Volume 1, Chapter 56: Am I Awesome? Quickly Praise Me

[Oh, bloody hell, I’ve heard this kind of nonsense yet again.]
[Honestly, no one else could freeload with such a righteous and dignified air.]
[Freeloading isn't even the scary part; the terrifying thing is teaching your kid to freeload right along with you.]
[Shen Qi sponges off his wife and teaches little Kun to sponge off his mother—I am completely speechless.]
[Didn't you guys notice that Shen Qi's method for solving the ancient puzzle of chickens and rabbits in the same cage is much simpler and more convenient? Plus, his parenting style is completely unique.]

Meanwhile, the audience in the studio burst into laughter, and it didn't sound malicious at all—in fact, they found it genuinely hilarious.

This left Bai Qinghe and Lin Xiaolu completely baffled.

From the start of the show until now, there were simply too many incomprehensible things happening, and far too many moments that went completely against their established impressions of the entertainment industry.

"I can tell one thing for sure—Shen Qi and little Kun are both exceptionally smart people!" Zhuo Yiyi had already lost count of how many times she had felt envious.

Li Huange smiled, though a faint trace of complacency and pride unexpectedly welled up in her heart because of Shen Qi.

She caught herself off guard when she realized it.

By the way, what on earth were Shen Qi and that fierce-looking man plotting in secret?

And how exactly did Shen Qi plan to make six million in just two months?

These two burning questions were far too tempting.

On the screen, Shen Xiaokun pondered for a long time, conceding that Shen Qi's method for solving the cage problem was indeed simpler and easier to understand than his own.

Shen Xiaokun was arrogant and never liked to admit defeat!

With the facts laid out right before him, the defeated Shen Xiaokun was in a rather sour mood.

"Even if your method is better, our bet was on whether I could figure it out or not. Now that I have actually figured it out, shouldn't you teach me a traditional folk instrument?"

Shen Qi nodded. "Indeed I should! But not right now!"

"Not right now?" Shen Xiaokun panicked. "Then at least give me an exact time!"

Shen Qi took out a tablet, opened a short-video platform, found a number of beginner tutorials for traditional folk instruments, and handed the device to Shen Xiaokun.

"Watch these on your own first. With your comprehension skills, you should find it pretty easy to understand. Watch whatever you want to learn, practice by yourself, and come ask me if you run into anything you don't get."

Knowing this was the best and fastest way forward, Shen Xiaokun finally nodded, took the tablet, and sat on the sofa to watch.

Shen Qi picked up his phone.

...

"Queen Huange, Shen Qi must be messaging you, right?" Lei Lei asked.

Since the show included a communication segment, the observers' phones were placed right on the table in front of them.

Li Huange’s phone screen lit up. She picked it up, glanced at it, and nodded.

Shortly after, the message sent by Shen Qi appeared on the big screen.

— Sugar mommy! Your son wants to learn traditional folk instruments, so take a moment to have someone send some over.
— Also, transfer some money to me so I can enroll Kun in a folk instrument class and hire a professional teacher to tutor him.
— It’s not easy for a kid to have a hobby, so we shouldn't kill his enthusiasm, right?
— If I knew how to play folk instruments myself, I would have just taught him.

[???]
[You scoundrel! Is that excuse meant to fool a ghost?]
[Even though he hasn't shown any ability to play folk instruments, I don't doubt for a second now that Shen Qi actually knows how.]
[Absolutely no shame! Utterly shameless!]
[I think I finally know how Shen Qi plans to make six million in two months.]

Li Huange wore a speechless expression.
I'd sooner believe in ghosts than your lies!

Zhuo Yiyi clutched her stomach and burst into loud laughter.
The live audience once again erupted into waves of good-natured amusement.

Bai Qinghe and Lin Xiaolu stared at each other in blank dismay, both thinking that Shen Qi was just pulling Li Huange's leg to squeeze money out of her, only to find their perceptions shattered yet again.

Wait...
Shouldn't the entire internet be furiously cursing out this scoundrel Shen Qi?

Fang Qian and Lei Lei were equally speechless.
Hosting this show was getting harder by the day. An S-grade variety show should have been the ultimate gold-plating opportunity for two young and promising hosts, but hosting it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens!

The segments featuring Lin Xiaolu and white Qinghe's households were always painfully awkward—either hard to steer or unbearably dull—requiring Fang Qian and Lei Lei to exhaust every trick in the book to keep things entertaining.

Li Huange's household didn't have to worry about a lack of entertainment value, but Shen Qi was simply too ridiculously funny.

University broadcasting and hosting majors explicitly taught that hosts must never lose their composure and must maintain professionalism at all times.
Yet Fang Qian and Lei Lei genuinely couldn't hold it in.

The two of them choked and stammered for ages before barely managing to regain control.

"Queen Huange... pfft... then you... pfft..."
Fang Qian cracked up and lost her composure again.

Lei Lei hurriedly stepped in with a straight face, "Should Queen Huange perhaps ask Shen Qi how much enrolling in a folk instrument class would require... pfft..."

Li Huange finally broke down as well.
This amount of money was pocket change to her, but she was genuinely curious about how much Shen Qi would dare to lie for.

So Li Huange began to reply with vibration feedback enabled.

— As long as Kun wants to learn, we are definitely signing up!
— How much does a class cost?

On the screen, Shen Qi's expression clearly lit up with joy as he scratched his head.
"How much should I ask for?"

Shen Qi quickly searched the internet on his phone, muttering to himself:
"Cheap, ordinary ones seem to be around 200 yuan a lesson, while the expensive ones run up to 1,000 yuan..."
"A woman like Li Huange has extremely strict standards for art, so she'll most likely choose the 1,000-yuan-per-lesson option!"
"Therefore, calculating based on a stage of 30 lessons... that comes out to 30,000 yuan!"

Seemingly making up his mind, Shen Qi typed a sentence into the WeChat chat box:
— 1,000 per lesson, 30 lessons for a stage, that's 30,000 yuan!

All of this was projected onto the screen, and the live comments section instantly exploded.

[Holy crap! That much money could literally buy my life!]
[Is it really that expensive? I'm realizing I can't afford to raise a kid anymore. Should I just strangle him now?]
[This scoundrel is actually scamming my wife?]
[Men, not a single one of them is any good!]

Bai Qinghe and Lin Xiaolu seemed to catch sight of the drama they had been hoping for, and their spirits lifted with satisfaction.

However, Shen Qi on the screen frowned and began muttering to himself again.
"No, no..."
"Li Huange is a queen-tier celebrity! And the CEO of a major entertainment company!"
"Her rigor toward art is simply, utterly hair-raising! And her level of care for Kun is nothing short of astonishing!"
"A mere 1,000 yuan a lesson? That definitely doesn't match Li Huange's standards!"

Consequently, Shen Qi began editing the text he had previously typed in the chat box.
— 1,500 a lesson...

Netizens were laughing hysterically.

Yet Shen Qi frowned once more, changing "1,500" to "2,000", and only then did he send it to Li Huange with a satisfied expression.

On the big screen in the studio, the contents of Li Huange's WeChat chat box were displayed with crystal clarity.

— 2,000 per lesson, 30 lessons for a stage, that's 60,000 yuan!
— Since it's not easy for you to make money out there, I haggled hard with the folk instrument teacher and got a ten percent discount, bringing it down to 54,000, plus three free lessons!
— Am I amazing or what?
— Quick, praise me!

Li Huange was torn between exasperation and amusement, while also feeling a deep sense of embarrassment.
She covered her forehead, lowered her head, and clenched her back teeth.

Shen Qi!
I’ll praise your entire face!