Chapter 12

Turkish ice cream ^[1]a type of ice cream known for its stretchy texture and playful serving style. is no longer as trendy online, but Shen Qingqing has never tried it before.

Even though she knows that internet-famous food is often more about presentation than taste, she still wanted to try it after seeing it in short videos. It gave her a sense of excitement and nostalgia.

However, as a former top actress, Shen Qingqing rarely appeared on the streets, and ice cream was high in calories!

Before seeing it, she didn’t crave it much. But now that she had, she couldn’t help but feel tempted.

Still, as an adult, especially with a live camera following her, it felt a bit embarrassing to buy one for herself.

Looking down, she noticed a child staring longingly at the ice cream and suddenly had an idea.

“Yanyan, why are you staring at the ice cream? Do you want one? If you do, just tell me, and I’ll buy it for you.”

As a five-year-old boy, Zhou Jiayan naturally loved sweet treats. But his father and the housekeeper usually didn’t let him eat too many. Now, it was his “hateful” stepmother asking. After thinking for a moment, he replied, “I just think the colorful ice cream looks nice. Dad said children should eat less sugar. I already had cake today, so that’s enough.”

Hearing his answer, Shen Qingqing felt helpless. Why had Zhou Yexuan raised such a mature five-year-old? How boring!

Still, as an adult, she continued persuading him. “It’s okay. This is a rare chance for you to go out with me, so it’s fine to indulge a little. Besides, Dad and Grandma Chen aren’t here, and they won’t watch the show. They won’t know.”

That made some sense.

Zhou Jiayan glanced at the colorful ice cream. His desire for something sweet won over his logic. He nodded and said reservedly, “Okay, thank you. But you have to promise not to tell Dad.”

Shen Qingqing immediately nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him.” Then, she excitedly took him to the ice cream shop.

Since she was an adult, she let Zhou Jiayan go first. But more importantly, she wanted to see his reaction when he got scared.

Zhou Jiayan rarely used short-video apps, so he wasn’t aware of the tricks used in Turkish ice cream shops. When the vendor teased him by pulling the ice cream away, he was successfully startled and let out a scream.

His stepmother, however, laughed mercilessly. “Hahaha!” She had even taken out her phone to record the moment. Clearly, she knew about the prank in advance.

Damn it! Why didn’t she warn him? She did it on purpose!

Only when he tasted the rich strawberry flavor did his resentment finally fade.

Fine, for the sake of the ice cream, he wouldn’t argue with her.

Next, it was Shen Qingqing’s turn. Since she was prepared, she wasn’t startled at all and even teased the vendor back.

She chose her favorite chocolate flavor, and as soon as she took a bite, happiness washed over her.

The taste of calories was amazing. She had sacrificed so much to be a star.

Although this kind of ice cream was more of a gimmick than gourmet, it was still a rare treat for her.

By then, it was almost 8 PM, and it was time to head home. After buying the ice cream, Shen Qingqing messaged the driver to pick them up.

The driver left the garage to get them, but since the underground parking lot was crowded at night, Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan sat on a nearby bench to wait.

Zhou Jiayan was holding his figurine and couldn’t manage his ice cream, so Shen Qingqing held it for him.

Since both of them wanted to try different flavors, they ended up taking turns tasting each other’s, mixing them up.

But Shen Qingqing ate fast, while Zhou Jiayan had a small mouth and ate slowly. Seeing her speed, he grew anxious and started taking big bites. Even so, he couldn’t keep up with her.

A few minutes later, Zhou Jiayan suddenly needed to use the bathroom but hesitated, unwilling to leave his ice cream behind. However, he knew they would soon get in the car for a half-hour ride home. If he didn’t go now, there would be trouble.

He was torn, and his expression became amusing.

Noticing his discomfort, Shen Qingqing asked, “What’s wrong? Just tell me.”

After some thought, Zhou Jiayan shyly admitted, “I need to pee. I drank too much.”

So that was it. It wasn’t easy for such a serious kid to say on camera that he needed the bathroom.

Luckily, the restroom wasn’t far, and Zhou Jiayan was quite independent. Holding back her laughter, Shen Qingqing pointed. “Give me your things, and I’ll watch them. You can go to the bathroom by yourself. The driver will be here in a few minutes, so hurry up.”

Zhou Jiayan nodded without hesitation, but then, recalling how fast she ate, he asked worriedly, “Can you wait for me so we can eat the ice cream together? I’ll be quick.”

Shen Qingqing was speechless. Did she seem so unreliable? Why did he sound like she was an evil stepmother who’d eat everything while he was gone?

She wanted to argue but didn’t want to delay him, so she nodded. “Okay, okay. I got it. Now go.”

Feeling reassured, Zhou Jiayan ran off to the restroom.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingqing looked at the two half-eaten ice creams in her hand and thought, I paid for these. And that little brat still wants to control me?

With that in mind, she took a big bite.

At first, it was just a small act of “revenge.” But once she started eating, she couldn’t stop.

So, Shen Qingqing began eating one mouthful after another…

[Shen Qingqing, what are you doing? Didn’t you say you’d wait for the kids?]

[Yanyan, come back soon! Why is she eating so much? Leave some for Yanyan!]

[Shen Qingqing is making me laugh! I thought she was tough on the outside but soft inside, buying things for the kids despite teasing them. But now she’s stealing ice cream!]

[Ahhh, stop already! Yanyan is going to cry when she sees this!]

When Zhou Jiayan returned from the bathroom, he saw his stepmother eating ice cream in big bites. Only two cones remained in her hands, almost empty.

He stood there, stunned. Didn’t his stepmother promise to wait for him before eating?

His heart sank—he barely got to eat any!

Caught red-handed, Shen Qingqing felt a little awkward. She had gotten carried away and eaten too much. But she quickly composed herself. After all, she paid for the ice cream, and she did leave some for him.

She needed a good excuse to convince the child. Squatting down with a serious face, she said, “Yanyan, it’s already eight o’clock, and it’s getting chilly. Eating too much ice cream at night can cause a stomachache. I couldn’t let it go to waste, so I helped you eat some. See? I even left some for you.”

She handed the remaining cone to Zhou Jiayan.

Before he could respond, the live chat exploded with laughter.

[She’s doing this for Zhou Jiayan’s own good. Hahaha, what a smooth talker!]

[If she really thought so, she wouldn’t have bought the ice cream in the first place!]

[I can’t stop laughing. She used the child as an excuse to buy ice cream, then ate most of it herself!]

[Shen Qingqing’s excuses are getting more creative—eating too much is bad for you!]

[Though, honestly, if someone with a weak stomach ate too much ice cream suddenly, they might really get a stomachache. But Shen Qingqing seems just fine.]

Zhou Jiayan’s eyes welled up, but he knew they were live, so he held back his tears.

He pouted and complained, “Bad guy! You’ll get a stomachache from eating so much!”

Shen Qingqing didn’t take his accusation seriously. What a joke! As if a little extra ice cream could give her a stomachache.

“Do you want more?” She waved the ice cream cone in front of him. If he refused out of anger, she’d just finish it herself.

But Zhou Jiayan quickly grabbed it and took a big bite.

Hmph, he wasn’t dumb! If he refused, she’d eat it all. He was going to finish it before she had a chance!

Oops, another big bite!

Shen Qingqing snorted inwardly—was he that proud of eating an ice cream cone?

Just then, the driver finally arrived at the gate, ending their standoff.

Once inside the car, Zhou Jiayan stayed silent, turning his face toward the window. No matter how much Shen Qingqing called him, he ignored her.

She knew she had upset him, so she stopped trying. Kids get over things quickly anyway. Worst case, she’d buy him an Ultraman figurine tomorrow!

They arrived at the Zhou house in silence.

As soon as they got inside, Zhou Jiayan pushed Shen Qingqing away and stormed off to his room—of course, not forgetting to grab his two figurines.

Luckily, the live broadcast was ending. Shen Qingqing decided to say goodbye to the audience before logging off.

Smiling brightly, she said, “Ah, kids go through rebellious phases. But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to him tomorrow. That’s it for today’s live stream. See you all tomorrow!”

But the live chat had other ideas.

[I think YOU’RE the one in a rebellious phase! Hahaha.]

[Yanyan is so well-behaved. You’re the real troublemaker!]

[Hahaha, I can’t wait to see how you coax him tomorrow!]

[Qingqing, can you be a responsible adult for once? Yanyan has suffered enough!]

Shen Qingqing had opened the stream on her phone and saw the endless flood of teasing comments. She had planned to say a few more words, but immediately cut the feed.

Hmph! Netizens love being mean. She had said goodbye so nicely, and this was how they treated her? Fine! Goodbye!