Chapter 8 The Other Guests

Chapter 8: Other Guests

"Wow~, our Xiao Xiao truly comes from a prominent family, as expected."

"So curious, so curious, I wonder what Brother Jing's partner looks like."

"Anyone who captured our Brother Jing's heart must be extraordinary."

"So excited, we're almost at the award-winning actress's home. Our Sister Hang and her spouse are a rare female Alpha and male Omega pairing in the industry."

"Little Jasmine, Little Jasmine, hehe, I'm going to see Little Jasmine soon. I'm going to snatch Chengcheng's Little Jasmine for myself."

"Aren't you afraid Chengcheng will come through the screen to bite you?"

......

Wen Yuchen's split-screen live broadcast ended after he boarded the plane; the screen went black.

Among the remaining four families, the first to arrive was Gu Jinghe's home.

Gu Jinghe, a renowned violinist both domestically and internationally, first performed on the international stage at the age of six, displaying extraordinary musical talent. He later studied under many famous masters. At sixteen, he was exceptionally admitted to a prestigious domestic music conservatory. During this time, he traveled to Italy, Germany, Austria, and other countries with his mentors for further studies, winning numerous awards both at home and abroad.

His exceptional violin skills, combined with Gu Jinghe's tall, handsome appearance—a towering 190 cm—instantly attracted countless fans. While most fans were initially drawn to his looks, they were ultimately captivated by his musical talent.

At twenty-two, he was invited by his alma mater to hold a concert. Rumor has it that he fell in love at first sight with his partner and pursued them relentlessly. Two years later, they happily married, and a year after that, they welcomed their child.

When the filming crew was invited into Gu Jinghe's home, they were greeted with this scene: a strikingly handsome boy with a reserved demeanor, frowning with displeasure, sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed. Another boy, who looked eighty percent similar to him, with a cheeky grin, got right in his sulking brother's face: "Are you really angry?"

The unhappy little one let out a small "hmph" through his nose and turned his head away.

Gu Jinghe looked exasperated and was about to grab the grinning boy.

"Gu Xinye, I'm giving you three seconds to cheer up your brother. Otherwise, don't blame me for dealing with your misbehaving hide," a cold voice came from upstairs. "3, 2..."

The cameraman glanced at the live comments and turned the camera toward the voice. A man in casual homewear, looking tired, appeared on screen.

The live chat instantly became lively.

The man looked exhausted, his cheeks dotted with light brown scales, but they couldn't conceal his striking and passionate appearance.

Seeing his father's unhappy expression, Gu Xinye quickly leaned in to coax his brother.

Gu Jinghe hurried upstairs and, after some persuasion, managed to soothe the man's temper. As they headed toward the bedroom, the man muttered before closing the door, "Did you forget everything you learned over the past four years? So frustrating!"

This was clearly picked up by the recording equipment.

"Yes, I'm the one who gives my mentor headaches too."

"Me too..."

"Gu Jinghe's spouse is Lin Fengzhe. It's actually him? OMG!"

"My favorite artist is my mentor's spouse, and my mentor's spouse is my favorite artist. How exciting!"

"Huh? Is Gu Jinghe's partner someone really impressive? I've never heard of him. Must be some D-list nobody."

"You really are a few fries short of a Happy Meal. That's Lin Fengzhe. He's not even in the entertainment industry, okay?"

"In case anyone doesn't know who Lin Fengzhe is, let me give you a quick rundown. Lin Fengzhe's parents are both renowned physicists in our country. Lin Fengzhe himself became a doctoral advisor at a top-tier domestic university, a 'Double First Class' institution, at the age of 23. He was also the youngest known doctoral advisor at the time."

"Wow~~~"

"Brother Jing, you've kind of married up."

"Brother Jing, you've kind of married up."

"Teacher Gu, hello. I'm Xiaoman, the assistant for our filming group. Would it be possible for the little ones to introduce themselves?" The baby-faced assistant looked at the cold little one on the sofa with bright eyes.

Gu Jinghe nodded and walked toward the sofa.

Although coaxed by his brother, the little one was still somewhat unhappy.

Gu Jinghe picked up his younger son and sat him on his lap. "Jinjin, don't be angry anymore. Let's introduce ourselves to the brothers and sisters watching, okay?"

Jinjin nodded with a proud pout, his voice tiny: "My name is Gu Xinzhou, but you can also call me Jinjin. Daddy says I'm five years old."

"Jinjin, you're amazing." After praising his younger son, Gu Jinghe gently nudged his older son's bottom. "Your turn."

Gu Xinye grinned cheekily. Just from his voice, you could tell he was a lively and sturdy little boy: "My name is Gu Xinye, and my nickname is Xingxing. Like my brother, I'm five years old. I'm a tall, handsome Alpha, and my brother is a cute Omega. So don't even think about bullying my brother—I'm really tough."

Xingxing was not only outgoing but also a little chatterbox. His speech left everyone amused.

Xiaoman, seeing his serious demeanor, teased him: "But it seemed like you made your brother unhappy earlier."

Xingxing slightly opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and said, "I cheered him up, though. Yeah, I made it better."

Hearing his words, the audience off-screen was greatly amused by his precociousness.

Before setting off, Jinjin clung to Gu Jinghe's neck, whining and not wanting to leave: "I want Daddy."

Gu Jinghe lifted his younger son higher and said sadly, "Jinjin, don't you want to go on a trip with Daddy?"

Jinjin didn't want to leave Daddy but also wanted to play with Daddy and big brother. He frowned and pouted: "I do, but can we bring Daddy too?"

"Daddy is very busy with work lately. How about you go with Daddy and big brother, and if you miss Daddy, we can video call?" Gu Jinghe coaxed his little darling.

Jinjin looked utterly pitiful and finally nodded after a long while. However, he refused to walk on his own and insisted that Gu Jinghe carry him.

Since the little one wanted to be carried, Gu Jinghe was reluctant to put him down. But there were also two packed suitcases to deal with, so Gu Jinghe considered asking the staff for help.

His fine boy, straining to push a suitcase almost as tall as himself, his little face turning red with effort: "Daddy, don't worry about carrying little brother. I've grown up; I can handle the family's heavy responsibilities."

"Well, you do your best." The old father felt speechless, unsure where his eldest son's silliness came from.

Meng Feihang and her spouse, Meng Qingmo, are a rare female Alpha and male Omega pairing in the industry. When they got married, many doubted their marriage would last, but now their child is old enough to run errands, and some still say their marriage won't last.

Meng Feihang debuted as a child star and won the Best Actress award at twenty-three before marrying her childhood friend. Her childhood friend, Meng Qingmo, is the same age as her and a famous screenwriter. Even if capitalists feed him garbage, he can make it look like chocolate-flavored ice cream.

Dafu is the filming assistant for Meng Feihang's group. Unlike the two pretty and gentle Beta girls from earlier, Dafu, true to his name, is a chubby male Beta.

"Hehe, ahead is the home of award-winning actress Meng Feihang, Sister Hang. Everyone, count down with Dafu from five, and then we'll knock on Sister Hang's door." Dafu said with a smile. "5, 4, 3..."

Before he could finish drawing out "three," the door opened. The black-haired, straight-haired elegant woman, Meng Feihang, also smiled: "Long time no see, Dafu."

Dafu's smile froze on his face. He frowned, raised his eyes, and pouted: "Sister Hang, you're not giving me any face."

Dafu is Director Pan's person, and Director Pan has collaborated with the Meng couple more than once or twice. They are very familiar with each other, which is why Dafu was lucky enough to be assigned to Meng Feihang's group for this Kids' Variety Show.

"Mom, who is it?" a lively and cheerful child's voice called out.

Dafu squeezed inside, his face beaming: "Aiyo, Xiao Shiliu, it's your adorable Uncle Dafu. Aren't you happy?"

Xiao Shiliu rushed over with her hair disheveled, patting Dafu's belly with a "thump-thump" sound: "I'm happy! Hi, Uncle Dafu!"

Dafu bent down to give Xiao Shiliu a hug, but she slipped away like a little loach, twisting around to dodge him and running off with a "pitter-patter" sound, leaving Dafu standing there empty-handed.

Dafu rubbed his nose and said, "Sister Hang, why haven’t I seen brother-in-law?"

Meng Feihang, unusually shy, smiled sweetly yet with a hint of heartache: "The child kept him up all night, so he’s making up for lost sleep."

Dafu looked surprised, then happily said, "Is it what I think it is? Congratulations!"

Xiao Shiliu, clutching her hair tie, came running back with a "pitter-patter" sound, shouting: "I don’t want a brother, I want a sweet little Omega sister!"

Meng Feihang ignored her.

Dafu teased her: "What if they give you a brother instead?"

Xiao Shiliu frowned: "Then I’ll reluctantly allow him to call me big sister!"

Her childish words were innocent and adorable.

"It’s 'reluctantly,'" Meng Feihang corrected.

Xiao Shiliu didn’t care and shoved the hair tie into Meng Feihang’s hand: "Mom, tie my hair nicely, make it look stylish."

Meng Feihang straightened her daughter’s head and, while styling her hair, asked her to introduce herself.

Xiao Shiliu was the kind of outgoing child adults adore: "I’m Xiao Shiliu, my formal name is Meng Jinyou, I’m four and a half years old, and I’m a super cool Alpha!"

"She mixes up ‘S’ and ‘Sh’—it’s four and a half."

"Right, four and a half."

"Xiao Shiliu is so adorable, mixing up ‘S’ and ‘Sh’!"

"Our Xiao Shiliu is so lively, so confident!"

"Great, she’ll definitely get along with the kid Xingxing next door."

"Two little livewires—this show is going to be fun to watch!"

"Xiao Shiliu dodging Dafu just now had me laughing so hard. It’s just like Lu not letting Zheng Zheng hug her."

"Hey, Chen fans upstairs, stop trying to ride on the Film Queen’s coattails. Are you even worthy? Keep your nonsense to yourself."

"If you want to fight, get out. Don’t pretend to be on Sister Hang’s side while stirring up drama."

Meng Feihang’s fans, much like their idol, are generally easygoing and conflict-avoidant. Though they’re part of the industry, they don’t pay much attention to others’ affairs.

Especially after Meng Feihang got married and had a child, her daily life is either showing off her loving relationship or her kid, leading her fans to either indulge in sweet moments or virtually raise her child.

Their peaceful nature led other fans to believe Hang’s fans were easy to push around—until Meng Feihang married Meng Qingmo. Her fans accepted Meng Qingmo well, since Meng Feihang’s reputation is built on her acting skills.

After marriage, topics about their relationship being short-lived persisted, with the slightest rumor sparking divorce speculation.

Finally, Hang’s fans had enough and jumped into the fray, tearing apart the most vocal gossip accounts.

From then on, everyone in the industry understood: Hang’s fans may be peaceful, but they’re battle-ready Buddhas.

Before departure, Meng Qingmo, with a slightly swollen belly, came out to see off his beloved wife and daughter.

True to his name, the young man was elegant and beautiful, with a fair complexion and a gently swelling belly, making Meng Feihang want to hand Xiao Shiliu to Dafu and stay home herself.

Meng Qingmo gave each of them a farewell kiss and said, "Hurry up and take Xiao Shiliu away. You two always break my concentration at the most exciting parts."

"Qingmo, I—"

Before Meng Feihang could finish, Meng Qingmo stole a kiss while their daughter wasn’t looking, then promptly shut the door behind them.

Meng Feihang was so thrilled she felt like she was floating in pink bubbles.

"Mom, come on already!" Xiao Shiliu, wearing sunglasses, shouted as she pulled her pink suitcase.

Meng Feihang, still lost in the moment, was snapped back to reality by her daughter’s yell. She sighed and followed helplessly: "My little warm jacket is drafty."

"So sweet, so sweet! Married couples’ sweetness is the best."

"Haha, Xiao Shiliu, number one at killing the mood."

"Let’s see anyone try to say our Meng couple have a bad relationship now."

"As everyone knows, gossip accounts have no brains—they’re already having a second child. If they clip that door-shutting part, they’ll probably start rumors about marital discord again."

"Sister Hang looks reluctant to leave."

"Of course, if I had such a beautiful treasure carrying my child, I wouldn’t want to leave either."

"Exactly. Are they sure Xiao Shiliu is okay with a second child?"

"Right, hope they can treat both equally."

"Hey, Mo fans, interesting note: They decided to have a second child after careful discussion with Xiao Shiliu because she wanted to be a big sister."