Chapter 18

Though Zhou Jiayan was small, he had flown before. However, his father, Zhou Yexuan, had always taken him on private planes. This was his first time on a commercial flight with so many people.

He looked around excitedly and whispered to Shen Qingqing, “Wow, this plane can actually hold hundreds of people.”

Without thinking, Shen Qingqing responded, “Haven’t you ever been on a plane like this before?”

Zhou Jiayan nodded. “No, my dad always takes me on small planes with only about a dozen people, including uncles and aunties.”

Shen Qingqing immediately understood. Wow, she was experiencing a “Versailles moment” ^[1]is a phrase used to describe humblebragging, where someone subtly boasts about their privileged life.. In her previous life, she only got to ride a private jet after she became famous and got invited by luxury brands.

She reached out and pinched Zhou Jiayan’s cheek. “Oh no, I’m so sorry! I can only take you on a regular flight for this show.”

Zhou Jiayan rubbed his reddened cheek and muttered, “That’s not what I meant. It’s fun having so many people around.”

Since the first season of the show was a big success, the production team had secured even more investments for this second season. Naturally, they didn’t skimp on expenses and booked business-class seats for all the guests, ensuring a comfortable flight.

Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan found their seats. She told him, “I’ll let you have the window seat today so you can look at the clouds. I’m going to take a nap, so don’t disturb me.”

Then she put on her sleep mask and leaned back as if she were about to rest.

Zhou Jiayan nodded in agreement but soon felt something was off. Wait, wasn’t his seat originally by the window?

He turned around in frustration, only to see Shen Qingqing already looking peacefully asleep.

At this moment, she looked calm and serene, without her usual sharp and playful energy.

Zhou Jiayan sighed and decided to let it go. He turned back to the window and continued watching the clouds.

N City, A Country.

Zhou Yexuan had just returned from an international conference and was on his way back to the company.

The drive was long—about an hour—so he opened the edited video his assistant had sent him and began watching it.

The video showed Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan in an intense argument, their relationship appearing tense, almost hostile. Their loud quarrels were far from what one would expect between a loving mother and son.

However, anyone observing them wouldn’t necessarily call their relationship bad. If they truly disliked each other, they would likely ignore one another instead of engaging so fiercely.

At the beginning of the live broadcast, there was a sense of unfamiliarity between them. But as time passed, their bickering grew more intense.

What caught Zhou Yexuan off guard was seeing his usually composed son drenched in sweat, clinging to Shen Qingqing, holding onto her leg, and even driving away people who tried to talk to her.

In his memory, Zhou Jiayan had always been quiet and mature, almost like a little adult. He had never seen him act so lively, so much like an ordinary child.

Although the Zhou family valued composure, Zhou Yexuan never intended to rob his son of a proper childhood. He wanted him to experience joy, to laugh and play like any other child. Unfortunately, it seemed he had failed to provide that.

Watching his son’s transformation filled him with relief.

He murmured the name “Shen Qingqing.” Could she truly be trying to be a good mother to Zhou Jiayan?

The car moved steadily along the road. The driver, a middle-aged white man with decades of experience, was familiar with this route.

Suddenly, the driver felt dizzy. Before he could react, the car crashed into the roadside fence. He slammed on the brakes, but the vehicle still collided with a loud “bang.”

For a moment, he sat frozen in shock. Before he could process what had happened, he turned and saw his boss unconscious!

Breaking into a cold sweat, he quickly dialed emergency services.

Zhou Yexuan’s mind swirled in chaos, his consciousness slipping. At the same time, a flood of foreign memories invaded his mind.

He saw Zhou Jiayan and Shen Qingqing participating in the variety show “Almighty Mom.” At first, Shen Qingqing pretended to be a doting mother in front of the cameras.

As the show progressed, she was overshadowed by Shen Linyan, while Zhou Jiayan was outshined by Liang Tianyi. Instead of self-reflection, Shen Qingqing turned her frustration on Zhou Jiayan.

During moments when the cameras weren’t filming, she scolded and belittled Zhou Jiayan. Eventually, it escalated to physical abuse, making the already sensitive child more withdrawn.

Later, due to her neglect, Zhou Jiayan was nearly kidnapped—just as he had been once before.

Though he later retaliated against Shen Qingqing, the experience left a lasting scar. He grew even quieter and eventually developed depression.

Zhou Yexuan could not allow this to happen. He struggled against the darkness until he finally forced his eyes open, finding himself in a hospital bed with a doctor examining him.

Though the memories had come inexplicably, they felt real. Based on what he knew of Shen Qingqing, she was spoiled and temperamental but not cruel enough to abuse a child.

Unless her acting skills were so impeccable that she had deceived him for over a decade—but that was unlikely. If she had such talent, she wouldn’t have been ridiculed by audiences.

But then he thought of Shen Linyan. Shen Qingqing always acted irrationally around her. What if…

Zhou Yexuan was the type to act preemptively rather than risk being wrong, especially when it came to Zhou Jiayan.

His son had already suffered enough. Zhou Yexuan had taken him in two years ago, raising him from a quiet, withdrawn boy into someone almost like a normal child. He would not allow him to be hurt again.

Whether these memories were real or not, he had to find out for himself.

With that decision made, he sat up, refused further medical examination, and left the hospital.

Then, he called his assistant. “Book me the earliest flight home. If approvals take too long, buy a ticket for the next available flight. I need to return immediately.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, Shen Qingqing had no idea what was happening.

After a long journey, she and Zhou Jiayan finally arrived at Zhuangyuan Town ^[2]a town known for its rich cultural heritage and educational tourism..

It was late evening, the transition from spring to summer. The sun dipped below the horizon, a gentle breeze making the air pleasantly cool.

Everyone was exhausted from the trip and eager to rest.

But, of course, the program crew had other plans.

As they stepped off the bus, they saw the crew waiting at the entrance of the ancient town. Director Xu Xiang stood in front with a megaphone, and a table was set up with traditional sugar paintings ^[3]a form of Chinese folk art where melted sugar is shaped into intricate designs..

There were five sugar painting designs: a horse, phoenix, butterfly, dragon, and tiger.

Shen Qingqing immediately knew they were about to be given a challenge.

Sure enough, Xu Xiang spoke into the megaphone with a smile. “Welcome to Zhuangyuan Town! This place is famous for its rich culture, and many parents bring their children here for learning experiences. During your three-day stay, you will complete various tasks. However, you cannot use money—only the materials we provide. We hope you enjoy this unique journey.”

Then he added, “But first, you must get to your lodging. The entrance is five kilometers away from your residence, and we have prepared three modes of transportation: electric bikes, rickshaws, and boats. The remaining two groups will have to walk.”

He gestured to the sugar paintings. “Each bamboo stick has a piece of paper attached with a mode of transportation written on it. Discuss with your child, and then have them step forward to choose. Your journey will be determined by the sugar painting you pick.”

This unexpected move by the production team instantly made the live broadcast audience burst into laughter.

[As expected, the director is getting more and more mischievous this season. He’s already making the guests suffer on the first day!]

[Even though they didn’t walk much today, they spent almost the entire day flying and taking buses. They must be exhausted.]

[The adults might be fine, but they have kids and a ton of luggage!]

[I bet the production team just wants to see how the mothers will handle things when the kids start acting up. So sneaky!]

[Hahaha, I hope Shen Qingqing gets the walking prize. That’ll be interesting! Maybe Zhou Jiayan won’t complain, but Shen Qingqing definitely will.]

[+1! If the production team wants drama, let’s go all out and put Shen Qingqing in a tough spot. It’d be boring otherwise.]

Faced with this “challenge” from the production team, all the guests looked uneasy. After all, who would want to take their kids on a long walk after traveling all day? The room fell silent.

Shen Qingqing was speechless. Naturally lazy, she didn’t want to deal with any extra trouble. Plus, although she had only skimmed the original novel, she didn’t recall this happening in the story.

At that moment, the system spoke coldly, “Maybe the director thought you were having it too easy and decided to make things harder.”

Xu Xiang looked at the guests, pausing briefly on Shen Qingqing.

His intentions were so obvious that she couldn’t ignore them!