UPWR1BY ### Chapter 535: There's a Kind of Ugly That Even Your Dad Won't Acknowledge
### Chapter 535: There's a Kind of Ugly That Even Your Dad Won't Acknowledge
The first act was a magic show. As soon as Ye Xiu and Li Qilin sat down in their third-row seats, the performance began. It started with some basic tricks—transforming pigeons and objects. Applause erupted at the more impressive moments.
The magic show was indeed quite captivating, but Li Qilin's mind was elsewhere. She kept scanning the crowd with sharp eyes, searching for their target. Unfortunately, she found nothing suspicious.
"Bravo!" Ye Xiu applauded enthusiastically at the performance. "Great... ow!" His enthusiasm was interrupted by a sharp pinch on his thigh. He turned to see Li Qilin glaring at him, her expression full of anger.
"You have the time to watch the performance? Where are the suspects? Start looking!" she scolded.
"What's the rush? Enjoy the show. It's a great magic performance, and it would be a shame to miss it," Ye Xiu replied with a smile. He then turned back to watch the show.
Li Qilin scrutinized Ye Xiu for a moment before asking with a sly smile, "Do you already have a plan?"
Ye Xiu's smile remained, but he didn’t answer. Understanding his silent confidence, Li Qilin decided to trust him and started to seriously watch the performance.
In front of Ye Xiu sat a mischievous little boy. Despite Ye Xiu's focus on the performance, his attention was repeatedly drawn to this brat. The kid was restless, constantly tugging at the man next to him, pulling his clothes, and even occasionally yanking his hair. Every two minutes, he bombarded the man with questions.
"Uncle, do you want some popcorn?"
Man: "No."
"Uncle, do you want some cola?"
Man: "No."
"Uncle, are those two on stage men or women?"
Man: "Both."
"Uncle..."
Every two minutes, like clockwork, the boy fired off another question. From Ye Xiu's vantage point, he could see the man's face twitching slightly.
Ye Xiu clicked his tongue: How can you tolerate such a brat? Impressive.
Feeling a sense of duty, Ye Xiu tapped the boy's shoulder, intending to impart some wisdom.
"Hey, little buddy, hello..."
The boy turned around, eyeing Ye Xiu suspiciously. "Uncle, do you know me?"
Ye Xiu stared at the boy, stunned for three seconds. Next to him, Li Qilin covered her mouth in surprise. The people sitting nearby turned away, trying to stifle their reactions. Ye Xiu snapped out of it, quickly waving his hands, and sternly said, "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."
"Oh..." The boy turned back around. Ye Xiu didn't say anything, but his mouth twitched: As harsh as it sounds, this kid really is uniquely unattractive.
Li Qilin leaned over, whispering, "Why is that kid... so ugly?"
Dark and ugly...
Ye Xiu immediately glared at her, "Watch your words! You're a police officer, remember? Be mindful of what you say!"
"Oh, sorry." Li Qilin awkwardly smiled, "My mistake, my mistake..."
Ye Xiu was about to give Li Qilin a serious lecture when they heard a voice from in front of them. The boy was tugging on the man's clothes again, his tone sorrowful, "Dad, am I really that ugly?"
It seemed like a normal question, but the man's reaction was explosive. He spun around, eyes glaring, furious. "Haven't I told you? Don't call me Dad in public! Don't call me Dad! Haven't you remembered that?"
He was livid. Li Qilin covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Ye Xiu thought to himself: See? It's not just me. Even his dad doesn't want to acknowledge him.
The boy, on the verge of tears, said, "I’m sorry, Dad."
"You little...!" The man looked like he wanted to send the boy back to his mother's womb for a redo. How could he be so ugly? Ugly enough to make him doubt if he was really his son.
"Make way, make way." At that moment, a woman holding a box of popcorn approached and sat on the boy’s left side, smiling as she handed the popcorn to him. "Here, son, I just bought some popcorn."
The boy looked up, tearfully asking, "Mom, am I really that ugly?"
His dad snapped, "You’re ugly, hideously ugly!"
His mom shot back, "Shut up! You’re the ugly one! Have you looked at yourself? Remember what you looked like as a kid!"
She slapped a phone into his hands. "Here, these are pictures of you from your mom. Look at what you used to look like!"
The man stared at the photos, stunned. "Who’s this? So ugly!"
"Who else? That's you! Your mom said you were hideous as a kid!" the woman retorted coldly.
The man was speechless. Ye Xiu and Li Qilin, sitting behind them, got a glimpse of the photos. They were shocked: Can someone really be that ugly? This kid truly inherited it.
The woman patted her son’s head, smiling gently. "Don’t mind your dad. Look at him when he was young. He was ugly too, but he grew up to be okay. You’re already better looking than he was at your age. You’ll definitely turn out better than him!"
It was astonishing. The man in the photo as a child was indeed very ugly, an ultimate level of ugliness. Yet, the man now looked decent. They say women change significantly over eighteen years, but the same can apply to men. The snotty little brats of the past could grow up to be quite handsome.
Seeing his childhood photos seemed to hit the man hard. He tossed the phone back and fell silent. The boy, looking at the pictures, burst into laughter. "Dad, you were really ugly as a kid, hahaha."
The man remained silent. Despite the earlier argument, Ye Xiu could tell that the family was now closer than before. Perhaps this is what family is all about.
Ye Xiu and Li Qilin turned their attention back to the stage, where the magic show was nearing its climax. The headlining act was about to begin. A young magician with a microphone called out, "Now for an exciting interactive segment. I will invite someone from the audience to join me on stage and observe the magic up close!"
"Great!" The audience cheered.
The young magician scanned the crowd. "Who should I invite?"
"That handsome guy over there!" The magician pointed at Ye Xiu.
Ye Xiu: ??? (Me? You want to perform magic in front of me? Are you sure?)
"Please, come on up!"
The spotlight fell on Ye Xiu and Li Qilin, causing a stir.
Women: "Wow! So handsome!"
Men: "Damn, a beauty!"
Women stared at Ye Xiu, and men stared at Li Qilin, their eyes wide. They couldn’t believe such a striking couple was sitting among the audience.
Li Qilin, uncomfortable with all the attention, urged Ye Xiu, "They're calling you, hurry up."
Ye Xiu looked at the young magician and called out, "Are you sure you want me? No regrets?"
The magician laughed confidently, "Yes, you, handsome guy. There's nothing to regret. Do you think you can see through my magic? Hahaha."
His laughter was confident and cheerful.
"Alright then." Ye Xiu stood up, walking onto the stage under the admiring gazes of many women.
As Ye Xiu stepped onto the stage, the young magician started to feel a pang of regret. Under the spotlight, Ye Xiu's 185 cm frame, sunny and handsome appearance, and confident demeanor immediately commanded the stage. For a moment, the young magician felt like Ye Xiu was the one performing the magic, while he was just an assistant.
His presence was overwhelming, his handsomeness almost absurd.
"My god, he’s so handsome!"
"Handsome guy, I like you!!"
"I like you too!"
The audience was nearly turning into a fan meeting. The young magician, noticing his thunder being stolen, cursed internally. He had hoped to find a handsome guy to make himself look better by comparison, but he didn’t expect to find someone this striking.
This was frustrating. Staring at Ye Xiu, whose looks defied logic, the young magician made a secret vow. When his boss gave the order, he’d be the first to shoot Ye Xiu!
Such handsome men shouldn't exist! Yes, he was a kidnapper!