Chapter 42: Felling a Whiner with a Single Punch

After having dinner with his parents back in his hometown, Yu Zhile packed up a meal for his wife, then drove home with their baby, who was still half-asleep.

On the way, he received a voice message from his wife that made him laugh as he listened. “My drama-queen wife!” he sighed with amusement. Since he couldn't free his hands while driving to reply, Yu Zhile instructed his phone’s voice system to call his wife directly.

As soon as she picked up, she launched into her act, sobbing theatrically, “Boo hoo, darling, I didn’t win the championship!”

Yu Zhile burst out laughing, “That’s so fake! Honey, your acting is getting worse and worse!”

“…,” Qin Haiyu retorted with mock annoyance, “How is it fake? I really didn’t win! Waaah!”

“This time it’s even faker!” Yu Zhile almost couldn’t stop himself from saying he’d punch the next person who kept whining.

Seeing her performance wasn’t working, Qin Haiyu changed the subject, “Are you almost home?”

“Yeah, I’m on the way! It’ll be just under an hour before I get back.”

Qin Haiyu cheered up, “Hehe, then I’ll go home first and prepare a surprise for you! Don’t talk on the phone while you’re driving. Hanging up now! Love you, mua~”

Yu Zhile shook his head, smiling. The outcome was already known; he already knew she’d won the championship—what surprise could possibly be left?

An hour later, Yu Zhile finally arrived home. Qin Haiyu, who had been eagerly waiting, rushed to open the door and greet her husband and daughter.

She was still wearing the blue pleated dress he had picked for her, her hair and makeup just as they had been on stage. Exquisite, beautiful, almost ethereal.

Just as Yu Zhile stepped out of the car, he saw Qin Haiyu come running over, hands hidden behind her back. Her delicate, pretty face was alight with excitement and joy, and then, like a little girl, she suddenly revealed the championship trophy she’d been hiding and hummed a fanfare herself, “Ta-da! Husband, I won the championship! Quick, praise me!”

“You’re amazing!” Yu Zhile immediately crouched down and scooped her up in a hug, laughing, “But I’d already predicted this, so I can’t say I’m surprised!”

Qin Haiyu wrapped her arms around his neck, then kissed him gently on the forehead, smiling tenderly, “How about now? Are you surprised?”

“Hm, this time I’m a little surprised.”

“Hehe, put me down, darling, the baby’s still in the car!” Qin Haiyu bent down, her eyes dancing with mischief as she whispered in his ear, “Tonight I’ll give you a huge surprise!”

“How huge?” Yu Zhile looked up at his wife, still holding her high in his arms.

Qin Haiyu spread her arms wide in the air, “This big!”

Yu Zhile set her down, teasing, “If it’s not that big, you’ll have to kneel on the keyboard, or on durian shells, or on instant noodles tonight!”

“You’re so annoying!” Qin Haiyu playfully smacked his shoulder, handed him the trophy, then opened the car door, scooping up their still-sleeping baby and showering her with kisses, “Baby, Mommy won the singing competition today! Aren’t you happy?”

Yu Zhile took the stroller out, then fetched the packed dinner from the pouch behind it, urging his wife to try the meal his mother had specially made while it was still hot.

As she ate, Qin Haiyu chattered on about how many votes she’d received for her performance of “Cherry Blossom Grass” in the first half, and how many for “The Later Years” in the final round, how many people she’d moved to tears—including the host, Ni Qiqin, who was brought to tears by her singing!

Speaking of Ni Qiqin, Qin Haiyu suddenly complained, “Honey, let me tell you! Ni Qiqin was so infuriating today! When she announced the final rankings, she dragged it out so much, we all wanted to strangle her! Especially Ye Fei—she nearly exploded with frustration!”

She then launched into an impression of Ni Qiqin, mimicking how she kept everyone in suspense, announcing the vote counts and rankings in excruciating detail.

Listening to this, Yu Zhile was a bit bewildered. Wasn’t this exactly what Mr. Hong Tao was famous for on “I Am a Singer”? Could it be that Yang Bing had tweaked the format?

He hadn’t expected that, by sheer coincidence, “I Am a Pop Star” would end up borrowing a page from “I Am a Singer” in its final showdown!

He commented, “Announcing the rankings like that is more entertaining! But it’s easy to rub the contestants the wrong way. Not everyone can take a joke. And although Ni Qiqin is the top host at Oriental TV, her fame and standing in the entertainment world aren’t that high, so people might be less forgiving. If it were someone at the level of Teacher Wu—a true veteran—even the contestants would play along with a smile. But overall, this way of announcing the vote counts is much better than just revealing them right after the performances!”

“It definitely adds more entertainment and interaction, so the show doesn’t feel so dull anymore.” Qin Haiyu nodded. “I thought it was fun too, just so nerve-racking! People who drag things out like that really deserve a beating!”

“They do, but most viewers probably love that kind of suspense.” Yu Zhile recalled watching “I Am a Singer” back in the day, when Mr. Hong Tao did exactly that—dragging out the tension to the point of exasperation. The audience loved to hate him for it, and while there were plenty of jokes about wanting to strangle him, no one ever wanted the segment removed. It became a highlight of the entire show.

After hearing how many votes his wife had won and the final four rankings, Yu Zhile said, “By the way, honey, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“What is it?” Qin Haiyu looked at him curiously.

Yu Zhile reached out to brush a grain of rice from the corner of her mouth, popped it back in, and said, “If you get any offers for advertising endorsements, I’d like to ask the sponsor to support a competition.”

“What kind of competition?” Qin Haiyu asked, her curiosity piqued as she enjoyed her mother-in-law’s delicious cooking.

“Nothing major,” Yu Zhile replied, “just a county-wide chess tournament back home.”

Qin Haiyu caught on at once, “I see! Dad wants to organize a chess competition, right?”

“No,” Yu Zhile chuckled, “that’s not it! You guessed wrong. It’s not that Dad wants to organize one—I want to set up a tournament for him, so he can participate. It’ll make him happy, and it’s a good way to promote chess culture.”

“Mm, Dad loves playing chess. If there’s a tournament, he’ll be thrilled! And promoting chess is a great idea! I’ll call Lingling right now and ask her to see if there are any suitable endorsement deals!”

Just as she stood up to get her phone, Yu Zhile pulled her back down, saying, “There’s no rush, finish your meal first! It’s not worth looking for endorsements right now. Once the finale airs, there will probably be plenty of sponsors coming to us!”