Please Take Me Home, Daddy - Chapter 361: Chapter 361

The staff looked at Bert with a shocked expression. "Look, Colonel Yale, you really don't need to do this. We can handle it."
Bert glanced briefly at Laura, then pulled the staff aside. "If the higher-ups agreed to your presence here, it's because they hoped to promote the corps. I don't want any trouble; that's why I offered a solution. Do you really want them to keep arguing like this?"
The staff member's face showed a flicker of change, nodding repeatedly, "Sure, but won't this cause you trouble?"
Bert looked at a visibly anxious Laura and said sternly, "Not at all. I've been a father before, you know." Approaching Laura, he asked, "Would it be okay if I acted as your trainee daddy for a while?"
Laura's eyes lit up as she nodded vigorously, "Yes!"
The live comments lit up with cheers: [Yay! Laura's finally got someone new in her corner!]
[Awesome! Our Evan doesn't have to deal with certain annoyances anymore. What a relief!]
Laura beamed up at the towering figure of Bert with outright admiration. She thought, 'A military daddy... So cool!'
The viewers couldn't contain their amusement at her adoring gaze. [LOL Laura's looking at him like he's a superhero.]
[Our little Laura's lucked out. She's a real charm magnet!]
[Yeah! Little Miss Charm Magnet for sure!]
Bert turned to Evan and commanded, "You can go change now. Five minutes. Make it snappy."
Evan's lips twitched in irritation, his gaze burning holes into Laura. He thought, 'She had just thrown a wrench into my plans. I'm not going to let her off easy!'
He stormed off to change with extra flair, choosing to wipe off his makeup too—just to show he wasn't petty about earlier wardrobe mishaps. Of course, once his makeup was off, his allure took a bit of a hit—nowhere near as striking as before.
A hint of disdain flickered across Bert's eyes, "Everyone's waiting on you. Let's go."
Laura followed by his side, copying his stance with her hands behind her back, trying to match his steps. She thought, 'I'm getting to experience a new daddy once again! I'd had an actor daddy, and then there was a CEO daddy, and now, I have a military officer daddy. How lucky I am!'
Bert shot her a sidelong glance, finding her wobbly penguin march vaguely amusing, which made him feel that she really was quite interesting.
In truth, from the very first sight of Laura, Bert knew exactly who she was. Albert was Laura's grandfather. And Albert had a brother. That made Bert, Albert's nephew's son, Laura's elder cousin in terms of the family hierarchy.
Bert hadn't revealed their relationship for a couple of reasons. First, since the livestream couldn't acknowledge real-life connections. Second, because he had no love lost for Albert's side of the family.
Albert had been trapped by a business marriage to Carol, a woman with an irritating superiority complex, who forbade him from being close to his own children, routinely shooing him away. Eventually, Albert couldn't take it anymore and moved out, Carol clutching their children tightly, driving a wedge between them that lasted years with hardly a visit. Bert had even heard about Joshua, Carol's third son, Joshua, who had apparently spent some time in a mental institution before moving abroad and changing his nationality.
In his opinion, Carol's children were all poisoned by her, likely to inherit or mimic her worst traits, leaving him with no warmth towards this part of the family. Even though Laura was adorable and seemed smart. Bert breathed out quietly, trying to suppress his budding fondness as thoughts of Carol's various schemes still turned his mood sour.
Bert led them to the dorms, where the dads were just about done resting up before being called out for their mission. Standing in front of them, Bert announced, "You're not here for a vacation; you're here to experience life, endure hardships, and complete the tasks we set out. Earn rewards for yourself and your kids, and show them what it means to be a man, a father!"
He declared loudly, "And I will be joining the competition as Laura's trainee daddy."
The Dad group exchanged astonished glances, clearly caught off guard. "What?!" they exclaimed in unison.
Derrick chimed in, "Colonel, that's not really fair, is it?"
Bert's brow furrowed. "Report before speaking. I have to approve before you talk."
Laura's eyes sparkled with excitement, feeling he was so cool.
Derrick was momentarily lost for words, awkwardly sputtering, "Report!"
Bert commanded, "Speak."
Taking a step forward, Derrick ventured, "You're a seasoned soldier; surely you're more skilled than us. What happens if you take first place?"
At the back of the line, Evan stood with a casual, mocking smirk.
The viewers, already upset, grew more disgruntled after hearing Derrick's words, their comments flooding in on the livestream: [Yeah, right. The crying child gets the candy. Laura's getting special treatment with a colonel daddy—she can win with her eyes closed. So, let's just fawn over Laura, then.]
[Why not just call the show A Hundred Ways to Spoil Laura?]
[They claim Laura is all innocent, but look at her reaping the benefits now. She's sharp, planning every move.]
At that moment, Laura raised her hand, "Report!"
Bert responded, "Speak."
Laura's energy was infectious, "I don't have a daddy. If Colonel wins, I don't need any rewards!" Everyone turned, surprised by her declaration.
Bella asked with concern, "Laura, what about your daddy? Weren't they getting you a new daddy?"
Laura replied, unfazed, "Evan doesn't get along with me. It's only because Colonel said he'd be my dad that I even have one."
She looked at Bert with joy. "I don't mind not getting rewards or you fighting my battles. I'm happy just to be here!"
Bert was moved by her obedience and said, "I understand you're upset, and it's not fair to you all. So here's the deal: my ranking won't count. I'll face the consequences of the trials, but Laura will still get the rewards. Is that okay?"
The guests exchanged glances and nodded appreciatively. Even if Laura got the rewards directly, they didn't mind at all.
The online atmosphere flipped in an instant: [See, our Laura doesn't care about winning or prizes. She just doesn't want to be around a certain liar who's bad news for kids. She doesn't care about winning or losing at all.]
[I know my girl too well; Laura's never quick to dislike someone—unless there's something wrong with them. Evan was just smirking earlier.]
[I was torn about how to feel toward Laura but never thought the girl would be so sensible. Totally a fan now!]
[Evan's fans, what do you think? Our Laura is much more obedient than your eyeliner man. Just watch him deflate when he takes off that eyeliner, LOL.]