Chapter 27: Ignorant in Youth (Seeking Monthly Votes)

"Dad, can we speak Mandarin?"

Qi Hao had been out in the world for ten years and had finally managed to shed his accent; he didn't want to be led astray after only being back for a few days.

Speaking with a Jinmen accent while out and about, especially when delivering lines, made people unable to help but be pulled out of the immersion.

Everyone else thought he was a crosstalk performer.

"Hey, so I have to accommodate you now, is that it?"

The old man was extremely displeased; whenever he saw this brat, his blood pressure wanted to skyrocket.

"Dad..." Qi Hao first let Ao Bai out, then took out that mobile phone—well, he pulled out two at once.

One Nokia 3210, one Nokia E90.

"Is this for me? Why waste money on this?" Although he was scolding him with his words, the old man couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.

The Nokia 3210 was for you.

The Nokia E90 was for my mom.

The rebellion that hadn't completely faded with age was frantically clamoring for Qi Hao to provoke his old man.

Qi Hao had been rebellious since he was a child.

The type who wouldn't go when led, and would back up when beaten.

When he was fifteen or sixteen, he took a green-skinned train to the capital to break into the entertainment industry; on one hand, it was because he suddenly had a system, but on the other, it was mainly because he frequently argued with his father.

But the system mission now had a requirement: he had to "sincerely and earnestly" apologize to his father.

If he didn't want to fail the mission, he had to endure a moment of anger today.

Take a step back, and the sea and sky are vast.

"Dad, I was ignorant when I was young..."

"You aren't much more sensible now."

The old man finally spoke Mandarin; he was a primary school teacher, the kind who hadn't retired yet, so his Mandarin was definitely fine.

At most, he would occasionally carry a bit of an accent.

"..." Qi Hao continued to endure, pretending he didn't hear the old man's sarcasm, and continued: "At that time, my head was hot, and I rebelliously chose to pursue my dreams."

"What is this? Why are you getting all sentimental today?"

Qi's father felt very uncomfortable. "Brat, don't be like this. I'm not used to it. I'm still used to you being unruly."

Your rebellion is like a cold; no matter how hard you try, it only gets better when the time comes.

Could today be the moment of recovery?

Qi's father couldn't stop Qi Hao back then, and with his tacit approval, Qi's mother untied the boy.

He thought that the so-called dream coming true was actually just two words—waking up.

He felt that Qi Hao might give up after trying.

He didn't expect this dog of a brat to actually gain a foothold in the entertainment industry.

What could he do?

Of course, he had to forgive him.

Qi's father and Qi's mother were both teachers, teaching and educating people their whole lives, yet they stumbled when it came to their own son.

They weren't old-fashioned either; they had let go of what they should have let go of long ago.

Whether it was going to university or whatever, wasn't it all just to make their son successful?

The family downstairs, their son was about the same age as Qi Hao.

He had gone to university smoothly and found a decent job.

But he couldn't adapt to society, quit his job after less than two years, and now lay at home living off his parents.

Thinking all day about writing web novels to become a great god.

Compared to him, their own son was truly successful.

"I... I just wanted to have a sincere chat..." Qi Hao put the Nokia 3210 into his father's hand and continued to get sentimental: "Only after I grew up did I understand how hard it was for you, Dad."

"Heh~" The old man curled his lips and opened the phone packaging: "This phone..."

"Ahem, actually, I wanted to buy a gift to apologize to you a long time ago, but I was too concerned about face back then, so I bought the phone and never gave it to you. Now I've finally gathered the courage," Qi Hao said hurriedly.

The old man examined the phone, looked at the manual and such, and sighed: "This is a phone from the year 2000."

This child...

He wanted to reconcile with himself so many years ago?

"Yes, I've been keeping it, taking it out to look at it whenever I had nothing to do."

Qi Hao saw that the old man didn't explode immediately and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With a father who had a bad temper and wasn't completely ignorant of digital technology, he could only use this method to fool him.

"No need to be so concerned..."

Qi's father stroked the brand-new Nokia 3210, his anger long gone.

As the father and son were talking, the door was opened.

In came Qi Hao's mother and cousin.

"Mom, Shanshan, I'm back. I bought you gifts," Qi Hao hurriedly took out... two more phones.

One Nokia N95, one iPhone.

Qi Hao had always been very generous to his family, buying all sorts of things every time he came back.

From clothes and appliances to all kinds of daily necessities.

If it weren't for the old man being too stubborn, he would have even bought them a house.

"Brother, why are you buying phones again? I've only used my phone for a year."

Qi Hao's cousin was named Hu Shan, currently attending university not far from home, less than three kilometers away.

Jinmen might not have much else, but it had a lot of universities.

"Electronic products update quickly, a year is about enough to change them. I bought one for each of you, um, I bought two for Dad..."

Qi Hao had already confirmed with the system.

The system recognized that he had "bought a new phone" and "sincerely apologized," which meant he had met the conditions for completing the mission.

Since he had already completed the mission, Qi Hao started to get cheeky again.

"Hmph!"

He thought he had only bought a gift for himself, but didn't expect everyone to have one. This heavy filial piety suddenly didn't smell as sweet.

However, Qi's father still carefully packed away the Nokia 3210.

It might not be very useful to use, but it wouldn't be bad to keep it as an ornament.

"Wow, Brother, you brought Ao Bai too! Bye-bye~" Hu Shan had seen Ao Bai and loved to rua this arrogant, fluffy creature.

"Yes, pay attention when opening the door, don't let it run out."

"When are you leaving this time?" Qi's mother put on an apron and hurried to cook. Her son often didn't eat breakfast, so he must be hungry by now.

"There's a show starting in mid-February, but it doesn't matter if I go a few days late."

In the show "Chinese Paladin 3," Qi Hao had the highest status, so his treatment was naturally the best; these were basically all in the contract terms.

Old Tian had been in the business for so many years and had this well in hand.

"Work requires a work attitude. What do you mean it doesn't matter if you go a few days late? Look at that 'Waiting Alone' you filmed, the acting was particularly exaggerated... What are you looking at me for? So what if I went to watch it..."

Qi's father's voice went from high to low. Going to watch his son's movie made him feel embarrassed.

He usually went to watch it secretly.

"Big Uncle, your stubborn mouth is harder to suppress than an AK!"

Hu Shan was not polite at all.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I heard that movie only had a box office of two million, making the boss lose a lot. If you don't act well, you won't find a job sooner or later."

No matter how well Qi Hao did, in his old man's eyes, he was full of various life crises.

He needed him, the father, to keep an eye on things.

"Dad, don't worry, I'm my own boss now."

Qi Hao hadn't discussed setting up a studio with his family; he kept his family and work very separate.

Moreover, don't let outsiders point fingers at things they don't understand.

Many studios fail the more they work, mainly because they stuff too many unprofessional friends and relatives inside.

"You're your own boss now? Can't you just be steady for a few years? How old are you, and you're already your own boss..."

The old man was suddenly anxious.

Qi's mother sighed and called Hu Shan to go cook together.

They were already used to it.

If this father and son didn't argue a few times when they met, they probably wouldn't be able to eat.

There were two rooms in the house, and Qi Hao definitely couldn't sleep in the same room as his cousin, so the two of them soaked their feet while continuing to argue.

"You're not young anymore, you should find a partner."

"I have plenty of partners, dozens at least. They could line up from our front door to the Haihe River to watch the old men dive."

"You brat, can't you speak properly for once?"

"Fine, fine, fine, I'll definitely keep an eye out and bring a suitable one back for you to see."

"You're all actors, don't pretend to be a couple and act."

"Dad, you've watched too many movies."

"It's the movies you act in that are too melodramatic..."

"Dad, if I really found a partner, could I bring them home to this dump of a house?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Are you looking down on the poor and fawning over the rich?"

"How can this be called looking down on the poor and fawning over the rich? Look at that hallway, it's pitch black, and there are people cooking on the side of the walkway. I have to look for a long time just to find a place to park."

Qi Hao took the opportunity to complain about the living environment at home.

He was thinking about persuading his parents to move to a new residential area, or even move to the capital to live.

He couldn't live in this place anymore; he was a shareholder of Tencent, after all. ===== CHAPTER 28 =====