Chapter 1

☆Super Mom Program Team Official Announcement☆

☆Zhou Jingxing and Gu Aifei secretly married and had a child☆

☆Gu Aifei will bring her twins to a variety show about raising children☆

Shen Mingyou sat on the sofa, casually scrolling through her phone. When she opened Weibo, she noticed that the top trending topics today were almost the same as the last two days.

A few days ago, news broke out without warning that top idol Zhou Jingxing had secretly gotten married and had children. Paparazzi revealed the story.

As a major star at the height of his career, Zhou Jingxing’s fans refused to believe the rumors about their idol’s marriage. They worked hard online to dispel the rumors and argued with Zhou Jingxing’s haters.

But just when the fans were fired up and had silenced the haters, Zhou Jingxing suddenly dropped a bombshell: he publicly admitted online that he was secretly married and had children!

Zhou Jingxing: [A family of four, it’s great to have you! @Gu Aifei]

The post included two photos. One showed Zhou Jingxing and Gu Aifei holding a small red book ^[1]refers to Chinese marriage certificate.. The other was a family photo taken from the back: Zhou Jingxing and Gu Aifei stood on either side, while a little boy and girl in matching clothes stood between them. The girl had braids.

This news shocked the fans.

What happened to the promise of staying single? What happened to the vow of growing old with the fans?

Shut your lying mouth, brother!

The fans who were denying the rumors one second felt slapped in the face the next. Some unfollowed Zhou Jingxing, and others even turned against him. A few extreme fans went as far as bombarding Gu Aifei’s latest Weibo post with nasty comments.

Gu Aifei was also a popular young star in the entertainment industry. Her fans were still reeling from the shock of learning their idol had not only married but also had twins. Once they recovered, they saw that Zhou Jingxing’s fans were attacking Gu Aifei with harsh insults. At this point, Gu Aifei’s fans couldn’t stay silent anymore.

[Marriage is between two people. Anyone who only blames the woman is seriously messed up!]

[Let’s be real, four years ago Gu Aifei was still a nobody, while Zhou Jingxing was already at the top!]

[No wonder Gu Aifei’s career skyrocketed in recent years. She hooked up with a top celebrity with tons of resources. Her methods are impressive.]

[Everyone knows Gu Aifei is a talented actress. Four years ago, she worked as a stand-in for Shen Mingyou. After Shen Mingyou left Director Qin’s movie, Gu Aifei got the lead role. That role earned her the Golden Phoenix Award for Best Newcomer. Afterward, she starred in several breakout roles that made her famous. So, anyone saying Gu Aifei only succeeded because of Zhou Jingxing must be blind!]

…

Fans from both sides argued fiercely online, while the public watched the drama unfold. As a result, the news of Zhou and Gu’s secret marriage and children continued to trend online.

Shen Mingyou was browsing Weibo when her fingers froze upon seeing the top comment with the most likes.

She didn’t expect her name to be mentioned in the secret marriage of Zhou Jingxing and Gu Aifei.

However, she had left the entertainment industry five years ago. In these years, the stars in the industry had changed, and the name “Shen Mingyou” had almost been forgotten. The netizen who mentioned her even referred to her as “that Shen Mingyou.”

Since it was the most liked comment, there were thousands of replies beneath it.

Shen Mingyou casually clicked on it and saw that among the top responses, three or five were talking about her.

[Who is Shen Mingyou?]

[Let me give you a brief intro: Shen Mingyou was a female star who was briefly popular five or six years ago. She starred in several TV series. She looked amazing, but her acting was awful. She was once called the most beautiful “vase” ^[2]term used to describe an actor who is good-looking but has poor acting skills.. She had a bright future, but suddenly retired from the industry.]

[I’m a Shen Mingyou fan. If she hadn’t retired, she would’ve become really popular. There wouldn’t even be a Gu Aifei now.]

[Shen Mingyou was a vase with no acting skills or charm. How does she still have fans? The internet doesn’t forget. Her last movie before quitting was a disaster. The budget was 300 million yuan, but the box office earnings were only 50 million. Investors lost a fortune. Someone like that is not worthy of being compared to my Effie.]

[That’s right, Shen Mingyou didn’t leave the entertainment industry in a glamorous way. The labels of a vase, box office poison ^[3]phrase used to describe an actor whose movies flop., and a liability will stick to her forever unless she makes a comeback to shake them off. But even if she returns, I bet her face has collapsed.]

Shen Mingyou touched her smooth, delicate face. It hadn’t sagged; it looked even better than before.

She wasn’t really interested in celebrity gossip. The reason she paid attention today was that, like Gu Aifei, Shen Mingyou was invited to join “Super Mom,” a show about mothers taking care of their children.

Shen Mingyou was hesitant, unsure if she should accept the offer.

Just as she was about to nap after getting sleepy from scrolling on her phone, her agent, Yu Zhen, called.

“Mingyou, the director of ‘Super Mom’ contacted me again. Director Feng said filming starts in two days, and the guest list will be finalized tomorrow. We need to give an answer by tonight.”

“Sister Yu, I just returned to China recently. How did Director Feng know me and immediately invite me to a show?”

Feng Jingze, the chief director of the “Super Mom” program, is a leading figure at Orange TV. He has produced several hit shows, and “Super Mom” is already in its third season. The first season was an instant hit, and after two seasons, it became the network’s flagship show. Many people want to be guests on the show.

Logically, Shen Mingyou shouldn’t be considered.

She wasn’t being modest; she had retired five years ago at the age of 20. The name “Shen Mingyou” should hardly be known in the industry now, so it was baffling that Director Feng Jingze reached out to her.

When something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

“Maybe he heard from a friend. I’ve been reaching out to directors I knew before to help you return. This industry is small, so it’s not surprising that Director Feng heard about your comeback plans.”

“Mingyou, ‘Super Mom’ is extremely popular. I think you should take it,” Yu Zhen advised. “You’ve been gone for five years, and it’s not easy to make a comeback. ‘Super Mom’ might be your chance. Once you’re on the show, your popularity will shoot up. After that, directors will be lining up to cast you at Hengdian ^[4]refers to a famous film and television production site in China..”

“Sister Yu, I get it. I’ll think about it and give you an answer tonight.”

After hanging up, Shen Mingyou went to her daughter’s room. Nian Nian was already fast asleep. She kissed her daughter’s little face and slid under the blanket.

Shen Mingyou had a strange dream.

She realized she was living inside a novel called “Star Road,” and the heroine of the story was none other than Gu Aifei, who was trending that night!

Gu Aifei was the lucky protagonist of the novel. She debuted at 20 and went from being an unknown stunt double to a famous first-line star in less than five years. The biggest crisis in her career was when news broke about her secret marriage to Zhou Jingxing and their child. Fans fiercely rejected her, but to overcome the scandal, Gu Aifei brought her twins onto “Super Mom,” the variety show about mothers raising children.

On the show, Gu Aifei came across as a gentle, loving mother who took great care of her kids. Her three-and-a-half-year-old son and daughter with Zhou Jingxing became fan favorites, winning over viewers with their cuteness.

After the show aired, Gu Aifei and Zhou Jingxing’s fans stopped opposing their marriage and children, instead becoming CP fans ^[5]refers to fans who support a celebrity couple.. They adored the twins, and the boy and girl duo gained countless “auntie fans” ^[6]nickname for older women who express fondness for cute children..

With her soaring popularity, Gu Aifei’s career opportunities flourished. Eventually, she won the Golden Tripod Award for Best Actress. With both love and career successes, Gu Aifei’s story came to a perfect ending.

But what about Shen Mingyou?

Shen Mingyou was the unlucky counterpart to the heroine in the book.

At 20, she was still a well-known actress. At that time, she starred in a fantasy TV show, with Gu Aifei as her stunt double.

During that period, a movie featuring Shen Mingyou was released. Her performance was mediocre, and she was still labeled a “vase” with no acting skills. The movie flopped, causing significant losses for investors. To deflect blame, the male lead, who was supposed to be the box office draw, purchased articles slandering Shen Mingyou, claiming the film failed because of her poor acting.

Shen Mingyou got caught up in a scandal back then. She didn’t have much acting skill, and her performance in the TV drama crew was even worse. She often needed 10 to 20 takes just to pass one scene. In the end, Shen Mingyou had no choice but to resign with regret.

Her stand-in at the time, Gu Aifei, successfully took her place and became the lead actress.

After the TV show aired, it became very successful. Gu Aifei quickly gained public attention with her role. From that point on, it was as if she had a cheat code for success in the entertainment industry. Every TV show she starred in became increasingly popular, and her fame grew every year. Eventually, she became a top star.

During the years Gu Aifei rose to fame, Shen Mingyou retired from the entertainment industry and completely disappeared from the public eye.

The two didn’t meet again until the show “Super Mom”.

This time, Shen Mingyou once again became a comparison to Gu Aifei.

If Gu Aifei was the perfect mother praised by everyone, then Shen Mingyou was the bad mother everyone disliked.

On the variety show, which was about taking care of children, Shen Mingyou often showed frustration with her daughter, Jiang Niannian, because Nian Nian was slow to respond and didn’t talk much, almost like she had autism. Whenever her daughter acted differently from other kids, Shen Mingyou would lose control and yell at her. Jiang Niannian became more and more withdrawn.

The audience disliked the mother and daughter, and they were criticized so much that they quit the show early.

After this, the book “Star Path” didn’t mention Shen Mingyou again until the author added an extra chapter at the end. In it, Gu Aifei, while chatting with Zhou Jingxing, brought up Shen Mingyou:

“Today, I went to a charity event at a school for children with autism and saw Shen Mingyou’s daughter, Jiang Niannian. That child didn’t act like other kids on Super Mom, and it turns out she actually has autism.”

“When the teachers were teaching, Nian Nian sat alone in the corner with her head down, not hearing or seeing anything around her. It was really sad to see.”

“And I heard Shen Mingyou’s situation isn’t great either. She divorced her husband, and it seems she has severe depression. She’s been getting treatment abroad.”

“When I first met her, she was a star admired by everyone. Now, look at her. It’s really sad.”

Shen Mingyou woke up with a jolt. Gu Aifei’s words, “What a pity,” still echoed in her mind.

Nian Nian was no longer in bed. Shen Mingyou quickly got up and ran out of the room.

“Nian Nian! Nian Nian!”

“Hey!” A small, soft voice called out from the living room. Nian Nian looked up at her mother with bright eyes, as if saying: “Mom, I’m here.”

Shen Mingyou hugged her daughter tightly and said, “Autism, depression, anyone can say what they want, but she won’t be stuck in any comparison!”