She didn’t even need to think about it. Ning Xiaoyu instantly selected option c.

She never expected that one day, she would encounter such a simple answer in a mission assigned by the love system.

Ning Xiaoyu did have a massage hammer, but if she gave it to Lu Jingdu, she wouldn’t have one for herself anymore.

But that wasn’t a big deal.

Shen Yueyue sent her a message, asking if she wanted to get a massage. Ning Xiaoyu replied that she was busy at the moment and would talk later.

After replying, she picked up the massage hammer and went to find Lu Jingdu. When she arrived at his door, it was still closed. She knocked three times, and soon, the door opened from the inside.

Before Lu Jingdu could speak, Ning Xiaoyu directly handed him the massage hammer and said, “You must be tired from driving the tricycle today. Here, use this to massage yourself.”

The love system shrieked 〖If the movie king massages himself, what if he still goes to find a masseur?!〗

Ning Xiaoyu quickly added, “There’s no need to look for anyone. This massage hammer works great— just use it on sore spots. Whether you’re busy or idle, you can always give yourself a massage.”

The massage hammer was soft, one of Ning Xiaoyu’s favorites, and had accompanied her for many years. She found it easy to use.

Now that she was giving it to Lu Jingdu, she actually felt a little reluctant. Empty-handed, she demonstrated how to use it. “Hold it like this. You can massage your back, your legs, or your waist like this.”

Lu Jingdu held the massage hammer in his hand, unsure why Ning Xiaoyu was giving it to him. But seeing how reluctant she looked, her gaze practically glued to the hammer, he accepted the gift.

Before he could say anything, Ning Xiaoyu quickly said goodbye and left in a hurry. She was eager to get a proper massage.

────ρя


When she arrived at the hall, only two other guests were there— Shen Yueyue and Xi Rui. The rest of the guests hadn’t come.

Some of them had probably already gone to bed, too lazy to move around.

Coincidentally, there were exactly three massage therapists, so each of them got one. Any more, and they would have had to wait.

Ning Xiaoyu lay down on the massage bed, waiting for the therapist to work on her shoulders and legs.

The three massage therapists were middle-aged women in their forties or fifties, their hands calloused from years of experience, making them look highly skilled.

Lying on the bed, Ning Xiaoyu looked forward to it. After a long and tiring day, she really needed this massage to relax her muscles.

Just as she closed her eyes, ready to enjoy the experience, a deep and pleasant voice suddenly sounded from behind her, “So, you gave me a massage hammer because you were afraid I’d take your massage therapist?”

Ning Xiaoyu was briefly stunned. Instinctively, she opened her eyes and saw the movie king leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

Shen Yueyue covered her mouth and asked softly, “So when you said you had something to do just now, you meant giving the movie king a massage hammer?”

Faced with two questions at once, Ning Xiaoyu didn’t know which one to answer first.

She simply covered her ears with both hands, pretending to be a lifeless salted fish, silently conveying, ‘Don’t ask a salted fish questions.’

Shen Yueyue: My girl is way too cute!

Ning Xiaoyu just wanted to enjoy her massage, but the love system wasn’t about to let her off so easily.

〖Girl, you left too quickly just now, making it seem like you were brushing off the movie king. Your initial intention in giving him the massage hammer was to make him uphold the virtues of a gentleman and avoid getting a massage from a therapist. But now, he has misunderstood, thinking you were afraid he’d compete with you for the therapist.

At this moment, you can:

A: Make your possessiveness more obvious.

B: Give him a certain level of ‘love compensation’! Pay attention, it must be love compensation!

C: Get physically closer to the movie king to comfort his hurt feelings.〗

Looking at these three options, Ning Xiaoyu had a lot to say but didn’t know where to start.

Ning Xiaoyu: “There’s one thing I really want to say right now.”

The love system eagerly asked, 〖What is it?〗 Was she going to praise it?

Ning Xiaoyu: “Wash up and go to sleep.”

Love system: ……

What kind of nonsense was option a? If the movie king really wanted a massage, she’d be more than happy to let him take her therapist after she was done. After all, life was about enjoying the moment.

As for option b…… what exactly was ‘love compensation’?

And the last option— first of all, the movie king’s heart was probably not hurt. Secondly, what did ‘getting physically closer’ mean? Did it expect her to stick her face to his, like what Xiangxiang did to CEO Huo?

No way. That was way too cringe.

The massage therapist hesitated, unsure if she should start.

At that moment, Ning Xiaoyu suddenly pulled something out of her pocket with a heartbroken expression.

“After giving you this, I really have nothing left.”

Her pocket was about to be emptied.

Hearing that, everyone turned to look at her hand.

Shen Yueyue took one glance and burst into laughter. “What is that? It looks like a hand.”

Ning Xiaoyu looked at the ‘No Need to Trouble Others’ back scratcher in her hand with deep emotion and said, “This is something that brings joy.”

At least, every time she used it, she felt very happy.

Luckily, she had a habit of disinfecting it after each use, so after giving it to the movie king, he could use it immediately without worries.

Once again, she demonstrated from a distance. The movie king seemed detached from worldly matters, so he might not even know how to use such an old-fashioned item.

“You just slide this inside your clothes, scratch here, scratch there— it’s very enjoyable.”

Yes, Ning Xiaoyu had chosen option b.

〖Love System: This is love compensation? This counts as love compensation?!〗

Ning Xiaoyu countered, “Why not? This back scratcher is my absolute favorite! Even more beloved than the massage hammer! But now, I’m giving it to Lu Jingdu. If this isn’t love compensation, what is?”

Hearing her explanation, the love system fell silent.

That…… actually made sense?

Under the watchful eyes of Shen Yueyue and Xi Rui, filled with curiosity, Ning Xiaoyu reluctantly handed over the back scratcher that had accompanied her for years to Lu Jingdu.

One must know that when an item is used to perfection, even buying a new one might not feel quite the same.

“You should try it, it’s really good.”

Having finally completed the love mission, Ning Xiaoyu could at last enjoy her long-awaited massage. Just as she had expected, the massage therapist was incredibly skilled— the pressure was just right.

She was so relaxed she almost fell asleep.

By the time the massage ended, she felt much lighter.

Sitting up slowly, she noticed that the movie king hadn’t left.

He was still holding the back scratcher.

To be honest, something that cost just a few yuan looked rather high-end in his hands.

As they walked back together, Ning Xiaoyu reminded him, “Give it a try, you won’t regret it.”

Lu Jingdu looked at the smooth, well-worn handle in his palm, clearly a testament to frequent use.

“Alright.”

────ρя


The next day, Ning Xiaoyu got up feeling refreshed.

After she went downstairs, the other guests also came down one after another.

During breakfast, the director announced the task for the day.

“Today, the fathers will continue their vacation, while the guests will take their place and earn money to support the babies. Whether you choose to perform on the street, use your face to sell products, or find another way, as long as you can earn money to buy milk powder for the babies, it’s acceptable.

The group that earns the most money will receive an annual endorsement deal from a well-known domestic cosmetics brand. As for which brand it is, we’ll keep it a secret for now. It’ll be a surprise later.”

【Whoa, the program team is being really generous!】

【Could it be a brand under the Huo Group?】

【Definitely not. Huo Xiangxiang is in the movie king’s team. If it were a Huo Group’s brand, that wouldn’t be fair to the other guests.】

【The program team wouldn’t do something like that.】

【Well, that’s a relief.】

Ning Yuwei and Ling Zige discussed what they should do.

After thinking for a moment, Ling Zige said, “How about selling products?” The fathers usually set up stalls to sell vegetables and fruits.

However, produce is generally inexpensive, making it a low-profit, high-volume business, which meant they wouldn’t earn much.

Ning Yuwei pressed her lips together. “Besides street performances and selling products, is there anything else?”

Performing on the street was too degrading. There was no way Ning Yuwei would choose that.

Ling Zige, having researched 《Hello Dad》 before, recalled, “Yes, there’s also dressing up as mascots to attract customers for photos.”

But wearing a mascot costume was exhausting. Those outfits were thick and heavy, and working in them would be tough.

By the end of the day, they might not get many photos taken, but they’d be completely worn out. Plus, the costume would cover their faces, preventing them from using their celebrity appeal.

After weighing their options, Ning Yuwei and Ling Zige decided to use their fame to sell products.

As for the other groups, Mu Jiajia’s team chose street performances, as did Xi Rui’s and Shen Yueyue’s teams.

Shi Chao’s team opted to sell products.

Ning Xiaoyu’s team chose to dress as mascots and take photos with customers.

Before parting ways, Shen Yueyue asked Ning Xiaoyu, “Why didn’t you choose to use your face to sell products?”

With the movie king by her side, there was no way they wouldn’t sell out, right?

Precisely because there was a movie king by her side that Ning Xiaoyu didn’t want to go that route.

The program team had prepared plenty of stock, so even if they sold products the entire afternoon, they wouldn’t run out.

Just thinking about it felt exhausting.

If Lu Jingdu’s fans swarmed the place, wouldn’t they have to sell non-stop for the entire afternoon?

To Ning Xiaoyu, dressing as a mascot was clearly the easier option.

────ρя


After arriving in the city center, the three groups quickly split up.

Ning Xiaoyu and Lu Jingdu changed into their mascot costumes.

Ning Xiaoyu wore a salted fish mascot costume, while Lu Jingdu dressed as a bear.

As soon as they reached the plaza’s center, Ning Xiaoyu immediately lay down on the steps.

If she could lie down, why would she bother standing?

Besides, with the padding of the mascot costume, lying down wouldn’t get her dirty.

The love system, worried that she was slacking off, immediately issued a daily mission.

〖Girl, today marks the first time you and the movie king are working together to make money! You’re wearing matching couple mascot outfits— this is a beautiful memory worth preserving. To create more wonderful memories together in the future, you and the movie king must take photos with at least ten groups of people today and earn enough money for Xiangxiang’s milk powder!〗

Ten groups? That seemed like a lot.

If they just waited for people to approach on their own, who knew how long it would take?

After receiving the love mission, Ning Xiaoyu immediately sprang into action. She needed to earn the milk powder money quickly so she could finish early and rest.

She preferred completing things as soon as possible.

That way, she could have the remaining time to herself.

With that in mind, Ning Xiaoyu rolled over and began striking exaggerated poses, waving her arms to attract customers.

Next to them, there was a sign— 「Taking a photo with both mascots: 10 yuan per session. Taking two photos: 15 yuan. Welcome to take pictures!」

Although the salted fish mascot’s head had two dull, lifeless eyes, making it look sluggish and lazy, the person inside the costume was unexpectedly agile, swinging her arms to draw in customers.

Occasionally, she would flick her fish tail, executing a ‘Salted Fish Thrust.’

Compared to the effortlessly agile salted fish, the teddy bear mascot beside her appeared somewhat stiff and reserved, seemingly unable to let loose.

The stark contrast between the two immediately caught the attention of many passersby.

The salted fish sat on the ground, showcasing a variety of moves.

Salted Fish Thrust.

Salted Fish Tail Flick.

Salted Fish Salt Sprinkle.

Salted Fish Lying Flat.

Salted Fish Scratch.

【I’m dying of laughter! The one in the salted fish costume is definitely Xiao Yu!】

【The most incredible part? She’s doing all these moves while either sitting or lying down! She just refuses to stand!】

【Salted Fish Ning Xiaoyu: Not standing is my final act of defiance.】

【Hahaha, I bet the movie king next to her is completely dumbfounded, unsure how to play along.】

【Movie King: I’ll just be the background.】

【Confirmed: The movie king is officially a money-making tool.】

Before long, a large crowd of people eager to take photos surrounded Ning Xiaoyu.

“Two photos for 15 yuan, right? I want to pose with Salted Fish Salt Sprinkle and Salted Fish Lying Flat.”

“Can I take three photos? I like so many of these moves.”

“I’m different, I want them all!”

“Is the teddy bear here just to fill space? Why isn’t the bear doing any moves?”

“It doesn’t matter. Taking photos with the salted fish alone is enough. Plus, the contrast— one being lively and the other stiff— is actually really funny!”

Ning Xiaoyu who saw such a large crowd all of a sudden: “……”

She was genuinely shocked!

Why did so many people suddenly want to take pictures?

The queue was already stretching all the way to the entrance of a nearby coffee shop.

The love system, which had been observing everything, pondered for a moment before responding seriously, 〖Probably because…… your performance as a salted fish is particularly enchanting.〗

Ning Xiaoyu: “……”