Chapter 4

By afternoon, most guests had arrived. Only Xie Hanshan would come at night. The crew had booked the best hotel in the county. They would enter the village only tomorrow morning before filming the pilot episode. In one evening, Nian Nian already understood what he needed to do tomorrow. From the young assistant, he also learned much about his partner. Excellent, handsome, tall, rebellious. Some words he didn’t fully understand, since in the apocalypse he hadn’t received much education. So at night, hugging his patched teddy bear, he pieced together an image of his partner. Bad temper… Very tall, able to punch down a sapling. And… multicolored hair. Soft light filled the room. Through the small window, the starry sky was visible. Nian Nian hugged his bear, turned over, and looked around the beautiful new room with bright eyes. Originally, he was supposed to sleep in his stone house, but the assistant director said filming would start early tomorrow, so staying here was more convenient. Nian Nian obediently stayed. He didn’t want to trouble others. Before, he had been a burden, a little nuisance, and was abandoned by his team. Thinking of this, he buried his face in the blanket, like a bird lacking safety. But birds have mothers to shield them. Nian Nian had nothing. … The next day. The pilot episode was live, scheduled for 10:30 in the morning. This was prime weekend time, when students and workers were awake and often on their phones. Nian Nian woke early, sitting quietly on a stool outside, watching flowers on the balcony frame. Twenty minutes later, the others stirred. Seeing him awake, the young assistant dressed him in the clothes prepared by the crew, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and carried him downstairs. The cub in her arms was soft, lighter than a cloud. She didn’t dare let go, nor did she want to. Downstairs, she set him down and looked over his outfit. Her expression was full of satisfaction. The program had prepared a white-and-yellow kitten outfit. On the hoodie were two pale yellow diamond-shaped cat ears. The hem of the shirt had two large pockets, each printed with a cat in a different pose. When walking, the back of the hoodie connected with the pants, where a short pale yellow fluff ball looked just like a cat’s tail. Nian Nian, already adorable, looked even more irresistibly cute in this outfit. The young assistant couldn’t help wanting to take a photo with this overly cute little cub. She clutched her chest dramatically and exclaimed to the assistant director, “Too cute! Too cute!” Curious, the assistant director called, “Nian Nian.” Hearing his name, Nian Nian turned his head with a puzzled expression. As he moved, his curls bounced, making him look so sweet it tugged at the heart. The assistant director, suddenly sharing the same thought as the young assistant, squatted down, touched his curls, and said gently, “Let’s go, Nian Nian. Auntie Wen will take you to breakfast.” His once round belly from last night had now deflated like a balloon. Nian Nian nodded. “Okay~” … At ten o’clock, everything was ready. All the guests had arrived at the village entrance. When they reached the entrance, the children were led away by staff. Only five adults remained. The night before, they had eaten together at the hotel. Most were familiar faces in the industry: three fathers and one rising young idol learning to care for children. They chatted easily. The only exception was Xie Hanshan, standing silently by the car in sunglasses, his bold blue hair striking. Tall and elegant, dressed simply, he nodded politely but said nothing. Soon, Qin Dong, the young idol, approached him. Qin Dong was a typical extrovert, able to chat with anyone. Seeing that Xie Hanshan seemed unprepared, he eagerly shared all the research he had done. At last, Xie Hanshan replied politely, “Thank you.” “You’re welcome,” Qin Dong smiled. “Senior, since we’re all learning to care for kids, it’s good to share experiences.” Xie Hanshan nodded, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses, his emotions unreadable. Twenty minutes later, staff led them to the rooms assigned the night before. On the streaming platform, five separate live windows were opened. With five minutes left, the children were brought to the paths leading to their partners. Wearing a headset and microphone, Nian Nian stood obediently at the corner of the stone-paved path. The other four children were placed elsewhere. The young assistant gave him a few last reminders. The cameraman smiled encouragingly. Everything was ready. At 10:30, the pilot episode went live. Nian Nian took a few steps forward. Just before the broadcast, the assistant placed a small yellow hat on his head. His sandals were also yellow and white, matching his soft, cute look perfectly. Looking at the cameraman holding the camera, he didn’t shrink back. He didn’t know how many people were watching through the lens. He simply smiled softly and greeted, “Hello, everyone~” … To attract viewers, the program split the live stream into five entrances, each shifting randomly. The entry screens were blurred, with no hints given. Viewer numbers updated in real time. At first, all streams had similar numbers. But within a minute, Stream Three’s viewers doubled rapidly, shocking the director at the monitor, who switched to that feed. On screen stood the soft little cub in his yellow-and-white cat outfit. His slightly curly black hair peeked out under the yellow hat. His bright eyes shone like grapes, his cheeks were fair, and his dimples deepened as he smiled sweetly at the camera. “Hello, everyone~” His child voice lingered, melting hearts. With one shot, he redefined cuteness for the audience. Viewers and comments skyrocketed. [Ahhh! Whose child is this? How can he be so cute!!] [Help! Sweetie, come to my house! Where’s the bag??] [So adorable, I want to pinch his cheeks! Is this a non-celebrity child? Haven’t seen him before!] Nian Nian knew nothing of this. He walked forward, muttering softly, “I’m going to find my torch*. He’s waiting for me.” ( TL: 火把: literally means “torch” (a stick with fire used for light). But here, Nian Nian actually meant 夥伴 (“partner”). Because of his young age and childlike speech, he mispronounced or confused the word.) Fans who had watched the first season of the show understood his childlike speech and translated it correctly. [Hahaha, he means partner! How can he seriously call it a torch?] [Too cute, my little torch!] Seeing the sign pointing the way, Nian Nian quickened his steps, huffing and puffing until he reached a new white stone house. About to meet his partner, Nian Nian felt nervous. He touched his pocket to make sure nothing had fallen out, then pushed open the door and entered. The cameraman closed the door, leaving the rest to the cameras inside. The small room was filled with cameras, each covered with cute stickers so the children wouldn’t feel scared. When the camera revealed the adult inside, the live chat exploded. [That blue hair—my idol who’s been traveling for over a year!!] [Xie Hanshan! It’s really him!!] [So it’s the film emperor. Can’t wait to see him with this sweet child.] Wearing his little yellow hat, Nian Nian looked up at his towering partner, nearly 1.86 meters tall. Seeing the sunglasses on his nose, Nian Nian reached up and touched his own yellow hat. “Hello~” Nian Nian introduced himself. “My name is Nian Nian.” Behind his sunglasses, Xie Hanshan’s dark eyes quickly scanned the little cub before he sat down in the woven rattan chair prepared by the crew. He didn’t speak. Nian Nian gathered his courage, walked to the chair, and pulled out a White Rabbit milk candy from his pocket. It was the one Village Chief Auntie had given him yesterday. He hadn’t eaten it, saving it especially for his new partner. “Candy.” His short hand stretched toward the armrest, just barely reaching. “It’s delicious. Nian Nian likes it. Do you?” [So sweet! He even saved his favorite White Rabbit candy for his partner!] [I bet the film emperor won’t take it. Everyone knows he doesn’t like sweets.] The live stream numbers kept climbing. Viewers wondered if Xie Hanshan would accept. The air in the room grew tense. Nian Nian’s little hand trembled slightly as he held out the candy. Just as he began to feel nervous, Xie Hanshan finally moved. He took the candy and removed his sunglasses, revealing his striking face. Leaning forward with interest, he asked, “Did you prepare this yourself?” Seeing his candy accepted, Nian Nian’s joy was visible. He nodded, his curls bouncing. “Yes, I did.” Xie Hanshan smiled, his fiery blue hair vivid. “Little cub, do you already have cavities?” He thought the child had saved the candy for him because he couldn’t eat it himself. Xie Hanshan was blunt, so he said it directly. Nian Nian knew what cavities were. Village Chief Auntie had explained before. He wasn’t upset. Instead, he exclaimed, “Ah!” Then he opened his mouth wide, showing his clean baby teeth, tilting his chin so Xie Hanshan could see clearly. Afterward, he adjusted his slipping yellow hat and explained seriously, “I don’t have cavities~”