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

Chapter 41 p1

Yang Yuanming really didn’t know if the other dads, besides Wei Chengli, would be happy to receive a leaf from their babies…

But obviously, she couldn’t say no.

As a frontline task NPC, the current situation was beyond her authority. Yang Yuanming turned her head, trying to get some guidance through her earpiece.

While Yang Yuanming waited, Shen Zilin couldn’t wait any longer.

By now, he had realized that he had fallen into the program team’s consumption trap ever since he bought the pig this morning. In less than half a day, his debt had piled up. If he let this Sister Yang Yang continue, it wouldn’t end well.

“Maomao, no need for small cups, just scoop a popcorn kernel into my hand, I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my Baby Coins.” Shen Zilin moved closer to Wei Maomao and stretched out his hand.

At this moment, Shen Zilin mastered another skill without any instruction… promising to pay back later.

With Shen Zilin taking the lead, Wang Zhizhi and Wen Dongyu quickly followed suit.

They all needed to unlock the new baby task to earn back their Baby Coins, so naturally, they wouldn’t miss this opportunity to meet the requirements without falling deeper into the program team’s tricks.

Wen Jiangyue hesitated, she had only spent her Baby Coins on half a bag of chocolate beans and the Daddy Iced Drink earlier, and still had plenty left. Although she couldn’t afford a whole bucket of popcorn, she should still have enough to buy something else…

As she was hesitating, Cheng Rongrong, who had been the first to suggest bringing something for their dads, walked up to Wei Maomao and took out a Baby Coin.

Wen Jiangyue was surprised.

The five-and-a-half-year-old girl, of course, couldn’t see through the contradiction in Cheng Rongrong’s actions.

Cheng Rongrong still had plenty of Baby Coins. If Yang Yuanming hadn’t mentioned that it was her suggestion, and if Wei Maomao hadn’t started selling popcorn, she wouldn’t have minded spending more to show her filial piety to the audience, as she wasn’t interested in children’s snacks.

But now, it was different.

Cheng Rongrong sensed that Shen Zilin and the others were already a bit unhappy.

It was advantageous for her if she was enthusiastic and happy while giving gifts to her dad, while others were reluctant, creating a contrast.

But losing the hearts of the babies while gaining the audience’s favor wasn’t a good thing for Cheng Rongrong.

This time, she chose to follow the crowd, not wanting to stand out.

Before Yang Yuanming could even exchange a few words with the person on the other end of her earpiece, the Little Chubby Bunny General Store had opened for business and was selling like hotcakes, leaving her both amused and exasperated.

What else could she do but quickly find some clean paper cups for them? She couldn’t let them carry the popcorn kernels in their hands all the way to their dads…

Yang Yuanming gave each of them a small paper cup, and even Wen Jiangyue, who was still hesitating, had no reason to look for something else.

In the end, when the babies left the convenience store, each of them had a bottle of iced drink and… a popcorn kernel.

Yang Yuanming, the permanent NPC of the convenience store, watched as the tiny babies were led away by other staff members, leaning against the wall and letting out a sigh of relief. She had initially thought that she only needed to be a laid-back cashier, only appearing on camera when the babies came to shop or do tasks to earn Baby Coins, both her working hours and workload would be much lighter than those of the staff following the babies around. But after working for over a day, Yang Yuanming realized she was wrong.

Just explaining to the babies what debt and loans were had already exhausted her.

It wasn’t that the babies didn’t understand, these children were quite smart, after giving a few examples, they basically got it. The problem was… her conscience couldn’t handle it! It was mentally exhausting…

Yang Yuanming had received the instructions to make the babies buy this and that through her earpiece after her conversation with Cheng Rongrong. She couldn’t say anything in front of the cameras and could only follow the instructions. Now that everyone was gone, Yang Yuanming couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Director Zeng, the babies dug for so long yesterday… If it wasn’t for Maomao, they wouldn’t have earned many Baby Coins. Today you made them spend it all at once, even putting them in debt, they don’t look happy at all.” Yang Yuanming hid behind the convenience store, out of sight of the automatic cameras, and whispered into her earpiece. “I’m an adult, earning two hundred yuan a day, and if someone forced me to spend it all on the spot, I wouldn’t be happy either.”

In the distant room filled with monitoring screens, Zeng Huanian glanced at Shi Dingshan, who was sitting next to him drinking tea, cleared his throat, and spoke into the microphone. “They’re different from you. You know you have a stable job, spending your daily salary would only make you slightly unhappy. Children are different, they don’t have the security of a stable income, making them spend all their savings at once would probably make them even unhappier than you.”

Yang Yuanming: ??? So reasonable? Then why did you give that order just now?

But before Yang Yuanming could say anything else, the connection was cut off from the other end.

Zeng Huanian clasped his hands behind his back, pretending to be focused on the babies on the screen.

Shi Dingshan took a sip of tea and scoffed softly, but didn’t offer any further explanation as Zeng Huanian had hoped.

Zeng Huanian’s heart skipped a beat. He really couldn’t understand Shi Dingshan anymore.

When he initially applied for this show, he thought Shi Dingshan must be a very patient and loving person, that’s why he could make the second season of “Where’s Baby Going” so heartwarming and touching. Of course, this impression was personally shattered by Shi Dingshan himself this morning. After hearing about Zhao Tong’s situation, Zeng Huanian thought, at least Shi Dingshan had tried to get those parents to see a doctor, regardless of the outcome, he should be a righteous person who would stand up for the vulnerable children.

But before this impression could solidify for even a couple of hours, Shi Dingshan demonstrated how to exploit child labor and make them pay their parents’ debts…

Zeng Huanian secretly glanced at the man next to him, he couldn’t understand no matter how much he thought about it…

What was Shi Dingshan thinking?

Wei Maomao was also puzzled.

But she was better than Zeng Huanian, if she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t dwell on it. Shi Dingshan might not be a good person, but at least so far, he was better than Jin Youliang. Wei Maomao understood the concept of comparative satisfaction.

Of course, the main reason Wei Maomao didn’t want to delve deeper into Shi Dingshan’s thoughts was… she was busy.

The little chubby bunny, with her short legs, swayed from side to side as she trailed behind the group. Her feet were slow, but her hands were quick.

The bucket of popcorn, excluding the ones she had shared earlier and the few she had sold, was being steadily devoured by the little chubby bunny, one spoonful for herself, then one for Cheng Tingyan, repeating the process throughout their journey to find their dads.

“Are you still hungry? I have the energy bar Wen Dongyu gave me.” Cheng Tingyan, who had been force-fed the last popcorn kernel, was a bit worried that the bunny hadn’t eaten enough.

Wei Maomao waved her hand, she just opened her mouth to speak when a burp escaped.

“Pfft…” Cheng Tingyan patted the stunned little chubby bunny’s back.

Two minutes later, what Wei Chengli was greeted with was a little red bunny.

“Why is your face so red? Are you too hot from the sun?” Wei Chengli squatted down and touched her chubby cheeks. “Did you remember to walk in the shade?”

It’s not from the sun…

“Here, eat.” Wei Maomao pushed away Wei Chengli’s hand, handed him the cup with a single popcorn kernel, and pulled out the iced lemon water from her bunny backpack. “Here, drink.”

“Wow, popcorn and an iced drink! I heard the program team aunties asked you to bring them for us, right? My baby is so good, all that bean grinding wasn’t in vain.” Wei Chengli took the drink, fondly stroking it twice, but didn’t rush to open it. He dug into his pocket and placed a handful of coins in the little chubby dumpling’s hands. “This is what Dad earned this morning, buy something to eat.”

A handful of Baby Coins, heavy in her small chubby paws.

“Daddy…” Wei Maomao stared at the coins for a moment, then looked up. “Daddy, I think the program team is mean.”

“Ah?” Wei Chengli was stunned.

“The drink, ten Baby Coins. Did you earn ten Baby Coins from grinding beans all morning, Daddy?” Wei Maomao asked sincerely, holding up her paw.

“Ten? That’s really mean. I grinded beans all morning, got first place, and only earned eight Daddy Coins… So it wasn’t even enough to buy one bottle of drink?” Wei Chengli was shocked.

“The program team said you worked hard and asked us to spend ten Baby Coins to buy drinks to make you happy. But you worked hard, and you didn’t even add ten Baby Coins to our family. They’re so mean.” Wei Maomao coldly finished her calculation, temporarily putting the Baby Coins into her bunny backpack, and then looked at Wei Chengli. “Daddy, this morning a piglet licked my left foot, it’s because of the egg yolk you dropped this morning.”

“Cough cough… That, didn’t I already apologize? I earned Baby Coins to apologize to you.” Wei Chengli gently poked the bunny backpack.

Wei Maomao’s gaze shifted to the drink bottle.

Wei Chengli followed her gaze.

Alright.

Eight minus ten equals negative two…

He worked hard for a whole morning, but didn’t manage to appease his baby! He even owed her two!

Wei Chengli was stunned for a moment, then pretended to be annoyed. “Ahhh, Daddy worked for nothing! Grinding beans was hot and tiring, so hard! … Who asked you to buy drinks, those meanies!”

Initially, Wei Chengli wanted to play the pity card and change the subject. But in the next second…

The little chubby dumpling pointed her finger accusingly. “Cheng Rongrong!”

“… Cough cough… Wasn’t it the staff?” Wei Chengli coughed.

How come the information the staff relayed to the dads was wrong?

The dads weren’t far apart, and Wei Maomao didn’t lower her voice when she said “Cheng Rongrong.” Wei Chengli was forced to follow her chubby finger and met three gazes directed at him.

“Uh… Rongrong suggested bringing drinks for the dads? They said it was the staff’s suggestion here.” Wei Chengli explained awkwardly, then smiled. “Rongrong is so good.”

Just as he finished speaking, the little rascal lightly slapped his arm.

Wei Maomao said with a straight face, “Daddy, you told me, when someone is selling something worthless, they have their accomplice pretend to buy it, then everyone else will also… Mmm mmm…”

“No, no, no, I never said that…” Wei Chengli knew what Wei Maomao was about to say and quickly covered her mouth.

“Buy… Mmm… Cheng Rong… Mmm… Rong is… Mmm mmm… a shill!” Wei Maomao, unyielding, finished her sentence despite being muffled, even including the final retroflex ending.

“No, no, no, it’s not, it’s not. She was just being kind, kind, okay?” Wei Chengli said, putting on a brave face. “Oh, Daddy will earn more, earn more, okay. We’ll drink the drink together, after it’s not so cold, you drink it first.”

Wei Maomao had said everything she wanted to say and stopped struggling, only hoping it would be edited into the main episode.

Cheng Rongrong had the awareness to stop Cheng Tingyan from telling the truth, but she didn’t have the awareness to consider others’ situations? Did she have to use others’ reluctance to spend money during family conflicts to highlight her own filial piety?

Who couldn’t bully whom, huh?

Wei Chengli lowered his head and coaxed his baby for a while, picked up the popcorn cup, glanced at the large popcorn bucket in Wei Maomao’s hands, and smiled. “Then Daddy will eat this.”

Wei Maomao nodded.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm, delicious, so fragrant and sweet. The popcorn my baby brought back is the best.” Wei Chengli forced himself to eat a single popcorn kernel as if it was a grand feast, trying to use his exaggerated gratitude to make the little chubby dumpling forget about the egg yolk and the pig.

“Are you happy?” Wei Maomao patted Wei Chengli’s shoulder with her chubby paw.

“Happy!” Wei Chengli nodded vigorously.

He was very cooperative, Wei Maomao was satisfied.

Look, this dad was so happy, if the other dads weren’t happy, it was their own problem.

Speaking of which… when Wei Chengli had a wife, he was truly a good husband and father who doted on his wife and daughter.

Actually, during the three years after losing Cheng Tingyan in her previous life, when Wei Maomao occasionally thought of Wei Chengli, she didn’t resent him as much as she did in those early years. She didn’t know if it was because the debt had been paid off, her life wasn’t as hard, or because she began to understand what it was like to see everyone else in a gray light after the brightest light in her life had been extinguished.

She could only say that although he loved his wife and daughter, she was just a bonus to his light, not even a firefly.

Wei Maomao patted the silly Wei Chengli again. Although she had already figured it out after all those years in her previous life, seeing him now, seemingly pouring his heart and soul into loving his daughter, she couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

“Older sister, two popcorn kernels aren’t enough, you have such a big bucket, can you give Dad a few more?”

Cheng Rongrong’s voice, filled with earnest pleading, abruptly pulled Wei Maomao out of her thoughts.

Battle mode! Activated!

Chapter 40 p2

Adding fuel to the fire.

“I don’t like them, thank you.” Wei Maomao gritted her teeth. As expected, things given by annoying people were also annoying, she felt her entire being reject them before even tasting them!

Cheng Rongrong didn’t retract her outstretched hand, seemingly about to persuade her further.

Wei Maomao couldn’t stand it anymore. She clutched her stomach and shouted, “I need to pee!” Then she shoved the popcorn bucket into Cheng Tingyan’s hands and ran off, dragging her along.

Hmph, she wouldn’t stay and be forced to eat beans, or play along with her act of the bad sister rejecting the good little sister.

Cheng Rongrong: “…”

Everyone who used the excuse of needing to use the bathroom agreed, it was a tried and true method.

Since she was already there, Wei Maomao decided to actually use the toilet, then went to the sink, stepped on the stool, and splashed water on her face to cool down.

She really couldn’t stand it. She had always thought it was the Cheng family’s parenting that made Cheng Rongrong so bad. But seeing her wield implicit threats so skillfully, Wei Maomao felt nauseous, she began to suspect that some people were inherently bad, regardless of their age.

Cold water splashed on her face, flowed down her arms, she even cupped some and poured it on her legs. Only then did Wei Maomao’s burning anger subside slightly.

As Wei Maomao walked out of the bathroom, still dripping water, before she could go to the sunny spot to dry herself, she saw Cheng Tingyan standing not far from the bathroom door.

“Yan Yan.” Wei Maomao shook her hands and feet, walking towards her.

Cheng Tingyan didn’t say anything, she just stretched out her fist.

Wei Maomao: ???

Cheng Tingyan opened her palm, revealing a candied kumquat wrapped in transparent cellophane.

“This…” Wei Maomao was stunned.

“I went back to exchange for it just now, I thought you might want to eat it.” Cheng Tingyan pointed to the convenience store in the distance, smiled softly, and murmured, “Compressed biscuits are much more filling than regular biscuits, half a piece can fill you up, while you might need a whole box of regular biscuits. The taste is okay, but it gets a bit greasy if you eat them often. I didn’t answer your question earlier, don’t be mad.”

Wei Maomao: “I’m not…” She wasn’t angry about that, she wasn’t angry at her!

“Do you want to eat it?” Cheng Tingyan interrupted.

At that moment, Wei Maomao sensed Cheng Tingyan’s fear, she seemed to be avoiding further discussion about the compressed biscuits.

That’s just like you, Cheng Rongrong! Always doing good deeds!

Wei Maomao looked at Cheng Tingyan’s hand. “Did you only exchange for one?”

“Two, I ate one.” Cheng Tingyan smiled.

Wei Maomao easily saw the hint of guilt in her smile.

There she was, the person who bullied a three-year-old who couldn’t count past a hundred Baby Coins! Even if she couldn’t count, wouldn’t she know how many she had bought…

“Yan Yan, come here.” Wei Maomao didn’t take the candied kumquat, but instead beckoned with her finger.

Confused, Cheng Tingyan moved closer to the little chubby bunny, who was smiling strangely.

“Open your mouth.” Wei Maomao continued.

Cheng Tingyan, true to her name, obediently opened her mouth, even though she didn’t understand. Then she saw the little chubby bunny suddenly stand on tiptoe, her chubby face quickly approaching.

“Mint flavor.” Wei Maomao put her hands on her hips. “Not candied kumquat flavor! You didn’t eat one!”

“You, you, you…” Cheng Tingyan blushed from the sudden sneak attack, covering her mouth and stammering, “How could you do that!” She had leaned in so close that she almost thought she was going to bite the little chubby bunny…

“How could I tell you only bought one without smelling it?” Wei Maomao said righteously.

Well, the person without a valid argument always loses steam.

“It was too expensive, forty Baby Coins for one…” Cheng Tingyan squeezed the candied kumquat in her hand, the cellophane wrapper crinkling.

“So expensive!” Wei Maomao exclaimed.

Think about it, lollipops were only twenty Baby Coins. Putting aside personal preferences, a candied kumquat was gone after a few chews, while two lollipops could be enjoyed for a long time.

Wei Maomao originally wanted to buy another one, one for each of them, but poverty stopped her.

However, eating alone was impossible, impossible in this lifetime.

“Then, shall we split this one?” Wei Maomao suggested weakly.

Cheng Tingyan, who had failed in her deception, immediately agreed. “Then wait for me.”

Before Wei Maomao could suggest asking Yang Yuanming for a knife, Cheng Tingyan shoved the popcorn bucket into her arms and ran into the bathroom.

After the sound of running water, Cheng Tingyan came out, wiping the candied kumquat with a handkerchief.

“Do you want to bite it, or should I?” Cheng Tingyan held out her hand, a clean, cellophane-wrapped candied kumquat resting on her handkerchief.

“You.” Wei Maomao quickly made her choice, her face reddening uncontrollably. Although it was still wrapped, it felt a bit awkward, this was something close friends would do, right? In her previous life… were they that close?

Cheng Tingyan, on the other hand, confidently bit the candied kumquat in half through the cellophane, then went back into the bathroom to wash the wrapper.

After this complicated and hygienic process, they finally each had half a candied kumquat in their mouths.

Wei Maomao carefully nibbled off a small piece and chewed. It was sweet, with the unique aroma of kumquat…

Very delicious.

Ever since Cheng Tingyan told her about the candied kumquat in her previous life, Wei Maomao would also buy some when she was feeling down. Although she didn’t feel like she was a fruit like Cheng Tingyan described, eating something sweet and fragrant like this was indeed very stress-relieving.

In this life…

Cheng Tingyan had tasted candied kumquat earlier, would she… still find it delicious? When she was unhappy in the future, would she still have this sweet and fragrant treat to comfort her?

After swallowing the small piece of candied kumquat, Wei Maomao licked the remaining portion in her cheek, glancing at Cheng Tingyan with a worried expression.

Cheng Tingyan was eating very earnestly.

“Yan Yan… Is it delicious?” Wei Maomao couldn’t help but ask. Because her mouth was still full, she only managed to utter these few words, pausing to swallow.

“Delicious.” Cheng Tingyan nodded. “Very fragrant. Do you think it’s delicious?”

“Delicious…” Wei Maomao mumbled. “But is it just fragrant?”

“It’s also sweet?” Cheng Tingyan looked at the little chubby bunny.

“It’s fragrant and sweet.” Wei Maomao smiled, but felt a strange sense of loss in her heart.

So, because of her premature intervention, the candied kumquat wasn’t as special to Cheng Tingyan anymore…

Seeing the little chubby bunny, who had been smiling with puffed cheeks, suddenly lower her gaze, Cheng Tingyan didn’t know why, but she didn’t like it when the little chubby bunny looked unhappy.

“It’s very fragrant, Maomao ate candied kumquat, you smell so good.” Cheng Tingyan leaned closer to the little chubby bunny, sniffing her, then said teasingly, “Like a sweet little fruit.”

Wei Maomao froze.

So, even though it was earlier in this life, she still felt like she was a sweet little fruit after eating it?

Coming back to this life, Wei Maomao wanted to change many things, that was true, but now she realized that she also wanted certain things to remain the same. It was somewhat contradictory, change always led to more change. But at least this time, it hadn’t changed, it was good.

“Yan Yan also smells good, like a sweet little fruit!” Wei Maomao suppressed the tears welling up in her eyes and smiled.

“No, no.” Cheng Tingyan shook her head.

Wei Maomao: ???

“We each ate half.” Cheng Tingyan smiled, reaching out to poke Wei Maomao’s still puffed cheeks. “I’m half a sweet little fruit, and you’re the other half.”

Wei Maomao: “…”

Something seemed wrong, but it also seemed quite reasonable.

On the screen, the little chubby bunny, looking silly, slowly grinned.

The viewers in the live broadcast room were speechless.

“I never thought I would one day watch two little babies split a fruit and smile like an auntie, hehe…”

“Babies are truly the cutest!”

“Hahaha, our Yan Yan is such a cutie, she actually bit the candied kumquat through the wrapper, so hygienic, she even washed the wrapper. From the perspective of manufacturing process, the candied kumquat is probably less clean than the wrapper now.”

“Hahaha, Maomao really! Yan Yan even ate your dad’s scallion oil noodles this morning, shouldn’t you be smelling scallions? You can still smell the mint from her toothpaste, you’re truly in love!”

“What kind of sweet talk is that ‘half a fruit’ line, I’m thirty and I still can’t say sweet things like that!”

“It’s truly sweet, I can even smell the sweetness without eating it, smack, smack.”

“Sigh, first I was moved by the compressed biscuits, now I’m touched by the candied kumquat. I didn’t even eat anything, but my mood is like a rollercoaster.”

“What kind of life has our Yan Yan lived, why does she know so much about expired snacks, compressed biscuits, dried vegetables, and stuff… Now Dongdong is joining the club too.”

“Dongdong is a bit better, the program team doesn’t sell compressed biscuits, they substituted them with energy bars, I’m speechless.”

“So, after the show, will Yan Yan and Dongdong go stock up on expired compressed biscuits together? I really… Are Cheng Feiying and Wen Xiang even doing their jobs, I want to donate to raise these kids!”

…

The babies in the village were unaware of the chuckles and sighs in the live broadcast room.

Wen Dongyu, who was being pitied by many, was happily holding two energy bars as he came out of the convenience store, bumping into Cheng Tingyan and Wei Maomao who were returning.

“Yan Yan! Compressed biscuits!” Wen Dongyu handed one to her. “Thank you for telling me about this good stuff, I’m giving you one, Rongrong said you like to eat them.”

“… “ Wei Maomao pointed at the words “energy bar” on the package. “Compressed bis… just three words?”

Wen Dongyu handed one to Cheng Tingyan. “Sister Yang Yang said energy bars are the same as compressed biscuits. Yan Yan, next time take me to buy more cheap ones, okay?”

With that, Wen Dongyu put the remaining energy bar in his pocket, turned to the piglet at the door, and clapped his hands. “Xixi, come here for a hug!”

As Wen Dongyu was hugging the pig, the others also came out one after another.

Wang Zhizhi handed them beef jerky. “I shared it with the others, these last two are for you.”

“Alright, have all the babies bought their favorite things?” Yang Yuanming’s gaze swept over Wen Dongyu, who was inseparable from the pig, her lips twitching slightly. “Sister Yang Yang has something to say. Our dads, they completed their tasks early this morning, got the ingredients, and made breakfast for the babies. Now, they’re at the mill, pushing heavy stone mills to grind beans, and later they’ll process the soy milk into tofu for the babies to eat. Just now, Rongrong suggested that we buy something here to show our appreciation for our dads. What do you think, should we do that?”

“Yes!” Cheng Rongrong raised her hand in support. She agreed readily, but no one knew the annoyance brewing in her heart. She had clearly asked Yang Yuanming to keep it a secret, why did she still mention her name! This suggestion, in the eyes of the audience, was considerate towards her father, but to these children, it might seem unnecessary. Cheng Rongrong wanted the audience’s favor, but she didn’t want to offend these little ones! Now she was being put on the spot! Cheng Rongrong only dared to look at Yang Yuanming, not daring to turn and see if the other children were looking at her.

After a brief silence, Wen Jiangyue shyly nodded.

“Right, we’ve launched a special drink to show appreciation for dads. For only ten Baby Coins, you can get a bottle of refreshing iced drink.” Yang Yuanming beckoned to the staff nearby, and a basket of chilled drinks was brought over.

Wei Maomao stood on tiptoe to take a look. Alright, six bottles, meticulously planned.

“If the babies don’t have enough Baby Coins right now, you can buy them on loan. You just need to earn Baby Coins from doing tasks later today, and you can pay it back.” Yang Yuanming smiled kindly.

Wei Maomao: “…”

She and Cheng Tingyan weren’t short of money, but Shen Zilin and Wang Zhizhi were probably almost broke, and there was also Wen Dongyu, who had suddenly decided to stock up on food…

The program team was quite something, first emphasizing the greatness of parents, then highlighting the filial piety of certain children, then guiding other children to spend money, even opening up a loan business… Seriously, wouldn’t the program team consider switching to the financial industry?

Just as these manipulative tactics were reaching their peak, the drinks were already presented, and with a frontrunner in place, what could the others do?

Those who could pay paid, those who couldn’t took out loans, regardless of what they thought, most children followed the crowd.

For some reason, Wei Maomao felt a small sense of relief as the task was smoothly completed.

However, her relief was premature.

“Now that we have drinks, shouldn’t we also buy some food for our dads? Look at all the food we have in our store.” Yang Yuanming moved on to the next step. “If our babies also bring some food for their dads, we can unlock a new task for the babies!”

Yang Yuanming seamlessly transitioned to the next stage. But the babies, who were already approaching poverty, even burdened with debt, were a bit hesitant to follow.

But if they didn’t keep up, they wouldn’t have a new task, and how would they repay their debts…

Wei Maomao frowned, her gaze quickly scanning the others.

Shen Zilin, who was already broke, Wen Dongyu, who was clearly having a conflict with Wen Xiang, and Wang Qingchuan, who hadn’t said a single word to Wang Zhizhi when he came for the pig incident earlier.

They had already bought drinks, did the program team think that since it was a renewable currency earned through tasks, it didn’t matter if they continued to squeeze them dry as long as it moved the show along?

Even adults wouldn’t be happy to spend money on their children when they were angry, let alone a few-year-old children…

Among the items in the convenience store, apart from a few cheaper pig products, everything else, especially food, seemed to cost no less than fifteen Baby Coins.

Children’s hearts were sensitive and naive. They didn’t have much to begin with, some were poor, some had distant relationships with their fathers, some had conflicts.

Did Cheng Rongrong, who made the suggestion, or the program team, who jumped on the bandwagon, not have the awareness to consider others’ situations? Bringing up this kind of thing at this moment, how positive would the response be?

Mutual giving, logically speaking, was fine. But… in their current situation, would they actually follow the suggestion? Now that it was explicitly proposed, how would they be portrayed if they didn’t participate, if this was edited into the main episode?

Wei Maomao looked at the silent group and felt it was time to step in.

Continuing to force them… they could force themselves to buy things, but if it was filmed, it might…

Wei Maomao looked at the popcorn bucket in her arms, she could eat a little less.

“Selling popcorn, one Baby Coin per kernel.” Wei Maomao looked at the others seriously. “Buy one for Dad, love him for a whole year.”

Everyone: “…”

“Maomao, you’re selling them so expensive!” Cheng Rongrong was the first to jump out and accuse her. “Who would buy a single popcorn kernel for their dad!”

“I will.” Shen Zilin quickly understood her intention and stepped forward, smiling at Wei Maomao. “Can I owe you one Baby Coin?”

Wei Maomao nodded and turned to Yang Yuanming. “Sister Yang Yang, can I have a few small cups?”

“Maomao, we’re talking about our dads working hard, buying something for them to make them happy… this one popcorn kernel…” Yang Yuanming was speechless.

“Sister Yang Yang, my dad said he’s happy even if I give him a single leaf. Aren’t other dads the same?” Wei Maomao tilted her head and asked.

Chapter 40p1

Life is unpredictable, and the same goes for the life of a pig.

A village pig that had been chasing people, within an hour, gained a name, an owner, a keeper, friends, and now…

Standing outside the convenience store, Wei Maomao looked up at the newly added pig product shelf facing the entrance and clicked her tongue. They were so good at stimulating consumption, why were these people making a variety show? Wouldn’t running a business be more profitable?

Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan walked faster and had already entered the store, while the others were still a few steps behind, just arriving at the entrance.

“Xixi is very well-behaved, I’ll hold onto it, I won’t let it run around or eat randomly! Just let it come in and have a look!”

Wen Dongyu, wanting to broaden the piglet’s horizons, was pleading with the staff member at the door.

Wei Maomao looked back and saw the staff member holding onto the pig’s rope with a determined expression. It seemed Wen Dongyu would have a hard time getting his wish.

“So mean!” Shen Zilin walked up to Wei Maomao, squatted down, and flipped through the various pig bibs, headbands, and shoes on the bottom shelf, grumbling, “Why are they so expensive!”

Wei Maomao glanced at the price tags. In this convenience store where even lollipops cost twenty Baby Coins, a pig bib being the same price was… acceptable, right?

Wei Maomao, already a multimillionaire, had no idea how hard life was for Shen Zilin, who was broke and burdened with debt.

Shen Zilin touched the only six Baby Coins left in his pocket, thinking about the three hundred Baby Coin loan hanging over his head. No matter how cute the yellow pig bib was, he had to put it back.

“So mean!” Shen Zilin reluctantly returned the bib to the shelf, grumbling again.

The pig products were all very cute, perfectly appealing to a child’s aesthetics. However, as an adult, Wei Maomao wouldn’t fall for the program team’s trap and make impulsive purchases.

Her goal was clear, a bucket of popcorn was all she wanted today!

Wei Maomao pulled Cheng Tingyan along, Cheng Tingyan pulling her small suitcase, and they quickly arrived in front of the popcorn machine.

Just as Cheng Tingyan was about to ask a staff member for a bucket, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the little chubby bunny, who had been eagerly heading for the popcorn, was now looking elsewhere.

It was…

“Maomao, do you want to eat that?” Cheng Tingyan followed the little chubby bunny’s gaze, pointing to a bucket of orange things on a low table not far away.

Yesterday, when they arrived, the convenience store had only opened the main door, letting them wander around empty-handed for a while, increasing their motivation to dig for treasure later, before sending them away. Today, perhaps to stimulate consumption, all the shutters on the side of the convenience store were rolled up, letting the bright sunlight stream in, illuminating the merchandise, making it look bright and enticing.

On the low table, which Wei Maomao hadn’t paid much attention to yesterday, a ray of light seemed to dance inside a transparent plastic container, giving the orange balls crammed inside a warm, fuzzy glow.

“…” Wei Maomao turned her head, her eyes filled with a complex emotion she couldn’t conceal. “Yan Yan, do you know what that is?”

“The orange balls in the transparent container? I don’t know…” Cheng Tingyan smiled sheepishly, glanced at Yang Yuanming standing at the door, and whispered, “Do you want to know, Maomao? Should I go ask Sister Yang Yang?”

“No need, I know…” Wei Maomao stopped her.

“Then do you want to eat it?” Cheng Tingyan didn’t really care what it was, she only cared if the little chubby bunny wanted to eat it.

However, even after Cheng Tingyan asked twice, Wei Maomao couldn’t give a straight answer. She pursed her lips repeatedly, then asked softly, “Do you want to eat it?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Wei Maomao regretted it.

She shouldn’t have kept staring at it after seeing it, and even less so after catching Cheng Tingyan’s attention and asking that question.

Wei Maomao could still clearly remember what Cheng Tingyan had told her in her previous life.

[Something very unpleasant happened that day, I walked around outside for a long time and didn’t go home. That candied kumquat was given to me as change when I bought bread. It was my first time seeing and tasting candied kumquat. It was so intensely sweet and fragrant that it felt like my entire body was washed by the aroma. After eating it, I felt so fragrant, I felt like… a special fruit? It’s funny, right? I thought it was funny at the time, and my mood suddenly improved. Afterwards, whenever I was feeling down, I would eat candied kumquat. Even later, when I was watching my weight and didn’t eat much sweets, I always kept some on hand.]

Although Wei Maomao didn’t ask what those unpleasant things were in her previous life, it was a fact that candied kumquat later became Cheng Tingyan’s mood booster.

The specialness of certain things perhaps required specific situations and emotions. Wei Maomao didn’t know if those unpleasant things she wasn’t aware of would still happen in this life. But at the very least, she shouldn’t prematurely change the course of events with the candied kumquat.

“I…” Cheng Tingyan didn’t expect Wei Maomao to ask her back. She hesitated for a moment, but was interrupted by the little chubby bunny before she could speak.

“Let’s buy popcorn, Sister Yang Yang is looking over here!” Wei Maomao restrained herself from looking at the jar of candied kumquat and waved at Yang Yuanming in the distance.

Cheng Tingyan’s attention was immediately redirected back to the popcorn.

They received a bucket of freshly made popcorn, still warm even through the paper container.

“Smells good.” Wei Maomao took a deep breath and handed it to Cheng Tingyan. “Here, Yan Yan, eat.”

Cheng Tingyan picked up the small spoon from the bucket, but first fed a popcorn kernel to the little chubby bunny.

Crispy, sweet, and milky! Popcorn was truly delicious! Wei Maomao squinted her eyes, feeling content for a moment, but then was brought back to reality by a voice from nearby.

“Aren’t you guys buying beef jerky anymore?” Wang Zhizhi was a bit confused. “Didn’t we agree to buy it together?”

“I’m out of money… I spent twenty on Xixi.” Shen Zilin was embarrassed to mention the loan and only stated the down payment. He held up a pair of yellow socks. “My last six Baby Coins, I bought socks for Xixi.”

“…” Wang Zhizhi was speechless for a moment, then couldn’t help but complain. “Why does a pig need to wear socks? Even if it needs socks, it has four feet! These two socks…”

Just then, Wen Dongyu raised his right hand, holding a pair of identical socks.

Wang Zhizhi: “…”

Wen Dongyu hesitantly withdrew his hand, glancing at Wang Zhizhi sheepishly. “I could only spend six Baby Coins, I have to control myself, I need to save them and spend them slowly in the future.”

“But Baby Coins can only be used while we’re filming…” Cheng Tingyan couldn’t help but remind him. “When we go home, there won’t be this Baby Convenience Store, we won’t have anywhere to spend Baby Coins.”

“I know.” Wen Dongyu twiddled his fingers. “I want to save more and buy something useful when we leave.”

Wei Maomao raised her spoon, distributing popcorn to them. When she got to Wang Zhizhi, thinking about the Daddy Card he had given her before, she generously scooped a few extra spoonfuls for him. Then she turned to Wen Dongyu, curiously asking, “What’s ‘useful’?”

She really couldn’t imagine anything useful in this shady store, it was all food, oh, and now there were overpriced pig products.

“Like…” Wen Dongyu thought for a moment, then gave examples. “Rice, noodles, potatoes… things that can fill you up for a long time after just one bite.”

What? Buying such useful things?

Wei Maomao’s hand trembled, and a popcorn kernel fell to the ground.

Wen Dongyu’s words left everyone who heard him momentarily speechless.

Cheng Tingyan was the fastest to react inside the store, breaking the stunned silence. “Are you going to eat them yourself?”

Wen Dongyu nodded.

“Do you know how to cook them?” Cheng Tingyan asked again.

Wen Dongyu shook his head blankly.

Cheng Tingyan pursed her lips, seemingly hesitating for a moment, then said firmly in a low voice, “Then rice, noodles, potatoes… are not useful for you. You should buy compressed biscuits, eating half a piece will keep you full for a day, you can eat them straight out of the package, and they’re nutritious. If you have hot water, you can buy some dried vegetable packets and soak them with the biscuits.”

“Yan Yan…” Wei Maomao was so shocked by Cheng Tingyan’s knowledgeable words that she almost dropped the popcorn bucket.

“Yan Yan! You’re amazing! I’m going to buy those biscuits! And dried vegetables!” Wen Dongyu’s excited voice, full of admiration, drowned out Wei Maomao’s soft murmur.

“They’re compressed biscuits, regular biscuits won’t keep you full.” Cheng Tingyan carefully corrected him, then added, “I know where to get cheap ones, you can ask me after the show, I’ll take you there.”

“Yan Yan! You’re the best!” Wen Dongyu clutched his chest, turning to run towards Yang Yuanming, who seemed to be frozen in place. “Sister Yang Yang! Do you have biscuits here, no, compressed biscuits?”

“You guys… why can’t I understand what you’re saying?” Wang Zhizhi felt a headache coming on.

“I… don’t understand either.” Shen Zilin, clutching the pig socks, thought about Cheng Tingyan mentioning expired snacks the day before. If it was just Cheng Tingyan, he might have been able to follow the plot, but what did this have to do with Wen Dongyu?

The others couldn’t understand, but Wei Maomao had a hunch. This was undoubtedly another part of Cheng Tingyan’s past that she hadn’t mentioned to her.

Because she had never heard about it, she was once again shocked, but someone was even faster than her.

“Wen Wen and I bought a bag of chocolate beans, let’s share them with everyone!” Cheng Rongrong, pulling Wen Jiangyue along, came around from behind a couple of shelves, her face beaming with a friendly smile.

But no one knew the resentment and frustration brewing in her heart at this moment.

Yesterday’s events, along with what happened this morning, had made Cheng Rongrong realize that things weren’t quite right. Although these little brats still talked to her nicely, and she wasn’t left out of their group activities, she felt like she couldn’t truly fit in. Perhaps it was the generation gap caused by age and experience, she still couldn’t enter that childish state. In other situations, Cheng Rongrong wouldn’t bother playing social games with these little things whose average age was only five. But here it was different… Cheng Rongrong had to join them to have a chance to become the center of attention, to receive the attention and future she desired.

So she once again chose Wen Jiangyue, persuading her to buy something together and then share it with everyone, hoping to use Wen Jiangyue to integrate into the group of childish fools again.

But she didn’t expect Wen Jiangyue to be so slow in choosing something, and even less so that these people would be mumbling about compressed biscuits.

The chocolate section was some distance from where Cheng Tingyan and Wen Dongyu were talking earlier. Initially, Cheng Rongrong didn’t know what they were discussing, her mind mostly occupied with how to subtly guide Wen Jiangyue to choose something quickly. When Wen Jiangyue finally settled on the chocolate beans, she pulled her along and happened to hear Wen Dongyu praising Cheng Tingyan as the best, then turning to ask the staff for compressed biscuits.

Wen Dongyu, the guy who would hug Wei Chengli’s leg and call him “Dad”, had already been removed from Cheng Rongrong’s list of priority targets. Now what she cared about was, did Cheng Tingyan just mention compressed biscuits?

Others might not know, but Cheng Rongrong knew. When Cheng Feiying was filming, he would be away for months, and Bai Lei would only take her along when she went back to her parents’ house or traveled. Sometimes the nanny would stay at home to look after Cheng Tingyan, and sometimes the nanny would also be taken away, leaving Cheng Tingyan unattended. Cheng Tingyan, at home, lived like a mute, also like a guest, her personal morals seemed to have a strange standard. For a while, Cheng Rongrong was quite curious about how Cheng Tingyan, who never touched the snacks in the cabinet or the food in the fridge, survived when no one was watching. She checked the trash can a few times and found compressed biscuit wrappers…

That wasn’t interesting at all. As expected of the strong female lead from a web novel, she had a backbone.

That was a long time ago, Cheng Rongrong had almost forgotten about it, but now she heard it again.

Come to think of it, Cheng Tingyan was quite obedient at home, but since they arrived here yesterday, she had been acting differently. Cheng Rongrong was a bit worried that she might blurt out something in a moment of impulsiveness, so she quickly dragged Wen Jiangyue over.

For children, changing the topic was enough to make them forget what they were discussing earlier. As long as they didn’t delve deeper, compressed biscuits might just be Cheng Tingyan’s personal preference.

Cheng Rongrong thought it was a good plan, the chocolate beans were being distributed, but someone just had to be so inconsiderate, not following her lead.

“Yan Yan, are compressed biscuits much better than regular biscuits? Are they delicious? How do you know about them?”

Wei Maomao’s voice suddenly rang out, her childish voice sounding incredibly jarring to Cheng Rongrong.

“Of course it’s because older sister has eaten them before, she likes them, she bought them herself. I saw the wrappers in the trash can at home several times.” Cheng Rongrong suppressed her annoyance and replied innocently. “I haven’t eaten them, I don’t know if they’re delicious.”

Damn it! Even now, she still had to take a jab at her for eating alone, huh?

Wei Maomao’s fists clenched.

Wait…

Wei Maomao frowned, then quickly relaxed, feigning surprise. “How do you know those wrappers were from compressed biscuits? Sister Rongrong, you’re only half a year older than me, you already know so many words?”

“… “ Cheng Rongrong froze, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She quickly realized they were live, she had to answer quickly. “I asked Mom, Mom thinks compressed biscuits aren’t as nutritious as proper meals. But older sister kept buying them herself. Older sister, Mom told you to listen to Dad before we came here, don’t eat compressed biscuits on the show. Dad will be angry.”

Cheng Rongrong rattled off her explanation quickly. This annoying Wei Maomao almost scared her to death. Thankfully, she remembered that she had once shared the treasure she “accidentally” found after knocking over the trash can with Bai Lei. Bai Lei certainly didn’t say anything about compressed biscuits being less nutritious than meals, what she said was “Quite clever, no wonder she didn’t starve to death.” Cheng Rongrong didn’t remember if Bai Lei had told her they were compressed biscuits, but Bai Lei probably didn’t remember either. This question needed an explanation, after all, she was only three and a half years old and couldn’t read yet… As for the rest of her words, they were a warning to Cheng Tingyan.

With this inquisitive Wei Maomao around, she had to remind Cheng Tingyan of what she had promised before coming here, to remind her that if Cheng Feiying was angry, the medical expenses wouldn’t be easy to handle.

Seeing Cheng Tingyan lower her gaze and purse her lips, a look of restraint appearing on her face, Cheng Rongrong was relieved.

Cheng Tingyan understood, and Wei Maomao also understood.

Great, now Cheng Tingyan definitely wouldn’t answer those questions. If she insisted on asking further, Cheng Tingyan might even distance herself from her, destroying the closeness they had painstakingly built.

Another opportunity wasted because of these jerks!

She wanted to hit someone, Wei Maomao looked down at her clenched fists.

“Maomao, here, have some.” Cheng Rongrong offered the bag of chocolate beans.

Chapter 39 p2

“Baby, are you okay? Let me see!” Wei Chengli rushed into the group of babies, scooped up his own, and held her high, asking anxiously, “Which foot did the pig bite? Let me see!”

Wei Maomao expressionlessly lifted her left foot, which had just been washed with hand soap and rinsed several times with water, slowly raising it until it was level with Wei Chengli’s nose.

Wei Chengli: “…” This expression, this attitude, this foot, why did he have a bad feeling about this?

Silence spread between father and daughter.

The silent standoff had just begun when it was interrupted by the second person to arrive.

Shen Jianghe came to a stop, bending over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily. “Maomao, Yan Yan, are you alright?”

Both shook their heads.

“Daddy…” Shen Zilin, standing behind Shen Jianghe, tugged at his clothes gently.

“Wait a moment.” Shen Jianghe carefully examined the two little girls’ hands and feet, then turned to his son’s iodine-stained hand. “And you, are you okay?”

“Daddy…” Shen Zilin glanced at the chubby little girl in Wei Chengli’s arms, hesitating to speak, only pulling Shen Jianghe’s clothes to the side.

Shen Jianghe noticed Shen Zilin’s glance, a small flower blooming in his heart. He put on a helpless expression. “Alright, alright, now you want a hug from Dad.”

With that, Shen Jianghe scooped up his seemingly dazed son.

“Who! Who wants a hug from you!” Shen Zilin, forced to sit on Shen Jianghe’s arm, was so flustered that he momentarily forgot about the pig.

“Just act spoiled, no need to be tsundere, okay?” Shen Jianghe patted his son’s back, then turned to Wei Maomao apologetically. “Maomao, I’m so sorry, your friend gave you a pig as a gift, and it caused so much trouble, really…”

Wei Maomao: “Gift pig?”

Shen Zilin: “Dad!”

Sometimes, the tacit understanding between parents and children was truly remarkable. Like Wei Chengli, just from that slight lift of the foot, he had already thought of some unlikely possibilities, and was starting to plan for his future. And like Shen Jianghe, completely oblivious to his son’s attempts to stop him, he blurted everything out.

The viewers in the live broadcast room watched helplessly as Shen Zilin, like a frostbitten eggplant on this hot summer day, wilted little by little.

“So, this is… a gift pig? A gift… man-eating pig?”

“For Maomao, right? Didn’t Shen Jianghe give Shen Zilin examples of how to make girls happy yesterday… he mentioned giving pets.”

“Instead of fluffy cats and dogs… he went to the pigsty next door and grabbed a pig?”

“No… that can’t be right? That pigsty is pretty dirty, and probably smelly, CEO Shen spent a long time sealing the windows with newspapers last night, how could there be such a clean and cute little pig there?”

“I, I’ll explain. I visited Shen Zilin’s live broadcast room this morning, let me timidly speak… It’s indeed from that pigsty, but he didn’t just grab one randomly, Shen Zilin took out a loan from the program team to buy it. Currently, he paid a down payment of twenty Baby Coins for this pig and still owes three hundred Baby Coins…”

“Wow… as expected of a businessman, even pigs are bought on loan?”

“It was Shen Jianghe’s idea to take out a loan, they even washed the pig together this morning.”

“Hahaha, I’ll add to that, washing it wasn’t enough, Shen Jianghe even wanted to tie a bow on the pig, hahahahaha!”

“CEO Shen’s taste, ordinary people can’t quite handle it, haha.”

“No wonder Shen Jianghe was the second fastest after Wei Chengli, every step of this gift-giving process involved him, he’s jointly responsible!”

“Honestly, saying CEO Shen is jointly responsible is a bit unfair. I saw the staff mention this morning that this piglet is only a month old, still drinking milk and hasn’t started on solid food yet. Then Shen Zilin, to build rapport with the pig, fed it a boiled egg…”

“Hahaha! Got it, it tasted meat. Eggs are delicious! No wonder it went straight for CEO Mao’s chubby foot!”

“This is awkward now, the gift almost ate the recipient, hahaha. I think Shen Zilin was pulling on his dad because he didn’t want to mention the pig gift anymore, but CEO Shen messed it up.”

“Hahaha, his son finally asked him something he’s good at, and it backfired the next day, CEO Shen is really having a hard time.”

“I’m dying of laughter, the target of affection changed from girl to baby girl, mistakes are inevitable, hahaha!”

“Director Wei with the egg yolk, CEO Shen with the loan pig, poor CEO Mao, what would you do without Yan Yan!”

“Tsk tsk, the worst one just appeared on camera. Cheng Rongrong couldn’t hold onto the pig, but nothing happened to her. Cheng Feiying arrived and immediately checked her all over, asking repeatedly. If it weren’t for Cheng Rongrong mentioning Cheng Tingyan, would he even remember he has a daughter who pried a pig’s mouth open with her bare hands?”

“Honestly, I’m almost used to it. Cheng Feiying seems to care about Yan Yan verbally, but when something happens, it’s always Rongrong who gets all the attention.”

“Men’s words, deceitful ghosts!”

…

Cheng Feiying was unaware of the online discussions. From his perspective, he had two daughters, it was only natural to check on them one by one. However, he had been slow to arrive, unaware that the contrast between people was highly amplified in front of the camera. Regardless of what Wei Chengli and Shen Jianghe had unintentionally done, their reactions upon arrival were enough to highlight Cheng Feiying’s favoritism.

The other dads also arrived quickly. Since nothing had happened to their babies, they hadn’t run as desperately as the first two.

After checking on each other, confirming that the babies were all fine, the dads were relieved and headed back to the mill, after all, there were two more rounds of beans waiting to be ground.

As for how Wei Chengli was fueled with adrenaline during the next two rounds of bean grinding, steadily securing first place to Wang Qingchuan’s astonishment, that’s a story for another time.

Because of the piglet incident, both Wei Maomao and Shen Zilin, covered in mud from rolling on the ground, had to go back to clean up and change their clothes. The other babies unanimously agreed to go back to the village with them, waiting until everyone was ready before continuing their journey.

Now the only question remaining was…

Shen Zilin picked up the rope attached to the piglet’s collar and hesitantly walked towards Wei Maomao. He stopped before getting close.

“Maomao, do you want to keep this piglet?” Cheng Rongrong, acting as a mind reader, stood beside Shen Zilin. Wen Dongyu seemed a bit out of it, she had to repair the image she had damaged in front of Shen Zilin.

Shen Zilin looked at Wei Maomao with anticipation.

“Brother Shen, why don’t you keep it, and we can all play with it together?” Wei Maomao couldn’t bear to reject the child’s goodwill. If it was a cat, a dog, or even a chicken, she would have kept it. But… a pig, it would grow to several hundred pounds in no time. Their house was too small, she couldn’t handle it…

“You, you don’t like it? Is it because it chased after you?” Shen Zilin’s eyes dimmed slightly, but his instinct made him want to try and salvage the situation.

“It’s very cute. But I’m still a little baby, I can only take care of myself. How about we let its mommy take care of it!” Wei Maomao tried to persuade him.

“Its mommy can’t, she makes it so dirty.” Shen Zilin disagreed.

Wei Maomao: “…”

“Brother Shen, can I take care of it?” Cheng Rongrong chimed in.

“You can’t, you can’t hold onto it.” Shen Zilin’s rejection was even quicker. He paused, glancing at Wei Maomao. “Maomao is right, you’re a little baby, you can’t hold onto it either. But I’m a big baby now, I can!”

Wei Maomao: “…”

“Then, then I’ll give it to you, you don’t have to take care of it, I’ll take care of it, okay?” Shen Zilin, feeling he had found the perfect solution, his eyes sparkled.

Wei Maomao: ??? Giving a pig with a dedicated pig keeper?

“You’ll feed it, bathe it, and put it to sleep?” Cheng Tingyan, seeing Wei Maomao’s hesitation, asked Shen Zilin for confirmation.

“Yes, I’ll do it.” Shen Zilin nodded sincerely.

At this point, Wei Maomao didn’t know what to say. It was just the nominal ownership, she didn’t really care, why hurt a sincere pig keeper.

Wei Maomao nodded. Shen Zilin, the newly appointed pig keeper, got his wish and didn’t feel anything was amiss, happily chattering on the way home.

“It’s very well-behaved, the most well-behaved of all the piglets!”

“I checked with the pig farmer this morning, it’s very healthy.”

“The assistant brother said that after a few days, when it gets used to everyone, we won’t need to use the rope anymore.”

“It’s still drinking milk now, but it can already eat other things! I fed it a boiled egg this morning!”

“Pigs are very smart, Dad said when it grows up, it can guard the house, it will bite bad guys when they come!”

…

Shen Zilin’s happiness manifested in non-stop chatter.

As Wei Maomao listened, she couldn’t help but glance at him when he mentioned the boiled egg, heh, the second Egg Yolk Man. Her gaze then naturally drifted to the silent Wen Dongyu nearby.

The role of the chatterbox had changed today, she really wasn’t used to it. When she saw Wei Chengli this morning, Wen Dongyu didn’t even call him “Dad” anymore, was it because Wen Xiang had lectured him too harshly last night?

But no matter how much Wei Maomao thought about it, she couldn’t imagine how Wen Xiang had “lectured” him last night.

Because they had to gather soon, the babies didn’t return to their respective homes but decided to go to the two who needed to change clothes and wait for them there.

They arrived at Wei Maomao’s house first. Cheng Tingyan led Wei Maomao by the hand, walking at the front, and Wen Jiangyue quickly followed.

Just as the three entered the courtyard, they heard Shen Zilin’s voice from behind.

“Boys come with me, girls stay here, what are you doing?”

Wei Maomao turned around and saw that Wen Dongyu had already stepped halfway into the courtyard, while Cheng Rongrong was still standing beside Shen Zilin, seemingly intending to follow them.

It wasn’t like they were bathing together, waiting in the courtyard was fine. Looking at Wen Dongyu’s unusual silence, so different from yesterday, Wei Maomao wanted to say something.

But before she could speak, Wen Dongyu retracted his foot and walked to Shen Zilin’s side without a word.

In the end, as Shen Zilin had assigned, Cheng Rongrong stayed, and Wen Dongyu went with them.

Wei Maomao really didn’t want to leave Cheng Tingyan alone with Cheng Rongrong, so she apologized to Wen Jiangyue, using the excuse that Cheng Tingyan’s hands needed to be washed thoroughly after touching the pig, and pulled her into the inner room.

Although Wei Maomao had proven with her actions last night that she could bathe by herself, and the showerhead had been adjusted to the right height for her, Liu Ming still followed them in, worried. However, she couldn’t enter the bathroom, as even Cheng Tingyan, who had already washed her hands, was sent out. This was truly the most privacy-conscious three-year-old she had ever met, Liu Ming thought as she leaned against the doorframe, a smile appearing on her face.

Just then, she felt a tap on her back, startling her.

“Can’t you walk without making a sound? You scared me.” Liu Ming turned around and saw Su Li, patting her chest.

“You scared me first. I saw you standing here motionless from outside, I thought something had happened to you, why didn’t you go in?” Su Li yawned. “I thought you had fallen asleep standing here.”

“Maomao is capable, she can do it herself.” Liu Ming took two steps back, making sure they were in the camera’s blind spot, and lowered her voice. “It’s all your fault, yesterday you dragged me into talking about your messy business with Director Jin until so late, I was so sleepy today that my reactions were slow. When the pig grabbed Maomao, I wasn’t even as fast as the cameraman.”

“Shh, they’ll hear us.” Su Li nudged Liu Ming.

“Blind spot. Do you think I’m stupid?” Liu Ming retorted. “Anyway, it’s all your fault. If you don’t want to listen to me, don’t come to me to talk about those things next time.”

“I’ll listen to you, I’ll listen to you, okay. Although Director Jin brought me onto the team, I haven’t sold my soul to him. The Cheng family is so weird, I don’t dare to get involved, I’ll just do my job. Next time, if there’s something I need to do, I’ll be the first one to jump in, definitely won’t give them a chance to stir up trouble.” Su Li promised.

“You better remember that.” Liu Ming snorted. “Don’t care what schemes Director Jin and Cheng Feiying are cooking up, just do your own job, don’t be used as their pawn. Anyway, I think Yan Yan is a good kid, use your own brain to observe the world, don’t believe everything Director Jin says.”

Su Li obediently nodded, then couldn’t help but sigh. “So why did I have to get first place in our childcare training… The person who got first place had to go to the Cheng family and watch over two kids!”

“Heh, of course it’s because you’re gullible that you got first place. Do you think Qiu Tong and I would be like you if we were at the Cheng family? Would we pretend to be deaf and dumb when they talk about ‘family mutual assistance’? And even help them keep secrets? Only you… Silly Pear.” Liu Ming scoffed.

Su Li: “…”

Both Wei Maomao and Shen Zilin chose to wash off the mud, so it took some time.

Wang Zhizhi, finding the sun outside too strong and the pigsty smelly, went to the inner room to read the comic books Shen Zilin had given them.

However, Wen Dongyu enjoyed staying outside in the sun. Wang Zhizhi called him in several times, but he refused to go.

What was there to do inside, it was so warm outside…

Wen Dongyu didn’t know why, but he always felt cold. He had thought it might be because of the hole in the roof when he felt cold sleeping last night. But he still felt cold this morning, even now, basking in the sun and sweating, his body still didn’t feel warm.

It was so strange, was he sick?

Wen Dongyu touched his forehead, but when you’re sick, you should feel hot, his head was cold.

The summer sun was high in the sky, yet Wen Dongyu couldn’t help but rub his arms.

His skin was sweating, but he felt cold inside, did he need to wear more clothes?

But this was Shen Zilin’s house, he didn’t have any of his clothes here… Wen Dongyu felt lost.

Lost in thought, his gaze landed on the pink thing under the table.

When Shen Zilin finished his bath and came out with Wang Zhizhi, they saw Wen Dongyu sitting on the ground under the blazing sun, foolishly hugging… a pig?

No… Shen Zilin stared blankly at the two pig hooves resting on Wen Dongyu’s shoulders… or rather, he had lifted the pig upright and was tightly embracing it?

“Let’s give the piglet a name!” Wen Dongyu said enthusiastically when he saw them come out. “What do you think, how about calling it Shen Xixi?”

Wen Dongyu didn’t know where the coldness was coming from, but through a long, tight hug with a piglet, he had inadvertently found the constant warmth of another living being, making him feel much better for some reason. He felt that this piglet was very special, it should have a special name, like “Xixi”!

“Don’t you remember… your name is Dongdong… Do you really want to call it Xixi?” Wang Zhizhi couldn’t quite process this.

Wen Dongyu nodded vigorously and asked back, “My name is Dongdong, isn’t it great if its name is Xixi?”

“Xixi is fine, but it can’t be Shen Xixi, I gave it to Maomao. How about Wei Xixi?” Shen Zilin read it aloud and nodded. “It’s alright, quite catchy.”

Wang Zhizhi looked at Shen Zilin incredulously. “Just Xixi, does it need a ‘Wei’? Do you really think Maomao would like it if it was called Wei Xixi?”

“Everything we own should be engraved with our surname.” Shen Zilin said solemnly, then turned and pointed to the room. “It’s written in the comic book I gave you. Oh, you can’t read yet, right? You can take it back and ask your dad to read it to you.”

Wang Zhizhi, who had just had a big fight with Wang Qingchuan last night, shut his mouth. Wei Xixi it is, as long as you’re happy.

Twenty minutes later, it did indeed get a similar name.

“Don’t call it Wei Xixi!!” Wei Maomao, who had just finished bathing, looked at Wen Dongyu hugging the pig in various poses in the courtyard, and slammed her hand on the table. “Wen Xixi, call it Wen Xixi!”

Chapter 39 p1

The incident happened suddenly, all within a few seconds.

The pig’s appearance, its headbutt, and its first intimate encounter with the little chubby foot were all so unexpected.

Wen Dongyu’s shriek, “Pig! The pig is eating people!”, was truly piercing, like water hitting boiling oil, exploding in all directions. However, its impact wasn’t very strong because… the pig was really, too small.

The children were huddled together, the staff scattered around couldn’t see the situation clearly, assuming Wen Dongyu was just scared by the pig. Still, they didn’t let their guard down, and a few staff members quickly approached to check.

Shi Hongxiao was faster than them.

His camera had been following Wei Maomao. When the pig charged and knocked her down, he almost rushed over. But again, the pig was too small, clean and pink, looking like a toy. Shi Hongxiao remembered his duty as a cameraman and held back, steadying his camera and continuing to film.

This was where Shi Hongxiao regretted his decision, because in the next second, the piglet, seemingly harmless as a toy in the frame, took Wei Maomao’s left foot in its mouth.

The audience watching Wei Maomao’s second live stream hadn’t even recovered from the scene of the pink piglet suddenly attacking her foot when the screen shook violently. As it stabilized, all that could be seen was dirt and grass.

Shi Hongxiao reacted quickly. Seeing the situation was wrong, he dropped his camera and ran towards them, almost at the same time as Wen Dongyu’s scream.

But someone was even faster than him.

Almost simultaneously as the piglet engulfed the little chubby foot, Cheng Tingyan knelt down on one knee and instantly reached into the piglet’s not fully closed mouth.

It all happened so fast that Wei Maomao didn’t even have time to react to the sensation of her left foot being half-swallowed by the pig before Cheng Tingyan had already pried its mouth open.

“Yan Yan, let go, be careful of your hand!” Wei Maomao, seeing that most of Cheng Tingyan’s hands were inside the piglet’s mouth, was terrified and tried to push her away.

Just then, a muffled shout of “Pull your foot back” erupted from Cheng Tingyan. Wei Maomao instinctively retracted her left foot.

It seemed… it didn’t hurt?

Although small, the piglet was strong. Losing its target, it immediately grunted in dissatisfaction and started to wriggle, making it difficult for Cheng Tingyan to hold on. She didn’t dare to waste any time, using all her remaining strength to push the piglet away, grabbing the little chubby bunny next to her and pulling her up.

“Run!” Cheng Tingyan shouted hastily, dragging the bunny and fleeing.

Only then did the other babies, stunned by the sight of the piglet eating a foot, come back to their senses and scatter like birds.

Cheng Tingyan’s actions were so swift that by the time Shi Hongxiao dropped his camera and ran over, everyone had dispersed. He only managed to grab the piglet’s tail.

Oh, and then the piglet’s tail slipped out of his hand.

Shi Hongxiao, who had fallen to his knees trying to catch the pig: “…”

Both with short legs, the chubby piglet was much faster than the chubby bunny.

Cheng Tingyan, pulling Wei Maomao along, hadn’t run far when the piglet caught up to them. This was after being forcefully pushed by Cheng Tingyan and taking a couple of seconds to recover.

The little chubby bunny was once again knocked down by the piglet from behind.

But the last time Wei Maomao was knocked down, she was standing on the dirt road at the village entrance. This time, she was running in the field… The speed combined with the impact sent her tumbling several steps before she fell, rolling around in the mud. Her foot suddenly felt a tightening sensation.

Wei Maomao’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly sat up and looked down, oh… it was just her foot slipping halfway out of her sandal, the tightening sensation was from the shoe, not from being bitten by the pig…

Speak of the pig, and the pig arrives.

“Maomao, hold on!” Cheng Tingyan, who had let go in time and avoided falling, stood a couple of steps behind, her hands shaking as she rummaged through her bag.

“…” Wei Maomao looked at the pink piglet in front of her, contentedly licking her exposed left foot, and suddenly had a strange thought.

“Here! Come here!” Cheng Tingyan, so flustered that she couldn’t even untie the plastic bag, tore a hole in it with her teeth, took out the steamed buns and eggs, broke a piece off, and held it out to lure the pig.

When Shi Hongxiao and the staff caught up, they saw…

A peaceful pig-feeding scene?

Because the piglet appeared so suddenly, many of the live streams went haywire. The other children’s live streams were fine, once the cameramen and staff caught up with them, the footage stabilized. Wei Maomao’s second live stream was the most chaotic. It had just captured the piglet engulfing her foot, and in the next second, there was only dirt and grass, giving the audience a fright. It wasn’t until they remembered to switch to Wei Maomao’s first live stream and followed the cameraman to where the two girls and the piglet were, witnessing the peaceful pig-feeding scene, that their hearts finally settled back down.

Only then did the comments slowly resume.

“I was so scared, the little pig looks so cute, why is it so fierce!”

“Even little pigs know to pick the tender ones, it kept targeting our three-year-old CEO Mao. Thankfully it didn’t really bite, and she wasn’t hurt, I was really worried for her just now.”

“I was watching the first live stream, I saw the whole thing. Yan Yan is really… so brave! I don’t think I would have been able to stick my hand into the pig’s mouth right away…”

“CEO Mao, I’m sorry, I thought about it, and I would be willing to fight that piglet to save your chubby foot, but I definitely don’t love you as much as Yan Yan, aww, because I would have hesitated first… — My tablet is the casualty!”

“The staff were really too far away, their reaction was so slow. I suspect that the guy with glasses who caught the pig’s tail in Maomao’s first live stream was the cameraman for her second live stream. As soon as his camera stopped, he appeared in the first live stream.”

“It must be the cameraman for the second live stream, after he left the pig-feeding scene, someone picked up the second camera. I saw the shoes in the footage, they’re the same as the glasses guy! Although he’s not as amazing as Yan Yan, the program team should give him a raise! The others were useless, too slow!”

“Speaking of raises, I have an immature question… Why was that piglet chasing after our CEO Mao’s… left foot?”

“Speaking of that, I also have an immature thought… Could it be…”

“Oh no, now that you mention it, I think someone’s in trouble!”

“Tsk tsk, not diligently washing your baby’s feet in the morning, lamenting over mush in the evening.”

“Hahaha, seriously, could it be because of the egg yolk this morning? Didn’t Director Wei pick it up and wipe the little chubby foot with tissues?”

“As everyone knows, pigs have a very keen sense of smell! Look at the ground, it seems like that’s Yan Yan’s breakfast? The steamed bun is still whole, and those crumbs the piglet is licking, are those eggs?”

“Speaking of Yan Yan’s breakfast, why does she always bring her own share for Maomao? It was the same last night, when she went back to get sweet and sour pork, Cheng Feiying didn’t even think about giving her a little extra for herself. Poor steamed buns and eggs, Yan Yan saved them for Maomao, and now they’re being eaten by the piglet.”

“That’s really something, where did they find a piglet that loves to eat eggs… Speaking of, it looks quite clean, why does it have a ring and a rope around its neck? Does someone in the village have a pet pig?”

“At this moment, I, who came from Shen Zilin’s live stream, am too scared to speak…”

…

If the audience who switched over from Shen Zilin’s live stream felt a bit awkward, how much more awkward must Shen Zilin himself feel…

Speaking of which, the babies, who had scattered in all directions, were calmed down by the staff and brought back to Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan.

The incident happened so suddenly, Cheng Tingyan rescued Wei Maomao, shouted “Run”, and they all foolishly ran away. It wasn’t until they were caught up by the staff and realized they were safe that they realized how disloyal they had been.

Now, the three of them stood side by side, their faces flushed, heads slightly bowed as they watched Wei Maomao and Cheng Tingyan, one washing her foot, the other her hands. They peeked at each other, too embarrassed to speak first.

“Are… Are you guys okay?” Finally, Wang Zhizhi couldn’t hold back any longer, his face turning red as he stepped forward.

“We’re fine, they checked, the piglet didn’t bite us.” Wei Maomao lifted her foot, letting the staff pour water over it.

Despite saying that, as Cheng Tingyan washed her hands and stood beside her, Wei Maomao couldn’t help but grab her hand and examine it repeatedly. She was supposed to be protecting Yan Yan, but she was the one being protected. Wei Maomao pursed her lips and lowered her gaze, feeling both frustrated and happy. It turned out human emotions could be so complex.

“It licked your foot, but there’s no wound, so you’re fine.” Cheng Tingyan took a tissue from the staff and looked down at Wei Maomao. “Do you want me to dry it for you?”

“No need.” Wei Maomao shook the water off her foot. “It’ll dry soon.”

Wang Zhizhi breathed a sigh of relief, then hesitated, his face reddening even more. He mumbled awkwardly, “I didn’t react in time just now, I didn’t help, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry.”

“Sorry…”

Wen Jiangyue and Wen Dongyu followed, their faces red.

Seeing their nervousness, Wei Maomao, who didn’t think they had any obligation to help, smiled and reassured them. “It’s okay, we’re all little babies, it’s good enough if little babies can take care of themselves.”

That’s not true, Wang Zhizhi secretly glanced at Cheng Tingyan, she did great.

Shen Zilin and Cheng Rongrong arrived at this moment.

Interestingly, Shen Zilin was even dirtier than Wei Maomao, who had fallen in the mud, and his face was even redder than the three who felt guilty…

At first, seeing Shen Zilin so disheveled, Wei Maomao wanted to ask if he had also been attacked by a pig. But before she could speak, she noticed the pig-shaped baby bottle he was clutching tightly…

“…” Wei Maomao instinctively turned to look at the piglet munching on a steamed bun in the distance.

“Shen Zilin, is that your pig?” Wei Maomao pointed at the pink piglet in shock.

Shen Zilin, who was slowly approaching with a flushed face, stopped abruptly.

“The piglet was too strong, we couldn’t hold onto it, that’s why it ran away.” Cheng Rongrong came from behind, standing beside Shen Zilin. Wen Dongyu seemed a bit out of it, she had to repair the image she had damaged in front of Shen Zilin. “We didn’t do it on purpose, we heard from the staff that the piglet scared you, we’re sorry.”

“Sorry…” Shen Zilin took a step forward, his face so hot it could roast a pig on the spot.

“No, it was my fault for not holding onto it, it’s not Brother Shen’s fault.” Cheng Rongrong also took a step forward.

Wei Maomao: “… “ Wait, she was just asking, there was no need to jump into a classic melodrama, was there?

“No, I shouldn’t…” Shen Zilin took another step forward.

“It’s my fault, it’s my fault!” Cheng Rongrong interrupted, taking another step.

Wei Maomao’s scalp tingled.

“… I shouldn’t have given you the rope.” Shen Zilin glanced at Cheng Rongrong and finished his sentence resolutely.

Cheng Rongrong: ???

Wei Maomao: “… “ Did the plot suddenly take a wrong turn?

“I told you, it’s still skittish, you have to wrap the rope around your hand a few times, hold it tight. You just held it in your hand…” Shen Zilin pursed his lips, feeling wronged. “I shouldn’t have given it to you, I could have held onto it myself…”

“I didn’t expect it to run…” Seeing the situation wasn’t good, Cheng Rongrong reddened her eyes and pouted.

But before she could explain further, Cheng Tingyan suddenly took two steps forward, grabbed Shen Zilin’s wrist, and forcefully pried open his clenched fist. After a glance, she turned to the staff member who was still packing up the water bottles and shouted, “His hand is injured.”

With Cheng Tingyan’s shout, Wei Maomao and the other babies gathered around. They saw red marks and a bloody scratch on Shen Zilin’s fingers.

It was fine when it wasn’t noticed, but once it was, Shen Zilin couldn’t hold back anymore, his eyes welling up. “I grabbed it, I didn’t have time, I didn’t have time to wrap the rope around my hand, it slipped… I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re not hurt.” Wei Maomao patted Shen Zilin reassuringly. She felt he was really unlucky, it sounded like an accident caused by Cheng Rongrong.

“Only you’re hurt, don’t apologize.” Cheng Tingyan let go and grabbed Shen Zilin’s other hand to examine it. This one was also injured, but it didn’t seem to be from the rope, it looked like a scrape from the ground.

Shen Zilin took advantage of the opportunity to disinfect his wounds, letting a few tears of grievance fall, finally feeling a bit better.

Shen Zilin, who usually acted like a mature little businessman, suddenly becoming so vulnerable, the other babies naturally offered their concern. Amidst the comforting voices, Cheng Rongrong couldn’t find an opportunity to continue her previous explanation.

Wei Maomao winced as she watched the staff member apply iodine to Shen Zilin’s hand.

“Where did you get the piglet? From your neighbor? It looks so clean, did you give it a bath this morning?” Wei Maomao kindly tried to distract him.

Shen Zilin bit his lip and didn’t answer.

“I didn’t know you liked these pink cuties, I thought you would like…” Wen Dongyu tilted his head and thought for a moment. “Like a big bad wolf, the alpha wolf in Animal World! An alpha wolf just like you!”

“You’re the alpha wolf!” Shen Zilin pushed Wen Dongyu away in pain, his gaze wandering around before finally settling on Wei Maomao. “You think it’s clean? Do you think it’s cute?”

“It’s…” Just as Wei Maomao was about to say it was okay, she saw another group of people running towards them.

The one leading the pack seemed to be…

Oh…

Hello, Egg Yolk Man.

Chapter 38

“Xiao Wei, aren’t you tired grinding so fast?” Wen Qiming, who had just finished his turn, leaned back in his bamboo chair, his face flushed and slightly breathless. He fanned himself with his straw hat, looking at Wei Chengli, who was pushing the stone mill so fast it almost took flight. “These physical tasks really require young blood, I’m too old for this.”

“Don’t say that, Brother Wen, your age is perfect. You have the knowledge and the experience, we still have much to learn from you,” Cheng Feiying chimed in, then turned to Wei Chengli with a smile. “Xiao Wei, you’re really pushing yourself, how are you so driven every day?”

Wen Qiming waved his hand at Cheng Feiying. “No, no, this old man concedes defeat, you can excuse me from the next two rounds.” Then he called out to Wei Chengli, “Xiao Wei, keep it up, I’m rooting for you!”

Wei Chengli, his hands gripping the lever, bent over, gritting his teeth and pushing the stone mill with determined steps, making it spin rapidly. He didn’t have the breath to speak, only managing a quick smile as a response. However, perhaps because he was exerting himself so much, the forced smile appeared somewhat ferocious.

“Pfft…” Shen Jianghe, who was drinking water, happened to see Wei Chengli’s smile and spat out the water, wiping his mouth hastily. “Director Wei, stop smiling, it’s a bit creepy!”

“Good job, Director Wei, you’re aiming for first place in this round. There are two more rounds, let’s have a good competition!” Wang Qingchuan, seeing that Wei Chengli was about to grind more beans than him in the first round, regretted holding back during his turn. But they had to grind the beans for three rounds, and the total amount from all three rounds determined the final score, so he could still catch up.

As they were talking, Wei Chengli’s turn ended.

“Hey, I’m not doing this for competition.” Wei Chengli hurried to the side, grabbed the water offered by the staff, and gulped it down. After finishing half the bottle and catching his breath, he continued, “It’s all because of the little ancestor at home, I need to earn more Daddy Coins to appease her.”

“For yesterday’s mush at noon, or for the ginger feast last night?” Shen Jianghe teased.

“For the egg yolk this morning.” Wei Chengli smiled wryly.

When the egg yolk had fallen onto the little chubby foot this morning, Wei Chengli immediately picked it up and used tissues to wipe her foot repeatedly. He saw the little chubby dumpling puffing up with anger, then suddenly calming down, just because he… coaxed her by saying her foot smelled good?

Wei Chengli could still clearly recall how the little balloon of anger had deflated instantly after he said those words. She had even looked down at her feet with an adorable, hesitant expression and asked, “Really good?”

At that time, he was also caught up in the moment and had leaned down, taking a deep breath of her foot and declaring, “Really good!”

And that was how the egg yolk incident was over? The little rascal wasn’t angry at all anymore.

Honestly, Wei Chengli, who had plenty of experience in coaxing children, didn’t believe it one bit.

He thought carefully, although the little rascal was very vain, how could she forgive him so easily just because of his exaggerated performance? Definitely! She was plotting something!

Coincidentally, this morning’s bean grinding task rewarded Daddy Coins. He had to earn more before the little rascal could carry out her evil plan, to appease her!

The other dads were unaware of Wei Chengli’s struggles.

Just as Shen Jianghe was curiously inquiring about the egg yolk story, Wang Qingchuan turned to the person who had been rather quiet all day and said, “Wen Xiang, you’re next, do you want to stretch and prepare?”

Wen Xiang listlessly moved his limbs, his movements completely different from what Wang Qingchuan had taught them earlier.

The weather was good this morning. Shi Dingshan didn’t stay in the monitoring room but wandered out and squatted outside the mill where the dads were doing their task, along with a group of staff.

However, he hadn’t been squatting there for long, only watching Wen Qiming and Wei Chengli grind the beans for the first round, before Wen Xiang’s turn, when Zeng Huanian gestured for him to come aside.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Dingshan stood on the ridge between the fields, habitually reaching into his pocket, only to find it empty. He then remembered that he had quit smoking. Things that were good for his health were really troublesome to keep up with. Shi Dingshan rubbed his empty pocket impatiently.

Zeng Huanian didn’t notice Shi Dingshan’s small gesture. He was frowning, scrolling through his phone screen, and then handed the phone to Shi Dingshan. “Director Shi, Wen Xiang’s fans are getting more and more agitated.”

Shi Dingshan took the phone, glanced at it, scoffed, and shoved it back into Zeng Huanian’s hand.

“Director Shi, take a good look, it’s not just Weibo and forums, they’re even spamming these comments in the live broadcast room now.” Zeng Huanian anxiously handed the phone back, trying to make Shi Dingshan take a closer look.

This time, Shi Dingshan didn’t take it, he just clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant fields and said nonchalantly, “Fans, they’re all like this, they can’t stand seeing their idol portrayed in a bad light. This is a live broadcast show, the contracts are signed, the people are here, how can we stop filming just because they think we’re making Wen Xiang look bad?”

“Of course we can’t stop filming. What I mean is, shouldn’t we add some segments to make Wen Xiang and Wen Dongyu reconcile quickly, after all, this is a parenting reality show, right…” Zeng Huanian said cautiously.

“Reconcile? Didn’t they already stop arguing last night?” Shi Dingshan lowered his head and stepped on the soft soil beneath his feet. “Live broadcast is like this, without editing, it’s much more real. As for the fans, they’ll accept reality if they watch enough.”

“…” Zeng Huanian frowned, his grip on the phone tightening. Finally, he couldn’t help but glance around, making sure no one was paying attention to them, and asked in a low voice, “Director Shi, is this Jin Youliang’s suggestion?”

Shi Dingshan turned and looked at Zeng Huanian, momentarily puzzled by his question.

In that brief pause, Zeng Huanian had already filled in the blanks with his own assumptions.

“Director Shi, do you remember when you asked each assistant director to submit a program proposal? You told me personally that Jin Youliang’s proposal was too opportunistic, focused on marketing and creating personas, prioritizing hype over reputation, not a sustainable approach. Why are you accepting his suggestions now…” Zeng Huanian’s voice was a mixture of confusion, regret, and anxiety.

However, before Zeng Huanian could finish his sentence, Shi Dingshan interrupted him with a laugh.

“Hahaha, you think this development with the Wen family is based on Jin Youliang’s suggestion?” Shi Dingshan shook his head and chuckled.

“Isn’t it? Then it’s… Director Shi, you…” As fellow assistant directors, Zeng Huanian dared to speak frankly about Jin Youliang’s flaws, but he wouldn’t directly question Shi Dingshan.

“Didn’t I just say it? Live broadcast without editing is much more real. Some problems don’t need our guidance, if they exist, they will be seen.” Shi Dingshan’s laughter subsided. “Wen Xiang’s fans are making such a fuss, saying that our show is smearing their idol. Do they really think so? Or do they know where the problem lies but are unwilling to face it?”

“That’s true, but we are a parenting reality show after all. Even if there are conflicts between parents and children, we should help and guide them. We can set up some interactive tasks for them to cooperate or introduce some heartwarming segments…” Zeng Huanian rambled on.

“Haven’t we always been doing parent-child interactions in our show?” Shi Dingshan waved his hand dismissively. “You also said, we’re just a variety show, we don’t have the responsibility to fix their lives. Since we’re using live broadcast, what I want to capture is reality. As for where reality ultimately leads, that’s up to them.”

“But what about Wen Xiang’s fans…” Zeng Huanian looked at the comments on his phone, accusing the program team of deliberately encouraging Wen Dongyu’s rebelliousness and driving a wedge between Wen Xiang and his son, feeling at a loss.

Looking at the earnest Zeng Huanian, Shi Dingshan finally sighed helplessly. “Actually, we don’t have to pay attention to them, they can’t affect our filming. If you’re really worried and uncomfortable, just have someone spread some seemingly true rumors, like saying that the program team is considering consulting with a psychologist to help the guests further establish good family relationships.”

“That’s right, I was looking through the information from the second season earlier, and it seems the program team did have contact with a child psychologist named Qian. But I didn’t see that part when I watched the second season, was that expert working behind the scenes? Are we going to hire her again this time?” Zeng Huanian’s frown eased, his voice filled with excitement.

“…” Shi Dingshan laughed in exasperation and patted Zeng Huanian’s shoulder. “Xiao Zeng, you’re meticulous, hardworking, and eager to learn, everything is good, but there’s one thing you really can’t compare to Jin Youliang.”

Zeng Huanian froze.

“You’re… too kind.” Shi Dingshan shook his head, chuckling. “What I just said was ‘seemingly true rumors.’ In other words, fake news, just to appease them for now, who will bother verifying it after the hype dies down? I also said before, we’re just making a variety show, not fixing their lives. Even if, even if, do you really think what they need is a child psychologist?”

Zeng Huanian struggled. “But, Director Shi, you filmed the second season so well, every family had so much fun, from the beginning to the end, their parent-child relationships improved a lot… Why this time…”

“People’s thoughts change.” Shi Dingshan rubbed his head, shaking off the fleeting thought of his own family troubles. “This is your first time filming a reality show, and you didn’t work on the second season. What you saw was all edited content. Let me be honest with you, what did you think of Zhao Tong’s family last season? Tell me what you saw their father and daughter relationship was like.”

Zeng Huanian thought for a moment and said, “Zhao Tong was very sensible, the most well-behaved child last season, just a bit timid, maybe. She liked to cling to her dad, asking him about everything before daring to do anything. Zhao Jianbing was very patient with her, he never got annoyed no matter what she asked, he was willing to explain everything to her in detail, he was considered the most patient dad last season. Later, when the moms came for those two days, Zhao Tong’s mom seemed quite nice too, just a bit particular about cleanliness. She reprimanded Zhao Tong a couple of times because of the placement of something or something like that. But Zhao Tong’s mom taught her properly, she wasn’t harsh, and Zhao Tong also learned from her mistakes. Besides that small incident, their family was always happy.”

“Just like that?” Shi Dingshan asked.

Zeng Huanian nodded, a smile appearing on his face. “Every family was quite good last season. I liked Zhao Tong’s family a lot, I wonder if she’s less timid now. At the beginning, when the dads and babies were doing tasks separately, it was quite funny seeing Zhao Tong crying and going to her dad to ask if she could do the task before actually doing it.”

“Funny?” Shi Dingshan scoffed lightly. “Zhao Tong is indeed timid, that’s because both her parents are control freaks. What she should and shouldn’t do, whether the basin should be placed on the first or second shelf, whether the towel should be hung folded or unfolded, how many pieces of meat she could eat before she wasn’t allowed to eat anymore… They have a lot of rules at home. What you saw was Zhao Tong relying on her dad, clinging to her dad, but in reality, it’s because she had been reprimanded so much at home that she was afraid, it’s better to ask first and then do it. You saw Zhao Jianbing explaining everything in detail, that was his first time explaining that matter, after that, Zhao Tong had to follow that rule. And what you saw, the part where Zhao Tong’s mom came and got angry wasn’t just a small incident. It’s just that the editing cut out the intense, unseen part in the middle, directly jumping from the beginning of the argument to the reconciliation.”

“But… but… I saw they had a good attitude, they spoke so calmly…” Zeng Huanian felt his head buzzing.

“Yes, the edited version you saw is indeed like that. But in reality, besides that one time, they seemed quite normal throughout the show. But have you heard of conditioned reflex? As long as the parenting at home is done well, you can get a child who acts according to the rules through conditioned reflex.” Shi Dingshan felt suffocated as he spoke, reaching into his pocket, only to remember again… that he had quit smoking. He could only sigh heavily and continued, “You should know from looking at the information from the second season, right? Zhao Tong has an older sister who is four years older than her.”

Zeng Huanian, who was already feeling uneasy, nodded numbly. “Yes, the information mentioned that she was also supposed to come with her mother for those two days, but she didn’t because she was too busy with her studies.”

“She held a knife to her wrist and said she didn’t want to participate in this hypocritical show of filial piety with her parents.” Shi Dingshan dug through his empty pocket irritably, then looked up at Zeng Huanian. “Do you have a cigarette?”

“Ah?” Zeng Huanian was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I don’t smoke.”

Shi Dingshan took a deep breath, pretending to inhale. “I heard that the two daughters’ rooms in their house don’t have door locks. It’s not that they can’t be locked, it’s that the locks were removed. Two round holes, they usually close the door with a wooden clip and stuff a cloth in the gap to block the wind. When the children are inside, they would even secretly remove the cloth and peek through the lock hole to see what the children are doing, whether they are studying diligently or playing.”

“… Fuck.” Zeng Huanian cursed.

“Anyway, home is a private space. If you’re being mistreated at work, you can at least speak up. But once the problem occurs at home, becomes a family matter, behind closed doors, how can anyone interfere? We’re only filming a reality show for a dozen days, can those deeply ingrained issues be resolved with a few segments and a bit of emotional manipulation?” Shi Dingshan took a deep breath, looking at the distant mountains, his voice becoming distant. “The child psychologist you mentioned is named Qian Mu, I contacted her privately, it had nothing to do with the filming of the second season. It was probably a misunderstanding by the staff who compiled the information back then.”

“Was she hired for Zhao Tong… no, for her sister? But wasn’t the problem…” Zeng Huanian mumbled.

“Do you think they would be willing to take their daughter, who held a knife to her wrist, to see a psychologist, or would they go see one themselves?” Shi Dingshan scoffed.

“So the second season, all that happiness, that fulfillment, was all… edited?” Zeng Huanian was feeling unwell, he genuinely thought the second season was fantastic, that’s why he had begged the station to let him participate in the filming of the third season.

“What else? Does every family want to air their dirty laundry?” Shi Dingshan chuckled.

Zeng Huanian thought for a moment, still feeling something was wrong. “Then why is the third season like this if the second season was so successful? Adding two families at the last minute, changing so many segments, and even doing live broadcast… It really wasn’t Jin Youliang…”

“Xiao Zeng, you’ve also read Jin Youliang’s proposal, what he wants to do is ‘create,’ create conflicts, create topics, create hype. But what do you think this is now?” Shi Dingshan narrowed his eyes.

Zeng Huanian hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, “It’s… real?”

Shi Dingshan nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, what I want is real. Real people, real events, truly opening the doors to their homes.”

“But…” Zeng Huanian felt it made sense, but it also seemed wrong.

“No buts… They are all adults, don’t they know what they’re doing? Since they think they’re right, we’ll just watch.” Shi Dingshan turned and looked at the distant mill.

He also wanted to see what the real parent-child relationships in other families were actually like.

“Hey… Director Shi, Director Shi.” Seeing Shi Dingshan turn to leave, Zeng Huanian hurriedly chased after him for two steps, stammering, “Did Zhao Tong’s family, did they take their children to see a psychologist in the end?”

“Qian Mu is a famous child psychologist. She also has a husband who is an even more famous adult psychologist.” Shi Dingshan paused, then his voice lowered as if he was talking to himself. “Back then, I still knew that the problem had to be addressed with the adults. Heh, I knew it back then…”

With that, Shi Dingshan shook his head and walked away.

Zeng Huanian felt that Shi Dingshan was in a bad state, but he didn’t dare to ask further. After all, there were rumors among the staff these days that Shi Dingshan was going through a divorce.

By the time Shi Dingshan squatted back down by the mill, Wen Xiang had just finished grinding his first batch of beans.

Wen Xiang, who was already fair-skinned and slender, was now covered in a thin layer of sweat after all that physical labor, his skin flushed with a faint pink tinge, clearly showing how much effort he had put in.

He was quite pleasing to the eye, no wonder he had so many fans. Shi Dingshan smacked his lips twice, but his gaze fell on someone else.

They had truly chosen good candidates this season. Wen Xiang’s little tantrum was nothing compared to the hidden depths of certain people.

Unbeknownst to Shi Dingshan, Wen Xiang’s fans were bombarding the program team with criticism.

***

Zhou Wanning sat on the sofa, hugging her knees, watching as lines of comments condemning the program team popped up on her computer screen. She sighed deeply. Wen Xiang’s manager had said that there was no need to restrain the fans, they wanted the program team to see their opinions and remind Wen Xiang, whom they couldn’t contact, and they wanted the public to see their opinions and whitewash Wen Xiang’s outburst last night.

But… she really felt it was inappropriate. Whether it was allowing the fans to attack the program team, or…

Zhou Wanning turned her head. On the sofa next to her were Wen Dongyu’s beloved plane and fire-breathing dragon. In fact… Zhou Wanning’s gaze shifted slightly, there were more in the open storage box next to the sofa.

These had all been returned yesterday. Zhou Wanning’s face had been red all day while receiving them. Initially, it was because her son had embarrassed his parents, neighbors, friends, and even herself on the show. But as she continued to receive these things, filling up almost an entire storage box, Zhou Wanning’s face burned more for herself and Wen Xiang.

How… had they given away so many things? She didn’t even remember seeing some of them at home…

It seemed… they had indeed gone too far… a little.

Zhou Wanning hadn’t slept well last night, worried about her son and her husband.

Wen Xiang had always been naive and sweet, and Wen Dongyu had completely inherited his father’s traits. In the past, the two of them were carefree at home, bickering like two children, neither willing to yield when their tempers flared. But their reconciliation was also childlike. They could be arguing passionately one moment, and when she came back from getting a glass of water, they would be playing together again.

But this time, it seemed different.

Zhou Wanning knew that Wen Xiang’s words about lending the toys last night were said in anger, a slip of the tongue. But Wen Dongyu didn’t know that, he was still a child… How sad he must have felt after hearing those words.

But Wen Xiang didn’t try to appease his son that night, and even after getting up this morning, completing the task, bringing back the ingredients, and making breakfast, he still didn’t try to appease him… Zhou Wanning had a headache watching it. She had hoped to convey a message to the program team… but they referred her to the contract… no contact allowed.

The manager said the fans were also angry, and this was a good opportunity to use their pressure, she had no other choice but to agree.

But she still felt…

Zhou Wanning scrolled through the comments, feeling increasingly uneasy. She grabbed her phone and called Wen Xiang’s manager again.

There were quite a few people who hadn’t slept well last night.

Back in the village, the dads were summoned to grind beans, while the babies, having finished breakfast, were gathered by the staff at the village entrance, ready to head to the convenience store together. A new day began with spending money.

The babies arrived one after another, then gathered… yawning.

Were they really that sleepy? Wei Maomao, infected by their drowsiness, yawned as well, her puzzled gaze flitting between the three sources of contagion.

Wen Jiangyue rubbed her eyes, her curious gaze also falling on the other two.

“Where are your Baby Coins?” Wang Zhizhi glanced at Wen Dongyu’s empty waist, then quickly scanned Cheng Tingyan’s small suitcase. They had clearly put their coins away separately last night, were they already close enough to combine them this morning?

“Didn’t bring them.” Wen Dongyu yawned repeatedly, sleepy.

Wang Zhizhi was puzzled. “Didn’t you say you wanted to eat lollipops, shrimp crackers, and buy beef jerky with us yesterday?”

“…” Wen Dongyu turned his head away, pretending to yawn a few times to conceal his reddening eyes. “Not eating today.”

Wei Maomao glanced at Wen Dongyu, recalling how he had come to their house this morning but wouldn’t let them get his Baby Coins for him. Her gaze lingered on his increasingly red eyes, then she turned to Wang Zhizhi. “Were you guys called into the little dark room separately yesterday?”

The topic change was a bit abrupt, but clearly, the children didn’t notice.

Soon, they compared their individual interview questions and discovered that they had all been asked the same thing the first night: simple questions about their feelings about being on the show and about their dads raising them alone.

As they chatted, the redness around Wen Dongyu’s eyes gradually faded.

Perhaps stimulated by the conversation, Wen Dongyu stopped yawning, and Wang Zhizhi also yawned less frequently. Only Wen Jiangyue remained…

“Wen Jiangyue, did you not sleep well?” Cheng Tingyan, noticing that Wei Maomao had been glancing at Wen Jiangyue repeatedly, finally couldn’t help but ask.

“Mmm…” Wen Jiangyue smiled sheepishly.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Maomao yawned along with Wen Jiangyue, involuntarily moving closer to Cheng Tingyan. This side was too contagious.

“Yesterday, when we were using the cards, Dad asked me to memorize a Song dynasty poem every day, starting today. Last night, he said, why not start from last night, and I…” Wen Jiangyue glanced at Wei Maomao and said shyly, “I said, Dad, teach me to read the Analects. In the Analects, it says, ‘Zi Xia said, “Give due weight to kinship and to beauty. Exert yourself fully in serving your parents. Give your life in serving your lord. Be true to your word in dealing with your friends. Even if someone said such a person had not learned, I would insist that they had.”’”

Wei Maomao: ??? What are you looking at me for, your dad is the one who taught you that.

“I don’t understand, but it sounds impressive.” Wen Dongyu said blankly.

“It’s just, I told Dad that what you usually teach me is to keep my promises. I usually don’t dare to talk to Dad like that. But Maomao was so amazing yesterday, I also wanted to try using ‘Daddy said.’” Wen Jiangyue’s face gradually turned red. “It’s the first time I used ‘Daddy said’ like that, and I couldn’t sleep last night after saying it, I kept thinking about it.”

Wei Maomao: … Understood, the first time a cultured person throws their dad under the bus, they’re not used to it.

“After using it a few more times, you’ll be able to sleep.” Wei Maomao offered encouraging words.

Wen Jiangyue: “…”

“Why aren’t Cheng Rongrong and Shen Zilin here yet? The convenience store is about to open.” Wang Zhizhi looked towards the distant convenience store, where staff members were already standing by the door. “Don’t business people usually arrive on time?”

“Do you want to eat popcorn again today?” Cheng Tingyan asked the little chubby bunny.

Before Wei Maomao could answer, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps behind her, and in the next second, it seemed like many people were shouting.

What were they shouting?

Something… open?

The sudden change happened in just two seconds.

Just as Wei Maomao was about to turn around, she felt a heavy blow to the back of her knees, forcing her to kneel down involuntarily.

The little chubby dumpling struggled to turn her head, her eyes meeting…

A…

Pig?

The babies had all been facing the direction of the convenience store, the footsteps and shouts from behind had come too suddenly. By the time they reacted, Wei Maomao had already been knocked to her knees by the pig.

It was a pink piglet, chubby, not very big, staring at the kneeling chubby Maomao. They even… looked kind of matching, quite funny.

Normally, such a small pig wouldn’t be scary.

But the problem was…

“Pig! The pig is eating people!” Wen Dongyu, seeing the piglet take Wei Maomao’s left foot in its mouth, shouted in shock.

Chapter 37

Desserts were crammed onto the long wooden table, their sweet and tempting aroma wafting into everyone’s noses, almost stealing their souls.

Wei Maomao looked at the cake closest to her and swallowed. The fluffy chocolate cake base steadily supported a thick layer of creamy cheese frosting, clearly made with real ingredients. On top, popcorn kernels were dotted, perfectly caramelized, looking crispy and sweet…

Huh?

Wait…

Why were there movie theater popcorn kernels sprinkled on top of a cheesecake?

“Baby… Baby, wake up, time for breakfast.”

As Wei Chengli’s voice reached her ears, a strong scent of green onions assaulted her nostrils, rudely cleaving through the air like a sharp sword, sweeping away the wooden table along with all the enticing desserts, shattering the dream in an instant.

Wei Maomao was half-awake, her heart broken.

This was too much! Even though it was a dream, at least let her have a bite! Every day it was either mush or ginger, now there were even green onions, how was she supposed to live!

One more time, one more time, she wouldn’t be greedy, wouldn’t linger and choose, she would take a bite right away!

Wei Chengli leaned over the bed and called out a few more times. Seeing the little chubby dumpling, sprawled out on the bed, furrow her brows and sniff the air as if she were about to wake up, he paused for a couple of seconds. But the little one just turned over, burying her face in the thin blanket, her body flattening out as if she were going back to sleep…

“Maomao! Don’t pretend to be asleep again! I saw you wake up, breakfast is delicious today, hurry up and get up.” Ever since he discovered the little rascal’s talent for feigning sleep last night, Wei Chengli now preferred to err on the side of caution.

Wei Chengli’s voice, mixed with the pungent smell of green onions, had transformed from a fleeting sword into a persistent annoyance, completely destroying the beautiful dream she had painstakingly salvaged, leaving not even a trace behind.

Wei Maomao buried her head under the pillow, refusing to listen to Wei Chengli.

She was truly angry.

Ever since her rebirth, her sleep had been filled with either nightmares or dreams of working to pay off debts. Finally, perhaps because she had met Cheng Tingyan yesterday and was in a better mood, she had a good dream… Before she could even taste anything, she was being woken up to continue her suffering.

Her three-year-old body protested, she couldn’t take it anymore!

“Are you really asleep? I won’t fall for it again, get up quickly…” Wei Chengli mumbled, reaching out to pull the little chubby dumpling out from under the pillow.

Wei Maomao closed her eyes, lying motionless. Although she was awake, she decided to express her refusal of the evil Wei Chengli with her actions.

“Knock, knock…” It was the sound of knuckles rapping against wood.

Wei Chengli stopped his rambling.

Footsteps faded away, followed by the sound of the door opening.

Again?

Wei Maomao was speechless, using the same trick so frequently, even a three-year-old wouldn’t fall for it, okay?

“Yan Yan? Why are you here?”

In the distance, Wei Chengli’s voice seemed to carry a hint of surprise.

The familiar scene, the familiar lines, his acting had even improved, sounding more genuine than last night.

A good director who invested all his skill points into acting, huh?

Wei Maomao found it amusing and couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. However, she quickly regained her impassive expression.

Hmph, let’s see how you keep acting by yourself.

Silence, no more sounds…

For a long time, there was no sound.

Wei Maomao waited and waited with her eyes closed, growing impatient. Just as she couldn’t resist opening her eyes to peek at what Wei Chengli was doing, she suddenly felt a light breeze on her face.

You sly dog, Wei Chengli!

He actually came back to the bedside secretly!

Can’t trick me out of bed, so you’re going to resort to pretending to be a ghost and scaring your child, huh!

Wake up! If your child was truly only three years old, she would be scared to death by this trick!

Now was the time to avenge last night’s humiliation!

No sooner said than done, within a second, the chubby, seemingly sleeping little dumpling flipped over, making an incredibly agile maneuver.

“Eat this…” With a loud shout, Wei Maomao’s chubby foot shot out.

Cheng Tingyan, whose nose was a hair’s breadth from the sole of that chubby foot: “…”

Wei Maomao, who had just opened her eyes: “…” Her toes slowly curled up.

Cheng Tingyan’s face was full of bewilderment, looking at the retreating chubby foot, she asked hesitantly, “I… eat?”

Her question was met with a lump of something unidentifiable swiftly scrambling back under the covers…

On this ordinary morning, when everyone should be enjoying a delicious breakfast, many electronic devices suffered a cruel fate.

“Hahahahaha! Maomao, pay for my screen! — From a poor soul wiping away biscuit crumbs while typing ‘hahaha’”

“When Director Wei went to open the door, I saw Maomao secretly smirking, I knew something was going to go wrong, but I didn’t expect it to be my keyboard!!! — From a keyboard that’s currently absorbing spilled milk”

“Honestly, Maomao’s kick wasn’t fast, she was clearly being merciful to Director Wei. But if that kick had landed on Yan Yan, even if Yan Yan wasn’t hurt, I think the three-year-old baby would be tempted to cook mush for her dad herself, hahaha! — You know why she’s called CEO Mao, right! My tablet!”

“Director Wei is so mean, playing mind games, using real and fake Yan Yan to manipulate the little baby.”

“Hahaha, ‘manipulate,’ he’s doomed, I think the little bunny under the covers is furious!”

“Why doesn’t the camera have X-ray vision! I want to see the little bunny all puffed up!!!”

“I have a bold idea, maybe Maomao isn’t furious under the covers, but… smelling her feet?”

“The person above, leave your name, after Maomao takes care of Director Wei, you’re next!”

“Ahhh, I want to see the feet smelling！！！！！Even if I’m the third one to get taken care of, I still want to see it!”

“Hahaha, speaking of, our CEO Mao really cares about her image, especially when Yan Yan is around. Yesterday, when she arrived, she even wiped herself with fragrance before approaching Yan Yan, and wouldn’t let Yan Yan into the bathroom. Did you guys notice, when Director Wei used the Daddy Kiss Card, he complained about Maomao’s feet being dirty, but when she came out of the bathroom, her feet were clean, hahaha, she spent all that time washing her feet!”

“Imagine a three-year-old baby desperately scooping water and scrubbing her feet in the bathroom, hahaha, I’m dying of laughter.”

“Hahaha, I’m about to break my table from laughing so hard, what was going on with Yan Yan just now, being so serious, she couldn’t have actually thought Maomao was inviting her for a taste, hahaha!”

“Quick! CEO Mao, stop smelling your little fragrant feet, come out and take care of Director Wei!”

“Maybe they’re stinky feet?”

“NO! Our CEO Mao’s feet must be fragrant! I don’t care!”

“Hahaha, you guys are going to kill me with laughter, talking about Maomao like this, when she grows up and sees these comments, she’s going to have a nice chat with you!”

…

Were they being mean?

Not necessarily.

Speaking of just now, opening her eyes to realize that the person she was about to kick had changed from Wei Chengli to Cheng Tingyan, Wei Maomao’s mind went blank. By the time she reacted, she had already retreated under the covers.

Thank goodness, thank goodness her legs were short and hadn’t touched Yan Yan.

Wei Maomao huddled on the bed, hugging her left foot, which had been brushed by Yan Yan’s breath and was still a bit itchy, feeling incredibly relieved.

Hmm…

But…

Wei Maomao tried to pull her left foot closer and sniffed it.

It shouldn’t be stinky, right?

But wasn’t there a saying that people don’t think their own feet smell, but others do…

Ahhh!

She almost kicked Yan Yan! And Yan Yan had smelled her potentially stinky feet!

She didn’t want to live anymore!

Wei Maomao released her aching foot, lying flat, completely losing interest in life, let alone seeking revenge.

This must be a dream, she definitely hadn’t woken up yet!

The corner of the blanket next to her rustled, then was lifted.

What followed was bright daylight, fresh air, and…

“Yan Yan, I haven’t washed my face yet.” Wei Maomao covered her face.

Hmm? Didn’t this hand just touch her feet… Forget it, it didn’t matter at this point…

“Come on, I’ll help you brush your teeth and wash your face.” Cheng Tingyan reached out and poked the chubby little arm on the bed. “I brought you breakfast.”

How should she put it, thankful that Cheng Tingyan didn’t press the matter, after washing her face, changing into clean clothes, and applying fragrance, Wei Maomao felt a bit better.

Life was bearable again, and her brain had returned.

“Yan Yan, why didn’t I hear you talk before you came in? I only heard my dad’s voice.” Wei Maomao asked as Cheng Tingyan led her out of the room.

“Because your dad made this gesture to me as soon as he opened the door.” Cheng Tingyan turned her head, raising her free hand and placing her index finger on her lips. “This means ‘be quiet,’ right? I thought you were still asleep, so I didn’t say anything.”

Wei Maomao: “…” As expected, it was premeditated! That’s just like you, Wei Chengli.

“Oh, and your dad also made this gesture to me before he left.” Cheng Tingyan released Wei Maomao’s hand, stepped back to create more space, bent down, held her hands close to her chest like a little animal, tiptoed sneakily for a couple of steps, then stopped and straightened up. She frowned slightly and continued, “This should mean ‘come in quietly,’ right? So I came in very quietly. Did I scare you?”

Wei Maomao: “No…” Heh, good job, Wei Chengli!

“Maomao.” Seeing that they were about to reach the courtyard after crossing a threshold, Cheng Tingyan, who felt she had figured something out, reached out and grabbed Wei Maomao, asking seriously, “I did scare you just now, didn’t I? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have tried to kick me…”

“I didn’t want to kick you… I wouldn’t kick you!” Seeing that the topic had finally returned to this incident, although she didn’t want to talk about this embarrassing mistake, she had to make her stance clear.

“Then who did you want to kick…” Cheng Tingyan frowned even more, her grip on Wei Maomao’s hand tightening unconsciously. She lowered her voice nervously and asked, “Does your dad often scare you like this?”

Wei Maomao froze.

Alright, as expected, yesterday’s mush had given Cheng Tingyan quite a shock. Even though Wei Chengli had eaten the entire ginger feast by himself in front of them last night, she still felt that Wei Chengli and Cheng Feiying had something in common.

So the question returned.

Should she nod, let Cheng Tingyan feel that she wasn’t alone in being treated this way, and gain Yan Yan’s care, concern, and closer friendship? Or should she shake her head and stay honest…

This time, Wei Maomao hardened her heart and chose the latter.

“No, he’s just playing with me.” Wei Maomao said sincerely.

She could feel that Yan Yan’s grip on her hand hadn’t loosened.

“Really, we’re just playing. I saw in a documentary that you shouldn’t be taken advantage of, no matter what. I won’t be taken advantage of, I’ll do this!” As she spoke, Wei Maomao kicked out with her chubby foot. Her ears flushed red, embarrassed by her childish and somewhat suggestive action.

Cheng Tingyan’s hand slowly loosened.

“Maomao… It’ll be better when you grow up.” Cheng Tingyan reached out and gently patted the little chubby bunny’s soft head. She paused, then added, “No, it’ll be better when I grow up.”

“…” Wei Maomao just looked at the gentle pity in Cheng Tingyan’s eyes, gradually solidifying into determination.

Wait! So even after she answered like this, Yan Yan would still misunderstand? That bowl of mush was really making her stubborn!

But it’ll be better when I grow up… Did that mean she would protect her? Wei Maomao’s heart felt like it was on fire, burning hot, making her head feel feverish. For a moment, she couldn’t think of anything to say to explain Wei Chengli’s actions.

But Wei Maomao didn’t know that Cheng Tingyan wasn’t entirely sure what kind of person Wei Chengli was either.

To Cheng Tingyan, the little chubby bunny’s dad was a very complex person. He would force Maomao to eat that horrible mush, but when it came to the disgusting ginger dishes, he ate them all himself and didn’t force Maomao to eat… When using the Daddy Kiss Card, he didn’t make things difficult for Maomao, but at home, he would deceive and scare her…

Every time she thought he was bad, he would then seem quite good. Every time she started to think he wasn’t like her own dad, he would then do something bad again, making him difficult to figure out…

However, Cheng Tingyan clearly remembered that afternoon, seeing the little chubby bunny in the courtyard, crying so pitifully over that bowl of mush.

When she was as young as Maomao, she couldn’t distinguish between what was real and what was fake. Back then, when she participated in the first season of “Where’s Baby Going,” she had also thought her dad was good… Now, the little chubby bunny couldn’t distinguish between them either, right?

It would be better when she grew up, when the little chubby bunny grew as old as her, she wouldn’t be deceived anymore.

And when she grew up, she would be able to protect herself, protect Maomao, Cheng Tingyan thought with increasing determination as she led Wei Maomao across the threshold.

“You’re up?” In the courtyard, Wei Chengli sat at the stone table, looking at the little rascal and snorted. “It had to be Yan Yan who came, huh? Now you don’t listen to Dad anymore, Dad calling you is useless, is that right?”

“Maomao is still young, little kids are just slow to wake up, it’s not that she’s not listening to you.” Cheng Tingyan, already on edge, instinctively stepped forward, shielding Wei Maomao behind her. She clenched her fists, gathered her courage, and quickly explained.

Wei Chengli: ???

Wei Maomao: …

“Cough, Yan Yan, um…” Looking at the serious, tense expression on Cheng Tingyan’s face, Wei Chengli tried to soften his voice and asked, “I was just… joking… You know what a joke is, right? I was just saying something casually, I wasn’t talking about Maomao…”

The little girl’s cold mask didn’t disappear because of Wei Chengli’s explanation.

Wei Maomao savored one last second of the joy of being protected under a misunderstanding, then walked around Cheng Tingyan and quickly dashed forward.

Then Cheng Tingyan saw…

The little chubby bunny who had darted out from behind her opened her arms, running and calling out in a sweet voice, “Daddy!”

The little chubby bunny’s dad across from her instantly beamed, squatting down with open arms, looking quite touched as he responded, “Baby!”

What was it called, like on TV, it was called…

Oh, mutual affection, in dramas, it represented happiness.

Cheng Tingyan slightly relaxed the vigilant string in her heart, then, in the next second, she saw the reality of the situation.

The little chubby bunny charged forward, embracing… the stone stool to the left of her dad?

“Daddy, Daddy, I love you the most, Daddy!” Wei Maomao’s voice was cloyingly sweet, clinging to her words, while rubbing her face against the stone stool she was hugging.

Cheng Tingyan instinctively looked at the little chubby bunny’s dad.

“Wei Maomao!” Wei Chengli stood up, hands on his hips, fuming. “Didn’t you have enough fun last night! All the pillows, blankets, bedposts, cabinets in the room are your dad! Now even this stool outside is your dad! Then who am I?!”

“You’re a liar, my dad said not to talk to liars.” Wei Maomao raised her head, sticking out her tongue. “Blech, blech, blech!”

“I never said that!” Wei Chengli slammed his hand on the stone stool, so angry that he forgot to use baby talk. “Have you switched from copying to creating now?”

“Why are you hitting my dad! You slept with my dad, pillowed my dad, covered yourself with my dad yesterday, and now you’re hitting my dad today!” Wei Maomao caressed the stone stool, her face full of heartache. “Dad doesn’t hurt.”

“…Heh.” Wei Chengli was both amused and exasperated by her good acting. “Why don’t you go act in a drama if you love acting so much? It was just one prank yesterday, you’re still angry after a whole night, such a big temper for such a small baby?”

Cheng Tingyan’s lips moved slightly. According to her previous thinking, with the little chubby bunny’s dad shouting so loudly, she should definitely go protect the little chubby bunny. But the problem was, she didn’t know what to say now, these two were… how were they so funny!

One was hugging a stool and wailing ‘daddy,’ the other was stomping his feet and spinning in circles, Cheng Tingyan watched, her tightly clenched fists gradually loosening, a faint smile appearing in her eyes.

Wei Chengli, exasperated to the point of leaning on the table, naturally didn’t have the extra attention to spare for another child. However, even amidst his playful banter with the little rascal, Wei Maomao never took her eyes off Cheng Tingyan.

Seeing her relax, her expression soften, no longer standing protectively in front of her, Wei Maomao’s heart also softened.

“Where’s breakfast?” Wei Maomao felt it was time and looked up at Wei Chengli.

Wei Chengli laughed in exasperation. “Ask your stone stool dad to make it for you.”

“Daddy, Daddy, make me breakfast, I’m your most beloved baby.” Wei Maomao lowered her head, pressing her face against the stool and patting it. She wasn’t afraid of Wei Chengli. After being tricked yesterday, as a three-year-old, she couldn’t even land a punch on him. But then she remembered how Wen Xiang had been driven to the brink by Wen Dongyu. Hmph, who couldn’t bully whom.

Wei Maomao’s performance was flawless, both in her singing and acting, successfully making him squat down.

But Wei Maomao didn’t expect that instead of yielding like last night, she was met with…

“I farted loudly when I was sitting on that stool just now.” Wei Chengli bent down, whispering like a devil.

The viewers in the live broadcast room, who had spent the entire morning bracing themselves, had learned their lesson. They immediately covered their mouths whenever they saw Maomao about to speak or make a suspicious move, safely navigating through one “Daddy, Daddy” after another while stifling their laughter.

But they didn’t expect that this time, it was Wei Chengli who launched the ultimate attack!

“Oh my god! These two! I owe them something! Hahaha! Come and compensate me for my computer!”

“Director Wei, why didn’t you learn something good, you had to learn to throw bombs like Maomao! Let me thank you on behalf of my keyboard!”

“This is why you guys are so slow to eat breakfast! Learning from my mistakes, I finished mine quickly! Safely dodged this one, hahaha!”

“Hahaha, so a three-year-old can jump this high, they didn’t misname her Wei Bunny!”

“It can be said that she’s very agile, hahaha, Maomao startled even Director Wei when she jumped.”

“Whose fault is it, hahaha, it’s Director Wei who mentioned farting first! Our CEO Mao had been rubbing her face against that stool for a while! Poor little chubby face, it must be stinky now!”

“It’s all Director Wei’s fault, he tricked the child yesterday and wouldn’t even let her vent her anger, he even held her back and watched her throw punches at the air, laughing at that time, and then the whole room became ‘daddy.’ Hahaha!”

“That’s Director Wei for you, coaxing her for half a night yesterday, and he still dares to do it this morning! It seems the whole village is about to be ‘daddy’ soon!”

“The little chubby bunny is good at copying homework, remember to pay Wen Dongdong the copyright fee, hahaha!”

…

What the viewers could think of, Wei Chengli could also think of.

He still remembered vividly how Wen Xiang had been so angry that he even burned the fish yesterday.

The whole village being Maomao’s dad, that image was too beautiful, he didn’t dare to imagine it.

In the end, the father-daughter battle once again ended with Wei Chengli repeatedly yielding.

Wei Chengli had witnessed how mischievous the little rascal could be. Looking at Cheng Tingyan, his gaze was filled with envy. Clearly, they had only known each other through the TV screen, but they were already so close when they met, he was deeply envious!

Cheng Tingyan, who had been enthusiastically invited by Wei Chengli to stay for breakfast, felt uneasy under his kind but intense gaze.

However, the current problem was…

“Maomao, if the food your dad makes later isn’t good, you can give it all to me.” While Wei Chengli went to the stove, Cheng Tingyan opened her bag and showed Wei Maomao what was inside. “I brought you food, I’ll give it to you when we go out.”

“Did your dad make these this morning?” Wei Maomao peered inside, seeing eggs and steamed buns wrapped in plastic bags.

“Mmm.” Cheng Tingyan nodded. “The adults went out early to do their tasks, and it seems everyone got different things. I don’t know what your dad got.”

“So this is your breakfast, right?” Wei Maomao asked again.

Cheng Tingyan: “…”

Just as they were talking, Wei Chengli came out carrying a tray.

“Scallion oil noodles are here!” Wei Chengli set down the tray, placing two smaller bowls of noodles in front of the two little ones, a larger bowl in front of himself, and said, “It’s definitely delicious this time, I already tasted it!”

Cheng Tingyan pressed Wei Maomao’s hand under the table, signaling for her to eat first.

Her resigned expression turned into surprise after taking a mouthful of noodles.

“Delicious, right! They provided a recipe with the ingredients this time, I followed it exactly, it’s really delicious.” Seeing the change in Cheng Tingyan’s expression, Wei Chengli looked pleased. He nudged the spoon into the little chubby dumpling’s hand. “I cut the noodles in your bowl shorter and didn’t mash them, you can use a spoon to eat.”

“Daddy…” Wei Maomao poked the noodles in her bowl. Seeing Wei Chengli’s expectant, almost shining eyes, she swallowed her words and took a bite.

The seasoning was just right, not too oily or greasy, fragrant, a very normal, even somewhat delicious taste.

“Delicious, right?” Wei Chengli patted the little dumpling’s soft head.

Wei Maomao slowly nodded.

Wei Chengli smiled with satisfaction, picked up his bowl, and took a big mouthful. But before he could swallow the noodles, he suddenly paused, slapped the table, and said, “Oh right, I also boiled eggs, I’ll go peel a couple for you.”

With that, he happily headed back to the stove.

Wei Maomao tilted her head up slightly, swallowing hard a couple of times with an empty mouth, suppressing the urge to vomit.

“Maomao? Are you crying?” Cheng Tingyan immediately noticed something was wrong and quickly picked up her chopsticks, taking a bite of the chopped noodles from her bowl. She froze after tasting it. “It’s the same, it’s quite delicious.”

“I’m not crying. It’s quite delicious.” Wei Maomao wiped her eyes, smiled, and took another spoonful of noodles.

It was quite delicious, she didn’t know where the program team got the recipe from, it was even better than what she had made in her previous life.

But… why did it have to be scallion oil noodles?

In her previous life, before that jerk Wei Chengli went to his death, their last meal together was scallion oil noodles she had made.

Since then, she could barely tolerate scallions, and scallion oil was…

This taste was truly unbearable.

Wei Maomao took several more spoonfuls, taking advantage of the short, soft noodles to shove several spoonfuls into her mouth at once, swallowing them whole without chewing.

Cheng Tingyan took out a freshly dried handkerchief and pressed it against the little chubby bunny’s face. She understood, the taste of the noodles was fine for her, even quite good. But clearly, Maomao didn’t like them.

Really… didn’t like them at all.

But she… was forcing herself to eat them…

Why?

Just now, they seemed to be arguing, but their relationship seemed good. But now Maomao was like this again…

Cheng Tingyan couldn’t understand, and she didn’t plan to continue thinking about it.

Wei Maomao swallowed the noodles in her mouth, her spoon dropping down again, only to find the bowl was gone. She followed the direction the bowl had gone and saw Cheng Tingyan holding her bowl, chopsticks flying as she stuffed mouthful after mouthful of chopped noodles into her mouth, while vigilantly watching Wei Chengli’s back by the stove.

Yan Yan… Wei Maomao’s eyes flickered.

“Don’t eat it, I can tell him…” Wei Maomao pressed down on Cheng Tingyan’s hand holding the chopsticks.

The latter’s gaze, stopping her, was a bit stern.

There weren’t actually that many noodles in a serving for a three-year-old. Wei Maomao had already eaten several spoonfuls, and the rest was quickly devoured by Cheng Tingyan, who managed to finish it before Wei Chengli came back with the peeled eggs.

“Wow, is it really that good? You ate it so quickly? It seems I can make it for you again next time.” Wei Chengli was delighted to see Wei Maomao’s empty bowl.

Wei Maomao: “…”

She wanted to say it wasn’t good, she wanted to say don’t make it again, but looking at his young face, almost radiant with joy, her voice got stuck in her throat.

Clearly, when the main episode aired, if this scene was included, he would also know the truth. But at this moment, Wei Maomao couldn’t bring herself to say it.

The last time they had eaten scallion oil noodles together, he had been a drunkard, his eyes dim, about to go seek his own death in a few hours. He was a completely different person from… now.

Past sorrows were like fine threads binding her heart. By the time Wei Maomao snapped out of her thoughts, Cheng Tingyan had already eaten half of her own bowl of noodles.

“Don’t eat anymore, you’ll feel sick if you eat too much.” Wei Maomao anxiously reached out again, pressing down on Cheng Tingyan’s chopsticks.

This time, Cheng Tingyan put them down.

“Right, right, you’ve already had breakfast, I gave you a bit too much.” Wei Chengli looked at the two peeled boiled eggs in the bowl and asked, “Then Yan Yan, can you still eat the eggs?”

Cheng Tingyan shook her head.

“It’s okay, I’ll eat them. Maomao, you eat one too.” Wei Chengli took out an egg and offered it.

“No.” Wei Maomao’s mouth was full of the taste of scallion oil, she had no appetite at all.

“Little babies have to eat eggs to be smart, you didn’t eat much noodles, you can eat it. How about half? I’ll split it for you.” Wei Chengli was immersed in the joy of his scallion oil noodles success, taking a step back and gently breaking the egg in half.

It’s just…

Perhaps he was a bit too immersed, he didn’t hold it steady, and half of the yolk fell out.

It fell onto…

“Baby, is it too late to say I didn’t do it on purpose?” Wei Chengli, bending down, looked at the yolk stuck to the little chubby foot, his voice trembling with friendliness.

Chapter 36p2

…

Speaking of which, the lights were already out at the Wen family’s house.

The sky was dark, with a few scattered stars shining above Wen Dongyu’s head.

“Do you want to switch places with me?” Wen Xiang looked at Wen Dongyu lying on the bed next to him and said stiffly, “I have a roof here.”

Wen Dongyu turned over, facing his back to Wen Xiang.

“The staff told me you took all your Baby Coins to Maomao’s house. What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll take yours?” Wen Xiang kicked the covers in annoyance.

Wen Dongyu didn’t answer.

Wen Xiang tugged at his pillow. “Didn’t I promise you I would get your plane and fire-breathing dragon back after the show? Why are you so stingy, not talking to Dad anymore?”

Wen Dongyu didn’t move, as if he had fallen asleep.

“If you don’t talk to Dad anymore, Dad won’t buy you any more toys.” Wen Xiang was also angry. “Was I wrong before? The room full of toys at home, didn’t your mother and I buy them all for you? Even if we took a few, it’s our own stuff, are you justified in being angry?”

Wen Dongyu suddenly sat up and turned to look at Wen Xiang. “Dad, aren’t those toys mine? You bought them for me, aren’t they mine?”

“Your mother and I spent the money, of course, they are ours. Buying them for you is like lending them to you to play with, how are they yours?” Wen Xiang had been quite annoyed by Wen Dongyu throughout the day and disliked his current ungenerous behavior, so he naturally went along with his words. It was true, wasn’t it? A few-year-old child, and everything in the house was his? They were just a few toys, and they had bought them for him, they weren’t not going to buy new ones if they gave them away, was it necessary to make such a big deal out of it? If this child continued to be so selfish, would there be a place for them as parents when he grew old?

“Oh, you lent them to me, they’re not mine.” Wen Dongyu was stunned for a moment, repeating in a low voice. Ah, he suddenly felt a bit sad.

“That’s right, we lent them to you. If you’re not well-behaved and don’t know how to share, we can stop lending them to you. You have to be obedient, be a good boy, learn to share with others, then we will buy you new toys.” Wen Xiang felt that Wen Dongyu seemed a bit more receptive than during the day and quickly seized the opportunity.

Wen Dongyu sat there silently.

The toys weren’t his, they were lent to him by Mom and Dad, none of them were his… The plane and fire-breathing dragon he liked were also lent to him by Mom and Dad.

So that’s how it was.

Wen Dongyu felt a bit dazed, as if something in the world had suddenly changed.

Wen Xiang, who had been lecturing his son, suddenly felt that the silence in the room had lasted a bit too long, so long that he had a slightly uneasy feeling.

But before he could speak, Wen Dongyu on the bed next to him spoke first.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t know those toys weren’t mine, I was wrong, it turns out they aren’t my property, they’re your and Mom’s property. Then the plane and fire-breathing dragon, they’re yours, if you don’t want them anymore, don’t ask for them back.” Wen Dongyu apologized sincerely, then asked weakly, “Dad, do you charge money for lending me toys?”

“…” Wen Xiang.

Sometimes, sincerity could be truly disarming.

Clearly, Wen Dongyu had yielded, but he was so utterly yielding that Wen Xiang felt a lump in his throat.

But he had just made such a big declaration, he couldn’t immediately backtrack and say that what he had said was a lie…

In fact, it wasn’t a lie. They had indeed bought the toys, but it wasn’t really lending… They just felt that they should have the right to control them.

“Dad, do you… charge money?” Wen Dongyu asked nervously. “I don’t have much money, five yuan a day, I’ve spent a lot of it… on food, now I only have Baby Coins…”

“I don’t want your money.” Wen Xiang replied in a muffled voice.

“Thank you, Dad!” Wen Dongyu instantly relaxed and lay back down on the bed with a thump. But before he could fully lie down, he sat up again. “Ah, then my bed, my books, the food I eat, are those… also not mine?”

Wen Xiang felt very uncomfortable. He suspected that Wen Dongyu was playing dumb on purpose, trying to provoke him.

“Yes, yes, yes, those are also bought by your mother and me, lent to you, no charge!” Wen Xiang said angrily. “What money do you have, even your daily allowance of a few yuan is borrowed from us!”

He didn’t know what was going on with his son, was he taking it seriously? Forget it, this was good too, let him learn a lesson, let him know where his food and necessities came from. It would save him from constantly talking about protecting his own property, as if someone was coveting his meager possessions. Such a young child, talking about property…

“Oh, oh, oh.” Wen Dongyu nodded repeatedly and lay back down. He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “Then don’t say you’re buying me this or that in the future, I’ll misunderstand.”

“What do you mean, Wen Dongdong?” Wen Xiang felt angry but couldn’t pinpoint exactly why. He couldn’t help but raise his voice slightly. “What do you mean by ‘don’t say it’?”

“Just, don’t say you bought it for me, say that you bought it for yourselves and then lent it to me.” Wen Dongyu explained patiently and obediently. “I’m afraid that after a long time, I’ll forget that it’s borrowed.”

Wen Xiang: “…”

Whether Wen Dongyu would remember that the things were borrowed was another matter, but the viewers in the live broadcast room certainly wouldn’t forget.

“Oh my god, I heard in Shen Zilin’s live broadcast room that the stars here are beautiful, I came to see the stars! But what did I see! Someone killed the stars in a little baby’s eyes!”

“Sigh, I’m eating dates, but they taste so sour, they made me cry. I wish I could lend this sourness to Wen Xiang, no need to return it.”

“Wen Xiang is famously naive and sweet in the industry, it seems that after tonight, he’ll only be naive… Can he even handle this? Wen Dongdong suddenly became so humble, can’t he see it!”

“I’ve seen it now, this is the legendary ‘living under someone else’s roof in your own home’…”

“What else can we say, we can only say that Wen Xiang is still a decent human being, he didn’t say that he would charge for the things he lent out, otherwise, Wen Dongdong would probably have to work overnight.”

“Let’s call him Wen Yuyu, only we treat him like a precious little one…”

“Actually, I think there’s something wrong with Wen Dongyu too, he thinks the toys at home are his, so his parents don’t have the right to control them. That plane and that dragon, Wen Xiang and his wife were just taking back the things they bought. Wen Dongyu calls someone else ‘dad’ just because of this, it’s normal for Wen Xiang to be angry, right?”

“Wen Dongyu isn’t an unreasonable child, as soon as Wen Xiang said it was borrowed, he didn’t have any more demands.”

“How should I put it, this situation… If you feel you must have control over your child’s belongings, and you’ll die if you don’t, then it’s better to be upfront from the beginning and say, ‘This is mine, I’m lending it to you.’ This way, the child doesn’t think it’s theirs from the start, they don’t develop a sense of ownership, and they won’t say anything if you take it back or give it away. The most annoying thing is when you initially say, ‘This is for you, I got this for you, how hard I worked for it,’ making it sound so grand, the child is touched and grateful, thinking the thing is theirs, they invest their feelings and develop a sense of ownership, and then you take it back and give it away.”

“As for calling someone else ‘dad,’ Wen Yuyu is still young. For him, a dad is someone who can protect him, protect his property. It’s mainly because Director Wei is doing too well, outstanding people always attract others…”

“What are you talking about, it’s mainly because Wen Dongyu hasn’t eaten Director Wei’s mush, hahaha.”

“Sigh, does Wen Xiang even realize Wen Yuyu is sad? I can see his hand moving in the dark, is he wiping his tears? Aww…”

“It seems like he started pretending to sleep while wiping his tears.”

…

Some people pretend to sleep because they are sad, while others simply pretend to sleep because they don’t want to answer questions.

After taking a bath, Wei Maomao, upon learning that she couldn’t call her mother, threw herself onto the bed.

As expected of Shi Dingshan, he changed a lot of rules… Wei Maomao thought gloomily, completely unaware that they were still live.

“Baby?” Wei Chengli came over with a hairdryer, drying the little chubby dumpling’s hair as she lay face down on the bed. He gently nudged her chubby arm. “Let’s chat.”

Wei Maomao quickly closed her eyes.

“Don’t pretend to be asleep. I won’t talk about the cartoons anymore, okay?” Wei Chengli rubbed the little chubby dumpling’s soft, wet hair. “Tell me, did you have fun playing with your friends today?”

“Fun…” Wei Maomao yawned.

“Then who do you like playing with the most?” Wei Chengli asked again.

Wei Maomao opened her eyes a crack and gave Wei Chengli a speechless look.

“Alright… I was just asking. Did our Maomao have fun playing with Rongrong?” Seeing that the little chubby dumpling was about to fall asleep after another yawn, Wei Chengli quickly got to the point.

“Daddy…” Wei Maomao opened her eyes and looked at Wei Chengli seriously. “Baby remembers! Don’t play with Rongrong who bullies Daddy!”

Wei Chengli: “Baby! Nobody bullied Daddy! Daddy already explained it to you at noon, you were asleep and didn’t hear! Baby! Baby? Baby, baby?”

The soft little dumpling burrowed into the bed, her eyes tightly closed, seemingly having drifted off to dreamland.

Wei Chengli: … So fast again?

No, it couldn’t end like this.

It was the same at noon! Because of a certain someone’s sleepiness, he hadn’t been able to explain things properly!

“Ah! Spider!” Wei Chengli, who was half-squatting beside the bed drying the little chubby dumpling’s hair, suddenly jumped up.

The viewers in the live broadcast room were startled, they searched the screen for a spider but found none. Then they saw that Wei Chengli wasn’t trying to swat any bugs, he was just looking at the motionless little dumpling on the bed and sighing.

Well… The one who should have been scared awake was asleep, and the ones who shouldn’t have been scared were startled.

Wei Chengli wasn’t one to give up easily, but “rat,” “snake,” and “big bad wolf” all failed to rouse the child. It seemed he could only believe that she was asleep again.

Heh, as if.

Wei Maomao closed her eyes, letting Wei Chengli shout all sorts of nonsense while drying her hair. Gradually, she actually started to feel sleepy.

Just then, she heard two soft knocks on the door.

Then she heard Wei Chengli’s footsteps as he went to open the door.

“Yan Yan? Why are you here?” Wei Chengli lowered his voice and asked softly to the person outside the door.

In the blink of an eye, almost as soon as he finished speaking, Wei Chengli turned around sharply. The little chubby dumpling, who hadn’t even reacted to the “rat” crawling around earlier, had already climbed out of bed and was frantically trying to put on her slippers.

Heh… Wei Chengli laughed in exasperation.

The wide-open door, her father’s cold smile, the empty doorway…

Wei Maomao couldn’t believe it. She stepped out of the room, walked around the outer room, then clenched her little fists, turned around angrily, and stomped back to her room, her little feet, which had gotten dirty again after getting out of bed in such a hurry, thumping with each step.

“…” Wei Chengli couldn’t laugh anymore.

While someone couldn’t laugh, others were laughing their heads off.

The viewers in the live broadcast room were speechless.

“Hahaha, why is Director Wei so mean! He had to wake up our little bunny who was pretending to sleep! Poor little bunny feet, all clean and then stepped on mud again!”

“Director Wei just likes washing those chubby little feet, right! They’re so squishy and stress-relieving, right! Let go of those little feet, I’ll wash them!”

“I just watched CEO Shen teaching his son how to befriend little girls, and then Wen Xiang on how to make his biological son feel like an outsider, I thought that was funny enough… But I didn’t expect, it still has to be Director Wei, Director Wei is truly a dog!”

“Hahaha, it’s no wonder Maomao made Director Wei famous with her ‘My daddy said…’ routine, he deserves it.”

“Director Wei still has some tricks up his sleeve, I think he has found a way to handle the little chubby bunny. But the problem is, hahaha, he used the wrong amount of force, I’m afraid he’s about to be beaten by the little chubby bunny.”

“When it comes to getting beaten, Director Wei is a professional!”

“Hahaha, the little bunny will regret it, the mush from noon was thrown away too early.”

…

Chapter 36p1

Shi Dingshan was looking at the screen showing the live broadcast of Shen Jianghe and his son, the pair Jin Youliang had just mentioned.

The father and son had tidied up quickly. By the time Shi Dingshan picked up his cup, they were already lying in bed on the screen, entering their nighttime chat session.

In the short time it took Shi Dingshan to take two sips of water, the two figures, originally occupying opposite ends of the bed with enough space between them to fit two burly men, were now huddled together.

More precisely, Shen Jianghe had unilaterally crossed the no man’s land and clamped his hand over Shen Zilin’s mouth.

Before that, Shi Dingshan had clearly heard Shen Zilin’s question.

He had said, “Dad, why do Wang Qiang, Zhao Yueyue, Shen Siqin, all those young ladies like you? How do you… Mmm mmm mmm…”

On the screen, Shen Jianghe, who had been lying there calmly, swiftly flipped over and covered his son’s mouth, whispering in exasperation, “We’re still live…”

Unfortunately, Shen Zilin was quite articulate. Shen Jianghe was a bit slow to react, and by the time he managed to cover his son’s mouth, the things that should and shouldn’t be said had already been said.

Shi Dingshan spat out his water, clutching his knees and laughing hysterically. Truly a biological son…

“We’re still live, they don’t stop recording until bedtime, do you understand?” Shen Jianghe, at his wit’s end, pressed his hand over his son’s mouth, reiterating the point.

Shen Zilin nodded obediently.

Shen Jianghe released his hand.

This little commotion had eliminated the vast empty space between the father and son.

They lay side by side, a rare moment of closeness for them.

Shen Jianghe felt a bit awkward, but it wasn’t quite right to simply roll back to his original position. However, Shen Zilin, inching closer and closer, edged towards his side of the bed, stubbornly creating a fist’s width of space between them.

What else could he do? Shen Jianghe silently moved back to his original spot. With the distance restored, they felt more at ease.

At this point, Shen Jianghe couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. In the past few years, he hadn’t been keen on returning home. Initially, it was because Shen Zilin’s eyes looked too much like his deceased wife, causing him heartache. Later, it gradually became a habit not to go home, after all, his parents were taking care of the child, and he could just focus on his own business. In the past two years, he had gradually let go of many things and started spending more time at home. But after missing several years of his son’s growth, although there was no conflict between them, there was a sense of unfamiliarity, a difficulty in getting close. This was also one of the reasons he decided to bring his son to participate in the show. However, it seemed that being here… wasn’t really helpful. Now, even lying on the same bed, they felt awkward if they got a little too close.

“Dad, did you hear what I just asked you?” Unlike his father, Shen Zilin wasn’t overthinking things. He waited and waited in silence, but when no answer came, he couldn’t help but speak up.

Shen Zilin’s voice abruptly pulled Shen Jianghe out of his somber thoughts, putting him on high alert.

What was going on with this child? They were supposed to be distant and unfamiliar, uncomfortable lying next to each other, but he could list off his father’s girlfriends one by one!

“It’s dark, time to sleep.” Shen Jianghe had absolutely no interest in gossiping about his love life with his son.

“…” Shen Zilin was silent for a moment, then rolled over, facing away from his father, and muttered, “You won’t even answer a simple question… Maomao’s dad is really the best.”

Shen Jianghe: ???

Ah, that damned competitiveness, that cursed desire to win…

Shen Jianghe tossed and turned in bed a couple of times, glancing at his watch. Although it wasn’t time for them to remove their microphones and go to sleep, he couldn’t help but sit up.

“Let’s make this clear first, you can ask me questions, but you can’t mention anyone else.” Shen Jianghe stated seriously. It seemed like Shen Zilin genuinely wanted to ask questions and understand him better, he shouldn’t completely suppress his son’s curiosity. After all, being curious about one’s father was also a way to get to know each other. Thinking about it this way, the show wasn’t entirely useless. At least at home, they didn’t have much time for nighttime chats, and Shen Zilin had never asked him these questions before.

Shen Zilin also rolled over and sat up, looking innocent. “What do you mean by anyone else? Is Maomao anyone else?”

“…” Shen Jianghe was speechless. “Why is it always Maomao? Weren’t you asking me a question just now? What I mean is, you can’t… mention people who aren’t on this show, and don’t worry about Dad’s love life. You can ask something else.”

“Oh.” Shen Zilin seemed to understand vaguely, but he had already forgotten his detailed examples from earlier, and said with disdain, “Why would I mention people who aren’t on the show? I don’t care about your love life either…”

“Alright, hurry up and ask what you want to ask.” Shen Jianghe decided not to argue with a child.

“I just want to know how to make Maomao… like me more.” Shen Zilin asked confidently.

Shen Jianghe paused, then laughed in exasperation. “You’re only a few years old, what are you thinking about!”

“I’m six, what’s wrong with that?” Shen Zilin frowned. “Can’t a six-year-old have good friends and business partners?”

Shen Jianghe: ???

They talked past each other for a while, and after a long time, Shen Jianghe finally understood that he had been completely misled by the names Shen Zilin had listed earlier. The “like” that six-year-old Shen Zilin was talking about wasn’t what he had imagined at all.

“So you just think Maomao is very smart, and you want to be her business partner in the future, but you think she doesn’t like you very much, so you’re asking me how to win over a three-year-old?” After figuring out the situation, Shen Jianghe felt even more perplexed. “You’re my only child, where did you get the idea that I have any skills in winning over other children?”

“Maomao isn’t a baby, Maomao is a girl. Grandpa said you’re the best at winning over girls in the world.” Shen Zilin said seriously.

Shen Jianghe’s hand, raised to cover his son’s mouth, froze in mid-air. When he realized there was nothing else to stop him from saying, he awkwardly withdrew his hand.

Heh, biological son, biological father, don’t be angry, don’t be angry, it’s his own fault for talking so much with his son before they removed the microphones!

“Dad, can you do it or not, if you can’t, I’m going to sleep!” Shen Zilin was tired, they had spent a long time just talking about what happened in the afternoon, and yet his father hadn’t given him any useful advice, just kept asking questions.

Shen Jianghe clutched his chest. If he didn’t say something, wouldn’t it seem like he was incapable when it was broadcasted?

“Didn’t you say that Maomao was closest to you in the afternoon, at the convenience store, when you were talking about your assets… Heh… Cough cough, I’m not laughing. It’s just, when you were talking about your future cooperation, she called you Brother Shen. That shows… cough cough, that the little girl is quite ambitious. So just cooperate with her more, not just in the future, but during the show too. The program team will definitely have more tasks, just cooperate with her, then work hard and carry her.” Shen Jianghe finished speaking while suppressing his laughter, releasing his hand that had been secretly pinching his thigh.

Ah, why did it sound so cute as he was talking, a six-year-old wanting to cooperate with a three-year-old, hahaha! Shen Jianghe couldn’t help but reach out and ruffle Shen Zilin’s hair, who was deep in thought with a serious expression.

The overly natural act of closeness made both father and son freeze. They exchanged a glance, one quickly withdrawing his hand, the other lowering his head, pretending nothing had happened.

“Ah, and… and also. You can give some small… Oh, girls. Haha, no, I’m not laughing, not laughing, hahaha, just find some things that girls would like and give them to her.” To cover up the awkwardness of touching his son’s head, Shen Jianghe continued to offer advice. But the situation was so funny that he had to pinch his thigh again to keep himself from bursting out laughing. “Girls all like flowers, fluffy animals, cosmetics, jewelry, cars… Cough cough, as for Maomao… it’s not that complicated. Don’t you have a Baby Convenience Store? I heard they have snacks and little things you can exchange for.”

“Give her gifts…” Shen Zilin muttered to himself, calculating his Baby Coins. Because he hadn’t received the “Daddy Kiss Card,” and he had only guessed three dads correctly in the “Guess the Dad by Dish” game… He only had twenty-six Baby Coins in total, probably the least of everyone. He couldn’t even exchange them for a bag of beef jerky, let alone the popcorn Maomao wanted to eat. He could probably only exchange for a lollipop and that would be it.

“Right, giving gifts is also a way to quickly increase her favorability.” Shen Jianghe encouraged.

Shen Zilin furrowed his brows in thought for a while, then suddenly relaxed and lay flat on the bed with a thump.

“Thank you, Dad!” Shen Zilin lay down, pulled the covers over himself, and closed his eyes.

Shen Jianghe: ???

“That’s it?” Shen Jianghe felt it was a bit abrupt.

“Mmm.” Shen Zilin nodded. “Sleep, Dad, we have a lot to do tomorrow!”

“What is it?” Shen Jianghe couldn’t quite keep up. Seeing his son turn his head and ignore him, seemingly about to fall asleep, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is Maomao really that great? I heard from the staff that Wang Zhizhi and Cheng Rongrong also wanted to… heh, cough cough… cooperate with you later. Why are you so fixated on Maomao?”

“Because Maomao knows how to protect her own and other people’s property, and she’s also fair. Grandpa said that you have to cooperate with honest people to avoid being taken advantage of.” Shen Zilin said with his eyes closed. “Wang Zhizhi won’t do, his dad will take his money and give it to his sister. Grandpa said not to cooperate with people who can’t hold onto their wealth, otherwise, your own wealth will also flow away.”

Shen Jianghe’s lips twitched as he listened. His father, who didn’t even run a business himself, sure had a lot to say.

“What about Cheng Rongrong? She shared her potato chips with you this morning. The staff said she has a lot of savings for cooperation.” Speaking of money, Shen Jianghe thought of something else, but before he could ask, Shen Zilin answered.

“Cheng Rongrong… I gave her some of my vegetable chips on the way back this afternoon.” Shen Zilin paused, then changed the subject. “Actually, I think Yan Yan is also good, it’s just that she only has a little over thirty yuan, too little to cooperate, it’s a pity.”

“Then…” Shen Jianghe originally wanted to continue asking about Cheng Rongrong, but stopped as soon as he started speaking.

Shen Zilin had already answered him. He had returned the favor for the potato chips from this morning and was more optimistic about Cheng Tingyan. The distance between the two sisters was obvious to everyone, let alone Shen Jianghe. Shen Zilin’s meaning was clear, he already thought Cheng Tingyan was good, so naturally, he wouldn’t cooperate with Cheng Rongrong. Initially, Shen Jianghe thought Shen Zilin’s talk about cooperation was just childish babble, but now it seemed like he was actually taking it seriously.

However, this child was too clear-cut. He returned the favor for the potato chips immediately, leaving no room for reciprocation. He lacked the smoothness of a businessman, he was too straightforward… just like his mother.

Shen Jianghe didn’t want to dwell on these thoughts and casually replied, “Yan Yan has no money, so you won’t cooperate with her. Does Maomao have money?”

“Probably not.” Shen Zilin said matter-of-factly. “Maomao is only three, it’s already amazing that she knows what money is!”

“Wait…” Shen Jianghe was speechless. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t cooperate with someone who has no money?”

Shen Zilin turned over and didn’t speak.

Shen Jianghe: … Alright, the double standard is here.

“Are you going to sleep?” Shen Jianghe remembered the thing he hadn’t said before and asked again.

Shen Zilin nodded with his eyes closed.

Alright, Shen Jianghe glanced at the time, it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to have this conversation before they removed the microphones.

“Let me tell you one more thing. In business, don’t easily reveal your cards. That is, how much money you have, just know it yourself, don’t say it out loud, understand?” Shen Jianghe said in a low voice. “If you don’t pay attention to this next time, I will…”

“You will what?” Shen Zilin opened his eyes.

“Cough cough…” Shen Jianghe hadn’t thought about what he would actually do, but seeing the seemingly rebellious look in his son’s eyes, he couldn’t help but frown.

“Are you going to confiscate my money?” Shen Zilin sat up.

“It’s not impossible.” Shen Jianghe took the bait.

“…” Shen Zilin smiled cryptically and lay down without speaking.

Shen Jianghe sat there alone, feeling something was off. He couldn’t help but nudge Shen Zilin. “I was just kidding. What’s yours is yours, I’m not like Wen… Cough…”

“Oh.” Shen Zilin slowly uttered a word, the cryptic smile returning to his lips. “Even if it’s true, I’m not afraid of you.”

Shen Jianghe felt even more uneasy. His thoughts raced, and he frowned. “I heard from the staff that Wen Dongyu gave his Baby Coins to Maomao.”

“Yes.” Shen Zilin’s smile faded.

As expected, seeing Shen Zilin’s confidence vanish, Shen Jianghe cursed inwardly.

“I was really just kidding. Don’t even think about giving your real money to Maomao, even if you dared to give it to her, she wouldn’t dare to accept it.” Shen Jianghe was exasperated.

“Why wouldn’t she dare to accept it?” Shen Zilin sat up again, dissatisfied.

“You’re actually thinking about that!” Shen Jianghe patted his chest to calm himself down. “Do you think the Wei family runs a bank? They would dare to accept millions? You trust her so much, why don’t you trust me? Do I really need your measly money, do I have to take advantage of you?”

Shen Zilin looked at Shen Jianghe for a while, seeing the genuine grievance in his eyes, and the tension in his heart gradually eased. He lay down again and scoffed. “Wen Dongdong’s dad wouldn’t be short of a plane or a fire-breathing dragon, and would Wang Zhizhi’s dad be short of a hair tie?”

Shen Jianghe: ???

“Dad, even though your cooking isn’t good, you only come home once a week, and you change girlfriends faster than Grandpa changes fishing rods, you’re still okay. Promise me you won’t be like them.” Shen Zilin concluded with a full stop and closed his eyes.

Shen Jianghe: …

The viewers in the live broadcast room burped, their fill of gossip satiated.

“Hahaha, who would have thought, CEO Shen’s rumored girlfriends finally have their names revealed.”

“As expected, no matter how well-behaved Shen Zilin usually is, throwing his dad under the bus is still a baby’s innate skill!”

“Hahaha, the person above, be clear, are you implying something about someone!”

“Honestly, after listening to Shen Zilin, I realized he’s serious about building a career. Regardless of anything else, he has his own standards and is seriously choosing his partners.”

“Hahaha, serious he is, but in the end, he still stubbornly chose Maomao, who has nothing but her adorable self, right?”

“Shen Zilin is truly CEO Shen’s son, he has the potential of a businessman. Did you guys see that on the way back this afternoon, Cheng Rongrong and he were at the back of the group, talking about investment and stuff? At the time, it looked like two little kids playing house. But combined with Shen Zilin’s words now, tsk tsk, didn’t his phrase ‘investment is something for grown-ups’ sound like a tai chi move against Cheng Rongrong?”

“Hey, it really has the feeling of those old business people, putting things off indefinitely.”

“Hahaha, speaking of old business people, wasn’t CEO Shen just subtly dissed by Shen Zilin? But he should also be happy, although it doesn’t seem to be of much use, at least in his son’s eyes, he’s better than Wen Xiang and Wang Qingchuan.”

“Why are you all analyzing Shen Zilin’s business genes, am I the only one feeling sad for CEO Mao for missing out on four million yuan in deposits?”

“I’m dying of laughter, CEO Shen recovered too quickly, Little Bunny Bank missed out on four million yuan in deposits!”

“Hahaha! Allow me to remind you, it’s four million, five hundred and sixty-eight thousand, seven hundred and ninety-eight!”

“Poor Little Bunny Bank, in the end, only Wen Dongyu is a formal depositor, and he’s depositing Baby Coins, hahaha!”

“It’s good enough that there are Baby Coins deposited, after all, Wen Dongyu is the kind of customer who’s so poor he doesn’t even have a roof, his entertainment is looking at the stars!”

Chapter 35 p2

The staff, originally packed tightly at the door, parted like the Red Sea upon hearing Cheng Tingyan’s “Sister Su Li,” making way for Su Li, who was standing awkwardly behind them.

Su Li, swallowing the biscuit, really didn’t know what to do now…

Cheng Tingyan was only six years old, she couldn’t understand the complexity in Su Li’s eyes. She just looked at her blue shirt, then stared at her bun hairstyle, and confirmed, “Are you Sister Su Li?”

Su Li nodded, but her gaze shifted towards Cheng Feiying.

Cheng Feiying’s expression wasn’t good, his lips moved, but he didn’t say anything. Even though he had just lost his temper while trying to persuade Cheng Tingyan, he knew it wasn’t appropriate to ask why she knew Su Li at this moment.

“Sister Su Li, Sister Liu Ming said that you would help take care of us when we go to the bathroom or take a bath. Can you help take her away now?” Cheng Tingyan finished speaking calmly, struggling to lift her right arm, which was still being clung to by Cheng Rongrong.

“Ah… Ye… Yes…” Su Li looked at Cheng Feiying again. “But…”

“Then help her,” Cheng Feiying said quickly, then averted his gaze.

Su Li: “But…”

“Sister Li,” Cheng Rongrong released Cheng Tingyan’s hand and grabbed Su Li’s instead. “Sister Li, come take a bath with me.”

Su Li, her words interrupted twice, was dragged away without understanding what was happening.

But as she was leaving the room, Su Li couldn’t help but look back at Cheng Tingyan.

She was truly… very cold and distant.

Cheng Tingyan’s coldness and rejection towards Cheng Rongrong had always been undisguised, and Su Li wasn’t the only one who noticed it.

However, compared to the overwhelmingly negative comments in the morning, seeing this scene again at night, the discussions were filled with different voices.

“What’s wrong with this Su Li? Doesn’t she know what her job is?”

“Liu Ming next door even ate Director Wei’s mush and tested the poison with them, how come she doesn’t know to do her job when they’re arguing so loudly inside?”

“Hahaha, to be fair, Liu Ming didn’t have time to test the poison, that’s why they ended up taking the poison together, right!”

“Come on, hahaha, why is Director Wei’s reputation always being damaged!”

“My poor Yan Yan, why does she have to help bathe another child at six years old? Is she living in feudal times or the slave era?”

“Um… It’s not just another child… That’s her sister. Poor families are like this, they have one child after another, the older ones have to help take care of the younger ones, otherwise the adults can’t handle it.”

“Oh my god! The person above is trying to kill me with laughter! If you can’t handle it, don’t have so many kids! And the older ones taking care of the younger ones, did the older ones owe them something in a past life?!”

“But Yan Yan is truly cold, when she raised her hand and asked Su Li to take Rongrong away, her tone was flat, as if she was saying ‘Take this stray dog away.’”

“Stop making things up, can’t you even distinguish between humans and dogs? Look closely, when Cheng Rongrong let go, I even saw red marks on Yan Yan’s arm, did she have to grab so tightly?”

“Honestly, if they don’t have the same mother, don’t force them to act like a close family, it’s not going to work.”

“But Rongrong really seems to like Yan Yan. Every time Rongrong wants to be with Yan Yan, Yan Yan is so cold, it feels like her affection is misplaced, sigh…”

“??? It’s not like whoever initiates contact is always right. To give a similar example, do you have to marry everyone who wants to be with you? This is also a form of moral kidnapping!”

“So it’s still Su Li’s fault, why didn’t she step in earlier?”

“Instead of blaming Su Li, why don’t you ask Cheng Feiying why he didn’t mention that they have such a staff member. When Liu Ming from Maomao’s side asked Yan Yan at noon, Yan Yan didn’t even know they had such a staff member. How did Maomao know about Liu Ming? Although Director Wei’s cooking is terrible, he had already told Maomao about these things.”

“Although Cheng Feiying’s cooking is good, he’s indeed not as meticulous as Director Wei in this aspect. Director Wei even wiped Maomao’s chubby feet, hahaha, those chubby feet are so cute!”

“Director Wei: Even though I make mush without removing the fishy smell, I’m a good dad!”

“Director Wei: Even though I put ginger in my dishes but forget the vegetables, I’m a good dad!”

“Director Wei: Even though I touched the smelly little feet, and then touched my daughter’s head, I’m a good dad!”

“Director Wei: Even though I pushed my daughter into someone else’s arms, I’m a good dad!”

“Hahaha, stop it, you guys, I can’t even recognize the words ‘good dad’ anymore, does this show already have haters?!”

…

Public opinion was like a gust of wind, sweeping by, perhaps unable to immediately clear away the dust and reveal the truth.

But what about gust after gust, after gust…

Even a great embankment could eventually be destroyed by ants.

Meanwhile, Su Li was dragged into the bathroom by Cheng Rongrong.

The house Cheng Tingyan had drawn was the one with the best conditions out of the six. The homeowner ran a business outside and had spared no expense in decorating his hometown house. The bathroom was over fifty square meters, with both a shower and a bathtub. When the lights were turned on, it was dazzlingly luxurious, like a five-star hotel.

Su Li was a bit dizzy from the bright lights, she was washing Cheng Rongrong’s hair, but her mind was elsewhere.

She felt like something was wrong. After the bath, she had to ask Director Jin about the situation. Otherwise, if this happened again, she wouldn’t know what to do.

Cheng Rongrong, whose head was being scrubbed, sometimes gently, sometimes harshly, also didn’t know what to do.

She had made a mistake.

Cheng Tingyan actually knew about Su Li.

It must have been that Wei Maomao who told her!

What had she inadvertently changed that brought this troublemaker into the picture!

If it weren’t for that seemingly blind Wei Maomao, who would have approached Cheng Tingyan, who would have been bored enough to chat with her about the staff, and even mention Su Li in such detail!

Hadn’t the other children all gathered around her before Wei Maomao arrived in the morning!

It was all because of Wei Maomao, it was all her fault!

And what was wrong with Cheng Tingyan? She usually had that unapproachable expression, barely uttering a word all day, how come she was so talkative today? Could it be that her obedience and docility at home were all an act!

Cheng Rongrong thought about it and decided that Cheng Tingyan wasn’t capable of that. Then the problem still lay with that overly enthusiastic Wei Maomao! How annoying!

In the large bathroom, one was scrubbing, the other being scrubbed, both preoccupied with their own thoughts, their attention not on the head being washed. It wasn’t until they started rinsing that they realized they had used body wash instead of shampoo. Cheng Rongrong’s hair, after being scrubbed for so long, had lost all its natural oils. The moment water touched it, it became dry and tangled, but that’s a story for another time.

In short, Su Li couldn’t consult with Jin Youliang for the time being.

And at this moment, Su Li wasn’t the only one who wanted to talk to Jin Youliang.

Thud…

Bai Lei threw her phone onto the bed, her face as dark as if someone owed her millions.

Unlike Su Li, who could easily find Jin Youliang in the village, Bai Lei only had a phone number that went unanswered after numerous attempts.

Looking at the silent phone on the bed, Bai Lei felt extremely irritated.

When they had come to deliver the contract, Jin Youliang had been very friendly, and their subsequent meetings had been pleasant. There hadn’t been any instances of unanswered calls back then. What was going on now? Was he avoiding her calls just because he felt things were going south after the convenience store incident? Was he being too quick to jump ship? He wasn’t afraid of betting on the wrong horse!

Bai Lei sat down on the bed angrily, picked up her phone again, and started browsing relevant online posts.

Look, the internet trolls she had hired were of such high quality! That Jin Youliang, he better have been busy, otherwise, after dealing with Cheng Tingyan, she wouldn’t mind giving him a taste of his own medicine.

And Jin Youliang, the person Su Li was thinking about, the one Bai Lei was desperately trying to reach, was currently with Shi Dingshan.

Everyone had their worries, and Jin Youliang was no exception.

“Director Shi, today when the staff mentioned to CEO Shen that Shen Zilin said he had four million yuan in savings at the convenience store, CEO Shen’s expression seemed a bit off.” Jin Youliang said, picking up the hot water kettle and refilling Shi Dingshan’s empty cup.

“Off is off, if he didn’t come to us, it means it’s nothing, let him deal with it himself.” Shi Dingshan said nonchalantly, picking up his cup and blowing on it.

Jin Youliang clenched his fists. Of course this old man thought it was nothing, CEO Shen had already participated in the show, the funding was in place, he could do whatever he wanted. But couldn’t he think about others! Jin Youliang also had a project, the station didn’t object, but they said he lacked experience and if he wanted to do it, he had to find funding himself.

Where would he get the money?

Shen Jianghe had always been generous, he had collaborated with the station many times, and this time, he had even brought his son to participate in the show. Jin Youliang naturally hoped that he would have a good time, so he, as the assistant director, could approach him for investment.

Jin Youliang could see clearly that Shen Jianghe didn’t care about the house drawing, which was purely based on luck. When Shen Zilin drew the pigsty, he had accepted it readily. It was just that when Shen Zilin mentioned his savings at the convenience store, Shen Jianghe’s expression clearly changed. Although he quickly concealed it, Jin Youliang still noticed.

For the sake of his future funding, Jin Youliang felt he had to mention this to Shi Dingshan.

“But children, talking about money on a live broadcast, isn’t it inappropriate?” Jin Youliang didn’t dare to directly confront Shi Dingshan, so he could only offer subtle advice. “Actually, many children don’t have any concept of money. Letting them be exposed to the idea of money too early, isn’t it bad?”

“What’s bad about money, money is a good thing. Don’t most people spend their entire lives chasing after money?” Shi Dingshan sneered. “Knowing the importance of money early on can make them smarter.”

“… “ Jin Youliang’s back was sweating, he suddenly realized that his mention of money had touched a nerve with Shi Dingshan, he quickly changed the subject with a laugh. “I was just saying. Director Shi is right, some things should be cultivated from a young age. Like the newly added Baby Coins and Daddy Coins, it’s a good way to let them have a sense of earning and spending money from a young age.”

“Heh…” Shi Dingshan scoffed again. “Baby Coins and Daddy Coins aren’t for that.”

Jin Youliang: “… What do you mean, Director Shi?”

Shi Dingshan smiled but didn’t speak. He had created these coins to test family bonds, of course, there was no need to explain this to Jin Youliang.

Jin Youliang, being brushed off, clenched his fists, finding a random excuse to leave before his true emotions showed on his face. Only he knew how much he resented that old bastard Shi Dingshan for blocking his path.

Shi Dingshan, of course, was unaware of the resentment brewing in the heart of the person who had just served him tea. He picked up his cup and took a sip, then, after glancing at the live broadcast screens, he burst out laughing.