Chapter 20 Part 2

Suddenly, Zhou Jiayan’s eyes lit up, and he called out, “Aunt Xie Bing, don’t touch Brother Junjun now!”

Hearing his mother’s name, Ao Liangjun instinctively turned his head.

Seizing the moment, Zhou Jiayan used all his strength.

By the time Ao Liangjun turned back in confusion, he realized—he had already lost.

The scene before them left everyone in shock.

[I wasn’t mistaken—Zhou Jiayan actually won!]

[Damn, Zhou Jiayan is pretty impressive. He already knows how to fake an attack and strike from another side at just five years old.]

[Woo woo woo, my smart baby indeed!]

[I was hoping for a comeback, but I didn’t expect it to actually happen.]

[Awesome! It’s not easy for a five-year-old to be this clever.]

The chubby boy, Ao Liangjun, was stunned, his mouth wide open. “You… you… you cheated!”

Zhou Jiayan remained calm. “I used my intelligence to outsmart you.”

Then, he quickly withdrew his hand, stood up, and returned to Shen Qingqing’s side. Looking up at her, he proudly declared, “I told you, I’m not a fool.”

Shen Qingqing was momentarily surprised by Zhou Jiayan’s move but then felt a sense of pride. She thought to herself that the child must have picked up some of her cleverness after spending so much time with her.

She reached out, gently patting Zhou Jiayan’s head. “Not bad. You’ve learned a bit of my skill.”

While Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan exchanged praise, chaos erupted on Xie Bing’s side.

After the initial shock, Ao Liangjun couldn’t hold back his tears. “Zhou Jiayan, you liar! If you have the guts, let’s compete again!”

Zhou Jiayan, of course, refused. His trick would only work once.

This time, Ao Liangjun was truly heartbroken. He never expected to lose in something he was best at—strength. Unlike his usual fake cries, this time, his tears fell in big drops, showing his genuine sadness.

Xie Bing, his mother, didn’t feel too distressed seeing her son like this. After all, he was the one who caused trouble first, and he lost because he was too naïve. She felt sorry for him but also realized she had spoiled him too much. He couldn’t even handle a minor setback.

When she was younger, she auditioned for a role more than a dozen times, even went to find the director directly, yet she still didn’t get the part. But she hadn’t cried as much as Ao Liangjun was now.

She grabbed a tissue and wiped his tears, but they kept flowing endlessly. At one point, Xie Bing found herself wondering where all these tears were even coming from.

She wasn’t a particularly patient person, so in the end, she gave him a blunt warning, “Ao Liangjun, stop crying. It’s embarrassing. You were the one who wanted to compete. You lost because you were careless, and now you’re crying?”

As soon as she said that, Ao Liangjun wailed even louder.

Seeing this, everyone started trying to calm Xie Bing down.

Shen Linyan said, “Sister Xie Bing, it’s normal for a child to cry when they lose. Don’t be too harsh. Kids need gentle care. Besides, Junjun’s loss was pretty unexpected today.”

Mo Man added, “Take it slow. Kids need time to be comforted.”

Zhou Jiayan, feeling a bit guilty, tugged at Shen Qingqing’s clothes. “Mom, did I do something wrong?”

His tone carried an unconscious trust in her.

Shen Qingqing sighed, pinched his chubby cheek, and scolded playfully, “You little troublemaker, you love stirring things up but never think about cleaning up the mess?”

With that, she stepped forward, intending to help fix the situation.

However, Shen Linyan was faster. She turned to Xie Bing and offered, “Sister Xie Bing, how about I try?”

She then crouched in front of Ao Liangjun, softly coaxing, “Junjun, we all know you’re very strong. You didn’t lose because you’re weak, you just need to be more careful next time. Don’t cry.”

However, the moment she mentioned the word “lose,” Ao Liangjun burst into louder sobs. “Don’t talk to me! Wuwuwu—!”

Shen Linyan started feeling frustrated. This was harder to handle than she had expected.

But in reality, she wasn’t here just to comfort Ao Liangjun. If she could soothe him, great. If not, at least she’d look good in front of the audience as a “gentle and caring” person.

And just as she had planned, viewers in the live stream were praising her.

[My goddess is so patient. Can I be a naughty kid too, just to be comforted by her?]

[Shen Linyan has been coaxing him for so long without losing patience. That’s not easy.]

[I have to say, this chubby boy is a bit spoiled. Crying this much over a small loss?]

[Don’t be so harsh on kids! Look at your own childhood photos—you probably weren’t any better than Ao Liangjun.]

[Shen Qingqing just stood there watching? Wasn’t it her son’s trickery that made the boy cry so much?]

Five minutes passed. Seeing that Shen Linyan couldn’t calm Ao Liangjun down, Xie Bing smiled and said, “Linyan, don’t worry about him. If he dares, he can cry all night.”

By this point, Shen Linyan was already impatient. But since she was performing for the live stream, she couldn’t just walk away. Luckily, Xie Bing gave her a way out, so she gladly took it.

After saying a few more comforting words, she shrugged and said helplessly, “Ah, I guess I can’t do much. But kids forget their sadness quickly. He’ll be fine after crying it out.”

Xie Bing nodded. “Exactly. Don’t worry about him. Sister, you should take your child to rest.”

Hearing his mother talking to others instead of focusing on him, Ao Liangjun cried even harder. “You’re all bullying me! No one cares about me!”

Everyone was speechless.

Shen Qingqing watched Ao Liangjun throwing a tantrum and immediately decided against comforting him gently. This little troublemaker needed a lesson.

She walked up to him and gave him a cold, stern look. Under her intense gaze, Ao Liangjun’s crying gradually softened, and he nervously glanced at Shen Qingqing with fear in his eyes.

Shen Qingqing’s “fierce” expression quickly became a hot topic in the live chat.

[What is Shen Qingqing doing? Is she trying to scare the kids?]

[With Shen Qingqing’s personality, she might really do it. She’s not as patient as Shen Linyan.]

[Ao Liangjun is a bit naughty, but it’s not right for adults to scare children.]

Shen Qingqing and Ao Liangjun looked at each other. The chubby boy spoke first, but he stuttered, “Auntie… Auntie… what are you going to do?”

Shen Qingqing smiled coldly. “I’m not doing anything. I just came to see the joke. After all, plenty of people lose games, but not many cry like this, especially in front of so many viewers.”

Ao Liangjun’s face turned red instantly as he realized this wasn’t just his home. Many adults were watching, and the show was being live-streamed for countless netizens.

“I just couldn’t help it…” he muttered, wiping his face with his short, chubby hands. But the tears still flowed.

Shen Qingqing continued, “Ao Liangjun, are you a man? Haven’t you heard the saying that a real man bleeds but doesn’t cry? Losing isn’t shameful, but crying after losing is. If you’re a real man, just win it back next time.”

“But…” Ao Liangjun turned to look at Zhou Jiayan not far away. “He doesn’t want to compete with me again.”

Shen Qingqing gave him a look as if he were being silly. “We still have three days to record this show. Do you really think you won’t get another chance? Even if you don’t want to, the director will probably make you compete again.”

“Really?” Ao Liangjun hesitated but was mostly convinced. The most important thing was that if he kept crying, he would truly embarrass himself.

“If you’re a man, then defeat Zhou Jiayan fair and square. Got it?” Shen Qingqing urged, then called over Zhou Jiayan. “Yanyan, you’ll accept Brother Junjun’s challenge later, right?”

Zhou Jiayan felt a little guilty. “Brother Junjun, don’t cry. You’re really strong. I used a small trick today, but it won’t work a second time. It’s not that you’re not strong enough. And… it’s embarrassing to cry on camera.”

At first, Ao Liangjun was pleased by the first part of Zhou Jiayan’s words, but the last part angered him. “How dare you say that? You’re the reason I cried!” But in the end, he stopped crying.

Seeing that the little boy had calmed down, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

[Damn, Shen Qingqing actually handled it.]

[How does she understand kids’ psychology so well? I guess pride matters most.]

[The little chubby boy seems to respond better to tough love.]

Director Xu Xiang wouldn’t miss this moment and took the opportunity to step in.

He smiled at the two children. “Since you’ve made up, how about shaking hands for the camera? Uncle promises that over the next three days, you’ll get another chance to compete.”

Ao Liangjun was still a bit flustered but soon became obedient, especially when he realized how embarrassing his actions had been earlier.

So, he took the initiative to grab Zhou Jiayan’s hand, and their two chubby little hands clasped together. “Brother Yanyan, I lost my temper today. Let’s compete fairly from now on! I’ll definitely beat you next time!”

Zhou Jiayan nodded. “I’m always up for a challenge. I’ll do my best.”

Seeing this, everyone felt touched.

[Ahhh, is this a little battle between men?]

[Their chubby little hands shaking is so cute!]

[At first, I thought Ao Liangjun was annoying, but now he’s adorable.]

[Yanyan is my dream child—smart and sensible.]

After the drama ended, everyone went back to their rooms to rest.

However, this was a big challenge for Shen Qingqing and Zhou Jiayan because they discovered they had to sleep in the same bed.

The bedroom was about the size of a typical hotel suite, with a 1.5-meter bed in the middle. Since they were all older children, the production team hadn’t prepared separate beds or dividers.

After putting down her suitcase, Shen Qingqing stared at the only bed, lost in thought.

She hadn’t shared a bed with anyone since she was five, and now she had to sleep next to a five-year-old?

She had also heard that little kids roll around a lot in their sleep—what a hassle.

And what if Zhou Jiayan wet the bed?

With that thought, Shen Qingqing gave Zhou Jiayan a very suspicious look.

Her stare was so intense that Zhou Jiayan could feel it. He looked up, his big watery eyes filled with confusion. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Shen Qingqing bluntly asked what she was thinking, “You don’t still wet the bed, do you?”

Zhou Jiayan’s face flushed red instantly. “I stopped wetting the bed when I was three! How could you doubt me?”

Even though admitting he wet the bed at three was still kind of embarrassing, he was clearly upset.

Seeing his reaction, Shen Qingqing realized she might have gone too far and quickly reassured him. “Okay, okay, I was just asking. I know you don’t wet the bed anymore. Don’t be mad.”

But Zhou Jiayan was still sulking. He turned away and silently continued packing his clothes.

Since the show was officially being filmed, the live broadcast didn’t end at 8 p.m. The main feature of Almighty Mom was a 24-hour live stream showing a mother’s daily life with her child.

Of course, for privacy, most guests covered the cameras with black cloth while sleeping. The production team wasn’t too intrusive, so they pretended not to see.

Because of this, the whole scene was also streamed live.

[Poor Yanyan, I just want to give her a hug.]

[I think Shen Qingqing was a bit too much. She could’ve phrased it better—Yanyan is really proud.]

[Seriously, I don’t know where all these Internet trolls came from, praising Shen Qingqing for getting along with kids. Isn’t she just being a troublemaker?]

[Some people are overreacting. Isn’t it normal for Shen Qingqing to worry about a child wetting the bed? Though, she could have handled it better.]

The debate in the live stream chat continued until Shen Qingqing came out of the shower. Then, all the comments were drowned out by compliments.

[Ahhh, this is her real face, her skin is flawless, and her eyebrows are so well-shaped!]

[Why are her eyelashes still curled even after removing her makeup? They’re so thick and dark, it looks like she has natural eyeliner. People without eyelashes are crying right now.]

[I didn’t believe her when she said she wore light makeup before. But it turns out her thick eyelashes and eyeliner are natural!]

When Zhou Jiayan came out of the shower, the chat exploded again. This time, under Shen Qingqing’s influence, he was wearing a one-piece yellow chicken pajama set, complete with a cute little chicken hood.

[Oh my god, this is too adorable!]

[The yellow makes Yanyan look even younger.]

[I’m taking screenshots like crazy right now.]

[Yanyan, my dream lover!]

Shen Qingqing was pleased to see Zhou Jiayan in the little yellow chicken pajamas. She secretly gave herself a thumbs-up for her excellent taste, then couldn’t resist pulling out her phone to take more pictures.

Zhou Jiayan, however, felt awkward. His face flushed with embarrassment, and he kept tugging at his pajamas. Seeing Shen Qingqing taking more pictures, he quickly protested, “Stop taking pictures!”

Remembering that she had already upset Zhou Jiayan earlier, Shen Qingqing put down her phone. But she couldn’t help pointing to the overhead camera and saying, “I won’t take pictures, but the cameras are still recording. The brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunts watching have already taken their screenshots.”

Zhou Jiayan was stunned. He had let his guard down again.

Flustered, he quickly ran to the bed, threw back the quilt, and crawled under it, wrapping himself up completely—only a small, moving bump showed where he was.

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing almost burst into laughter. What a little fool! Doesn’t he feel uncomfortable being covered up like that?

But it wasn’t good for him to stay under the blanket for too long. Plus, she had just unintentionally hurt his little feelings, so she sighed and decided to coax him out.

She stepped closer and said, “Yanyan, come out. We took pictures and screenshots because you’re cute, not to make fun of you. If you keep covering yourself, you’ll make yourself sick.”

Under the blanket, Zhou Jiayan’s ears twitched at her words. Because his stepmother often teased him, he felt like everything she made him do was just another prank.

But now she was saying the pajamas and pictures were because he was adorable?

Was he really cute? The thought made his ears turn even redder.

But he quickly dismissed it. His stepmother was probably tricking him again and secretly laughing at him.