Chapter 22 Part 2

“Host, I don’t know either, but I’m reporting this to headquarters to investigate.”

Hearing the system’s answer, Shen Qingqing felt it was just as she had expected. She shouldn’t have expected this artificial idiot to provide any useful information!

The silence was broken by Zhou Jiayan, who blinked his big eyes and looked at Zhou Yexuan. “Dad, why are you here?”

Zhou Yexuan gently rubbed Zhou Jiayan’s round head and smiled. “The overseas project ended early, so I could return to China for a few days. I haven’t seen you for a while, and I was worried about you, so I came to see you.”

Zhou Jiayan clapped his hands excitedly. “Ah, that’s great! Then we can be together as a family of three for a while!”

Zhou Jiayan said this innocently, but Zhou Yexuan was shaken upon hearing it. Since when did Yanyan consider them—himself, Shen Qingqing, and Zhou Jiayan—a family of three?

He was well aware of the child’s previous attitude toward Shen Qingqing. Although Zhou Jiayan never openly rejected her, he certainly didn’t see her as his real mother.

Was Shen Qingqing really sincere to Yanyan during this time?

Zhou Yexuan believed the safest option was to keep Zhou Jiayan away from the variety show. However, as a father who respected his child’s wishes, he planned to guide Zhou Jiayan into saying he didn’t want to participate. That way, he could take him away naturally.

He lowered his head, smiling as he asked, “How has Yanyan been doing while Daddy was away? Are you happy being on the show?”

Zhou Jiayan recalled the days of being “bullied” by his stepmother. He wanted to complain to his father! He was too small to fight her, but his father was tall and strong—he could definitely stand up for him!

Thinking of this, he pouted and said, “Dad, everything else is fine, but Mom keeps bullying me! Can you help me? Look, she got paint all over me and even stole my ice cream!”

Shen Qingqing’s eyes widened. This kid actually tattled on the spot! No honor in battle!

Hearing this, Zhou Yexuan gave Shen Qingqing a meaningful look. He hadn’t expected her to do so many things behind his back.

Zhou Yexuan gently continued, “If Yanyan isn’t happy on the show, then let’s stop. Daddy will take you home now.”

The system cried out in alarm, saying this man had come to ruin everything!

Zhou Jiayan was stunned. He hadn’t expected his father to say he could leave if he wanted.

He glanced at Shen Qingqing and thought about the past few days of filming.

At first, he really didn’t want to be on the show with his stepmother. But despite being “tricked” by her several times, he had to admit he had some fun.

He was happy when she took him to the figurine store, when they rode a tricycle together, when she kissed his cheek—even when they threw paint at each other just now…

Maybe recording the show with her wasn’t so bad?

Even though he knew that saying he wanted to stay would make his stepmother smug, he was a man—he could let her be proud for a bit.

Unlike the panicking system, Shen Qingqing remained calm. She even secretly hoped Zhou Yexuan would take Zhou Jiayan away so she could stop recording and go home to rest.

Of course, she had to admit—if Zhou Jiayan really wanted to leave, she would feel a little sad.

After about half a minute, Zhou Jiayan finally spoke. “Dad, recording the show is tiring, but I want to continue. I have friends here, many uncles and aunts, and… my mom.”

His ears turned red. His stepmother was definitely going to tease him! He turned slightly toward her—wait, she wasn’t laughing?

Shen Qingqing still had a blank expression, but inside, she was shaken. This little brat—if he didn’t want to leave her, he should just say it outright! Instead, he awkwardly made it sound like he stayed for the other people!

Zhou Yexuan wasn’t too surprised by the answer. He had noticed his son’s changing attitude toward Shen Qingqing. But he wasn’t ready to give up yet.

So he tried again. “Yanyan, but Daddy misses you. I won’t be home for long. Do you really not want to go home with me?”

Zhou Jiayan frowned. True—if he stayed here, he couldn’t be with his father.

The system yelled, “That cunning Zhou Yexuan! Using emotions to trick the child! Don’t fall for it!”

Shen Qingqing, on the other hand, felt relieved that Zhou Jiayan didn’t immediately choose to leave her.

Several minutes passed before Zhou Jiayan spoke again. “Dad, you’re often away, and I want to be with you. But you once told me that we should always finish what we start. That applies to this show too. Besides, if I leave, Mom and the crew will be troubled.”

His serious expression showed he had thought this through carefully.

Zhou Yexuan stared at his son in deep thought. Even at just five years old, he considered the consequences of his actions. As a father, he felt proud.

However, he also knew he couldn’t force Zhou Jiayan to leave. That would only make him question his father’s judgment.

After hearing Zhou Jiayan’s reasoning, the system became even more excited. “Yanyan, you’re such a good comrade! My mission is saved! Host, if you bully this kid again, I’ll punish you on behalf of the Moon!”

Shen Qingqing: …

She wanted to roll her eyes at the system but was too moved by Zhou Jiayan’s words. Her efforts over the past few days weren’t in vain!

Still, she knew that the final decision rested with Zhou Yexuan.

She glanced at him. This man had seemed fine before they came to the show, yet suddenly, he rushed back from Country A and straight to the filming site to take Zhou Jiayan away.

A thought formed in her mind. Could he have traveled through time or been reborn? 

She ruled out the idea of him being possessed because his habits were still the same.

That left two possibilities—either Zhou Yexuan had been reborn, or he had somehow foreseen the future, making him desperate to take Zhou Jiayan away.

Shen Qingqing shared her suspicion with the system, and it wailed, “Oh no! If he knows the future, he’ll definitely take Zhou Jiayan away! Our mission is doomed!”

Shen Qingqing was speechless for a moment before continuing, “I asked you to find out what happened to Zhou Yexuan recently, not just to tell me it’s all over. Besides, there’s still hope.”

The system responded, “What turn? Where?”

Shen Qingqing ignored the system’s useless response and focused on Zhou Yexuan sitting across from her.

This man could have just taken Zhou Jiayan away, but he didn’t. Instead, he was trying to get Zhou Jiayan to willingly decide to leave the variety show on his own.

However, he probably didn’t expect that Zhou Jiayan would refuse him twice. Shen Qingqing wasn’t sure what he planned to do next.

Zhou Yexuan suddenly turned his head and met Shen Qingqing’s gaze.

After preparing herself mentally for so long, Shen Qingqing was no longer intimidated by Zhou Yexuan. Especially since she suspected he might know the original plot, she felt even bolder and even “glared” at him.

Seeing Shen Qingqing’s “provocative” look, Zhou Yexuan found it amusing. This “Shen Qingqing” was truly interesting.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Zhou Jiayan. Taking the child away by force would only upset him. Instead, he decided to respect his wishes. This time, he was fully prepared and wouldn’t let anything go wrong.

So he reached out and patted Zhou Jiayan’s thick hair. “I’m glad you thought this through. Since you’ve made up your mind, go ahead and record the show. But if anything bad happens, remember to tell Dad.”

Zhou Jiayan grinned widely and nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah!” Then he added, “Dad, don’t worry. I’ll spend more time with you when I get home.”

Watching this scene, the system was practically dancing in Shen Qingqing’s mind. “Ahhh, Comrade Yanyan actually stayed! Host, you’re amazing!”

Shen Qingqing didn’t have time to deal with the system. She continued to observe Zhou Yexuan across from her. Her “cheap” husband was quite interesting indeed.

After responding to his son, Zhou Yexuan turned back to Shen Qingqing. His tone was no longer as gentle as when speaking to Zhou Jiayan, but he still smiled. “Qingqing, I trust you’ll take good care of Yanyan during the show, right?”

That was definitely a threat!

If it were the original Shen Qingqing, she would have agreed immediately. But she was too lazy to pretend. She glanced at Zhou Jiayan, then at Zhou Yexuan, and smirked mischievously. “Of course, that depends on Zhou Jiayan’s behavior and my mood.”

System: It’s over. The host is asking for trouble again!

Zhou Yexuan raised an eyebrow. Shen Qingqing wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she had changed. That was good. If she acted like the perfect wife and mother, he would have been even more suspicious.

Zhou Jiayan responded faster than Zhou Yexuan. He said angrily, “I always behave well, and I can take care of myself.” Then he turned to Zhou Yexuan and added, “Dad, don’t worry. I think Mom needs more care than I do. I’ll take care of her.”

Shen Qingqing almost choked. This little guy was getting more annoying! Did she need him to take care of her? Wasn’t she the one always leading him astray?

Zhou Yexuan was surprised. He hadn’t realized before that Zhou Jiayan had such a stubborn, independent, and lively side.

He chuckled and pinched his son’s cheek. “Alright, then you two should take care of each other.”

With Zhou Jiayan’s interruption, the atmosphere between the three of them relaxed, losing its previous tension.

Shen Qingqing huffed, “Thanks a lot. Just wait, I’ll make sure you fulfill your responsibilities as a parent in the future. Don’t complain about being tired then.”

Saying that, she leaned forward and pinched Zhou Jiayan’s chubby cheeks.

Zhou Jiayan’s face was squished by his parents’ mischievous attacks. He shook his head to escape, then rubbed his cheeks and complained, “Hey! Why are you bullying a kid?!”

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing burst out laughing. At the same time, she heard a low chuckle from Zhou Yexuan. She turned her head and met his smiling eyes. Their gazes locked, and they both recognized a mutual understanding in their shared amusement.

Sure enough, every mischievous adult secretly enjoys teasing children. Shen Qingqing was just being honest about it!

Since he wasn’t taking Zhou Jiayan with him, Zhou Yexuan saw no reason to keep Shen Qingqing and the others any longer. He immediately said, “It’s getting late, and you still have a competition to record. You should go back now.”

Then he stood up and walked out of the meeting room, holding Zhou Jiayan’s hand.

Realizing they hadn’t finished their painting yet, Shen Qingqing quickly stood up and followed them.

Seeing his boss leave with the young master, Ma Li was about to ask if they were heading straight back to City A. But then he noticed that Zhou Yexuan turned a corner and walked toward the recording site instead.

Wait, was he leaving without taking the young master? Ma Li was puzzled but didn’t ask.

As they walked, Zhou Jiayan suddenly thought of something and looked up. “Dad, when are you leaving? Are you going right away?”

Zhou Yexuan had actually delayed a lot of work and meetings to return to China. Ideally, he should head back to Country A immediately.

However, looking at Zhou Jiayan’s big, dark eyes, Zhou Yexuan felt a little guilty. So he changed his plans and said, “Dad will leave tomorrow morning. I can have dinner with you tonight.”

Zhou Jiayan beamed. “Then Dad can watch our competition later! But our painting isn’t very good. I don’t have much confidence.”

Hearing that, Shen Qingqing, who was following behind, was offended. “Zhou Jiayan! How can you have so little faith in me? Just follow my instructions, and I’m sure we can win!”

With his father by his side, Zhou Jiayan became bolder and continued to argue, “But I looked at Xiaoyi’s paintings, and they are really good.”

Shen Qingqing disagreed and said, “That’s because you don’t have a good sense of aesthetics ^[1]a way of judging beauty and art.. Let me tell you, many kids like paintings like that.”

The two kept arguing until they returned to the studio. This time, Zhou Yexuan did not want to be seen on camera, so he found a corner where he could see Zhou Jiayan but not be filmed and sat down.

Zhou Jiayan was a little reluctant to leave his father, but he knew that the competition was more important now, so he went back to his work.

Because of this delay, there wasn’t much time left, especially since Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan had to wash up after throwing paint at each other earlier. So, they quickly picked up their brushes and started coloring.

Although Zhou Jiayan thought their painting was too simple, when he added the final stroke and saw the finished piece, he started to like it. Even though the colors were very bright, wasn’t that the style of “Peppa Pig”?

Shen Qingqing was very happy with the final painting. It was better than she expected. Plus, the mountains, water, ancient town, and mother and child were all included as required by the show. The only thing was that the style was a little abstract.

The audience watching the live broadcast saw their “masterpiece” and started commenting:

[Damn, I think some kindergarten kids can draw better than this.]