Chapter 3

“Mr. Jiang, Mr. Jiang…” His assistant, Fang, had to remind Jiang Chen, who stood frozen in front of the car.

Jiang Chen put away his phone, pressed his lips together, and got into the car without saying a word.

Assistant Fang sensed something was wrong. Just moments ago, his boss had been in high spirits, proud of the acquisition. Now, his mood had shifted dramatically, but Fang continued his work report.

Jiang Chen cut him off and asked, “Have you sent your wife a birthday gift this year?”

Fang paused, surprised by the question.

“I sent it in your name last month.” Fang was sure Mrs. Jiang would love the limited-edition luxury bag worth over a million dollars.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly, “What about the wedding anniversary gift?”

“It was given as well.” This year marked the couple’s fifth anniversary. Fang had personally overseen the selection—a custom-made bag by a retired designer, one of a kind.

Fang was confident no woman could resist the charm of such a gift, including Mrs. Jiang. But now, the president seemed to question his choice.

“Is there a problem?” Fang asked.

Jiang Chen didn’t answer. He frowned, contemplating the situation, then took out his phone to text his wife, who had just asked for a divorce.

[Are you joking?]

It wasn’t April Fool’s Day, and his wife wasn’t one to joke. Jiang Chen was caught off guard by her sudden bombshell.

Why?

Their marriage seemed happy.

Shen Mingyou quickly responded: [I’m serious.]

Jiang Chen, always decisive, hesitated over what to say. He typed and deleted his message several times before finally sending one.

[Let’s talk in person when I get home, okay?]

After seeing his message, Shen Mingyou replied with a simple “OK.” She knew divorce was a complex matter, especially given their business marriage and shared assets. Even dividing their property would take time.

Yu Zhen, who was driving, noticed Shen Mingyou’s troubled expression and asked, “Who are you talking to?”

“My husband.”

“Your husband?” Yu Zhen had always been curious about Shen Mingyou’s husband. When Shen Mingyou debuted at 18, Yu Zhen became her agent. At that time, she believed Shen Mingyou had the potential to become a huge star. But at 20, Shen Mingyou retired from the spotlight and married. Yu Zhen had never met this mysterious man.

“Yeah, we’re talking about a divorce.”

“?” Yu Zhen’s calm demeanor broke as she parked the car on the side of the road, her voice rising several octaves. “You want a divorce?!”

**

Yu Zhen was still in shock over Shen Mingyou’s divorce plans as she drove them back to the company building.

Shen Mingyou was signed with Xingchen Entertainment, a company she joined when she first debuted. Back then, both Xingchen Entertainment and Shen Mingyou were newcomers. Geng Feng, the boss, had high hopes for her and worked hard to secure her contract.

When Shen Mingyou wanted to retire five years ago, Geng Feng said, “I won’t stop you, but don’t terminate the contract. One day you might want to return, and I’ll still be your boss.”

He was right. Five years later, Geng Feng was still her boss.

In that time, Xingchen Entertainment had shrunk from a company with 40 or 50 employees to a small firm with only four or five.

There were four or five people in the office, including the boss, Geng Feng, the agent, Yu Zhen, the accountant, Zhou Jie, the publicity planner, makeup artist, and assistant, Xiao Xi. Lastly, there was the actor, Zhong Xinghe, who had debuted two years ago but had only played a few small supporting roles so far.

Xingchen Entertainment had been struggling in recent years and was almost at rock bottom.

When Shen Mingyou walked into the company, she saw the boss, Geng Feng, and the accountant, Zhou Jie, surrounding Nian Nian. Nian Nian was holding a Rubik’s Cube and quickly solved it in just a few moves, making the office burst with exaggerated praise:

Xiao Xi: “Wow, Nian Nian is amazing!”

Sister Zhou: “Nian Nian, how are you so smart?”

Geng Feng clapped his hands with a big smile, saying, “Nian Nian, Uncle Geng has lots of Rubik’s cubes at home. Want to come play at Uncle Geng’s house?”

Nian Nian shook her head, rejecting Uncle Geng, who looked like a wolf in grandma’s clothing. But after a moment, she said, “I’ll listen to mom.”

“Okay, okay, listen to your mom. But I’m your mom’s boss, so your mom has to listen to me, haha,” Geng Feng laughed.

“Alright, stop teasing the child,” said Zhou Jie as she stood up to pour water for Nian Nian. She saw Shen Mingyou and Yu Zhen coming in. “Nian Nian, look, your mom is back.”

Nian Nian immediately slid off her chair, ran to Shen Mingyou, and buried her face in her mom’s thighs like a little kitten.

Shen Mingyou almost melted from her daughter’s cuteness.

“Did you miss mom?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Mom missed Nian Nian too,” Shen Mingyou said as she picked her up and sat her on her lap.

Yu Zhen handed the signed contract to Geng Feng. After reading it, Geng Feng’s voice was full of excitement: “Mingyou, you’ve really done it this time! You got into a show like “Super Mom” so quickly. I’m confident you’ll be very popular from this show, and soon Xingchen Entertainment will be the agency of the first-line star Shen Mingyou. With you as our face, we’ll return to glory…”

“Hey, why didn’t the “Super Mom” production team tell us in advance? They just made the official announcement!” Xiao Xi interrupted Geng Feng with surprise and frustration. Lately, the boss had been constantly reminiscing about Xingchen’s past glory, and everyone was getting tired of it.

“What? They haven’t even taken promotional photos yet, how could they make an official announcement?” Geng Feng turned serious when it came to business.

Xiao Xi had just met the program staff yesterday, and they had agreed to sign the contract today and announce it after taking promotional photos of Shen Mingyou and her daughter tomorrow. Filming was scheduled to start the day after.

But now, with the contract just signed and no preparations made, it seemed too rushed to announce it.

Shen Mingyou held Nian Nian tighter and turned on her phone. She opened the official Weibo of the “Super Mom” program team, and saw that just half an hour ago, they posted:

[The final mystery guest of “Super Mom” season 3: @actress Shen Mingyou. Five years away, welcome back!]

Fans who had been following the show were quick to comment:

“Haven’t all three guest families been announced? Where did this extra one come from?”

“Who’s Shen Mingyou? Never heard of her.”

“I checked her Weibo, it’s a new account with just a few zombie followers. If the show hadn’t tagged her, I’d have thought it was fake. Is she a rookie? Why bring her child on a show right after debuting?”

“‘Five years away’ – Oh, it’s probably Shen Mingyou who left the entertainment industry five years ago. Did she retire to get married and have kids?”

“If it’s her, there’s nothing to be excited about. She was just a pretty face with no acting skills. A box office flop. What was the production team thinking?”

Internet detectives quickly dug up her history, and people lost interest fast:

“I saw old photos. She used to look pretty, but after getting married and having kids, she must have changed a lot.”

“You retired. Why come back?”

“She’s probably out of money and returning for cash. The entertainment industry is an easy way to make money.”

“Forget her, I’m excited for Gu Aifei and her twins. They’re so cute! I just want to hug them.”

“And Fang Tang! I love her music. I hope she sings on the show, especially a medley of her hits.”

…

Shen Mingyou’s announcement didn’t cause much buzz. Most of the comments were about the other guests, with fans promoting their favorites.

When Shen Mingyou scrolled down, she saw the official announcement for Gu Aifei. Along with a summary of her impressive career, there was a nine-photo gallery of her and her twins, all smiling sweetly for the camera.

The dedication of the production team was clear.

In comparison, Shen Mingyou seemed like an afterthought.

“Xiao Xi, call the program team and ask what’s going on,” Yu Zhen said, clearly worried after seeing the post.

When they had visited the TV station earlier, Yu Zhen had already sensed some issues. It was clear Orange TV looked down on Shen Mingyou, not even bothering with basic courtesy. It was easy to guess how much—or how little—the production crew valued her as a last-minute guest.

With the official announcement on Weibo, Yu Zhen wondered if the program crew might do something sneaky during or after recording, like malicious editing. This could boost the program’s popularity but also harm the guests who are edited poorly.

Additionally, Shen Mingyou has a potential problem. She and her husband are divorcing, and if this becomes public on the show, it could be bad for her.

Yu Zhen regretted encouraging Shen Mingyou to join the show.

After Xiao Xi spoke with the program coordinator, she was even angrier: “The staff said there’s no time for promotional photos. The official announcement will be today, and recording starts the day after tomorrow.”

Zhou Hong: “How could this production team be so unprofessional? They changed their minds at the last minute about something we agreed on. I thought a big TV station would follow rules, but they just flatter the powerful and disregard others.”

“This kind of thing happens everywhere.” Geng Feng, who had calmed down, said, “Mingyou, don’t be upset. In the future, when you’re famous, the TV station will beg you to be on the show. Don’t let these small issues bother you.”

“You’re right. In the future, they’ll beg me to be on the show.” Shen Mingyou wasn’t too concerned. She recalled the book’s plot where “Shen Mingyou” was so poorly received on the show that she quit, which was mostly due to “Shen Mingyou” herself.

So, how should she appear on the show to completely change the outcome for her and Nian Nian?

_

The day of filming arrived.

At 7 a.m., several special vehicles from Orange TV left the TV station for the recording location.

In the car assigned to Shen Mingyou’s program, follow-up director Wu Li woke up and asked, “Why aren’t we there yet? The program starts at 9 o’clock. We can’t be late.”

Intern director Ji Qing, who was driving, had just stopped the car: “We’re here. Shen Mingyou’s home should be here.”

Wu Li looked out and saw they were on Jiaxi Road in City A, known for its valuable real estate and historic buildings from the Republic of China era. They were parked in front of Mansion No. 125 Jiaxi Road.

Wu Li asked loudly, “Are you sure this is Shen Mingyou’s house?”

Ji Qing showed the address from Shen Mingyou’s agent: “Yes, 125 Jiaxi Road.”

Ji Qing was new to City A and didn’t understand why the director was so surprised.

“Do you know where Jiaxi Road is?”

Ji Qing shook her head, but soon saw why Wu Li was shocked.

Shen Mingyou answered the door and saw the crew. She looked at her large home and asked, “Isn’t two or three cameras enough for my house?”

Ji Qing glanced at the beautiful villa and thought: Two or three cameras are not enough. Ten wouldn’t be too many.

Who spread the rumor that Shen Mingyou lived in a small rental house and was so poor she couldn’t buy milk powder for her child?

Director Wu Li, who had been assigned to Shen Mingyou because he had upset his superiors, had a hint of excitement. He called the chief director, Feng Jingze, and said, “Hello, Director Feng, Shen Mingyou lives in Mansion No. 125, Jiaxi Road. The house is so big that we don’t have enough cameras.”