Chapter 77
At 2:00 PM, at the Ye family’s apartment.
Jian Yunlan had set up his stall at noon, and by the time he finished and returned home, it was only 2:30.
Setting up the stall was completely! unsatisfying!
The little boy stood in the living room gloomily, his naturally curly hair tips drooping down.
Just then, the little genius smartwatch suddenly vibrated.
A pop-up from the Cooking God app appeared:
[You have a new employee. You can check in [Employee List]!]
Opening the employee list, there was indeed a new entry:
[Employee No. 3]
Real Name: Niu Tiantian
Species: Bullhead (Underworld)
Age: 1700 years
Role: Spiritual Field Manager (I just want to peacefully farm (scratching head) (silly smile))
Skills: Soul Hooking (lv.999), Intimidation (lv.999), Time and Space Travel (lv.999), Efficient Soul Management (lv.999), Proper Use of Soul Hooks (lv.999), Plowing and Farming (lv.999), ??? (To be unlocked)
Signature Magical Item: Yin-Yang Plow Hook
Jian Yunlan thought for a moment, “Now that I think about it, before I was transported to this world, Old Bull was sucked into some place. Could he have been sucked into my spiritual field?”
To check whether that’s the case, he could simply look.
“Papa, I need to go to the bathroom.”
The little boy said and quickly dashed into the bathroom.
In the living room, after a while, Ye Qingquan gently responded, “Okay.”
His tone carried a hint of strangeness, but Jian Yunlan didn’t get distracted and didn’t investigate further.
He focused and felt the surrounding space slightly twist. In the next second, he was standing in the middle of a farmland.
Looking at the scene before him, Jian Yunlan couldn’t help but widen his eyes and exclaimed, “Oh my God!”
…Last time, the farmland had been barren, with only soil and the blue sky above.
But this time, the farmland was completely different.
The lush green rice swayed in the wind, the soil was soft and freshly plowed, and rows of crops were neatly aligned. Grapevines climbed on the fence, and even the pear tree that had previously shown ‘locked’ was now blooming with white pear blossoms, gently swaying in the breeze.
Everything seemed so orderly and full of life.
In this vast space, there was now a small wooden house and a well. When Jian Yunlan arrived, a middle-aged man in blue work clothes came out, happily greeting him: “Boss Jian! You’re here!”
Old Niu seemed a bit different from the last time they met. He appeared revitalized, with more energy and a much more relaxed demeanor.
Upon seeing the little boy, Jian Yunlan, who had turned into a child, Old Niu curiously bent down to look at him for a while, then carefully lifted the boy and placed him on a nearby low wall.
“Boss Jian, please sit anywhere, don’t stand on ceremony,” Old Niu shyly covered his face, “I’ve been planting in your field without asking for permission. I hope you don’t mind…”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
“Of course I don’t mind! This spiritual field is entirely in your care. Plant whatever you like,” Jian Yunlan said, “Mr. Niu, are you getting used to living in the spiritual field?”
After all, Old Niu had once been a well-known figure in the Underworld. To suddenly have to live in such a small farm, Jian Yunlan was a bit worried he might not like it.
But Old Niu waved his hand and said with joy, “How could I not get used to it? This is exactly the kind of life I dreamt of when I was working for King Yama under the 996 system!”
“The crops here grow much faster than anywhere else.”
When talking about farming, Old Niu couldn’t hide his excitement and enthusiasm: “I planted some of my own rice, and the pears and grapes here are about to bear fruit. Once they do, I’ll bring them to you, Boss Jian. Also, I plan to build a chicken coop and raise some free-range chickens…”
“Though sometimes I get pulled out by Old Ma to do other work, it’s still much better than before.”
Jian Yunlan nodded repeatedly as he listened: “That’s great.”
It seemed that Old Niu hadn’t been completely confined to the spiritual field. As a ghost from the Underworld, his ability to travel through time and space still worked here. As long as he wished, Old Niu could go to other spaces at any time.
And from the looks of it, he was really enjoying life here.
That was even better!
Speaking of time-space travel, Jian Yunlan remembered something that had been puzzling him for a while.
“Mr. Niu, I want to ask you something.”
Old Niu scratched his head: “Boss Jian, ask away. Old Niu will answer truthfully.”
“Tao Tie and Hu Danggui,” Jian Yunlan described their appearances, “They are both your colleagues, one is the ancient beast Tao Tie, and the other is a little girl who looks like a thousand-year-old nine-tailed fox.”
“At the time, we were sucked into this small dimension. When I woke up, I didn’t see them. Do you know where they went?”
Last time, when they switched dimensions to Dark River, Bright Lamp, Jian Yunlan had just left the hospital and was picked up by a driver from the Jian family villa. Tao Tie and Hu Danggui were there at the villa.
But this time, it seemed that due to the chaos during their dimension shift, not only did the Jian family villa not come along, but even Tao Tie and Hu Danggui got separated during the landing.
Upon hearing this, Old Niu closed his eyes and mumbled something under his breath.
Soon, he opened his eyes again and said, “They’re both in this dimension. One is living a rough life, while the other is living in luxury. I can’t pinpoint their exact location or state, but they should meet you soon.”
“Thank you,” Jian Yunlan replied.
…A rough life. For some reason, when Jian Yunlan heard those words, he thought of Hu Danggui, the little girl who only had one set of clothes and had to use a mosaic to cover herself.
Hu Danggui did have a bit of the wanderer’s spirit.
But since Old Niu said they would reunite soon, and considering that Jian Yunlan was only a three-year-old child in the Genius Baby dimension, it would be really difficult for him to find them on his own.
After temporarily saying goodbye to Old Niu, Jian Yunlan left the spiritual field and returned to the Genius Baby dimension.
In the living room.
Ye Qingquan sat on the sofa, folding a pile of baby clothes. For some reason, even though a lot of time had passed, the pile of clothes still hadn’t been folded properly.
His delicate fingers looked pale and translucent in the afternoon light, and his beautiful almond-shaped eyes were incredibly gentle. He smiled and waved at Jian Yunlan: “Baby, come here, daddy is going to tell you a fairy tale.”
Jian Yunlan felt a bit resistant inside.
But… his body was still that of a three-year-old child. Even though he had innate strength, his energy was still comparable to that of a normal three-year-old.
At this moment, he really felt a bit tired.
Additionally, in the original setting of Genius Baby at Three and a Half, Ye Qingquan was the epitome of the ‘gentle husband’ trope. Though his appearance resembled the passionate and flamboyant Mu Mingqiu by about 30%, his personality was completely different.
It was precisely because of this gentle, almost watery personality that he gradually won over the protagonist, Huo Ye, and made him feel the warmth of family.
At that moment, hearing Ye Qingquan’s soft call, Jian Yunlan couldn’t resist.
The little boy, feeling drowsy, walked over and plopped down with a thud.
He lay on a plush toy duck, wrapped in a soft, fluffy blanket. His consciousness slowly began to blur…
The audience in the Multiverse livestream was getting excited:
[Ahhh, the classic bedtime story scene!!!]
[I have to say, with so many pregnancy stories out there, Genius Baby at Three and a Half stands out for a reason (nod) (covering face). Just look at Ye Qingquan’s gentle and calm aura, perfect for raising a child!]
[Lanlan is asleep! This bedtime scene can’t possibly go wrong now, right??!!]
In the Genius Baby at Three and a Half section, most of the streams had also reached this point in the story.
It must be said, the audience in the ‘Happy Little Blue stream was somewhat humble.
In other streams, three-year-old child hosts were doing everything they could—acting cute, rolling around, showing off their cuteness, making the audience exclaim in disbelief.
Even in this ‘Ye Qingquan putting the baby to sleep’ scene, many of the little ones seemed to be sleeping, but in reality, they were showing off their innocent and angelic looks from every angle. Half-asleep, the little ones unconsciously pouted their soft pink lips, sucked on their fingers, and sometimes mumbled things like “Daddy, hug me…” in their sleep…
But here, with Xiao Lan…
Forget about trying to act cute. As long as the little boy doesn’t start saying things like “I want to set up a stall” or “I want to roast ducks right now,” the audience will be thanking their lucky stars!
When they saw the little boy on the screen peacefully asleep, his thick lashes resting softly on his cheeks, and his fair little face glowing in the light, the audience couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief after confirming he was really asleep.
[This is the key scene that will kick off Ye Qingquan’s influencer dad journey!]
[Influencer dad?]
[Let me explain to the newbies: Another key plotline in Genius Baby at Three and a Half is that Ye Qingquan, in order to make more money to support his child, becomes a parenting influencer and quickly becomes a viral sensation.]
[Although he’s an influencer dad, Ye Qingquan’s baby doesn’t show their face in the videos. Because if the baby’s face is shown, fans would notice that the baby looks remarkably similar to Huo Ye, the heir of the prestigious Huo family, which would stir up drama with a shocking reveal and a chase-for-wife plotline.]
[Ah, I get it now! Later, in one of the live streams, the baby accidentally shows their face, and the entire internet is stunned. Ye Qingquan returns to his apartment that night only to be surrounded by a group of people in black… right?]
[LOL, exactly, it’s a classic.]
[This video of Ye Qingquan putting the baby to sleep was recorded by the security cameras. Ye Qingquan edited it slightly and uploaded it as a short video. While it hasn’t gone viral yet, the perfect combination of gentle dad and cute baby has already attracted some attention, marking the start of his influencer journey.]
This plot may seem insignificant, but it has great importance for the overall storyline.
In other live streams, adorable little ones are doing their best to show off their cute sleeping faces, making the audience coo and gasp in awe.
But in Happy Little Blue stream…
The audience watched the screen nervously, repeatedly confirming. Finally, after ensuring that Lanlan’s breathing had become steady, the audience sighed in relief.
Although Lanlan occasionally mumbled “roast duck” or “set up a stall” in his sleep, it was harmless.
— Lanlan is asleep now, so there’s no way this sweet sleep story will be ruined, right???
[Finally, Lanlan stopped insisting on setting up a stall!]
[Tears of joy] We can finally see a normal, wholesome parent-child interaction…]
[Right???]
The sunlight gently spread across the wooden floor.
Ye Qingquan, with his almond-shaped eyes wide open, gently stroked the little boy’s head, reading him a story as he lay on a plush toy.
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little princess. Her skin was whiter than snow, her lips redder than blood, and her hair as black as ebony. Ah, what a beautiful little princess she was…”
Ye Qingquan’s voice was like a warm spring breeze, softly caressing the air.
The little boy curled up next to his father. His tender brow relaxed, and his small clenched fists loosened as he gradually sank into an incredible dream.
Watching the picturesque scene before them—the handsome, gentle father and his peacefully sleeping little one—the audience couldn’t help but feel a sense of serenity:
Yes! This is why they watch the Genius Baby at Three and a Half stream!
Although they accidentally clicked into Lanlan’s stream and got hooked, in the end, it was these normal, warm, and healing parent-child interactions that were the true essence of the world.
The audience was all floating on air.
[This scene feels so normal, normal to the point that I thought I clicked into the wrong live stream.]
[A Snow White story? How cute!]
[So healing and inspiring, the perfect bedtime effect.]
In the living room, Ye Qingquan’s story continued.
He turned the page of the fairy tale book and softly read aloud, “Under the hunter’s pursuit, Snow White lost her way in the forest and stumbled into a small wooden house. What was inside the house?”
The little boy beside him was also lost in a sweet dream, wearing an innocent smile with his nose slightly reddened.
The audience listened, captivated.
Yes, what was inside the wooden house?
Ye Qingquan gently continued:
“That’s right, just as the baby guessed, inside the house there was a big and soft bed, a warm burning stove, and on the little wooden table, there was a shiny, tempting roast duck!”
“The skin of the roast duck was full and crispy, hot and red. When you cut into it, the tender duck meat inside oozed with fat…”
The audience: “…”
The audience: “…???”
Wait a minute.
This Snow White story doesn’t seem quite right!!!???
At this point, many viewers started to realize something was off, but they still held on to a glimmer of hope and continued listening.
Ye Qingquan absentmindedly stroked the little boy’s hair, his voice still calm:
“It turns out, the dwarfs, in order to welcome Snow White, bought roast ducks from Little Lan’s stall for her! How many ducks were there? One, two, three, four… twenty.”
Hearing the familiar words, even in his sleep, the little boy couldn’t help but tighten his fists, feeling a stir deep in his soul.
Roast duck!
Make him go sell roast ducks!
Ye Qingquan’s smile grew brighter, and he gently leaned in close to the little boy’s ear, saying:
“Poor Snow White, there were so many delicious roast ducks in front of her, but she couldn’t eat any because the dwarfs ate them all!”
At the emotional part of the story, Ye Qingquan couldn’t help but shed a tear.
Not long ago, he had seen the roast duck but couldn’t eat it, and the pain and anger still lingered in his heart.
Roast duck. So many roast ducks. Twenty roast ducks…
How did they vanish in the blink of an eye?!
He was Lanlan’s father, the one most entitled to eat all the roast ducks, yet they were taken away by others. On his way home, the irresistible smell of the roast duck filled the air, and holding his empty stomach, Ye Qingquan couldn’t help but cry the whole way.
Although he cried all the way, he wiped away his tears to avoid Lanlan noticing that he secretly followed him, pretending everything was calm.
He was so close to the roast duck, yet so far.
And so, Ye Qingquan came up with this plan.
As the gentle and beautiful person famous throughout the drama world, Ye Qingquan wiped his tears with a handkerchief, not noticing that saliva dripped down. He whispered into the little boy’s ear:
“That hot, fragrant roast duck, so big and crispy, one bite and it’s so delicious, but poor Snow White couldn’t eat it…”
“Baby, you must save a piece of roast duck for Snow White tomorrow, okay? After all, Snow White is your real father!”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
The audience: “……”
The audience looked at the warm, loving scenes in other live streams with doting fathers and their children.
Then they looked back at Ye Qingquan in Lanlan’s live stream, who had gone completely mad over not getting his roast duck.
Ye Qingquan had actually inserted his personal desires into a fairy tale, trying to hypnotize the three-and-a-half-year-old Lanlan, just so he could get a bite of roast duck…
[The world is truly upside down! Ahhhh!]
[Heh, I should have known, heh.]
[Painful mask.jpg]
[Well, now Ye Qingquan’s influencer dad career is probably doomed! The baby can’t show his face, and now he’s obsessed with setting up a stall. Now even Ye Qingquan can’t stop thinking about roast duck!]
As an influencer dad, Ye Qingquan’s videos had to keep the cute baby’s face hidden. How could he become a viral sensation?
For years, generations of Genius Baby streamers had figured out the secret—being cute was enough.
Even if the baby’s face wasn’t shown, as long as they exhibited extra-adorable behavior and personality in the video, there was always a way to attract attention and become an internet sensation.
But with Little Lan’s stall… it didn’t seem like that was going to work.
Not only had he failed to fix the bug, but he had also made things worse. What kind of situation was this?
The audience stared blankly at Ye Qingquan on the screen.
Just like in the original plot, Ye Qingquan had created a “My Baby at Three and a Half” account on a video-sharing platform, uploading edited footage of the sleep routine from the surveillance cameras.
Along with the sleep video, he also added a picture taken today:
The little boy riding a tricycle, out selling roast duck. The photo quality was average, but the bright and tempting roast duck could still be seen, hot and fresh.
Once everything was done, Ye Qingquan uploaded the video to the platform with the caption: “My genius baby, three and a half years old, can make super delicious roast duck~”
In the original plot, Ye Qingquan’s profile on the platform read, “Recording my baby’s happy life.”
But now, Ye Qingquan’s profile had changed to: “Recording my baby’s delicious roast duck.”
“Daddy, I’m going out to buy ducks.” The little boy was already dressed and carrying a small basket, urging him on.
The next stall day would be tomorrow, but for roast duck, if it could be pre-coated with crispy skin water and air-dried outside all day, it would taste even better. So today, they needed to buy tomorrow’s ducks.
Ye Qingquan clicked ‘Upload Video’ and responded, “Okay, Daddy’s coming soon~~”
Father and son, both excited by the thought of roast duck, headed out the door.
[…]
[If this absurd video and account actually goes viral, I’ll drink chili water while standing on my head.]
[+1, I don’t think this video will even hit 100 likes.]
[The mother-baby influencer path is blocked by roast ducks (exhausted laugh).]
[Everything’s gone dark.]
[…Now this is great. Not only is Ye Qingquan’s influencer dad career over, but even the bug at Mu Mingqiu’s side is probably hopeless. Lanlan’s career has already ended before it began, walking straight down the elimination countdown path (facepalm).]
In the live streams of other cute baby influencers, the main task of the day was to interact with Mu Mingqiu.
To fix the “Mu family’s young master suddenly targeting Ye Qingquan and trying to be a stepfather” bug, some of the small influencers “just happened” to pass by Mu Mingqiu’s house, hugging his leg and flashing a sweet smile at him. Others, acting like little adults, sat across from Mu Mingqiu in a café, holding a cup of milk and pretending to sip, with milk stains around their lips…
As long as the small influencers interacted with Mu Mingqiu and showed off their cuteness, even if they couldn’t completely fix the bug, at least they could fix about 10%.
The current highest record was a cute little girl who, after showing off her cuteness in front of Mu Mingqiu for a long time, managed to fix the bug to about 40%.
But for Lanlan…
Forget about interacting with Mu Mingqiu; he hadn’t even seen Mu Mingqiu’s face, so the strategy seemed hopeless.
[Well… if Little Lan gets eliminated, I’ll be relieved…]
[Same here.]
[I came for the cute baby’s looks, but got trapped for five hours by food. I thought I was entering a baby-showing area!]
By now, the live stream had gathered over ten thousand viewers.
The thought that Little Lan might be eliminated in the first round made the audience feel mixed emotions—part relief, part regret.
It was a complicated feeling.
On one hand, they wanted to get back on track, but on the other hand, for some reason, the live stream was actually quite enjoyable, and if they couldn’t watch it anymore, it would be a bit of a shame.
*
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Zhu Yuan Private Kitchen.
Mu Mingqiu and Huo Ye sat silently, looking at the roast duck in front of them.
Before today, both had been indifferent to the roast duck at Zhu Yuan. But after smelling an unusual fragrance today, they decided to order a roast duck on a whim.
—To please two top VIP customers, the chefs at Zhu Yuan had pulled out all the stops. The roast duck was plump, with a deep red color, served on an exquisite high-end plate, and garnished with a scenic miniature bridge and flowing water.
But…
Huo Ye sat with his hands folded in front of him, not touching the duck.
Mu Mingqiu held a fork, deigning to pick up a piece of the roast duck and put it in his mouth.
After just one bite, he frowned, a displeased look on his handsome face.
“It’s not good.”
Mu Mingqiu put down his fork and fell into deep thought.
Clearly, the fragrance he had smelled earlier wasn’t from Zhu Yuan’s roast duck…
So…
Where was that incredibly fragrant roast duck from?!
Oh thanks for updating ????