Chapter 21 Part 2

By now, breakfast had already been set on the large table in the hall. There was porridge, steamed buns, dumplings, eggs, and more. Although it wasn’t as fancy as a five-star hotel breakfast, it was still quite good and looked clean.

Cui Xia and her daughter, as well as Mo Man and her daughter, were already there. The two little girls had developed good self-care habits, so their mothers only had to check on them occasionally.

Zhou Jiayan and Liang Tianyi were also eating, though Liang Tianyi looked a bit sluggish.

Zhou Jiayan noticed it before Shen Qingqing did. Concerned for his friend, he asked, “Xiaoyi, you don’t look too good. Did you not sleep well?”

Liang Tianyi nodded, then shook his head. “I didn’t sleep well because I’m not used to the bed. I only went to sleep at midnight, but my mom woke me up at six in the morning to run, so I’m really tired.”

The children were speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. Shen Linyan’s face immediately darkened.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingqing couldn’t help but want to hug Zhou Jiayan. Even though he had no idea about her earlier conversation with Shen Linyan, his words had perfectly exposed her.

The audience in the live broadcast also caught this moment.

“Uh… I take back what I said about Shen Linyan’s self-discipline. Xiaoyi is clearly sleep-deprived.”

“I get that parents want to be strict, but kids need enough sleep first.”

“Six hours of sleep isn’t enough for a five-year-old child.”

“And if you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t have the energy to study.”

“Wow, this reminds me of when I was in high school. I went to bed at 1 a.m. and woke up at 6 a.m. for school. It made me look hardworking, but I was always drowsy in class. Worse, the lack of sleep even stunted my height.”

“That sounds awful.”

“Shen Linyan is going too far. Last night, after a full day of traveling for the show, she still made Liang Tianyi study. I thought it was just for show.”

As criticism against Shen Linyan grew, her PR team quickly stepped in.

“Some people are exaggerating. Shen Linyan just wants her child to have good habits.”

“It was just one day. You’re acting like she never cares about his health.”

“At least she’s trying, unlike some parents who don’t care at all.”

However, Shen Qingqing had already gained some genuine fans in the past few days, mostly due to her beauty and Zhou Jiayan. They quickly saw through the PR team’s tactics. Even neutral viewers started to push back, leading to more backlash.

“Why do some fans sound so fake? Defending her while putting others down?”

“Can we focus on the actual issue? Who made a mistake here today?”

“From what I’ve seen, Shen Linyan is really controlling. She never outright scolds Liang Tianyi, but he never dares to disobey her.”

“Stop acting like you know her parenting style just from a few clips.”

Seeing the situation getting out of control, Shen Linyan’s PR team in City A started to panic.

A young man in his early twenties turned to his older colleague nervously. “Bro, what do we do? We can’t shift public opinion right now. If we keep fighting back, it’ll only make things worse.”

The older man thought for a moment before replying, “Forget it. Let’s just leave it alone for now. This one’s on her. We’re not magicians. Netizens have short attention spans. Soon, they’ll find another trending topic. We just need to redirect them when the time comes.”

After saying that, he took a deep puff of his cigarette and sighed inwardly. Making money from Miss Shen was no easy task. Not only did he have to help her manipulate public opinion and maintain a good image, but he also had to assist in undermining others.

Shen Linyan had been through a lot, so she quickly composed herself. She knew this wasn’t the time for direct confrontation.

She walked up to Liang Tianyi with a guilty expression. “Xiaoyi, I was careless today and didn’t notice that you didn’t get enough sleep. I promise I won’t let that happen again. If you ever feel sleepy, please tell me.”

Liang Tianyi was a little confused. He clearly remembered telling Shen Linyan that morning that he was very tired and wanted to sleep longer. But his mother had insisted that persistence was more important and that he shouldn’t give up halfway.

Still, he was an obedient child and felt close to Shen Linyan, so he nodded and said, “Okay, Mom, I understand.”

Seeing this, Shen Linyan smiled in satisfaction, then leaned over and hugged Liang Tianyi, creating a touching image of a loving mother and filial son.

The hired internet commenters seized the opportunity to flood the online discussion.

[Wow, this is so touching. Lin Yan is such a good mother. She corrects her mistakes immediately.]

[Xiaoyi is adorable. They look so harmonious together.]

[People should stop attacking them. Lin Yan already apologized.]

Shen Linyan was generally well-liked by the public and didn’t have many die-hard critics. With her fans and hired internet army pushing positive comments, most bystanders saw no reason to continue criticizing her. The controversy was quickly put to rest.

Shen Qingqing never expected to bring Shen Linyan down with just this one incident, but she still had to admire her adaptability. If Shen Linyan had put this effort into her career, she might have actually become famous. Unfortunately, she used all her energy to maintain her public image and win people’s affection.

Of course, this wasn’t Shen Qingqing’s concern. After watching the drama unfold, she returned to eating her breakfast.

Just as she was finishing her meal, Xie Bing entered the room with a chubby little boy.

She looked at the boy with mild disdain—his clothes were slightly messy, and his hair was a bit unkempt.

Xie Bing sighed dramatically, “I really wonder if he’s my child. I never stayed in bed as a kid, and neither did his father. But this guy—I called him at 7:00, and he still didn’t get up until 7:40. In the end, I had to tell him that breakfast was about to be taken away before he finally got up.”

Her exaggerated storytelling made everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Shen Qingqing glanced at Xie Bing, then at Ao Liangjun. Although the little boy was chubby, his facial features were 90% identical to Xie Bing’s.

She silently mourned for Xie Bing for three seconds. There was no doubt—this was her biological child!

At exactly eight o’clock, after everyone had finished breakfast, the director, Xu Xiang, appeared with a loudspeaker.

He grinned and announced, “Today, we officially begin our journey in Zhuangyuan Town. Our goal is to combine education with entertainment. Although Zhuangyuan Town is famous for its successful scholars, students here are also well-rounded and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. So, today’s first task is painting!”

After his announcement, he led the group to a newly built Chinese-style building with white walls and black tiles. Though modern, the structure blended seamlessly with its surroundings. It was the town’s cultural and exhibition center.

Upon entering, they saw various paintings displayed in the hall. Some were clearly the works of skilled painters, while others were children’s drawings.

Both types had their own charm—children’s paintings were bold and imaginative, while the professional ones carried deeper reflections on life.

Director Xu Xiang guided them through the exhibition, and the guests listened attentively.

Shen Linyan, in particular, frequently engaged Xu Xiang in conversation and whispered explanations to Liang Tianyi.

Seeing this, her supporters once again flooded the live stream with praise.

[As expected, Lin Yan has a deep understanding of art.]

[She’s different from those shallow celebrities.]

[What a high-quality idol. She can’t go wrong with this.]

[Can you focus on something more meaningful instead of negativity?]

Shen Qingqing, however, wasn’t particularly interested in art outside of acting. The only thing she had ever enjoyed drawing was girls’ comics. She had picked up a little of that over the years.

On the other hand, Zhou Jiayan was listening carefully, nodding from time to time.

Shen Qingqing recalled that Zhou Jiayan had taken painting lessons before, but only at a basic level. He had attended a sketching class once a week.

About half an hour later, Xu Xiang finally finished the tour and announced the rules for the competition.

“By now, you’ve experienced the artistic atmosphere of Zhuangyuan Town. Now it’s time for you to paint. Upstairs is a painter’s studio, which we’ve borrowed for the day. We have all the necessary painting tools. Today, you and your children will work together to complete a painting based on our theme.”

“Your artwork must depict the mountains, rivers, Zhuangyuan Town, and yourselves.”

“We will invite ten children and ten local residents to vote. The votes will determine your dinner tonight. Let’s get started!”

The mention of dinner made everyone more serious. The contestants knew the program team wouldn’t actually let them starve, but they would definitely give the lowest-ranked participant nothing but a steamed bun.

So, without further delay, they went upstairs to the painting studio.

The production team had already prepared easels and painting supplies. Shen Qingqing took a look and saw pencils, crayons, oil paints, watercolors, and even rice paper.

She thought to herself, This production crew really overestimates me. Do I look like someone who can paint oil paintings?

But it’s just drawing. Who can’t add a few strokes?

At this moment, Shen Linyan smiled warmly and said to everyone, “To be honest, I’ve been learning sketching and Chinese painting since I was a child. Although I haven’t formally studied oil painting, there are some similarities. If you need help, feel free to ask me. Xiaoyi has also learned painting for two years, so he can help you kids too.”

Everyone agreed.

Among the five groups of guests, besides Shen Linyan, Cui Xia from the amateur group also had some experience in painting. As a TV director, she had drawn storyboards before. Shyly, she said, “I have some basic skills, though I specialize more in line drawings. If you have any questions, you can ask me too.”

As for Xie Bing and Mo Man, both were actors and had never taken up art-related hobbies. They were completely at a loss.

Xie Bing looked at the tools in front of her and sighed, “I remember using these back in elementary school. As for Ao Liangjun, he can’t sit still, so his father and I never considered letting him learn this.”

Finally, she shrugged and said, “But I’ve figured it out. Junjun is already chubby anyway, so I’ll just let him eat less tonight to lose weight.”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone laughed. Only the plump boy, Ao Liangjun, protested, “I’m not fat at all! How can you stop me from eating?”

Xie Bing rolled her eyes at him and said, “If you want to eat, then do your best at drawing, okay?”

Meanwhile, Mo Man was less concerned about the competition and more worried about her daughter’s dress.

Her little girl had chosen a pure white princess dress to look pretty. Seeing all the paint around, Mo Man was anxious. By the time they finished painting, she feared the dress would be ruined.

Looking at the different situations of the five groups, the audience in the live broadcast started discussing their predictions and opinions.

[Betting on Shen Linyan and Liang Tianyi to win today. They seem so reliable.]

[I think so too.]

[Cui Xia’s group has a chance too. She has a good foundation.]

[I don’t think so. The judges are kids and ordinary people. If the painting is too professional, they might not appreciate it.]

[Are you underestimating the kids?]

As the debates continued, everyone began their painting tasks with different thoughts. Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan also started.

Looking at the blank paper on the easel, both felt a little lost.

Eventually, Zhou Jiayan spoke first. “Why don’t we just start drawing? Even if it’s not great, it’s better than turning in a blank page.”

Shen Qingqing, however, shook her head. “Did you see the paper? We only have one sheet. If we mess up, there’s no redo. Let’s think it through first.”

Zhou Jiayan had to admit she was right and nodded.

Shen Qingqing looked around and saw that Shen Linyan and her team had already started. Both she and Liang Tianyi held their brushes professionally.

Shen Qingqing knew she had no chance of beating Shen Linyan in pure skill.

In the original novel, this competition happened as well. The protagonist and Zhou Jiayan came in last, and the production team, being impartial, only gave them a steamed bun each for dinner.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingqing realized she had to be clever to win. If she could beat Shen Linyan, it would be a great way to shake her confidence.

Meanwhile, Shen Linyan was brimming with confidence. A painting competition wasn’t something one could master in a few days. She refused to believe Shen Qingqing could surpass her this time.