roasted chestnut stall next door!”

The fans queuing up to get Wei Ran's signature sweet potatoes didn't expect two haters to be mixed in the line. People in front and behind shot looks at the two men.

However, in-person fan interactions are usually toned down compared to online ones, and everyone tends to be more low-key. Especially when it's not an official celebrity event, fans lay low, and haters even more so.

The blond guy only muttered a remark under his breath to his companion, not daring to cause trouble openly, and the other Wei Ran fans also refrained from reacting.

Only one girl with a long ponytail did the same thing, whispering to her companion, "Even haters are buying Ran Ran's signature sweet potatoes. This is what they call 'hating so much it turns into love'—love they don't even realize they feel."

Her companion snickered in agreement.

The blond guy overheard but didn’t want to start real-life drama over something like this. Still, it didn’t stop him from picking up his phone to call this out online.

"LOL, Wei Ran's fans are spreading rumors that his little fan is only four years old, but the kid is just here getting food every day as part of his routine..."

Before he could finish typing, the aroma of roasted chestnuts suddenly hit his nose. Faintly, he seemed to hear a child calling him "brother."

On instinct, the blond guy looked up, searching for the source of the scent and voice, but found nothing.

He lowered his head and moved his phone aside, only to see a cute little kid with a bowl cut looking up at him with a big, adorable smile.

The young man: !!!...?

"Brother, want some chestnuts?"

The little kid, seeing that he had finally noticed, opened his small, little palm to reveal two chestnuts inside.

The blond guy had never seen such a situation and didn’t understand the child’s intention. Instinctively, he tried to decline: "Thanks, but I'm good—"

"Baby wants to treat brother to chestnuts. Thank you, brother, for liking Ran Ran!" the child cut in.

It was rare for such a young child to speak so clearly, and everyone around immediately understood what he said.

The child added, "Please keep supporting Ran Ran!"

The blond guy: "..."

The clear, little voice rang out, tugging at everyone's heartstrings. Without thinking, the blond guy took the chestnuts from the child’s hand.

...Suddenly, he found himself unable to refuse!

Not done yet, the child reached into his bag, grabbed two more chestnuts, and stuffed them into the brother’s hand.

Then he moved on to the next person in line.

The little kid, who only came up to people's knees, continued forward, passing out chestnuts to everyone in the queue.

Each time, he repeated the same words: he wanted to thank everyone for supporting Ran Ran.

Occasionally, when he encountered a bystander who was just there to buy sweet potatoes and wasn’t a fan, Dudu would still offer up chestnuts too.

Those who didn’t understand what Dudu was doing would tease him, and Dudu would loudly start pitching Ran Ran, asking the brothers and sisters to check him out!

If they didn’t know how to follow his stuff, he’d tell them to turn on the TV and watch the currently popular drama *Night Journey* to find out who Ran Ran was!

In deep fall, the evening temps had already dropped, and waiting in line for sweet potatoes got pretty boring and cold.

But holding warm roasted chestnuts, handed out personally by an adorable little child—who could possibly feel bored now!?

"No way, this kid is actually here to support Wei Ran!"

"Now we can confirm this kid really is Wei Ran’s little fan, huh? Giving out chestnuts himself!"

"The chestnuts are still a bit hot—they’ve even reddened the baby’s little hands. Let me help you hand them out, sweetie," someone said, stepping out of line.

With such an adorable little companion, who even cared if they had to queue up again later?

The blond guy and his companion, each holding four chestnuts, just stood there.

They suddenly forgot why they had come in the first place.

The blond guy and his friend were both out of work. They couldn’t find easy, decent-paying gigs and weren’t willing to do grunt work. Recently, they had planned to run a gossip page.

Before their account could take off, they had already turned into keyboard warriors while researching the market.

Mainly, they thought stanning was dumb—what was there to like about those flashy celebs? Instead of chasing stars, people should focus on respecting their own parents.

With this mindset, the two young men, who had left their hometowns and rarely cared for their own parents, decided to investigate after hearing about the recent hype around Wei Ran—how he attracted so many people to buy sweet potatoes, with some even taking high-speed trains just for it. They planned to record a video criticizing "brainless fans" and exposing Wei Ran's shady marketing.

But then something happened...

"I think I suddenly understand why people stan..." the blond guy said dazedly to his companion.

Perhaps it was because someone in this world created something beautiful, attracting more people who, in turn, experienced even more beauty because of it.

Like the sudden warmth and fragrant chestnuts in deep fall. People were passing around good vibes because of one person...

The blond guy was feeling inspired.

He had nothing for his video exposing "Wei Ran's shady marketing," but immersing himself in the fan community and experiencing the beauty of fandom made his creative ideas flow endlessly!

Nearby, Dudu, having finished handing out chestnuts, walked to the end of the line and began waiting his turn for today’s sweet potatoes.

Someone who had received chestnuts from him earlier offered to let Dudu take his spot, but Dudu politely declined—Dudu loved the process of waiting in line for his dad’s signature sweet potatoes!

Grandma Wang came over to Dudu, already laughing heartily at the sight of him carrying the chestnut bag.

By supporting the chestnut vendor’s stall and then using the chestnuts to cheer for his dad and treat his fans, there was no worry about the chestnuts going to waste at home.

This kid Dudu—how could he be so clever!

Wang Shuqin recorded Dudu’s entire endeavor and sent the footage to Wei Ran.

Just then, Dudu turned around and walked away from the sweet potato line.

Grandma Wang, always worried about losing the child, quickly followed.

She saw Dudu approach a guy in a full suit about five meters away. The child looked up and asked, "Brother, are you here to buy Ran Ran’s signature sweet potatoes too?"

The young man was clearly taken aback, hesitating as he looked down at the short little kid.

This young man’s demeanor and attire clearly stood out in the bustling pedestrian market.

To put it bluntly, his clothes were too formal, his demeanor too refined—completely out of place in a casual market setting. He didn’t look like someone who’d come to buy everyday groceries.

But it also didn’t seem like he was here specifically for Wei Ran’s signature sweet potatoes.

Someone like him wouldn’t personally engage in fan activities.

Especially the two men in suits following behind him looked every bit like bodyguards.

He fit the image of a big-shot executive coming for an inspection.

However, for a leader, he seemed overly young. Wang Shuqin, who was following Dudu, also noticed that this young man was exceptionally tall—likely even taller than Wei Ran, probably around 190 cm, and stood out like a sore thumb.

Yet, only adults would scrutinize others' attire and aura; a child wouldn’t pay attention to such things.

Dudu simply noticed that this uncle had been standing there for a long time, and kept looking over at the sweet potato stall.

So he assumed he was also here to buy sweet potatoes.

Even if he wasn’t here for sweet potatoes, he could still be anli-ed to buy some... oops, I mean, get him to like Ranran!

Wei Dudu, who only came up to the man’s knees, enthusiastically reached into his pocket, pulled out two chestnuts, and stretched out his hand, looking up: "The line is over here, mister! Dudu will give you some chestnuts first!"

Author's Note:

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Young man (mister): ………

Never expected to be called 'uncle' while my wife gets 'sister' on my first appearance. [Helpless]

Double updates today as well~