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

Chapter 19

“I’ll get them back for you! I’ll get them all back for you, alright?!” Wen Xiang tore his son off Wei Chengli’s leg, his normally gentle voice now distorted with anger.

“Promise?” Wen Dongyu clutched at his fake dad’s pants, looking directly at his real dad.

“I promise!” Wen Xiang gritted his teeth, his face red with anger.

“You also promise not to hit me.” Wen Dongyu’s face was also red, flushed with excitement.

“I promise I won’t hit you!” Wen Xiang dug the trap, planning to let his wife properly educate this little rascal who randomly claimed dads after the filming was over.

A five-year-old’s scheming was no match for a twenty-nine-year-old’s cunning. Wen Dongyu happily let go and returned to his exasperated father’s side.

“Maomao, you’re the best!” Wen Dongyu gave Wei Maomao a thumbs-up.

Wei Maomao: “…” Thank you very much.

Actually, Wei Maomao was a little frustrated when Wen Dongyu jumped out and said they weren’t swapping houses, as it had relieved Cheng Feiying’s predicament too soon. But now, seeing Cheng Feiying’s extremely unpleasant expression, Wei Maomao felt that Wen Dongyu’s move was quite good.

If all this could be edited into the main episode, the viewers would be able to see it, wouldn’t they? The power of adults and the hurt feelings of children.

Wei Maomao glanced around, looking at the many cameras surrounding them.

This time, you… will see it, won’t you…

Wei Chengli didn’t know why the little dumpling by his feet suddenly looked a bit downcast. Was it because of Wen Dongyu?

“I won’t.” Wei Chengli gently touched the little dumpling’s head, words of comfort slipping out.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Wei Chengli froze. He must be crazy, this was like shouting “there’s a general here” in a crowd of short people… There was no way they could get along peacefully now. Thankfully, his voice was soft and he hadn’t said anything specific. Hopefully, no one heard it, Wei Chengli looked around like a thief, silently praying.

Wei Chengli’s words were out of context, but Wei Maomao understood.

Respect was hard to learn, control was hard to relinquish, Wei Maomao understood. And what she was doing, what she wanted to subtly guide, wasn’t actually Wei Chengli, but the people behind the cameras.

Those who could hurt Cheng Tingyan, and those who could help Cheng Tingyan.

This time, starting from the little bit she had torn open, please, please see the fear she didn’t dare to voice, the mire she couldn’t struggle out of, please choose to help us…

“Maomao!”

Wen Dongyu’s face suddenly appeared before Wei Maomao, a close-up magnified version, startling her and pulling her out of her hopeless dejection.

“Hello.” Wei Maomao greeted politely and indifferently.

“Maomao, can I call you Boss?” Wen Dongyu’s still slightly red eyes shone brightly.

Wei Maomao: “…” Her polite indifference cracked.

“Wen Dongdong! Maomao is two years younger than you!” Wen Xiang was exasperated.

“Yu! Why don’t you call me Xiao Yu! I didn’t do anything wrong this time, why am I not your precious baby!” Wen Dongyu said angrily. “I know she’s younger than me, do you think I’m stupid?”

“Xiao Yu, Maomao is younger than you, how can she be your boss?” Wei Chengli laughed and patted Wen Dongyu’s head.

“The strong one is the boss! Uncle, call me Dongdong, I’m not your baby.” Wen Dongyu corrected him, then thought for a moment and added, “If my dad doesn’t get the airplane and the fire-breathing dragon back, you can call me baby, and I’ll call you dad.”

The next second, Wen Dongyu was dragged away by his exasperated father, who was finally at his limit, by the collar of his T-shirt.

Taking this as a cue, the others also laughed and dispersed, going to find their respective houses.

Compared to the awkward laughter of the people present, the audience in the live broadcast room was laughing much more sincerely.

“Hahaha, Dongdong is really brave, he can even swap dads, directly grabbing Wen Xiang’s fate by the neck, now he has no choice but to get them back.”

“Brave or not, this little boy is really strong, when he ‘weakly’ jumped onto Wen Xiang’s leg, Wen Xiang’s expression cracked, he’s still secretly rubbing his leg, it must hurt.”

“When Maomao jumped onto Director Wei, Director Wei was secretly happy.”

“Without the chubby bunny’s chubbiness, don’t imitate the chubby bunny’s fragility hahaha.”

“Little Dongdong has good judgment, knowing who can stand up for him, hahaha, he’s already acknowledging the boss.”

“Welcome Little Dongdong to our Chubby Bunny Sect, protecting personal property starts with you and me.”

“Wait… there’s already an organization?”

“Hahaha, someone save the children, can’t we change the name, what is Chubby Bunny Sect, did you even ask Maomao!”

…

The people in the program didn’t know about the amusement in the live broadcast room.

They dispersed in their respective families, carrying emotions of joy, awkwardness, or anger.

A three-year-old troublemaker was truly annoying! And being three and a half years old was too limiting! Every time Cheng Rongrong thought of something she could say in childish language to refute Wei Maomao, the little one would change the subject, she couldn’t keep up with her at all. And what was wrong with Wen Dongyu, he didn’t want to swap for a good house, and now he was hanging out with the troublemaker, was he crazy!

She hadn’t managed to swap houses, hadn’t gained any favors, hadn’t built any good relationships, and had only been made a laughingstock!

Cheng Rongrong, fuming with anger, pursed her lips and lowered her head, pretending to be obedient as she was led away by Cheng Feiying. After only a few steps, she heard the sound of pattering footsteps behind her.

She turned around and saw a chubby dumpling overtaking her.

“Uncle, can I play with Yan Yan?” Wei Maomao stood in front of Cheng Feiying, standing on tiptoe, placing her hand on the back of his hand that was holding Cheng Tingyan’s.

Her chubby paw was small but surprisingly heavy.

“Of course you can. But our task now is for each family to find their own house. You guys can play together later.” Cheng Feiying forced a smile and said perfunctorily. He couldn’t understand how this little dumpling had the nerve to ask for his daughter after slapping him in the face. Was it because she was three years old and her brain hadn’t developed properly?

“Let’s walk together.” Wei Maomao didn’t let go of his hand.

Cheng Feiying didn’t want to let this annoying little one have her way, but it would seem petty to refuse in front of the cameras.

“What do you think, Yan Yan?” Cheng Feiying looked down and gave his eldest daughter a suggestive look.

But Cheng Tingyan, from the moment Wei Maomao had stopped them, had her eyes fixed on the little dumpling, her head never lifting, naturally missing the suggestive look. Now, hearing her father’s question, Cheng Tingyan paused for a moment and softly replied, “Okay.”

Really a blockhead.

Cheng Feiying was unhappy, but still mindful of the live broadcast. He let go of Cheng Tingyan’s hand and said with a smile, “Okay, then you two can walk together, follow us, don’t run around.”

After that, Cheng Feiying didn’t even bother to look at them again, he led Cheng Rongrong and walked ahead.

“Daddy, I…” Cheng Rongrong suddenly had a bad feeling, she wanted to tell Cheng Feiying that she also wanted to walk with them. But just as she raised her head to speak, she saw Shen Zilin not far ahead, walking backwards, looking straight at them.

How was it written in the book?

[His inquisitive gaze locked onto her. In order to observe her better, he even unconsciously walked backwards while leading the way. This was the first time he had stared at a girl so intently. The six-year-old Shen Zilin didn’t know that this meant that this girl had caught his attention.]

The Shen family’s signature move: Woman (child), you have caught my attention.

And the woman (child) who caught his attention would receive a wealth of capital and support…

She, Cheng Rongrong, was the one who shared snacks and chatted with him when they arrived, why wasn’t his gaze on her!

Cheng Rongrong’s eyes reddened. Following Shen Zilin’s gaze, she turned her head. Behind them, Cheng Tingyan and Wei Maomao were walking side by side.

Was he looking at Cheng Tingyan?

He hadn’t even said a word to Cheng Tingyan this time!

“Rongrong? Rongrong?” Cheng Feiying tugged at his younger daughter’s hand. “What did you want to ask Daddy?”

“Nothing, Daddy, I’m just… a little hungry.” Cheng Rongrong, consumed with jealousy, lost interest in walking with the two behind them and casually replied to Cheng Feiying.

“You’re hungry? Let’s see if there are any snacks in the house, you can have a bite first, we’ll have dinner soon. I wonder what delicious food the program team has prepared for us.” Cheng Feiying, unaware of his daughter’s thoughts, said comfortingly.

Who cares about the food… Cheng Rongrong didn’t speak, suppressing her jealousy under a mask of obedience, and nodded.

But Cheng Rongrong didn’t know that someone really cared.

“Yan Yan, it’ll be dinner time soon.” Wei Maomao clenched her chubby fists, not daring to hold Cheng Tingyan’s hand, walking parallel to her two steps away. “I like shrimp, eggs, tofu, mushrooms, what do you like to eat?”

Cheng Tingyan lowered her eyes and said softly, “I also like shrimp, eggs, and tofu.”

“What about mushrooms? Are mushrooms not good?” Wei Maomao asked seemingly casually.

“…” Cheng Tingyan secretly glanced at the still soft and fluffy little dumpling with the corner of her eye. After a moment of hesitation, she whispered back, “Mushrooms taste weird, I don’t like them.”

“Oh.” Wei Maomao nodded. “I also like ribs and chicken legs, do you like them, Yan Yan?”

She said she didn’t like something that Maomao liked, but she wasn’t angry…

She didn’t have that sharp feeling from when they were choosing houses, Maomao still seemed soft.

Cheng Tingyan breathed a small sigh of relief and whispered, “I also like ribs, but I don’t like chicken legs.”

“Why?” The little dumpling tilted her head.

“Because…” Cheng Tingyan just started to explain when Cheng Feiying, who was leading the way, turned around.

“Alright, we’re here, children, you can chat later.” Cheng Feiying beckoned to Cheng Tingyan. “Come on, let’s go home, your sister is hungry.”

How can you only mention me! Pay attention to the details!

Cheng Rongrong smiled brightly, ran back to hold Cheng Tingyan’s hand, and said considerately, “Older sister must be hungry too, let’s go in and see.”

The family of three quickly disappeared behind the seemingly nice door.

Wei Maomao looked at the door, her eyes darkening. Fortunately, she had asked quickly and had already gotten some information. Now, she just had to wait for dinner.

“Maomao.” Wei Chengli, feeling a little sorry for the little dumpling who was staring at the closed door and seemed a bit dejected, picked her up. He said as he looked for their house on the map, “When you see Uncle Cheng again later, how about you apologize to him?”

“No!” Wei Maomao pressed her hand against her father’s face. “Maomao didn’t do anything wrong!”

Wei Chengli sighed. Just now, following behind the two little ones, he could clearly feel that Cheng Tingyan was much more reserved than before. It made sense, she was already a sensitive and cold little girl, her father being challenged by Maomao might have made her distance herself. How could he befriend the younger sister after offending the older one… Wei Chengli knew that Maomao sincerely liked this older sister, so he had to find a way to ease the relationship between the two families.

“It’s not about right or wrong, it’s just a misunderstanding. Think about it, if, let’s say, Yan Yan was a bit… mean to me today. Would you, because you feel sorry for Daddy, not want to play with Yan Yan anymore?” Wei Chengli tried to use words that the little dumpling could understand to make a hypothetical situation.

Wei Chengli’s thinking was mature, in a very adult way.

But Wei Maomao wasn’t, she was very cautious.

She had indeed sensed Cheng Tingyan’s slight reserve just now, but she absolutely couldn’t place the blame like this.

“I would. I would still want to play with Yan Yan.” Wei Maomao said firmly.

“…” Wei Chengli choked, repeating in disbelief, “I just said, hypothetically, if Yan Yan was mean… um, if Yan Yan hit me, would you still want to play with her?”

“Yes, I would.” Wei Maomao said seriously.

“But… I’m your dad…” Wei Chengli was a little hurt.

“You’re Daddy.” Wei Maomao touched Wei Chengli’s face. “She’s Yan Yan, we’ll always play together.”

Crash, Wei Chengli’s heart shattered.

After walking a few steps, Wei Chengli was still a bit unwilling to give up. “Maomao, what about Rongrong? If Rongrong was mean to Daddy…”

“Maomao won’t play with Rongrong anymore.” Wei Maomao immediately pressed her chubby paw against her father’s face, making a vow. “Never!”

Wei Chengli felt a bit better.

Wait…

After walking a few more steps, Wei Chengli felt something was wrong. He lifted the little dumpling in his arms, changing from holding her to carrying her, and asked weakly, “Maomao, you know what Daddy said was hypothetical, right? It’s not real, do you understand what Daddy means? No one was mean to Daddy, it was all pretend.”

“Daddy, I really won’t play with Rongrong ever again, don’t be afraid.” Wei Maomao gently patted her father’s head, comforting him.

Chapter 18

“Cheng Feiying is a good guy, sacrificing a mansion for a shack!”

“Our little angel Rongrong is clearly scared of the hole in the roof, but to stop her brother from crying, she bravely agreed to swap, even pretending that she likes looking at the stars. So sweet~~”

“The younger sister is so understanding, the older sister is not so good, coldly saying ‘whatever,’ as if everyone owes her money.”

“Right, Cheng Tingyan is already six years old, she doesn’t know how to give in to the younger ones. It was the same with the eggs this morning, Rongrong even gave her egg to her, but she just put down her fork and stopped eating, so stingy.”

…

When Cheng Feiying took the initiative to approach Wen Xiang to swap houses, comments not much different from those in Wei Maomao’s past life floated across the live broadcast screen.

Even though Cheng Tingyan responded quickly this time, unlike her long silence in the past, compared to the other two’s enthusiastic and proactive offerings, her indifferent response still fell short.

But this time, before the comments could escalate to more severe wording, a chubby little dumpling rolled into the camera, like a sharp blade from the sky, slashing apart the amicable scene between the Cheng and Wen families, then relentlessly making random slashes with her words.

At first, when Wei Maomao barged into the camera and childishly stopped them, the live broadcast room was filled with rows of simple “Hahaha…” comments. However, as she spoke in her seemingly random but poignant childlike language, the laughter in the comments gradually subsided.

Sometimes, people were blinded by a single leaf.

The longer this leaf existed, the more logical it would seem. Over time, people would even completely forget its existence, forget that they could remove it and see a different view.

Now, the little dumpling had stirred things up.

The leaf…

Shattered…

Could things belonging to a child solely belong to them?

How far could parental authority and control over their children extend?

A child of only a few years old, was she still an independent person?

“Looking at it this way, Cheng Feiying did decide to swap houses himself before asking for his daughters’ opinions.”

“Cheng Feiying’s heart is in the right place, but he should have asked for his daughters’ opinions before swapping, he was careless.”

“Heh, he knew to ask when they were eating eggs this morning, why didn’t he ask now? He listens to the people for small matters, but makes decisions for big ones?”

“Am I the only one who doesn’t understand why Cheng Feiying, with two daughters in tow, and Rongrong being so young, would be willing to swap for a broken house… It feels strange.”

“Didn’t he say he had experience living in broken houses? Maybe Yan Yan and Rongrong are more adaptable.”

“I also think it’s strange, I wouldn’t keep my daughter living in a broken house just because she had lived in one before.”

“Strange +1”

“Strange +2”

…

“Although… but Maomao shouldn’t be doing this either, using a new word she just learned so casually. ‘Being generous with other people’s things’ is quite a derogatory term, I think Cheng Feiying was at most careless, it’s not that serious…”

“Where is Maomao wrong? Didn’t Cheng Feiying use his daughter’s things to do a favor?”

“Why are you all criticizing our chubby bunny! And what if he had asked his daughter first? When I was young, my dad’s friend came to stay at our house, and my parents asked me if I was willing to give up my bedroom for him. I said no. Guess why I still remember those five slaps to this day…”

“Cheng Feiying can’t hit anyone, the cameras are rolling.”

“Who knows, the filming will end someday.”

“If you respect someone, you should respect their hard work. The issue isn’t whether you ask first and then swap, or swap first and then ask, but whether you have some sense. What does someone else’s belongings have to do with him, he shouldn’t even ask.”

“What’s wrong with you people? What do you mean someone else’s? Although the house was drawn by Cheng Tingyan, isn’t it the family’s house? Can’t Cheng Feiying, as an adult father, make this decision?”

“Heh, if your family pooled ten dollars to buy a lottery ticket and won five million, even if you split it equally, you should at least get your share, right? Your dad decides to give it all away, and you think it’s okay?”

“What’s wrong with us! What’s wrong with you! Cheng Tingyan is the oldest child, that’s right, but she’s only six years old. When you were six and won a big prize on the street, your dad gave it away casually, would you be happy? Wouldn’t you have a problem?”

“I think Yan Yan is quite good, although she’s cold, she has a warm heart, at least she agreed to swap. If it were me, heh, he could keep dreaming.”

“Yan Yan seems much quieter than in the first season. Although it looks like they’re taking good care of her this morning, I always feel that where there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather. No matter how well Cheng Feiying does, it’s still different.”

“He’s not doing that well either. The egg thing this morning, they only had two eggs left, couldn’t he have made scrambled eggs? He had to make fried eggs, playing the ‘two peaches kill three scholars’ trick, our Yan Yan couldn’t even refuse.”

“Rongrong giving her egg was friendly, Yan Yan not eating it was also friendly, and who says you have to finish the food someone gives you.”

“Right, I hate it when people put food on my plate.”

“Cheng Feiying seems to have quite a lot of say at home, Director Wei is not so lucky, he can’t control Maomao at all, she’s so talkative, look at how many times Cheng Feiying’s face has changed.”

“Just saying, I think Director Wei was super cool when he said he wouldn’t give Maomao’s things away, it’s better to have a dad who stands up for you than no dad at all.”

“I don’t care, our little warrior Maomao who wants to protect girls’ property is the coolest, hahaha.”

“It’s a pity that the little warrior is too small, she probably can’t protect it.”

“??? No way, is Cheng Feiying still going to swap houses after all this?”

In the live broadcast room, the originally one-sided wind was stirred and swept by the little dumpling, turning into tornadoes that emerged from all directions, battling each other. Some things were no longer taken for granted. The appearance of controversy made public opinion start thinking, thus creating a turning point, giving everything another possibility.

And Wei Maomao, who was under the camera, was completely unaware of all this.

At this moment, she was hanging on Wei Chengli’s leg, peeking out with her little head.

She watched Cheng Feiying’s struggle, Cheng Rongrong’s anger, the awkward silence she had created, and also… Cheng Tingyan.

Just and brave, pitiful and fragile, terrified and scared… Wei Maomao had just put on a big show, but she didn’t dare to look at Cheng Tingyan once during the process.

She was afraid.

She was afraid that if her gaze was discovered, Cheng Tingyan, who was suppressed by the agreement with the Cheng family, would… be forced to become Cheng Feiying’s sword against her.

She was also afraid of seeing incomprehension in Cheng Tingyan’s eyes, of seeing dislike for her childish behavior.

Wei Maomao wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, but she was afraid of Cheng Tingyan being labeled with those hurtful words again.

Wei Maomao wasn’t afraid of that kind of look, but she was afraid that she would be too sad and unable to control her performance.

She wanted Cheng Tingyan to stay out of it, she would fight this battle alone.

Only now, when everything had temporarily come to an end, did Wei Maomao dare to secretly glance at Cheng Tingyan.

And Cheng Tingyan, as if sensing her gaze, looked back, her eyes clear and bright, seemingly without any emotion.

This was already good enough, Wei Maomao relaxed a little and continued to look at the center of the awkwardness, Cheng Feiying.

Now, it was a dilemma for Cheng Feiying whether he swapped or not.

Wei Maomao wouldn’t make a fuss anymore, that would only give him a way to retract his decision.

Her goal was to tear off his hypocritical mask, to change the custody in the future, to give Cheng Tingyan the freedom to leave the Cheng family without carrying a bad reputation, not to fight over a house for the moment.

Anyway, they still had their own clean house as a backup. Even if he still swapped in the end, she could kindly invite Cheng Tingyan to live with them. Wasn’t it all about the great principle of unity and mutual assistance? She had also drawn a lot of cartoons about that.

Either way, Cheng Tingyan wouldn’t be the one to lose, Wei Maomao was enjoying the show.

But she didn’t expect someone unexpected to come and give Cheng Feiying a way out.

“We’re not swapping houses anymore!” Wen Dongyu shouted, raising his fist. His fair face was marked with red eyes and tear stains.

“Right, right, right, we’re fine with living here.” Wen Xiang quickly echoed.

Although he didn’t know why his crying and whining son had suddenly changed his mind, Wen Xiang was truly relieved. This house might be good, but it was too hot to handle.

“Hahaha, then let’s not swap. I’ll go check your roof later, get a few planks of wood, otherwise it’ll be troublesome if it rains.” Cheng Feiying’s expression softened, and he quickly took the opportunity to back down. While expressing his continued friendliness, he didn’t forget to give Wen Dongyu a loving look.

Thank heavens, thank earth, thank goodness only one of these children was abnormal.

However, Cheng Feiying didn’t expect that he had thanked them too early.

“Daddy! I’m a boy…” Wen Dongyu clenched the picture of the house he had despised in his hand. “Boys, also have to protect their own property!”

Wen Xiang: “…” Wait, why are we jumping back into this muddy water!

Why was the topic of property coming up again… Cheng Feiying’s smile gradually froze.

Wen Dongyu, as if injected with some strange stimulant, didn’t seem to notice the adults’ increasingly distorted expressions. He just twisted his waist and then plastered himself against Wen Xiang’s leg.

“Ah!” Wen Xiang, caught off guard by the hard bump against his leg, took a step back, crying out in pain.

“Daddy! Do you want to be the forest police and protect my property with me?” Wen Dongyu hugged Wen Xiang’s leg tightly and looked up at his father with deep affection.

Both his actions and words were… strangely… familiar…

It was Wen Dongyu who was speaking, but everyone present couldn’t help but look at the little dumpling still hanging on Wei Chengli’s leg.

Wen Xiang looked at the soft and chubby little dumpling a few steps away, then looked down at his own thin, monkey-like son. Why imitate her, son? You didn’t even consider the difference between you two, could the feeling of clinging to our legs be the same? You almost broke your daddy’s leg!

“Daddy! Daddy! Protect my property!” Wen Dongyu, not getting a response from Wen Xiang, started jumping while holding onto his father’s leg.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Wen Xiang’s head throbbed from his son’s rough actions, and he instinctively gave in. “Protect, protect!”

He didn’t know what was there to protect about a broken house with a hole in the roof…

“Then will you help me get back the airplane that Mommy gave to Qiang Qi next door?” Wen Dongyu pressed on, getting to the point. “And the fire-breathing dragon you gave to Zhuang Zhuang downstairs last time, will you get it back for me?”

Wen Xiang: “… That was so long ago, how do you still remember? Boys should be more generous. If you really want it, I’ll buy you a new one.”

“I want the original one!” Wen Dongyu started to tear up.

“I’ll buy two new ones for each of you.” Wen Xiang, afraid of being pestered again, compromised a step further.

Wen Dongyu looked up at his father carefully, not seeing any more concessions. He wiped his face, snorted, and got off Wen Xiang’s leg.

“Daddy! You protect my property too! Boys also want to protect their own property!” Wen Dongyu turned and hugged Wei Chengli’s other leg, then glanced at the little dumpling hanging on the other leg, staring at him with wide eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then looked up resolutely. “Forest Police Daddy, baby is scared!”

Wei Chengli: “…” He was numb, he didn’t want either of his legs anymore.

 

Chapter 17

Wei Chengli’s denial came too quickly and urgently. The repeated “No” made his stance clear and also made Cheng Feiying’s face darken.

Clearly, trying to explain things like “Yan Yan’s father isn’t an outsider” or “This isn’t taking advantage of others, it’s showing goodwill between families” was pointless now.

He said he wanted Maomao to play with Cheng Tingyan, but he offended her father right from the start, what was there to play…

Before Wei Chengli could even try to smooth things over for Wei Maomao, the little dumpling’s expression changed amidst the repeated denials.

The previous anxiety and grievance vanished with Wei Chengli’s firm “No,” leaving only sparkling eyes and a satisfied smile.

“Daddy, Daddy, you really are my Daddy. You were the one who taught me the meaning of ‘being generous with other people’s things.’ You just said Uncle wasn’t… I thought you were a monster disguised as my Daddy.” The little dumpling tilted her head cutely, proactively taking Wei Chengli’s hand, with a happiness and relief that came from regaining something lost.

It… left Wei Chengli speechless.

What was going on? Was he going to turn into a monster again if he tried to defend Cheng Feiying?

Silly child.

Wei Chengli patted the little dumpling’s soft head, both amused and exasperated, feeling a little sorry for her facing the possible loss of her new friend.

“Baby.” Wei Chengli squatted down, looking at the little dumpling at eye level, ready to seriously explain the difference between “being generous with other people’s things” and “being united and friendly.” Not to mention, Cheng Feiying beside them was almost bursting with anger. Although children were innocent, such destructive power wouldn’t do.

“Little sister, how can you talk about my Daddy like that!” Cheng Rongrong, her fists clenched and face flushed red, rushed over to them. “We’re swapping houses, older sister agreed too, why are you talking about my Daddy?”

Was that so?

Wei Chengli’s attention had been on Wei Maomao, he really hadn’t noticed that Cheng Tingyan had also agreed earlier.

If that was the case, it would be easy to handle.

“Ah, so Yan Yan also agreed. Did Maomao not hear that older sister Yan Yan agreed too? Then…” Wei Chengli tried to create a way out for everyone.

“I heard it.” Wei Maomao straightened her chubby waist, kicking over the steps Wei Chengli had halfway built.

Wei Chengli: “…”

“Daddy.” Wei Maomao turned to look at Wei Chengli.

Wei Chengli looked away towards the blue sky. He didn’t know why, but in just these few minutes, he had started to develop a conditioned reflex to the word “Daddy.”

“Daddy, you said that if the big bear wanted to steal the little bear’s honey, the little bear couldn’t say no because it would get beaten up. The little bear could pretend to give the honey first and then go find the forest police.” Wei Maomao said, snuggling closer to Wei Chengli, and whispering, “Daddy, where do we find the forest police? Baby is a little scared too.”

No! You’re not scared at all!

Wei Chengli’s eyes looking at the sky almost welled up with tears. When he heard the words “big bear,” he knew! He knew it would be like this!

“Well… Little Maomao, don’t misunderstand Uncle. Uncle is Yan Yan’s father, he won’t hit anyone. This house was drawn by Yan Yan on behalf of our family, Uncle also asked for Yan Yan and Rongrong’s opinions before trying to swap. We’re all here to play together, we should be united and friendly, we should take care of each other. A good child like Maomao, if she saw someone in trouble, would also be willing to step up and help, right?” Seeing that Wei Chengli seemed to be useless, Cheng Feiying could only step in to educate someone else’s child himself.

“I’m willing… to give you…” Wei Maomao kept her distance, tossing the picture of their own house towards Cheng Feiying. Then the chubby little dumpling immediately hid behind Wei Chengli and said in a small voice, “Daddy, you said girls should protect their own property. I don’t dare to protect it, baby is really scared.”

A thin piece of paper almost shattered Cheng Feiying’s self-proclaimed loving and kind mask.

Cheng Feiying: ???

Why was there such a big difference in their thinking when they were only half a year apart in age? Could she be a little bit logical? Was he trying to steal her house?

“Maomao! You can’t do that!” Wei Chengli saw that things were getting out of hand, picked up the picture that Wei Maomao had thrown away, and became serious.

“Daddy.” The little dumpling twisted her chubby waist and plastered herself against Wei Chengli’s leg, hugging it tightly. “Daddy, you said girls should protect their own property. You’re protecting Maomao’s property now, are you the forest police?”

The soft little one, clinging to his leg, her small face raised with an expression of absolute trust, like a cute little accessory.

Apart from what she was saying and doing, she was incredibly adorable.

Wei Chengli resisted the urge to hug this cuteness, but he couldn’t say anything more reproachful.

“It’s like this, before we came, we watched a cartoon, there were a lot of strange stories in it. She’s too immersed in the role, please don’t mind her. Brother Cheng, I’m really sorry.” Wei Chengli ignored the little dumpling’s act and simply apologized.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. She’s just a child, it’s normal for her to have some wild imaginations.” Cheng Feiying readily accepted the apology, not wanting to get entangled with the unreasonable child anymore.

But the problem now was… Cheng Feiying held the picture and looked at Wen Xiang. The situation was in limbo, no matter how they proceeded, it would be awkward.

Wei Maomao hung on Wei Chengli’s leg, quietly watching the scene go from awkward to frozen, but she didn’t speak again.

This time, it was enough.

In her previous life, Cheng Tingyan’s luck wasn’t bad either, she had also drawn the best house. Maybe because there were only four families participating, the Shen family had drawn the worst house that time. Shen Zilin didn’t cry and make a fuss like Wen Dongyu, but he was so scared by the spiders in the house that he almost fainted after entering. Then, Cheng Feiying, who had toured the house with him, swapped houses with them.

Just as they were saying now, it was nothing, it was a friendly act of mutual help.

But Cheng Tingyan was also very afraid of spiders, and her family knew this. But Cheng Feiying didn’t mention it at all. He took the initiative to suggest swapping houses, then Cheng Rongrong nodded thoughtfully, and then they asked Cheng Tingyan’s opinion as a formality. At that time, Cheng Tingyan, who was also startled by the spiders, didn’t just coldly say “whatever” like this time. Instead, she was asked several times by Cheng Feiying, and after he added, “Didn’t we agree before we came on the show that you’re the oldest sister, you should get along well with the other children?”, she only nodded silently.

It wasn’t until much later, when Wei Maomao combined those events with the things she had chatted about with Cheng Tingyan online, that she realized the most important part of Cheng Feiying’s words that day was the word “agree.” The Cheng family had an agreement before the show. If Cheng Tingyan didn’t behave, the medical expenses they paid for her biological mother would be reduced.

At that time, on the show, Cheng Feiying’s initiative and the young Cheng Rongrong’s generosity made the hesitant Cheng Tingyan seem very unreasonable. And then her silence, her coldness, became further proof of her unfriendliness, stinginess, and selfishness.

Bound by the agreement, Cheng Tingyan couldn’t speak, no one knew the fear hidden behind her silence.

Even without the agreement, one was an adult male with the status and authority of a father, the other was a six-year-old unloved little girl…

Just like this time, Cheng Feiying first made the decision, and then asked for her opinion. What was the difference between this and the big bear stealing the little bear’s honey? Was it not enough for the little bear to agree, did it also have to offer it up with a smile?

Cheng Tingyan’s fear of the big bear, suppressed by the agreement, was hidden in her heart.

She couldn’t speak, she wouldn’t speak.

So, this time, Wei Maomao would be afraid for her, would speak for her.

Even if it was a bit of a fuss, she wanted everyone to see, to realize, that this unequal questioning was just a forceful imposition of the adult’s will.

And in fact, unbeknownst to Wei Maomao, she had indeed succeeded.

The comments in the live broadcast room had indeed praised Cheng Feiying’s friendliness and Cheng Rongrong’s generosity, but the moment the chubby little interloper jumped out, the atmosphere suddenly changed and couldn’t be reversed.

 

Chapter 16

In her previous life, although Jin Youliang had used editing and pitting guests against each other to turn the third season of “Where’s Baby Going” into a controversial hit filled with drama, the fixed program flow had many similarities with the second season produced by Shi Dingshan. At that time, when Shi Dingshan passed away, the third season was already nearing its filming date, leaving very little time. Jin Youliang most likely directly used the program flow that Shi Dingshan had already decided on.

Now, Shi Dingshan was alive and well, sitting in the area with the most cameras. Wei Maomao guessed that the program flow would be similar to the one she had seen in her previous life.

However, variety show procedures were basically the same old tricks. The key point wasn’t the program segments, but the people.

Starting from gathering at the village entrance and the families’ self-introductions, the third season of “Where’s Baby Going” officially began.

The children’s introductions started with the youngest, Wei Maomao.

If she hadn’t spoken to Cheng Tingyan before, Wei Maomao would have racked her brains to give a good introduction of herself.

But now, it wasn’t necessary.

“My name is Wei Maomao, I’m three years old.”

The small dumpling, smiling and confident, walked to the front, but her introduction was extremely brief. Before the host could even ask her to say a few more words or introduce her father, the little dumpling took her short legs and ran back.

The other people present didn’t know, but Cheng Tingyan, Wei Chengli, and the audience in the live broadcast room deeply felt the difference.

“This self-introduction is quite different from the ones before, has she already made the sale and is now lying flat? Haha!”

“It can’t be explained by shyness either, after all, she stuttered from shyness before, but still said a lot.”

“Hahaha, this little one has two faces, she can’t be bothered to play with you guys, how cool~~”

“Once you’ve seen the vast ocean, it’s hard to be impressed by a pond, once you’ve climbed Mount Wu, other mountains seem insignificant, she’s already said everything she needed to say to Xiao Yan Yan, the dumpling is bored, hahaha.”

Wei Maomao couldn’t see the comments, even if she could, it wouldn’t change anything. She had her own clear purpose, which didn’t include protecting her image.

With Wei Maomao setting this precedent, in order to prevent the following children from following suit and giving brief introductions, after briefly introducing Wei Chengli, the host had the fathers and children go up together as families.

Following the order of age, the next one to go up was Cheng Feiying with Cheng Tingyan and Cheng Rongrong.

Cheng Feiying was handsome, with sharp features. At thirty-six years old, he looked even younger than the thirty-three-year-old Wei Chengli.

In this one-to-two combination, Cheng Feiying stood in the middle, the younger one clinging to her father, and the older one standing three steps away on the other side.

The self-introduction process wasn’t long. Cheng Feiying spent a lot of time talking about his acting career, mentioning his two daughters in a seemingly impartial manner, without saying anything negative. However, the way Cheng Feiying repeatedly looked at Cheng Tingyan with loving yet helpless eyes, trying to get her closer, made Wei Maomao clench her fists so hard they hurt.

A hypocritical mask, she really wanted to tear it off right now, Wei Maomao tried her best to restrain herself.

After Cheng Feiying, it was Wang Qingchuan, eight years older than Cheng Feiying, a forty-four-year-old retired athlete, one of the families added to the show along with Wei Maomao’s family. Wang Qingchuan was big and looked older than his age. He brought his four-and-a-half-year-old son, Wang Zhizhi, with him. During the self-introduction, he talked more about his newborn daughter at home. When mentioning his son beside him, he only said that he had brought him on the show to learn how to get along with his sisters.

Looking at Wang Zhizhi with his curly hair, obviously starting to feel suffocated, Wei Maomao sighed inwardly. It seemed that even if he had participated in a different season, he probably wouldn’t be able to avoid the path of rebelling against his younger sibling.

Then it was the youngest father, twenty-nine-year-old singer Wen Xiang and his five-year-old son Wen Dongyu. Both of them looked delicate and gentle. Especially Wen Dongyu, who seemed soft and a bit spoiled.

Cheng Rongrong’s right-hand man, Wei Maomao looked away when the little curly-haired boy looked over with a grin.

Since she was here, she wouldn’t let the exclusion and isolation that Cheng Tingyan faced in her previous life happen again. She wouldn’t do anything to these children, but she didn’t plan to interact with them much either.

What happened in her previous life wouldn’t happen again in this life, but that didn’t mean it never happened.

Wei Maomao didn’t know that at this moment, Wen Dongyu, not far away, was scratching his face, feeling a bit like pinching the chubby little girl’s cheeks.

Forty-five-year-old Wen Qiming was the oldest father this season, bringing along his five-and-a-half-year-old overachiever daughter, Wen Jiangyue. Wen Qiming was a host, the kind who boasted about his profound cultural accomplishments, so he had high expectations for his daughter.

Looking at Wen Jiangyue, who was well-behaved and graceful like a young lady from a wealthy family at such a young age, Wei Maomao suddenly felt that Wei Chengli was okay. Oh, this Wei Chengli in this lifetime.

Finally, it was six-year-old Shen Zilin and his forty-year-old domineering CEO father, Shen Jianghe. Both of them were in suits, looking very much like business elites. Unlike the athlete Wang Qingchuan, who was quite strict with his son, Shen Jianghe was obviously much more gentle.

The Shen family’s biggest businesses were in real estate and the entertainment industry, standing at the forefront of making money. Shen Jianghe himself was a qualified domineering CEO, both in terms of his career success and his colorful love life.

In her previous life, Shen Zilin had inherited his father’s business acumen but not his father’s ability to navigate relationships with ease.

Cheng Rongrong’s left-hand man, Wei Maomao looked at the miniature version of the domineering CEO and sighed softly.

The self-introductions of each family weren’t very long, but Wei Maomao thought about many, many things.

It wasn’t until the host announced the next segment, house selection, that Wei Maomao put away her thoughts about her past and present lives and refocused.

This time, the method of choosing houses was drawing lots.

The small balls in the large glass jar, the staff member holding the glass jar, even the rules explained by the host were almost identical to her previous life.

Oh, there was a difference.

There were six small balls instead of four.

There were quite a few moments in “Where’s Baby Going” where the children had the final say, such as this moment of drawing lots.

Wei Maomao didn’t rush forward, instead, she looked towards the Cheng family.

As expected, Cheng Rongrong, with a humble expression, was urging Cheng Tingyan to draw a lot along with Cheng Feiying.

It wasn’t time yet, Wei Maomao stared at the hand Cheng Rongrong had placed on Cheng Tingyan’s back, trying to restrain herself.

Cheng Tingyan’s luck was still as good as ever.

The two best houses were drawn by her and Wen Jiangyue. The pictures on the unfolded balls showed rooms that were as well-decorated as model homes in the city.

Wei Maomao, who drew last, and Wang Zhizhi, who drew before her, each got an average house, the kind of ordinary house in the village, but at least it looked clean and hygienic.

The other two weren’t so lucky. Shen Zilin drew a house next to the pigsty, the picture looked dirty and old.

As for Wen Dongyu, after seeing the hole in the roof in the picture, he clung to his father’s leg, crying and whining, saying he wanted to go home.

Wei Maomao didn’t pay much attention to Wei Chengli, who was praising her good luck. She stood not too far away, watching Cheng Feiying holding the picture, his gaze shifting between the Shen and Wen families.

Then, he finally chose the Wen family and walked over with his two daughters.

“Don’t cry anymore, we should be happy when we participate in the show together.” Cheng Feiying smiled and touched Wen Dongyu’s head. “Don’t cry, your eyes are all swollen. How about this, our family will swap houses with your family, okay?”

“No, no, no need.” Wen Xiang waved his hand and patted his son’s head. “He’s just not used to it, he’ll be fine in a while.”

“Brother, let’s swap. I…” Cheng Rongrong pursed her lips, seemingly hesitant, then said resolutely, “I like looking at the stars at night.”

Wen Dongyu stopped crying and looked up at Wen Xiang expectantly.

“Really no need, we’ll get used to it after staying here for a while. I’ll go tidy up…” Wen Xiang took his son two steps back, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by his son’s loud crying again, his fair skin flushing red with embarrassment.

“It’s okay, let’s swap. I used to take them to the countryside to play, we often stayed in houses like this. I can go up and fix that hole.” Cheng Feiying said righteously. “Rongrong also agrees to swap, and Yan Yan has no objections, right, Yan Yan?”

Cheng Feiying nudged Cheng Tingyan as he spoke.

“Whatever.” Cheng Tingyan said indifferently, then moved two steps to the side.

“Brother, don’t cry.” Cheng Rongrong reached out to wipe Wen Dongyu’s tears. “We should have fun playing together.”

“Yes, it’s just a small matter, it’s settled, let’s swap, and then go see where the houses are.” Cheng Feiying said as he took two steps forward.

Just as Cheng Feiying was about to raise his hand to swap the pictures with Wen Dongyu, a Cheng Yaojin* jumped out.

“Uncle, you can’t be generous with other people’s things.”

“Daddy said so!”

Cheng Feiying looked down. The little dumpling, who had appeared out of nowhere, was standing between him and the Wen family with her chubby arms outstretched.

“It’s Maomao, little children shouldn’t use words they just learned randomly, do you even know what being generous with other people’s things means? Hahaha…” Cheng Feiying laughed awkwardly, looking at Wei Chengli in the distance, who seemed equally surprised.

“Being generous with other people’s things means using other people’s belongings to do favors or show off.” Wei Maomao replied seriously. “It means you’re using the good house that Yan Yan drew to swap for someone else’s bad house… Mmmph…”

Wei Chengli took three steps at a time and ran over to cover the little dumpling’s mouth, but it was still a bit too late.

As expected, the Chinese language was profound. “Being generous with other people’s things” sounded more euphemistic, but after Maomao’s explanation, it wasn’t just awkwardness spreading, it was an awkwardness explosion…

“Maomao, this un… oh, this uncle, is Yan Yan’s father, they’re family, there’s no such thing as what you’re saying… Aiya…” Wei Chengli let go of the hand covering the little dumpling’s mouth, four neat teeth marks on his palm.

“Daddy.” The little dumpling shrank back, seemingly a little nervous and scared. She touched the hair clip on her head and tugged at her skirt. “Daddy, will you give away baby’s bunny hair clip, dandelion dress to someone else?”

Wei Chengli: “…”

“Daddy… will you swap baby’s house with the little bamboo basket that we just drew for someone else’s house?” The little dumpling blinked her big, black eyes, tears welling up. Her small, chubby hands clutched the picture tightly against her chest, trembling slightly.

Wei Chengli: “…”

Weren’t you righteously trying to break up someone else’s family just now?

Why did you suddenly become so weak, innocent, and pitiful!

Do you know that this is against the rules?

“Director Wei…” Cheng Feiying sensed the bad trend in this questioning and silence and tried to speak.

“Daddy…” The little dumpling refused to back down, grabbing her father’s hand, a tear dropping onto Wei Chengli’s hand. “Will you…”

“No! No, no, no!” Wei Chengli, as if he had been burned, quickly interrupted the little dumpling and completely switched sides. “Absolutely not!”

 

*********************

T/N: Cheng Yaojin*: Refers to a historical figure from the early Tang Dynasty in China. He was a renowned general known for his bravery, strength, and, most importantly, his unpredictability in battle. He was famous for ambushing enemies, appearing suddenly and unexpectedly to turn the tide of a fight.

In modern Chinese, using “Cheng Yaojin” or “a Cheng Yaojin” in a sentence has become an idiom. It describes someone who unexpectedly inserts themselves into a situation, often disrupting the existing flow or creating a sudden change. This insertion can be either helpful or disruptive, depending on the context.

 

Chapter 15

After running back and forth, Wei Maomao once again clearly realized that a three-year-old’s legs were truly short.

Just going to the luggage area to get her bunny backpack felt like it took forever, so long that Cheng Tingyan, who had been amicable earlier, seemed to have turned cold again.

Wei Maomao saw this from afar and suddenly felt anxious, but her chubby legs were short and useless, and she stumbled just as she reached Cheng Tingyan. If Wei Chengli hadn’t helped her, she would have almost turned into a bowling ball dumpling.

The startled little dumpling, ignoring her father’s nagging, patted her chest with her chubby paw, not noticing Cheng Tingyan’s hand reaching out a step slower than Wei Chengli, only to be retracted quietly.

By the time Wei Maomao caught her breath and looked up again, all she saw was a little girl with an indifferent expression, her gaze directed elsewhere.

However, Cheng Tingyan’s earlier gesture of wiping the potato chip crumbs with her handkerchief gave Wei Maomao immense confidence. She didn’t even consider that some relationships might be as fragile as bubbles, unable to spark even a fleeting moment of connection.

“Here you go.” Wei Maomao took out a sachet and handed it to Cheng Tingyan, saying with a grin, “It’s jasmine scented, just like the fragrance on me!”

The chubby little bunny’s eyes were still red, but there were no more tears.

She was smiling at her, and she even had dimples… Cheng Tingyan’s pursed lips slowly relaxed, her fingers twitching, resisting the urge to poke them.

“Thank you.” Cheng Tingyan finally softened her expression, took the sachet, then rummaged through her shoulder bag and took out another pale green handkerchief, pressing it against Wei Maomao’s forehead. “You’re sweating.”

She didn’t even mind my sweat! Wei Maomao, already brimming with excitement, felt fireworks explode in her head, completely ignoring Cheng Tingyan’s previous coldness.

However, Cheng Tingyan’s cameraman didn’t.

In Cheng Tingyan’s live broadcast room, from the moment Wei Chengli pushed the little dumpling into her arms, her indifference, confusion, hesitation, nervousness, and then indifference again, to now accepting the gift, and the awkward ice-breaking moment, all were clearly seen by the audience. Prompted by some comments, many viewers had already pulled up Cheng Tingyan’s and Wei Maomao’s live broadcast rooms side by side, “enjoying” them together.

Now, Cheng Tingyan showed the softest expression since the start of the broadcast, prompting a wave of sighs in the live broadcast room.

“Yes! This gentle Yan Yan is the one I liked in the first season!”

“She was probably just nervous at the beginning of filming, so she looked cool, come and feel the warmth of our Maomao!”

“Indeed warm, when she introduced herself, Maomao wanted to show off everything she was wearing, hahaha, it’s like a forced sales pitch.”

“Hahaha, I don’t know about warm, but she must be really fragrant.”

“Speaking of which, I’m curious how Cheng Feiying and the others introduced Yan Yan, is that staff member’s relative, you know, the one who works at the station, still here?”

“Yan Yan seems a bit reserved, she’s two years older than last time, she’s a big girl now, hahaha, unlike some chubby dumplings who are reckless.”

Since the live broadcast of the show began this morning, the comments in Cheng Tingyan’s live broadcast room had been discussing her coldness. Especially when Cheng Feiying and Cheng Rongrong interacted with her and she seemed uninterested, the comments in the live broadcast room became much more heated. But now, seeing that Cheng Tingyan wasn’t always cold, they started to find excuses for her previous behavior.

At the scene, Wei Chengli, looking at the two children interacting in a seemingly serious social exchange, did find it childishly cute.

However, the little one who was beaming after being wiped twice with a handkerchief didn’t make him happy at all.

Hmph, that sachet, Wei Chengli looked at the small sachet embroidered with jasmine flowers in Cheng Tingyan’s hand.

When the family was preparing gifts for each child, Wei Maomao and Zhang Shilan had discussed for a long time before deciding on the color and material of the sachet, and then found a familiar tailor to make it. The dried flowers inside were also bought in bulk from various brands by the mother and daughter, and only the best smelling ones were chosen. When it came to the other children, the biased little dumpling simply picked up three identical Rubik’s cubes, a fountain pen, and a bracelet while shopping for her own toys.

Except for the fountain pen, which she got two extra of, she just took the other things directly… without even choosing.

Wei Chengli had even tried to educate her, saying that although she liked Yan Yan, she should treat all the brothers and sisters equally. But he was immediately refuted by the naughty little dumpling with the story of “the bowl of water can never be balanced” from “Adventures of the Earth Rabbit.”

Thinking about it now was annoying, that cartoon…

Although Wei Chengli wasn’t the one being treated differently, he felt a strange jealousy looking at the sachet.

Hmph! He should be Maomao’s favorite!

Wait, what was he doing here?

He was here because he was so angry at the little one, and seeing her nonchalantly and pretentiously trying to get other people’s attention, he couldn’t help but want to spoil her fun.

Where was the show about improving parent-child relationships… Did this little one even have her father in her eyes…

Looking at the silly dumpling who was smiling at Cheng Tingyan, her eyes crinkling with laughter, Wei Chengli could only let out a dry laugh.

It had to be said that Wei Chengli did have some innate sensitivity as a director. Even though Wei Maomao’s soul was now trapped in the body of a three-year-old, he could still sense from her beaming face that kind of fervent devotion that would blossom with the slightest bit of sunshine and willingly sacrifice everything for it.

This was a sensitive but unfounded reality. Wei Chengli couldn’t explore the reasons behind it, so he could only turn it into the frustration of a father whose attention had been stolen.

Wei Maomao was completely oblivious to her father’s dejection and anger. She was completely focused on Cheng Tingyan.

After a lifetime, they had finally met face to face, with their true identities and appearances. The dream was truly intoxicating.

Wei Maomao carefully chose to use the craftsmanship of the sachet as a safe topic, which successfully attracted the six-year-old Cheng Tingyan’s attention.

Choosing the fabric, choosing the flowers, finding someone to make it… Wei Maomao carefully chose her words, trying to make it more interesting while ensuring it was understandable for a six-year-old and within the expressive ability of a three-year-old.

Cheng Tingyan was right there, listening to her quietly and attentively, nodding or responding softly from time to time. Wei Maomao couldn’t stop the smile on her face. At this moment, she felt she could talk to Cheng Tingyan here forever.

Of course, she couldn’t.

Because the official filming of the show was about to begin.

Under the arrangement of the staff, the families quickly lined up separately.

Although she was forced to temporarily separate from Cheng Tingyan, Wei Maomao was still in a good mood. They had just made a promise to continue their unfinished conversation during free time later.

Everything had changed, they still had a lot of time, Wei Maomao quietly pressed her slightly sore chest and secretly glanced towards the Cheng family.

Then her eyes met Cheng Tingyan’s, who was looking over.

Cheng Tingyan was stunned for a moment, looking at the little chubby bunny’s burning gaze, she couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile.

Wei Maomao tried her best to hold back her laughter.

And she did manage to hold back because the next second, her head was knocked.

“We’re going to introduce ourselves starting from the youngest, you go first.” Wei Chengli interrupted sourly.

Although Wei Chengli was being rude and seemed to be using the hand that had touched her feet and hadn’t been washed yet, Wei Maomao still easily forgave him.

Thank you Cheng Rongrong, thank you Daddy, thank you potato chip crumbs~~~ In this beautiful world, everything deserved to be forgiven!

So Wei Chengli watched as his little dumpling, who seemed to have been driven silly with happiness, wasn’t angry at all about being knocked and happily went forward to introduce herself.

He thought back to when he had just received the introduction pages from the families, the Cheng family’s evaluation of Cheng Tingyan was “a bit cold, a bit of a temper, strong and brave.” He had said at the time that Maomao should take it easy and not try to win over someone who was cold. But after analyzing it with his wife that night, he felt something was off.

There were two other families in the information who mentioned their children’s shortcomings, but they only said “strong desire to win” and “loves to eat, a bit lazy.” The first one could even be considered a compliment, and the wording of the second one was quite cute. Unlike the Cheng family’s comments about Cheng Tingyan, which easily gave people a preconceived and not-so-good impression.

Wei Chengli felt that either the Cheng family or Cheng Tingyan was not so good, but he didn’t want to judge other people’s affairs. It was just filming a show, as long as Maomao played with the other children, it would be fine.

But now…

Wei Chengli looked at Cheng Tingyan in the distance, then at the silly, smiling little dumpling in front of him.

Love potion, love potion…

It seemed he was the one who had helped her drink it… Wei Chengli felt suffocated.

The father’s conflicted and contradictory feelings continued throughout the self-introduction session.

It wasn’t until the show progressed to the house selection segment that Wei Chengli realized with astonishment that what he should be worried about wasn’t whether Maomao loved Daddy or Yan Yan more, but…

“Uncle, you can’t be generous with other people’s things.” Wei Maomao stood in front of Cheng Feiying, blocking his attempt to give away the good house.

Not far away, Wei Chengli heard the four-character idiom, which didn’t match the little dumpling’s childish face at all, and suddenly had a bad feeling. Sure enough, the next second, the evil little dumpling pointed her chubby paw in his direction…

“Daddy said so!” Wei Maomao said confidently.

As expected! Wei Chengli’s vision went black.

Within the immediate vicinity, several cameramen and automated cameras adjusted their positions, striving to get Wei Chengli within their respective shooting ranges.

His scalp was tingling!

Under the barrage of cameras, Wei Chengli suddenly realized that who Maomao loved the most at this moment might be Schrödinger’s cat*, but who she loved to mess with the most was already obvious.

********************

T/N: Schrödinger’s cat: Refers to a famous thought experiment in quantum mechanics. In simple terms, the experiment describes a cat in a box where its state (alive or dead) is unknown and both possibilities exist simultaneously until the box is opened and the cat is observed.

In general the sentence implies:

1. Uncertainty: Just like the cat in Schrödinger’s box, Wei Chengli doesn’t know for sure where his daughter’s affections lie. It’s a mystery until “observed” through her actions.

Chapter 14

The moment Wei Chengli demolished the “stage” she had painstakingly set up, Wei Maomao was dumbfounded with frustration.

Ahhh… what kind of grudge did she have to be father and daughter with this unreliable man in every lifetime!

As for what Wei Chengli said about fragrance and butterflies, Wei Maomao wasn’t listening at all. All her attention was on her back, where she had bumped into Cheng Tingyan.

The instant she regained her senses, Wei Maomao immediately struggled, straightening her short legs and twisting her chubby waist, performing a “fat rabbit roll” to bounce out of Cheng Tingyan’s arms and stand firmly on her own.

She turned around and glanced at Cheng Tingyan, who had no expression on her face, feeling relieved that she had moved quickly enough. Fortunately, Cheng Tingyan hadn’t had time to push her away. Otherwise, if Cheng Tingyan was caught on camera pushing a child on the first day, it would be troublesome…

It was all that man’s fault for suddenly pushing her!

Wei Maomao was angry but didn’t have time to argue with Wei Chengli. She had to seize the opportunity while Cheng Tingyan hadn’t reacted yet and quickly make a good impression. Otherwise, even if they didn’t catch her being pushed, being caught being cold and aloof wasn’t her intention either!

“Yan Yan…” Wei Maomao straightened her hair, smoothed her dress, tried to compose herself, and uttered two words before getting stuck.

Crap, facing the adorable six-year-old Cheng Tingyan, she couldn’t bring herself to say “older sister.” The lines she had prepared were cut short.

No! This won’t do!

Seeing Cheng Tingyan purse her lips as if about to speak, Wei Maomao didn’t have time to adjust the way she addressed her. She could only brace herself and continue, “My name is Wei Maomao, Maomao means bunny… Look, bunny hair clip, dandelion flowers, I… jasmine fragrance…”

The plan to slowly approach, which she had carefully crafted, was shattered by Wei Chengli’s push. Wei Maomao could only race against time to win Cheng Tingyan’s favor with words.

But once she started speaking, looking into Cheng Tingyan’s familiar eyes, Wei Maomao felt her blood rush to her head, her mind buzzing as if it was about to disappear. The latter part of her speech was just her instinct piling on all the elements that Cheng Tingyan might like.

So Wei Chengli stood to the side, watching his little dumpling jump from a relatively normal self-introduction to showing off her hair clip, tugging at her skirt, and offering her chubby hand… He felt something was off. Although he couldn’t figure out what exactly was wrong, the strong feeling of his precious treasure being sold at a discount made him instinctively stop her. “Maomao…”

Of course, no one paid attention to him.

However, Wei Chengli’s voice did interrupt Wei Maomao’s nervous and chaotic thoughts, making her swallow back the “Do you like bunnies?” that was about to slip out.

No, she couldn’t ask leading questions.

Cheng Tingyan was still on guard, and if she was denied, it would be troublesome.

She seemed too enthusiastic, if Cheng Tingyan showed indifference, wouldn’t it look bad when it was broadcasted…

Wei Maomao calmed down a little, but some of her enthusiasm had already been spoken, and it was too late to take it back.

“I watched the first season, I know you.” Wei Maomao politely and reluctantly took two steps back, increasing the distance between them, which was originally only a fist’s width. She said softly, “You don’t know me yet… Let me introduce myself again, my name is Wei Maomao. I like bunnies, dandelions, jasmine, teddy bears, green, the smell of grass, beautiful waterfalls, the stars in the sky…”

Wei Maomao counted on her fingers, rattling off a string of things that Cheng Tingyan might currently like or might like in the future. Then she angrily pointed at Wei Chengli next to her, ending with, “It wasn’t me who wanted to bump into you, it was all my dad’s fault, I’ll go back and beat him up.”

Shifting the blame and changing the subject, two birds with one stone, perfect.

Although the plan to slowly reveal herself and subtly win over Cheng Tingyan was shattered, she had at least forcefully instilled a bunch of information… Wei Maomao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The next step was to pretend to be shy, grab Wei Chengli, and run away before Cheng Tingyan could react.

Wei Maomao was really afraid that because of her and Wei Chengli’s recklessness, Cheng Tingyan would show her prickly side to the audience. After she finished speaking, she quickly grabbed Wei Chengli’s sleeve and was about to run away.

And then… she wanted to run, but she couldn’t.

The tugging sensation from her waist made Wei Maomao stiffly turn her head.

“Here… it’s dirty…” Cheng Tingyan said indifferently, taking out a dark green handkerchief and wiping away the potato chip crumbs that had somehow gotten on Wei Maomao’s skirt, then let go of the hand that was holding onto her skirt.

Huh?

Wei Maomao looked at Cheng Tingyan, her mouth slightly open, her mind blank.

Cheng Tingyan, what kind of person was Cheng Tingyan… She had a bit of a germaphobe, she didn’t even want to touch things that people she disliked had touched. In her previous life, because of this, she had given many people the cold shoulder in the third season of “Where’s Baby Going,” and was often criticized for it.

But now she had taken the initiative to touch her, and even wiped away the dirt for her, using her handkerchief!

Didn’t that mean that she didn’t dislike her at this first meeting? Didn’t that mean that she thought she was okay!

Ah, her head was itchy, was it because her brain was growing?

So… no matter what lifetime, they were destined to be friends, right…

Wei Maomao was moved to tears by her own brainstorming session, then suddenly remembered the gift she had brought and turned to run away.

But she turned too quickly and ran too fast, she didn’t see Cheng Tingyan’s hand suddenly clenching the handkerchief and her slightly furrowed brow.

So… Wei Maomao was the same as Cheng Rongrong.

When Cheng Tingyan saw the tears in Wei Maomao’s eyes, she lowered her eyes in disappointment.

She thought they were different.

Cheng Tingyan recalled that when she had hugged Wei Maomao, she had felt soft, warm, and fleshy in her arms, really like a chubby bunny, very comfortable to hold.

But the chubby bunny still cried.

Just like when Cheng Rongrong was very young, she didn’t know when it started, maybe when she couldn’t even walk yet, but whenever she held Cheng Rongrong, she would cry loudly. Later, whenever she got close to her, she would cry.

Every time, every time, Dad and that woman would immediately appear to take Cheng Rongrong away and yell at her, telling her not to bully her younger sister.

She clearly hadn’t done anything, hadn’t hugged her, hadn’t gotten close to her, had even gone out of her way to avoid her.

But as long as they accidentally met, Cheng Rongrong would cry loudly, and then the yelling would begin.

Although Cheng Rongrong could talk later and didn’t cry anymore, it seemed that after she could talk, she was still being yelled at.

Cheng Tingyan now felt that she was no longer afraid of being scolded, but when the little chubby bunny named Wei Maomao fell into her arms just now, she still subconsciously looked at her father.

But this time, Wei Maomao was scared to tears by Cheng Rongrong, but she didn’t cry when she held her. Her father had clearly seen what happened here, but he didn’t come over and scold her.

Cheng Tingyan thought it was different.

This Wei Maomao who didn’t cry when she held her, she had also said so many things she liked, so many things that sounded interesting, she and Cheng Rongrong should be different…

So Cheng Tingyan reached out and wiped away the potato chip crumbs that had been bothering her for a long time.

But…

The little chubby bunny still cried and ran away.

As expected, all children were scary.

Cheng Tingyan clenched the handkerchief in her hand, warily glanced at Cheng Feiying in the distance, and slowly moved away from the little chubby bunny’s father. She decided to forget the comfortable feeling of holding her just now, to forget the nice fragrance, the green dress, the pretty dandelions, the cute bunny hair clip… She decided to forget it all!

Poor Wei Maomao, who was pulling on the staff member’s hand in the distance to get her bunny backpack, was completely unaware that her “good friend” had already entered the stage of shutting down her heart and locking away her love.

Chapter 13

The tiny dumpling pouted aggrievedly, her eyes slightly red, and big tears rolled down her snow-white, chubby cheeks.

“Sis…ter…can…you…give…me…the…bag…in…my…suitcase?” The little dumpling, sobbing so hard she could barely speak, took the tissue and tugged at the staff member’s sleeve, soft and helpless. “Please…”

Who could be heartless to such a polite and pitiful crying baby? The staff member being pulled couldn’t.

Wei Maomao quickly retrieved her little bunny backpack, the process so smooth she briefly felt anyone was more reliable than her father.

Wet wipes to wipe her head, tissues to wipe her face, a small comb to comb her hair, a bunny hair clip…

The poor little baby held back her tears, hiccuping from crying, her short, chubby hands working diligently and hard. Soon, the crying, messy-haired child in the camera transformed into a neat and clean little girl.

Immersed in trying to salvage her first impression, Wei Maomao was unaware that the platform’s live broadcast room was overflowing with comments calling for her.

“Baby, you’re already clean and cute, stop tidying up, look back at your poor father!”

“Hahaha, taking the little girl’s dirty hand for his daughter might become Director Wei’s biggest regret in life.”

“So did Maomao forget that her father is still waiting for her to bring back the tissues? Hahaha…”

“Maomao has a good memory, look, she even remembered to use a wet wipe to clean her head after her father touched it with his feet-touching hand!”

“So is she doing this on purpose? Director Wei called her, but she didn’t turn back, hahaha, Director Wei, you’ve finally lost your little padded jacket…”

“Director Wei is out of luck, hahaha, look, Maomao is applying cream now, wow, such a thick layer, is this the secret to a fair and tender little dumpling?”

Unaware of the outside world, Wei Maomao finished applying the cream and looked at the mirror held by the staff member. Hmm… only the slightly red eyes couldn’t be helped. She sniffed again, hmm, her face smelled good, her hands smelled good, perfect.

The clean and fragrant little dumpling clenched her fists and cheered herself up, turning back towards the village entrance.

And then…

She was stopped by the staff member.

Two tissues were stuffed into her chubby little hands. Wei Maomao looked up and saw the helpless twitch at the corner of the staff member’s mouth.

Back to Wei Chengli, when he saw the little dumpling in the distance taking the tissues waved by the staff member and seemingly wiping her face, he felt something was wrong. As expected… afterward, the staff member brought over the familiar suitcase, and the two of them, big and small, squatted down and started rummaging through the bunny backpack.

The people around them seemed to be chatting amongst themselves, but some gazes lingered on him and Cheng Rongrong, and an awkward silence began to spread…

Wei Chengli looked down at the little dirty hand he was holding, feeling it burn.

Trying to call Wei Maomao softly was fruitless and only attracted more attention, beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.

Looking around, Wei Chengli tried to find another kind staff member waving tissues.

Fortunately, although there were no kind staff members, a kind child appeared.

“Thank you so much!” Wei Chengli gratefully took the handkerchief handed over by Wen Jiangyue, quickly covered Cheng Rongrong’s hand with it, and let go.

Cheng Rongrong looked down at the handkerchief in her hand, plain white with a pink border, as simple and unadorned as Wen Jiangyue herself.

So!

What was wrong with this father and daughter!

Both of them avoided her hand like it was a venomous snake.

It was just a bit of potato chip crumbs, did everyone in this world have to be so obsessed with cleanliness?

Really… annoying.

When Wei Maomao returned with the corner of a tissue in her hand, Wen Jiangyue, who had just been sincerely praised by Wei Chengli, ran back to her father, blushing.

Seeing that Wei Chengli’s hands were empty, Wei Maomao didn’t inquire further. She casually stuffed the tissue into Wei Chengli’s hand and secretly looked at Cheng Tingyan.

“Maomao!” Wei Chengli said with a serious face.

“Hmm?” Wei Maomao looked at the crowd in the distance without raising her head.

“Daddy declares that today, Wen Jiangyue is Daddy’s favorite child!” Wei Chengli said angrily.

Wei Maomao happened to see the boys, including Shen Zilin, gathered together in the distance. Wen Jiangyue was with her father, Cheng Rongrong was here, and Cheng Tingyan was alone. Wei Maomao was considering how to naturally approach her, so she didn’t pay much attention to Wei Chengli’s words and just casually replied, “Hmm.”

Then the little dumpling ran away without looking back.

Wei Chengli, who had prepared a whole speech and was waiting for the little dumpling to “question” why she wasn’t his favorite child so that he could take the opportunity to educate her, was deeply hurt by the simple “hmm.”

Before the show officially started filming, Wei Maomao quietly approached Cheng Tingyan.

When she got closer, Wei Maomao stopped in time, grabbed a strand of hair from the back of her head, held it in front of her face, looked at the direction the hair was blowing, then moved a little and stood upwind from Cheng Tingyan, two steps away.

Wei Maomao felt that she was being discreet, but she didn’t know that Shi Hongxiao’s camera was following her skillfully. Whether it was the thick layer of cream she had applied earlier or the little movements she was making now, everything was captured clearly and accurately. Originally insignificant actions, after being filmed with these two close-ups, somehow gave people a few more associations.

“Hahaha, if our Maomao wasn’t only three years old, I would almost think she was playing hard to get!”

“Where is she playing hard to get?”

“First, she applied a lot of cream, then she stood upwind. Although it might be a coincidence, I have to say, Maomao, you’re good!”

“Hahaha, I’ll secretly tell you guys something. I have a relative who works at the station, and I saw the introduction pages for the children from the families. Maomao’s introduction is: Cute, cute, cute! A loyal viewer of ‘Where’s Baby Going,’ likes older sisters.”

“Eh! Thinking about it, isn’t Yan Yan the older sister from the first season? The analysis above seems possible.”

“Usually, when someone starts with ‘I have a relative,’ the relative is themselves, be careful not to be caught by the station, my friend.”

“??? How could making friends between children be so complicated, you’re all overthinking it. Our Maomao is just admiring her newly combed hair.”

“That… soft and fluffy hair… hahaha!”

“To be honest, I quite liked Cheng Tingyan in the first season, she was generous and cute. But this season, she seems very cold and rebellious. I think a soft and cuddly child like Maomao shouldn’t touch a hot stove, Rongrong is better, play with Rongrong, two little dumplings!”

From this point on, the comments went off track, starting to argue about whether Cheng Tingyan or Cheng Rongrong was cuter, and who Wei Maomao should be friends with. No one mentioned the fact that Wei Maomao had looked at her hair and then happened to walk to the upwind position from Cheng Tingyan.

After all, she was only a three-year-old child, how could she have so many tricks up her sleeve.

However, they didn’t know that Wei Maomao really did.

But Wei Maomao wasn’t doing this to play hard to get. It was just that the best opportunity for contact had already disappeared due to the previous farce. She really wanted to immediately go over and talk to Cheng Tingyan, but she couldn’t…

In her previous life, although they had become friends while hiding behind their online identities, they still spoke many true words when their real identities were hidden. Cheng Tingyan had talked about many things from her childhood, including a long period when she was young when she was like a hedgehog, wary of the whole world. During that time, she especially disliked children like Cheng Rongrong.

Wei Maomao wasn’t afraid of being pricked a few times, but she didn’t want those scenes to be edited into the broadcasted videos, becoming another piece of evidence of Cheng Tingyan’s unfriendliness.

She needed to first gain a little bit of Cheng Tingyan’s favor, a little bit of her liking. Wei Maomao had worked so hard to tidy herself up just to let Cheng Tingyan see that she and Cheng Rongrong were only similar in age, everything else was different!

Wind, blow a little harder!

Wei Maomao spread her arms a little wider and closed her eyes, praying that a stronger wind would carry away more of the cream scent she had applied thickly on her arms.

“Heh, there you go!”

With Wei Chengli’s shout, Wei Maomao’s forehead was pushed, and she stumbled back two steps, bumping right into Cheng Tingyan’s arms.

“Look at your little scheme.” Wei Chengli had protected Cheng Tingyan in advance, so she didn’t fall. Seeing his daughter looking at him in confusion, and smelling the fragrance on her, which was almost stronger than perfume, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Didn’t you say you like Yan Yan the most? Why didn’t you say hello to her? What’s the use of applying so much fragrance and standing in the wind? Is your Yan Yan a butterfly?”

Wei Maomao: “…”

Cheng Tingyan: “…”

Audience: “I can tell that Director Wei is really deeply hurt by his leaky padded jacket…”

 

Chapter 12

After transmigrating into the book, Cheng Rongrong, with her foreknowledge of the original plot, effectively improved her family relationships in almost two years. At the same time, she subtly influenced her parents, striving to skew the protagonist Cheng Tingyan’s life trajectory.

One of the most crucial changes was that in the original novel, although the young Cheng Tingyan participated in two parenting reality shows with Cheng Feiying to raise medical expenses for her paralyzed biological mother, her custody rights remained with her biological mother, Liu Qiongfang. Participating in the show with Cheng Feiying was essentially a cooperative relationship. If Cheng Feiying hadn’t reconciled with them later, Cheng Tingyan’s future success would have had nothing to do with him.

In this timeline, after participating in the first season of “Where’s Baby Going,” Cheng Feiying requested custody of Cheng Tingyan. Of course, to ensure Cheng Tingyan’s obedience, a portion of her earnings would still be given to Liu Qiongfang for medical treatment. However, from that point on, cooperation transformed into ownership. Before adulthood, Cheng Feiying had complete control over which shows Cheng Tingyan participated in, both in terms of freedom and finances.

Money was undoubtedly valuable, but for Cheng Rongrong, complete control was paramount.

Cheng Rongrong knew her foreknowledge relied entirely on the original novel. To thrive in this world, she had to seize the known benefits, which were mostly concentrated on Cheng Tingyan.

Since they were inherently at odds, she had to suppress Cheng Tingyan from the very beginning.

In this timeline, Cheng Tingyan, after being brought back to live with the Cheng family, attended a different kindergarten and lost the opportunity to meet the singing teacher from her original kindergarten, who was both talented and nurturing. She lost her foundation in singing and wouldn’t be able to sing those beautiful and ethereal children’s songs in the third season of “Where’s Baby Going.” The renowned international director who later invited her to star in his movie probably wouldn’t find her suitable for the singing and dancing child protagonist role he had envisioned.

Living with the Cheng family as a stepdaughter, Cheng Tingyan had her basic needs met but received little other education or attention. Without proper guidance and minimal interaction with others, Cheng Tingyan, growing up like this, could no longer be the intelligent and charming girl from the book who participated in the third season of “Where’s Baby Going.”

Limited by her young age, Cheng Rongrong could mostly only influence her parents’ thoughts through related movies and TV shows, news, and books. Fortunately, perhaps due to blood ties, her parents’ comprehension was generally good. Of course, it could also be that they didn’t particularly like Cheng Tingyan, making them easily swayed in a direction that wasn’t conducive to her growth.

Only twice did Cheng Rongrong have to risk using “childish talk” to guide her parents because the issues involved were too complex. The first time was the crucial turning point, making her father, Cheng Feiying, realize that without custody rights, he couldn’t fully control Cheng Tingyan, who might become a cash cow in the future. The second time was this time, she needed to make her parents understand who was closer and who was an outsider. At the same time, she had to make them realize that if the cash cow became too popular, it would be harder to control. Only by being both popular and controversial could they continuously suppress and control her.

Concealing her true intentions behind trivial and innocent words was quite challenging.

But it was worth it.

The current Cheng Tingyan, who didn’t know how to sing or dance, was inarticulate, and aloof, who would like such a child?

Of course, Cheng Tingyan still had her good looks. To be safe, Cheng Rongrong still guided her parents to make a choice. As long as she and her father worked together, Cheng Tingyan would display disrespect for her father, unfriendliness towards her siblings, and even an unreasonable bad temper on the show. Then, no matter how beautiful she was, no one would like her, right?

Unlike the first season, which was only briefly mentioned, the third season of “Where’s Baby Going” was a very important plot point in the original novel.

In the original novel, this season not only brought Cheng Tingyan to the attention of the international director but also allowed her to make two very useful friends. One was Shen Zilin, the domineering CEO who would inherit his father’s business and bring Cheng Tingyan a lot of resources. The other was Wen Dongyu, a talented singer who would surpass his father and have a prominent position in the music industry, paving the way and safeguarding Cheng Tingyan’s singing career. In the novel, they removed obstacles and contributed to Cheng Tingyan’s career. Although the original novel was a no-romance career-focused story, they were always the two most popular male lead candidates in the comment section.

Cheng Rongrong couldn’t let Cheng Tingyan gain their friendship, so in the past two years, apart from disrupting Cheng Tingyan’s original growth trajectory, she had also made many other preparations.

She had worked hard enough; the popularity, opportunities, and tools of the third season of “Where’s Baby Going” would all belong to her, Cheng Rongrong.

Because she had worked hard enough, she was confident enough. Even though two new families, who shouldn’t have been there, were added before the filming of the show began, Cheng Rongrong, although a little surprised, still felt after calming down that it was probably the impact of her hard work on the world of the original novel.

On the day the show started filming, Cheng Rongrong looked at Cheng Tingyan, who was forced to wear the same pink dress as her. Pink, the same as Cheng Rongrong’s, two things Cheng Tingyan hated the most were stepped on together. Just as she had expected, from the moment they set off in the morning, Cheng Tingyan was silent and gloomy, even more indifferent to the people and things around her. On the way, whether it was Cheng Feiying or her “friendly” attempts to strike up a conversation, Cheng Tingyan only gave short answers, and after a few times, she even started ignoring them.

Just like Cheng Rongrong had envisioned, this older sister began to walk the path of self-destruction.

When the families from different places gathered at the official filming location, Shen Zilin and the others, who quickly became friends with the protagonist in the original novel, all kept their distance from Cheng Tingyan because of her coldness and gloomy aura. On the other hand, Cheng Rongrong began friendly exchanges with them by sharing snacks that weren’t allowed to be brought into the village.

And Wang Zhizhi, the unexpected guest who was supposed to participate in the next season and who was known for hating his younger sibling, turned out to be just an ordinary little boy after interacting with him, which completely put Cheng Rongrong at ease.

Up to this point, everything was going smoothly according to Cheng Rongrong’s plan.

However, Cheng Rongrong didn’t expect that while Wang Zhizhi, who she had been a little worried about, didn’t make any unusual moves, another chubby ball, who was only three years old, almost made her break character.

Cheng Rongrong certainly didn’t think that the little girl named Wei Maomao kept staring at Cheng Tingyan and then burst into tears because she was scared by Cheng Tingyan. After all, it was just a gloomy aura and a cold face, at most, it just made people afraid to approach her. Cheng Tingyan’s face was still presentable, it wouldn’t scare a child.

But what a good opportunity. What did a three-year-old child understand? Let alone understand her deeper meaning, she might not even be able to understand what she was saying.

Cheng Rongrong, who had already “defended” her sister in front of the other children, spoke in the same way she had before.

Who knew what was wrong with this little fatty!

Wasn’t she crying because she was shy?

Why did she shake off her hand so hard and so quickly!

And what was with that horrified and disgusted look… wasn’t it a bit unfriendly to have “Don’t touch me” written all over her face!

Cheng Rongrong repeatedly told herself that this was a live broadcast and forced down her anger before squeezing out a timid smile at Wei Maomao, “Little sister? Don’t be afraid, little sister.”

Wei Maomao looked at Cheng Rongrong, the delicate little girl wearing the same pale pink dress as Cheng Tingyan and with a dozen colorful hair ties on her head. The surprise and anger in her eyes hadn’t even faded, and she was actually smiling at her again?

It was indeed a little scary…

Wei Maomao didn’t mean to make things difficult for a three-and-a-half-year-old child, but wait… what did she say before?

My sister just looks a little fierce?

That’s just like you, Cheng Rongrong, starting to smear her reputation right from the beginning!

Wei Maomao, who had already seen enough of Cheng Rongrong and Cheng Feiying’s scheming in the show in her previous life, puffed up her cheeks, racking her brains to come up with a retort.

But before she could speak, Cheng Rongrong turned to Cheng Tingyan and said, “Sister, smile a little, you scared the little sister to tears.”

Tears?

Wei Maomao raised her chubby paw and wiped her face.

Oh, so it wasn’t just the wind that made her face so cold…

“I’m not…” Wei Maomao randomly wiped her face twice, ready to fight.

“Don’t cry, little sister…” Cheng Rongrong interrupted the talkative little dumpling, stepped forward quickly, and reached out like a good older sister.

Wei Maomao was shocked, the enemy was strong, this was not giving her a chance to continue the previous topic.

Since you’re so good at smearing her reputation, I can only be sorry, little girl…

Wei Maomao, who wasn’t distracted this time, stretched out her chubby paw in time and blocked Cheng Rongrong’s hand, which was reaching out to wipe her tears and was almost touching her face.

“Daddy, I’m scared, can you give me a tissue…” Wei Maomao clamped Cheng Rongrong’s hand and held it up for her father to see, looking up and crying, “Dirty, it scared the baby…”

Shi Hongxiao steadily gave a close-up of Cheng Rongrong’s hand with potato chip crumbs on it.

The little dumpling’s hair was messy from crying, her eyes were red, with a kind of broken pitifulness. Although Wei Chengli didn’t know why she suddenly became so delicate that she called herself “baby,” he still felt a pang in his heart and quickly reached into his pocket.

Ah…

This…

Wei Chengli looked down at the little dumpling and smiled awkwardly, “Baby… the tissue is in the luggage.”

What!

Are!

You!

Doing!

Cheng Rongrong was so angry at Wei Maomao’s unexpected move that she forgot to pull her hand back, and in just two seconds, the man bent down and took the little dumpling’s place.

What was he still saying?

“Don’t be afraid, baby, don’t cry, Daddy will hold it for you, go borrow some tissues to wipe your sister’s hands.”

It was just a little bit of potato chip crumbs from when they were sharing snacks, it didn’t even touch her face! And she was scared to tears?

What!

Is!

Wrong!

With!

You!

Cheng Rongrong was furious, but she didn’t realize that this was just a variation of Wei Maomao’s words when Cheng Rongrong was smearing Cheng Tingyan’s reputation.

Wei Maomao, who had shaken off Cheng Rongrong, secretly glanced at Cheng Tingyan.

She really wanted to walk over.

But she was too dirty…

She had just wiped her face with the hand that Cheng Rongrong had held.

The first meeting could be imperfect, but why was it so frustrating…

Wei Maomao took small steps towards the staff member who was waving a tissue at her, the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she couldn’t help crying louder and louder.

Chapter 11

Reborn for only a month, and this was the second time she had been carried out of the house in her sleep…

Wei Maomao rubbed her face to calm down and looked down at herself. Good, she was wearing the pale green dress she had prepared beforehand.

“Daddy.” Wei Maomao beckoned to Wei Chengli beside her.

Wei Chengli leaned towards the child safety seat.

The long distance between them still left Wei Maomao unsatisfied.

The little dumpling waved her chubby hand, and her father’s ear was within her grasp.

“Did I wash my face and brush my teeth?” Wei Maomao asked in a low voice.

“Of course! Do you think your father is that unreliable?” Wei Chengli said with pride, reclaiming his ear, and then pointed at the small black pompom pinned to Wei Maomao’s collar. “It’s a microphone, you don’t have to whisper.”

After finishing his words, Wei Chengli suddenly thought of the strange “Adventures of the Earth Rabbit.” The content was quite random, even including things like microphones. He had thought it was a bit tedious when he was explaining it at home, but it turned out to be helpful now. He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt that after those few days of intensively watching the cartoon together, his daily communication with the little dumpling had become much smoother.

Hmm, children really had a super strong ability to absorb knowledge.

Wei Maomao didn’t know what her father was thinking with that sentimental look on his face, but it didn’t matter to her. The problem now was…

“Daddy, where’s my bag?” Wei Maomao had looked around just now but hadn’t seen her little backpack.

Wei Chengli was stunned for a moment. “Ah… your bag? I put it in the suitcase, it’ll be easier to check in later.”

My mirror, my comb, my little hair clip, my gift…

Sleeping was really messing things up, sigh… If only Mommy hadn’t gone on a business trip yesterday.

Wei Maomao sighed regretfully and could only settle for second best. She glanced at the phone in Wei Chengli’s hand and reached out. “Daddy, mirror.”

“Mirror? We don’t seem to have brought a mirror. Where’s your little mirror?” Wei Chengli asked back.

Wei Maomao: ???

After looking at the little dumpling with a puzzled expression for a while, Wei Chengli suddenly slapped his knee and said in realization, “Oh, is your little mirror in your little bag?”

Wei Maomao: “…”

“Then we don’t have a mirror. What do you need a mirror for? Don’t worry, you’re clean and cute now.” Wei Chengli solemnly assured her.

Wei Maomao: “…” Heh, let the world be destroyed.

Suddenly, there was a soft rustling sound from the front.

Wei Maomao looked up alertly.

Wei Chengli subconsciously followed the little dumpling’s gaze.

He saw Shi Hongxiao, who was holding the camera in the front row, using the back of the chair to free up one hand. He slowly took out his phone from his pocket and gently shook it at Wei Chengli, who was looking over.

Wei Chengli: ???

This person… Wei Maomao quickly concealed the strange look in her eyes and turned to Wei Chengli.

Wei Chengli quickly understood what Shi Hongxiao meant.

Indeed, working behind the camera was very different from being filmed in front of the camera… Wei Chengli, who had been trying hard to hide his nervousness along the way, finally regained some of his senses. He opened the phone camera, flipped the lens, and handed it to Wei Maomao.

Her hair was a little messy, her face and teeth looked clean, but the scent on her face…

Wei Maomao rubbed her face hard with her chubby paws and then sniffed. Tsk… the cream on her face wasn’t the one she had chosen.

Alright, her dad’s reliability was limited.

She would have to fix it before meeting them when she got her little bag back.

The light green of the dress, the dandelions on the hem, the little rabbit on the backpack, the jasmine scent of the cream, these were all things Cheng Tingyan liked…

With limited time and a limited body, this was all Wei Maomao could prepare.

She didn’t know if Cheng Tingyan would like these things now.

Would she… like her…

Suddenly, her hands were empty. The little dumpling was startled, and the anxiety she had just gathered hadn’t even had time to turn into sorrow before it was scared away.

“See, I didn’t lie to you, you’re clean and cute, aren’t you?” Wei Chengli took back the phone, muttering as he pulled a cylindrical bag out of his backpack at his feet.

No!

Under Shi Hongxiao’s lens, as the blue and purple floral insulated bag was pulled out by Wei Chengli, the little dumpling, who had been lying lazily, immediately sat up straight, looking at the insulated bag as if facing a formidable enemy, her eyes wide with shock.

Then, in the next second, the little dumpling closed her eyes, tilted her head, and collapsed, all in one smooth motion.

By the time Wei Chengli opened the insulated bag and took out the thermos, the little dumpling was “already sound asleep” when he turned around.

“Maomao? Maomao? Eat breakfast before you go back to sleep?” Wei Chengli reached out and nudged the little dumpling.

The latter was limp, swaying a little with the push, completely unresponsive, as if unconscious.

Shi Hongxiao, who had witnessed the whole process, twitched his lips. He tried really hard not to laugh, keeping the camera steady.

Through his camera, in Wei Maomao’s live broadcast room on the official website of the third season of “Where’s Baby Going,” the netizens were laughing their heads off.

“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter, pretending to sleep in one second.”

“Fortunately, Director Wei said this was breakfast, otherwise I would have thought we were going into a ‘Da Lang takes his medicine’ scenario hahaha…”

“What pretending to sleep, she’s pretending to be dead hahaha, she wasn’t like this when she was sleeping before, her bones have gone soft.”

“Yes, she’s pretending to be dead very well! Even a bear would leave if it saw her!”

“Hahaha, she was only awake for a few minutes, first she asked about washing up, then she wanted a mirror, this little baby is quite beauty-conscious at such a young age.”

“Although Director Wei warned us in the pilot episode that Maomao has been sleepy during the day lately, I really didn’t expect her to sleep like this, is she going to sleep from the beginning of the broadcast to the end, a sleep broadcast!”

“I was just browsing casually, but now I’m staying here. This family has been sleeping since they entered the house with the program team, sleeping all the way into the car, I just want to see how long she can sleep.”

“Until the breakfast in the insulated box expires hahaha…”

In the car, Wei Chengli looked at the little dumpling lying on the child safety seat, feeling that something was wrong, but in the end, he still put the thermos back into the bag. Fortunately, he had considered that Maomao might sleep for a long time, so he didn’t make a nutritious meal, just boiled two eggs that they could take on the plane. He was so smart.

Of course, Wei Maomao, who felt that she had escaped a disaster, also thought she was smart.

Thank goodness, she could avoid one meal of this torture… As for whether Wei Chengli would find out that she was pretending to sleep after the show aired, that was something for the future. Each episode was only so long, if she was lucky, it wouldn’t even be edited in, perfect evasion.

Unfortunately, Wei Maomao was completely unaware that after she had changed Shi Dingshan’s fate, Shi Dingshan, as the chief director, had already completely changed the show, turning it from a recorded broadcast into a live broadcast.

She was already sleepy, and pretending to sleep, she actually fell asleep.

When Wei Maomao woke up again, she was still in the car.

It was still in the car, but… the car before boarding the plane had become the car after getting off the plane.

Wei Maomao really didn’t expect that she would just skip a few hours by trying to avoid a meal. Could her body… really handle this…

Wei Chengli, who had just woken the child up with the tickling method, put the little sandals on the little dumpling and nudged the dazed child, “Maomao? Don’t be dazed, we have to get off the car.”

Fields, dirt roads, villages, crowds gathering in the distance, a large circle of cameramen visible in the distance.

That was… Wei Maomao, who had just woken up, looked out the window in a daze.

She wasn’t ready yet.

She hadn’t had enough time to mentally prepare.

“Daddy…” Wei Maomao looked at Wei Chengli, wanting to say something, but not knowing what to say.

“Daddy’s here, what’s wrong?” As Wei Chengli spoke, he unbuckled the child safety seat, rubbed her soft hair, and carried Wei Maomao out of the car.

“…” Wei Maomao turned her face stiffly to look at Wei Chengli, “Daddy, did you just touch my head with the hand you used to tickle my feet!”

Wei Chengli froze as well, the big and small staring at each other.

The cameraman next to them covered his mouth and chuckled until his face turned red, trying hard to hold back before reminding softly, “Director Wei, we should go over, everyone is waiting at the entrance of the village.”

Wei Chengli used this as an excuse to get out of the awkward situation, not daring to look at the little dumpling in his arms who seemed to be about to explode in anger. He hurriedly carried the child and strode towards the entrance of the village, forgetting to take his luggage.

The wind in the countryside was cool with the scent of grass. Wei Maomao cleared her head a little. Looking at the approaching crowd, she didn’t care about what had just happened and quickly grabbed Wei Chengli’s collar. “Daddy, my bag!”

“Ah, the luggage.” Wei Chengli slammed on the brakes. Both the big and small lurched forward, but fortunately, they managed to stop.

Wei Chengli looked back, the car was already far away.

Off-camera, the cameraman signaled to Wei Chengli that they could help carry the luggage later.

“Let’s go over first.” Wei Chengli said, turning around to lead the little dumpling into the crowd, comforting her softly, “Look, so many older brothers and sisters are waiting for you, we’ll get the luggage later.”

Wei Maomao: “…”

A three-year-old dumpling was a helpless piece of meat, the kind that was about to be served on the chopping board before she even had time to tidy herself up.

The child-pitting father carried the child, taking merciless steps, quickly passing through the passage left by the staff, and entering the circle of cameras.

Those familiar yet strange faces that she had only seen on the screen appeared before Wei Maomao’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but clench her fists.

Then she slowly lowered her head and saw the children who had come to participate in the show.

She saw… Cheng Tingyan.

Wei Maomao was put down on the ground by Wei Chengli.

It seemed like someone was saying something, it seemed like Wei Chengli was also saying something, but Wei Maomao couldn’t hear anything, she couldn’t hear anything at all. Even at this moment, Wei Maomao had forgotten herself, forgotten her hair that might be messy from sleeping, forgotten the cream on her face that didn’t smell right, forgotten that her father had just touched her head with the hand he had used to tickle her feet…

In her eyes, in her heart, there was only the little girl a few steps away… the little girl in the pink dress, with a simple ponytail, her eyebrows light, a cold expression on her face, meeting her gaze.

Cheng Tingyan hated pink.

But she looked so cute in pink.

Time stopped in Wei Maomao’s eyes, and the time from three years ago in her previous life seemed to start moving again.

They had finally met.

The gaze across lifetimes was a long moment that the person involved couldn’t perceive.

Until…

“Don’t be scared, my sister just looks a little fierce.”

Accompanied by a crisp child’s voice that rushed into her ears, a warm and soft touch suddenly appeared in her palm, startling Wei Maomao.

The feeling of being out of control, which only existed between her and Cheng Tingyan across time and space, instantly dissipated. Wei Maomao calmed down and realized that at some point, Cheng Rongrong had actually come to stand beside her.

And she was holding her hand!

Ahhh!

Wei Maomao pulled back her chubby paw as if she had been electrocuted and ran a few steps away.

In front of Cheng Tingyan, she had been held by the person she hated the most!

This hand was ruined! Wei Maomao lamented.

Chapter 10

Late at night, in the quiet children’s room, Wei Maomao tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She had only stayed up late for a few nights, and her biological clock was already messed up… Wei Maomao sighed, it was a waste that she had deliberately gone to bed early today.

This was the last night before the show. When dawn broke, the program team would come to their house to start filming, from getting up to going out, from getting on the plane to arriving at the destination. Then… she would be able to see Cheng Tingyan.

As expected, she couldn’t sleep because she was too nervous.

There was nothing she could do about it. After two lifetimes, tomorrow would be her first official meeting with Cheng Tingyan, the kind where they would exchange names and face each other for real. It was really hard for her not to overthink things.

In her previous life, Wei Maomao first learned about Cheng Tingyan when she was in sixth grade. At that time, a girl group survival show was very popular, and everyone was talking about it during breaks. Wei Maomao also followed the trend and watched it. From then on, she started to catch up on the sitcoms, movies, and parenting reality shows that Cheng Tingyan had starred in earlier.

This happy binge-watching continued for two years. It wasn’t until Wei Maomao was in her second year of junior high school, when her mother died unexpectedly, her father became an alcoholic and was scammed into debt, that she became exhausted from life and lost interest in entertainment, and gradually paid less attention to news about Cheng Tingyan.

A year later, Wei Maomao was in her third year of junior high school. Wei Chengli was falsely accused by an actress on set, and Cheng Tingyan spoke up for him online. From then on, Wei Maomao’s feelings for Cheng Tingyan went beyond the simple admiration of a fan from the previous years, and she felt more admiration, gratitude, and many other things that she couldn’t explain later.

It was also at that time that Wei Maomao followed some netizens on Weibo who spoke up for her father.

But at that time, Wei Maomao didn’t expect that one of the people she casually followed was Cheng Tingyan’s alternate account…

Later, the matter of Wei Chengli being falsely accused didn’t last long, and he was eventually cleared of all charges. But perhaps it was because of the series of blows, the last straw broke the camel’s back and caused him to have some mental problems.

Then Wei Maomao’s life became taking care of her father, dropping out of school to work, and paying off debts. Later, she lost her father, continued to work, pay off debts, work, pay off debts… This cycle continued.

In those dark years, the only thing that made her feel like life was still worth living was Cheng Tingyan.

A silent fan, watching all her dramas and variety shows, over and over again.

Their relationship was that of strangers separated by a screen.

It wasn’t until Wei Maomao was eighteen years old that she saw Cheng Tingyan for the first time, a real person off the screen.

It was Wei Maomao’s last day working at the airport coffee shop. A customer was bumped into by a child, and coffee spilled all over him. She grabbed a pack of tissues to help, and then she didn’t know whether to be surprised that the person who took the tissues was actually Cheng Tingyan, or to first look away from the phone screen on the table next to her.

The Weibo interface she accidentally glanced at, the familiar username.

With her damn good eyesight, Wei Maomao discovered that Cheng Tingyan’s alternate Weibo account was someone she had been mutuals with for several years, and they had even interacted occasionally in the past few years…

Before she could react further, Cheng Tingyan was taken away by her manager in less than a minute.

They only had the interaction of handing over a tissue, less than a second long.

That was their first meeting, and Wei Maomao felt like her soul had been taken away as well.

Wei Maomao tried to control herself, she really tried, she swore. But… it was really hard. That night, she finally clicked on the username she had seen during the day.

It was Cheng Tingyan, another real world.

Three years passed. Wei Maomao finally opened several dessert shops with her skillful hands inherited from her mother, paid off her debts, and slowly started to save some money. Cheng Tingyan was also recognized by a mentor on a new variety show and gradually began to get rid of the bad reputation and bad luck that had been attached to her since she was young.

In the online world where they both had alternate accounts, they became good friends who talked about everything.

That offline meeting was their first planned meeting. Wei Maomao was very nervous because she had decided to confess the secret that had started at the airport coffee shop three years ago. Their initial mutual following might have been a coincidence, but later… it was indeed intentional on her part. Wei Maomao didn’t know what would happen in the future, but she hoped that from their first official meeting onwards, she could be honest again.

However, fate was always cruel. In her previous life, they didn’t officially meet.

In this life… they would be able to meet smoothly, right…

Wei Maomao tossed and turned in bed, thinking about her past and present lives, and finally sat up in a state of turmoil.

She got out of bed, took out the tablet hidden in the cabinet, turned it on, and checked the time. Okay… it was a new day.

Thinking too much about the past put too much pressure on Wei Maomao’s three-year-old body. She sighed, listened carefully to the sounds outside, and finally opened the software. Since she couldn’t sleep, she might as well make a few more animations and put them in the background, and then set them to play a few each day.

The most essential ones had already been made and watched with Wei Chengli. But it would be a bit strange if the animations suddenly stopped updating when they went to film the show.

Although it was a very small possibility that it would be noticed, caution was a necessary rule for a reborn person.

Wei Maomao worked until almost three o’clock. When the past events that had been lingering in her heart dissipated, she went back to bed.

She fell asleep quickly, but inevitably, she dreamed of the road where they were supposed to meet in her previous life…

Please let this road be longer, longer, don’t let it reach the end.

“Beep… beep…”

“Beep beep beep…”

The sharp sound of car horns entered her young ears.

Traffic jam?

Good, traffic jam.

Please never let it reach that ending.

“Beep beep beep beep beep…”

The car horns kept honking.

Wei Maomao… finally opened her eyes, and then… her eyes widened.

A moment ago, she was in the car. Now, she was still in the car.

A moment ago, she was on the road. Now, she was still on the road.

But the problem was!

A moment ago, it was a dream, now it was reality!

Wei Maomao raised her hand, white and chubby.

“Maomao? You’re awake?” Wei Chengli touched the little dumpling next to him and smiled. “We’re already on our way, we’re almost at the airport, we’re about to get on the plane.”

Wei Maomao stiffly turned her head to look at her young father, then looked around the car… strangers, cameras, mobile phones… Shi Hongxiao.

“We’re going to participate in ‘Where’s Baby Going,’ are you happy, baby?” Wei Chengli squeezed the little dumpling’s hand.

She was carried into the car like luggage! You ask if she’s happy…

Staying up late was ruining things! This body that fell into deep sleep at any moment! It was really too bad.