Chapter 148
With Shudian Film and Television City as their backdrop, any desired scenery was readily available.
A towering banyan tree, its branches lush and leafy, red ribbons intertwined with small fairy lights hung from its branches. As the lights came on, countless wishes, written in ink, fluttered in the wind amidst the hazy glow in the night, creating a sense of sacredness.
If miracles existed… Could they have a better ending in this life?
Wei Maomao stared at the wishing tree in the distance, momentarily lost in thought.
Three minutes later, the viewers in the live broadcast room also saw Wei Maomao’s wishing place.
“Amazing, such a big tree, and so many ribbons with wishes written on them, this isn’t a temporary set, right?”
“This tree was originally used as a wishing tree, right? It looks very effective! Does anyone know where this is in Shudian? I want to go!”
“Hahaha, whether it’s usually effective or not is hard to say, but with the program team here today, it definitely is!”
“Director Wei is truly resourceful, finding such a wishing place for CEO Mao, it’s perfect for an endless wishing loop. I wonder what wishes the little babies will make, I’m hoping one of them will wish for more locations, I can watch another month of these adorable babies’ live broadcast!”
“Sob, sob, sob, speaking of which, this is already the end of the third location, the fourth location in the previous two seasons was shorter than the others, doesn’t that mean it’s almost over? No! I can still watch these babies for another year!”
“(Pushing everyone aside) Let me! I want to see the babies grow up little by little, I’m not asking for a whole year of live broadcast, after all, they still have to go to school. I just want to see them reunite once a year for a live broadcast, like those ‘xxx cast reunion after xx years,’ let’s start from the first year, I can watch for a hundred years!”
“I’m dying of laughter, although I also want to watch for a hundred years, but seriously, I hope there won’t be any more technical issues in the upcoming live broadcasts! We missed a whole morning of live broadcast! It was so frustrating!”
“Do they make wishes by writing them on ribbons and hanging them on the tree? The babies can’t even write, hahaha.”
“It’s better if they can’t write, they can just say it out loud, we don’t even need the camera to zoom in, we can hear them directly. Speaking of which, it’s Wen Dongyu’s birthday today, a birthday wish plus this, he can make two wishes in one day. But hopefully, he won’t say that ‘I want to be sworn siblings with Boss, Big Sister, and Wang Zhizhi, Cheng Tingyan, and Wen Jiangyue’ wish again, hahaha, it’s making things difficult for the program team.”
“The program team is also hilarious, they even told the babies there are fairies in the tree, that only the fairies can hear their wishes, and the fairies will consider helping them fulfill their wishes. Only a few-year-old babies would believe such a fairy tale, hahaha.”
“It’s so innocent! Who didn’t have fairy tale dreams when they were young? But the program team is truly funny, to make the babies believe it, they didn’t even have the cameramen follow them, they just set up a camera in the tree, hahaha.”
“I think it’s great, it would be weird to tell their wishes to the staff. This way, the babies will think they’re truly talking to the fairies, so they can express their true wishes. Speaking of which, I suddenly want to be a fairy! The babies are so cute, I want to fulfill all their wishes!”
…
The innocent viewers were happily watching the live broadcast, full of anticipation for the little babies’ wishes.
And the not-so-innocent viewers…
Three TV screens were crammed into the not-so-spacious private room of a private restaurant.
As soon as Zhang Jin pushed open the door, he was greeted by the live broadcast images of the three members of the Cheng family on the three screens… Zhang Jin’s gaze paused on Cheng Feiying’s enlarged face, then he looked at Bai Lei, who was leisurely sipping red wine in the room, shocked. Was this psychological torture really necessary?
Even though Zhang Jin knew this dinner wouldn’t be pleasant, and he knew Bai Lei was a tiger he shouldn’t mess with, he was still taken aback by the three TV screens that were clearly brought here on purpose. It wasn’t until someone tugged at his sleeve that he was pulled back to reality.
“Inside…” Zhang Jin said with difficulty, turning to the person in the wheelchair behind him.
“I saw it.” Liu Qiongfang said, finishing his sentence.
Zhang Jin: “… “
Okay, the one inside seemed even more terrifying than he had imagined, and the one outside didn’t seem as fragile as he thought. It seemed he was the only one who couldn’t keep up, the odd one out.
His surprise masked by his complaints, Zhang Jin didn’t bother to interfere anymore, he just followed their wishes, moved aside, and pushed Liu Qiongfang inside.
The wheelchair made a slight bump as it went over the threshold, the background noise of the live broadcast marking the beginning of the negotiation.
[Shen Zilin, the first to take the plunge, stood with his hands behind his back, facing the brightly lit tree, and said seriously, “I hope my dad will tell me about my mom.”]
In the live broadcast, Shen Zilin’s simple sentence dropped a bomb on the program team, Shi Dingshan, in the monitoring room, glanced at Shen Jianghe’s screen on the wall and smiled wryly.
And in the private room of the private restaurant, Bai Lei switched the channel on the TV from Cheng Feiying to the newly added wishing tree scene, she also said directly to Liu Qiongfang, “You’ll come forward and testify that everything Cheng Tingyan said on the show that was unfavorable to Feiying and Rongrong was a lie, intentional. We’ll continue to pay for your medical expenses, and we won’t charge you any interest.”
“But everything she said was true, you’re asking me to lie? Just for that little bit of interest?” Liu Qiongfang asked, looking at the row of TV screens, her expression calm, as if she didn’t care about the change in the scene, but her words were firm and powerful.
Although she still had many cards to play, Bai Lei was instantly angered by Liu Qiongfang’s indifferent attitude. “Heh, ‘that little bit’? Why don’t you try paying back the interest first?”
Liu Qiongfang nodded slightly. “Okay, I’ll post my medical records on the crowdfunding platform later, I’ll pay you back as soon as I receive donations.”
“Then let everyone say Feiying is heartless and merciless to his ex-wife, ruin his career completely, and you’ll be happy?” Bai Lei sneered.
Liu Qiongfang finally turned to Bai Lei, confused. “Didn’t you ask me to pay you back? What can I do if I don’t have money?”
The back-and-forth in the private room was evenly matched, and the live broadcast on the TV had moved on to the next child.
[Under the wishing tree, Wen Jiangyue, her hands clasped together, whispered devoutly, “I hope Dad will study math with me every day!”]
“Fine, let’s stop beating around the bush, that’s my request, you’re not even willing to do it even if we waive the interest, what do you want? I’m telling you, don’t ask for too much, or we’ll just call it off, let this variety show continue to ferment. If Feiying’s career is ruined, then so be it, at least I tried, it’s you, his ex-wife, who’s unwilling to help.” Bai Lei said, leaning back in her chair, tired of the conversation.
Liu Qiongfang didn’t fall for it, she still looked confused. “You said it yourself, I’m his ex-wife, what does his career have to do with me?”
“Heh, you better mean it. Then if that’s the case, there’s nothing more to discuss, I’ll have a good talk with Feiying when he comes back, about our conversation tonight. Enjoy your meal, I’m leaving. Oh, right, I’ve already paid the bill, I’m not the kind of stingy person who can’t even waive the interest and still speaks so boldly.” Bai Lei said, sitting up straight and grabbing her bag from the table.
[Under the wishing tree, Wen Dongyu, as expected, made the wish that countless viewers had tried to stop him from making, “I want to be sworn siblings with Boss, Big Sister, Wang Zhizhi, Cheng Tingyan, and Wen Jiangyue!”]
Liu Qiongfang glanced at the TV and chuckled. “Nothing more to discuss? I thought you would care more about Cheng Rongrong’s image. Everyone online is saying that she’s so manipulative at such a young age, clearly not liking Yan Yan, but always calling her ‘Older sister, Older sister,’ just to…”
“Enough, watch your words. How Rongrong is, is that something you can comment on? Your gloomy, transparent daughter, what’s there to like about her? What, joining a parent-child variety show, giving you face and trying to create a happy family image, is it Rongrong’s fault? You’re truly shameless.” Bai Lei said angrily, interrupting her, she had also clearly heard Wen Dongyu’s wish.
Liu Qiongfang didn’t seem to be angered by Bai Lei’s harsh words, she just smiled slightly. “The viewers don’t care what you’re trying to do, anyway, Cheng Rongrong has no good reputation online now. It’s up to you whether you want to talk or not, I’m leaving if you don’t.”
Zhang Jin glanced at Bai Lei, who had said she was leaving earlier, her hand on her bag for a while, but she hadn’t stood up, then he looked at Liu Qiongfang, who had also said she was leaving, but her wheelchair hadn’t moved an inch… Tsk, they were all just tactics.
In the private room of the private restaurant, only the background noise of the live broadcast remained, no one spoke for a while, the atmosphere becoming tense.
And in the live broadcast, under the wishing tree, a similar silence fell upon Wang Zhizhi.
Not far from the wishing tree, the dads, who had followed the babies, looked curiously at Wang Zhizhi, who had been standing there for a long time.
“Zhizhi’s wish is a bit long.” Wen Xiang said casually, rubbing his son’s head.
“It seems the fairy has to work hard.” Wen Qiming said with a smile, still unaware of his daughter’s wish.
“So many things on his little mind, what wish could he possibly have, probably wanting to give his sister away.” Wang Qingchuan said, frowning, glancing at the wishing tree. “Is this thing real or fake? It’s a set from the program team, right? If it’s real, isn’t it a bit unlucky to make such a wish?”
The dads: “… “
Zeng Huanian, receiving instructions from Director Shi in the monitoring room, stepped forward, waving at Wang Qingchuan, after getting his attention, he held up a piece of paper he had just written on: [Artificial tree, shh!]
The words were big and clear.
Wang Qingchuan saw it clearly, his darkening expression instantly brightened.
In the monitoring room, Shi Dingshan, watching Wang Qingchuan’s screen, snorted.
“Okay, okay, don’t get angry over other people’s matters, think about your own health.” Qin Sichao said, nudging Shi Dingshan and pulling his attention back.
“Look at the people the TV station sent, to film a parent-child variety show, with so much scheming, it’s a waste not to have them film that ‘Hundred Players Battle Royale’ show next door.” Shi Dingshan complained, then pointed at Wang Zhizhi’s screen. “And even if Wang Zhizhi made that kind of wish, whose fault is it? It’s their fault for not treating their children equally. Sometimes I really want to give them a paternity test!”
This… Qin Sichao didn’t dare to comment on this topic, he just quietly drank his water.
And at this moment, on the monitoring screen, Wang Zhizhi finally spoke.
“I hope that on the day the show ends, I can see Bei… Mmm, see Sister Jiang Heye, and say goodbye to her properly.”
Looking at the brightly lit tree, Wang Zhizhi scratched his head, embarrassed, he lowered his voice. “Teacher said the world is big, we don’t know when our next meeting will be our last, so we have to say goodbye properly to avoid regrets. At the dance studio, everyone dispersed during lunch, we didn’t get to say goodbye… Little fairy, please let me say goodbye to Beibei properly, okay? I’ll give you this…”
After saying that, Wang Zhizhi took out two candies from his pocket, sneakily placed them under the tree, and covered them with fallen leaves.
“I’ve put them here for you, eat them later.” Wang Zhizhi said, patting the dust off his hands, he smiled with satisfaction. “We have a deal now!”
Actually, they had said goodbye properly that time in the village. But they met again after that… They had to say goodbye properly every time!
Wang Qingchuan’s earlier disdainful remarks, followed by Wang Zhizhi’s wish, the viewers in the live broadcast room who had witnessed the whole thing were speechless.
“Some people are truly shameless, still thinking they’re someone important, wanting to be loved by everyone? They don’t even love their own child, and they expect their child to always remember them? Ptui!”
“Beibei is still good, a little bit of warmth in childhood, just remembering it can bring warmth for many years.”
“Hahaha, the candy Zhizhi gave, it’s the sea salt toffee Shen Zilin gave him last time, he actually used it here. It’s a pity I’m not in Shudian, otherwise, I would really want to… eat it…”
“Zhizhi’s words are truly touching, after hearing them, I suddenly thought of a string of people. How should I put it, there are many people I really want to see again, but I also know clearly that they won’t be the same people as before. Sigh, it’s heartbreaking.”
“This is what they call a sense of closure. Some people think that it’s fine for people to drift apart. But some people feel that, ah, for someone you have so many memories with, why isn’t there a proper ending, just thinking about it is painful. Like me… Sob, sob, sob!”
“Strongly requesting the program team to bring Beibei back, let Zhizhi say goodbye properly!”
“Sending virtual hugs to Zhizhi, I hope little Zhizhi can remember the big world outside. It’s not just the love of your parents that can bring you happiness, Beibei’s can too, Maomao, Yan Yan, Yueyue, Zilin, and Dongdong’s can too, and ours can too! Open your eyes, step out of your comfort zone, you’ll receive much, much more than you ever wanted!”
…
Compared to Wang Zhizhi’s hesitation, Cheng Rongrong, who was next to approach the wishing tree, was much more straightforward.
Hands clasped together, eyes closed, Cheng Rongrong said solemnly to the wishing tree, “I hope Dad and Mom are healthy. I hope Older sister will like me as much as I like her. I hope Sister Wen, Brother Shen, Brother Wen, Brother Wang, and Little Sister Maomao, and their parents, will be happy every day.”
In the monitoring room, Shi Dingshan and Qin Sichao both clicked their tongues.
In the private room of the private restaurant, even though Liu Qiongfang had prepared countless scenarios in her mind before coming, seeing the three-year-old Cheng Rongrong speak like this on the TV screen, she couldn’t help but admire Bai Lei’s skills.
It was normal for a terrible person to raise a terrible child, but for a terrible child, raised by a terrible person, to know how to disguise her terribleness and even subtly badmouth others at such a young age, it was truly impressive.
It was only after watching this live broadcast that Liu Qiongfang realized that the three-year-old Cheng Rongrong had truly inherited Bai Lei’s skills, she was even better than her.
Bai Lei was also watching Cheng Rongrong on the TV, her expression complicated, although she didn’t say anything.
After reading the memos on Cheng Rongrong’s phone, Bai Lei had a new understanding of her, and now, she couldn’t help but think, if she were the one standing under that tree… If it were her, she wouldn’t say these high-sounding but useless words. A wish that revealed one’s true intentions, she had to say something more impactful to truly turn the situation around.
But… it wasn’t Rongrong’s fault. She was on the show, she couldn’t see the online comments, she didn’t know the current situation. Being able to say these righteous and considerate words, even subtly adding a little jab, was already quite good. If the situation had developed according to their initial plan, such a wish would definitely earn her extra points.
Such a pity…
“Do as I say. Once a month, during parent-child time, Cheng Feiying will take Cheng Tingyan to your place for half a day.” Bai Lei said, putting down her bag and looking at the person in the wheelchair.
“What do you mean?” Liu Qiongfang asked, looking away from Bai Lei and back at the short, chubby figure walking towards the wishing tree on the TV screen.
“I mean, let’s stop with the pretense, what you want, you know, I also know.” Bai Lei scoffed. “You’re still here, hesitant, isn’t it because you want this? Just tell me directly, is this okay or not. If it’s okay, we’ll sign the contract, put everything in writing, you can do your part with peace of mind, and I can’t go back on my word.”
“She’s my daughter. You’re asking me to accuse her of lying, you’re asking me to betray my own daughter.” Liu Qiongfang said, trying to maintain her calm demeanor, she tried not to grip the armrests of her wheelchair too tightly, but she failed after several attempts.
Bai Lei sneered. “Stop with the nonsense, I asked you to do it, of course, I know what it is. And don’t make it sound so serious, it’s just asking you to come forward and confirm Feiying and Rongrong’s stance, it’s good for you, good for me, good for them. As for Cheng Tingyan, I already told her before she went on the show, to not talk about family matters. But she didn’t listen, whose fault is it? If it weren’t for her saying so much, would we even be here discussing this? A six-year-old child, lying and causing trouble just for attention, it’s nothing, there are so many things happening online every day, no one will remember her after a couple of days.”
Really? Then what’s wrong with a three-and-a-half-year-old child lying and causing trouble, why rush to clear her name? Zhang Jin thought, but he didn’t dare to say anything, he just kept drinking his tea, trying to hide his awkwardness amidst the tense atmosphere.
Liu Qiongfang remained silent, not answering, at this moment, on the TV screen, Wei Maomao had reached the wishing tree.
“I hope Yan Yan’s wish will come true, all her wishes.” Wei Maomao said, extending her chubby paw and pressing it against the tree trunk devoutly.
She didn’t care, she didn’t care where this tree came from, how long it had been here, or who decorated it.
At this moment, she believed that this was a wishing tree, a wishing tree that would fulfill her wishes, their wishes.
The little chubby dumpling, at such a naive and innocent age, looked so devout when making her wish, so devout that her words, like small lava rocks, gently touched the hearts of every viewer who saw this scene three minutes later, softening them, melting them with warmth.
Mmm… well, not everyone.
At least there were still two, their hearts as hard as stone.
In the private room of the private restaurant, Bai Lei pointed at the TV angrily. “It’s this troublemaker, always stirring things up. If she’s so capable, why doesn’t she truly pay for your medical expenses, cover your and Cheng Tingyan’s living expenses, does a three-year-old even know how much money that is? Just met for a few days, a three-minute infatuation, a three-year-old’s mouth can say anything. She dares to say it, do you actually believe it? Who do you think you’re helping now? The person who’s paying for your treatment, the person who’s giving you living expenses, the person who’s helping you raise your child. Don’t give me that ‘deep mother-daughter bond’ act, if you truly cared, would you have said a single word for Cheng Tingyan in all this time? We’ve known each other for so many years, we all know each other’s true intentions. I’m offering you half a day with my husband every month, why aren’t you taking it?”
Bai Lei was truly annoyed, they all knew each other, what was the point of pretending to be kind. If the price wasn’t right, then name it, why talk about morals? In this room, the three of them, who had any morals? If they did, would they even be here? They were all just pretending.
Her facade torn down and trampled on, Liu Qiongfang, strangely, felt a bit relieved.
“One day.” Liu Qiongfang said firmly.
“What?” Bai Lei asked, chuckling. “Oh, is half a day not enough?”
“One day per month, from 7 AM to 8 PM.” Liu Qiongfang said calmly, looking at Bai Lei. “Write it into the contract.”
“Okay, okay, you’re truly something.” Bai Lei said, looking at Liu Qiongfang, she lost interest in bargaining.
She had also wanted to toy with her. But this person truly… couldn’t be toyed with.
One day it was, did she think that one day would be easy? Did she think Cheng Feiying was still the same Cheng Feiying as before? Heh, she better not complain about that one day being too long.
Zhang Jin just watched as the two women treated the artists under him like… well… like commodities, negotiating a deal, and they actually reached an agreement, Bai Lei even took out the contract. Zhang Jin truly… wanted to bury his face in his teacup.
On the TV screen, Cheng Tingyan, the last to make a wish, started walking towards the wishing tree.
In the private room, Liu Qiongfang glanced at the TV, then looked down at the contract in her hand.
“I have to cooperate with you and hold a press conference?” Liu Qiongfang asked, frowning.
“What else? Are you just going to tell us she’s lying?” Bai Lei asked, glancing at Liu Qiongfang’s wheelchair with amusement. “If you’re embarrassed to be on camera, we can do a half-body shot, or a phone interview, the key is the content, who cares about your physical condition.”
Liu Qiongfang was speechless, she looked at the terms in the contract, as promised, and swallowed her annoyance.
“Okay, you’ve been reading this simple thing for a while now. We’re partners now, are you afraid I’ll set a trap for you? Just focus on the terms, we’ll have a proper celebration after you sign it.” Bai Lei said, tapping the table in front of Zhang Jin impatiently. “Stop drinking, you’ve already had two pots of tea, can you even eat anything later?”
Zhang Jin: “… “ Even if he hadn’t had a single sip, facing these two, who could even eat?
In the private room, Liu Qiongfang, frowning, took the pen from Bai Lei and flipped to the last page.
On the TV screen, Cheng Tingyan reached the wishing tree, just like the little chubby bunny before, she reached out and gently pressed her hand against the trunk.
“Grandma, Chen Sujuan, my grandma, who lives in a courtyard with an osmanthus tree at Huangguo Residential Complex, Ganqiao Street, Chengchuan District, Jushan City, please come and help us…”
The devout, childish voice, calm and slightly low, was like a thunderclap in Liu Qiongfang’s ears.
Liu Qiongfang’s hand, which had just written half of the character “Liu,” trembled violently, the pen leaving a long line across the paper and onto the table.
Bai Lei, who hadn’t been paying close attention to the TV because she was happy, looked up, dissatisfied, only to see Liu Qiongfang’s pale face, her trembling lips, her eyes fixed on the TV screen, a look of utter terror, as if she had seen a ghost.
Leave a Reply