At Dad’s command, the little cub still clinging to Tao Zhi instantly slid off him.
He toddled on his short legs, still clutching the white radish Tao Zhi had given him.
“Dad, I’m coming!”
“Come on.”
Feng Qi caught him and set the white radish aside.
“Many people online are criticizing Dad, your godfather, and Little Deer. They’re saying we’re mistreating you.”
“They think you’re pitiful for picking up scraps.”
Feng Qi didn’t hold back in explaining the online situation. After finishing, he told Feng Yuan, “Yuan Yuan, you can record a video to share your situation. Once everyone knows the truth, the arguments will stop.”
“Oh, and you can also make an appearance in Little Deer’s livestream.”
“Okay!”
Feng Yuan nodded without any objection.
However, he had a request: “Yuan Yuan wants to change clothes before recording the video.”
“Alright. Let’s have dinner first.”
As Feng Qi spoke, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Tao Zhi. “Tao Zhi, did you eat our dinner?”
Dinner had already been prepared at their home. But since Feng Yuan hadn’t returned yet, it hadn’t been served.
At Feng Qi’s question, Little Deer also grew tense instantly.
Both of them glanced back.
Fortunately, Tao Zhi, who had ransacked all the ingredients in the fridge, hadn’t eaten the dinner.
“Little Deer, let’s have dinner together.”
Feng Qi got up from the sofa and went with Li Sheng to bring out the dishes.
“You can eat by yourself. Don’t worry about Tao Zhi. I just ordered takeout for him.”
While sitting on the sofa, Feng Qi had already used his phone to order takeout.
He had spent two thousand yuan on the order.
Tao Zhi’s takeout was still on the way. Feng Yuan sat at the dining table and began eating his meal.
After dinner, Feng Yuan took a bath, changed his clothes, and then appeared on camera.
Feng Qi handed him a phone and let him record the video himself.
Feng Yuan’s chubby little hand gripped the phone, the front camera pointed at his round face.
“Hello, uncles and aunties! I’m Yuan Yuan.”
“I pick up scraps not because I don’t have food to eat.”
“Look, here’s Yuan Yuan’s tummy! Yuan Yuan has eaten his fill.”
Feng Yuan aimed the camera at his round, full belly.
He patted it with his free hand.
After patting, he giggled, “Yuan Yuan’s tummy is like a watermelon!”
After explaining that he had enough to eat, the little one picked up the phone again and filmed the small car he kept in the living room.
“This is Yuan Yuan’s car. All the scraps Yuan Yuan collects are stored here.”
After filming the car, Feng Yuan held up the phone and scampered into the bedroom.
He showed everyone a small piggy bank.
“Yuan Yuan’s earnings are in here! When the piggy bank is full, Yuan Yuan will use the money to buy cat food and dog food.”
“There are many cats and dogs with no one to care for them. Yuan Yuan will take care of them.”
“Big Dad gives me pocket money. Yuan Yuan spends it all on them.”
As he spoke, Feng Yuan pointed the camera back at his chubby face.
He concluded very seriously, “Yuan Yuan is not pitiful. Yuan Yuan loves picking up scraps and earning money.”
Technically speaking, the video wasn’t well-shot.
The entire video was from the little cub’s perspective. It was messy and chaotic, with the camera swinging from one direction to another.
Yet, after watching the video, Little Deer felt confident.
“This video is definitely going to go viral.”
The video Feng Yuan shot wasn’t technically skilled, but it was genuine and adorable.
Feng Yuan’s chubby little bun face, when zoomed in close, was so cute it could make people clutch their chests in delight.
“Just post it like this. There’s no need for editing,” Little Deer said, instructing Feng Qi to upload the video to the account.
Feng Qi registered an account using his own phone number.
His username was simple and straightforward. Yuan Yuan, the Little One Who Loves Collecting Scrap.
For the profile picture, he chose a photo he had taken of Feng Yuan sitting in a toy car.
“Alright, I’ve posted it.”
After Feng Qi uploaded the video, Little Deer immediately used his own account to repost it.
“Now we don’t need to do anything else,” Little Deer said. “Let the video gain traction for a bit. Oh, and I need to give you a heads-up.”
“This video alone won’t completely reverse public opinion.”
“There are many stubborn people online who only believe their own views. Even if there’s a clarification, they won’t bother to look at it.”
“If you come across negative comments, don’t pay them any mind. It’s completely normal. As long as some people believe it, that’s enough.”
“Leave the rest to time.”
Since Little Deer still had to livestream with Feng Yuan, he stayed a while longer.
Three hours after Feng Yuan’s video was posted, just as Little Deer had predicted, it went viral.
The number of likes on the video kept skyrocketing. The backend view count had already reached 700,000.
Seeing this surge in traffic, Little Deer couldn’t help but praise Feng Yuan.
“Yuan Yuan, you’re truly a born little internet celebrity.”
Feng Yuan’s innate charm seemed destined for internet fame.
He went viral just by getting into a couple of fights.
Then, after a boxing match, he gained popularity on international platforms.
Now, back home, he’s collecting scrap and has once again made it to the trending list.
This natural talent for the internet even made Little Deer a little envious.
After the video went viral, the adults all checked the comments underneath.
“Ahhh! Am I seeing things?! Is this really our little Yuan Yuan?!”
“My little Yuan Yuan is so adorable. Let this auntie give you a kiss!”
“Hahaha. I thought Yuan Yuan was really being mistreated. But it turns out he just wanted to collect scrap himself!”
“Did Yuan Yuan film this video himself? It’s so cute. I’ve already watched it several times!”
“I knew it all along! There’s no way Yuan Yuan’s family would mistreat him. That little car he uses for collecting scrap, if you check the official website, it costs a fortune!”
“I’m just relieved to know our little Yuan Yuan isn’t being mistreated. This auntie was really worried!”
Most of the comments were positive, though, of course, there were still skeptical voices.
“Hmm, did Yuan Yuan’s parents coach him to say this? I don’t buy it. Rich kids don’t go around collecting scrap.”
“This is hilarious. Yuan Yuan is clearly just a tool for his parents to cash in on the internet fame!”
“I’ve been suspicious since the first time Yuan Yuan went viral. It’s all a marketing strategy, and you all didn’t believe me. Now you see it, right? Just wait. Within three months, this account will start taking ads.”
There were quite a few skeptical comments.
However, Feng Qi and Li Sheng just skimmed through them and didn’t pay them much mind.
After all, their chubby little Yuan Yuan hardly ever goes online.
Even if he went online, he wouldn’t recognize the words in the comment section.
So, Little Chubby Yuan wouldn’t be aware of any malicious remarks.
With the video clarification, by nine in the evening, Feng Yuan made another appearance in Little Deer’s livestream.
The little one started talking about his scrap-collecting business again.
“If you have scrap at home, you can look for Yuan Yuan!”
“Yuan Yuan offers great prices!”
“Yuan Yuan’s scale is a good one, not a broken one.”
Seeing him keep talking about scrap, Little Deer cleared his throat and added on his behalf, “Yuan Yuan will start school on Monday, the day after tomorrow.”
“He just returned from abroad and wanted to take this week to adjust before going to kindergarten.”
“Hmm, you’re asking about Yuan Yuan’s grades…”
Little Deer looked at the questions on the screen, his expression hesitant.
He wasn’t very clear about Feng Yuan’s academic performance either.
But from his observations, it seemed Feng Yuan’s grades weren’t particularly outstanding.
“Yuan Yuan’s grades are… not bad,” Little Deer said. “Yuan Yuan’s parents don’t stress over grades. His dad just hopes he can grow up happily.”
Little Deer wasn’t wrong.
Feng Yuan’s parents indeed didn’t pressure him about his grades, but they did pay attention to his attitude toward learning.
If the little one avoided studying or lied about doing homework…
That would earn him a spanking.
But if he studied earnestly like the other children and simply didn’t do well, his parents wouldn’t punish him.
Feng Yuan didn’t stay in Little Deer’s livestream for long.
He had to wake up early the next day, so he had promised Qin Xun to go to bed early.
“Little Deer, Little Deer, I’m going to sleep now. Goodnight!”
Before heading to bed, Feng Yuan leaned close to Little Deer, puckered his lips, and kissed him.
Little Deer couldn’t stop smiling after being kissed.
Netizens watching the livestream went wild in the comments.
“Ahhhh! I wish I could trade places with Little Deer! I want a kiss from Yuan Yuan, too!”
“I’m seriously going to throw a fit. Why can’t I have a Yuan Yuan of my own?!”
“Oh my god, Yuan Yuan is just too sweet! He even gives goodnight kisses!”
“Little Deer, tell us, how does it feel to be kissed by Yuan Yuan?”
“Of course, it feels amazing!”
Little Deer touched his right cheek, where he’d been kissed, and replied to the viewers, “Yuan Yuan is the best. He’s the sweetest baby I’ve ever met.”
After giving Little Deer his goodnight kiss, Feng Yuan went on to kiss the other adults as well.
He didn’t sleep in his dad’s room that night.
He stayed with Qin Xun in his own bedroom. His godfather also squeezed into his bed.
“Yuan Yuan,” Yu Yi said, having circled several flood-stricken areas. He confirmed with Feng Yuan, “Wu Jin might appear in these places, right?”
Feng Yuan leaned over to take a look.
He wasn’t entirely sure either.
“Godfather, are you going to look for Wu Jin?”
“Yeah, I’m going to see if he’s dead yet.”
Though Yu Yi’s words sounded harsh, his eyes remained fixed on the areas where Wu Jin might be, unable to look away.
Feng Yuan couldn’t give him a definite answer.
But Qin Xun, who was preparing to read Feng Yuan a bedtime picture book, replied calmly, “You can check the place marked with the red circle in the middle.”
“The water flow there is unusual, very much like where a flood dragon might appear.”
Yu Yi: “Really?”
Qin Xun: “Mm.”
The expression on Qin Xun’s little face was incredibly reassuring.
So Yu Yi immediately decided that the first place he would go was here.
Feng Yuan’s small body leaned against his godfather.
He stared unblinkingly at his godfather, his little mind lost in thought.
Yu Yi felt a bit unnerved by his gaze.
“Yuan Yuan, is there something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?”
Feng Yuan shook his head: “There’s nothing.”
His gaze slowly shifted from Yu Yi’s face down to his stomach.
“Godfather, when Wu Jin comes back, will you have a baby?”
“No, I mean, will you lay a dragon egg?”
“Wu Jin is black, will you lay a black egg?”
One question after another from Feng Yuan left Yu Yi completely stunned.
Yu Yi had thought before that it would be nice to have a baby with Wu Jin.
But a dragon baby, a black egg. He really hadn’t considered any of that.
Just as Yu Yi was reeling, Qin Xun chimed in from the side.
“Dragon eggs are really hard to hatch.”
Qin Xun had read materials about dragon eggs: “Some eggs take many years to hatch. But there are also easier ones that hatch in a year or two.”
After explaining the hatching time, Qin Xun comforted Yu Yi as if to reassure him: “You don’t have to hold the dragon egg all the time. Just give it some warmth occasionally. It’s really low-maintenance.”
“Dragon eggs are the toughest eggs. They’re not delicate at all.”
Yu Yi: “…”
Yu Yi looked speechless: “When did I say I wanted a dragon egg?”
He still didn’t even know what was going on with Wu Jin.
Right now, he wasn’t thinking about dragon eggs. He was only thinking about whether Wu Jin was still alive.
Time passed little by little.
The next day.
Yu Yi set off to look for Wu Jin. Little Deer and Tao Zhi had also left at some point.
Feng Yuan, as usual, drove his little car around collecting scrap.
And on this day, his business was especially good!
“Yuan Yuan, it’s really you! The little internet celebrity.”
While out collecting scrap, Feng Yuan was recognized.
The adult who recognized him tentatively called him over to collect some scrap.
Unexpectedly, Feng Yuan actually went along.
Watching Feng Yuan skillfully collect the scrap, the person who had called him over was utterly amazed.
“Yuan Yuan, you’re not just doing this for clout? You really do collect scrap?”
“What’s clout?”
Feng Yuan’s chubby little face looked confused: “Yuan Yuan doesn’t understand.”
“Uh, never mind. I have a few more bottles here. You can have them all.”
“Okay!”
Feng Yuan’s scrap business became as popular as his videos online.
Some people wanted to give him scrap for free, but the little guy meticulously weighed everything and paid them accordingly.
“You have to be honest in business. No one should take advantage.”
Honest Feng Yuan worked hard outside all day.
That day, many people filmed videos of their chance encounters with him.
Feng Yuan grew more and more popular.
Feng Qi, who didn’t really manage his own social media account, couldn’t even match his son’s popularity.
But Feng Qi, less popular than his son, paid no attention to the buzz.
Right now, he only wanted to know whether that Bo Han in the entertainment circle was really a fox demon.
Bo Han, 35 years old, a triple-crown film emperor.
He had won all the major awards in his twenties and had long since semi-retired from the industry.
Feng Qi had asked Li Sheng to help investigate Bo Han’s personal information, but nothing turned up.
This person was too mysterious. He never showed his face.
And his registered address showed no signs of anyone living there.
For a while, Feng Qi had no idea how to find him.
Just as Feng Qi was still figuring out a plan, an invitation to a variety show exploded across the internet.
Strawberry TV’s prime variety show channel announced on Weibo that they wanted to invite Yuan Yuan to participate in a parent-child variety show.
They are currently actively contacting Feng Yuan’s family.
This sudden nomination by the variety show made Feng Qi very unhappy.
So, when the program’s producer sent the invitation, he rejected it without hesitation.
Feng Qi was quite firm in his refusal this time.
However, since he doesn’t watch variety shows, he had no idea just how much drama this particular show could stir up.
In a rather displeased mood, Feng Qi directly updated the account signature on Yuan Yuan’s profile.
“Yuan Yuan is going to school and will not participate in any programs for now.”
After updating the signature, Feng Qi went to check on his son in the study. Only then did his mood improve a little.
School starts tomorrow.
Normally, a little slacker like Feng Yuan wouldn’t be studying at a time like this.
But the little slacker had just received some bad news.
Tomorrow is Monday, and the kindergarten is actually holding midterm exams!
What’s worse, these midterm exams were requested by the parents!
Even after going abroad, Feng Yuan hadn’t lost touch with his kindergarten friends.
They had exchanged contact information through their smartwatches, so they could still chat.
During one of these chats, Feng Yuan had accidentally bragged a bit too much to his kindergarten classmates.
He said he studied every day while abroad and that his grades were really good now.
When he returned to kindergarten, he wouldn’t be at the bottom of the class anymore.
He would earn lots and lots of little red flowers!
He could even get first place.
At the time, Feng Yuan, caught up in his boasting, never imagined he’d have to face an exam as soon as he returned.
“Qin Xun, what should I do?”
The chubby little kid sitting at the desk was on the verge of tears: “How can Yuan Yuan get first place?”
Qin Xun looked at the anxious child and patiently comforted him.
“Yuan Yuan, don’t panic.”
“You have to believe in yourself. Maybe you can get first place.”
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan buried his head in the desk, his childish voice filled with agony: “Yuan Yuan is confident he’ll get last place!”
Whose parents came up with this idea? They’re so annoying!
Kids as young as them shouldn’t have to take exams at all.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152