Chapter 98
A few days ago, during the “Help the Villagers” task, Cheng Tingyan, Wei Maomao, and Wen Jiangyue happened to stumble upon Grandma Zhao Lanhua being targeted by a phone scam. With the combined efforts of the babies and the program staff, they managed to save Grandma Zhao’s money.
This incident was broadcasted live, and the social impact was significant. Many people with similar experiences shared their stories online, and even more people were alerted to such scams. The TV station valued the positive effect this incident brought and immediately discussed with Shi Dingshan the possibility of incorporating more socially impactful content into the live broadcast. Not to mention anything else, it could at least offset the negative impact of the dads’ increasingly tarnished images on the show.
So when they decided to stay in the village for the second location, the program team planned to hold a small evening party in the village before they left, focusing on anti-fraud awareness, with entertainment as a secondary element.
The village was very cooperative with this activity and even offered many suggestions for the entertainment portion. For example… the children’s choir from the Shihua Town Central Kindergarten, whom Zeng Huanian had borrowed for the morning, was contacted by the village.
As for the anti-fraud content, the program team decided to arrange it in the form of skits, to more vividly and concretely demonstrate the truth behind scams. The dads, naturally, were the laborers, each one had to participate, and the babies weren’t exempt either, their roles were also decided early on.
After enjoying the lunch earned by the new parents and taking a short nap, the babies and dads were taken to two different courtyards, starting their training for tomorrow night’s performance.
The dads were led by the staff into an unfamiliar courtyard. There were already many villagers there, gathered in small groups, seemingly already rehearsing.
The host handed out a stack of scripts to the dads and cleared his throat. “New babies, please take a look at the scripts first. After you’re done, we’ll discuss the role assignments.”
Everyone took a script and after reading for a while, Wen Qiming pointed at a section and said, “This part about the hundred yuan being exchanged back and forth, it’s making me dizzy. This role needs someone good at math, right? Which one of us is good at math?”
“CEO Shen, his business is so big, he must be good at math.” Cheng Feiying suggested, rubbing his stomach.
Wen Qiming looked at Shen Jianghe. “CEO Shen?”
Shen Jianghe shook his head. “I can calculate, I can play the shopkeeper, but not the scammer, I probably don’t have the speed for exchanging money.”
“Right, you need fast hands…” Wen Qiming mumbled to himself.
“Wait, wait.” The host interjected weakly. “We’re not choosing the roles freely. They’re assigned based on the new babies’ performance in the morning’s task, those with higher completion rates get to choose first.”
The dads: “… “
“Because the tasks are different, the completion rate is judged by a team of ten staff members, it’s fair and just.” The host added.
“Just tell us the ranking order…” Wang Qingchuan said, exasperated. “Anyway, I didn’t clear that game, I’m last.”
“Wei Chengli, who finished eating the yogurt melts and writing the 1800-word review, and Wang Qingbei, who independently cleared the puzzle game, are tied for first. Cheng Feiying, who cleared the motion-sensing game with Shen Jianghe’s help, is in third place. Wen Xiang, who kept spacing out while playing with toys, and Shen Jianghe, who couldn’t focus, didn’t read the books and documentaries properly, and kept walking around and chatting, cough cough, are tied for fourth place. Wen Qiming, who didn’t finish reciting the scripture, and Wang Qingchuan, who didn’t clear the game, are ranked based on their completion percentage, Wen Qiming is sixth, Wang Qingchuan is seventh.” The host finished speaking quickly, then added, “Those who are tied can decide the order through rock-paper-scissors.”
It sounded quite fair.
Shen Jianghe rubbed his nose awkwardly, ah, an easy task could truly make people careless.
“Then you guys choose first.” Wang Qingchuan said, then looked at Wang Qingbei. “Your first place is a bit wasted, there’s only one female character in the script, a pregnant woman, you don’t even need to choose.”
Wang Qingbei smiled, tapping the script in her hand. “Who said that? The shopkeeper, the scammer, the one making the phone call, the one receiving the phone call, and the customer service… All these roles, it never said they had to be men, I can choose any of them.”
“But the pregnant woman, she’s a woman.” Cheng Feiying said instinctively.
“Yes, the pregnant woman is a woman, but it doesn’t have to be played by a woman. After all…” Wang Qingbei smiled kindly. “After all, I’m tied for first place.”
The dads: “… “
If Wang Qingbei didn’t choose the pregnant woman role, it was obvious who would have to play it.
Wang Qingchuan didn’t want to play a pregnant woman! They were live broadcasting!
“Well…” Discretion was the better part of valor, Wang Qingchuan tried to be friendly. “You do call me ‘Brother.’ We’re family…”
Honestly, even Wang Qingchuan felt his words were weak, it wasn’t that he couldn’t put aside his pride and try to get closer to Wang Qingbei at this crucial moment, it was just that his attitude towards her these past two days had been… Anyway, saying this, Wang Qingchuan felt that Wang Qingbei wouldn’t miss this opportunity to watch him suffer.
However, Wang Qingbei actually let it go.
“Okay, since you’re my brother, I’ll choose the pregnant woman role.” Wang Qingbei said, stroking the script in her hand, looking at Wang Qingchuan. “After all, our parent is the kind and fair Zhizhi, we should be close and loving siblings now, right, Brother?”
“Right, right, right!” Wang Qingchuan breathed a sigh of relief, he didn’t even mind the cheesy “close and loving siblings” part.
Wang Qingbei, looking at Wang Qingchuan’s relieved expression, knew he didn’t understand the meaning behind her words. But it didn’t matter, the babies should be receiving their notifications around this time.
Only a kind and fair Parent Zhizhi like the one these past two days would have close and loving children.
As for someone like Wang Qingchuan tomorrow… Wang Qingbei smiled, she had eaten a bit too much these past two days, she would have to exercise properly starting tomorrow.
Following the order, Wang Qingbei chose the pregnant woman role, and Wei Chengli, who was tied for first place, had to make his choice.
As Wei Chengli quickly scanned the script, he couldn’t help but think, this courtyard was quite big, it wasn’t just them, the villagers were also rehearsing here, there was still space for the children, why weren’t the babies here together… He was curious about what kind of script the little chubby dumpling had received.
What kind of script? It was the script for playing the role of their dads.
Compared to the performance on the big stage the day after tomorrow, the role-playing starting tomorrow morning was more pressing.
Although it was called the “Anti-Fraud Gala,” it wasn’t just about raising awareness of scams, it also included other types of deception. Like the short skit where the babies collectively reminded children to be wary of strangers, it was one of them.
It was easy to rehearse, the strangers would try to lure them with various methods, and the babies just had to bravely say no. After two run-throughs, it was almost ready.
The other roles the babies had to play were basically props in the villagers’ other skits, even simpler than the collective “no” skit, they just had to be led around. The purpose, naturally, was to use the babies’ current popularity to boost the viewership of the villagers’ skits.
In short, the babies’ tasks on the big stage were very simple, much simpler than the dads’.
So simple that… after being led around for two rounds by an old man, Wen Dongyu came back, yawning while holding the pig.
Yawns were contagious.
Wei Maomao watched as Cheng Tingyan next to her covered her mouth, turned her head slightly, and let out a soft yawn.
Even yawning, she was so cute and ladylike? Wei Maomao smiled, just as she was about to talk to Cheng Tingyan, she couldn’t help but yawn widely, and was caught red-handed by Cheng Tingyan, who had just turned back, her eyes still teary from yawning.
Cheng Tingyan couldn’t help but laugh.
Wei Maomao: “… “ Okay, she would also be a lady! Definitely next time!
Seeing that the babies, who usually played together at noon and didn’t take proper naps, were now sleepy from the slow-paced afternoon task, the program team finally extended their devilish claws and woke them up.
After familiarizing the babies with the tasks for tomorrow night’s gala, the program team took them back to the Wei family’s courtyard.
Only the babies returned to the already cleaned courtyard.
And here, they received a task that left them clueless.
“What does it mean to no longer be the kind of parent we want to be?” Wen Dongyu scratched his head. “What are we supposed to do, playing the role of our dads? Do we have to wear our dads’ clothes and shoes?”
“It’s not about the appearance, it’s about the heart.” Yang Ning patted her chest, trying to explain. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll still be the parents, you’ll still be taking care of your dads and siblings. But the things you say, the things you do, they can’t be based on your own thoughts. You have to think, if it was your dad, what would he say? What would he do? Faced with this situation, what choice would he make?”
“Oh…” Wen Dongyu, still confused, continued scratching his head.
“Simply put, you treat him how your dad usually treats you.” Yang Ning smiled. “It’s okay if you don’t understand it now, we’ll assign a staff member to each of you to help you analyze and practice.”
“My dad…” Wen Dongyu started to think hard.
“If your dad gave your favorite toy to someone else, you give his favorite thing to someone else. If your dad lent you money, you lend him money.” Wang Zhizhi, whose brain had become more agile from all the thinking recently, offered examples for Wen Dongyu.
“Oh! So that’s how it is!” Wen Dongyu suddenly understood, he looked at Yang Ning for confirmation. “Sister Yangyang, is that right?”
Yang Ning, her lips twitching, maintained her smile. “According to the rules, yes.”
“Then who should I give Dad to?” Wen Dongyu asked, falling into a new round of contemplation.
“… “ Yang Ning squatted down, looking at Wen Dongyu seriously. “Dongdong, it’s Dad’s favorite things, not Dad…”
“Oh, right.” Wen Dongyu nodded and started counting on his fingers. “Clothes, pants, shoes…”
Yang Ning: “… “
Could this task… really be carried out smoothly… Would Wen Xiang even be able to leave the house tomorrow…
“Babies.” Yang Ning stood up and clapped her hands, attracting the babies’ attention. “Before you start analyzing and practicing, let me reiterate. This time, the purpose of this task, asking you to play the role of your dads, is to let your dads see clearly how they appear in your eyes, to let them experience how you feel when facing their words and choices. The things you say, the things you do, they should all be things your dads would usually say and do. And you’re doing this to help your dads understand themselves better and make positive changes in the future, do you understand?”
The babies: “Understood!”
Whether the others understood or not, Wei Maomao didn’t know, but she understood, the program team was stirring up trouble. And they weren’t afraid of making a big mess… With all due respect, they were a bit crazy.
But she liked it!
It was like finding the perfect solution to a problem!
Although she hated Cheng Feiying and disliked Cheng Rongrong, Wei Maomao had always been the one taking the lead, preventing Cheng Tingyan from directly confronting them. After all, family ties were like shackles, sometimes, even the one suffering, if they resisted, they might not be able to explain themselves, right would become wrong.
So, Cheng Tingyan working hard on the tasks, Wei Maomao thought it was good. Cheng Tingyan working hard to bring back more resources for Cheng Feiying and the others, Wei Maomao also thought it was good. The things on the show, the temporary happiness and ease, what were they worth? Compared to a good image and reputation, they were nothing.
Yan Yan was so good, everyone would see it, everyone would know.
As for the bad parts, Wei Maomao would naturally handle them.
But now it was different. The program team had given them such a righteous reason!
With the program team’s justification of role-playing to help the dads understand themselves and change for the better, family ties were no longer a constraint for Yan Yan…
What kind of person Cheng Feiying was, what kind of life Yan Yan lived at the Cheng family’s house… They didn’t even need to find opportunities to subtly reveal it, this task of playing the role of Cheng Feiying would show everyone.
It’s just that the program team always came up with these sudden activities… They hadn’t planned on doing this so early.
But… This opportunity was truly too precious.
Major issues like the mom, the loan, and custody definitely couldn’t be touched now. If it wasn’t a direct confrontation, just showing Cheng Feiying’s true self, maybe he wouldn’t even think there was anything wrong with it?
There were definitely risks, but the possibility of him taking his child and leaving the show just because of a role-playing task was very small.
Should they… take a risk for greater gains?
The key was, if they went for it, Yan Yan couldn’t be concerned about the Cheng family anymore, she couldn’t portray Cheng Feiying in a good light.
Before they separated for acting practice, Wei Maomao took Cheng Tingyan to the bathroom. Thankfully, they had already reached a consensus after their long conversation the night before, it didn’t take long for them to make a decision.
The babies were led away by the staff, each starting to practice their dad’s role.
Wei Maomao followed Liu Ming to the recliner in the courtyard.
Liu Ming took out a roll of paper. “Maomao, do you remember the questionnaire we did during the individual interview the night before last? The one with many questions about you and your dad?”
Wei Maomao nodded silently.
She almost vomited from answering so many questions, she wouldn’t forget it even after twenty years, let alone two days.
“Then let’s first talk about what your dad is like in your eyes, based on the questions, okay?” Liu Ming unrolled the paper. “I’ve summarized it based on the questions, you listen and see if it’s accurate, if there’s anything you want to add or change. Then we’ll analyze your dad’s usual words and actions based on his daily life, okay?”
Wei Maomao nodded again.
So this was the format. It made sense, the babies were still young, directly asking them to play their dads, and for a whole day, it was easy for them to go out of character, having a specific analysis would be much better.
Then…
Wei Maomao turned to glance at Cheng Tingyan, who was with Su Li in the distance.
Then, starting from this moment, she could tell them, what Cheng Feiying was like.
Summarizing the dad’s image, analyzing his usual words and actions, then applying it to tomorrow’s life, and then having the babies practice.
It was a long process, thankfully, they had the whole afternoon to work.
Except for the Cheng family, where Yang Ning was assigned to Cheng Rongrong in addition to Su Li with Cheng Tingyan, the other babies were mostly working with the staff members who were already taking care of their daily lives.
Qian Fa was the staff member responsible for taking care of Shen Zilin’s needs when Shen Jianghe wasn’t around.
But Shen Zilin was an independent little CEO, he never needed much assistance, so this time, finally having a chance to work, he was determined to do well, he wouldn’t accept his salary for nothing.
However…
Three minutes after being assigned to Shen Zilin, he clocked out.
“You truly understood my summary? We don’t need to analyze CEO Shen’s behavior together? We don’t need to practice what to say and do tomorrow?” Qian Fa, rejected by Shen Zilin, was a bit frustrated.
“No need.” Shen Zilin said calmly, refusing.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay tomorrow?” Qian Fa said, facepalming.
“Mmm.” Shen Zilin looked at the courtyard gate. “I’m going out for a bit.”
Qian Fa: “Your task this afternoon is to practice being CEO Shen, where are you going?”
“To be CEO Shen.” Shen Zilin touched his bag.
Mmm, he was running out of candy, time to restock. He had originally planned to stop this business after paying off his pig loan. Thankfully, he was motivated by Maomao this morning and didn’t refuse the children who came to him. Now it was coming in handy again.
Hehe.
What practice did he need to be CEO Shen? Being able to earn money was enough.
As for learning how to talk and act tomorrow, just pay them.
Shen Zilin felt no pressure for tomorrow’s task, he even glanced at the other babies in the courtyard, who were still working hard, with sympathy as he left.
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