"Hello, Chief Planner Wu."
Jiang Ning answered his phone, simultaneously placing a hand over his mouth to signal Su Meng and Mengmeng to remain silent.
"Hello, Master Jiang. Have you checked your Huayin account?"
At the Huayin headquarters, in the Chief Planner's office, Wu Lianqu was unusually nervous.
Seeing the Huayin data over the past two days had him practically buzzing with excitement.
Although Huayin had activated a level-9 traffic pool for Dream Chasing Youth, the massive influx of users it had brought to the platform was a tremendous boon.
Now, every live stream on Huayin was discussing Dream Chasing Youth, with comments flooding in and countless requests for him to start streaming.
The Huayin office was inundated with daily calls from relevant parties seeking information about Dream Chasing Youth or contact details.
In fact, every dance academy in the Great Xia Kingdom had called to inquire.
Qingbei University had repeatedly emphasized the importance of contacting Dream Chasing Youth to invite him as a distinguished guest professor for their Dance Academy.
The private messages sent to Dream Chasing Youth were overwhelming—hundreds or even thousands of times more than what Young Dad received.
*It would take years to go through all of them one by one.*
"No, what's wrong?"
Jiang Ning figured it was probably because Dream Chasing Youth's account had gone viral.
"It's like this, Master Jiang: too many people have been sending you private messages, earnestly inviting you to collaborate, but you haven't replied. They've started calling Huayin directly, asking for your personal information, which we refused to give. Now, many of your fans are requesting that you go live. What do you think?"
Wu Lianqu waited nervously for Jiang Ning's response, wiping sweat from his forehead with one hand. If Jiang Ning agreed to stream, it would reduce negative comments, retain fans, and keep the traffic flowing to Huayin. Moreover, it would earn Huayin a substantial share of the streaming rewards.
"Chief Planner Wu, how about this: I'm out of town right now. Could you announce a live stream for 9 PM tonight? I checked earlier, and streaming during the day would disrupt people's work and could lead to awkward situations. I don't want my stream to embarrass my fans. Let's stick with 9 PM. I'll be back by then anyway."
Jiang Ning pondered for a moment, then decided to delay the live stream. This way, the public's attention wouldn't fade too quickly, and everyone would focus on Dream Chasing Youth. That way, the Tap Dance King wouldn't have to worry anymore.
"Alright, good, good. I'll post the announcement right away. Thank you, Master Jiang."
Wu Lianqu let out a sigh of relief, having obtained the answer he wanted.
"That's all for now. I'm driving, so I can't talk much longer."
Jiang Ning had just pulled over to take the call. After hanging up, he continued driving.
"Honey, was that Huayin calling?" Su Meng asked, blinking at Jiang Ning.
"Yeah," Jiang Ning nodded. "Chief Planner Wu asked if I'd do a live stream, and many people have been messaging me. Since I didn't reply, they all went to Huayin to get my personal information."
"Honey, you're a big internet celebrity now!" Su Meng said, feeling proud of her choice in partner.
"Sweetie, you know I created Dream Chasing Youth to divert those live stream harassers. I don't care about being an internet celebrity. I just want to spend more time with Mengmeng." Jiang Ning sighed helplessly.
"It's all Xiao Yinyin's fault for teaching that little dog Sweetie to dance, and mine for being bored and starting to tap dance in the first place. Someone filmed me, and now it's caused all this trouble."
"Hmm, so, honey, what dance are you preparing for the party?" Su Meng asked curiously.
"I haven't decided yet. Let's talk about it later."
"Daddy, you have to teach Mengmeng to dance too! Mengmeng wants to dance too," Mengmeng said in her sweet, childish voice from the back seat, strapped into her child safety seat.
"Okay, how about this: every afternoon, Daddy will teach Mengmeng dancing for an hour?"
"Yay! I love you the most, Daddy!" Mengmeng giggled.
This made Su Meng a little jealous.
"Oh? So, Mengmeng's favorite is Daddy now? Does that mean Mommy isn't your favorite anymore?"
"Ah, Mengmeng loves Mommy very, very much too," Mengmeng said, getting flustered by Su Meng's question.
Su Meng turned and glared at her. "You little rascal, Mengmeng! Daddy's your number one, and Mommy's very loved too, but in your heart, Daddy's the first favorite and Mommy's the second favorite."
"No, no! Mengmeng loves Daddy and Mommy equally!" Mengmeng shivered and quickly corrected herself, trying to be clever.
"Hmph, at least you have some conscience," Su Meng said, turning away haughtily with a smug expression.
"Honey, look what you did—you scared Mengmeng."
Jiang Ning, the doting father, stepped in.
"What? Defending your daughter now?" Su Meng glared fiercely at him.
"Come on, honey. You're a grown woman. Why are you arguing with a child? And jealous?" Jiang Ning chuckled awkwardly.
"How can I not be jealous? You're Mengmeng's father, and I'm her mother. She should love us equally. I just want fair treatment. Is that too much to ask?" Su Meng's logic seemed flawless.
"Alright, alright. Mengmeng loves Mommy and Daddy the most, and Mommy and Daddy love Mengmeng the most. Mengmeng, tell Daddy I'm right, okay?" Jiang Ning surrendered in exasperation.
*Trying to reason with a girl? Forget it. When they get stubborn, they can twist anything into truth.*
"Mmm-hmm! Daddy's right! Mengmeng loves Mommy and Daddy the most, and Mommy and Daddy love Mengmeng the most!" Mengmeng nodded vigorously, her loyalty to her father unwavering.
Su Meng watched the scene, torn between amusement and irritation. The closeness between Jiang Ning and Mengmeng was obvious, making her feel like an outsider.
Jiang Ning didn't want to waste time on the boring drive. "Mengmeng, should we keep studying English or keep singing?"
Mengmeng thought for a moment and said, "Daddy, let's sing first, then do English."
"Okay. How about today I teach you a new song called 'Let's Paddle Our Oars'? What do you think?"
*Clap, clap, clap*
"Yay! Mengmeng wants to learn!" Mengmeng clapped happily.
Jiang Ning cleared his throat and, with his master-level, professional, and loving voice, began teaching Mengmeng the song "Let's Paddle Our Oars" with earnestness.
"Let's paddle our oars,
The little boat pushes through the waves.
The sea reflects the beautiful white pagoda,
Surrounded by green trees and red walls.
The little boat drifts gently on the water,
A cool breeze blows against our faces.
Red scarves flutter in the sun,
Sunlight spills across the sea,
Fish in the water gaze up at us,
Quietly listening to our cheerful song.
..."
Su Mengyuan pretended to be annoyed, but as she listened, she couldn't help but be infected by the warm atmosphere and began humming along.
Mengmeng learned with gusto, her childish voice echoing in the car.
Every now and then, she'd forget the lyrics and sing "The sea reflects the beautiful white pagoda" as "The sea reflects the pretty big white," making Jiang Ning and Su Meng burst into laughter.
When the song ended, Jiang Ning smiled and asked, "Mengmeng, did you like the song?"
Mengmeng nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling. "It's so pretty! Daddy sings the best!"
Su Meng pouted playfully. "Hmph, Mommy sings pretty well too."
"Mommy sings nicely too! Mengmeng loves listening to both of you sing!"
Watching this scene, Jiang Ning felt his heart swell with happiness.
"Since Mengmeng loves singing so much, how about we go boating in the park this weekend? We can sing this song on the boat—it'll be so fun!"
Mengmeng's face lit up, and she started dancing with excitement. "Yes, yes! I want to go boating and sing on the boat!"
Then, as if remembering something, she lowered her head fearfully. "But... boating is in the park, and Mengmeng doesn't want to go to the park."
Jiang Ning understood her hesitation. "Mengmeng, didn't you say Daddy was a super big hero? With Daddy here, if any bad guys show up, I'll knock them all down! No one will ever hurt you."
"Oh, right! Why should Mengmeng be scared when Daddy's here? Hehe, Daddy, then Mengmeng will go boating with you and sing this song!" With that, Mengmeng's fear finally melted away.
The car continued driving forward, the family's laughter drifting out the window and scattering in the warm sunlight. A blissful atmosphere filled the entire car.