Chapter 72: Darling, Stop Pretending!

"We all need courage
To believe we'll be together
Even in a crowd, I can feel you
In the palm of my hand
Your sincerity..."
After finishing her performance of "Courage," Qin Haiyu concluded her singing segment at the Oriental TV New Year's Eve Gala with grace and perfection!
She felt proud and satisfied.
Including the opening theme song sponsored by the event's title sponsor, she had sung a total of five songs tonight, amounting to nearly half an hour on stage.
Among the many celebrity guests present, she was undoubtedly the one who appeared most frequently and for the longest duration, giving her the illusion of holding her own concert.
And what a concert it was—so many people, so lively!
After the hosts came on stage for some brief interaction, Qin Haiyu left the stage and made her way backstage.
On her way, she searched around and finally spotted her husband!
"Wait for me!"
She didn't call out, but mouthed the words to remind her husband to wait here, then hurried backstage to change out of the beautiful yet uncomfortable white evening gown.
It was almost ten o'clock.
The New Year's Eve Gala would continue live for another two hours, until the stroke of midnight, ending only after the grand fireworks display marking the countdown to the new year.
There were still plenty of acts to come.
In the audience, Old Yu suddenly stood up. Old Liu, puzzled, asked, "Going to the restroom? I'll come too!"
Old Yu replied, "Let's go, time to head back."
"Huh?"
Old Liu was dumbfounded, "But we haven't finished watching! It's not even ten yet. Are you sure you want to leave now?"

"I'm bored! Nothing interesting left in the show," Old Yu said, switching off his electronic cheering sign. "Besides, we have to compete in the chess tournament tomorrow morning. If we don't go home and sleep early, how will we have the energy for the match?"
...
Then why did you even come to the gala?
Old Liu was speechless, but considering they both had to compete in the chess tournament tomorrow, he agreed it was getting late and they should hurry back to rest.
As they walked out, Old Yu searched around, frowning, "Where's the girl who was selling these things here? She's gone!"
Old Liu teased, "Silly! She made her money and left, of course! Did you really think she'd wait around just so you could return this worthless thing?"
Old Yu's face twitched. So he’d just been swindled out of 280 yuan?
Forget it, he’d just consider it a toy for his granddaughter and let her play with it.
He consoled himself, grumbling, "I wasn't going to return it anyway. I just wanted to buy something else for my granddaughter as a New Year’s gift!"
"Of course, of course," Old Liu stopped teasing him and asked, "I'll grab a taxi home. You're staying at your son's place tonight, and heading back in the morning, right?"
"It's too rushed in the morning. I'll go with you now! After all, it's just New Year's Day, not the real New Year."
Old Yu sent a message to his son, then led Old Liu toward the parking area. The streets were packed, with crowds surging as midnight approached and the New Year drew closer.
Most were young people, so the two old men stood out in the crowd.
Meanwhile—
After changing clothes and removing her makeup, Qin Haiyu quickly left backstage, quietly following her husband out of the main venue.
There were many people outside, and the darkness made her less worried about being recognized. She caught up with her husband, linking her arm with his and asked affectionately, "Honey, we're heading home now. What about Dad? Is he still watching the show inside?"
Yu Zhile replied, "Dad already left ahead of us. He probably lost interest after watching your performance. After all, he came to cheer for his daughter-in-law, not to watch the gala."
Qin Haiyu asked curiously, "What do you mean?"
Yu Zhile explained, "Think about it—does Dad really like these kinds of events?"
Qin Haiyu shook her head, and Yu Zhile continued, "Exactly. These lively scenes are for young people. If Dad wanted to come, something must have prompted him. He even brought an old friend, bought a cheering sign for his daughter-in-law, and specifically wrote 'Dad Fan' on it. That means he couldn't resist showing off to his friend."
Qin Haiyu realized, "That makes sense! No wonder Dad suddenly wanted to come to the gala. Maybe someone was bragging about their son or daughter-in-law in front of him, so he couldn't take it anymore and decided to show them up."

"That's quite possible."
Given Yu Zhile's understanding of his father, this was the most logical explanation. It was likely Old Liu, whom his father had invited to the gala, had triggered him.
Qin Haiyu asked, "Honey, where did you park?"
Yu Zhile walked toward a tandem shared bike and said, "It's over by the mall. We'll ride there."
"Alright!"
Qin Haiyu didn't rush to ask her husband if he was Mr. Panda. There were too many people around, and some things were better left unsaid, lest she be recognized.
"Ready?"
Yu Zhile sat up front, Qin Haiyu behind him, her hands tucked into his down jacket pockets as she hugged him. "Ready, let's go!"
"Off we go!"
Yu Zhile pedaled. It was a semi-automatic shared bike, easy to ride and not too strenuous. If he didn't feel like pedaling, it could even run like an electric scooter.
As she hugged Yu Zhile from the back seat, her face pressed against his back, Qin Haiyu suddenly asked, "Honey, did you hear Mr. Panda's piano performance earlier?"
Yu Zhile replied, "Yes, I heard it. It was pretty good, especially the fifth piece—very pleasant."
Qin Haiyu said, "I didn't like it. His piano technique wasn't graceful at all! And that panda costume—he looked like a silly fool!"
...
Yu Zhile coughed, "How is that silly? I thought it was pretty cute!"
Qin Haiyu retorted, "Compared to Cai Lanlan, Mr. Panda's piano playing was awful! It was unpleasant, and his ugly panda persona didn't match the beautiful piano at all. Honestly, it was the most disappointing act of the night!"
Yu Zhile said awkwardly, "Isn't that a bit harsh? If Mr. Panda heard you, he'd definitely be upset."
Qin Haiyu suddenly giggled. "Honey, stop pretending! I already figured it out—Mr. Panda is you!"
...
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