Chapter 94 – The Vibe of a Family of Three
Chu Xiaozhen, Guo Mengyun, and a few other girls were on the lawn with the children, weaving flower crowns. Xiao Fang thought for a moment; it wouldn’t be easy to join them with Fei Xiangnan in tow, so he had to change direction.
Mo Ze had an active personality and was playing eagle-catches-chick with his teammate Yu Zhong and the children. Zhang San was good-naturedly playing the role of the eagle. These were the two more popular game groups.
What was particularly noteworthy was Feng Dang. He wasn’t really playing the games, just looking for camera time in every game, and it was incredibly obvious. Xiao Fang watched for a bit and started to frown. For example, after Chu Xiaozhen painstakingly wove a flower crown for a child, he would go over, take it, and deliberately block Chu Xiaozhen’s face as he placed the crown on a little girl’s head.
If Feng Dang was a pay-to-play actor, then the post-production would probably edit it to look like Feng Dang made a flower crown for the girl all by himself. It was just too much.
And he didn’t stop there. Next, he sidled up to Mo Ze’s group. A child fell, and just as Mo Ze was about to help him up, Feng Dang suddenly pushed Mo Ze aside and helped the bewildered child up, a pained expression on his face.
Mo Ze and Chu Xiaozhen were angry but couldn’t voice it. After all, the man had real capital, unlike them who were purely used by capital.
Director Liang let out a rather loud “tsk,” but Feng Dang was used to it. As long as he got screen time, it was fine. It wasn’t like they could really do anything to him anyway.
Xiao Fang suddenly felt that this show had lost its original flavor. But on the surface, he was just a slightly famous actor and couldn’t interfere. The power behind Feng Dang was greater than his father’s.
“Do you need me to make him disappear next episode?” Fei Xiangnan instantly guessed Xiao Fang’s thoughts. It didn’t matter what others did; Xiao Fang’s happiness was the top priority.
“Making him disappear all of a sudden wouldn’t be justifiable. Mo Ze and Xiaozhen have been in the industry for so long, they’ll probably find a way to deal with it. But the show’s reputation will be hard to say. Let’s just focus on doing our own part well.” Xiao Fang was still relatively calm at this point.
Fei Xiangnan didn’t say much more. He actually agreed with Xiao Fang’s thinking. One’s own interests were the most important. If you were always worrying about the state of the world, others might not even thank you for it. Of course, it was a different matter when it happened to him.
Because of Feng Dang’s off-putting behavior, Xiao Fang gave up the idea of joining them. He felt that inserting himself into the atmosphere they had worked so hard to create would be no different from forcing his way in.
Looking around, Xiao Fang saw the boy from this morning sitting on the grass far away, reading a book. Xiao Fang pulled Fei Xiangnan along and walked over.
At that moment, the boy had just finished the book he recommended. As he closed it, Xiao Fang arrived.
The little boy subconsciously looked at Xiao Fang with vigilance. Perhaps because there was no frightening malice in Xiao Fang’s eyes, and because of what happened this morning, the best outcome was that he didn’t run away. Xiao Fang sat down beside him naturally, and Fei Xiangnan sat next to Xiao Fang.
“Was the book good?” Xiao Fang asked.
The little boy was very shy at first, then he snuck a few glances at the handsome big brother and slowly nodded.
Xiao Fang’s gaze fell on the other two groups. He had a feeling that the little boy was probably being ostracized by his peers at the orphanage. The thought pained Xiao Fang, especially since he now had his own child and paid more attention to these things.
“Have you ever made a flower crown?” Xiao Fang asked.
He was a child, after all, and was curious about these things. But no one would ever play with him. He had looked forward to it before, but it later turned into disappointment.
Seeing the light flash in the little boy’s eyes, Xiao Fang smiled and said, “Tell me your name, and Brother Fang will teach you how to make a flower crown, how about that?”
The little boy looked at his peers who were happily weaving flower crowns. They didn’t like him and wouldn’t play with him. Besides the Director Auntie, only this big brother today had been nice to him. He knew this big brother would be leaving soon. If he missed this chance…
The little boy was always slow to react when considering things. Fei Xiangnan enjoyed this quietness, so there was no need to rush. Xiao Fang, on the other hand, waited with one hundred percent patience.
After two minutes, the little boy finally spoke slowly, “…Xiao… Xu.”
“Xiao Xu?” Xiao Fang tried saying the name, but the two words were worlds apart.
Xiao Xu’s face turned a little red, but he still nodded. Xiao Fang wanted to rub the little boy’s slightly curly head, but he gave up the idea, thinking of his wariness. He taught him how to make a flower crown, step by step.
Fei Xiangnan, on the side, also started making one. With his sharp mind, he suddenly asked, “When did you learn to make flower crowns?”
Xiao Fang’s hand froze. He quickly concealed his panic and lied, “I had to do this for a role before, so I learned a bit.”
Fei Xiangnan gave a casual “mm,” not showing any suspicion, but it planted a seed of panic in Xiao Fang’s heart.
Xiao Xu’s flower crown was always crooked. Xiao Fang patiently corrected him over and over again. This made President Fei, who was originally doing a better job than Xiao Fang, very jealous, and he deliberately made his crown poorly.
“Hey, you don’t turn it like that here.”
“You don’t need to wrap it an extra time here.”
“Even Xiao Xu is doing better than you!”
President Fei watched as his wife lowered her head to correct him. From above, he could see the tip of his fair nose and his pink lips. President Fei was thoroughly enjoying himself.
After the three of them finished, they faced a problem. Both Xiao Xu and Fei Xiangnan tried to place their flower crowns on Xiao Fang’s head. Xiao Fang, caught between laughter and tears, tried to take them off, but was stopped by two almost synchronized glares.
“Isn’t it an exchange? You both gave them to me, but I only have one.”
One big and one small pair of eyes stared at the flower crown in Xiao Fang’s hand, their eyes shining. Xiao Fang’s heart trembled. He inexplicably felt like he was being stared at by two wolves. What was originally a simple problem had now become a dilemma of who to give it to.
After much thought…
“How about I make another one?”
Both pairs of eyes showed approval. Xiao Fang could only painstakingly make another one. The final result was Fei Xiangnan and Xiao Xu each happily wearing a flower crown made by Xiao Fang, while Xiao Fang helplessly wore two on his head. But it was clear that all three of them were very happy.
Director Liang had already learned from the Director Auntie that Xiao Xu had autism. Xiao Fang’s actions were undoubtedly teaching everyone how to get closer to someone with autism. His actions and words were Director Liang’s favorite part of the day.
“This part absolutely cannot be cut,” Director Liang said to the cameraman.
How could the cameraman let the editor cut this? It was the perfect picture of a sweet family of three, wasn’t it? The girls in the behind-the-scenes team had been squealing in his ear for a while now. President Fei getting jealous of a child was just too cute, wasn’t it? The interaction between the child and Xiao Fang was also filled with touching moments. And with Xiao Fang being liked by both of them, you could feel that gentleness even through the video.
The final flower crown segment would definitely be taken out and praised heavily. Needless to say, those in the know would understand at a glance.
He was even starting to suspect that Fei Xiangnan had come on this show for Xiao Fang. Weren’t there rumors that President Fei was cold and ruthless, used all sorts of tactics, and had a terrifyingly scandalous past? Now, with Xiao Fang, he was like a docile heavy fist. It was completely adorable.
Although the annoying Feng Dang kept interrupting Chu Xiaozhen and Mo Ze’s groups, he didn’t seem very bright. The timing seemed good, but in reality, the two of them also showed a lot of genuine emotion. No matter how it was edited, their screen time wouldn’t be reduced. As for Feng Dang suddenly appearing in various shots, the audience would naturally have eyes to see.
If you want to clean up your image, you have to start by being clean yourself. Things gained without effort will never truly belong to you.
This episode’s filming was completed amidst such laughter and joy. The final reflection segment would be filmed individually later.
Xiao Fang and Fei Xiangnan, along with everyone else, said goodbye to the people at the orphanage. Looking at the simple environment, they knew in their hearts that after the show aired, their lives would get much better. Xiao Fang still felt a little worried about Xiao Xu, but he didn’t see him in the crowd.
Xiao Fang had to anxiously ask the Director Auntie.
The Director Auntie was a bit slow to react and asked directly, “Which Xiao Xu are you asking about? The ‘xu’ from ‘rising sun,’ or the ‘xu’ from ‘willow catkin’?”
Xiao Fang was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t asked for the specific character of his name at the time.
“Um, the one who doesn’t talk much, who likes to read.”
The Director Auntie understood at once. “Oh, that’s Xiao Xu, the ‘xu’ from ‘willow catkin.’ He picked that name himself. He’s been here for half a year, and he’s wandered through many places before. I heard he originally escaped from the mountains, so he feels like a willow catkin, drifting without a fixed place. Sigh, that child is quite pitiful. I can understand his withdrawal. Today’s play with you was probably his happiest day. He should be in the library now.”
Seeing that everyone was still saying their goodbyes, Xiao Fang told Fei Xiangnan he was going to check on him.
The library was getting a bit dark now. The sun was already setting outside. Xiao Xu was sitting by the window, hugging a book and reading by the last bit of light. His small figure cast a heavy shadow in the evening glow. Xiao Fang’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed.
Trying his best to compose himself, Xiao Fang walked over. “Why aren’t you outside saying goodbye with the other children?”
Xiao Xu was surprisingly calm this time, and he spoke more than he had all day. “Saying goodbye means we’ll never see each other again. If I just pretend big brother disappeared for a bit, you’ll still come back in the future.” His small voice was filled with conviction, and Xiao Fang’s nose began to sting.
He stepped forward and hugged him. Xiao Xu’s body was a little stiff at first, but then it slowly relaxed. “I’ll come back. I’ll definitely come back. When I do, big brother will buy you delicious food and books, okay?”
Xiao Xu shook his head. “I don’t need those. As long as big brother doesn’t forget me, just coming to see me is enough.”
Seeing his overly sensible appearance, Xiao Fang’s heart was suddenly filled with concern. He even felt a strange impulse, but it was indeed just an impulse. Xiao Fang could only swear that he would definitely come back. The two chatted in the library for a while before the staff came to hurry them along.
Xiao Fang looked at Xiao Xu reluctantly. Xiao Xu, in turn, looked at Xiao Fang with an obedient expression, as if it weren’t a departure, but just the two of them needing to sleep and saying goodnight to each other.
But that look stayed with Xiao Fang for a long time.
Outside, Fei Xiangnan was waiting for him on the lawn. Against the light, Fei Xiangnan’s smile seemed so ethereal and mysterious. Xiao Fang couldn’t help but want to hold the person before him, but with others around, he could only suppress this impulse until the two of them returned to their own home.
The first episode of Xiao Fang’s first-ever variety show was officially over.