"Why isn’t he moving yet?"
"It’s his turn now."
"Did he fall asleep or what?"
"Heh, sleeping at a time like this? That takes guts."
Tobias Brooks groaned as his head pounded. The harsh stage lights forced his eyes shut again as soon as he cracked them open.
“Mango Daddy, it’s your turn to go on stage!”
A pretty host in a sparkly gown gestured toward him with a big, encouraging smile.
Wait—
Daddy? Who’s daddy?
“Daddy, your show’s up,” a tiny, determined voice chimed in.
Tobias stiffly turned his head. Staring back at him was a little girl with wide, anime-like eyes, her cheeks puffed out in frustration as she pushed at him with her chubby little hands.
Who’s she calling daddy? Who’s kid is this?
“Mango Daddy, go for it!”
“You got this!”
“C’mon, Mango Daddy, stage is waiting!”
A few nearby parents chimed in, trying to hype him up.
Tobias’s brain was in total shutdown. He tried to piece things together.
He had graduated from the Kyoto Film Academy. Acting had been his childhood dream. Right out of school, a talent agency approached him—he’d done a lot of music competitions during college, so they wanted him to debut as an idol first, ride the popularity wave, and later slowly switch to acting.
He agreed, fresh out of school and still full of hope.
But the entertainment biz... it was a deep, messy game. If you wanted to make it, you had to play by the unspoken rules—or get pushed aside.
Tobias refused to sell out, so the company slowly froze him out.
Ten years flew by, and though he still looked decent, time hadn’t been kind. He was too old to fight for space among the teen idols.
Just yesterday, a role he’d won through his own audition was suddenly yanked away and handed to another guy in the same agency—because the dude had a company exec backing him.
Tobias couldn’t do anything but laugh bitterly and walk away like he didn’t care. But of course it hurt like hell. He drank himself half to death last night.
And now—now he was...
Wait, he should be on the couch in his tiny apartment, drinking away his frustration, right?
He opened his mouth to correct the little girl—there must’ve been some mistake.
“I think y—”
Then, in the corner of his eye, he spotted a giant screen.
Right in the middle of it was a face—handsome to the point of being unreal. But no mistaking the expression: overwhelmed, panicked, confused as hell.
To his front-right stood the glamorous host. And next to him sat the big-eyed little girl.
He raised his hand instinctively. The guy on screen did the same. He scratched his ear. So did the guy.
Tobias froze, his scalp tingling.
What the actual hell.Everyone had their eyes glued to the giant screen, watching Tobias Brooks' bizarre behavior—Tobias included.
What the heck is going on? Did he drink himself into another world?
“Am I dead or just seriously messed up...?”
Then, that soft, sweet voice called out behind him again.
“Daddy, are you okay?”
He turned around, a bit annoyed, only to be met with those huge, pleading anime eyes of the little girl. Yeah, his—Olivia.
Something in his heart just melted.
The host gave him an inviting gesture again. With everyone watching, Tobias had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow toward the stage.
Memories surged through his head—the original Tobias Brooks. He was 25, had dropped out of Yanjing Film Academy. During freshman year, got drunk at an event, had a one-night stand with a senior. They lost contact after she graduated, but a year later, her family showed up out of nowhere with a baby girl in their arms. Told him the senior had died in a car crash. And yeah... he was the baby’s dad.
Back then, the guy had only been 19. Still a college student. It hit like a train.
At first, he didn’t believe it either. Took the baby for a paternity test. The result knocked the wind out of him.
From that moment on, it was him against the world—changing diapers, rocking the kid to sleep, trying to figure out her favorite cartoons. Now six whole years had flown by.
Tobias let out a soft sigh. Looking at his own past, it wasn't great either. But at least he hadn’t had to raise a child at nineteen. This guy? He had it way harder.
Even though the walk to the stage was just seconds long, it felt more like trudging through an entire rough chapter of life.
From the stage, he gave Olivia a quick look—sitting in the crowd, smiling with all the hope in the world. That one look suddenly made this strange world feel...warm. Like, weirdly comforting.
Somehow, the love this body felt for Olivia had totally blended into his own. Looking at her, Tobias felt a kind of affection he couldn’t explain, like she was already part of his heart.
Unconsciously, he smiled back at her—gently, genuinely.
A giant banner hung at the back of the hall:
[Warm Congratulations to Meibei International Kindergarten on Its 10th Anniversary.]
Tobias let out a slow breath. He didn’t get to choose this life, but he was here now. So, he’d own it.
He scanned the stage, leaned toward the host, and whispered something. A moment later, the host returned from backstage holding a guitar.
Back in his old life, singing, dancing, acting—this was his thing. Playing guitar? Easy. He had nothing but time these past ten years, and when gigs dried up, he just practiced more.
Piano, too—no big deal.From the moment Tobias Brooks sat there in a daze, refusing to get up, to when he finally dragged himself reluctantly to the stage, it had taken quite a while. By now, the audience had already started whispering restlessly.
“Babe, that guy's from our kid’s class, right?”
“Yeah, if it wasn’t for his daughter bragging, he wouldn’t be the last act tonight.”
“Wait, wasn’t he supposed to have a backing track? Why did he bring a guitar?”
“It’s just a song, no need to make such a big deal out of it.”
“I heard he went to Yanjing Film Academy. Looks pretty young too.”
“Good looks don’t mean much. Lots of people are good-looking. Doesn’t make them stars. I think he didn’t even finish school.”
“What’s taking him so long? When’s he gonna start?”
“He’s probably just stalling. Bet I sing better than him anyway.”
Tobias couldn’t hear their comments down below. His thoughts had already been tangled up with this body’s memories and feelings.
The bond between the original Tobias and Olivia was built slowly over the years. Because of how young he was, their relationship felt less like father and daughter and more like close friends.
He worked himself to the bone just to give Olivia a good life. He never said it out loud, but deep down, he wanted her to be proud—especially after she’d gone and told all her friends her dad was a top Yanjing Film Academy grad and a future movie star.
He scolded her for the bragging, sure. But privately, he prepared something for the performance. Yet, life rarely plays out the way we hope. Even the day before the event, he still hadn’t come up with a satisfying act, so he just handed in a random track.
The school, knowing he came from a film academy, assumed he was ridiculously talented, and scheduled him for the final spotlight.
Caught between the expectations of the kindergarten and the love of his daughter, the pressure crushed the already overworked Tobias.
For more than twenty years, he’d chased dreams, stumbled through confusion, and ran toward hope—only to be dragged back again and again by reality.
He kept asking himself, over and over: What kind of person do I want to be?
Can I give up a little, just to make life easier?
Is this how the rest of my life is going to be?
After breaking down more times than he could count, drunk and crying where no one could see, one thing kept him going—the morning sun always came. Because there was someone waiting in that sunshine, someone reaching out their little hand to him, walking the same well-worn path to school.
Going through these memories, Tobias realized that this world was completely different from the one he knew. Songs, films—none of it existed here.
He took a deep breath and quietly paid tribute to Mao Buyi in his heart.
“This next one’s for everyone. It’s called ‘Someone Like Me.’”