A Billionaire CEO Brings His Child Home: The Awakening of the Stay-at-Home Dad System

The chat in the live stream was still scrolling, and while eating, Chen Hao checked the popularity score on the system panel—18927, just over a thousand short of twenty thousand.

He hadn't even finished the last few bites of rice in his bowl when several more gifts appeared on the screen—

[“Heart Fluttering” gave away 2 lollipops!]

[“Don’t Drink and Drive” is giving away 1 pairs of sunglasses!]

[The "Country Life is Wonderful" campaign is giving away 1 pair of bunny ears!]

[Received a donation: 2 lollipops, gained 4 popularity points!]

[Received a donation: 1 pairs of sunglasses, and gained 19 popularity points!]

[Received a donation: 1 bunny ears, gained 19 popularity points!]

Current popularity: 19359.

In the live chat section, viewers were still discussing Chen Hao's plan to renovate the old house—

"Are you really going to renovate your old house yourself, streamer?"

"A programmer doing interior design? I find that hard to believe."

"But the streamer said he had never learned to cook before, yet he still made Michelin-level dishes."

"Maybe the streamer is actually a hidden all-rounder."

"Can't wait! I want to see the streamer renovate the old house!"

"If you could transform this dilapidated house into your dream house, I would be truly impressed."

After finishing his meal, Chen Hao picked up another piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth. While chewing, he sent a message in his mind: "Start the renovation tomorrow. Go buy the materials today."

"Buying materials! Can the streamer buy materials live?"

"I want to see a livestreamer choose building materials! It seems like they'd be very professional!"

"Yes! Let's see if the streamer really knows anything!"

Chen Hao did not reply and continued eating.

He picked up a piece of green vegetable, put it in his mouth, chewed it twice, swallowed it, and then opened the system store in his mind.

The mall's interface unfolded in his mind, with rows of product icons neatly arranged.

He went straight to the "Skills" category and found three skills he needed—

【God-level Bricklayer (Beginner): Requires 5000 popularity points to redeem】

Note: This course requires mastering all basic masonry skills, including bricklaying, plastering, tiling, and wall laying, with a construction quality comparable to that of a craftsman with twenty years of experience.

【God-level Carpenter (Beginner): Requires 5000 popularity points to redeem】

Description: Proficient in all basic woodworking skills, including timber structure fabrication, door and window installation, cabinet building, and flooring installation, with craftsmanship reaching the level of a professional carpenter.

【God-level Electrician (Beginner): Requires 5000 popularity points to redeem】

Note: This course covers all basic electrical skills, including circuit wiring, switch and socket installation, lighting installation, and simple circuit repair. Safety procedures must comply with national standards.

The three skills combined total exactly 15,000 popularity points.

He currently has over 19,000, and after exchanging them, he will still have over 4,000 left.

Without hesitation, Chen Hao clicked on the redemption buttons in his mind.

[Ding! Successfully exchanged 5000 popularity points for a God-level Bricklayer (Beginner)!]

[Skills have been infused; the host has mastered all basic bricklaying skills. Current bricklaying level: Twenty-year veteran craftsman.]

[Successfully exchanged 5000 popularity points for a Divine Woodworking (Beginner) skill!]

[Skills have been infused; the host has mastered all basic woodworking skills. Current woodworking level: Professional Carpenter.]

[Successfully exchanged 5000 popularity points for a God-level Electrician (Beginner)!]

[Skills have been injected; the host has mastered all basic electrician skills. Current electrician level: Certified Electrician.]

[Remaining popularity points: 4147.]

In an instant, a flood of information rushed into Chen Hao's mind.

It wasn't the kind of stiff, forced indoctrination feeling, but rather a natural experience, as if something he already knew had suddenly been awakened.

He can "see" the construction process of a wall—how the bricks are placed, how the mortar is mixed, how the grout joints are controlled, and how the verticality and horizontality are calibrated.

He can "see" the process of making a wooden table—how the wood is selected, how the mortise and tenon joints are made, how the plane is pushed, and how the sandpaper is used to polish it.

He can "see" the wiring process of a circuit—how to choose the specifications of the wires, how to lay the conduits, how to handle the joints, and how to distinguish between the ground wire and the neutral wire.

These things weren't things he saw with his eyes, but things he directly "knew," just like how he had worked as a bricklayer for twenty years, a carpenter for ten, and an electrician for five.

Every detail is ingrained in their bones, and every operation is thoroughly understood.

Chen Hao paused slightly in the hand holding the rice bowl, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

15,000 popularity points are worth it for three solid skills.

"Haohao, what are you laughing at?" Meng Meiling noticed the smile on her son's face. "What good things are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing," Chen Hao said, his smile fading as he picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. "I just think this fish is quite fresh."

By this time, Shen Xiaoting had finished her meal. Her tummy was bulging, and she leaned back in her chair, holding a plush rabbit in her arms, with a satisfied expression on her face.

Meng Meiling put another piece of fish on her plate, but she shook her head and said, "Grandma, I'm full, I can't eat anymore."

"Just one more bite, just one more bite," Meng Meiling coaxed her.

Shen Xiaoting hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth. Meng Meiling fed her the fish, which she chewed and swallowed. Then she shook her head firmly.

"I really can't eat anymore."

Meng Meiling smiled and didn't press the matter further.

She turned to look at Chen Hao, then at Chen Bingzhong, and whispered:

"This child doesn't have a big appetite, but he eats everything and isn't picky about food, so he's easy to raise."

Chen Bingzhong nodded without saying anything and continued to eat his third bowl of rice.

Chen Hao put down his chopsticks, picked up his phone and glanced at the time—5:23 PM.

It was still bright outside. In early summer in the south, the sun hadn't set yet at this hour, and there was at least another hour and a half of daylight.

The hardware stores and building material stores in the county town should still be open at this time. He remembered that the building material market in the town usually didn't close until 6:30 or 7:00.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going to the county town to buy some things." He stood up and gathered the bowls and chopsticks.

"Shall we go now?" Meng Meiling glanced at the sky outside the window.

"It's almost 5:30. It takes you an hour to go to the county town and back, and it will be dark by the time you get back."

"It's okay, I'll drive a little faster," Chen Hao said. "I'm just going to buy some building materials and tools. We'll start working on the old house tomorrow."

Shen Xiaoting, who had been rubbing her tummy, immediately slid off her chair and ran to Chen Hao's side when she heard her father say they were going out. She looked up at him with her head tilted back.

"Dad, I want to go too!"

Chen Hao looked down at his daughter and hesitated for a moment.

Taking a three-year-old to the county town to buy things is indeed inconvenient – ​​you have to get on and off the bus, carry things, and walk around in the store.

But looking into his daughter's bright, expectant eyes, he swallowed back the words of refusal that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Okay, Daddy will take you." He bent down and picked up his daughter. "But you have to be good and not run around."

"I'll be a good girl!" Shen Xiaoting nodded vigorously, wrapping her little arms around her father's neck.

"Haohao, isn't it inconvenient for you to bring the child?" Meng Meiling stood up.

"Why don't you stay home, Tingting, and Grandma will take you for a walk around the village entrance?"

Shen Xiaoting buried her face in her father's shoulder and hugged him even tighter, expressing her refusal through her actions.

"It's okay, Mom, I'll take her," Chen Hao said. "Tingting is very well-behaved; she won't cause any trouble."

Seeing that her granddaughter was unwilling to stay, Meng Meiling didn't force her, but simply told her, "Be careful on your journey and come back soon."

"understood."

Chen Hao carried his daughter out of the main room, through the front hall of the convenience store, pushed open the door, and walked to the car.

He opened the back door, put Shen Xiaoting into the child safety seat, and fastened the seatbelt.

Shen Xiaoting sat obediently with her hands on her knees, watching her father close the door and walk around to the driver's seat.

Chen Hao got into the car, started the engine, shifted gears, reversed, turned around, and drove onto the country road along the dirt road at the village entrance.

The car drove on the country road for a few minutes before merging onto the provincial highway leading to the county seat.

He glanced at the navigation; it was 23 kilometers from the county's building materials market, about a 25-minute drive.

He started a live stream while driving.

As soon as the live stream started, viewers flooded in.

It's probably because he mentioned in a previous live stream that he was going to buy materials, so many viewers were waiting in the live stream room.

In less than 30 seconds, the number of viewers exceeded 300.

"Here he comes! The streamer has gone to buy materials!"

"Are we on the road? Drive carefully!"

"My daughter is sitting in the back again, so well-behaved."

"The little cutie is holding a rabbit again, so adorable."

Chen Hao sent a message in his mind: "Go to the building materials market in the county town, buy some materials and tools, and start renovating the old house tomorrow."

"Can't wait!"

"Host, are you really capable of doing interior design?"

"I bet five cents that this streamer is a master of trash talk."

"Don't jump to conclusions, upstairs. You guys said the same thing before the streamer started cooking."

The car drove for more than twenty minutes before entering the county town.

The county town isn't big, but it has everything you need—

The building materials market is located in the east of the city. Driving along the main road, you'll find shops selling building materials, hardware, and pipes on both sides, with signs one after another. Some shops even have bags of cement and bundles of steel bars piled up in front of them.

Chen Hao parked his car in the parking lot in front of a relatively large building materials store, turned off the engine, got out of the car and carried his daughter out.

Shen Xiaoting was held in her father's arms, her little head turning this way and that, curiously looking at everything around her—

Here were things she had never seen in the capital: piles of red bricks, neatly stacked timber, rolls of electrical wire, and rows of faucets and lamps.

"Dad, what are these?" she asked, pointing to a pile of red bricks.

"Bricks, for building houses," Chen Hao said.

"Oh." Shen Xiaoting nodded. Although she didn't quite understand how bricks were used to build houses, she thought the red blocks were quite pretty.