Chapter 74
Wang Qingchuan really… didn’t know how to respond to Wei Chengli’s enthusiasm.
“So ‘lying down and doing nothing’ really means lying down and doing nothing.” Wen Qiming, who had followed them in, looked at the bed board and sighed, then patted Wen Jiangyue’s head. “Looking at it this way, the reading activity you arranged for Dad is quite good.”
Some compliments, under such circumstances, were worth giving.
While they were talking, Wen Dongyu and Shen Zilin also arrived with their dads.
The courtyard suddenly became crowded. Wang Qingchuan took the opportunity to greet the other dads, temporarily ignoring the overwhelming enthusiasm.
Greetings were brief, and everyone’s focus and curiosity quickly shifted to Wang Qingbei.
The dads had been staying at their own homes, so they had only heard about the new member of the Wang family from their children at the breakfast table. The children had just mentioned it casually as something new, they didn’t know any details, leaving the dads quite curious. Now that they had actually met her, they couldn’t help but chat with her more.
Wang Qingbei was also interesting, no matter how they chatted, she stayed in character, speaking to Wang Zhizhi and Wang Qingchuan with familiarity. If they didn’t know she was an actress hired by the program team, they might have actually thought she was Wang Qingchuan’s real sister…
Coupled with Wang Qingchuan’s annoyed expression, it was truly… very entertaining.
“Speaking of which, if Cheng Feiying hadn’t brought both his daughters to the show this time, maybe both of you would have a younger sister now.” Wen Qiming chuckled.
“Cheng Feiying has it easy, his two daughters are earning money to support him. You, on the other hand, have one child earning money to support two of you, it’s not easy.” Shen Jianghe sighed.
Wang Qingchuan: “… “ Not easy? Was this sister something he wanted? He saw Wang Zhizhi and that whoever playing house happily, they probably didn’t think it was difficult at all!
Speaking of Cheng Feiying, he arrived.
“How does it feel to be sent here by your two daughters?” Wen Qiming was the first to see Cheng Feiying at the courtyard gate.
“Hahaha, very secure.” Cheng Feiying, striding into the courtyard, was in a good mood. These past few days, it had been one task after another, he also had to cook, he was exhausted from morning till night. Today was great, after the staff woke him up briefly, and his two daughters left, he went back to sleep until past eight o’clock, and when he woke up, a table full of delicious breakfast was waiting for him. After breakfast, he didn’t even have to do tasks, he could do whatever he wanted, it was wonderful.
Cheng Feiying’s happiness was evident to everyone.
Wen Qiming glanced at the two little girls following behind Cheng Feiying and chuckled. “What activities did Yan Yan and Rongrong choose for you? Two daughters earning you two incomes, shouldn’t they choose two activities for you?”
“One, just one.” Cheng Feiying waved his hand. “Brother Wen, please don’t give the program team any ideas, I can’t handle it. I only have one activity, what was it called again, Rong…”
Feeling a bit embarrassed to repeat what Cheng Rongrong had said when choosing the activity, Cheng Feiying, pretending he couldn’t remember the name, looked down at Cheng Rongrong, hoping she would continue. But he saw her staring at a strange girl standing next to Wang Qingchuan, her mind seemingly elsewhere.
That was the new member of the Wang family, right? Cheng Feiying also glanced at her.
“What was it called again?” Wen Qiming, not getting an answer, asked again.
“Right, what was it called, I suddenly can’t remember. Rongrong?” Cheng Feiying nudged Cheng Rongrong gently.
But she was like a puppet, her mind absent, stumbling forward with the force of Cheng Feiying’s nudge. Her body moved, but her gaze remained fixed, it was clear her mind hadn’t returned yet.
Cheng Feiying, being ignored, felt a bit embarrassed, why couldn’t she space out at any other time, why did she have to space out when he needed her?
“Cheng Ting… Yan…” Cheng Feiying, not wanting to waste any more time on Cheng Rongrong, turned his head to the other side, searching for another answer provider.
His searching gaze, naturally, found nothing.
Cheng Feiying didn’t see Cheng Tingyan at her usual spot, he looked around and finally found her next to Wei Chengli by the stove.
Annoying! Always hanging out with the Wei family, she might as well just live there.
Cheng Feiying regretted not just saying it himself, his two daughters had no tacit understanding, neither of them could pick up his cues, his good mood from the morning started to sour.
One was too far away, he could only use the one who was still within reach.
Cheng Rongrong’s shoulder ached from the sudden, strong shake, her scattered thoughts returning due to the shock.
Cheng Rongrong came back to her senses, following the force on her shoulder, she looked up and met Cheng Feiying’s darkening expression.
“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Cheng Rongrong forced a smile that was supposed to be cute.
“I’ve been talking to you for a while now, what are you thinking about? I’m asking you, the morning activity you arranged for me, what was it called again?” Cheng Feiying frowned slightly.
“It’s ‘Watching Fishy Get Pretty.’ Mom said Daddy’s eyes are very beautiful, they’ll become even prettier after watching fish, we have lots of fishy at home for Daddy to watch. There are no fishy here, I hope Daddy will always be prettier!” Cheng Rongrong repeated what she had said at home when choosing the activity.
“Haha, right, that’s it, it’s so childish that I couldn’t remember.” Cheng Feiying chuckled awkwardly.
“Very good, very good.” Wen Qiming’s lips twitched, who would believe he couldn’t remember something so simple…
Cheng Feiying… had initially wanted to rely on their father-daughter bond, letting Cheng Rongrong say those innocent, childish, and sweet words, but… the delay ruined the effect, leaving only awkwardness.
He didn’t know what was so interesting about it, it was just the Wang family getting an extra person. If he hadn’t brought Cheng Rongrong, their family would have gotten one too.
Cheng Rongrong had seen Cheng Feiying’s displeasure earlier, but she didn’t have any brainpower left to appease him, she was only focused on cooperating with him and answering those questions.
Cheng Rongrong was currently only concerned about one thing, why… why was Jiang Heye here!
Jiang Heye, a print model, with no acting experience, was directly chosen by the internationally renowned director Qin Sichao to star in his new film. The film later won numerous awards, and Jiang Heye, as the female lead, naturally received countless awards, achieving both fame and fortune, a sparrow transformed into a phoenix.
But the key was, that film, which was still considered a classic decades later, the film that propelled Jiang Heye from obscurity to A-list stardom, granting her access to countless resources… was the same film in the original novel where Cheng Tingyan played the younger version of the female lead, boosting her popularity and marking the first step in her journey as the protagonist of a feel-good story.
Because she was determined to get the role of the younger version of the female lead in this film, Cheng Rongrong had secretly searched for information about Qin Sichao, Jiang Heye, and the other important characters she could remember. That’s why she could immediately recognize Jiang Heye, who was standing next to Wang Qingchuan.
But why?
Why was Jiang Heye here?
Before Qin Sichao discovered her, shouldn’t Jiang Heye just be an ordinary model, with barely any photos online?
A popular variety show like “Where’s Baby Going” should be a resource that the current Jiang Heye couldn’t even dream of getting.
And judging from Jiang Heye’s position and the reactions of the dads around her, she should be the new NPC in the Wang family… a relatively important, second child character.
Although this variety show had already deviated significantly from the original novel due to her appearance, how could… even with the butterfly effect, Jiang Heye shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t she be busy shooting magazines, waiting to be discovered by Qin Sichao? If she was here, what about the film she wanted to star in? If the female lead was here, whose younger version was she supposed to play? Could that film still be like in the original novel…
Wait!
A thought flashed through Cheng Rongrong’s confused mind.
Unless…
Cheng Rongrong forced her gaze away from Jiang Heye and started looking around.
Where was Qin Sichao? Had he also come?
Cheng Rongrong thought of a possibility that she didn’t want to admit, but was very likely the reason for the current situation.
The original novel didn’t elaborate on the time and process of Qin Sichao discovering Jiang Heye, it focused more on Cheng Tingyan successfully getting the role of the younger version of the female lead. After all, it was normal for supporting characters to not have a complete timeline.
If Qin Sichao had already chosen Jiang Heye, then it would be a piece of cake for her to get a role on “Where’s Baby Going” with just a word from him. And if Qin Sichao was now interested in Cheng Tingyan, then having Jiang Heye participate in this variety show, whether it was for her to familiarize herself with the environment, to observe Cheng Tingyan, or to generate buzz… it all made sense.
But why!
Didn’t the original novel say that Cheng Tingyan was chosen by Qin Sichao because she sang a beautiful and ethereal children’s song on this variety show?
She had already messed with Cheng Tingyan’s kindergarten, without meeting the talented music teacher from the original novel’s kindergarten, Cheng Tingyan couldn’t sing at all!
She couldn’t sing, she couldn’t dance, how could she still be chosen by Qin Sichao!
Cheng Rongrong felt this was completely illogical!
But for someone who had transmigrated into a novel, the most terrifying thing was the powerful inertia of the original plot.
Cheng Rongrong didn’t find anyone who looked like Qin Sichao among the staff, but she didn’t let her guard down.
After all, regardless of why Jiang Heye was here, the fact that she was here, despite not being qualified for this variety show, meant she had already been chosen by Qin Sichao.
So even if Qin Sichao wasn’t present, he might be watching the live broadcast on the monitoring screens with the other directors, or… since this was a live broadcast variety show, he could even be watching it on his phone.
Cheng Rongrong tried to calm down, to regain control after being shocked and frightened by the appearance of a strange person in a place she shouldn’t be.
Jiang Heye’s presence only meant that she had most likely received instructions from Qin Sichao.
But regardless of the instructions, everything was still uncertain.
She still had a chance.
No, it should be said that with Jiang Heye here, her chances were even greater.
Compared to the original novel, where Jiang Heye was just a name, and she could only see her photos and works online, now, she could interact with the real person!
Wang Qingbei felt that her conversation with the dads was going well, at least they were much more polite and friendly than Wang Qingchuan, except for the occasional attempts to make her go out of character.
But she wouldn’t go out of character, never again.
Wang Qingbei was immersed in her role as a good little sister, then, her right hand was suddenly tugged gently.
Imagine how terrifying that was.
A person, deeply immersed in a role she had created, constantly vigilant and cautious, while maintaining a relaxed and comfortable facade, it was mentally exhausting. And while she was focusing on interacting with several people, a cool little hand suddenly slipped into hers…
Wang Qingbei’s hair stood on end, she instinctively retracted her hand.
Almost simultaneously, a sweet little girl’s voice came from below her right side.
“Sister, you’re so pretty!”
Wang Qingbei, whose heart was pounding: “… “
Cheng Rongrong, whose friendly hand was suddenly left hanging: “… “
“Ah, ah, hello.” Wang Qingbei, realizing she had overreacted, quickly smiled. “Hello, little sister, you’re also very pretty.”
Cheng Rongrong: “… “ She was no longer happy.
But the unpleasantness continued.
“Cheng Rongrong, you scared Beibei.” Wang Zhizhi stepped forward, shielding Wang Qingbei behind him, his brow furrowed slightly. “Don’t suddenly touch Beibei.”
Cheng Rongrong: ??? Did he even hear what he was saying?
“It’s… “ Wang Qingbei, seeing the two children seemingly about to confront each other, instinctively wanted to say it was okay. But she had only uttered one word when she saw… Wang Zhizhi turn to look at her.
His gaze was worried, protective…
Wang Qingbei was stunned.
Wasn’t she scared? Yes, she was.
What should a protected person say? She should say thank you.
Although the little girl who scared her didn’t do it on purpose, but… the one who wanted to protect her was also a child.
She shouldn’t hurt the feelings of the one who protected her, no matter what.
“Thank you, Zhizhi, I’m okay now.” Wang Qingbei said, gently placing her right hand, which she had been clenching in her left hand, on Wang Zhizhi’s shoulder.
Cheng Rongrong couldn’t help but stare at Jiang Heye with wide eyes, she was here to gain favor, not to watch their “father-daughter bonding”! Even a future Best Actress shouldn’t be acting this realistically!
“Don’t mind them, Rongrong, they’re addicted to acting.” Wang Qingchuan, seeing Cheng Rongrong seemingly intimidated by the two, felt like he had found an ally, he went over to comfort her.
“They’re so interesting. Zhizhi looks like a parent, and Sister also looks like a baby.” But Cheng Rongrong quickly recovered, turning to Jiang Heye with a smile. “Sister, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. You’re just too pretty, I couldn’t help but want to hold your hand…”
Jiang Heye: “… “
Was she… really that pretty?
“Mmm, our Beibei is very pretty.” Wang Zhizhi nodded in agreement, then added, “Cheng Rongrong, you’re a parent now, you have to be careful when playing with our Beibei, don’t scare her.”
Jiang Heye gently bit her lip, trying to control the tears welling up in her eyes. How… did it feel like she really had a parent now…
While Jiang Heye was touched, Cheng Rongrong felt a lump in her throat. She now declared that the person she hated the most had shifted from that stinky chubby girl back to this stinky Wang Zhizhi!
But anger aside, hate aside, Cheng Rongrong didn’t know how long Jiang Heye would be here, she had to improve their relationship before going to sell vegetables.
As the female lead chosen by Qin Sichao, Jiang Heye would definitely have some say in who played the younger version of the female lead, right!
While Cheng Rongrong was trying to win over Jiang Heye, Wei Maomao returned to the courtyard, munching on an apple.
The happy little chubby bunny, holding a whole apple in her left hand, continued munching on a half-eaten one in her right hand.
But as she entered the courtyard and took a few steps, the apple in her right hand slipped and fell to the ground, rolling away.
Just like Cheng Rongrong, who had been too preoccupied with Cheng Feiying earlier, Wei Maomao now… couldn’t care less about the delicious apple on the ground.
Jiang Heye!
Wei Maomao stared at the woman standing among the dads, her eyes wide with shock.
In this brief moment of shock, thoughts, similar yet different from those of Cheng Rongrong earlier, raced through her tiny bunny head.
Qin Sichao, Jiang Heye, the award-winning film… Cheng Rongrong’s classmate A from the same singing and dancing class who had a small role in the film. A small role, a few short scenes, but a highlight on Cheng Rongrong’s resume in her previous life.
Didn’t they say that before Qin Sichao’s film, Jiang Heye was just a print model, she had never been on TV or in a movie?
Another butterfly started to wonder if her tiny wings had created a storm too big.
But Wei Maomao didn’t have as many thoughts as Cheng Rongrong. She was only momentarily shocked by the ever-changing world, then quickly calmed down.
After recovering from her shock, Wei Maomao immediately thought of her apple.
Ah, within how many seconds of falling on the ground could she pick it up, blow on it, and still eat it?
The short-legged bunny ran towards the apple that had rolled away. But before her chubby paw could grab it, a fair, slender hand picked up the half-eaten apple.
“Thank you, Yan Yan.” Wei Maomao happily ran over, her chubby paw reaching out.
Cheng Tingyan glanced at the little chubby paw and took a step back. “It fell on the ground.”
“It’s okay, blow… Mmm, we can wash and cut off the dirty part and eat it.” Wei Maomao decided to be a clean and hygienic child like Yan Yan!
Cheng Tingyan didn’t speak, her eyes slowly sweeping over the whole apple in Wei Maomao’s left hand.
Wei Maomao smiled and handed her the apple. “This is for you, it didn’t fall on the ground, I was holding it properly! My hand and the apple are both washed!”
As she spoke, Wei Maomao saw Cheng Tingyan’s ears suddenly turn red, a faint pink blush spreading across her fair cheeks.
Wei Maomao: ???
“That sister over there is the new member of the Wang family, she’s now Wang Zhizhi’s dad’s younger sister, Wang Qingbei.” Cheng Tingyan briefly relayed the news she had just heard from Wei Chengli, her gaze drifting towards the woman standing next to Cheng Rongrong. She added softly, “Cheng Rongrong said she’s pretty, she was staring at her, and even went to hold her hand. But Wang Zhizhi said Cheng Rongrong is a parent now, she has to be careful when playing with their Beibei, don’t scare her.”
“Oh, Wang Zhizhi is so cool!” Wei Maomao gave Wang Zhizhi a thumbs up.
“… “ Cheng Tingyan glanced at the little chubby bunny.
“Yan Yan, take it and eat, the apple is very sweet. I got it from the grandma raising chickens, she gave it to me.” Wei Maomao said, stuffing the whole apple into Cheng Tingyan’s clean hand.
“I’m saying, if you want to play with Wang Qingbei, don’t suddenly grab her hand.” Cheng Tingyan pointed out the main point.
“Huh?” Wei Maomao glanced at Jiang Heye. “I’m not going, I want to eat my apple.”
As she spoke, Wei Maomao, catching Cheng Tingyan off guard, snatched back the half-eaten apple. “I’m going to wash my apple.”
Cheng Tingyan: “… “
The little chubby bunny ran off with the dirty apple, to the water basin by the stove. Because she was short, she even climbed onto a stool, sticking her butt out as she washed the apple…
Cheng Tingyan stood there, watching, watching, then she smiled.
Okay, although she was so captivated by the pretty sister that she dropped her half-eaten apple, she didn’t go to play with the pretty sister like Cheng Rongrong.
Cheng Tingyan looked at the red fruit in her hand.
And this one, the one she gave her, she had been holding it properly.
Wei Maomao, munching on her apple again, burped contentedly, completely unaware of the tightrope she had just walked on.
The viewers in the live broadcast room, watching Wei Maomao happily munching on her apple, were also speechless.
“Hahaha, CEO Mao only knows apples! Clean apples, dirty apples, Yan Yan’s apple, her own apple… CEO Mao, with her mind full of apples, doesn’t even understand what Yan Yan is saying, hahaha! Yan Yan was practically saying, ‘You were staring at the other pretty sister, you even dropped your apple, do you want to go play with her? Go ahead, just don’t grab her hand, be careful not to get beaten up by Parent Zhizhi.’”
“Oh my god, was that our precious Yan Yan being jealous? Is this something I can watch for free, hahaha! Yan Yan, with your subtle hints, CEO Mao will never understand! Besides, CEO Mao has you, other pretty sisters are not even as good as a half-eaten apple!”
“Even when jealous, Yan Yan is so cute. And the key is, she doesn’t even care about Cheng Rongrong, hahaha, she was just casually chatting with CEO Mao from a bystander’s perspective. But when it comes to CEO Mao, the little bunny hasn’t even approached the other sister, and she’s already giving her warnings, I’m dying of laughter.”
“What’s there to care about with Cheng Rongrong? A giant who says she wants to be close to her sister, a dwarf who’s actually good to her sister. Unlike our CEO Mao, she’s the little bunny who stayed up late to learn how to braid Yan Yan’s hair, Yan Yan would never let the new pretty sister steal CEO Mao away.”
“Yan Yan! Be confident! CEO Mao is still the CEO Mao who came for you! Although the new sister is beautiful, you’ll always be the most beautiful in CEO Mao’s heart, hahaha!”
“Speaking of, Wang Qingbei does have a certain charm, both Rongrong and Maomao were captivated, hahaha. And our baby Zhizhi, ah, how can he be so good! Tiny Zhizhi, with such great protectiveness! When he stood in front of Wang Qingbei, I almost cried!”
“Hahaha, I feel like Wang Qingbei was about to cry too, it seemed like if Zhizhi wasn’t only four or five years old, she would have called him ‘Dad’ on the spot, hahaha…”
…
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