Chapter 6 Launch

“Shining Children” invited four groups of celebrities from the entertainment industry, including actors and singers. The moment it was officially announced, it immediately caused a stir online—and for good reason. Among the participants were Yu Xinrou and Xu Qingying, a pair of well-known archenemies across the internet!

Yu Xinrou and Xu Qingying had co-starred in a TV drama during their university years.  

The former marketed herself as having superior acting skills, while the latter boasted about her stunning looks. Netizens enjoyed the drama, but the rivalry between their fans only deepened.  

Three months ago, the ever-controversial Xu Qingying liked a Weibo post claiming that Yu Xinrou’s husband had cheated. This dragged Yu Xinrou, who had nearly retired from acting after marrying into a wealthy family, back into the public eye, sparking heated discussions.  

The next day, Xu Qingying unliked the post, leading netizens to accuse her of her usual attention-seeking antics. Shortly after, Yu Xinrou clarified online that the photos were doctored and announced her official return to acting. Meanwhile, the “accidental” like from Xu Qingying was followed by revelations that she had been divorced and had a daughter who was at least four years old.  

Netizens: !!!  

They understood.  

Xu Qingying had tried to smear her old rival out of fear of her comeback, only to end up shooting herself in the foot!  

Yu Xinrou had been transparent about her relationships, marriage, and motherhood, while Xu Qingying had built a persona around being “career-driven,” “single by choice,” and “flourishing alone,” attracting a fanbase of extreme career supporters—only for it to be revealed that she had both an ex-husband and a child.  

In stark contrast, Yu Xinrou was open and honest, while Xu Qingying was exposed as a habitual liar.  

Within just a few days, Yu Xinrou’s popularity, which had been declining, rebounded and soared in both buzz and reputation. Xu Qingying, on the other hand, faced brutal backlash from fans, and her accidental like further damaged her public image, turning her from a figure of dark traffic into a universally hated one. This hatred peaked when it was revealed that Xu Qingying had married into a wealthy family for money and become a stepmother.  

Thus, the moment “Shining Children” was announced, netizens eagerly awaited the drama, even hoping Yu Xinrou would teach Xu Qingying a lesson on the show!  

No one expected that, just half an hour before the prelude livestream, the production team would drop another bombshell.  

It was reported that Xu Qingying’s biological daughter would make an appearance, and the show released two interview clips featuring Xu Qingying’s mother-in-law and stepson.  

[The production team is insane! Getting both Yu Xinrou and Xu Qingying on the same show, LOL!]  

[I’m dead! Xu Qingying once shaded Yu Xinrou’s son for being unruly, but her stepson seems a hundred times worse!]  

[Did anyone listen to the recordings? I’m wheezing! I don’t know if Yu Xinrou’s son is unruly, but Xu Qingying’s situation is just tragic in comparison!]  

[Grandma said she wouldn’t treat them equally, and the brother called the kid a nuisance. Tsk tsk, how unlikable must Xu Qingying’s child be?]  

[Unlikable? More like ugly.]  

[Ugly +1. Xu Qingying’s been hiding her kid all these years because she’s afraid people will realize she’s had plastic surgery if the kid’s too ugly.]  

[Alright, enough. Don’t talk crap about a child.]  

As they say, celebrities fear obscurity more than controversy. The moment Xu Qingying’s livestream room opened, it instantly claimed the top spot in viewership. Countless gossip-loving netizens and anti-fans flooded in, eager to see just how unwelcome this liar was in her wealthy in-laws’ home!  

Not just the audience was waiting for the livestream—Xu Xia was also waiting at the Xu residence.  

Staring at the elegantly decorated hallway in the livestream footage, Xu Xia bit her lip lightly.

In her past life, it wasn’t until midway through the show that people discovered any random painting hanging in the hallway could buy an apartment in the city center, and Zhi Li lived in such a beautiful, palace-like villa.

“What madness is this?!”

“Xu Hongli!”

The master bedroom next door erupted in another argument. Ever since the lawyers left with over two hundred thousand this morning, her parents had been fighting nonstop about Zhi Li.

Xu Xia touched her still-swollen cheek, seething with resentment. She forcefully turned off her phone and stormed out of the house. Even if things had diverged slightly from her past life, someone like Zhi Li, with her background, would never be accepted in high society. Rather than wasting time watching the livestream, she should focus on finding the influential figure from her previous life.

In the livestream, the audience grew impatient as they waited.

[“Why is the camera stuck here? What about other angles? Yu Xinrou’s livestream has precise and multiple angles—you can even see inside the bedroom!”]

[“Ahhh! Yu Xinrou and her husband are so sweet! They even kiss when half-asleep.”]

[“Half-asleep? That ‘half-asleep’ look is a full no-makeup makeup look.”]

[“Xu Qingying’s dogs are barking again! Xu Qingying doesn’t even dare let anyone film her bedroom!”]

[“That plastic surgery face must be all puffy in the morning lol.”]

The production crew, seeing these comments, scratched their heads in frustration. They wanted to install more cameras too, but the housekeeper had lined up a row of servants to supervise them. Only one camera was allowed in public areas, and private spaces were off-limits. After much searching, they’d finally found this perfect spot that could capture both the doorway and a section of the hallway.

Suddenly, the bedroom door in the frame opened.

Xu Qingying stepped out first, her long, wavy hair cascading lazily. A fitted dress accentuated her waist, making her skin appear as pale and flawless as jade. But even more striking than her figure was her stunningly beautiful face.

For a brief moment, the livestream comments froze.

Even those who despised Xu Qingying had to admit—setting aside her character—her looks were top-tier in the industry. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have maintained her controversial fame all these years.

Of course, some still called her a “plastic surgery monster” in the chat, eagerly preparing to screenshot. They planned to use images of Xu Qingying’s biological daughter to shut down claims that Xu Qingying was a natural beauty.

The next second, Xu Qingying seemed to lead someone out. Due to the camera angle, it wasn’t until then that viewers noticed the child, about a meter tall, standing beside her.

The little girl wore a sparkling diamond bunny hair clip. Below it, her large, dewy eyes shimmered with an innocent, lively charm.

When she looked up at Xu Qingying and spoke, she suddenly smiled, revealing tiny dimples on both cheeks. She looked like a delicate little princess straight out of a painting.

The netizens who had confidently claimed the biological daughter was ugly: “…”

Not only did the child inherit the best of Xu Qingying’s features, but she also seemed to have surpassed them.

Zhi Li’s appearance left the entire livestream audience in an awkward silence.

For a while, even the hateful comments toward Xu Qingying dwindled. While Xu Qingying’s character might be questionable, making it easy to criticize her, it was hard for decent people to say anything cruel about such a beautiful child.

[“She’s only five, right?”]

[“More accurately, four and a half—three months shy of five.”]

[For the first time, I feel that describing a child as “cute” isn’t quite accurate—she should be called “beautiful.”]

[In comparison, Yu Xinrou’s son is kind of… well…]

[Yu Xinrou’s son takes after his father, while this child clearly takes after her mother.]

[Can Xu Qingying’s paid trolls have some shame? Do you get a kick out of criticizing a child’s appearance?]

[Oh? Why didn’t you scold those who badmouthed Xu Qingying’s daughter earlier?]

“Mommy, is it already recording?”  

“I think so.” Xu Qingying wasn’t sure either and was about to check the equipment when her phone suddenly rang. It turned out there was a minor issue with the store she had asked Zhong Wei to acquire last night.  

Spotting the maid who had opened the car door for Zhi Li the day before arranging flowers in the hallway, she pointed and said, “Zhi Li, go with that sister to the dining room for breakfast first. Mommy will come find you as soon as I finish work.”  

Zhi Li nodded and even stretched out her little hands to push Xu Qingying back into the room. “Mommy, don’t worry about me. Work is more important.”  

Xu Qingying bent down and kissed Zhi Li on the forehead. “Good girl.”  

[Work? What work? Is anyone still hiring Xu Qingying to act?]  

[Hahaha, she must’ve noticed the camera and is putting on an act.]  

[Gotta admit, Xu Qingying’s acting has improved a tiny bit.]  

[So the kid’s name is Zhi Li? She does look sweet.]  

[Xu Qingying was called sweet too when she first debuted (laughs).]  

When it came to Xu Qingying, netizens never hesitated to assume the worst.  

As the saying goes, “Like mother, like daughter.” If Zhi Li were truly sweet and well-behaved, her step-grandmother and stepbrother wouldn’t have bothered to pretend otherwise, openly declaring on camera that they wouldn’t treat her equally and that kids were nothing but trouble.  

This proved that Zhi Li’s personality must be exactly like Xu Qingying’s!  

Unaware of the online chatter, Zhi Li ran in the direction her mother had pointed to find the familiar maid. But before she could speak to anyone, she unexpectedly saw a strange uncle.  

The uncle was very tall and handsome, but like her grandmother, he wasn’t smiling. As he walked over, he looked like a moving block of ice.  

Zhi Li heard the maid her mother had mentioned call him “Sir.”  

Sir?  

That must be my new daddy!  

The new daddy that Cousin Xu Xia said would ignore me!  

Zhi Li puffed her cheeks in frustration.  

Grandma had told her to avoid people who said they disliked or hated her, but she hadn’t mentioned what to do about people who would ignore her. Since she was living in her new daddy’s house, shouldn’t she politely greet him?  

With that thought, Zhi Li trotted over, blocking Jiang Yanheng’s path. Tilting her fluffy little head up, she called out brightly and clearly, “New Daddy!”  

The sweet, ringing cry of “New Daddy” left Jiang Yanheng momentarily stunned.  

He looked down, studying the tiny figure who had suddenly appeared before him with an unreadable expression.  

The child was barely a meter tall, and given his exhaustion after just returning from a flight, he hadn’t even noticed her.  

Was this Xu Qingying’s biological daughter? And what was this “New Daddy” nonsense?  

Due to the camera angle, viewers could only see Zhi Li looking up and the man’s back.  

When Zhi Li’s cry of “New Daddy” rang out, the livestream—which had lost some viewers who had tuned in to mock her appearance but found her unexpectedly adorable—exploded with comments once again!

【New Daddy?! Is this Xu Qingying’s wealthy husband?!】

【The back view looks decent! Tall with long legs, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and his hair isn’t thinning like the internet claims—it’s actually quite thick.】

【Are you living in the mountains? The info online has been updated—apparently, he’s a fake wealthy guy in the industry, just pretending to be something he’s not.】

【What? I thought he was a spoiled playboy with a bunch of mistresses?】

Jiang Yanheng had no idea he’d been labeled in the livestream as someone who pretended to be wealthy or had a bunch of mistresses. Hearing Zhi Li call him “New Daddy,” he inwardly sighed but still responded before attempting to walk away.

However, just as he was about to pass Zhi Li, he noticed her eyes widening in surprise, as if seeing him was the biggest delight in the world.

“???”

Zhi Li wasn’t delighted—she was shocked.

New Daddy actually looked at me! New Daddy didn’t ignore me! This was different from what Cousin Xu Xia said!

Jiang Yanheng stared at Zhi Li’s bright, dark eyes peeking out from under her bangs and belatedly realized that elders usually gave red envelopes when meeting younger relatives.

He stopped, took out his wallet.

Accustomed to using cards, he didn’t carry much cash. Without counting, he handed Zhi Li the entire stack of hundred-yuan bills from his wallet.

Zhi Li: “!!!”

Not only did New Daddy not ignore me, but he also gave me money! So New Daddy is just reserved and shy about expressing himself, like Grandma?!

Then—

Then I must respond to this reserved affection!!!

“New Daddy,” Zhi Li said as she carefully folded the money and tucked it into her little bag. She then waved at Jiang Yanheng, asking eagerly, “Can you crouch down? I can’t reach you.”

Jiang Yanheng genuinely found the term “New Daddy” strange—stranger than just “Daddy” or “Uncle.” Seeing Zhi Li waiting expectantly, he crouched beside her, curious about what the little one planned to do.

The viewers were equally curious, their eyes glued to the screen.

In the hallway, Jiang Yanheng tilted his head slightly toward Zhi Li, his tone still cool. “What is it?”

【So cold.】

【Clearly not welcomed here.】

Just then, a maid carrying discarded flowers from a vase passed by, her skirt brushing against the camera and briefly darkening the livestream for a second or two.

In that fleeting moment, Zhi Li stretched out her short little arms and hugged Jiang Yanheng. Then, she leaned in and planted a soft, smacking kiss on his cheek.

“Mwah!”

The little one kissed him???

The sun was bright, the breeze gentle.

Yet Jiang Yanheng remained frozen like a statue in the hallway.

He did have a son, but their relationship, like generations of the Jiang family, wasn’t particularly close. His son had never kissed him—he’d only kissed his son once or twice when he was a baby.

Thus, the usually decisive and sharp-minded CEO found his thoughts abruptly derailed.

As an elder, how was he supposed to respond appropriately and naturally to a child kissing his cheek?

A soft, childlike voice piped up beside his ear, “Good morning, New Daddy!”

Jiang Yanheng remained expressionless.

The term “New Daddy” really did sound weirder the more he heard it.

So when Xu Qingying hurriedly finished her work and came looking for Zhi Li, she was surprised to find her with Jiang Yanheng.

Jiang Yanheng was pulling a bank card from his wallet to hand to Zhi Li, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever, but his words were completely unexpected, “From now on, just call me Dad.”

Xu Qingying: “…”

Netizens: “???”

The weight behind that single word “Dad” was just a bit too heavy, wasn’t it?!