Chapter 26 (2 in 1)

In the live broadcast, the cool and handsome little boy Jiang Yuexiao wore a leaf hat—a vibrant Green Leaf Hat. Even with his cold expression and sour face, he still put the Green Leaf Hat on his head.

[Who’s been spreading online that Jiang Yuexiao bullies and hates Zhi Li? He put on the Green Leaf Hat the moment she asked.]

[I’ve always said he’s a doting brother, but some people keep insisting he hates Zhi Li.]

[The official blog has a recording where Jiang Yuexiao himself called her a “little troublemaker.”]

[I think their sibling relationship is fine. Didn’t he deliberately leave the orange-flavored pudding for Zhi Li when they were picking snacks earlier?]

The hired trolls sent by Yu Xinrou’s team snapped awake at this.  

Their boss had made it clear: they must not let Xu Qingying or her children improve their image in the eyes of netizens. The rumors about Zhi Li and Jiang Yuexiao having a terrible relationship had to be cemented so that, by the later stages of the show, they could push contrasting narratives.  

They started typing furiously in the live chat to steer the discussion.  

[Seriously, LOL, stop imagining this nonexistent sibling bond. Jiang Yuexiao was hungry earlier—of course he’d pick whatever fills him up.]  

[Green Leaf Hat… Who’d be dumb enough not to wear a hat under this scorching sun?]  

[I also think Jiang Yuexiao only wore it to avoid sunburn.]  

Some viewers rolled their eyes at these comments. Seriously? After everything Jiang Yuexiao and Zhi Li just did and said, you’re going to pretend not to see it?  

With that in mind, they focused intently on the live stream, determined to catch Jiang Yuexiao cracking a smile.  

When the other three families arrived at the meeting spot, they saw Xu Qingying sitting leisurely on a stone slab in the village with Zhi Li and Jiang Yuexiao, all three wearing matching Green Leaf Hats and basking in the sun.  

Yu Xinrou, who had just spent half an hour coaxing her son in a soft voice, was physically and mentally exhausted. Seeing Xu Qingying so carefree filled her with resentment. If this continued, she’d become the negative contrast to Xu Qingying!  

“Now that everyone’s here, let me announce the rules,” said the host, Tian You, stepping forward. “For today’s lunch, all four families will have to cook their own meals. As for what ingredients you get—that depends on the children’s performance!”  

As soon as he finished speaking, the staff wheeled out a food cart, revealing an array of ingredients covered by transparent lids.  

[The show’s being generous!]  

[A5 Wagyu beef—one portion costs two or three thousand, right? And they prepared two!]  

[Hope Xu Qingying doesn’t get it. Culinary Disaster.]  

[Culinary Disaster?]  

[Back when Xu Qingying was on a rural variety show before her image collapsed, she somehow managed to turn meat into charcoal. Can you believe it?]  

“Mom!” Zhi Li tugged at Xu Qingying’s hand and whispered when she leaned down, “The beef and shrimp paste look so yummy!”  

Xu Qingying nodded in agreement. “Mom thinks so too. If we could pair them with the Solid soup base we brought, it’d be extra delicious.”  

The Solid soup base was essentially store-bought hotpot seasoning, but since it was homemade, the ingredients and process were more transparent and safe.

“But I forgot to bring it after leaving it in the house.” Zhi Li thought of the different flavored solid soup bases Ning Yi had made and secretly swallowed hard, wishing she could cook them all in one pot.  

Yu Xinrou, standing to Xu Qingying’s right, disagreed, “Using soup bases is just a shortcut. You should learn to season step by step for better taste and healthier meals for children.”  

[Hahaha, is Yu Xinrou subtly mocking Xu Qingying’s terrible cooking?]  

[Yu Xinrou is so annoying, can’t she stop being passive-aggressive?]  

[If someone falsely accused my husband of cheating and used me as a shield, I wouldn’t just be passive-aggressive—I’d tear them apart.]  

[Accidental slips in the industry aren’t rare, is it really that serious?]  

[Look, the purpose of Xu Qingying bringing her biological daughter and stepson on the show is clear—some people are actually defending her now.]  

Xu Qingying couldn’t be bothered to engage with Yu Xinrou’s provocation. She leaned down slightly to discuss with Zhi Li what dishes they could make with the beef and shrimp paste. As they talked, both mother and daughter swallowed hard in anticipation.  

Jiang Yuexiao overheard Zhi Li and Xu Qingying discussing beef and shrimp paste and finally spared a glance at the ingredients on the food cart. After a moment, he thought to himself, *There’s nothing I like here anyway. If the kid wants to pick beef and shrimp paste, let her.*  

“The competition is simple—fill in the blanks of nursery rhymes. The kids must grab the mic and sing the missing lyrics correctly. The winning family gets to pick one ingredient from all the options!” Tian You explained the rules leisurely. “Based on your arrival times, we’ve divided you into two groups. Each group will compete for a bowl of Wagyu beef and a bowl of shrimp paste.”  

Tian You put down the clipboard and announced, “Xu Qingying’s family will compete against Wu Shuai’s family, while Yang Cheng’s family will compete against Yu Xinrou’s family. Considering Xu Qingying’s family has both Zhi Li and Yuexiao, Yuexiao will go first for the first two rounds, and Zhi Li will take the last two.”  

“Big brother goes first?” Zhi Li clenched her little fist at Jiang Yuexiao, her face blooming into a bright smile. “Big brother, jiayou! Jiayou! Jiayou!”  

Xu Qingying glanced at Jiang Yuexiao, who stood there with his usual cold expression, and chuckled softly. “Pick whatever ingredient you like.” After all, he was still a kid—no need to force him to accommodate Zhi Li’s preferences.  

Jiang Yuexiao frowned slightly at Zhi Li’s energetic and expectant triple “jiayou.”  

He usually disliked nursery rhymes. Back in kindergarten, he found them irritating—let alone filling in the lyrics, he probably couldn’t even name most of them.  

No matter how reluctant Jiang Yuexiao felt, he dragged his feet forward with a stern face, stepping onto the small round platform set up by the crew. Whoever reached it first would get the chance to answer.  

Zhi Li nestled close to Xu Qingying, her little eyes filled with confidence and pride as she watched Jiang Yuexiao. *Big brother is a genius who can do anything—he’ll definitely answer correctly!*  

Soon, the nursery rhyme played through the crew’s speakers. The moment Zhi Li heard the opening, she clenched her fists excitedly—she knew this song!  

If *she* knew it, big brother *definitely* knew it too!  

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Zhi Li heard a tiny, barely audible sound nearby. She turned and locked eyes with Yang Xingran.

Yang Xingran had just unconsciously hummed along to the tune under his breath. When he looked up, he was shocked to find Zhi Li staring right at him.

“!!!” He immediately clamped his mouth shut, avoiding Zhi Li’s gaze as his face, ears, and neck turned beet red, resembling a ripe tomato.

Zhi Li tilted her head, observing Yang Xingran’s flushed cheeks and ears. The two lines he’d just sung still echoed in her ears—they sounded really wonderful!

At that moment, the program team’s nursery rhyme playback skipped a blank section, prompting Jiang Yuexiao and Wu Han to compete in answering. Wu Han dashed onto the small round platform and smoothly sang the next lines.

Zhi Li’s eyes widened slightly. Did the little genius brother actually lose? Could it be that Sister Hanhan was a hidden genius—one level above the little genius brother?

Jiang Yuexiao caught the fleeting surprise in Zhi Li’s dark eyes and pressed his lips together, feeling thoroughly frustrated.

He had tried his best to recall nursery rhymes he’d heard before, but it was like grasping through a veil. To make matters worse, the program team had picked particularly tricky lyrics—he could barely muddle through the previous line, but this one was completely beyond him.

Meanwhile, Wu Han finished singing and raised her fair little hand high, her eyes brimming with joy. “I want the shrimp paste!” The shrimp paste bowl, aside from the paste, also contained two tomatoes and a portion of noodles.

Jiang Yuexiao lowered his gaze, refusing to look at Zhi Li.

He’d lost the round, and the shrimp paste had been taken by someone else. The little brat must be so disappointed.

Yu Xinrou, watching from the sidelines, felt a wave of satisfaction seeing Jiang Yuexiao lose to Wu Han. A faint smile curled her lips.

With her stepson being so unimpressive, Xu Qingying must be seething inside. How long could she keep up appearances in front of the live cameras?

After Wu Han picked the shrimp paste, the speakers played the second song.

This time, Jiang Yuexiao still couldn’t sing it, and Wu Han also furrowed her brows in deep thought.

Zhi Li, standing in the “audience area,” recognized the tune and lyrics the moment she heard them. Her small feet instinctively took a step forward, as if she were itching to shout the next lines directly at Jiang Yuexiao.

[Yue Xiao’s performance is so lackluster.]  

[Maybe he just doesn’t know the songs.]  

[Or he’s sabotaging himself to spite someone.]  

[I bet he’s doing it to spite Xu Qingying.]

Wu Han, having grown up with a father gifted in singing, had absorbed some of that talent. Though she couldn’t recall the second nursery rhyme, she remembered the lyrics to the program team’s tiebreaker third song and rushed to the platform again, answering correctly.

This time, Wu Han declared without hesitation, “I want the celery!” Unlike the shrimp paste bowl, the celery bowl was packed full of celery and a portion of rice—easily the least appealing vegetable dish on the table.

Wu Shuai smiled warmly.

In their household, Hanhan loved shrimp, his wife loved fish, and only he enjoyed celery. Hanhan had picked this for him!

By the time Zhi Li heard Wu Han choose celery, her amazement at Sister Hanhan being a genius above the little genius brother had already faded, replaced by sheer disbelief—  

Sister Hanhan actually likes celery?! No wonder she’s a genius beyond the little genius brother—she can even eat celery!  

Wait.  

A new question popped into Zhi Li’s small, puzzled head.

Sister Hanhan sang two nursery rhymes faster than brother, so she’s more talented than him? Then I can do it too. Does that mean I’m even more talented than brother at singing?

“Congratulations to the Wu Shuai and Wu Han family for winning a bowl of celery!” Tian You stepped forward at the right moment, speaking earnestly, “Next up is Zhi Li. You’ll need to work hard, Zhi Li. If you lose again, all three of you in your family will go hungry.”

Wang Hanlin, who had been listless ever since seeing the giant cockroach, perked up slightly upon hearing that all three members of Zhi Li’s family might go hungry. He loved seeing people he disliked go without food!

“We won’t go hungry!” Wu Han quickly said, “Dad and I can share!” If little Zhi Li could share candy with her, then as an older sister, she could share lunch with Zhi Li too.

Wu Shuai gave Wu Han a surprised look.

His child was usually sensible, but her chubby, lucky-doll-like appearance was partly due to her love for food since childhood. While Hanhan would share toys with other kids, when it came to food, unless it was someone she particularly liked, she rarely shared her snacks.

“Thank you, Sister Hanhan,” Zhi Li said sweetly, then puffed out her little chest and lifted her chin confidently. “But I won’t lose! I’m a little genius when it comes to singing!”

Jiang Yuexiao had just walked back when he heard this. He instinctively glanced at Zhi Li, his mind echoing the persistently off-key sounds of the suona, saxophone, and piano he’d heard during his days learning horseback riding at the equestrian field.

“…” Jiang Yuexiao struggled to tear his gaze away from Zhi Li’s utterly confident little face.

Some viewers who had been watching the livestream since 7:30 that morning, seeing Zhi Li’s extremely confident demeanor, couldn’t help but recall the two correct notes she’d played earlier that day.

A little genius? Really? We don’t believe it.

“Brother, give me your hand.”

Having lost two rounds of the competition, Jiang Yuexiao felt a bit apologetic and, for once, didn’t act tsundere. He readily extended his hand and asked coolly, “What for?”

The next second, he saw Zhi Li lightly tap his palm with her tiny fist, the corners of her lips curling up into a smile, her dimples faintly visible. “Here’s some candy for you!” Losing a match meant you needed something sweet to cheer you up.

“???” Jiang Yuexiao silently stared at his empty palm, doubting his eyes. “Candy? Where?”

Zhi Li scratched her head sheepishly. “I already gave all the candy to others. I’ll give you some when we get home.”

With that, Zhi Li eagerly ran to the open space ahead, ready to grab the small round platform as soon as the nursery song started playing. She was determined to win that delicious beef!

Jiang Yuexiao kept his hand outstretched, his expression indifferent as he stared at his empty palm for several seconds before slowly clenching it.

Was this little kid trying to comfort him because she thought he was upset? In all his eight years, this was the first time someone had tried to cheer him up after a setback by giving him candy—even if it was just a promised candy with a redemption deadline.

As the third nursery song played through the speakers, viewers watched Zhi Li’s eyes grow brighter and brighter, their unease steadily mounting.

[No! Don’t let Zhi Li sing!]

[Should I grab my earplugs???]

[You’re exaggerating. Just because Zhi Li isn’t good with instruments doesn’t mean she can’t sing.]

The moment this comment floated across the screen, Zhi Li, having successfully claimed the small round platform, boldly opened her mouth to sing.

Zhi Li was eager to try.  

Zhi Li was brimming with confidence.

Zhi Li raised her voice, singing with full emotion and complete immersion, “Though I’m just a little sheep, the grass smells sweeter because of me—”

Her crisp voice, reminiscent of an oriole’s song yet carrying a hint of childish sweetness, echoed around them. While the melody wasn’t unpleasant—in fact, it was unexpectedly pleasing—the expressions of everyone present gradually turned peculiar, with Wu Shuai’s reaction being the most pronounced.

Known as the walking lyric encyclopedia of the entertainment industry, Wu Shuai wore a look of utter bewilderment.

The lyrics sounded familiar, but why did the tune feel so foreign? Was this some revised version of a children’s song?

The live chat fell into a brief silence.

[Is this the same sheep song I know?]  

[How can Zhi Li sing so confidently off-key like this?]  

[It’s not bad, but I’m seriously getting led astray (facepalm).]

While netizens debated Zhi Li’s singing in the live chat, Wang Hanlin bluntly remarked, “That sounded awful.”

As if she had bionic ears, Zhi Li immediately whipped her head around the moment she finished singing, her sharp gaze locking onto Wang Hanlin. Her eyes gleamed with intensity—stare—

“!!!” Wang Hanlin stumbled back, pressing close to Yu Xinrou as he nervously glared at Zhi Li.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that the way Zhi Li was staring at him was eerily similar to how she had looked just before swatting a giant cockroach with a large leaf.

To his surprise, after a few seconds of scrutiny, Zhi Li puffed her cheeks, gave a soft huff, and turned away.

If anyone else had said her singing was terrible, Zhi Li might have believed them. But Wang Hanlin had openly admitted he disliked her. Her grandmother had taught her that anything spoken by people who hated her should be interpreted in reverse.

Back when her uncle called her stupid, Zhi Li had wanted to apply the same logic. However, her uncle had never said he hated her—only that she was immature. And when faced with problems she couldn’t solve, Zhi Li had to admit she was a bit of a dummy.

Of course, now that Teacher Jin was tutoring her, she felt she was gradually leaving that “dummy” label behind.

Should I tell Wang Hanlin he sings badly when it’s his turn? But what if he reverses my words and thinks I’m praising him?

Ah, this dilemma weighed heavily on Zhi Li.

Seeing her expression, the others assumed Wang Hanlin’s comment had upset her.

Jiang Yuexiao frowned deeply. If only he had sung earlier, Zhi Li wouldn’t have had to endure Wang Hanlin’s harsh critique.

Noticing Zhi Li hadn’t picked any ingredients yet, Tian You gently reminded her, “Zhi Li, what ingredients would you like to choose?”

“Meat! Beef!” Zhi Li snapped out of her thoughts and chirped, “I want beef!”

Tian You signaled a staff member to place the wagyu bowl in front of Zhi Li. In that brief moment, a realization struck her—her grandmother had only taught *her* to reverse the words of people who disliked her. Wang Hanlin definitely didn’t know this trick!

A smile curled on Zhi Li’s lips.

She had made up her mind—when Wang Hanlin sang, she would absolutely tell him he sounded terrible!

For the remaining time, Zhi Li secured her favorite tofu bowl with another rendition of the children’s song that left Wu Shuai questioning reality. Along with the beef bowl, her selections included rice, noodles, loofah, and bean sprouts.

Thrilled with her choices, Zhi Li happily dashed back to Xu Qingying, who immediately wrapped her in a warm hug.

“Sweetie, you performed so excellently, singing two songs correctly right away!” Xu Qingying praised with genuine sincerity, “With a bit more practice, you might even have a chance to join the school choir!”

Others present: …

Netizens: …

Confirmed! Xu Qingying is indeed not an honest person!

Hearing the praise, Zhi Li’s little face lit up with joy. Wang Hanlin’s words really had to be taken the opposite way—Mom even said I sang excellently and could join the school choir in the future!

“Brother!” Zhi Li trotted over to Jiang Yuexiao, her dark eyes clear and bright, “Did I sing really well?” She had sung two nursery rhymes correctly in one go and even had a chance to join the choir. Such an amazing thing had to be shared with her closest family.

Under Zhi Li’s expectant gaze and the complicated looks from others, Jiang Yuexiao calmly nodded, “Very well.”

No sooner had he spoken than Jiang Yuexiao met Wu Shuai’s utterly shocked stare, his expression remaining composed.

Is singing off-key strange? It’s just like a flower crown turning into a grass wreath—completely normal.

After their group finished, it was Yu Xinrou’s family and Yang Cheng’s family’s turn. The ingredients they could choose were the same as the previous group, including wagyu bowls and shrimp paste bowls, among others.

Yang Xingran wasn’t used to performing in front of so many people. Even though he knew the songs, he hesitated to step onto the small round stage, allowing Wang Hanlin to seize it first. Wang Hanlin then haltingly sang the next line.

Though he got a word wrong, the show’s crew wasn’t too strict, given he was just a child.

After picking his favorite ingredients, Wang Hanlin felt he was much better than Jiang Yuexiao. So, he slightly raised his chin and glared at Jiang Yuexiao, his eyes full of provocation.

Zhi Li didn’t catch the provocation in his look. Instead of spitefully saying Wang Hanlin sang poorly, she focused on something more important.

Thus, all the live-stream viewers saw Zhi Li tilt her little head and say to Jiang Yuexiao with earnest certainty, “Brother, he sang off-key.” If anyone else sang off-key, Zhi Li wouldn’t point it out. But since Wang Hanlin had said she sang poorly, she had to mention that he sang off-key!

Jiang Yuexiao: …

Netizens: …

Wang Hanlin: ???

Zhi Li said I sang off-key?

Zhi Li actually said I sang off-key?!

Wang Hanlin felt deeply insulted. His eyes widened, his face flushed, and he shouted, “You said I sang off-key?! You’re the last person here who can say I sang off-key!!!”

Hearing Wang Hanlin’s outburst, Zhi Li was confused and puzzled.

You said I sang poorly, so why can’t I say you sang off-key? At least when it comes to singing, I’m a little genius who can join the choir.