Chapter 20 Part 1

Shen Qingqing had expected the production crew to give them run-down accommodations, but to her surprise, the living conditions were quite decent.

Although it was an old courtyard, the interior had been modernized.

The central main room served as the communal living space, with bedrooms on either side. Each bedroom had a private bathroom.

Shen Qingqing let out a breath of relief. She had worried the production team would be cruel enough to stick them in a place with an outdoor toilet. If that had been the case, she would have preferred to leave the show immediately.

At that moment, dinner was being served. The meal consisted of simple home-cooked dishes—not overly elaborate but incredibly appetizing.

There was a large plate of Big Plate Chicken, steamed buns, and Saizi Noodles, all showcasing the region’s local flavors.

Cui Xia, who had arrived earlier, was already feeding her child. She had taken a bowl of noodles and was carefully helping her daughter eat. When she noticed Shen Qingqing and the others, she smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, my daughter was really hungry, so I started feeding her first.”

Shen Qingqing nodded, unconcerned. “That’s fine. The production team already said they wouldn’t wait for anyone who arrived late.”

Compared to the celebrity guests, Cui Xia was much more reserved. After a brief polite exchange with Shen Qingqing, she continued tending to her daughter.

Shen Qingqing then served a bowl of noodles to each of the two children and began eating with them.

Of course, Shen Qingqing didn’t need to feed them. The two children were independent and picked up their chopsticks to eat by themselves.

Shortly after Shen Qingqing arrived, film queen Xie Bing and her son entered the room.

Xie Bing laughed heartily as she walked in, but the chubby little boy behind her was pouting, looking unhappy.

Seeing everyone’s puzzled expressions, Xie Bing explained with a smile, “We just played a sedan chair game ^[1]a traditional game where people carry a person in a chair-like structure.. When the fat boy sat on it, his weight shocked the bearers. They teased him for being heavy, and now he’s upset. He never listens when we tell him to eat less, but the moment someone comments on his weight, he gets mad.”

The chubby boy pouted and defended himself, “I’m still growing! Besides, all this weight comes from good eating. Why laugh at me for it?”

As he spoke, he spotted the food on the table, and his eyes lit up. “Mom, I’m so hungry! Hurry and get me some food!”

Xie Bing sighed helplessly at her son, who seemed to care about nothing but eating. She and his father both had slim figures, so she had no idea how she ended up with such a plump child.

Still, as a mother, she couldn’t ignore her hungry son. She went to wash her hands, then served him some noodles. However, she deliberately shook the spoon while scooping, carefully limiting the amount of sauerkraut noodles.

As expected, the chubby boy immediately complained, “Mom, this is too unfair!”

Xie Bing replied bluntly, “Unfair? If I were unfair, I wouldn’t give you any food at all. Look at yourself! Look at the other three kids in the room. Who else is as chubby as you?”

For a moment, Ao Liangjun felt guilty, but he quickly defended himself, “I’m also older and taller than them. Isn’t it normal for me to be a little heavier?”

This exchange between mother and son made everyone laugh, especially Shen Qingqing, whose laughter was the loudest.

Even Zhou Jiayan, who was usually composed, couldn’t help but laugh. His two small white teeth showed, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

However, Ao Liangjun was not pleased.

Although he was only six years old, he cared about his reputation.

Being laughed at by adults was one thing, but being laughed at by a younger kid? That was unacceptable.

He glared at Zhou Jiayan and declared, “You! Don’t leave after dinner. Let’s go to the yard for an arm-wrestling match! I’ll show you that my strength is real, not just fat! Unlike your skinny arms and legs!”

Shen Qingqing didn’t expect the chubby boy to be so competitive. She turned to look at Zhou Jiayan, who was calmly eating his noodles. After swallowing his bite, he shook his head and replied, “Why do we need to compete? Now isn’t the time for that.”

Ao Liangjun was dissatisfied and scoffed, “Ha! You’re just scared! You don’t want to compete because you know you’ll lose!”

Zhou Jiayan simply ignored him and continued eating.

Seeing this, Xie Bing smacked Ao Liangjun lightly on the back of his head and scolded, “Ao Liangjun, behave yourself. Don’t try to boss around kids younger than you.”

Ao Liangjun rubbed the back of his head and muttered, “How is this bullying? It’s just a friendly competition between men!”

Xie Bing was speechless at her son’s stubbornness and reached over to twist his ear.

Shen Qingqing sighed at the sight. It seemed Zhou Jiayan was one of the most well-behaved kids around. If she had a stepson as mischievous as Ao Liangjun, she might seriously consider divorcing Zhou Yexuan.

But she couldn’t let Xie Bing punish the child too much in front of everyone, so she quickly intervened. “Sister Xie Bing, don’t be too strict. Kids love to play and compete.”

An idea struck her. Zhou Jiayan always seemed so composed. She was curious to see how he would play with the other kids. So she added, “It’s still early. Let the two of them play for a while after dinner. It’s good for digestion too. I think it’s a great idea.”

Hearing this, Xie Bing stopped and instead ruffled Ao Liangjun’s hair. No matter how naughty he was, he was still her son, whom she had given birth to at great personal sacrifice during her rising career.

However, she also knew that if her son acted too recklessly on a variety show, it could make the audience dislike him. Rather than letting strangers criticize Ao Liangjun, she preferred to discipline him herself.

But since Shen Qingqing had given her a way out of the situation, she decided to go along with it. After all, her son wasn’t a bad child.

Xie Bing had been in the entertainment industry long enough to know about Shen Qingqing. Although newer actors might not recognize her, she had heard Shen Qingqing’s name before. It was rare for an actress to rise so quickly, landing lead roles in major productions one after another.

She had even heard rumors from staff members claiming that Shen Qingqing was difficult to work with, arrogant, and had offended many people.

But the entertainment industry was full of gossip—truth and lies mixed together. She didn’t believe everything she heard. Now that she had met Shen Qingqing in person, she found her easygoing. Perhaps Shen Qingqing had been misunderstood.

This improved Xie Bing’s impression of her. After all, she had once been in the same position.

When she first debuted in a film by a famous director, she was given top-tier resources. For a long time, people assumed she had connections backing her. Even now, her husband, Wu Chen, disdained the entertainment industry, and the media often criticized her.

It wasn’t until she won the Best Actress award that the negative rumors started to die down.

She felt that Shen Qingqing might be going through the same thing. If so, she wouldn’t mind looking out for her in the future.

Of course, Shen Qingqing had no idea that her casual words had such a big impact, making Xie Bing change her opinion of her. After all, Xie Bing was known to be hard to please.

As for Ao Liangjun, when he heard Shen Qingqing’s words, he cheered, “Auntie, you’re not only beautiful but also kind! For your sake, I’ll go easy on Zhou Jiayan in our competition later!”

Shen Qingqing was so happy when she heard the words “a beautiful person with a kind heart” that she burst into laughter.

Zhou Jiayan was speechless that his stepmother had put him in this situation again, but seeing how excited she was, and knowing he wasn’t afraid of the chubby boy Ao Liangjun, he thought, Forget it, I’ll just compete.

After all, what else could he do with a stepmother like this?

As they talked, the remaining two groups of guests arrived one after another. However, to everyone’s surprise, Shen Linyan arrived first, while Mo Man and her daughter, who had been on the boat, arrived last.

Shen Linyan only looked slightly sweaty, but Mo Man and her daughter were soaking wet. Their clothes and hair were damp, making them look quite embarrassed.

Taking the towel from the staff, Mo Man wiped her hair while complaining, “You won’t believe it, but the ‘boat’ they gave us was one we had to row ourselves. Shi Shuang and I don’t know how to row! We struggled for so long and nearly fell into the river. In the end, the production team got worried we’d get into trouble, so they sent a boatman to bring us over.”

She then turned to Shen Qingqing and her son, “You two were so lucky not to choose the tiger route. I’d rather walk!”

Shen Qingqing hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. Thinking fast, she tilted her head slightly and joked to the child beside her, “Looks like I’m a god. If you had chosen, we’d still be stuck on the river!”

After all, it was obvious that Xu Xiang wouldn’t go easy on her!

Zhou Jiayan, who had been eating his noodles happily, suddenly found them less appetizing after hearing this.

The production team probably thought this unexpected challenge made for good entertainment, so they didn’t assign any more tasks after dinner. Instead, they told the guests to rest up for tomorrow’s new challenges.

However, it wasn’t even 8 PM yet, which was still early for both the children and adults.

After Ao Liangjun had declared his challenge to Zhou Jiayan earlier, everyone gathered in the courtyard to watch them arm-wrestle.

Zhou Jiayan was of average height and weight for his age, but Ao Liangjun was a giant baby ^[2]phrase used to describe a child much larger than others of the same age.—both taller and heavier than most kids his age.

Although he was only a year older than Zhou Jiayan, he stood half a head taller and was much bulkier. Seeing this, some people started to question the match.

“The size difference is too big. Are they really going to compete?”

Xie Bing, Ao Liangjun’s mother, looked at her son, who stood like a mountain of flesh, and then at Zhou Jiayan, who was like a slender sapling. She advised, “Maybe we should skip this? I’ll deal with this little rascal myself.”

However, Zhou Jiayan shook his head. “It’s fine. Since Brother Junjun wants to play, I’ll compete with him.”

Hearing this, Ao Liangjun grinned and said to his mother, “My little brother wants to play with me!”

At this moment, the director, Xu Xiang, chimed in, “Since the kids are interested, why not let them compete? It’s still early, and I doubt anyone is ready to sleep. Plus, the live audience is loving this.”

Xu Xiang was right—the audience in the live stream was reacting with excitement, though opinions were divided.

[No need for this match. You can tell who’ll win just by looking at them.]

[Yeah, this is just the chubby kid bullying Yanyan.]

[Aww, Yanyan baby, don’t do it! Mommy’s heart aches for you!]

[Some of Yanyan’s fans are overreacting. He chose to compete himself! If he loses, it’s his lesson to learn.]

[I think it’s just kids playing around. No need to be dramatic.]

[Hahaha, am I the only one hoping for a surprise comeback?]

[You’re overthinking it. This is all about physical strength. Look at Ao Liangjun’s size.]

Since the director had spoken, the adults stopped objecting.

The two boys sat on opposite sides of a stone table in the yard, surrounded by the adults.

They clasped their right hands together, and at the signal from referee Xu Xiang, the match began.

Most people thought it would be an easy win for Ao Liangjun, but surprisingly, Zhou Jiayan held on.

He was clearly struggling, while the chubby boy opposite him still looked relaxed, as if he hadn’t even used his full strength yet.

The onlookers grew tense. Liang Tianyi, who was close to Zhou Jiayan, started cheering, “Come on, Yanyan! I believe in you!”

Still, most people were sure that Zhou Jiayan would lose. While those at the scene kept quiet to be polite, the online audience wasn’t as restrained.

[Zhou Jiayan’s definitely going to lose.]

[Told you this was unnecessary.]

[Will he cry if he loses? Will Shen Qingqing comfort or laugh at him?]

As Zhou Jiayan struggled, he quickly analyzed the situation in his little head. He knew he couldn’t win in raw strength.

Even though he had taken many sports-related classes, Ao Liangjun was simply in a different weight class.

But then, he thought about his stepmother’s clever move earlier—it inspired him. Maybe he could win through strategy instead of strength!

Zhou Jiayan thought about what Ao Liangjun feared or liked. His biggest weakness was his mother, Xie Bing!

The chubby boy was scared of being scolded by her, but at the same time, he craved her attention.