Chapter 11: Which Husband Is This Wretched

The head producer, Zhang Jianguo, furrowed his brow, his eyes locked onto the monitor. On the screen, Chen Yu’s profile was illuminated by the glow of his computer, his expression one of intense focus. This concentrated look as he tapped away at the keyboard was a stark contrast to the languid, laid-back manner he displayed while caring for his child during the day.

"Zoom in! Zoom in on his screen!" Zhang Jianguo commanded.

The technicians complied immediately. Soon, the lyrics in the document were displayed clearly for everyone in the control room to see.

"I know, those summers, like youth, will never return..."
"I know, the brags we made, will also fade away with a smile along with our youth..."

A dead silence filled the control room. Everyone was struck by these simple lines. As professionals in the entertainment industry, they knew better than anyone how rare such raw, poignant lyrics were in a music scene saturated with affectation and hollow sentimentality.

"He... is he writing a song?"
"My god, these lyrics... aren't they just too good?"
"This guy is a pro!"

A flash of insight crossed Zhang Jianguo’s eyes. He immediately grasped the massive potential for a viral moment. A mysterious stay-at-home dad, a man who seemed utterly ordinary, was actually writing songs in the dead of night! And by the looks of it, he was doing it to make money. How many stories could be unearthed from this?

"Cut to it! Switch the feed from Family No. 4 to the main broadcast!" Zhang Jianguo decided instantly. "Get a close-up! Let everyone see!"

In an instant, the screens of tens of millions of viewers across the country shifted from the cozy evening scenes of other families to Chen Yu’s bedroom. After a brief pause, the live chat exploded.

[Holy crap! Is this the husband of Family No. 4? Wasn't he supposed to be putting his kid to sleep? Why is he on the computer?]
[Wait! What is he doing? That website... it's 'China Music Bank'! Is he trying to sell a song?!]
[Am I seeing this right? A stay-at-home dad, not sleeping in the middle of the night, running off to sell songs online? Just how broke is he?]
[I'm dying of laughter. Whose husband is this? He's so pathetic! Has he really fallen to the point of needing to sell original songs to make ends meet?]
[These lyrics though... "The brags we made, will also fade away with a smile along with our youth." Damn, why do I feel like crying?]
[To the person above, don't be fooled. Is the threshold for songwriting so low now? Can any Tom, Dick, or Harry write them? It’s probably just another piece of drivel.]
[But seriously, don't you guys find it strange? People who can join this show shouldn't be in bad financial shape, right? Why would the husband need to write songs at night to make money?]

The public discourse was ignited instantly. The viewers' curiosity and penchant for gossip burned bright. They speculated wildly—whose man was this mysterious husband of Family No. 4? Was he the husband of the popular idol Li Feifei? Or perhaps the husband of the award-winning actress Zhang Man? Or maybe...

Inside the VIP lounge, the atmosphere turned bizarre. When the broadcast switched to Chen Yu’s bedroom and he skillfully opened the "China Music Bank" website, the hand holding Jiang Zhiyun’s wine glass froze in mid-air.

This bastard! What on earth is he doing?!

Participating in a parent-child show was one thing, but now... he was actually selling songs under the lens of a national broadcast?! Was he afraid people wouldn't know he was a penniless freeloader? Was he trying to make her, Jiang Zhiyun, lose even more face?!

"Pfft—"

An undisguised snicker shattered the silence of the lounge. Gu Ningning laughed so hard her shoulders shook, nearly spilling her drink. She pointed at the screen, turned to Jiang Zhiyun, and said without a hint of tact:

"Oh my, Qianyun, this... this couldn't possibly be your husband, could it?"

"The man of the great President Jiang, reduced to selling songs online in the middle of the night to survive? Hahahaha! If this gets out, will your Jiang Group’s stock hit its limit down tomorrow?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. It’s truly enough to make one sad and weep. How about I show some kindness and let him come sweep floors at our company? Three thousand a month, room and board included—that's better than being a third-rate writer online, right?"

Jiang Zhiyun’s expression had turned icy.

Chen Yu! You just wait! One hundred thousand wasn't enough for you, was it? When I get back, I’ll bury you in money!

Beside her, Gu Ningning continued to stir the pot: "Hey, but then again, this surely isn't your husband, right, President Jiang? With your net worth, how could you let your man be so shabby? It must be a mistake by the production team, right?"

As she spoke, she gave Jiang Zhiyun a "I know the truth" look, her expression implying: Keep up the facade, let's see how long you can hold out.

Jiang Zhiyun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surge of anger in her heart. She raised her eyes, her cold gaze sweeping over Gu Ningning’s gloating face.

"President Gu is so concerned about my private affairs; if I didn't know better, I’d think I had hired you as my housekeeper."

"If you have this much free time, you should worry more about your own company’s financial reports. I heard the profits for the Gu Group last quarter weren't exactly ideal."

This single sentence hit Gu Ningning where it hurt. Her smile froze, and her face instantly turned ashen. The atmosphere in the room dropped to freezing.

...

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a glow over the plush wool carpet. Chen Yu was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt someone gently nudging him.

"Daddy... Daddy, wake up..." A soft, sweet voice drifted into his ears.

Chen Yu struggled to open one eye to see Niannian leaning against the bedside, her large, dark, glistening eyes filled with anticipation.

"Mm... Niannian, why are you up so early?" Chen Yu yawned, his voice thick with drowsiness.

"Daddy, Niannian is hungry." The little girl rubbed her small tummy and said in a milky voice, "Niannian wants to eat the egg fried rice Daddy made! The best egg fried rice in the whole world!"

Egg fried rice? Chen Yu remembered then that the bowl of egg fried rice he had made offhandedly yesterday seemed to have completely captivated the little girl.

He sat up helplessly and ruffled his messy hair: "Alright, alright, Daddy will make it for you right now."

At the same time, in the live stream, countless early-bird viewers and fans waiting before their screens perked up.

[It's happening! The No. 4 father and daughter are up!]
[Ahhh, Niannian baby is so cute! My heart just melted from that sweet voice!]
[The focus is the egg fried rice! After watching Niannian eat it so happily yesterday, I was drooling!]
[Finally, we get to see the culinary skills of this mysterious husband of Family No. 4! Brothers, get your notebooks ready; let's learn how to make egg fried rice that drives kids crazy!]
[Exactly! After seeing him sell songs so pathetically yesterday, we have to support his cooking today! Maybe he can even start a food stream later! That could be a way out for him!]