Chapter 66: New Year's Eve Gala

On the way to the ticket check, Old Liu truly saw Old Yu in a new light!

“I never expected you to have such a hobby! A ‘dad fan’? Looks to me like an old cow longing for young grass, or a toad dreaming of a swan!”

Old Yu glared at him, “Oh, shut up! If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all! What if I told you I got this for my daughter—would you believe me?”

“Heh!” Old Liu sneered with obvious disdain, making it quite clear he didn’t believe a word.

A daughter, really?

As if he didn’t know that Old Yu only had one child, and it was a son!

…

After their tickets were checked, the two old men made their way to the very front row, surrounded by a crowd of young people. They sat in their assigned seats as indicated on their tickets.

Looking at the massive stage so close by, Old Liu swallowed nervously. “Old Yu, these tickets must have cost a fortune, right?”

Old Yu replied offhandedly, “Probably not cheap, but I didn’t pay for them myself, so I have no idea how much they cost.”

Old Liu sat uneasily, sneaking glances at Old Yu’s calm expression. He was sure Old Yu was just putting on airs.

Sigh…

He couldn’t help but sigh, blaming himself for always showing off about his son. If he hadn’t, Old Yu wouldn’t be here flaunting these tickets just to save face.

Shaking his head, he watched Old Yu record a short video on his phone to post on his social media. Unable to resist, Old Liu, hands trembling with excitement, also took out his phone and recorded a video to show off as well.

Not long after, his son called him, full of excitement and envy: “Dad! How did you get those tickets?!”

Old Liu picked up the phone. “Hello! I’m at the main hall of the Cultural Center, watching the New Year’s Eve gala! What? The tickets? Oh, an old friend gave them to me!”

His son sounded jealous, “Dad, when did you meet such a rich friend? These VIP tickets are selling for twenty thousand each on the scalper market!”

“What?” Old Liu was stunned—twenty thousand?

He sneaked a look at Old Yu, who was still showing off in their group chat, and suddenly regretted coming with him tonight.

“It’s a bit noisy here, I’ll talk to you later!” Old Liu hung up, wondering whether he should chip in from his private savings to split the ticket cost with Old Yu.

But he’d thought a thousand or two would be enough…

Now it seemed these tickets were worth far more than that!

Just then, Yu Zhile walked over.

“Dad! You’re actually on time!” he exclaimed.

Old Liu did a double take—wasn’t this Old Yu’s son?

He looked Yu Zhile up and down. When his eyes landed on the work badge hanging from Yu Zhile’s neck, he finally understood.

So Old Yu’s son worked at the TV station! That’s how he got these tickets! No wonder he could score tickets for such an event, and no wonder he was here at his age, trying to join the fun.

Old Yu cleared his throat, eyeing his son with curiosity. “What are you doing here?”

Yu Zhile picked up his badge and replied casually, “Just working a temp job.”

“Does your mother know?” Old Yu asked.

“Of course! She even told me to keep an eye on you and make sure you get home early!” Yu Zhile grinned, picking up the support sign from his father’s lap. “Nice, Dad! You’re really getting into the ‘dad fan’ role! Here, let me snap a photo and send it to Mom!”

“Get lost!” Old Yu protested, “I didn’t buy this—it was handed to me at the door!”

Old Liu now felt a pang of sympathy for him.

He thought to himself: Awkward, isn’t it? Caught red-handed by your son! Let’s see how your wife deals with you when you get home!

Yu Zhile didn’t tease his father further; after saying hello, he slipped backstage and began watching his wife closely.

The two exchanged secret glances whenever they could. If anyone who didn’t know them saw, they might think Qin Haiyu was about to cheat on her husband!

…

Half an hour later.

The New Year’s Eve gala was about to begin! Staff members took their places, and the young men and women of the dance troupe lined up backstage, ready to go on.

Qin Haiyu smiled in her husband’s direction, then walked to the center stage lift, ready to make her grand entrance.

Once everything was set, the lights in the main hall and on stage went out.

The venue was so dark that only the glow of light sticks, cellphones, and support signs could be seen.

As the stage dimmed, the dancers made their way to center stage, guided by the faint edge lighting, and took their starting positions.

At the side of the stage, Yu Zhile asked, “Lao Yang, was this opening your idea?”

“Yes. What do you think?” Yang Bing replied.

Yu Zhile hadn’t seen the opening rehearsal, but judging by the current setup, he could guess how the opening would go. He praised, “It’s great! Jumping right into the performance sets the mood immediately, leaving the boring host introductions for later. Compared to other TV stations’ New Year galas, you’ve already won at the starting line with just the atmosphere!”

Yang Bing grinned, “That’s good to hear!”

Soon, a large red countdown appeared on the screen above the stage.

From three seconds to zero…

The stage lights and screen visuals suddenly flared up like a bonfire, igniting the whole scene!

The theme song, sponsored by Mighty Cow Yogurt, blasted through the speakers.

On stage, the vibrant young dancers began their routine, while Qin Haiyu rose slowly from the center stage lift, singing the sponsor’s theme song in her sweet, melodious voice.

Yu Zhile closed his eyes to listen for a moment, then leaned toward Yang Bing and shouted in his ear, “The sound system here is fantastic! Way better than the one on ‘I Am a Singer’!”

Yang Bing shouted back, “Of course! This is a live broadcast!”

Yu Zhile nodded, then glanced toward his father’s seat in the audience. He couldn’t see his dad, but the electronic support sign flashing “Dad Fan” in the corner stood out brightly.

He wondered if his wife would guess that was his dad when she saw it from the stage.

Meanwhile…

At home, Yu’s mother was watching the live broadcast while caring for her granddaughter.

She held the little one in her arms and pointed at the slightly delayed broadcast as her daughter-in-law rose from the stage. “See? Mommy’s on TV!”

The baby stood on her grandmother’s lap, waving her little hands and bouncing up and down with delight, drool flying from her pursed lips.

After the opening number, the four hosts—including Ni Qiqin—took the stage to officially announce the start of the New Year’s Eve gala.

…

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