Chen Xiaokun held his forehead, looking frustrated and exasperated.
"How do you manage to put on such a good act in front of my mom? I told her how you usually are at home, and she didn't believe me at all!"
Li Huange remembered how Chen Xiaokun had told her a couple of days ago that Chen Qi acted like he was having seizures at home, but Li Huange was too deeply impressed by Chen Qi's gentle demeanor to believe it.
Now...
Chen Qi brought out a steaming bowl of soup and served it to Chen Xiaokun, then brought out a potato and carrot pancake.
Chen Xiaokun's eyes lit up, but he pretended to be displeased.
"What? You're just giving me soup and a pancake because Mom's not home?"
"Pfft..." Chen Qi picked up the pancake, "Little kid, you've got a long way to go with your eating!"
With that, Chen Qi's eyes suddenly brightened.
"Xiaokun, do you believe I can eat this whole pancake in one bite?"
Chen Xiaokun was taken aback, looking at the pancake in Chen Qi's hand, which was as big as a plate, with skepticism.
"One bite? I don't believe it!"
"Want to bet?" Chen Qi chuckled.
"What are we betting?" Chen Xiaokun's expression turned crafty.
Chen Qi chuckled again, "I saw your mom give you 500 yuan yesterday, let's bet that!"
Li Huange: "..."
[Oh my! A father eyeing his son's little stash? How shameless.]
[Looks like Chen Qi has no status at home, relying on his son for pocket money?]
Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawℝead.com ].
[Definitely mooching off a rich woman, didn't serve her well last night, so no money.]
The two suddenly became serious, stood up, and went upstairs. When they returned, each placed 500 yuan on the dining table.
"READY~~~GO!" Chen Xiaokun shouted.
Chen Qi clenched both hands, squishing the pancake into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth in one go.
Smack!
Chen Qi's greasy hand slapped down on Chen Xiaokun's money.
"Won... haha..."
[What a shameless dad! I'm stunned.]
[The way he scams his kid's pocket money is too low, wouldn't the women in this house be furious if they knew?]
[Doesn't this reflect a man's sad reality? If pocket money was enough, would a dad be so stingy with his kid's money?]
[As a fellow man, I see myself in him, no more words, just tears.]
Li Huange sat in the studio, feeling like she was on pins and needles, yet she had to pretend to be cheerful like the other three celebrity panelists while watching the big screen.
Is it really that the pocket money I give isn't enough?
A full 200,000 a month!
Chen Qi, Chen Qi, isn't your behavior a bit too disgraceful?
The other three female celebrities on the panel kept discussing, while Li Huange seemed somewhat silent. The host, Fang Qian, timely asked:
"Queen of Songs Huange, what do you think of this father's actions?"
Li Huange gritted her teeth inside, but smiled and said, "Very shameless! But... the relationship between this father and child is like friends, which is... well... not bad!"
Lin Xiaolu immediately expressed a different opinion.
"It's well known that Queen of Songs Huange is married and has kept her family life well hidden, so saying this makes me a bit skeptical."
"I'm married with kids too, and as a mother, I would never allow such a situation in my home!"
Zhuo Yiyi, as a newly rising young queen, was young and had fresh ideas.
"I actually think having such a father is fun, I always wished for a father like that, but mine was too serious..."
Bai Qinghe nodded in agreement, "Indeed! Kids like fathers like this, but the mother definitely wouldn't like such a husband!"
Li Huange was angry inside but didn't know how to refute, thinking of various ways to deal with Chen Qi when she got home.
"I just think a family shouldn't be too dull, maybe there's a twist later."
...
On screen.
Chen Qi and Chen Xiaokun finished eating.
"Xiaokun, I cooked, so shouldn't you do the dishes?" Chen Qi wiped his mouth and asked.
Chen Xiaokun stood up, "No time! I need to practice calligraphy!"
In no time, Chen Xiaokun was seen diligently practicing calligraphy in the study.
His handwriting was even better than the notes Chen Qi had seen before.
[Oh my, am I worse than a kid?]
[Xiaokun should only be five, right? Looks like he has a solid foundation.]
[Don't say it, I'm hitting my son right now.]
Chen Qi chuckled, placing his hand on the paper Xiaokun was practicing on.
"Sorry, you need to do the dishes now!"
Chen Xiaokun looked up, surprised and displeased, "You mean I have to do chores?"
"Of course!" Chen Qi nodded seriously, "Even though you're only five, I need you to understand something."
"What is it?" Xiaokun asked, his little face dark.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch! You need to pay for what you get, within your ability!" Chen Qi's face turned even more serious, "I cooked, so doing the dishes is your task!"
Xiaokun sneered, "What if I don't?"
Chen Qi smiled brightly, "Then you can't eat the next meal until the dishes from the last one are done!"
"Want to try?" Xiaokun's expression was quite confrontational.
"Let's try then!"
Chen Qi let go, even smiled at Xiaokun as he left the room.
[Hey? Isn't Xiaokun only five? Does he have to do dishes at five?]
[Isn't that a bit too harsh?]
[I actually think Chen Qi's approach is right, this way he can instill the right worldview in the child.]
[Nonsense! Does your family make five-year-olds do dishes?]
...
Li Huange frowned slightly.
Oh, Chen Qi!
Before I left, I told you to be good to Xiaokun, and now you're making him do chores as soon as he arrives?
How will your relationship be in the future?
Bai Qinghe immediately said coldly, "I've studied child psychology and family relations, and while it's good to encourage kids to do chores to improve their skills, threatening them with no food... that's not the way!"
Lin Xiaolu nodded in agreement, "The child is only five, a time when they need nutrition and health, starving them would be counterproductive."
"I don't even have a partner right now, so I'll reserve my opinion," Zhuo Yiyi said with a smile.
Li Huange squinted, glancing at Bai Qinghe and Lin Xiaolu.
They were around the same age as Li Huange, and the competition was fierce.
Everyone was in the entertainment industry, and the unwritten rules of variety shows were clear. The show invited four major stars from four major entertainment companies, so it's clear they needed conflict and topics to discuss, right?
Not to mention, Li Huange had grudges with these two.
Li Huange felt a bit annoyed inside.
Even if Chen Qi isn't great, why do I feel so irritated when you two talk about it?
"The younger the child, the easier it is to instill good habits. I think if it's to this extent... this father isn't wrong."
Lin Xiaolu immediately covered her mouth, looking at Li Huange in shock.
"Oh dear! Huange, be more mindful, everyone knows you don't have kids yet, you can't have such thoughts!"
Bai Qinghe also said with a hidden meaning:
"Chen Qi used underhanded methods to win 500 yuan from the child, I don't approve of this father's educational approach!"
"Huange, you should instill this concept in your husband, if you have kids, this won't do for them!"
Lin Xiaolu and Bai Qinghe both looked at Li Huange seriously.
"We're saying this for your own good!"
"Yes, yes, it's all for your own good!"