TSBDRA Parenting Variety Show Extra 1

PVS EXTRA 1 – He Plays With the Company’s Accounting Books

After discovering that Yan Qingci was particularly sensitive to colors, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan both assumed that he would grow up to be an artist.

When Yan Qingci grabbed a small abacus during his first birthday ritual, their assumptions wavered a bit, but they still bought him lots of kids’ oil pastels and watched him scribble on paper, thinking his style was probably leaning toward abstract art.

After Yan Qingci turned two, he began to show a level of intelligence far beyond his age and firmly refused to go to kindergarten. He didn’t want to play with other crying kids and instead developed a deep interest in numbers. Every time Father Yan brought him to meetings, he would listen intently to what everyone was saying, and would even climb onto Yan Jingmo’s lap to go through documents with him.

By the time Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan realized something was off, Yan Qingci had already become a little corporate tyrant, learning a great deal from Father Yan and Yan Jingmo. It was almost enough to take on a managerial role at the company.

When they heard the phrase “Wang Group should go bankrupt” come out of Yan Qingci’s mouth, Xu Xishuang finally cracked. After a two-hour discussion with Yan Yushan, they agreed to appear as guest participants on Director Fei Yuan’s latest variety show, Take the Kids Traveling. They hoped this would help Yan Qingci temporarily forget about the company, interact more with other children, and not lose the joy of childhood too early by turning into a work-obsessed little CEO.

Yan Qingci didn’t want to appear in public. He only wanted to work. Since the Xiao Todou CEO was still only three years old, he had no choice but to give in to the pressure from his two fathers, dragging his tiny suitcase onto the plane with a sullen face, heading to the filming location.

On the plane, the three-year-old Todou CEO was finally coaxed into a better mood by a bowl of fish soup and Xu Xishuang’s warm embrace. He begrudgingly accepted that there would be people directing him on the show and assigning him tasks, and even promised Xu Xishuang & Yan Yushan that he would take it seriously.

Watching the overly proper Yan Qingci, Xu Xishuang was at a loss: “……”

After landing, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan got into the car arranged by the production crew. Yan Qingci sat between them, listening as both his fathers greeted the camera and the audience, saying how happy they were to be guest participants on this episode of the show.

Yan Qingci glanced at the camera pointed at him, thought for a moment, then gave a slight nod and greeted the viewers in a reserved and official tone. “Hello, my name is Yan Qingci.”

【Aaaah, Todou acting all grown-up is just too cute! Our Todou really inherited the best features from both dads—how can Xiao Todou be this good-looking!】

【Hahaha, doesn’t Xiao Todou care about his image? His real name is clearly Yan Qingci!】

【Come give Auntie a kiss! Mwah mwah mwah! Xiao Todou is so adorable!】

【Oh my god, Xu Xishuang fell asleep leaning on Yan Yushan again. How are they still this lovey-dovey when their kid is already this big? Show more, I love it!!】

【Thank you, Director Fei Yuan, for inviting these two to bring Xiao Todou on the show—so grateful!】

It had been nearly a year since the second season of Who’s Standing Behind the Door aired, and fans hadn’t seen Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan working for a long time. They could only get occasional updates through Yan Yushan’s sweet family posts on Weibo. Now that the couple was appearing on this variety show, every fan was thrilled. On the way to the destination, the livestream comments never stopped flowing.

Backstage, Fei Yuan was very pleased to see the view count skyrocketing. As expected, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan were his golden ticket to traffic. That big red envelope he gave at their wedding had definitely paid off. Seeing that the group was about to arrive, he happily held up a little whiteboard and went to welcome the four pairs of parents and children participating in this episode.

Take the Kids Traveling was now in its second season. It focused on heartwarming family moments and had a wide audience appeal. It was loved by both the young and the old. The livestream comment section had an excellent filtering system. No toxic language was allowed, and any fan arguments would be automatically muted, creating a wholesome and relaxing viewing environment.

Compared to Fei Yuan’s earlier show A Trip on a Whim, Take the Kids Traveling isn’t just a carefree travel variety show. With kids in the mix, chaos is inevitable—chickens flying, dogs jumping. What’s more, Fei Yuan deliberately chose scenic but less-developed locations so the families could get closer to nature, and he often threw in some tricky tasks for the guests to spice up the show.

In short: torment the guests, entertain the audience.

When Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan got off the car with Yan Qingci, the other three groups of guests had already arrived.

As luck would have it, they were all familiar faces.

The first group was Liang Feng and Cheng Xiaohui. After dating for three years, they got married last year and had invited Yan Yushan and Xu Xishuang to their wedding. It was only then that Xu Xishuang learned many of Yan Yushan’s dating tricks had been taught to him by Liang Feng.

Their child was a boy from Cheng Xiaohui’s previous marriage, now a little over four years old. His nickname was Pidan.¹It means Century Eggs.

The second group was Bai Keke and Lu Rui. They had met on a music variety show and fell in love at first sight. Back then, Lu Rui was still an unknown, but his stunning voice and incredible songwriting talent catapulted him to fame. He won the competition outright and quickly married his mentor, Bai Keke. They even had a child soon after.

Their daughter was a few months younger than Yan Qingci, making her the youngest child on this season of the show. Her nickname was Xiao Lajiao.²Literally Little Chili Pepper.

The third group was Xiang Yao and Chen Yurou. Both were actors and long-time married partners. Their first child was already in middle school, and the one they brought on the show was their second child, five and a half years old—making him the oldest kid in this season. His nickname was Sijidou.³Meaning String Beans.

【Well well well, turns out it’s a gathering of old friends.】

【Hold up—Sijidou, Pidan, Todou, Xiao Lajiao⁴Literally string beans, century eggs, potato and little chili pepper.… Why are all the kids’ nicknames food-related? Are you here to cook dinner or shoot a show?】

【You could literally mix and match and make a dish! Spicy stir-fried Todou, spicy stir-fried Sijidou, Todou with Sijidou, chili and century egg…】

【Stop it, I’m getting hungry. Careful or I’ll eat up these kids one by one (evil laugh)】

【So many kids and they’re all adorable! Is this the joy of “cloud parenting”? Come give Auntie a kiss!】

All four sets of parents knew each other, so greetings were quickly exchanged. The kids were a little shy at first, but Sijidou looked around, realized he was the oldest and the tallest, and naturally stepped into the role of big brother. He walked over to the youngest, Xiao Lajiao, who was hiding behind Bai Keke, and gently told her not to be afraid, introducing himself first. Then he pulled over Pidan and Todou, gathering them together and guiding them to introduce themselves just like their kindergarten teachers had taught them.

Sijidou hadn’t inherited his father Xiang Yao’s famously expressionless face, but he definitely got his gift of gab. He cheerfully chattered away, “Hi, little brothers and sisters! I’m five and a half years old. You can call me Sijidou-ge. I really like eating Sijidou! If you ever need help, just come find me—I’ve got Ultraman warriors on my side!”

Yan Qingci looked up and calmly said, “Ultraman doesn’t exist. That’s something made up to fool little kids.”

Sijidou: …

The smile on Sijidou’s face visibly vanished.

Next to him, Pidan’s eyes went wide in shock. He stared at Yan Qingci, completely unable to believe he would say something like that and deny the existence of Ultraman!

Not far away, Xu Xishuang quietly raised a hand to cover his face.

【And just like that, another little boy in the world lost his light—no, wait, make that two.】

【Hahahahah I can’t breathe, save me! Yan Todou, how does a three-year-old mouth say something that cold?】

【Yan Todou, have you forgotten… you’re also just a three-year-old kid】

【Xiao Lajiao on the side looks totally confused. She doesn’t even understand what her big brothers are arguing about hahahaha】

【No! I refuse to believe it! Ultraman has to be real!】

The comment section was filled with laughter, but among the kids on set, the mood was surprisingly serious.

After the initial shock, Sijidou wanted to loudly refute Yan Qingci, but he remembered that he was almost in elementary school now. His parents and dage often told him to be reasonable, so he put away his little fists and stood in front of Yan Todou, looking down at him from above. “Why… Why would you say Ultraman doesn’t exist?”

Yan Qingci blinked. “Because he doesn’t.”

Pidan joined the conversation. “My Dad said there are earthquakes all the time in Nihon! Last time he had a concert there, he almost broke his leg again! If Ultraman isn’t fighting monsters, then why would there be earthquakes?”

Yan Qingci thought for a moment. “Because Nihon is on the edge of a tectonic plate. The crust… the crustal activity there is really strong.”

“My grandpa told me,” he added. “He was talking business with some people from Nihon the other day. One of the uncles invited him to visit, but he said it was too dangerous there, and that’s when he told me all this.”

Sijidou and Pidan were completely stunned. Xiao Lajiao hadn’t understood anything from the beginning—now she was absentmindedly chewing on her finger, glancing over at Yan Qingci along with the other two. Even though she didn’t understand what he was talking about, she somehow felt he was really impressive.

【Hahahaha Pidan, you sound kind of proud that your dad almost broke his leg?】

【Todou is so smart! He’s only three, right? And he already knows about tectonic activity! His logic is so clear too—my god, he’s a little genius!】

【Now I’m really curious what kind of education Todou’s getting at home… Is it true that kids raised by men are just naturally smarter?】

【Let’s not go there. There are plenty of smart kids out there. And besides, laws protecting kids born to male parents are already in place now, so I advise everyone to drop any shady thoughts. Don’t end up like that scumbag who landed in jail and had to sew for a living.】

【You’re all focused on how Todou knows about tectonic plates—am I the only one still concerned about whether Ultraman is real? (dog head)】

The kids’ first round of introductions had its bumps, but they managed to get through it. Now that everyone knew each other’s nicknames, they could start calling each other more easily.

Fei Yuan had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines, barely holding back his laughter. He cleared his throat, then raised his familiar little whiteboard and walked over to the group of guests still holding their luggage.

“Ahem, I’m sure everyone’s seen the first season of Take the Kids Traveling, right? As per tradition—phones, snacks, toys, anything like that in the suitcases, all of it gets turned in!”

The other three sets of parents handed over their phones, along with the kids’ snacks and toys. Though Sijidou and Xiao Lajiao were a little reluctant to part with their things, they behaved well and didn’t make a fuss. When the staff tried to take away Pidan’s dinosaur toy, he let out two howls before getting a flick to the forehead from his dad Liang Feng, which shut him up immediately. He stood in place and didn’t dare move.

Meanwhile, Yan Qingci opened his own little suitcase with the help of a staff member. Inside were only his toiletries—no snacks, no toys.

Liang Feng, known for always bringing the most toys, couldn’t help asking Yan Yushan, “Hey, your kid’s this well-behaved? Doesn’t he play with toys at home?”

Yan Yushan paused for a second, then replied, “He does.”

Xiang Yao chimed in, “What does he play with? Blocks? Puzzles? Brain-training stuff?”

Is that why Yan Qingci’s so smart?

Yan Yushan said, “He plays with the company’s accounting books.”

Everyone else: ?

The audience: ??

• 1
  It means Century Eggs.
• 2
  Literally Little Chili Pepper.
• 3
  Meaning String Beans.
• 4
  Literally string beans, century eggs, potato and little chili pepper.