Category: Back to Three Years Old: Crushing Scumbags on a Parenting Reality Show

Chapter 97

The lunch arrived quickly, following the babies. The dads hadn’t even had a chance to talk to their children about the morning’s tasks when rice bowls and soup were placed on the tables. Oh, and in front of Wei Chengli, who was specially arranged to sit at the largest table in the center, it wasn’t rice bowls, but a full spread of five dishes and one soup, along with drinks and dessert.

Compared to the large rice bowls on the tables of the two families next to them, the food on the Wei family’s table was luxurious and extravagant.

Without even asking, they all knew that Wei Maomao had taken first place in the babies’ morning task.

But… pride, joy, excitement, these positive emotions didn’t last for more than three seconds in Wei Chengli’s heart before they were chased away by the group of neatly dressed people… oh, children, walking towards him from the courtyard gate.

One, two, three, four, five… Wei Chengli roughly estimated that there were at least twenty children, who looked around five, six, or seven years old, marching towards him. The girls were wearing white shirts and black pleated skirts, the boys were wearing white shirts and black trousers, their faces were powdered white, and their cheeks were blushed… It looked like standard stage makeup.

So the question was, where was the stage?

Wei Chengli had a guess, but he hoped he was wrong.

Wait…

Wei Chengli turned to look at his side, where was his baby?

She was just here, he was only momentarily stunned by the children walking towards him, and his baby was gone?

Although the courtyard was full of people, and there were cameramen following the little chubby dumpling, Wei Chengli was still worried, he stood up and looked around.

Oh, there she was…

Wei Chengli’s gaze locked onto the little chubby dumpling, who was talking to the staff behind the children, and… what was that large bundle wrapped in cloth in her hands?

Right… What did the staff call this meal when they served it earlier?

Wei Chengli looked down at the braised fish, sweet and sour pork, and roasted chicken wings on his table… [Surprise Deluxe Lunch]? He had thought the “surprise” and “deluxe” were referring to the comparison with the other families’ rice bowls, now it seemed, could it be that “surprise” and “deluxe” were two separate things?

It… seemed so…

The children, marching in formation, finally stopped two meters away from the Wei family’s table.

“Director Wei! Sit down, sit down.” The host waved at Wei Chengli from afar.

Wei Chengli: “… “ He sat down.

Ah, after sitting down, facing a group of children up close, it was also quite intimidating.

“New parents, new babies, good afternoon. This morning, our new parents worked hard for over two hours, without taking a single break, and finally, with their effort and sweat, earned today’s lunch for their new babies at home. Let’s give them a round of applause!” The host said, leading the applause. After the applause subsided, he pointed at the children standing in front of the Wei family’s table. “Among the new parents, our Parent Maomao, with her nimble hands and unwavering determination, successfully redeemed our top-tier [Surprise Deluxe Lunch]! Now, let’s welcome the children’s choir from the Shihua Town Central Kindergarten, to bring our new baby, Wei Chengli, the… surprise… in the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch]!”

Wei Chengli: “… “ As expected.

As soon as the host finished speaking, Wei Chengli heard applause erupting from the tables next to him.

Being serenaded by children, Wei Chengli was surprised, and… happy, but mostly, he was at a loss.

Ah, at a time like this, he really wanted to pick up the little chubby dumpling, the chubby flesh he had nurtured, what other use was there for it if not to shield him now!

Sadly, Wei Maomao was still behind the children, showing no signs of returning.

The music started, and the children opened their mouths, singing their hearts out.

“Sending you a little heart, sending you a flower, you’ve brought so much joy into my life, you’re my angel, guiding me along the way, no matter how time changes, my love for you will always be sung, listen to me say thank you, because of you, the four seasons are warm…”

As the childish singing filled the air, the children… started dancing, waving their hands.

Ah, ah, ah, it was that song, “Listen to Me Say Thank You.”

Over twenty children, staring at Wei Chengli with sincerity and enthusiasm, singing such a heartwarming song for him, dancing as if pouring out their hearts.

Wei Chengli’s hand secretly gripped the table, he couldn’t handle it.

The children sang well, danced well, Wei Chengli tried to look like he was enjoying it, controlling his urge to run away.

Wei Chengli tried to accept the surprise, and tried to “enjoy” the surprise, but the viewers in the live broadcast room still noticed his… little movements.

“The cameraman just showed Director Wei’s perspective, hahaha, oh my god, it turns out watching the children sing this from his perspective is so awkward, so incredibly awkward.”

“Hahaha, this song, truly, it’s fine watching children sing it on stage on TV. But from the live perspective, hahaha, being thanked and confessed to by a group of strange children up close, wouldn’t Director Wei even rub his arms? I’m getting goosebumps just watching, is Director Wei okay?”

“Director Wei doesn’t have hands to rub his arms, he’s secretly gripping the table, hahaha, one child is fine, but a group of children singing with reverb, he can’t handle it, he can’t handle it.”

“I’m dying of laughter, Director Wei doesn’t have feet to rub his arms either, his feet are curled up tightly inside his sandals, hahaha, he’s going to wear holes in them. I can feel his awkwardness through the screen, hahaha, but his expression management is impressive, he’s maintaining a gentle and kind smile.”

“Have you seen CEO Mao’s camera? I’m laughing my head off, like father, like daughter, same feet-curling-in-sandals action, CEO Mao’s chubby feet are enduring so much, hahahahaha.”

“The program team is truly evil, is this a surprise? Hahaha, it’s more like a fright.”

“I want to know what CEO Mao is holding in her hands? Such a large bundle, covered in cloth…”

“It must be flowers! After such a heartwarming song, then having his own daughter present flowers for the ending, wouldn’t that be the ultimate tearjerker~~~”

“Hahaha, Director Wei: ‘More like a death sentence!’”

“CEO Shen and Wen Qiming are asking Shen Zilin and Wen Jiangyue about the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], hahaha, seeing their relieved expressions after asking, they’re practically praising their children for working slowly.”

“This five-dishes-and-one-soup meal isn’t easy to earn, hahaha, I wonder if CEO Mao regrets it now.”

…

“Thank you, thank you for being there, passing on happiness… Thank you, thank you for being there, making the world more beautiful…”

As the children finished singing the last line, a staff member quickly bent down next to Wei Maomao, removed the cloth covering the bouquet in her arms, then gently pushed her back, whispering, “It’s your turn.”

Wei Maomao: “… “

Truly… Help…

Having these children sing and dance this gratitude song for Wei Chengli was already surprising enough. Why did they also have to arrange this flower-presenting segment for her! This whole sequence, it was like she was the one singing that song to Wei Chengli… It was so embarrassing that she could dig two villas with her toes on the spot.

The children in front of Wei Maomao, after finishing the last line, moved to the sides, clearing a wide path.

At one end of the path was Wei Maomao, holding the flowers, at the other end was Wei Chengli, sitting at the table.

The father and daughter, both with the same numb expression.

For… tonight’s conversation…

Wei Maomao looked down at the bouquet in her hands and took a deep breath.

It was just a short distance, Wei Maomao wanted to run over and end this torment quickly, but her legs felt heavy, she had to walk step by step, slowly and steadily, to Wei Chengli.

Wei Maomao: “… “ She handed the flowers silently, was he touched?

Wei Chengli: “… “ He took the flowers silently, not daring to move.

In the monitoring room, Qin Sichao had been laughing non-stop since he saw the children’s choir enter the courtyard. The live broadcast was entertaining, and even more so when paired with the comments. During the flower-presenting segment, Qin Sichao was even laughing so hard that he had to look for tissues to wipe his tears.

“Who came up with this brilliant surprise segment?” Qin Sichao asked, taking the tissue Shi Dingshan handed him, still chuckling.

“Zeng Huanian.” Shi Dingshan, although not as exaggerated as Qin Sichao, also had a gentle smile on his face.

Qin Sichao dabbed at the corners of his eyes with the tissue and chuckled. “Hahaha, your two assistant directors, one is always trying to create competition and conflict, the other wants to force them to love each other, what a contrast.”

“Xiao Zeng prefers the style of the second season, Xiao Jin… He’s more creative, always wanting to add something new.” Shi Dingshan took a sip of his water. “They both have their own merits.”

Merits? Not really…

Zeng Huanian, squatting among the staff, watched as his highly anticipated flower-presenting segment ended in silence, feeling disappointed and regretful.

Not touched? Shouldn’t he hug her tightly and lift her up?

Director Wei! You’re such a disappointment, sob!

After the flower presentation, the children who performed left amidst applause and praise, Wei Chengli and Wei Maomao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But their sighs were a bit too loud, they both heard each other.

Wei Chengli chuckled, ruffling the little chubby dumpling’s soft hair. “What was your task this morning? Was it hard?”

“Braided ropes, it was okay.” Wei Maomao answered concisely, pushing the chopstick rest towards Wei Chengli. “Eat.”

“This [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], only our family has it, you must have worked hard, don’t be modest.” Wei Chengli didn’t pick up his chopsticks, he first poured half a glass of watermelon juice for the little chubby dumpling. “Are you hot? Drink some watermelon juice. Speaking of which…”

“Mmm?” Wei Maomao looked at Wei Chengli, who seemed to have something to say.

Wei Chengli lowered his head, his face moving closer to the little chubby dumpling’s. “Our baby worked so hard to get this delicious meal for Dad, do you love Dad very much~~~”

Wei Maomao: “… “

Mmm, although she needed to ask him for a favor tonight, but… this chubby paw had a mind of its own now.

Wei Chengli’s smug face was pushed aside by a warm chubby paw, he could only comfort himself with food, the little chubby dumpling loved him! She was just shy! She loved him, her dad, the most, sob!

The other families who received the [Abundant Lunch] also, without exception, received extra food from their loving babies.

Although they didn’t have the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], their clever babies actually took advantage of the program team, they ate until they were full before coming back. The two-meat-one-vegetable rice bowls were instantly upgraded to four-meat-two-vegetable, they weren’t that much different from the Wei family’s [Surprise Deluxe Lunch].

Oh, no, to be precise, they were still missing the awkwardness.

While the other dads had four meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, Cheng Feiying alone had six meat dishes and three vegetable dishes. Although he couldn’t finish it all, looking at the abundance in front of him, Cheng Feiying, who had been sweating profusely from the morning’s task, finally looked a bit better.

After finishing two bowls of warm seaweed and egg drop soup, Cheng Feiying felt a bit more comfortable, he looked at his two daughters and asked, “Which one of you chose mental activities this morning, and which one chose physical activities?”

Cheng Rongrong, holding her breath, glanced at the sweat still dripping from Cheng Feiying’s forehead and quickly answered, “I chose mental activities, Older sister chose physical activities!”

Cheng Feiying looked at Cheng Tingyan, who nodded.

“Older sister, don’t choose physical activities for Dad next time, it’s too hot in the summer.” Cheng Rongrong, habitually, added insult to injury.

Cheng Tingyan pursed her lips and didn’t answer.

But Cheng Feiying picked up where Cheng Rongrong left off. “Next time, if there’s a choice between mental and physical activities, both of you choose physical activities.”

Cheng Rongrong looked at Cheng Feiying in shock, wasn’t his strange temper from yesterday already cured by Mom’s note last night? He was fine this morning, what was he doing now?

Cheng Feiying wasn’t acting up, nor was he deliberately opposing Cheng Rongrong.

It was just… The motion-sensing game was too difficult! He couldn’t find some of the monsters, he had to keep running around to solve puzzles, he almost died trying to clear the level, in the end, it was Shen Jianghe’s hints that allowed him to barely finish before lunch.

When he was stuck halfway through the game, he had asked the staff, for the purely mental activity, it was clearing a puzzle game on a tablet, then what was the purely physical activity?

The staff said it was completing one hundred jump ropes, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred push-ups, one hundred high knees, and one hundred frog jumps.

It wasn’t a small number, but compared to Cheng Feiying’s jumping around while playing the game, it was truly not much.

Although Cheng Feiying wouldn’t admit it, the puzzle game was a bit too challenging for him. And most importantly, he didn’t want his two daughters making different choices again, this kind of combined task was truly a nightmare.

Cheng Feiying, planning for future tasks, refuted Cheng Rongrong’s words. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, what, a three-and-a-half-year-old child, did he have to listen to her every word?

But Cheng Rongrong felt aggrieved. The peak of Cheng Feiying’s career was just this variety show, after this show, his only use to her was to be a good dad and be used by her to attack Cheng Tingyan. But look, now, which one of these two things had he done? Annoying!

Cheng Feiying, starving after exercising for so long, ate his six meat dishes and three vegetable dishes with a sense of entitlement, completely oblivious to his younger daughter’s inner complaints.

The other dads…

Although Wen Dongyu didn’t say it, Wen Xiang heard Shen Zilin’s voice from the next table, this kind of rice bowl, it was the third tier out of the four, only second to the one Wei Maomao redeemed.

Dongdong, he… Wen Xiang looked at the other rice bowl pushed towards him by Wen Dongyu, his heart heavy even before he started eating.

And next to them, Shen Jianghe and Wen Qiming, while eating, listened to their children excitedly recounting their morning work experiences. Hearing that their children worked non-stop on the piecework, only going to the break room to eat at the very end, and even did it to save the lunch dishes and give them extra food… They, who had also done piecework and redeemed based on quantity, couldn’t help but think about the watermelon carrying task the day before yesterday. The two who had only achieved the lowest tier ate silently.

This one meal, the dads tasted a thousand different flavors.

And they didn’t expect that this was just the beginning.

In the afternoon, the babies, under the pretense of participating in tomorrow’s anti-fraud stage play, were taken away by the program team, who said they were arranging for them to learn acting.

But what awaited the babies wasn’t just learning a performance.

They also had to learn… how to be parents like their dads.

Yes, no longer being the kind of parents they wanted to be.

Instead, starting tomorrow, they would have to play the role of parents like their own dads.

Chapter 96

Not long after the babies left in the morning, the staff led the dads to… Wei Chengli’s house.

Ever since the day Wei Maomao had an upset stomach and didn’t go to the “school,” when they all had lunch together in the Wei family’s courtyard, the program team seemed to favor using the Wei family’s house for group activities.

Same morning, same separation of dads and babies, same Wei family’s courtyard, the dads were already guessing on the way there if the babies would be arranging activities for them again today.

Honestly, the babies’ arrangements yesterday, except for Wang Qingchuan having to lie on a bed board, were quite good for everyone else, they wouldn’t mind doing it again. Wang Qingchuan, listening to the other dads’ increasingly serious discussion, secretly felt relieved that he had specifically reminded Wang Zhizhi before leaving this morning to choose a mainstream activity if he had to arrange something for him.

Some learned from their mistakes, while others took advantage of kindness.

Wen Qiming was the one taking advantage.

When they arrived at the Wei family’s courtyard, the staff brought the babies’ choices for today.

Three options: Do the things the babies usually do at home, engage in mental activities, or engage in physical activities.

The staff first announced the families who chose [Do the things the babies usually do at home], it was the Wei, Shen, and Wen families.

The first one arranged was Wei Chengli, a sofa was pushed in, two screens, one big and one small, were brought in, along with paper, pen, and a bowl of colorful yogurt melts, a baby snack.

Both the 1800-word review and the adorable baby snack made the dads laugh. But the funniest thing was the cartoon playing on the big screen, with its bizarre and almost grotesque art style. The key was, the staff even said it was the cartoon Wei Chengli and Wei Maomao loved watching at home. Director Wei’s taste was truly something, it shocked the other dads who had crowded around to watch.

The babies chose the general direction, and the program team made specific arrangements based on the questionnaires from the day before yesterday. Very meticulous, Wei Chengli couldn’t argue with it.

Wen Qiming, amused, couldn’t help but chuckle. “Xiao Wei is truly having a hard time. Thankfully, our Yueyue just recites ancient poems at home, I just have to recite some texts.”

But the text he had to recite was a Buddhist scripture.

Wen Qiming looked at the vertically written scripture in his hand, the convoluted sentences giving him a headache.

And he couldn’t even blame anyone… Who could he blame? Blame Wen Jiangyue, who simply chose [Do the things the babies usually do at home], which seemed easy? Or blame himself, who honestly wrote [Yueyue usually recites ancient poems at home] yesterday? Or… blame the program team, who, after praising his profound knowledge, had to find him a different kind of text to recite?

Life was tough, Wen Qiming let out a long sigh, he glanced at Wang Qingchuan and Wang Qingbei, sitting at the stone table on his right, each holding a tablet, they were the puzzle-solving duo, assigned mental activities. Wen Qiming didn’t like games, nor did he like puzzles, so he couldn’t judge which task was more difficult, theirs or his. But Wen Qiming’s gaze swept past Wang Qingbei, who was clearly enjoying herself, and landed on Wang Qingchuan, who was frowning, his right hand tapping aimlessly on the tablet. Mmm, at least he wasn’t the only one struggling.

Oh, and there was also, Wen Qiming turned his head to look at Cheng Feiying, who was strapped into equipment in the corner, jumping around in front of the big screen.

Having two children was truly not easy. According to the staff, Cheng Feiying’s two daughters, one chose mental activities, the other chose physical activities… The Wang family was playing a time-limited puzzle game on a tablet, while Cheng Feiying was playing a motion-sensing game…

In this hot weather, sweating profusely, Wen Qiming watched Cheng Feiying, who was jumping around like a frog, for a while, then looked at the scripture in his hand, he suddenly felt that it wasn’t that… particularly… difficult.

This morning, the dads were working hard in the Wei family’s courtyard, while the babies were also busy outside.

But as Wei Maomao had predicted, limited by their hand speed, based on the time it took for everyone to reach the first tier, [Survival Lunch], even without taking breaks in the break room, they should be able to earn enough points for the third tier. And if the program team’s little trick worked, and the babies were lured by the break room, only earning enough points for the second tier, [Ordinary Lunch], would also be normal.

After Li Mu’s calculations, the other babies also discovered the hand speed issue, so they worked even harder, they not only refused to go to the break room, they even refused the water offered by the staff. It wasn’t until Liu Ming finished feeding Wei Maomao water and was asked by Maomao to relay a message to Su Li, asking her to put a straw in Yan Yan’s cup, that the other staff realized the babies weren’t thirsty or hungry, they were truly in hardworking employee mode.

In the monitoring room, Qin Sichao’s initial enthusiasm gradually turned into a frown. But looking at Shi Dingshan, who didn’t seem to have any reaction, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

After watching the staff feed the babies water with straws and open small cakes for them on the screen, Qin Sichao finally stood up and went outside.

The babies’ task today, especially the break room they could go to anytime and stay as long as they wanted, had a hint of testing their humanity. But… They were just little babies… He could only say, thankfully, these babies all seemed to have their own ideas and were mentally strong, otherwise… Qin Sichao didn’t have much faith in the current online environment. Even for little babies who hadn’t fully developed their values, if they lingered in the break room and only brought back steamed buns and pickled mustard greens for their dads, they probably wouldn’t escape criticism.

This… Was this Shi Dingshan’s idea…

Or was it, like the supplementary rule for the “strength” task yesterday, just the idea of another person in charge?

Qin Sichao took out his phone, deciding to talk to Zeng Huanian.

But just as he sent the message, he saw Shi Dingshan’s two assistant directors not far from the monitoring room.

“Why did you add something to my task without authorization?” Zeng Huanian had left the village for a while this morning, when he came back, he discovered that there was an extra break room in the piecework task he designed, he was furious. “You even raised the point requirement for each lunch set! They’re guests, they’re children, how can you expect them to make so many things?”

“If they can easily earn a bunch of points and easily redeem the highest tier, [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], what’s the point? Would they still cooperate like they are now? Would they still consider calculations and strategies? This is a live broadcast reality show, not a pretend play. If there’s no difference between the reward tiers, the guests are satisfied with their food, but would the viewers still enjoy watching? Besides, the first tier, [Survival], and the second tier, [Ordinary], they only require a few points to redeem, they won’t starve.” Jin Youliang said disdainfully, glancing at Zeng Huanian. “You’re so conservative, so fair, so concerned about the guests and not the ratings, you’re not suited for reality shows, you should go and make food shows next time, let everyone eat their fill.”

“You…” Zeng Huanian was speechless.

Jin Youliang had indeed hit Zeng Huanian’s sore spot. Shi Dingshan had said more than once that Jin Youliang’s mind was more agile, he was better at creating drama.

But!

“What’s with that break room? Who told you to set up that room!” Zeng Huanian said angrily, pointing at it.

“What’s wrong with the break room? You also said they’re children, children should rest when they’re tired. I even arranged snacks and drinks for them inside, isn’t that considerate?” Jin Youliang said, but inwardly, he was angry that this loophole had been exploited by that little chubby girl again.

Zeng Huanian scoffed. “Do you even believe your own words? Or do you think I’m an idiot? That room is clearly a temptation for the babies, to slow down their progress. Why put children through such a test! Does Director Shi know you’re doing this!”

“Oh, Director Shi knows.” Jin Youliang said nonchalantly.

Zeng Huanian: “… “

“Although it was my suggestion, Director Shi didn’t object.” Jin Youliang said, smiling, looking at the stunned Zeng Huanian.

A critical hit, attacking his weakness, Zeng Huanian couldn’t argue with Jin Youliang anymore, he stormed off angrily.

After both assistant directors left, Qin Sichao came out from the corner.

How should he put it, it was good that the test of the babies’ humanity wasn’t Shi Dingshan’s idea. But… it wasn’t that good either, it seemed Shi Dingshan had agreed to it.

Qin Sichao felt that whether it was painting, writing, drama, or variety shows… a person’s work was greatly influenced by their experiences and their state of mind when creating it. When Shi Dingshan was making commercial films, he mostly went for lighthearted and comedic approaches. In recent years, his variety shows were also mostly inspirational and heartwarming.

But this time… Qin Sichao admitted that this variety show was very impressive and interesting. But in terms of style, it was quite different from Shi Dingshan’s previous works. Qin Sichao leaned against the wall, looking at the directions the two assistant directors had gone, he was worried about Shi Dingshan’s situation, but he didn’t know what to do.

But…

Were variety show productions this flexible?

He had just asked if there were any suitable NPC roles for Jiang Heye, and they actually created one.

The task yesterday, the useless supplementary rule that was quickly cracked by the babies, they just added it as they pleased.

And today’s break room and point adjustments, they also did it as they pleased.

If that was the case…

Qin Sichao returned to the monitoring room and patted Shi Dingshan’s shoulder. “What are your plans for the next location? I have a few ideas, do you want to hear them?”

Shi Dingshan: “… “

From a certain point onwards, the threads of fate diverged, never to return to their original course.

As for the future, Wei Maomao, immersed in braiding ropes, wasn’t concerned about it for now.

One rope, another rope, and another…

Practice makes perfect, Wei Maomao’s hand speed became faster and faster, she no longer needed to refer to the sample, she had memorized where to stop and which bead to thread.

Speaking of which, it was interesting, when she first came back to life, she had so much trouble adapting to her three-year-old body, she even had to practice opening a small gourd pendant all night by imitating squeezing toothpaste.

And now she could peel beans, braid hair, and even braid ropes.

Wei Maomao’s points were far ahead, when she reached the third tier, [Abundant Lunch], the other babies were still struggling to reach the second tier. Although the points required for the fourth tier were almost double that of the third tier, Wei Maomao, after calculating, felt she should have no problem reaching it.

Then the question was… Wei Maomao threaded a bead, continued braiding blindly, and glanced at the matchbox assembling team next to her.

Yan Yan had been folding the matchboxes individually earlier, after getting the hang of it, she started folding three at a time.

But Wen Jiangyue still had to glue each box one by one. The folding speed increased, but the gluing speed couldn’t keep up, there was already a pile of folded matchboxes waiting to be glued.

Now Yan Yan had stopped folding and was helping to glue the boxes.

And…

Wei Maomao looked at the two who were attaching tags in the distance, they seemed to be throwing each completed tag into the box below, she couldn’t see their progress from here. She only knew that Wang Zhizhi had reached the first tier earlier, while Cheng Rongrong was a bit slower.

Based on the speed of the first tier, Wei Maomao estimated that neither of them could reach the fourth tier, Cheng Rongrong might even struggle to reach the third tier. But anything was possible, what if Cheng Rongrong’s final points were higher than Yan Yan’s, then there would be more drama.

Wei Maomao’s rope-braiding speed increased, if she finished early, she could help glue the matchboxes. One person folding, two people gluing, the speed should be about the same. No matter what, she had to prevent that “what if” from happening.

[10:59] Wei Maomao finished braiding the last rope, after calculating, she gave the last batch of braided ropes to the staff for inspection, then immediately joined Cheng Tingyan’s matchbox gluing team. Wei Maomao called out to Cheng Rongrong, asking how many tags she had completed, but she didn’t answer.

[11:00] All of Wei Maomao’s braided ropes passed inspection, she successfully redeemed the fourth tier, [Surprise Deluxe Lunch].

[11:05] Shen Zilin successfully redeemed the third tier, [Abundant Lunch], and started helping Wen Dongyu screw screws.

[11:15] Cheng Tingyan and Wen Jiangyue’s points reached the amount required for the third tier, [Abundant Lunch], Wen Jiangyue successfully redeemed it. Wei Maomao pulled Li Mu over to count the number of tags Cheng Rongrong had completed, they concluded that even if they continued working together, they couldn’t help Cheng Rongrong reach the third tier. Shen Zilin raised his hand, requesting the program team to heat up the food in the break room.

[11:17] Wen Dongyu successfully redeemed the third tier, [Abundant Lunch]. Li Mu calculated the points gap for Wang Zhizhi to redeem the fourth tier lunch. Cheng Rongrong said that since she couldn’t reach the points required for the third tier, and their family was destined to not get the third tier lunch, she might as well give her extra tags to Wang Zhizhi. Wang Zhizhi hesitated.

[11:18] Wang Zhizhi decided to give all the tags exceeding the third tier requirement to Cheng Rongrong, helping her reach the points needed for the Cheng family to redeem the third tier lunch. Cheng Rongrong refused, Wang Zhizhi insisted, saying it was to repay the favor she did for him yesterday by helping him sell his vegetables. Cheng Rongrong, speechless, accepted the tags.

[11:20] All the babies’ finished products were inspected, except for Wei Maomao, everyone redeemed the third tier lunch.

For the last ten minutes, the babies enjoyed a feast in the break room, taking advantage of the program team one last time.

The viewers in the live broadcast room, who had been worried for the babies, were truly impressed.

“As expected of CEO Mao, she even calculated that last meal!”

“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter, what’s wrong with Wang Zhizhi, was he serious about repaying the favor yesterday? He even gave up the fourth tier, [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], to repay it immediately.”

“The program team is truly too cruel to the little babies, who can finish this within the time limit? Oh, CEO Mao!”

On the way back, the little babies were burping with the smell of fried chicken and pizza.

Shen Zilin took out a tissue, wiped his mouth carefully, then walked a few steps faster to catch up with Wei Maomao, saying sincerely, “Maomao, you’re truly fast, you did the work of two people by yourself!”

“Not just two, Maomao even helped Yan Yan and me!” Wen Jiangyue added, offering more praise.

“Right!” Shen Zilin nodded. “She did more than two people’s work!”

“Boss, you’re so amazing!” Wen Dongyu squeezed in, then looked at Shen Zilin. “Boss, you shouldn’t keep asking Boss to borrow money from you, she can earn money by braiding ropes!”

“Don’t call me ‘Boss’…”

“Don’t call me ‘Boss’…”

Wei Maomao and Shen Zilin spoke almost simultaneously, they looked at each other, then both smiled wryly.

“Boss’s dad can eat the deluxe lunch today, that’s great.” Wen Dongyu, selectively listening, then scratched his head and said, “Our dads are eating the same thing, that’s good too.”

Wang Zhizhi walked alongside them, silent, but he was indeed comforted.

Although he had tried his best to be fair these past two days, Wang Zhizhi had also discovered a secret. It turned out that hearts were truly biased. Even if his actions were fair, but… like with the lunch sets today, Wang Zhizhi had thought that if it was just his dad, he would also want to get the best lunch. But it was because his dad had also done his best for him when carrying watermelons that day. And Beibei… the kind, kind Beibei… He wanted to do better, do more, he wanted the kind Beibei to have the best, the most luxurious lunch.

They both wanted to do their best, but their reasons were completely different. One was for fairness, the other was genuine care… Was that… also a kind of bias?

This kind of bias was a secret that even surprised Wang Zhizhi himself. Of course, he wouldn’t show this bias, he wouldn’t become the kind of person he disliked the most, but… Could it be that actions were actions, and thoughts were thoughts?

Wang Zhizhi’s little brain couldn’t process it.

“Zhizhi, don’t be unhappy.” Wen Jiangyue, noticing that Wang Zhizhi, walking at the edge of the group, was silent, went over to comfort him. “It’s normal that we couldn’t earn enough points for the deluxe lunch, none of us could.”

“Mmm…” Wang Zhizhi nodded.

“It’s normal for Zhizhi to be unhappy, his dad got him his favorite food last time by carrying watermelons.” Wen Dongyu, always drawn to excitement, chimed in. “But Zhizhi, don’t be unhappy, it’s just that we didn’t have enough time. Dad could keep carrying watermelons, if you kept attaching tags, you could also get the most points!”

Wen Jiangyue: “… “ It seemed like he was comforting him, but something didn’t sound quite right.

Wei Maomao, listening, glanced at Wang Zhizhi. It was a pity, if only he had accepted the extra points from the Cheng family, not from Cheng Rongrong, but from Yan Yan. Then Cheng Feiying would only be able to eat the [Ordinary Lunch]~~~ And he couldn’t even blame Yan Yan. Wei Maomao casually thought about it and felt she was quite mean. But… Wei Maomao thought about Cheng Feiying’s darkened expression this morning, some people were truly too annoying.

Yes, too annoying, Cheng Rongrong also felt that some people were truly too annoying.

This Wang Zhizhi… A favor, once received, should be kept, what was this about repaying it immediately! She wanted to use it for something more useful! Jiang Heye was living at their house now, she still had use for Wang Zhizhi! And he just used it to upgrade their lunch… Did she lack this one meal?

Anyway, Cheng Feiying’s mood this morning was definitely ruined, the difference between the second tier lunch and the third tier wasn’t that big!

It was all because of… Cheng Rongrong couldn’t help but glare at Cheng Tingyan in front of her.

Why did she have to speak at the same time as her! Why did she have to say “physical activities” when she said “mental activities”! And… Cheng Rongrong glanced back at the host, who was trailing behind the group of staff, they could only choose one! What was this about combining both… If it was double the hardship, Cheng Feiying, whose mood had just improved last night, would explode again.

Explode, well, he hadn’t exploded yet.

But after entering the Wei family’s courtyard, among the group of dads and Wang Qingbei, only Cheng Feiying was sweating profusely and smelly.

Since most of the babies redeemed the third tier lunch, preparing the food was quick.

By the time the babies arrived at the Wei family’s courtyard, the food was also ready.

Rice bowls, rice bowls, plates of rice bowls.

Oh, and… a group of people?

Wei Chengli looked at the plates and bowls on his table, which were different from the ones on the tables next to him, then at the group of people, dressed in uniforms, walking towards their table…

He felt a bit scared.

Chapter 95

The program team was truly evil… He had only been mentally calculating the possibilities, hadn’t even put it into action, and the shortcut was already blocked. Shen Zilin smoothed his clothes, trying to hide his disappointment.

The lunch options redeemable with the points earned by the new parents from their piecework were divided into four categories: [Survival Lunch], [Ordinary Lunch], [Abundant Lunch], and [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], ranked from lowest to highest points required.

To motivate the babies, the program team even included pictures of each lunch option on the redemption board.

[Survival Lunch]: Two bowls of porridge, two steamed buns, two pieces of fermented tofu, and a plate of pickled mustard greens.

[Ordinary Lunch]: Two lunchboxes, each with one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and rice.

[Abundant Lunch]: Two rice bowls, each with two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, unlimited rice, and seaweed and egg drop soup.

[Surprise Deluxe Lunch]: Braised fish, sweet and sour pork, roasted chicken wings, stir-fried tomato with eggs, stir-fried loofah with edamame, and pork rib soup with winter melon. Five dishes and one soup, unlimited rice, a choice of sour plum juice or watermelon juice, and pudding for dessert. Plus an extra surprise, to be revealed on the spot.

And to encourage the babies to balance work and rest, the program team even opened the door to the break room, letting the babies peek inside.

They were in for a shock.

The break room was even better than the host had described.

As soon as the door opened, the cool air from the air conditioner rushed out, instantly dispelling most of the heat from the babies crowding at the door. The break room was even bigger than an ordinary living room, with a giant screen playing cartoons, surrounded by a circle of soft sofas, piled with cute plushies.

Looking past the sofas, the coffee table was laden with snacks and drinks, even large boxes of fried chicken and pizza, the whole room was filled with the aroma of food.

And on the floor next to the sofas were piles of pillows and toys…

It was truly a place that held immense appeal for the little babies.

The babies, having just seen the room’s setup, were ushered back by the host.

The door closed, the aroma of food was cut off, the cool air disappeared, and a wave of heat washed over them.

Wei Maomao smacked her lips, sighing inwardly, the program team was truly going all out to hinder the little babies.

But was it really necessary…

Earlier, when passing by the large boxes, Wei Maomao had glanced at the items inside. Based on the points earned per item for each task and her estimated time to complete one item, she felt that even if the program team hadn’t made the break room so appealing, earning enough points for the third-tier [Abundant Lunch] probably wouldn’t be easy.

After explaining the task, it was time for the babies to work.

It was 8:42 AM, the babies could start working and taking breaks freely until 11:30 AM. The points earned from their piecework during this period would be used to redeem their family’s lunch. Of course, because of the special situations of the Cheng and Wang families, as in the previous day, the Cheng family’s redeemable points would be the average of Cheng Tingyan and Cheng Rongrong’s points. And for the Wang family, regardless of the lunch set Wang Zhizhi redeemed, the content of the set would be multiplied by 1.5.

Wei Maomao calculated, less than three hours, even without taking breaks, time was tight.

“Are we still cooperating today?” Wen Dongyu asked the other babies as soon as the program team announced the start of the task.

“What do you guys think?” Shen Zilin also looked at the others. “Which tier do you want to get?”

Cheng Rongrong smiled. “I want the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], but I don’t know if I can make enough.”

After saying that, Cheng Rongrong looked at Cheng Tingyan.

“It’s useless for me to think about it…” Cheng Tingyan glanced at the redemption board. “I’ll just get whatever I can make.”

“I’ll also get whatever I can make.” Wen Jiangyue echoed.

“Deluxe.” Wang Zhizhi said concisely, walking towards the boxes. “I’m going to start working.”

“Maomao?” Shen Zilin looked at Wei Maomao.

“Deluxe.” Wei Maomao turned and shouted at Wang Zhizhi, who was already walking away. “Wang Zhizhi, try each task first, ask the brother who helped us calculate the soccer goals yesterday to calculate which one is best for you.”

Wang Zhizhi stopped, making an “OK” gesture at Wei Maomao.

“Then let’s all start individually, we’ll learn how to do them first, then see if we want to cooperate.” Shen Zilin patted Wen Dongyu.

There were four types of piecework, each with a dedicated instructor, and after the babies finished, there would be a dedicated inspector, only the items that passed inspection would count towards their points.

Screwing screws: A board with several holes of different sizes, they needed to place screws on top, nuts on the bottom, then tighten them with a small wrench. Placing the wrong screw or not tightening it properly would be considered defective.

Attaching tags: Three cardboard pieces, a small transparent bag with two buttons, thread them onto the tag string in order, then fasten them. Wrong order or not fastened properly would be considered defective.

Assembling matchboxes: Fold the flat matchbox into a three-dimensional shape along the crease lines, then glue it together. Folded incorrectly or not glued properly would be considered defective.

Braiding ropes: Braid the colorful ropes into a long strip of a specific length, threading beads into it according to the pattern while braiding. Insufficient length, wrong pattern, braided too loosely compared to the sample, beads placed in the wrong position, would all be considered defective.

Defective items, if identified during the work period, could be reworked. If they passed inspection after rework, they would still count towards their points. If identified after 11:30 AM, they wouldn’t count towards their points, and each defective item would deduct one point.

These tasks… Wei Maomao truly suspected that the program team had gone to a factory and taken a section of their production line. And that rope braiding… Couldn’t it be subcontracted work from a bracelet-making place? After braiding, all that was left was to tie the ends together and it would be a bracelet.

Because of Wei Maomao’s reminder, each baby tried all four tasks, figuring out their proficiency, then, after Wang Zhizhi finished using Li Mu, they borrowed him to calculate the relationship between speed and points.

Soon, the babies received their assigned tasks, went into the main hall, sat at the arranged long tables, and started working.

Shen Zilin and Wen Dongyu chose screwing screws, they planned to work together, one person placing the screws according to the hole sizes, then handing the board to the other person to add the nuts and tighten them. After all, the program team only said they couldn’t ask the village children for help, they didn’t say these new parents couldn’t cooperate and split the points. Shen Zilin remembered that the factories in the documentaries all divided the work into different processes. Since those people had built such large factories, and so many factories were doing it this way, there must be a reason, it was worth imitating.

Sadly, Shen Zilin overlooked the importance of scientific planning. A mature assembly line must be planned, calculated, and adjusted to ensure each process runs smoothly.

After trying a few times, Shen Zilin and Wen Dongyu discovered the flaws in their plan. Placing the screws was fast, matching the nuts and tightening them was slow, the boards with screws were placed on the table, waiting, and when they were picked up, the screws would often fall out or become misaligned, needing to be adjusted. Their cooperation didn’t make things faster, it actually slowed them down. So Shen Zilin decisively abandoned the plan, they worked individually.

But Cheng Tingyan and Wen Jiangyue, who chose assembling matchboxes, one was fast at folding, the other was good at gluing, after working together for a while, they had established an assembly line.

Cheng Rongrong, watching from the tag-attaching table across from them, felt a bit envious, she tried to discuss cooperation with Wang Zhizhi, who had chosen the same task.

But Wang Zhizhi, after glancing at the five tags he had already completed and the one Cheng Rongrong was still working on, decisively refused.

Only Wei Maomao chose braiding ropes. To be precise… the only ones who fully learned this task were her and Cheng Tingyan. The others, after trying it halfway, realized that although the points for rope braiding were high, many times higher than the other tasks, even without calculating, their fingers were already cramping, they knew this task definitely wasn’t worth it. Although Cheng Tingyan learned the whole task, Wei Maomao could tell that she was just accompanying her, she could do it, but in terms of efficiency, before becoming proficient, it wasn’t worth it.

Usually, Wei Maomao would be happy to braid ropes with Cheng Tingyan, but with the average of Yan Yan and Cheng Rongrong’s points being used for redemption, they had to choose something Yan Yan was good at.

As for Wei Maomao, to get the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch], she couldn’t choose assembling matchboxes with Yan Yan, she had to choose the most profitable option, braiding ropes.

The night before, Cheng Tingyan had agreed that Wei Maomao could mention the Cheng family’s situation to Wei Chengli when there were no cameras or microphones. Having an adult’s help would make things smoother. And even if he couldn’t help… at least Wei Chengli wouldn’t be an obstacle, going out and blabbing to Cheng Feiying. When discussing this with Cheng Tingyan last night, Wei Maomao had been a bit nervous, after all, Wei Chengli was just an adult they had known for a few days. But… things went smoothly again. Wei Maomao was a bit confused, how could everything be so smooth? It was like Yan Yan would agree to anything she suggested…

Wei Maomao hadn’t planned on talking to Wei Chengli tonight. But since Wei Chengli had主动ly requested a serious conversation tonight, then… they would talk.

Asking for a favor, she had to treat him to a good meal, make him happy.

Braiding ropes and braiding hair were quite similar, Wei Maomao tried two ropes and felt that as long as she didn’t waste time in the break room, she should be able to get the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch]. She had already given him the highest tier for lunch, so if he refused tonight, it wouldn’t be easy for him to say no.

After getting a sense of her rope-braiding speed and feeling confident, Wei Maomao carried a large box of rope-braiding materials to the empty table next to Cheng Tingyan, she didn’t start working immediately, but went to the break room set up by the program team.

“Maomao, are you taking a break?” The host, who was fanning himself among the staff, quickly rushed to the door and enthusiastically opened the break room door for Wei Maomao.

“I’m just taking a look.” Wei Maomao stepped over the threshold with her short legs.

Earlier, when they were outside, they could only see a part of the coffee table through the gaps between the sofas, now, after walking inside, Wei Maomao saw the full picture.

“If you want to eat the fried chicken and pizza, we can heat them up for you. Hot and fresh, crispy and fragrant, do you want to sit here, watch some cartoons, and wait? They’ll be ready soon.” The host said in a tempting voice.

Wei Maomao walked around the coffee table, after looking at everything, she looked up at the host and blinked innocently. “Uncle, are all these for us to eat? Can we eat whatever we want?”

“Of course, they’re all prepared for you. But you can only eat them while you’re resting and playing here, you can’t take them out.” The host said with the kindest smile.

“Can we come and eat anytime?” Wei Maomao tilted her head.

The chubby baby tilted her head and smiled! So cute!

The host clutched his chest, he was almost tricked into nodding.

“Mmm… No… You can only come and rest and eat during your work time. Which is from now until 11:30 AM today.” The host said cautiously.

He had to be cautious, after the little babies completely shattered the rules of the “intelligence” and “strength” tasks yesterday, they were instructed to be meticulous.

“Then as long as it’s before 11:30 AM, we can come and eat, these things won’t secretly disappear, right?” Wei Maomao confirmed one last time.

“Mmm?” The host felt something was wrong, she was already here, shouldn’t she sit down and start eating?

“Right?” Wei Maomao didn’t give the host more time to think.

Well, according to the rules, it was indeed like that. The host nodded. “Yes.”

Wei Maomao, under the host’s confused gaze, ran off.

“There’s a lot of food in the break room, enough for us to eat until we’re full. After we earn enough points for one lunch set, we’ll ask Brother Li Mu to calculate if we have enough time to earn points for the next set. If we don’t, we can stop working and go eat inside.” Wei Maomao stood in front of the babies’ table, pointing at the break room door. “We’ll eat until we’re full here, and our dads can have our vegetables.”

Shen Zilin’s hand, which was tightening a nut, froze, the nut he had just placed fell onto the table with a clink.

Wei Maomao looked at Shen Zilin in confusion.

“Maomao, borrow money from me! Now!” Shen Zilin said, clutching his head in despair. Maomao was so smart, he really wanted an employee like her! He really wanted her! Sob, sob!

Wei Maomao: “… “

“Right! If I eat until I’m full here, my dad’s lunch will automatically be upgraded!” Wen Jiangyue said excitedly, looking at her hands covered in glue. “Maomao, I love you!”

Cheng Tingyan, who had been looking at the adorable little chubby bunny, turned to look at Wen Jiangyue.

She was so loud… While she…

Cheng Tingyan pursed her lips, she couldn’t bring herself to say such things like Wen Jiangyue.

While Cheng Tingyan was hesitating, the little chubby bunny had already returned to the table next to them, picking up the ropes.

“Maomao.” Cheng Tingyan said, scooting closer to Wei Maomao while folding the matchboxes in her hand.

“Mmm?” Wei Maomao started braiding quickly, but her gaze was on Cheng Tingyan.

“Maomao is amazing!” Cheng Tingyan said, although she couldn’t say those words like Wen Jiangyue, the little chubby bunny was truly amazing.

The little girl, folding matchboxes, looking like a child laborer, her eyes were so bright.

Wei Maomao saw herself, seemingly also shining, in Cheng Tingyan’s eyes, being clearly and unambiguously adored.

They had actually come this far, it was like a dream.

“I like Yan Yan the most!” Wei Maomao suppressed the mixed emotions in her heart, but she couldn’t help but blurt out those words.

The little child laborer blushed and buried her head in her work, seemingly immersed in the grand task of folding matchboxes.

The six-year-old Yan Yan was truly easily embarrassed, truly adorable!

Wei Maomao took a deep breath, calming herself down, compared the length of the braided rope in her hand, then picked up the first bead.

At this moment, a soft voice came from beside her, “I like Maomao the most…”

The bead slipped from her hand and fell back into the box.

Wei Maomao turned to look and saw the little child laborer practically burying her head on the table, she wasn’t immersed in the grand task of folding matchboxes, she was practically folding herself into a matchbox.

Ahhh~ How could she stay calm!

Staying calm was impossible, and the viewers in the live broadcast room also couldn’t stay calm.

“Why is Yan Yan so cute! So cute that I’m crying!”

“How can she be so shy and so hardworking, hahaha! Even hiding under the table to tell CEO Mao she likes her!”

“CEO Mao deserves it! She just upgraded the dads’ lunch, all the dads should thank you, Lunch Hero!”

“Hahaha, upgrading or not is one thing, the key is, by calculating, they don’t have to do unnecessary work. Otherwise, what if they accumulate a lot of points, only to find they’re stuck between two tiers, not enough for the higher tier, but too much for the lower tier? All the extra work would benefit the capitalists (program team).”

“Children are truly smart. The babies cooperated during the ‘intelligence’ task yesterday, and then the ‘strength’ task had a supplementary rule, it’s too mean to be so serious with the little babies. CEO Mao learned her lesson today, she asked and confirmed everything before proposing it to the other babies. Otherwise, if she had just said it, the program team might have taken away the food, at least the filling ones.”

“Hahaha, Little CEO Shen truly, truly wants to lend money to CEO Mao! Not to mention anything else, just his eagerness to recruit anyone he deems capable, if he doesn’t get rich in the future, who will!”

“Speaking of, let’s buy some Shen Corp. stock, it’s been rising quite well these past two days, but I think it can still go higher!”

“I feel like this task for the babies is a bit like the watermelon carrying task for the dads the day before yesterday? But this one isn’t as tiring, so the program team added the temptation room, they still want to see how far the babies will go.”

“Tsk tsk, then the dads who get to eat the [Surprise Deluxe Lunch] today will be showing off… The current candidates are Wang Qingchuan, Wang Qingbei, Cheng Feiying, and Wei Chengli, let’s see how many of them will get it, and if there will be any dark horses!”

“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter, let’s give Director Wei one, he’s been writing essays all morning.”

…

Yes, essays.

No… Not just essays.

If Wei Chengli had a chance, he would shout at his past self from the night before, “Don’t answer those questions so seriously, the program team’s questions are all traps! Especially don’t answer that one, ‘What does the baby usually do at home?’!”

Sadly, there were no ifs, no second chances.

Wei Chengli still remembered his amused and happy mood when he wrote down the answer: [Lying on the sofa, eating yogurt melts, watching the first season of ‘Where’s Baby Going,’ watching strange cartoons, and engaging in deep thinking and discussion].

What amusement!

What laughter!

Wei Chengli, sitting on the sofa, numbly stuffed one yogurt melt after another into his mouth, his gaze unfocused as he looked at the two screens in front of him.

The smaller screen was playing the first season of “Where’s Baby Going.”

And the larger screen…

So, during the days they were filming the show, “Tutu Adventures” had released several new episodes.

He had finished watching them before the little rascal even got to see them, hehehe…

So why did he write “strange cartoons,” and the program team had to pinpoint it to “Tutu Adventures”! This demonic art style, this bizarre plot, why couldn’t he escape it even in a variety show without internet access?

And…

Why did [engaging in deep thinking and discussion] become [Please watch three episodes of ‘Tutu Adventures’ and write at least a 600-word review for each episode]?

A cartoon that was less than two minutes long, a few lines bouncing around, and he had to write a 600-word review, what kind of grudge did they have against him…

Wei Chengli sighed, stuffed a handful of yogurt melts into his mouth, picked up the remote control, and replayed the episode he had just watched. Sigh, it was too short, he didn’t even see anything, it was over, he could only watch it again.

Speaking of which, the babies had three options for arranging their dads’ lives. They both chose [Let the new baby do the things you usually do at home], but how come Shen Jianghe next to him was so relaxed… He just had to read books and watch documentaries about business, no need to write reviews. Ah, why did he have to add that phrase [engaging in deep thinking and discussion]!

Wei Chengli glanced at Shen Jianghe, who was watching him with a smug smile.

Ah, caught red-handed, Shen Jianghe rubbed the glass in his hand, cleared his throat, and said, “Director Wei, keep it up! You’re almost done with the two 600-word reviews!”

Wei Chengli: “… “ How thoughtful of him, he even knew this.

“You still have yogurt melts to eat, it’s not that bad.” Shen Jianghe comforted him. “Maomao is good to you, just eat, watch, and write, writing is your forte, and look at…”

Shen Jianghe pointed his chin towards Wen Qiming, who was facing away from them.

Wei Chengli followed his gaze, oh, right, compared to reciting scriptures, writing cartoon reviews was indeed a much easier task.

Yes, reciting scriptures, not poems.

Wen Jiangyue also chose [Let the new baby do the things you usually do at home] for Wen Qiming. The program team, based on Wen Qiming’s answer of [reciting ancient poems], was supposed to find some poems for him to recite, but Wen Qiming loved reading and reciting these things, it was difficult for them to find any poems he hadn’t seen or memorized before. To comply with Wen Jiangyue’s choice and Wen Qiming’s answer, the program team found him a Buddhist scripture, this he definitely hadn’t memorized before.

You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours, since the program team had already portrayed Wen Qiming as a learned scholar, he could only accept it with a smile, even if he didn’t want to.

That back, reciting scriptures… Wei Chengli observed carefully, it seemed he had been frozen in that position for a long time…

Happiness was relative. After watching Wen Qiming, Wei Chengli picked up his pen again, he felt motivated!

Chapter 94p2

Wei Chengli heard about the little chubby dumpling’s heroic deeds from Wang Qingchuan after breakfast.

Wang Qingchuan didn’t tell him on purpose, it’s just that he was sitting next to the Shen family, and Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan didn’t avoid them when they were talking, he heard everything, whether he should have or not.

After breakfast, he couldn’t help but share it with the other parents, Wei Chengli and Cheng Feiying, oh, and he didn’t forget Wen Xiang. Unlike Wen Dongyu, who had been bragging about it yesterday, Wang Qingchuan only realized that his own son had also done such a “good deed” when he heard Shen Zilin say, “The rest is for supporting Dongdong and Zhizhi if they need it.” During breakfast, Wang Qingchuan couldn’t help but lecture Wang Zhizhi about his wrong thinking, being so obsessed with money at such a young age and not even differentiating between insiders and outsiders. But Wang Zhizhi seemed to have tuned him out, he continued dividing the food and eating, completely ignoring him. Wang Qingchuan even wanted to nudge Wang Zhizhi and make him listen, but his hand was stopped by that woman. A gentleman wouldn’t fight with a woman, Wang Qingchuan could only hold back for now.

After enduring until breakfast was over, and the children were taken away by the staff, Wang Qingchuan, with his stomach full of complaints, could only vent to those who shared his fate.

But Wang Qingchuan didn’t expect that after he had poured out his heart, no one responded.

Putting aside Wei Chengli, who ran off immediately after hearing it, probably to discipline the little chubby girl, Wen Xiang, who had been silent for days, not speaking was understandable. But even Cheng Feiying was just silent, leaving Wang Qingchuan feeling like he had spoken to a wall.

But he didn’t know that if Cheng Feiying didn’t choose to be silent now, he would only choose to explode.

Cheng Feiying tried his best to ignore Wang Qingchuan’s words, he was waiting for Cheng Tingyan to come home at night, when there were no cameras or microphones.

And Wei Chengli, unlike what Wang Qingchuan had imagined, he did go after the little chubby girl, but he didn’t discipline her, he just took her away.

“Tell me, what are you up to?” Wei Chengli placed the little chubby dumpling he had snatched from the group of babies on the ground. “I heard you asked Shen Zilin to borrow money.”

“Mmm.” Wei Maomao nodded.

“What’s going on?” Wei Chengli pinched the little chubby dumpling’s face. “Don’t borrow money from outsiders, if you need money, shouldn’t you ask me first? How are you going to repay it if you borrow money from outside?”

Right, now he knew, how to repay money borrowed from outside.

Wei Maomao, feeling annoyed, swatted Wei Chengli’s hand away.

Seeing the little chubby dumpling acting up after doing something wrong, Wei Chengli picked her up and shook her. “I’m talking to you nicely, why did you borrow money?”

“I didn’t borrow, I just asked. If I need it, I’ll borrow it.” Wei Maomao answered concisely.

“What do you need it for?” Wei Chengli thought for a moment, then hesitated. “Forget it, tell me honestly tonight.”

He thought of a possibility, that this little rascal was still dreaming about supporting Yan Yan. But… Wei Chengli, recalling Cheng Feiying’s silence and completely different expression from yesterday when Wang Qingchuan mentioned that Cheng Tingyan had also asked Shen Zilin for money, decided to hold back from asking further in front of the cameras.

If it was still about Yan Yan, discussing it in front of the cameras wouldn’t be good for anyone, they could only wait until night.

Lifted high, then gently put down, Wei Maomao was a bit surprised. It was necessary to discuss certain things with Wei Chengli off-camera. Although she hadn’t planned on doing it so early, but tonight… wasn’t impossible.

Wei Maomao was released and returned to the group of babies.

Cheng Tingyan immediately grabbed the little chubby bunny’s hand tightly.

“It’s okay, my dad was just playing with me.” Wei Maomao said evasively, leaning closer to her.

Cheng Tingyan didn’t quite believe her.

“Maomao.”

Wen Jiangyue’s soft voice interrupted Cheng Tingyan’s thoughts.

She walked over, called out “Maomao,” then pursed her lips, not saying anything more, but her gaze, fixed on Cheng Tingyan’s hair, was hard to ignore.

The babies were led by the staff to a spacious courtyard they had never been to before. While the staff were still preparing to announce the next task, Wei Maomao swiftly removed the hair ties from Wen Jiangyue’s pigtails.

“Come to my house tomorrow morning. I have lots of hair ties at home… uh…” Wei Maomao said, running her hand through Wen Jiangyue’s hair, but before she could finish her sentence, Wen Jiangyue opened the small bag in her hand.

Combs, hair ties, a small mirror, hair clips, colorful ribbons…

“My dad… he used his Daddy Coins to exchange for these yesterday, it’s a gift for me.” Wen Jiangyue said softly, then smiled.

Yesterday afternoon, when they were completing the “intelligence” and “strength” tasks, Wei Maomao had heard Wen Jiangyue mention that when they went back, Wen Qiming did keep his promise and found a vase to put the flowers Wen Jiangyue bought in water. Respecting her gift and keeping his word was already good. She didn’t expect Wen Qiming to even give a return gift, he had truly made great progress.

Wei Maomao, following Wen Jiangyue’s words, praised Wen Qiming, while secretly glancing at Cheng Tingyan.

Thankfully, Yan Yan didn’t seem to care about other people’s dads at all, it was great that she wasn’t truly fooled by Cheng Feiying’s sudden kindness yesterday.

That Cheng Feiying, she didn’t know what was wrong with him, this morning, after breakfast, when Wei Maomao went to find Cheng Tingyan, he was back to his cold expression. Truly… moody. But a genuine bad temper was better than hypocritical deception. It was tough for Yan Yan, she had to stay strong to avoid being hurt.

With the right tools, Wei Maomao was quick in braiding hair, she soon styled a colorful braid for Wen Jiangyue.

Wen Jiangyue was admiring herself in the mirror when Shen Zilin and the others came over.

“Did you all eat enough this morning? The task this morning might be very difficult.” Shen Zilin said, pointing at the row of large boxes stacked by the door of the house in the courtyard.

“You already know what the task is?” Wen Dongyu peeked. “I can’t tell what it is.”

“Screwing screws, attaching tags, assembling matchboxes, braiding ropes…” Shen Zilin said, counting on his fingers. “It’s probably one of these. On the way here, I met my friend from the village I met yesterday, he said the program team asked them to do these last night, testing how many they could finish in one minute, five minutes, and ten minutes.”

“It sounds a bit fun.” Wen Jiangyue thought for a moment. “I like braiding ropes.”

“I want to try screwing screws. My dad always says that if I’m not well-behaved and don’t listen to him, I’ll end up working in a factory, screwing screws.” Wang Zhizhi rubbed his hands, also looking forward to it.

Wei Maomao: “… “ Piecework, the 996 working baby, fashionably late.

“This task, is it a competition, to see who can do the most in ten minutes?” Cheng Tingyan analyzed.

Shen Zilin shook his head. “So many large boxes, screws, tags, matchboxes, and ropes are all very small, there’s so much here, it’s definitely not just for ten minutes. And the program team even let us have breakfast without doing any tasks.”

“Then how long will it take to finish?” Wen Dongyu thought about the size of the items Shen Zilin mentioned, then looked at the row of large boxes, dumbfounded.

“We won’t finish, we’ll probably be doing it for the whole morning? Lunch will probably depend on this task.” Wang Zhizhi walked to the boxes, reached out, and tried to lift one, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Ahhh, babies, they’re very heavy, don’t touch the boxes!” The host rushed over.

Wang Zhizhi retracted his hand.

“Good, good, be good. Before we start the new parents’ task, as usual, we’ll arrange some activities for the new babies. Today, you can choose from three options, and our program team will arrange specific activities for the new babies based on your choices. So listen carefully, option one: Let the new babies do the things you usually do at home. Option two: Let the new babies engage in mental activities. Option three: Let the new babies engage in physical activities.” The host finished speaking quickly, then urged them, “You have one minute to think, because the new parents have a very important task this morning, so please make your decisions quickly.”

Hearing this, the babies all glanced at the row of large boxes.

Okay…

Within a minute, starting with Wei Maomao raising her hand, the babies quickly made their choices.

“Great, our new parents are amazing!” The host handed the completed form to a staff member next to him, watched him run out of the courtyard, then looked at the babies. “Now, it’s time to reveal the content of this morning’s task!”

The host waved his hand, and several staff members came forward, opening the large boxes one by one.

“Yes, our task this morning is! Screwing screws, attaching tags, assembling matchboxes, braiding ropes… Points will be calculated based on the number of items completed, each task has a slightly different point value. Babies can freely try, freely choose, and freely work. You can also… freely choose how much and how long to work. If you don’t want to do it anymore, if you want to rest, you can go inside, there are snacks, drinks, and cartoons, you can freely rest, rest for as long as you want, even rest the entire time. Of course, what the family will eat for lunch, how much they’ll eat, still depends on how many points the new parent of the family earns this morning.” The host said, specifically looking at Shen Zilin. “Pay attention, our new parents must make these items themselves, you can’t hire the children in the village to help!”

After these words, not only the host, but the other babies also looked at Shen Zilin.

Shen Zilin: “… “

Chapter 94p1

One was afraid of losing money, the other was afraid of separation. Although their reasons were different, they still tacitly held back.

But…

Some things could wait, while others could be done now.

The Wei family was the last to arrive at the small square. With three minutes left before the program team’s designated meeting time, Cheng Tingyan reluctantly parted with the little chubby bunny and went to sit at the Cheng family’s table.

Cheng Feiying glanced at Cheng Tingyan coldly, the sudden warmth from yesterday gone. But Cheng Tingyan was more accustomed to this Cheng Feiying, she didn’t feel any discomfort.

Wei Maomao saw that the host was still discussing something with the staff in the distance, not coming over anytime soon, so she seized the opportunity and dashed to the Shen family’s table.

Shen Zilin, having paid off his pig loan after yesterday’s battle in the field, sat with a straight back, he was a bit surprised when Wei Maomao ran straight towards him.

But… after hearing Wei Maomao’s request, Shen Zilin’s straight back instantly slumped.

“Ah? You mean, you also want to borrow money, and you’ll work for me?” Shen Zilin stammered, at a loss, subconsciously repeating Wei Maomao’s words.

“I mean, if one day, mmm… when I’m still young, if I need to borrow money from you, will you help me? I’ll work hard to repay it, and if I can’t finish repaying it when I’m young, can I, like Wen Dongdong, work for you when I grow up to continue repaying?” Wei Maomao rephrased her request carefully.

Shen Zilin, stunned, grabbed Shen Jianghe’s clothes next to him.

Shen Jianghe: ???

Wei Maomao wasn’t truly here to borrow money from Shen Zilin, she just wanted a symbolic agreement, so Cheng Tingyan would be reassured that they had more ways to get money, that she didn’t need to be controlled by the Cheng family because of money.

Although they had said last night that they would go and ask Shen Zilin together, but for something like borrowing money, how could Wei Maomao let Cheng Tingyan go with her? She would do it herself. Wei Maomao had to ask before Cheng Tingyan remembered and brought it up.

Based on Wei Maomao’s understanding of Shen Zilin these past few days, and Wen Dongdong’s enthusiastic promotion the day before, and having witnessed Shen Zilin readily agree to lend money to Wang Zhizhi if he needed it, Wei Maomao felt there was at least an eighty to ninety percent chance that Shen Zilin would agree.

But… Shen Zilin’s current silence made her a bit nervous. Ah, had she misjudged him? Was she making things difficult for him?

Just as Wei Maomao couldn’t control her overthinking, Shen Zilin tugged hard on Shen Jianghe’s clothes. “Dad! Paper and pen!”

Shen Jianghe: ???

Wei Maomao: ???

“Maomao, I suggest you borrow now. The sooner you borrow, the sooner you can start repaying. I didn’t bring any money, but it doesn’t matter, my dad can use his card.” Shen Zilin tugged at Shen Jianghe. “Dad! Lend me money! I’ll write you an IOU! I need it now!”

Shen Jianghe was so exasperated that he couldn’t even speak, he couldn’t help but smack his son’s head. “Are you crazy? What IOU? You’re asking me for money and writing me an IOU? Shouldn’t it be the other way around, the person borrowing money writes the IOU?”

“It’s different, Maomao and I don’t need an IOU!” Shen Zilin said, not minding the smack on his head at all. He leaned closer to Shen Jianghe’s ear and whispered, “When confirming a purchase, don’t set up too many steps, multiple considerations can easily lead to people giving up on the purchase.”

Wei Maomao: “… “ Sorry, she heard that.

Shen Jianghe was stunned, he looked at Shen Zilin in shock. No wonder he felt something was wrong with that sentence earlier, “I suggest you borrow now, the sooner you borrow, the sooner you can start repaying.” So this kid was trying to take advantage of Maomao’s young age and trick her into becoming his employee? Right, what did he say on the first night? He wanted to cooperate with Maomao? Now he realized that hiring an employee was more enjoyable than cooperation?

“Dad!” Shen Zilin shook Shen Jianghe. “Lend me money.”

“I…” Wei Maomao wanted to reiterate that there was no need to rush, she was just asking for a symbolic agreement to appease the child.

“Maomao, it’ll be quick!” Shen Zilin interrupted Wei Maomao, practically hanging onto Shen Jianghe’s arm. “Dad! I’ll write an IOU(“I owe you” document)! I’ll repay you as soon as we get back! With interest!”

Shen Jianghe’s head buzzed from the repeated mentions of IOUs, he ruthlessly tore his son off his arm. “Then will you charge Maomao interest when you lend her money?”

Shen Zilin shook his head. “Maomao and I don’t need that!” Hurry up! Opportunity knocks but once, don’t let his best employee run away, sob, sob, sob!

Was this little chubby girl that good? Shen Jianghe glanced at Wei Maomao, then was surprised to see the same helplessness and awkwardness he was feeling in the eyes of a three-year-old baby.

“How much do you want to borrow?” The unprecedented experience of being pestered by his son finally made Shen Jianghe give in to the pretend play.

“Four million five hundred and sixty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight!” Shen Zilin, who had his savings memorized, blurted out subconsciously, then hesitated. “Mmm… Four million, the rest is for supporting Dongdong and Zhizhi if they need it.”

Even though he had been surprised many times already, Shen Jianghe was still a bit taken aback by this number. What Shen Zilin had said at the Baby Supermarket that day, the staff had relayed it to them while they were preparing dinner for the babies, four million five hundred and sixty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight, this should be Shen Zilin’s entire savings.

Truly spending a fortune for a little girl at such a young age.

“I’m just asking, not right now…” Wei Maomao was blinded by the CEO’s aura.

“Maomao…”

Just as Wei Maomao was trying to explain again that she was just asking, a soft voice called out, and the back of her dress was gently tugged.

Without even turning around, just from the voice, Wei Maomao knew it was Cheng Tingyan.

Ah… Why was she here at this time, she came alone. Wei Maomao turned around awkwardly.

“What… are you guys talking about?” Cheng Tingyan asked softly.

Cheng Tingyan had just sat down at the Cheng family’s table when Cheng Rongrong started talking nonsense, after dealing with her, she looked up at the Wei family’s table, only to find the little chubby bunny’s dad sitting there alone. She looked for the little chubby bunny and saw her talking to Shen Zilin. Cheng Tingyan thought about the previous night, when the little chubby bunny said they could also ask Shen Zilin for help, like Wen Dongdong and Wang Zhizhi, and seeing the little chubby bunny talking to Shen Zilin, her heart sank.

Could it be… Could it be that she was asking about that…

They had agreed to ask Shen Zilin together…

Although it might not be that, Cheng Tingyan couldn’t just sit there anymore.

What if, what if it was, then wouldn’t the little chubby bunny be facing it alone?

Cheng Tingyan, summoning her courage, ran over. But unfortunately, she didn’t even hear the end of their conversation, she could only clutch the little chubby bunny’s dress and ask her question.

“Nothing.”

“Maomao is asking to borrow money from me, she’ll work for me when she grows up.”

Wei Maomao, who was about to leave the loan scene and explain to Cheng Tingyan later, and Shen Zilin, who was overjoyed and excited, both spoke almost simultaneously.

Wei Maomao: “… “ This little CEO, thank you so much.

Cheng Tingyan blushed slightly, tugged at the little chubby bunny’s waistband, and whispered in her ear, “We agreed to do it together.”

“Together what?” Shen Zilin’s ears perked up.

Shen Jianghe felt these little babies were truly interesting.

Among the families participating in this season, putting aside Wen Jiangyue, who wasn’t here, the others were a famous singer, a retired athlete with connections in the TV station, a well-known director in the entertainment industry, and an actor with many years of experience and numerous works… It could be said that none of them were so poor that their children had to borrow money to survive.

But… Looking at their family relationships, it wasn’t that difficult to understand.

The key was!

“No, we’re not selling the house.” Shen Jianghe said coldly, interrupting Shen Zilin’s ambitious plan.

The key was, why did he only realize now that the babies wanting to borrow money to survive wasn’t the most amazing thing, the most amazing thing was his own son, who wanted to sell their house to lend money to others!

“But we don’t have any cash left.” Shen Zilin looked at Cheng Tingyan, who had suddenly asked if she could borrow money.

The clever Maomao, the Maomao who had given him so much inspiration, he had to win her over.

Ahhh, Yan Yan! The Yan Yan who diligently dug for Baby Coins at such a young age! He wanted her too!

But he only had four million five hundred and sixty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight, Shen Zilin, for the first time in his life, had the problem of lacking money.

Thankfully, he still had a few properties under his name.

“Dad, houses have a price, people are priceless.” Shen Zilin patted Shen Jianghe’s arm, exasperated.

Shen Jianghe laughed in exasperation.

“No… There’s no need for that much.” Wei Maomao stopped the little CEO from continuing his domineering speech. “I’m just asking, not right now…”

“No, you need it now.” Shen Zilin said firmly.

Wei Maomao: “… “

“You also need it now.” Shen Zilin looked at Cheng Tingyan.

Cheng Tingyan: “… “

At such a young age, Shen Zilin already understood the importance of seizing the moment of impulsive spending.

Sadly, neither Wei Maomao nor Cheng Tingyan was feeling impulsive.

Shen Zilin ultimately had to settle for a promise of “definitely in the future” and “please consider me first if you need money,” then let them go.

“Dad, it must be because I haven’t read enough books, they left.” Shen Zilin said, crestfallen, looking at their retreating figures.

“I think you might have read too many books.” Shen Jianghe glanced at his suddenly dejected son and chuckled. “You might need to eat some… well, a truckload of walnuts.”

Their conversation was brief, the host hadn’t even approached their table yet when they finished, but the content of their conversation once again shocked the viewers in the live broadcast room.

“Hahaha, CEO Shen is going to give Little CEO Shen some brain food, I’m dying of laughter.”

“They actually… CEO Mao and Yan Yan also need to borrow money to live now? Yan Yan is still normal, but CEO Mao… Director Wei, stop spacing out, look at your child!”

“It’s probably children’s herd mentality? After all, Wen Dongdong was like a marketing guru yesterday, brainwashing the babies for the whole afternoon, hahaha, even Wang Zhizhi was influenced. I didn’t expect CEO Mao and Yan Yan to be so easily swayed.”

“I don’t think it’s herd mentality, I think… it’s more like seeking reassurance? Except for Wen Dongdong, actually, Zhizhi, Yan Yan, and CEO Mao, they didn’t say they needed the money immediately, they seemed to be seeking a promise from Shen Zilin. A promise that even if their lives were terrible, even if they couldn’t survive on their own, someone would help them, like a safety net, a psychological comfort.”

“Right! It’s a safety net, CEO Mao kept saying she didn’t need the money now, she was just asking if she could borrow it if she needed it in the future. Hahahahaha, Little CEO Shen is truly hilarious, so eager to lend money, like a loan shark, and he doesn’t even charge interest.”

“Little CEO Shen is truly loyal, he’s even willing to sell his house to lend money to his friends. Hahaha, look at Big CEO Shen next to you, why would you need to sell a house to raise cash! You still have a dad!”

“The person above doesn’t understand, Dad’s money is Dad’s, your own money is your own. Lending your own money to your friends, when and how to repay it, it’s your decision. But it’s different with Dad’s money. Putting that aside, I’m more concerned about why CEO Mao and Yan Yan need to borrow money… CEO Mao said she wanted to take care of Yan Yan, didn’t Director Wei already agree to give her his appearance fee for her to use? Yan Yan doesn’t seem like she’s expensive to raise.”

“So it’s about a safety net, what the little babies need is a sense of security. After all, they can’t earn money yet, their savings will eventually run out, they need a safety net. The amazing thing is, the safety net they chose is Little CEO Shen, not their own parents.”

“Little CEO Shen is so good, if I had a friend like him when I was a child, supporting me, not hurting me, not guilt-tripping me in the name of love, even giving me a job when I grow up, letting me repay him through work, I would also choose him as my safety net. But I’m not as excellent as Yan Yan and CEO Mao, hahaha, it’s clear that Little CEO Shen really wants them to work for him, he’s practically ready to print the contract and have them sign it on the spot.”

Chapter 93

Early morning, at the small square, the babies arrived with their dads one after another, waiting for the unpredictable program team to distribute the free breakfast they could get without doing any tasks.

“Free things are always the most expensive.” Shen Zilin, the first to step onto the square, sat upright and looked at Shen Jianghe next to him.

“… “ Shen Jianghe glanced at his son, who had been talking about business all these days, and slowly nodded.

Although it was comforting that his only heir was so interested in business from a young age, but… he didn’t have to be so serious at such a young age.

Shen Jianghe thought about the children from the village who came to their door last night, holding Baby Coins to exchange for candy, then looked at his son, who had already paid off his pig loan through that temporary hiring scheme, debt-free and carefree. He felt both proud and…

“It’s okay, even if it’s the most expensive, I believe you can handle it.” Shen Jianghe ultimately chose to encourage him.

He brought Shen Zilin to this show, on the one hand, to repair their father-son relationship, which had been strained due to their busy schedules, and on the other hand, to let his son have some happy childhood memories. If Shen Zilin’s happiness was in developing his “business” in this village, then… so be it.

Shen Jianghe thought it was fine, but others might not.

The Wen family also arrived early, they were the second to arrive.

Before sitting down, Wen Xiang couldn’t help but glance at Shen Zilin.

It was this child… It was him who made Wen Dongyu so happy yesterday…

With the problem of food and clothing during his powerless childhood solved, and no longer worried about not being able to repay, Shen Zilin’s abundant funds and the career prospects he offered gave Wen Dongyu hope for stress-free borrowing, his life was bright again.

Yesterday, Wen Dongyu spread this happiness everywhere, not only did the babies know that he already had a future job, even the dads heard about it.

Wen Xiang didn’t know how it had come to this. But the broken father-son relationship from the past few days, and the regained attention and amicable attitude from Wen Dongyu after the role swap, made him hold back for now. He endured until night, when it was just the two of them, even the cameras and microphones were turned off, then he finally had a good talk with Wen Dongyu.

The opening, naturally, was an apology, apology after apology.

The “borrowing” before was just a careless remark, they only had one child, they didn’t lack money at home, how could they possibly care about these living expenses, how could it be considered borrowing? The love parents gave to their children was selfless, he was just a bit sad earlier because Dongdong’s insistence on personal property made him feel like Dongdong didn’t consider them family, so he said those angry words. It was all fake, there was no way Dongdong would need to “borrow”!

These past few days, from anger, to awkwardness, to loneliness, then to confusion and helplessness, Wen Xiang’s emotional journey was complicated. But he also realized that for Wen Dongyu, this incident was different from their usual playful arguments. He was the dad, he should be more mature. Although Wen Xiang still didn’t think a four or five-year-old child needed their own assets, he still felt that a family shouldn’t be divided, he felt Wen Dongyu was overreacting about the toy incident. But… If Wen Dongyu was truly bothered by it, he could compromise. It was just a toy, they wouldn’t give it away anymore. Why let a child go out and find a job because of such a small matter?

Wen Xiang’s apology, after brewing in his heart for a while, was sincere.

He spoke for a long time, repeating himself, breaking down his words, to make his son return to his former self, Wen Xiang’s attitude, although not groveling, was at least humble.

With this kind of attitude, there was naturally no more arguing. In fact, Wen Dongyu was very well-behaved, although he yawned, he still politely listened until the end.

After the conversation, Wen Dongyu also agreed to reconcile with Wen Xiang.

When they hugged, Wen Xiang thought the problem had been solved.

However…

When he relaxed and happily suggested taking Mom on a trip after the show, Wen Dongyu immediately refused.

A trip, no. Amusement park, no. Even Wen Dongyu’s favorite hamburger restaurant was rejected.

Why…

Of course, it was because Wen Dongyu felt these were unnecessary expenses, he didn’t want to increase his debt.

When Wen Dongyu stated his reason matter-of-factly, Wen Xiang’s head almost exploded.

So everything he said earlier was in vain, they had reconciled, but Wen Dongyu still wanted to use Shen Zilin’s money!

Didn’t he say that the “borrowing” was just an angry remark, not to be taken seriously? Didn’t he say that all the money in the family would be his in the future? Didn’t he say that his parents’ love for him was selfless?

Wen Xiang was confused and helpless, he didn’t know what the problem was.

But it was late, Wen Xiang had to let the yawning Wen Dongyu go to sleep.

Wen Dongyu slept, but Wen Xiang stayed awake for most of the night, his confused eyes only closing as dawn approached.

Shen Zilin… After sitting down, Wen Xiang couldn’t help but glance at the Shen family’s table.

Was his child still immersed in the pretend play with his peers, unable to extricate himself, or were the words of a child more trustworthy than his own?

Wen Xiang looked at his son next to him, who was sprinkling wheat bran into the pig’s food bowl. He hoped it was the former, after all, if it was the latter, he was truly a failure.

Wen Qiming and Cheng Feiying also arrived with their daughters.

As soon as she arrived, Wen Jiangyue looked around, she didn’t seem to find what she was looking for, she eventually sat back down at their table, looking disappointed.

Shen Jianghe looked at Cheng Feiying, who was carrying Cheng Rongrong, with amusement. He found this Cheng Feiying quite interesting, very individualistic and didn’t seem to care about other people’s opinions. They were live broadcasting, yet his attitude towards his two daughters kept fluctuating. In the first few days, he seemed impartial, but in reality, he was playing favorites, yesterday, he suddenly reversed his attitude, practically ignoring his younger daughter, and today, he was treating her like a treasure again, it was truly strange.

Cheng Rongrong, sitting on Cheng Feiying’s arm, also looked around, she also didn’t find the person she was looking for, but she hid her disappointment more maturely than Wen Jiangyue.

The second to last family to arrive was the Wang family.

The three of them seemed to have caught a yawning contagion, one after another, from the moment they arrived to when they sat down, their yawns never stopped.

Wang Qingchuan was truly annoyed. What was wrong with this woman? He and his son, one stayed up late studying that damn math and didn’t come back to sleep, the other waited for him until late at night, it was understandable for them to yawn. But didn’t she go back to her room early? She didn’t even have a phone to play with, wasn’t she supposed to sleep after going back to her room? She slept for so long and was still yawning! What, even something as small as yawning, she had to synchronize with them, acting like a family?

Jiang Heye was also feeling wronged, she wasn’t trying to act like a family. She was truly sleepy. It was just… there was too much information to catch up on, it was eye-opening, it turned out that someone like Wang Qingchuan was just the tip of the iceberg on this show.

After sitting down at the table, Jiang Heye couldn’t help but glance around, after being bombarded by all that information last night, she looked at these people… Wen Xiang, Wen Qiming, especially this Cheng Feiying, sigh…

Mmm?

Jiang Heye, seeing a small figure running towards her, her yawn was cut short.

“Sister Beibei, look, I’m wearing the hair clips you gave me, are they pretty?” Cheng Rongrong, finally finding the person she was looking for, quickly ran to Jiang Heye before the program team started distributing breakfast.

Jiang Heye, looking at the rapidly shaking head in front of her, leaned back slightly, dodging the two swinging braids. Don’t shake like that, she couldn’t even see the hair clips clearly, wouldn’t the beads hit her head and hurt…

Following the principle of not hurting children, Jiang Heye gave up on the idea of stopping Cheng Rongrong and praised her directly, “They’re pretty! Rongrong looks very pretty like this.”

Hearing Jiang Heye’s words, Cheng Rongrong stopped shaking her head.

“It’s not Rongrong who’s pretty, it’s the hair clips Sister Beibei chose that are pretty.” Cheng Rongrong said with a sweet smile.

The gift she gave, being used so quickly, and so appropriately, didn’t she feel happy? Didn’t she feel special? It was worth her pestering Cheng Feiying to braid her hair before the staff knocked on the door. Mmm… Thankfully, her mom’s note arrived just in time, changing Cheng Feiying’s attitude towards her. Otherwise, with his attitude yesterday, she would have had to do her hair herself.

Everyone loved to hear compliments, although hearing such words from a three-year-old child was a bit… strange? But Jiang Heye still smiled kindly and returned the compliment.

Just as the conversation was about to become an endless exchange of compliments, the last family arrived.

The conversation abruptly stopped, Cheng Rongrong, frowning, followed Jiang Heye’s stunned gaze and turned to look.

Wei Chengli was still the same Wei Chengli, the stinky chubby girl was still the same stinky chubby girl, and Cheng Tingyan…

Cheng Rongrong bit her lip and glared at Cheng Feiying in the distance.

Useless! Only knew how to do simple hairstyles! Asking him to help style her hair, he just braided two pigtails and clipped on the hair clips! Look at the others!

The only small supermarket in the village had a limited and random selection of goods. Yesterday, it took Jiang Heye a long time to exchange all her Daddy Coins for cash, and it took even longer to choose gifts in the supermarket. She spent a long time choosing the scarf for Cheng Tingyan, in the end, she chose it based on the color of Cheng Tingyan’s dress yesterday.

Today, Cheng Tingyan was still wearing a light green dress, but this green was lighter than the one she wore yesterday, very light, with only a few slightly darker green patterns on the skirt and waist. And the light green scarf, almost the same color as the patterns, was braided into her pigtails. The loosely braided pigtails were styled into a wreath on her head, simple yet elegant, with a touch of rustic charm.

It matched so well… How could it match so well?

Jiang Heye looked at Cheng Tingyan in the distance, who was smiling and talking to the little chubby baby next to her, just a six-year-old girl, yet already possessing such beauty.

Truly, very beautiful.

Jiang Heye had always known that for the upcoming film where she would be the female lead, Director Qin had his eyes on Cheng Tingyan for the role of the younger version of the female lead.

Before coming here, she had seen photos of Cheng Tingyan, one was a still from the first season of “Where’s Baby Going,” the four-year-old Cheng Tingyan was still childish, smiling carefree and innocently. The other was a screenshot from the live broadcast of this season, capturing the moment when Cheng Tingyan and Wei Maomao, their cheeks puffed out, were eating something, looking at each other and smiling sweetly. The six-year-old Cheng Tingyan already had the look of a young girl, aloof yet sweet.

But after coming to this village, officially entering her role as an NPC, and being able to see Cheng Tingyan up close for a prolonged period, Jiang Heye realized that the happiness and sweetness were only temporary… Most of the time, Cheng Tingyan was quiet, distant, and even when she was near her family, she would deliberately keep a distance and couldn’t shake off her nervousness.

If she had only seen the photos, Jiang Heye would have thought that Qin Sichao was interested in Cheng Tingyan’s looks. But after seeing her in person, she understood… Perhaps what Qin Sichao was interested in was Cheng Tingyan herself.

Not just her beautiful appearance, but also her state, which was very similar to the younger version of the female lead.

When vigilance, indifference, and distance became the norm, then the occasional moments of relaxation and joy would be like a light in the darkness, incredibly precious.

And Jiang Heye didn’t expect that the stills, the information, or even their brief interaction yesterday, weren’t the complete Cheng Tingyan.

Today’s Cheng Tingyan seemed particularly different.

Was it because of her hairstyle? Or her clothes? Or because it was early morning, and she hadn’t been bothered by the day’s trivialities yet?

The freedom and ease she exuded at this moment were like shackles being removed, a look she didn’t have yesterday.

Jiang Heye couldn’t describe the Cheng Tingyan she was seeing now, she was at a loss for words, but she couldn’t help but think about the script she had read several times. The last scene of the younger version of the female lead, shedding the past, running towards a brighter future, connecting with the grown-up female lead…

It should be… like this…

Jiang Heye stared at Cheng Tingyan, lost in thought, momentarily forgetting to continue the earlier exchange of compliments.

In the monitoring room, Qin Sichao, munching on a fried dough stick, looked at Cheng Rongrong, who seemed to be getting angry on Jiang Heye’s screen, and shook his head, chuckling.

Even without any communication, the cameraman, cleverly following Jiang Heye’s gaze, had already captured Cheng Tingyan in the distance. Qin Sichao could roughly guess what Jiang Heye was thinking. She must be thinking that Cheng Tingyan was truly suitable for the role. He hadn’t expected her to be this suitable.

For Qin Sichao, acting skills could be trained and adjusted, but for child actors, if they relied too heavily on acting skills, he personally felt the performance might come across as a bit artificial. It wasn’t necessarily bad, he just wanted something more natural and pure. Acting, but not acting out of thin air, but truly embodying the character’s state, this was actually quite difficult for children with limited experience.

When casting for the younger version of the female lead, the candidates nominated by the team, in terms of looks and image, the four-year-old Cheng Tingyan in the stills was one of the best. Qin Sichao had thought that if they couldn’t find a more suitable candidate, they would go for that seemingly happy little girl, train her acting skills, and use her if she was good enough.

He never expected that in two years, that little girl would become like this. Even more fitting for the character in his mind, and even more… unhappy.

He also didn’t expect…

Qin Sichao glanced at Shi Dingshan, who was gulping down soy milk next to him. He hadn’t expected that he wanted to use this opportunity to catch up with his old friend, only to find that his old friend was truly not doing well.

“Why are you looking at me? Choking on the fried dough stick? Drink your own soy milk, can you swallow it by watching me drink?” Shi Dingshan said, glancing at Qin Sichao.

Mmm… Since his overly direct questions yesterday, the awkwardness from years of infrequent contact had lessened, but the politeness between old friends also seemed to have disappeared…

Qin Sichao took a sip of his soy milk and looked at the monitoring wall in front of him. “That Wei Chengli, he’s interesting.”

“Mmm?” Shi Dingshan thought Qin Sichao, after watching Cheng Tingyan for so long, would continue talking about her, why did he suddenly switch to Wei Chengli?

“I watched a lot of videos yesterday, I saw the small white flower he asked the cameraman to film. A small white flower growing from a crack in the wall, blooming resiliently in unsuitable soil.” Qin Sichao pointed at the screen. “Look at Cheng Tingyan, isn’t she special today? Like that day when she and the little chubby were eating something, the candied kumquat day. But that time, the light was fleeting, today, she’s been glowing all day.”

“As long as you like it…” Shi Dingshan looked at Cheng Tingyan on the screen. He just hoped Cheng Tingyan could seize this opportunity given by Qin Sichao and not let her strange family ruin it.

But today’s Cheng Tingyan, she did seem quite happy, a bit like her demeanor in the first season.

Hope was a very important thing.

Even if it stemmed from a late-night fantasy with a three-year-old, even if it was just a faint possibility, even if it couldn’t be pursued immediately due to various reasons, but… it was hope.

Something she had yearned for but never dared to hope for, she could finally allow herself to think about it. This alone was enough for Cheng Tingyan to pull herself out of the endless suffocation and take a deep breath of the fresh air called hope.

Everyone could see the change in Cheng Tingyan, but the only ones who knew the reason behind it, besides Cheng Tingyan herself, were Wei Maomao.

The night before, Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan chatted until very late, they even got hungry and sneaked out of bed to eat two candied kumquats they had bought from the market. When they turned on the light to get the kumquats, Wei Maomao noticed the sparkle in Cheng Tingyan’s eyes and the smile on her lips. Just a beginning had already brought Cheng Tingyan some happiness, it was evident how suppressed she had been before.

Wei Maomao wished she could immediately take Cheng Tingyan away from the Cheng family, but… she couldn’t yet.

Taking advantage of the convenience of Cheng Tingyan sleeping at her house, Wei Maomao brought her knowledge into the open and elicited more details. But she couldn’t completely expose the truth just yet. They had to finish filming this variety show, both Cheng Tingyan and she needed the appearance fee from the show to plan for the future.

The Cheng family’s actions were truly appalling. If they exposed them too early, who knew if Cheng Feiying would become angry and even withdraw from the show, even if it meant paying a penalty, that would be troublesome. And based on Cheng Feiying’s personality, it wasn’t impossible. And if Cheng Feiying withdrew early, losing Cheng Tingyan’s share of the money was a small matter. The key was that Wei Maomao was still on the show, she might not be able to gain her freedom at the same time. Then, if Cheng Tingyan was alone outside, and if things didn’t go as planned, Wei Maomao wouldn’t even be able to help.

Now, with Cheng Tingyan’s own words and the program team’s brilliant addition of the live broadcast, they had a good hand, ready to play. Instead of letting them panic and cause trouble now, it was better to wait.

Wei Maomao’s plan was to expose everything during the live broadcast towards the end of the show. She believed that Cheng Tingyan’s mom would definitely be watching the live broadcast, and even if she wasn’t, she would definitely be paying attention to the news about the show. By then, the live broadcast would release two pieces of information, one was that the Cheng family were terrible people, the other… was that they had money.

No need to worry about not having money for treatment, no need to worry about not having money to live and raise her child, as long as Yan Yan’s mom spoke up, asked for Yan Yan back, she would have everything.

By then, they would all be free from the restrictions of the show, she could contact and persuade Yan Yan’s mom. It would be best… if she could persuade Wei Chengli first. It would be more effective if an adult intervened.

And by then, Cheng Feiying’s ruined reputation would become an obstacle in his fight for custody, even if Yan Yan’s mom was sick, even if she couldn’t stand up. But as long as she had money, as long as she had love, even if it went to court, the pressure from public opinion could be a powerful force.

Wei Maomao gave Cheng Tingyan a possibility, but she couldn’t make it happen immediately, she had to tell Cheng Tingyan, while she was eating candied kumquats, that both the calculations and the testing should wait until the last few days of the show.

When she said it, Wei Maomao didn’t dare to look into Cheng Tingyan’s eyes, she was afraid of seeing disappointment and sadness.

But unexpectedly… Yan Yan was always so understanding, like a spring, with an astonishing capacity for tolerance.

Wei Maomao only mentioned her plan, she hadn’t even explained the reasons, and Cheng Tingyan immediately agreed.

Since Cheng Tingyan agreed, Wei Maomao didn’t mention the money issue again, after all, for the six-year-old Yan Yan, it was better not to give her too much pressure.

But Wei Maomao never expected that one of Cheng Tingyan’s reasons for not wanting to do it too early was the same as hers, but the other reason was completely different.

Cheng Tingyan was also afraid that Cheng Feiying would be angry if she revealed their family matters, especially on a live broadcast for everyone to see. She was afraid he would be so angry that he would take her away from the show. But Cheng Tingyan didn’t think about the appearance fee or the penalty for breaking the contract, she was just afraid of not being able to be with the little chubby bunny anymore.

If, in the end, nothing could be changed, then these few days might be her last time with the little chubby bunny. Why shorten it by causing trouble? She didn’t want that.

Chapter 92p2

Just as Cheng Tingyan was hesitating, the little chubby bunny under her hand moved, the soft, chubby waist rubbing against her palm, it tickled.

“With Mom.” Cheng Tingyan squeezed the little chubby waist.

Sadly, she couldn’t live with her mom. After going home, Dad wouldn’t let her see Maomao again. The adorable little chubby bunny might just be a limited-time gift from the show.

Cheng Tingyan wanted to cherish, to cherish even more the warmth beside her at this moment, she couldn’t lie, she couldn’t even remain silent.

However, the little chubby bunny next to her, while warm, was also very talkative, it was like she had eaten a book of “100,000 Whys” for dinner instead of a rice bowl.

“Then Yan Yan, why aren’t you living with your mom?” Wei Maomao’s hand, clutching the blanket, was stiff from gripping it too tightly.

The lights had been off for a while, Cheng Tingyan’s eyes had gradually adjusted to the darkness, she could see some outlines now.

Like now, she could see the little chubby bunny next to her, curled up into a small ball for some reason.

“Maomao, can you keep a secret? If I tell you.” Cheng Tingyan couldn’t forget Bai Lei’s words, but if it was the little chubby bunny…

This time, it was Wei Maomao’s turn to be silent.

If it was just about bringing her knowledge into the open, then these conversations could certainly be kept as a secret between them. But her goal… was to use this information after bringing it into the open.

Whether it was to expose Cheng Feiying’s hypocrisy or to gain more public support, she might need to mention the content of tonight’s conversation.

Wei Maomao could guess why Cheng Tingyan wanted her to keep it a secret. She must still be afraid of the Cheng family…

But it wasn’t the right time for her to comfort her and tell her not to worry.

Wei Maomao, restricted by the progress bar, remained silent for too long, so long that Cheng Tingyan started to feel uneasy.

“Maomao?” Cheng Tingyan gently scratched the little chubby waist next to her.

“Yan Yan…” Wei Maomao thought quickly. “The things you tell me, if you don’t want me to tell anyone, I won’t.”

This promise was valid. But as long as the conversation progressed and Cheng Tingyan’s fears were addressed, there would be no need for secrecy anymore.

The little chubby bunny’s answer was slightly different from Cheng Tingyan’s earlier question.

But Cheng Tingyan thought about it, it seemed to mean the same thing. As long as it wasn’t mentioned during the live broadcast, as long as Cheng Feiying and Bai Lei didn’t know, it was fine.

“I can’t live with my mom. Because Mom and Dad separated, and I was given to Dad.” Cheng Tingyan said softly. “I have to live with Dad, and I can visit Mom once a month.”

“Then Yan Yan, is your mom good to you?” Wei Maomao entered non-stop questioning mode.

“Yes.” Cheng Tingyan answered quickly.

“I think your dad is mean to you. Your mom is good to you, why don’t you live with her?” Wei Maomao had no problem badmouthing Cheng Feiying, it came naturally to her.

Cheng Tingyan, thinking she had received the little chubby bunny’s promise of secrecy, was more relaxed than at the beginning of the conversation. Hearing this, she chuckled. “Because Mom and Dad separated, and I was given to Dad. What you just said…” The little chubby bunny was so silly.

“… “ Wei Maomao rephrased her question. “Being given to Dad, you can be given back to Mom. When my dad and I were watching cartoons, we saw a cartoon animal family where the parents separated, and the baby animal was given to its kind mother. What was it called… My dad said it was called custody, to decide who gets the baby animal, they have to see who can take better care of it.”

When drawing “Tutu Adventures,” Wei Maomao had basically included all the knowledge she could think of, knowledge that might be useful. Such a crucial thing like custody, of course, wouldn’t be omitted.

Just as Wei Maomao was about to explain custody in detail to Cheng Tingyan, Cheng Tingyan spoke.

“Custody. I know.” Cheng Tingyan sighed. “I was initially given to Mom, but then Dad got custody, so I was given to Dad.”

“Then we can let Mom get custody back!” Finally reaching the most crucial point, Wei Maomao’s body tensed up.

“Mmm? Waist…” Cheng Tingyan gently squeezed the little chubby waist in her hand. “Your waist is stiff?”

Wei Maomao, who had been holding her breath and bracing herself: “… “

Was this the time to be concerned about the stiffness of her waist!

“Yan Yan, do you want to live with your mom? Let’s ask your mom to get your custody back, okay?” Wei Maomao, seizing the opportunity, tried to persuade her.

“No, we can’t.” Cheng Tingyan shook her head in the darkness. “Custody, it depends on who can take better care of the child. My mom… can’t.”

“Why?” Wei Maomao knew it was cruel to press her like this, but she couldn’t just magically know about Cheng Tingyan’s mom’s illness, she could only do this. At least, this momentary cruelty could lead to stability later.

“Because…” Cheng Tingyan withdrew her hand from the little chubby waist.

Her waist felt empty, Wei Maomao’s heart sank. Damn it, did she finally step on a landmine!

Just as Wei Maomao was desperately searching for a solution in her mind, Cheng Tingyan spoke.

“When I was little, on a rainy day, a very heavy rain, Mom was riding her bike to pick me up, and she fell. Her waist, and here, here… Many of her bones were injured.” Cheng Tingyan’s hand reached out again, sliding from the little chubby waist to the little chubby legs. “Mom can’t stand up anymore, she needs treatment, she can’t take care of me.”

She… She said it…

In the darkness, both the one who spoke and the one who finally heard it were a bit shocked.

For each other, for themselves.

Wei Maomao composed herself, it was finally time for her to go all out.

“Yan Yan, your mom… even if she’s sick, she can still take care of you. Because your dad is mean to you, your mom can ask him to give you back to her. My dad said, there’s a place called the court, it helps children live with the people who love and care for them.” Wei Maomao said seriously.

“Mmm?” Cheng Tingyan, encountering a knowledge blind spot, hesitated for a moment, then asked weakly, “Then can the court… help me, live with you?”

Wei Maomao was stunned.

Cheng Tingyan’s words, like a punch, landed on Wei Maomao’s heart, which she had pretended to be strong. The pretense shattered, a wave of sadness overwhelmed her, blurring her vision.

Wei Maomao turned her head, rubbing her face against the pillow, wiping away the tears that were rolling down uncontrollably.

“I was just asking casually, I didn’t mean…” Cheng Tingyan, not receiving a response, panicked. She immediately reflected on whether she had said something too outrageous.

Right, the little chubby bunny was only three years old, although she had said she would take care of her, she shouldn’t have taken it seriously…

Wei Maomao couldn’t see, but she could hear the panic in Cheng Tingyan’s voice.

“Yan Yan, I really want to live with you.” Wei Maomao didn’t know how to explain that she couldn’t get custody, didn’t know how to prevent Cheng Tingyan from being disappointed, she could only follow her heart and hugged her.

The warm little chubby bunny rolled into her arms, Cheng Tingyan instinctively hugged her back, then heard the words mumbled by the little chubby bunny buried in her shoulder, carried by the warm breath, reaching her ears.

Cheng Tingyan felt that those were the little chubby bunny’s true words.

She believed that if it felt real, then it was real.

Dreams were a bit far from reality, Wei Maomao had to continue being cruel. “Custody, only family members can get it. You can usually only choose to live with your dad or your mom. Your dad is mean, you can live with your mom. Then we can see each other often, play together often.”

Cheng Tingyan’s disappointment was dispelled by Wei Maomao’s words. She thought, it did seem to be like that. Compared to her dad, who ignored her and was very fierce, her mom was much easier to talk to. If she lived with her mom, maybe she could really play with the little chubby bunny again in the future.

But…

“No, we can’t. My mom is sick, she doesn’t have the money to raise me.” Cheng Tingyan said honestly.

“She does. Once she gets your custody, she can use the money you earn to raise you.” Wei Maomao said firmly. “Remember what Shen Zilin said at the convenience store? For both the first season and this season of the show, the program team will give you money, and also…”

Before Wei Maomao could finish, Cheng Tingyan shook her head, interrupting her. “My money, it’s all used for Mom’s treatment, there’s none left.”

Wei Maomao didn’t know the details of Cheng Tingyan’s mom’s illness. But she didn’t believe that if that money fell into Cheng Feiying’s hands, he would use it all for her treatment. But these unsubstantiated words could be said later.

The most important thing now was…

“Yan Yan, even if there’s no money now, there will be more later. Listen to my calculations. Let’s not count the money from your two appearances on the show, let’s calculate the future earnings. First, as Shen Zilin said, the advertising revenue from each person’s live stream window. You have that. Second, the money I earned from participating in this show and my advertising revenue, I’ll give them all to you. These two combined should be enough for your mom’s treatment, enough for your mom to raise you. And if that’s not enough, third, do you remember Wen Dongdong kept saying this afternoon that Shen Zilin would be responsible for supporting him financially until he grew up, and then he would work for Shen Zilin to repay him? Later, Wang Zhizhi also asked Shen Zilin if he could borrow money from him in the future, let him support him first. We can do the same, if we don’t have enough money, we can borrow from Shen Zilin, and when we grow up, we’ll work for him to repay him.” Wei Maomao tried to show Cheng Tingyan more possibilities.

Of course, Wei Maomao felt that the money from the first two sources should be enough to support Cheng Tingyan’s mom for a while. During this period, she could find ways to earn more money, they shouldn’t need to rely on Shen Zilin. But since she currently looked like a three-year-old baby, compared to believing in her ability to earn money, Shen Zilin, who had millions and the backing of Shen Corp., was obviously more trustworthy.

What Cheng Tingyan’s actual living situation at the Cheng family’s house was like, and to what extent they could expose it on the show, the most important thing was Cheng Tingyan’s own stance and thoughts.

As long as Yan Yan believed that she could leave Cheng Feiying, the money issue could be slowly resolved later.

Who would want to live with a terribly biased and bad-tempered father, a hypocritical stepmother, and a younger sister who always caused trouble and got her scolded?

Cheng Tingyan didn’t want to at all, she just didn’t have a choice.

But now, Cheng Tingyan pressed the little chubby bunny who was still nestled in her arms.

Now someone was telling her that she had a choice…

She would be a fool not to be tempted.

“The money… isn’t enough.” Cheng Tingyan bit her lip, she knew she had no attachment to the Cheng family, it was all about the money. “My mom… she also borrowed a lot of money from my dad for her treatment, with a 4.8% commercial loan interest rate. They said that if I’m not well-behaved, they won’t lend her money anymore, and even if they do, it’ll be at the 14.6% private loan interest rate.”

As expected! Wei Maomao’s fists clenched. So the reason Cheng Tingyan mentioned those numbers last time, those numbers she remembered so clearly, the truth behind them was this.

“Yan Yan, I think something’s wrong.” Wei Maomao rubbed her chubby fists against the blanket, trying to relieve the itch. “You said the money from your two appearances on the show was all used for your mom’s treatment. Why did your mom have to borrow money from your dad for her treatment? Shen Zilin said that participating in this show, there’s a few dozen, a million, that’s a lot of money, right? Are you sure your mom received all the money you earned from the show?”

The six-year-old Cheng Tingyan was stunned by the question.

“We’re little babies, we don’t know how much treatment costs. Your mom is sick, so she might not know how much she has spent either. Should we ask someone else, to figure out how much you earned and how much your mom has spent?” Wei Maomao grabbed Cheng Tingyan’s hand.

“You mean…” Cheng Tingyan tried to process the information. “You’re saying… my dad lied to me and Mom?”

“No… I mean, maybe your dad didn’t calculate it correctly either.” Wei Maomao started making things up. “Let’s find someone good at math to help us calculate it.”

Chapter 92p1

Whether to change into long pajamas or not…

Children’s dilemmas could sometimes be ridiculously prolonged.

In the end, the righteous chubby paws of the little chubby panda bunny made the decision for Cheng Tingyan.

“It’s my turn~~” Wei Maomao said, rolling over and pulling the sitting Cheng Tingyan down onto the bed with her.

“I haven’t finished pinching yet…” Cheng Tingyan’s voice weakened as her legs were swiftly grabbed by the chubby paws.

“You’ve pinched enough.” Wei Maomao said, kneeling and seriously massaging Cheng Tingyan’s legs. She had been pinched for a while, and it felt… quite comfortable, she almost fell asleep. If Yan Yan continued pinching, they would have to continue their conversation in their dreams.

Cheng Tingyan tried to sit up, but… Okay, the little chubby bunny wasn’t just fluffy, as soon as she moved, the little chubby paws pressed down on her shoulders, and she couldn’t get up.

Since resistance was futile, she could only accept the massage.

Cheng Tingyan gave up struggling and looked at the little chubby bunny, her cheeks puffed out as she massaged her legs, even the flesh on her face was working hard, she was truly serious and dedicated.

Although she hadn’t changed into long pants, the warm little chubby paws were directly pressing on her calves, but Cheng Tingyan didn’t feel the random shyness she had felt earlier. It was just… Those hands were so small, so soft, so warm, pressing on her legs, it felt like a little animal stepping on her. And it was very serious stepping, back and forth.

Thinking of this, Cheng Tingyan couldn’t help but smile slightly. The warmth spread from her heart, and her body gradually relaxed.

Wei Maomao suddenly noticed that the legs she was massaging, how come they suddenly felt less firm? They had become soft and squishy?

Her confused paws shifted from pressing to poking, the soft flesh on the calves bounced under her touch.

So cute!

Wei Maomao’s eyes lit up.

The sensitive Cheng Tingyan immediately noticed the little chubby bunny’s distraction.

Although she couldn’t see what Wei Maomao was doing, the feeling on her legs, it wasn’t being massaged, it was more like being poked?

Cheng Tingyan curiously sat up and saw the little chubby bunny…

Wei Maomao was focused on studying how the flesh on the legs had transformed from muscle to soft flesh, her finger, about to poke gently, was just extended when the leg swiftly retracted.

“Mmm?” Wei Maomao turned her head in confusion, her gaze meeting Cheng Tingyan’s slightly flushed face.

“You’re done pinching.” Cheng Tingyan said, her words clear and concise.

“I haven’t even finished one leg…” Wei Maomao reached out with her paw.

Cheng Tingyan quickly moved her legs further away. Honestly, the little chubby bunny was only three years old, it was normal for her to not be able to focus on one thing for a long time. Like forgetting she was massaging and starting to play, it was very normal.

But…

Cheng Tingyan felt a bit embarrassed.

One wanted to massage, the other wouldn’t let her… The two little ones crawled around on the bed, chasing each other.

But how could Cheng Tingyan possibly win against the little chubby bunny?

Seeing the little chubby bunny starting to pant from chasing her, her chubby face flushed from rolling around, Cheng Tingyan… surrendered.

“You can massage my legs, just don’t do what you did earlier…” Cheng Tingyan said, slowly extending her legs.

“What?” Wei Maomao, too preoccupied with chasing to reflect on how childish it was for her, as an adult, to be playing around with a six-year-old on a bed, was confused by Cheng Tingyan’s words and slightly flushed face.

“It’s just…” Cheng Tingyan couldn’t describe it, she just extended a finger, imitating Wei Maomao’s earlier action, aiming, then gently poked the little chubby bunny’s leg.

“… “ Wei Maomao burst out laughing. “I wasn’t squinting!”

It just looked like it.

“Okay, you weren’t squinting.” Cheng Tingyan widened her eyes and poked the little chubby bunny’s leg again. “It’s like this.”

“I didn’t mean to poke your leg, I was just curious. Earlier, when I was massaging, your leg muscles were firm, then they suddenly became soft.” Wei Maomao chuckled. “Even if you relaxed, they wouldn’t be this soft, they’re like tofu!”

“Soft, like tofu, that’s you.” Cheng Tingyan reached out and poked the little chubby bunny’s waist. “This is soft.”

Wei Maomao: “… “

Cheng Tingyan, looking at the suddenly silent little chubby bunny, curled her fingers, her voice softening. “Wait, what I touched earlier, was that your waist? Not your…”

“It was my waist!” Wei Maomao quickly interrupted.

Ending the dangerous topic, Wei Maomao didn’t dare to play with other people’s flesh anymore, she diligently continued her task.

After finishing massaging Cheng Tingyan, Wei Maomao immediately went to the bedside, turned off the lights, and prepared to start tonight’s main event.

The bedroom was instantly plunged into darkness.

“Are you going to sleep?” Cheng Tingyan, startled by the little chubby bunny’s swift actions, sat up. “Then I’ll go back to my bed.”

“Not yet, let’s chat for a bit.” Wei Maomao reached out and pulled her.

It was just a gentle tug, but the person next to her quickly lay back down.

It seemed that, at least for now, Cheng Tingyan was still willing to chat with her, Wei Maomao thought, but she felt a bit guilty. After all, the topic she was about to bring up might be a bit different from what Cheng Tingyan imagined.

“Yan Yan, I miss my mom a little.” Wei Maomao, clutching the blanket tightly, finally said the opening line.

In the darkness, even slight movements were amplified. Wei Maomao clearly felt that after she said those words, Cheng Tingyan next to her seemed to stiffen.

But before Wei Maomao could say anything else, the person next to her moved closer.

“It’s okay, Maomao, after we finish filming, you can go home and see your mom.” Cheng Tingyan said softly.

Along with Cheng Tingyan’s comforting words, Wei Maomao felt a hand groping its way to her shoulder, then carefully climbing up, stopping at the top of her head, gently stroking her hair.

“Mmm…” Wei Maomao also moved closer to Cheng Tingyan, but her grip on the blanket tightened, as if trying to squeeze out all the softness in her heart, leaving only firmness.

In the darkness, Wei Maomao closed her eyes, as if unwilling to face her own selfishness, she finally asked the next question, “Yan Yan, do you miss your mom?”

The hand on her head stopped.

Wei Maomao pricked up her ears, after a while, she heard a soft “Mmm” from beside her.

“It’s okay, Yan Yan, after we finish filming, you can also go home and see your mom.” Wei Maomao said, steeling her heart, trying to bring her knowledge into the open.

“I…” Cheng Tingyan hesitated.

Before getting into bed, she had double-checked that the cameras were turned off and covered. The microphones had been taken away by the staff… This was… a dark bedroom, just her and the little chubby bunny.

“I… go home…” Cheng Tingyan spoke slowly, “No mom.”

The last two words were almost inaudible, but they still reached Wei Maomao’s ears.

Finally…

“Why is there no mom at home? I heard… I heard that your mom and Cheng Rongrong’s mom aren’t the same person, is that true?” Wei Maomao had initially planned to guide Cheng Tingyan into saying it herself step by step. But she didn’t know why, she felt that this slow guidance was suffocating, both for her and for Cheng Tingyan. So she took a small risk, hoping Yan Yan wouldn’t back out because of her directness.

“It’s true.” Cheng Tingyan let out a soft breath. “My mom and dad separated.”

Wei Maomao’s hand, clutching the blanket, was a bit sweaty, but the situation was much smoother than she had expected, Cheng Tingyan didn’t back out or get angry, she… answered her question properly.

Was it… the effect of the little panda bunny pajamas?

Wei Maomao regretted turning off the lights, but under the light, she couldn’t bring herself to ask these questions while looking at Cheng Tingyan.

“Then Yan Yan, are you living with your dad?” Wei Maomao struck while the iron was hot.

“Mmm.” Cheng Tingyan’s voice was still soft.

“Yan Yan…” Wei Maomao reached another crucial point, but feeling guilty, she couldn’t help but move closer to Cheng Tingyan, then grabbed her hand, which had been resting near her head, and placed it on her waist. “Waist.”

“Mmm?” Cheng Tingyan, whose mood was gradually sinking, was stunned, her hand suddenly filled with the little chubby waist.

Wei Maomao rubbed Cheng Tingyan’s hand against her chubby waist, using the brief comfort from selling her waist to ask in one breath, “Yan Yan, are you happy living with your dad?”

“… “ Cheng Tingyan thought about the things Bai Lei had said to her before coming to the show and couldn’t answer the little chubby bunny’s question.

This time, the silence in the darkness was a bit longer.

Wei Maomao’s heart sank, but the hand that hadn’t left her waist gave her some courage.

“Then Yan Yan, do you want to live with your dad? Or do you want to live with your mom?” Wei Maomao tried to make her voice sound innocent and curious, like a three-year-old child casually asking a question.

Cheng Tingyan: “… “ This question wasn’t much different from the previous one.

Chapter 91

For many, this night was a sleepless one.

Qin Sichao ultimately decided to stay another night. He didn’t even bother finding a hotel in town and stayed in the village, in the house where the program staff were accommodated.

He was reluctant to leave because he couldn’t bear to miss this interesting show up close, and also because…

In the simple room, under the dim light, Qin Sichao fiddled with the small gourd in his hand.

It felt like it was made of ceramic, only slightly bigger than his thumb, with the words “Nitroglycerin” engraved on it. He could hear the faint clinking of tiny pills inside when he shook it.

During dinner, he had finally asked the question he couldn’t hold back anymore, but Shi Dingshan didn’t give him a straight answer.

It made sense, even though they were close friends in the past, they hadn’t been in contact much these past few years. Although Qin Sichao unilaterally believed that time hadn’t changed him, for Shi Dingshan, perhaps things were different now, they weren’t close enough to talk about personal matters, it was normal for him not to want to discuss his family issues.

But…

Qin Sichao shook the small gourd in his hand.

Shi Dingshan had answered all his questions with a simple, “We decided to divorce, let’s have some tea, let’s not talk about my depressing family matters,” and even gave him this small gourd before leaving. According to Shi Dingshan, he wasn’t in good health, he had given this kind of small pill bottle to many people around him just in case, since Qin Sichao decided to stay another night, he gave him one too.

It wasn’t unusual to carry this kind of life-saving medicine himself and have people around him keep some as a precaution.

But… Qin Sichao recalled Shi Dingshan’s nonchalant manner as he pulled out a handful of small gourds from his pocket, then looked at his still bulging pocket, it didn’t seem like he was just giving them to people around him, it was like he was wholesaling them.

Qin Sichao felt that something was wrong with Shi Dingshan, but he couldn’t keep asking impolitely. But at night, when Zeng Huanian was arranging his accommodation and brought him here, he hinted at the question, and as expected, Zeng Huanian also pulled out an identical small gourd from his pocket. And as Qin Sichao had guessed, this small gourd was given to Zeng Huanian by Shi Dingshan a few days before the show started filming.

As for the rest, Zeng Huanian knew no more than Qin Sichao, he only said that, as far as he knew, Shi Dingshan had given this kind of small gourd to several other staff members on the program team.

What was going on, why was it like this?

Qin Sichao touched the five engraved words on the gourd, he couldn’t understand it at all.

Nighttime brought many thoughts, things that couldn’t be understood during the day were sometimes also difficult to comprehend in the darkness.

Wang Qingchuan truly didn’t understand, this parent-child role swap was supposed to let the child experience the hardships of parenting, to learn how to be considerate of their parents and love their siblings, how did it become like this?

Wang Zhizhi, who had been either easily triggered or prone to giving up after a few words in the past few days, had indeed straightened up because of the program team’s role swap arrangement. He was more energetic now, actively participating, but it was like his brain had malfunctioned.

A child was just a child, he couldn’t even tell who was closer to him. One was an extra hired by the program team, the other was his own father, and he was actually trying to be absolutely fair in his distribution. If he had this much tolerance and care, why not direct it towards his own sibling, instead of this fake person in this pretend game!

Wang Qingchuan had a very frustrating day, but thankfully, his rationality was still intact, he was waiting for the cameras and microphones to be turned off at night, then he would properly educate his son. But when the time came, the cameras in the room were indeed turned off, the microphones could also be turned off, but the one who was supposed to be educated didn’t come back.

Oh, it wasn’t that he didn’t come back, he was studying in the courtyard.

After dinner, Wang Zhizhi and that whoever, Li Mu, who was assigned by the program team to take care of his daily life, were studying together in the courtyard. Wang Qingchuan even went over to check a few times, it seemed they were studying math, from numbers to addition and subtraction, using handwritten “textbooks,” he didn’t know where they got them from.

Studying was fine, who wouldn’t want their child to learn more?

But the problem was! How come they were studying so late that they weren’t even coming back to sleep? After the cameras and microphones were turned off, Wang Qingchuan had already gone to the courtyard to urge them once, Wang Zhizhi said he would be back soon, but after a while, he still didn’t see him. What, was he planning to finish calculus on this variety show?

Wang Qingchuan, fuming alone in the room, couldn’t help but think about the woman living next door.

What was going on, how much was she paid per day as an extra, she even finished that whole plate of rice for dinner! Was she willing to eat herself to death to support Wang Zhizhi’s absolute fairness law?

If during the day, Wang Qingchuan’s feelings towards Wang Qingbei were confusion and anger, then at night, looking at the woman who was focused on eating, he was still confused and angry, but there was also a hint of inexplicable admiration. After all, that last piece of mung bean cake in the afternoon… Wang Qingbei stuffed it into her mouth and struggled to swallow it, she didn’t even dare to take a sip of water, Wang Qingchuan saw it all. So during dinner, Wang Qingchuan, looking at the equal portions of stir-fried lamb with onions rice bowl in front of them, tried to trade his lamb for some of her rice. But that woman… after glancing at Wang Zhizhi, actually refused! She deserved to eat a whole plate of rice!

What kind of people were they! Both of them!

What kind of people were they…

They were the one munching on the digestive tablets the program team secretly stuffed into her hand in the bathroom, the one who finally started pacing around the small bedroom to aid digestion after the cameras and microphones were turned off, the one who asked the staff for information about the other families and some edited footage from the past few days to catch up…

They were the one diligently studying math under a bare light bulb in the courtyard, the one inspired by Li Mu’s impressive calculation skills and determined to achieve the same, the one who channeled her energy, which used to be focused on seeking more love, into becoming more capable…

People would experience pain. But if their hope was big enough, then the pain wouldn’t be so unbearable. And when they walked further and higher on the path towards hope, becoming stronger and more mature, looking back at the initial pain… Perhaps the scars remained, but they wouldn’t want to return to that past and drown in it again.

Wang Zhizhi, who yearned for his parents’ full love, started to want to become stronger and more useful, learning math was a beginning, not an end. This time, before the arrival of the obsession stemming from unfulfilled desires, the little him, saw something further away. The person he wanted to become, the fairness he wanted to bring, changing himself seemed to be more effective than changing others.

Wang Qingchuan, in the room, was still angry, still lost in the fog of not knowing what he was losing, fuming.

But while both of them were angry, Wang Qingchuan was too angry to sleep, while Cheng Feiying, as soon as the cameras and microphones were turned off, collapsed onto the bed, closed his eyes, and was about to start snoring.

He couldn’t get rid of his anger, so instead of staying awake and getting angrier, it was better to sleep, not thinking about anything, at least he could have some time to relax.

This was Cheng Feiying’s thought process, and he acted accordingly, but sadly, someone didn’t want him to have his way.

“Daddy, Daddy…” After the staff, who had knocked on the door to inform them that the cameras and microphones were off, left, and the footsteps outside disappeared, Cheng Rongrong immediately got out of bed, went around the screen in the room, and ran to Cheng Feiying’s bedside.

Cheng Feiying, who was about to fall asleep, pretended he didn’t hear her, pretending he was already asleep. Anyway, if Cheng Rongrong really needed something, she would go find Su Li if she couldn’t wake him up.

However, Cheng Rongrong didn’t stop because of his feigned sleep.

“Daddy! Daddy!” Cheng Rongrong had finally waited for the cameras to be turned off, how could she give up just because Cheng Feiying was asleep?

Besides, he had just responded to the staff outside the door, how could he fall asleep in the next second? She wasn’t truly three and a half years old, she didn’t believe it.

“Daddy, I received a note, it seems like it’s from Mom.” Cheng Rongrong leaned against the bed and whispered into Cheng Feiying’s ear.

Cheng Feiying sat up and turned on the bedside lamp. “What note?”

Cheng Rongrong handed the piece of paper she had been clutching to Cheng Feiying.

Cheng Feiying took it and unfolded it roughly, the folded paper was turned into a single sheet. The handwriting on the paper was messy, it didn’t look like Bai Lei’s handwriting at all. Just as Cheng Feiying frowned, about to get angry, he saw the content, his anger subsided, but his frown deepened.

Calculating Cheng Feiying’s reading speed, Cheng Rongrong waited patiently for a while before asking curiously, “Daddy, what’s written on it?”

Cheng Rongrong had already read the note, but as a three-and-a-half-year-old, she needed Cheng Feiying’s translation to have a reason for knowing.

“You don’t know what’s written on it, how do you know this note is from your mom?” Cheng Feiying didn’t answer Cheng Rongrong’s question, but asked back instead.

“Because there’s a drawing of Mom, Dad, and me on it, just like the ones I draw at home.” Cheng Rongrong pointed at the paper in Cheng Feiying’s hand.

“Where?” Cheng Feiying frowned, turning the paper over. Oh, on the back of the paper, there were indeed three heads drawn, next to the one with long hair was an arrow pointing towards the smaller one, and from the smaller one, another arrow pointed towards the one with short hair.

“That arrow, doesn’t it mean ‘give’? Isn’t it Mom giving it to me, for me to give to Dad?” Cheng Rongrong said innocently.

The drawing was actually on the folded paper. At the Wang family’s house, when the paper fell on the ground, the drawing side was facing down, she didn’t see it. Thankfully, she was quick-witted and picked it up before Jiang Heye. But her mom was truly smart, knowing to use the drawings she made at home as a code she could understand. It’s just that the person who imitated the drawing was terrible, the features were there, but it was truly ugly.

“Oh, your mom gave it to me.” Cheng Feiying glanced at the words on the note again, tore it into pieces, and got out of bed.

“Daddy…” Cheng Rongrong was stunned.

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Feiying looked down at his younger daughter.

“Daddy… What did Mom write to you?” Cheng Rongrong felt Cheng Feiying’s reaction wasn’t what she had expected, Bai Lei had written it so clearly, why was he still acting like this? And, “Daddy, why didn’t you ask me when Mom gave me this note?”

“Your mom wrote, asking me to take good care of you.” Cheng Feiying answered concisely, then looked at his younger daughter intently. “When do you think your mom gave it to you?”

Cheng Rongrong guessed it was at the market, and the most likely person was the man who bought all her vegetables and had been very close to her when giving her the money.

But she couldn’t tell Cheng Feiying this.

“I found it in my pocket, it wasn’t there when I got dressed in the morning, but it was there at noon. Maybe at the market? There were a lot of people at the market.” Cheng Rongrong avoided the main point.

“Mmm, then it must have been at the market.” Cheng Feiying crumpled the pieces of paper in his hand, then looked at Cheng Rongrong. “Since you know to secretly give me this note, you should know it’s a secret, you can’t mention it in the future, right?”

Cheng Rongrong, looking at the pieces of paper in Cheng Feiying’s hand, swallowed and nodded. But she still asked weakly, “Did Mom only write to ask you to take good care of me?”

“Yes, after all, you’re the baby your mom cares about the most.” Cheng Feiying smiled and went to the bathroom.

The bathroom in this house was huge, even standing at the door, Cheng Rongrong couldn’t hear any sound from inside.

But she knew Cheng Feiying must have flushed the torn pieces of paper down the toilet.

That note, of course, mentioned asking Cheng Feiying to take good care of her, but it wasn’t just that. Why… Was it because she was only three and a half years old, worried she would tell everyone?

This was the most reasonable explanation Cheng Rongrong could think of.

Cheng Feiying came out quickly, he wasn’t surprised to see Cheng Rongrong waiting at the bathroom door, he just paused for a moment, then picked her up.

“Let’s go, it’s time for bed.” Cheng Feiying said gently.

Cheng Rongrong, who had been treated coldly by Cheng Feiying since noon, was surprised and touched.

As expected, her efforts to make Cheng Feiying read Bai Lei’s note were right.

Which sentence worked? Was it the part about the things Cheng Tingyan had been saying behind their backs on the live broadcast these past few days… About personal property, expired snacks, loans…

No, the key part was probably the mention of the new media company opened by the He family, they had just invested in two dramas, after this variety show, Cheng Feiying could go for auditions.

Bai Lei had once used her connections with the He family to get Cheng Feiying a role, Cheng Feiying must have understood what the best approach was.

People came and went for profit…

Cheng Rongrong’s surprise and gratitude gradually faded as she realized the reason for Cheng Feiying’s change in attitude.

As expected, to control Cheng Feiying, they still needed Bai Lei.

But Cheng Rongrong didn’t know that Cheng Feiying had indeed been controlled, but not by the mention of the He family, but by a sentence in the note, a sentence that Cheng Rongrong had considered meaningless when she read it.

“Yan Yan looks like you, Rongrong looks more like me, no matter how good you are to Yan Yan, remember to also be good to Rongrong.”

When Cheng Rongrong read the note, she felt Bai Lei’s cautiousness, there wasn’t a single sentence that could ruin their image, no criticism of Cheng Tingyan, it was just an objective description followed by a statement expressing concern about potential misunderstandings and hoping Cheng Feiying would pay more attention, very official wording. Even if the note was accidentally picked up by someone else, they wouldn’t be able to see the true message and intention behind the words. Only Cheng Feiying, oh, and her, could understand that Bai Lei was hinting for Cheng Feiying to discipline Cheng Tingyan and make her shut up.

But Cheng Rongrong didn’t know that there were some words, even she couldn’t understand.

Cheng Feiying put his younger daughter back on the bed and went to lie down on the bed on the other side of the room. The lights were turned off, but in the darkness, his eyes, filled with anger, couldn’t close. His mind was filled with the messy handwriting, “Yan Yan looks like you, Rongrong looks more like me.” Heh, Bai Lei, as expected of you, afraid he wouldn’t listen, she hit him where it hurt the most.

Cheng Feiying’s anger towards Bai Lei from earlier didn’t subside because of the note, and he didn’t truly treat Cheng Rongrong better. But… he did regain his dislike for Cheng Tingyan.

This day, Cheng Feiying, like a drama queen, his attitude towards his two daughters shifted dramatically.

But he didn’t know that his actions wouldn’t create the impact he had imagined.

At least for one of the people involved, her calm heart only rippled because of a certain little chubby bunny.

“This one is also so cute!” Cheng Tingyan looked at the little chubby bunny in a black and white outfit, clutching her chest. “It looks like a panda!”

Wei Maomao, who had just come out of the bathroom, her face still flushed, chuckled. “Yan Yan is so smart, it is a panda~~”

As she spoke, Wei Maomao lifted her chubby paw, reached into the hood of her bunny onesie, and pulled out a piece of fabric, covering her face like a mask.

A hood with a built-in eye mask, with two big black circles drawn on it, paired with the panda-themed pajamas, white body and black limbs, plus the black and white bunny ears on her head, it was perfect… A panda bunny!

Wei Maomao truly didn’t know where her mom got so many strange bunny pajamas, this one even had hidden panda eyes in the hood… If she hadn’t felt something bulging on her head after putting on the hood and touched it, she wouldn’t have known about this feature.

But whether it was strange or not, whether it had hidden features or not, it seemed… Yan Yan liked it.

It wasn’t just liking, she practically couldn’t take her eyes off it!

The little white bunny onesie at noon was already cute enough, who would have thought that such cuteness could be upgraded!

Cheng Tingyan was completely captivated.

When Wei Maomao was double-checking if the cameras in the room were turned off and the covers were properly placed, Cheng Tingyan followed behind her like a little tail.

But she was still afraid of the little chubby bunny tripping, so Cheng Tingyan just followed, her hands obediently behind her back, not even touching the bunny ears.

It’s just…

When Wei Maomao finished checking the room and walked to the space between the two beds, a soft whisper came from behind her, “The right side…”

“Mmm?” Wei Maomao turned around.

Cheng Tingyan reached out with her right hand and patted her bed.

Originally, Wei Maomao was also planning to squeeze in with Cheng Tingyan before bed, after all, she wanted to have a good talk with her tonight.

But…

Looking at Cheng Tingyan, her lips pursed, her ears flushed pink, still making a silent invitation, Wei Maomao suddenly felt mischievous.

“My bed is over here.” Wei Maomao said, putting her left hand on her own bed.

Wei Maomao’s plan was to tease Cheng Tingyan, who clearly wanted to touch the panda bunny, just a little bit, then she would go over.

But her teasing… didn’t even begin before it ended.

“Mmm.” Cheng Tingyan nodded and obediently climbed onto the bed on the left.

Wei Maomao: “… “ Wait, she wanted to tease Cheng Tingyan, not make a reverse invitation.

What was going on? Was the panda bunny outfit this appealing?

It seemed she would have to buy ten or eight plushies for Yan Yan after the show.

Putting away her playfulness, she had more important things to do.

Wei Maomao stretched her chubby waist and climbed onto the bed too.

But even though Wei Maomao had decided to use her waist first, then talk, someone still didn’t play by the rules.

Wei Maomao lay down, Cheng Tingyan sat up, her hand reached out without hesitation, but it wasn’t grabbing the chubby waist, but… the chubby legs.

Cheng Tingyan’s hand landed on an unexpected spot, making Wei Maomao instinctively retract her legs.

“Don’t move, I’ll rub them for you.” Cheng Tingyan said, moving towards the end of the bed, grabbing the little chubby legs, and starting to rub them seriously.

“Mmm?” Wei Maomao was a bit confused. Why were they suddenly rubbing legs? Had the appeal of her waist disappeared? Was it fading too quickly?

“Are they sore?” Cheng Tingyan asked as she rubbed. “How about here?”

“They’re not sore, no need to rub…” Wei Maomao said weakly, trying to retract her legs.

“You kicked 184 goals today, you ran around and walked a lot, even if they’re not sore now, they’ll be sore tomorrow.” Cheng Tingyan said, pulling the little chubby legs back into her lap. “Walking a lot will make them sore, sore for many days. Rubbing them will make them less sore.”

Oh, Wei Maomao understood why Cheng Tingyan was rubbing her legs.

Speaking of which, perhaps because they had a common goal, the soccer game this afternoon was quite tiring, but it wasn’t too difficult to persevere. Maybe she was empowered by the babies’ enthusiasm, she didn’t feel sore now…

“Then I’ll rub yours too.” Wei Maomao looked at Cheng Tingyan’s legs. “Yan Yan also played soccer.”

“I didn’t kick many, Cheng Rongrong kicked more than me.” Cheng Tingyan said, frowning slightly.

Wei Maomao pursed her lips. Indeed, Cheng Rongrong was like a chicken on steroids this afternoon, the Cheng family was supposed to get green peppers in the second round, they needed to score 62 goals. Logically, Cheng Tingyan and Cheng Rongrong should each kick 31 goals.

Cheng Rongrong, for some reason today, was supposed to be waiting with Wei Chengli and Shen Jianghe for the others to finish, but after the Wang family’s goalkeeper was switched, she took the ball and went over. Jiang Heye, of course, would cooperate and wouldn’t block the babies’ shots. But… after kicking 31 goals, Cheng Rongrong insisted on continuing, refusing to switch with Cheng Tingyan, saying she could do it. Cheng Tingyan, as usual, didn’t fight with her and let her continue. In the end, Cheng Rongrong only left ten goals for Cheng Tingyan to kick.

Speaking of which, Cheng Rongrong was truly unpredictable, she couldn’t tell when she was truly trying to prove herself and when she was just putting on a show…

But…

“If you kicked, then you need a massage~~” Wei Maomao didn’t care about the number of goals, they would massage each other.

Cheng Tingyan, her hand rubbing the little chubby panda bunny’s legs, paused, she looked at her own knee-length shorts, her face gradually flushing red.

Ah, she felt a bit embarrassed…

Would it be too obvious if she went to change into long pants now…

Chapter 90

Stir-fried pork belly with garlic chives, stir-fried beef with green peppers, chicken stewed with mushrooms, stir-fried lamb with onions, shrimp with peas, and the grand combination of eggs, potatoes, and various meats…

A balanced mix of meat and vegetables, nutritionally sound. With the babies’ joint efforts, there were no bland rice bowls for dinner, not even vegetarian rice bowls.

Qin Sichao sat in the monitoring room, watching the babies devour their food on the screens. After working hard on two tasks in the afternoon, the babies were starving, each one eating with gusto. Especially… Qin Sichao’s gaze couldn’t help but drift towards the little chubby baby’s screen. Was that simple stir-fried rice with eggs, potatoes, and minced meat really that delicious? How long had her chubby face been buried in the bowl? Even the pig next to her looked up more often than her while eating, chubby baby, take a breath and then eat!

“Director Qin? Don’t you like the food in the lunchbox?” Shi Dingshan asked, tapping the coffee table between them with his finger.

“Mmm?” Qin Sichao glanced at the lunchbox in his hand. “Oh, it’s quite delicious. I saw in your group chat that the lunchboxes for your program are all made by villagers, with locally sourced ingredients, with different dishes every day. It’s indeed different from lunch.”

Your group chat…

Shi Dingshan rubbed his forehead. When Qin Sichao arrived this morning, he said he was just dropping off Jiang Heye, he would rest for a bit, then continue on to other places. But… after breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and now dinner, he still showed no signs of leaving. Wasn’t this “a bit” a bit too long?

And… It was one thing for him to watch the monitoring screens, but then he started catching up on the backstory through fan-made videos while watching. If it was just that, then… fine… It could be considered Qin Sichao’s recognition of the show’s appeal. But that wasn’t enough, later, Qin Sichao even joined the staff’s group chats, both big and small… Not only did he watch the live broadcast, he even read the gossip behind the scenes, he was more invested in this than he, the director, was.

“Director Qin, your food will get cold if you don’t eat.” Shi Dingshan said helplessly, glancing at Qin Sichao, who had just spoken to him a few words, then returned his full attention to the screen.

“Sigh.” Qin Sichao, snapping out of his trance, looked at the lunchbox in his hand and sighed. “Although this lunchbox is delicious, seeing the babies eating, my interest is all on their food…”

“That’s not a problem, we can ask the kitchen to make you a portion, they’re still preparing late-night snacks for the overtime workers, they haven’t finished yet.” Shi Dingshan said, finishing the last few bites of his lunchbox, taking out his phone, and was about to call someone.

“No, forget it.” Qin Sichao stopped Shi Dingshan. “The point of my earlier statement was the babies, not the lunchbox.”

Shi Dingshan chuckled. “What, the lunchbox isn’t enough for you, you want to eat the babies?”

“I’m being serious.” Qin Sichao put down his half-eaten lunchbox, turned to look at Shi Dingshan, and said seriously, “Your show doesn’t have a script, how did you manage to film this?”

“This what?” Shi Dingshan was also curious, after being engrossed in it for a whole day, what had he observed?

“The dads each have their own flaws, the babies are obedient, sensible, and united. It’s truly amazing.” Qin Sichao rubbed his hands, marveling. “Before inviting the families, did you do very thorough research? Not based on fame, wealth, or even the appearance fee, did you specifically choose families with hidden problems? I heard that you only decided to change it from pre-recorded to live broadcast a few days before filming started, did you foresee this situation? If it wasn’t live broadcast, the families would definitely try to pressure you during editing, the final product would be fragmented, all the brilliance and spontaneity we’re seeing now would be lost. Was all this in your plan?”

“Am I a god? Able to foresee and plan everything…” Shi Dingshan said, speechless, taking a sip of his tea. “The guests were invited based on a combination of fame, appearance fee, recommendations from the industry and the TV station, all the usual factors, we didn’t know it would be like this. If I could have predicted the situation these past few days, why would I even film ‘Where’s Baby Going’ Season 3, wouldn’t it be more fitting to film ‘Dad Transformation’?”

“Brilliant! Transformation! I know that show.” Qin Sichao looked at Shi Dingshan, his eyes shining. “I haven’t really paid attention to reality shows before, they’re so interesting! So besides the task arrangements, there’s no specific script given to them, they created this just by being themselves?”

Shi Dingshan nodded. “Mmm.”

Although he had some ulterior motives in arranging the filming content, he wouldn’t take the blame for everything.

“Then you’re also very lucky.” Qin Sichao said seriously. “Although the dads have some problems, the babies are all basically good.”

Shi Dingshan understood what Qin Sichao meant. The dads were adults, their problematic views and actions, broadcasted live, meant they had to be responsible for their own behavior. But if there were any major problems with the babies, broadcasting it live would be very troublesome, after all, they were still young, their values hadn’t fully formed, their current behavior might not represent their true intentions…

Thinking about this, Shi Dingshan felt he was indeed lucky. Otherwise, they might have had to black out the live broadcast to protect the children.

“That Director Wei, his name sounds familiar, did you mention him to me before?” Qin Sichao asked, looking at Wei Chengli, who was wiping the little chubby baby’s mouth on the screen.

“Maybe.” Shi Dingshan couldn’t remember, he had been busy with variety shows these past few years, Qin Sichao was often abroad, they had less contact, he might have mentioned him in passing.

“Children’s eyes are sharp. Among these dads, the ones the babies trust the most are him and CEO Shen. That’s good, not all the dads can have problems.” Qin Sichao mumbled to himself.

Shi Dingshan glanced at Qin Sichao, but didn’t say anything.

Besides his cooking skills, Wei Chengli should be fine. But Shen Jianghe…

Shi Dingshan thought about the request Shen Jianghe had made when he was invited to the show… Cancel the calls with the moms, don’t invite the moms to the show, and all other mom-related content. Among the invited families, only Shen Zilin’s mom had passed away, Shen Jianghe’s request, out of love for his son, was understandable.

But the program team not arranging such segments didn’t mean the other dads and babies could avoid mentioning “mom” altogether, as if it was a secret. Shen Jianghe had said that Shen Zilin wouldn’t have any particular reaction to this topic. But it was better to be safe than sorry, Shi Dingshan wasn’t sure how they handled this topic within their family, so he was still a bit worried.

Putting this aside, and the almost disastrous conversation on the first night, Shen Jianghe was indeed one of the better-performing dads on the show.

No wonder the babies trusted him.

Speaking of which… Putting aside the dads, these little babies, they were truly smart, united, and generous.

Shi Dingshan looked up at the monitoring screens, each screen showing a little baby happily eating.

Just looking at these tiny little ones, focused on their food, who would have thought that they could immediately break the program team’s rules and turn the task into a game?

In the afternoon, after announcing the “intelligence” and “strength” tasks and giving them a short break, they directly started the “intelligence” task at the small square.

To increase their motivation and competitiveness, before starting, the host presented two boards, each with six ingredients written on them. To make it easier for the illiterate babies, there were even pictures below each ingredient.

The “intelligence” board: Pork, Chicken, Beef, Potato, Pea, Onion

The “strength” board: Lamb, Shrimp, Egg, Mushroom, Green Pepper, Garlic Chives

Shi Dingshan had thought that this arrangement of ingredients was quite friendly, as long as the family who got “onion” in the “intelligence” task wasn’t too weak or unlucky in the “strength” task, not getting the last two spots, they would at least avoid the disastrous combination of onion and green pepper rice bowl or onion and garlic chives rice bowl.

But it was clear that not long after the boards were presented, both Shi Dingshan and the other staff members in charge of this segment realized… they had oversimplified things.

Before the “intelligence” task even started, the babies huddled together and, using their simple and adorable little brains, came up with something even more interesting than the competition arranged by the program team. They decided to cooperate.

Shen Zilin proposed the cooperation, Cheng Tingyan was the main planner, the other babies helped to come up with dish names, Wei Maomao and Wen Jiangyue asked about the babies and dads’ dietary restrictions, then they divided the six pre-determined dish names among themselves and unanimously decided to give Wei Maomao, who chose eggs and potatoes, some meat.

The whole process took less than ten minutes. The time the program team had allocated for the dads and babies to discuss their desired ingredients and motivate each other was used by the babies to reach a cooperation agreement.

And so, how many cards they guessed correctly in the “intelligence” task and how many goals they scored in the “strength” task were no longer important, it was all just a fun game.

Although it violated the program team’s intention of having a competitive task with rankings, the babies’ spontaneous cooperation was truly a sight to behold.

Shi Dingshan, watching at the time, found it quite amusing. It was a reality show, after all, the “reality” part was very important. Real babies, their genuine cuteness and cleverness, the little dumplings huddled together, seriously dividing the dishes like they were planning a spy mission, even remembering to ask about everyone’s dietary restrictions, it was so adorable that even he, with his hardened heart, couldn’t help but clutch his chest.

However, even with the babies’ cuteness, there were still some heartless people.

After over an hour of the “intelligence” task and a short break, the dads and babies were taken to the location for the “strength” task.

To Shi Dingshan’s surprise, there was a new supplementary rule for the “strength” task.

“Because the new parents exploited a bug in the ‘intelligence’ task, the ‘strength’ task will now be adjusted to fix the bug. In the ‘strength’ task, the new baby soccer players will first play against the program team’s goalkeepers. Once the total number of goals scored by the new baby soccer players reaches sixty, the second part of the task will begin, with the new parent soccer players playing against the new baby goalkeepers, with a time limit of half an hour. The number of goals scored by the new babies isn’t based on their own goals, but on the name tags attached to their backs. In other words, if A scores five goals, but the name tag on A’s back is B, then it counts as B scoring five goals. A’s goals depend on whose name is on his back. The final ranking is based on families, which means the new baby’s goals (based on whose name is on the person’s back) plus the new parent’s goals will be added together for the ranking. The ranking directly corresponds to the ingredients: Lamb, Shrimp, Egg, Mushroom, Green Pepper, Garlic Chives.”

Shi Dingshan, looking at the board with the supplementary rule next to the “strength” task location on the screen, was speechless.

Honestly, he could guess where this came from. The “intelligence” and “strength” tasks were arranged by Jin Youliang. Before the tasks even started, the little babies joined forces and turned them from competitive tasks into casual games. Based on Jin Youliang’s personality, he must have been very unhappy about it. He didn’t have time to adjust the “intelligence” task, so he wanted to make up for it in the “strength” task, trying to get things back on track, it was understandable.

But the problem was… this supplementary rule, it was useless…

Jin Youliang entered the monitoring room just as Shi Dingshan was looking at the supplementary rule, speechless, while Qin Sichao was munching on watermelon and chuckling next to him.

Anyway… Jin Youliang’s expression, seeking praise, was something Shi Dingshan didn’t want to recall.

Some people looked stupid and were actually stupid. How come some people looked smart but were also actually stupid?

It had to be said that Jin Youliang did try to muddy the waters and get things back on track.

The goalkeepers from the program team were very strong, the dads had to focus and play seriously to score. And the staff only announced the cumulative number of goals, not who scored them. The babies were taken to a spot far away from the field, there were six goals on the field, the dads were running around, three balls were flying back and forth, it was indeed difficult to see clearly who scored.

If they only relied on their own memory, it was normal for the dads to misremember a few goals. Plus, the goals they remembered scoring weren’t actually theirs, they belonged to the name on their backs, and no one knew whose name it was… It was even more confusing.

After the dads finally finished playing against the program team’s goalkeepers, scoring a total of sixty goals, before they could even talk to each other, they were grabbed by the baby goalkeepers and dragged to their respective goals.

Shi Dingshan, watching at the time, was truly speechless.

The babies wanted to cooperate, let them cooperate. It wasn’t like they had to strictly follow the task… Shi Dingshan truly didn’t understand why Jin Youliang, usually a flexible person, had to do this. It wasn’t a life-or-death situation, why did he have to fix a bug…

The dads were dragged to the goals and were told by the staff that they couldn’t communicate with each other, nor could they tell or hint to the babies their number of goals. The name tags on their backs wouldn’t be revealed until after the babies finished playing and the scores were tallied.

It could be said that Jin Youliang had gone to great lengths to muddy the waters and regain control of the task.

Shi Dingshan truly… didn’t know what to say. If he had this much energy, why didn’t he use it earlier, why didn’t he make the task foolproof from the beginning? And… It was truly pointless, if the little babies were determined, couldn’t they just switch ingredients when cooking? Couldn’t they swap their food after it was cooked? It wasn’t like he could control and restrict everything just to make them eat what he had arranged, how would that look on the live broadcast?

And putting aside what would happen later, just this supplementary rule, it was still flawed, let’s see if the babies could figure it out…

Shi Dingshan thought of it at the time, but he didn’t remind Jin Youliang.

The babies entered the field, half an hour of playing time, but no one was in a hurry to kick the ball, they all ran off to find their respective dads, who were now the goalkeepers.

In stark contrast to the silenced dads and the disappointed babies was the triumphant Jin Youliang in the monitoring room.

He had said, “It’s useless for them to ask, have they forgotten that the dads have other people’s names on their backs? No one knows whose name it is until they’re revealed.”

Perhaps because he was too smug, Shi Dingshan realized why Jin Youliang insisted on adding the supplementary rule and pulling the babies back into his game. His frequent glances at Qin Sichao, ah, it was all for show, his true target was someone else.

Sadly, that sword was still broken by the little babies.

The babies, who couldn’t get the numbers from their dads, were a bit dejected, but they didn’t rush to start playing, instead, they gathered together again.

Then… Wang Zhizhi ran off and dragged an adult onto the field.

The thin man was Li Mu, who had acted as Wang Zhizhi’s human calculator this morning and later reported a long list of expenses to Wang Qingchuan.

Jin Youliang’s face immediately darkened, but his phone-pressing speed was no match for the calculator.

Before Li Mu received the order to leave, he had already solved the math problem given by the babies.

They had the answer, now, before submitting their answer sheet, all the babies needed was a pen, oh, no, two pens.

These two pens were Wei Chengli and Shen Jianghe, the ones Qin Sichao mentioned earlier, who had earned the babies’ trust.

The dishes they had carefully planned earlier had become the outcome they desired the most. This was no longer the “strength” task, nor was it just a soccer game, it was a war to defend their achievements.

Wang Zhizhi, who was assigned lamb earlier, needed to score 306 goals. Even if his dad had scored all sixty goals in the previous round, it wouldn’t affect his first-place position.

And for the babies assigned other dishes, the number of goals required decreased by 61 for each subsequent ranking. In other words, Wang Zhizhi, who needed lamb, the first-place ingredient, had to score the most goals, 306, the baby who needed shrimp had to score 245, eggs 184, mushrooms 123, green peppers 62, and the one who needed garlic chives only needed to score one goal.

This way, regardless of how many goals the dads had scored earlier, or whose name was on their backs, as long as the babies kicked the ball into the right goals, they could ensure that the final ranking of the dishes they received, based on the families’ total points, would still be the order they had initially planned.

Li Mu, forced off the field by the other staff, thought for a moment, this might not be the optimal solution, but it was the fastest answer he could come up with.

Two goals that were guaranteed to be scored, two goalkeepers forced to pretend to block the ball, and a line of babies waiting to score.

Within half an hour, everyone worked hard, and the final result was as the babies had initially planned.

And Jin Youliang…

From the moment the babies got the answer, when Wang Zhizhi started preparing to score his 306 goals, Jin Youliang quietly left the monitoring room. Anyway, even until dinner time, Jin Youliang didn’t return.

Later, Shi Dingshan thought about it, Jin Youliang had indeed tried his best, he did manage to muddy the waters. Sadly, he underestimated the pure babies’ determination to achieve their goals, and their persistence in sticking to their agreements.

In the end, Jin Youliang’s efforts did create another highlight, but that highlight still fell on the babies, it had nothing to do with him.

Oh, there were also some scattered rays of light, falling on Wei Chengli and Shen Jianghe.

Shi Dingshan looked at the two, also diligently eating on the screen, pretending to not be able to catch those hundreds of goals, it must have been tiring too.

But that was the trust of the adorable babies.

Back then, after Li Mu calculated the numbers for the babies, since they just had to avoid kicking the ball into their own goals, and there were three balls, at least three babies could have started working simultaneously.

But they didn’t, they chose two.

Hahaha, thinking about this, it was quite cruel to the other dads.

Especially when Wang Qingchuan went to the bathroom later, and Jiang Heye, according to the rules, went to guard the Wang family’s goal, Cheng Rongrong took the third ball and went to…

It seemed like Cheng Feiying was quite nice to Cheng Rongrong before, at least compared to his attitude towards Cheng Tingyan. But today, his attitude wasn’t very good, after deciding to use Shen Jianghe and Wei Chengli, Cheng Rongrong didn’t even suggest using her own dad.

If it was just that, it would have been fine. But why was she so obsessed with Jiang Heye…

Shi Dingshan couldn’t understand it.

But… Cheng Feiying, he was truly, very petty.

Shi Dingshan had only asked Cheng Feiying to call Bai Lei and warn her because he didn’t want her to interfere with the live broadcast again. But he didn’t expect Cheng Feiying to be so furious, and that anger even spread to Cheng Rongrong… He felt a bit bad about it. But the video Qin Sichao filmed might be quite good. If someone was this harsh and unreasonable towards his own family, he wouldn’t be any better to outsiders.

Just as Shi Dingshan was immersed in analyzing other people’s family relationships, Qin Sichao, who had put down his lunchbox and had been staring at the screen silently for a while, suddenly spoke.

“Lao Shan, be honest with me, how are you doing?” Qin Sichao’s voice was low, his expression more serious than before.

“What?” Shi Dingshan didn’t understand, he turned to look at him.

Qin Sichao lowered his eyes, his finger tapping the coffee table gently. “You suddenly want a divorce, you suddenly changed the show from pre-recorded to live broadcast. And the cameraman following that little chubby girl, he seems to be your former stepson, right? Didn’t you say he went to live with his mother, you have nothing to do with him anymore? Why suddenly… You… Are you okay recently?”