Chapter 161: The Finale [Second Update]

Time flowed on.

Three weeks later, the fourteen-episode run of "Where Are We Going, Dad?" finally came to an end.

Yu Zhile and his family were finally ready to say goodbye to the village and head back home.

Before leaving, the villagers all came out to see them off. Thanks to the arrival of the production crew, the villagers' lives had improved significantly, and the village had transformed into a rather famous tourist attraction. In internet terminology, it had become an overnight sensation.

Many viewers came to visit out of admiration after watching the show, and quite a few parents even brought their children along, hoping to live in the village for a period of time.

Upon arriving at the final stop via the high-speed rail, both Yu Zhile and his wife felt a little out of place. Having grown accustomed to the clear waters, lush mountains, chirping birds, fragrant flowers, and open fields for so long, returning abruptly to the towering skyscrapers and bustling crowds of the metropolis left a sudden sense of reluctance in their hearts.

However, once the recording wrapped up, the production crew's security personnel, medical staff, and everyone else had to leave. For safety reasons, they had to leave along with them.

Yu Zhile turned to his wife and asked, "Wife, are you feeling a bit reluctant to leave? Do you want to stay a bit longer before heading back?"

Qin Haiyu nodded. "For the past two months, I've gotten used to hearing roosters crow in the morning and watching the stars at night. Now that we're back, there are no roosters, and I can't see the sky full of stars anymore."

Carrying their baby, Yu Zhile walked out of the station and said, "Once our second baby grows up healthy and starts listening to us, we can go participate in seasons three and four of 'Where Are We Going, Dad?'!"

Qin Haiyu replied, "That's still at least two years away!"

"Two years actually passes very quickly. When the second baby is two or three years old, our little one here will be four or five. By then, we can bring them both along to record the show!"

As he spoke, Yu Zhile hatched a new idea: "That way, the guest families can be recruited from among celebrity families with second children—mom and dad each taking one. That sounds quite interesting!"

Hearing her husband's proposal, Qin Haiyu actually found herself looking forward to it! She gently stroked her belly and said softly, "Then the second baby must grow up healthy and be as well-behaved and obedient as your big sister here, you hear?"

...

Back home.

Before Yu Zhile's family even stepped inside, they saw the front door open and his mother tending to the flowers and plants outside.

"Grandma!"

The baby happily let go of her father's hand and dashed toward her grandmother.

"Oh, my!"

Mother Yu put down her pruning shears, looked at the baby hugging her leg, and said, "Isn't this my precious granddaughter? Haven't seen you in so many days, did you miss Grandma?"

"Yes!" the baby shouted loudly.

"Hey, that makes Grandma happy!"

With that, Mother Yu glared at her son and daughter-in-law, scolding playfully, "Did you both go wild out there? You actually ran off to the countryside!"

Yu Zhile knew he would get lectured by his mother the moment he returned, so he simply pretended not to hear. Since she couldn't do anything about him, she turned her reprimand toward her daughter-in-law. "Especially you! You're still pregnant! It's one thing for him to act crazy, but you went right along with it! Dragging such a young daughter on a long trip to live in the countryside for all these days!"

Qin Haiyu secretly reached out and pinched Yu Zhile's waist, then put on a spoiled expression as she walked toward her mother-in-law, linking arms with her and cooing sweetly, "Mom, I didn't want to either! But you know what they say: marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog! So wherever my husband wants to go, I have no choice but to follow!"

"..."

Her talent for throwing her husband under the bus was truly ruthless!

Yu Zhile was thoroughly defeated by this drama queen of a wife. If she weren't pregnant with their second child, humph, he would have given her a proper lesson tonight!

Daring to lie and bully her husband!

Banking on her mother-in-law's indulgence—especially now that she was pregnant—Qin Haiyu's sweet-talking act worked every single time!

Mother Yu immediately glared fiercely at her son, the look in her eyes clearly conveying: *I'll deal with you properly later!*

Then, she turned her full attention to pampering her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, completely ignoring the son who had been betrayed by his wife...

Yu Zhile began to re-evaluate his status within the household!

Turns out, I rank even lower than the flowers and plants by the front door!

Look at those flowers and plants—Mom watered them with such care and love, trimming their branches and leaves. He too was getting trimmed, but in a completely opposite fashion...

This is too hard!

That being said, Yu Zhile still felt quite blessed in his heart. Thinking that in another half year their second child would be born, he felt energized for everything he did!

One week later.

"Where Are We Going, Dad?" aired its ninth episode. With the finale approaching, there were only five episodes left.

Watching the three of them on the television screen at home, Yu Zhile even started to feel a twinge of nostalgia for that cozy and leisurely rural life.

Although their current home faced the sea with spring blossoms all around, the environment and air quality couldn't compare to the countryside where they recorded the show, not by a long shot.

The best part about the countryside was that, as long as it wasn't overcast, you could see a sky full of stars every single night, and occasionally spot a few fireflies.

Such gorgeous scenery could no longer be seen here.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. "Wife, when the kids grow up and start families of their own, and we grow old, let's find a village with a beautiful environment to settle down in! Then we can raise a flock of chickens and ducks, plant a vegetable garden, and work from sunrise to sunset!"

Qin Haiyu asked, "When I grow old and am no longer pretty, will you dislike me?"

Yu Zhile retorted, "When I grow old and am no longer handsome, will you dislike me?"

Qin Haiyu replied, "Of course not!"

Yu Zhile pulled her into an embrace and said earnestly, "Then I definitely won't either!"

Qin Haiyu asked again, "When we get old, will we sleep in separate beds like Mom and Dad?"

Yu Zhile answered, "Never! Even after we die, our ashes will be mixed together and buried in the same place!"

Qin Haiyu slapped his thigh and chided, "Don't say such unlucky things!"

"All right, all right!"

Yu Zhile laughed contentedly. Suddenly, the baby chimed in, "Daddy, what's a... bone... ash?"

Yu Zhile said, "When baby grows up, you'll know!"

The baby articulated every word clearly, "Baby is grown up!"

Qin Haiyu stroked her little head and smiled, "Not yet. When baby grows up, you'll be even taller than Mommy! So baby must be a good girl, listen carefully, and eat well so you can grow up fast!"

The baby praised herself, "Baby is very good."

Amused by the little one, Yu Zhile stroked her head and said, "Yes, yes, yes! Baby is the goodest! Always listening to Daddy and Mommy!"

...

The next morning.

The viewership ratings for episode nine of "Where Are We Going, Dad?" came out. Ever since the ratings broke 4 in the previous two episodes, Yu Zhile and the others had begun hoping the show's ratings would break 5.

Unfortunately, the ratings seemed to have hit a plateau. Consequently, this episode failed to set a new high since the show's premiere, but it still comfortably exceeded 4%.

Over the course of these nine episodes, the average viewership rating had already reached 3.3%. This meant that the title sponsorship fee paid by the Mengniu Group for the show had soared to a staggering 330 million!

At the beginning, President Yang had casually remarked that if they had the guts to surpass "The Masked Singer" in ratings and achieve an average above 3%, he'd do it. Now that it had actually happened, his wallet was aching!

This guy was simply a genius!

A seemingly bland and niche show like this had actually achieved a higher average rating than "The Masked Singer"!

Because of this, President Yang's heart was aching over the money!

After all, this wasn't a small sum!

How many dairy products would he have to sell just to make 300 million?

Just like that, as the days ticked by, "Where Are We Going, Dad?" unnoticeably drew down to its final episode.

As the preview for this final episode aired, viewers found it both touching and filled with anticipation!