Dinner time came quickly, and Zarukel failed to get any food from Joshua.
Seeing his grandson's dissatisfied expression, Cale couldn't help but feel at a loss for words:
"Joshua is only three years old. Do you expect him to cook for you?"
Zarukel thought for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully:
"That's right. We definitely can't let Joshua into the kitchen."
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy leaned in close to Joshua and declared earnestly:
"From now on, I'll cook for you. I'll only cook for you!"
Joshua looked at Zarukel and casually nodded without much care.
Standing to the side, Adonis saw Zarukel's expression and couldn't help but notice the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
It was as if Joshua needed this kid to cook for him—just looking at the boy was already irritating!
Layla, nearby, complimented,
"I didn't expect Adonis to be so good at cooking. You're no worse than a professional chef."
Adonis nodded,
"You flatter me."
"The most perfect Papa ever!" Joshua eagerly chimed in from the side, unwilling to lose to anyone else in praise!
Adonis looked at the boy's serious little face and found it amusing, gently patting Joshua's head.
Standing nearby, Lily tried to compliment him, but Adonis ignored her—not even sparing her a glance.
She stiffened, not daring to speak again.
Watching how Adonis only had eyes for Joshua, her teeth itched with hatred. Soon... once that troublesome brat disappears, she'll easily win Adonis's heart!
[Hey, what's with Lily's look? It's like she wants to swallow baby Joshua alive.]
[Adonis already said this is a family show, not a dating one—but some people have no shame, haha.]
[She's unlikeable.]
[Adonis doesn't even talk to her! I'm probably trying to avoid random fan shipping, lol.]
[Exactly. She barely moves, and her fans already say she and Adonis are a perfect match. Like master, like fan, huh?]
The voices of dissatisfaction toward Lily online only grew louder.
It was mainly because she constantly failed to control her expressions and gaze—something easy for sharp-eyed netizens to catch.
Her true nature was getting exposed far too easily.
What's worse, the broadcast hadn't been edited yet, so those scenes couldn't be cut out to save her image.
The system practically screamed:
[Look at your online reputation! Please stop showing your emotions so blatantly!]
Its loud complaints made it clear it was deeply displeased with Lily's performance.
Lily started to panic:
[It's not like I want to be like this! I've always kept my expressions in check—just like before! Why could I control them then but not now?! You should review your so-called "rewards"!]
Hearing her accusation, the system grew indignant, too:
[If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have made it this far! The rewards weakened because you failed your missions! Adonis was supposed to start falling for you—but now, he only feels disgusted!]
Lily's expression turned even colder.
It was all because of Joshua.
Once that boy disappeared, she would seize the moment when Adonis was vulnerable—and win his heart!
With that thought, Lily felt slightly better.
"What happened to Lorna?" At that moment, Layla's voice suddenly rang out. She was observing Lorna and noticed a bruise on the girl's forehead.
Lorna quickly lowered her head, trembling slightly. Layla frowned upon seeing this.
Lily silently cursed. Maybe when she pushed Lorna, the girl had bumped her head somewhere. The more she thought about it, the more troublesome this kid seemed—useless and now causing problems.
"Lorna just fell while playing. She wasn't careful," Lily said, then sighed. "If only she were as sweet and well-behaved as Alice."
Lorna lowered her head even further, saying nothing.
Both Layla and Alice frowned slightly at Lily's words.
Alice, a little confused, said,
"Aunt Lily, Lorna is lovely too. She's more obedient than me. Please don't say that about her."
First, it was Adonis. Now, even a child was talking to her like this. Lily was so furious she could hardly breathe but could do nothing.
In the control room, the director couldn't help but frown.
"Why was Lily even invited onto this show?"
He felt he really shouldn't have chosen someone so foolish and selfish.
A nearby assistant softly reminded him,
"Did you forget? She's a partner unit. She brought funding."
The director muttered, "…Right, I forgot."
Great, he thought bitterly. Spending money to buy a bad reputation. I wonder if Lily's sponsor is already coughing up blood in rage.
After dinner, it was time to divide into teams for the next day's mission.
"The mission is straightforward! The kids will use a map to find their papa! We'll split into two teams. Parents, please come up and draw lots to see which team your child will be on," the host chirped, holding up four slips of paper.
Cale could practically feel his grandson's deadly stare at this point. He swore that the boy might burst into tears if he didn't draw a lot that put Zarukel on the same team as Joshua.
On the other side, Adonis looked at Joshua and asked softly,
"Who do you want to be on a team with, Joshua?"
Joshua didn't care.
"I like everyone."
Adonis couldn't help but chuckle.
[Little Joshua with a heart so big—meanwhile, you can already see Zarukel's blood pressure skyrocketing in the future, lol.]
[No need to wait for the future. Zarukel's already about to explode right now.]
Cale felt that Joshua was a gift from above sent specifically to keep Zarukel in check. He was sure even the Curtis family had never seen Zarukel wear such a furious yet helpless expression.
"It's blue," Cale said calmly. Then, both he and his grandson immediately looked toward Adonis. When they saw that the end of the paper in Adonis's hand was also blue, they both let out a breath simultaneously. Zarukel instantly skipped over to Joshua, grinning from ear to ear.
"We're on the same team! I'll lead you to the finish line first!" he declared joyfully.
Joshua nodded and praised him,
"Brother Zarukel will come in first!"
Even in the God Nation, Zarukel had always been outstanding.
Being trusted like that by Joshua, Zarukel's face turned bright red from excitement. He raised his voice,
"Can I hug Joshua?"
Because of the previous "cheek-biting incident," Zarukel hadn't dared hug Joshua until now.
Joshua looked at him thoughtfully. After all, Zarukel had given him cake… maybe he could forgive him a little.
So Joshua nodded. Zarukel immediately lit up and lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Joshua and lifting him high. His movements were so fast that, standing nearby, Adonis couldn't react in time and broke into a cold sweat.
Fortunately, Zarukel soon put Joshua down. He gently cupped Joshua's face with both hands and lightly massaged it, the affection in his eyes practically overflowing.
Too cute! I want to take him home, hide him away, and never let anyone else find him!