Chapter 29 Part 2

Sitting in a rattan chair in the yard, Shen Qingqing kept observing Zhou Jiayan and almost burst into laughter at the scene before her.

Seeing Zhou Jiayan’s rare embarrassed expression, how could she miss the opportunity to tease him? She immediately said, “Wow, Shuangshuang wants to be the princess? Then I’ll be the evil queen!”

Zhou Jiayan’s expression turned even more pained upon hearing his stepmother’s words. Why was she getting involved? Didn’t she realize she was an adult? Why was she playing such a childish game?

Ying Shishuang, however, was thrilled. “Auntie, really? Come quickly!” she exclaimed.

Seeing the little girl so excited, Shen Qingqing couldn’t bear to refuse. She got up, ran toward the children, and started planning with them. “Which fairy tale should we act out? Snow White, Cinderella, or something else? I suggest Snow White since it has a perfect role for me—the wicked stepmother!”

Ying Shishuang was even more excited. With so many children and even an adult willing to play, her little face turned red with excitement. She nodded, “Then let’s do Snow White! That way, we can be the most beautiful and second most beautiful people in the world. Auntie, I also brought a little crown. I’ll go get it, and we can both wear one.”

Shen Qingqing always thought of herself as the most beautiful person in the world, but she didn’t mind letting the little girl have that title this time—especially since she was offering her a crown!

Zhou Jiayan didn’t want to join in on this childish game, but remembering how he had offended his stepmother earlier in the day, he didn’t dare refuse outright.

Seeing his silence, Shen Qingqing took it as his agreement. “Alright then, let’s begin! But we’re missing the seven dwarfs. It seems like we don’t have enough people.”

She suddenly thought of the program crew and turned to Xu Xiang. “Director Xu, would you mind sending some people to play with the kids?”

Seeing Ying Shishuang looking at him with sparkling eyes, Xu Xiang sighed helplessly. “Alright, I’ll find some people to join in.”

Ao Liangjun still wanted to play Ultraman and fight monsters, but Ying Shishuang, the “bossy princess,” overruled him. In the end, five children and several adults staged a simplified version of a fairy tale play.

The chubby Ao Liangjun became the hunter since he was the biggest. Song Yiyi played the neighboring princess at the final ball. Little Liang Tianyi took on the role of the magic mirror. The seven dwarfs? They were played by the program crew.

So, seven poor men, all around 1.8 meters tall, were forced to squat down and act as dwarfs, their faces full of helplessness.

Perhaps because their parents were actors, the children performed surprisingly well.

Even Zhou Jiayan, who had been reluctant at first, eventually smiled and cooperated with Ying Shishuang. In the final scene, he wore a little suit, made a grand entrance, and “kissed” the princess to wake her up.

Of course, since they were still children, the “kiss” was faked.

At first, Shen Qingqing just wanted to casually play along, but seeing how serious the kids were, she couldn’t help but get invested. By the end, she was enjoying it.

The scene was still the same traditional Chinese-style courtyard. Shen Qingqing wore regular sportswear but had a small shiny crown on her head to show she was the queen. To emphasize her role as the wicked stepmother, she even applied deep red lipstick.

When she dramatically asked, “Mirror, mirror, tell me, who is the most beautiful in the world?” her arrogance and confidence made her seem like the real evil queen.

Even though the sound quality of live variety shows couldn’t compare to film sets, her clear articulation and expressive performance stood out.

In the end, Snow White defeated the wicked queen, took the throne, and married the prince in a grand wedding.

Of course, the so-called “grand” event was mainly to wake up all the mothers watching. The production team played cheerful music at the right moment, and then everyone began dancing freely without any particular order.

At the curtain call, instead of running toward Snow White, Shen Qingqing, playing the “evil queen,” ran toward the curly-haired “prince” and planted a big kiss on Zhou Jiayan’s fair cheek, leaving a bright lipstick mark.

Just as Zhou Jiayan was about to protest, he heard his stepmother laugh and say, “Hahaha! Since you cooperated so well tonight, I’ll be generous and forgive you.”

For a moment, the boy was speechless. He had just decided that as long as his stepmother forgave him, he wouldn’t mind this little sacrifice.

Zhou Jiayan thought that was the end of it, but then his stepmother kissed his other cheek too. “This one is my apology for teasing you today. You said my kisses are worth more than yours, so you gave two, and I’m giving you one in return. I tricked you, and you tricked me—now we’re even, okay?”

Feeling the wet kisses on both cheeks, Zhou Jiayan froze. Who apologizes like this? How outrageous!

But when he saw his stepmother’s bright, twinkling eyes, he nodded and muttered, “Okay, then I forgive you too.”

Ah, great. His stepmother was teasing him again.

The lively moment warmed the hearts of many.

[Oh my god, this is so wholesome. The setting may be simple, but they’re truly happy.]

[At first, I thought it was just kids playing around, but they actually acted pretty well.]

[Aside from Ying Shishuang, Shen Qingqing was the most excited. Where does she get this boundless energy?]

[Maybe she has the same mental age as a five-year-old, that’s why she fits in so well.]

[That makes so much sense.]

A few viewers also noticed Shen Qingqing’s acting. However, since she had a reputation for bad performances, not many believed she had improved.

[Shen Qingqing’s acting is better than I expected. Wasn’t she known for being stiff? She looks pretty expressive here.]

[Her lines are quite clear too. Even with bad audio, I could still hear her well.]

[Wake up! Have you forgotten her cringeworthy acting in that big production?]

[Honestly, if her acting had been better, she would’ve been a top star with her looks. She wouldn’t be struggling like this now.]

[Maybe she was just being her true self. Survival instincts, I guess.]

This performance was later uploaded to Weibo. Thanks to the fun atmosphere, the video quickly gained over 10,000 shares. Meanwhile, hashtags like #ShenQingqingTheViciousQueen# and #AlmightyMomSnowWhite# started trending.

Lately, Shen Qingqing had been appearing in hot searches frequently. Since she was already well-known, many netizens assumed she had paid to promote herself again. But despite their complaints, they still clicked on the video—only to find themselves entertained by this “wonderful” performance.

At first, they found it embarrassing. The stage was basic, a Chinese cast was performing a Western fairy tale, and the casting choices were unusual, making the whole thing seem ridiculous.

Yet, somehow, the performance had a strange charm that kept them watching. By the time it ended with everyone celebrating together, they actually felt warmth inside—and even a little disappointed that it was over.

[At first, I cringed a little, but by the end, I felt really warm inside.]

[Now I understand why parent-child variety shows are so popular. They’re really fun to watch.]

[I wasn’t interested before, but now I might check it out.]

[I don’t have time to watch live broadcasts, but I’ll wait for the show’s highlight episode.]

The production team hadn’t expected such a reaction. The video actually attracted a wave of new viewers! Seeing the response, they immediately ramped up promotions and got influencers to share the video. Soon, its popularity skyrocketed.

Naturally, more and more people saw Shen Qingqing’s “performance.”

[I have to say, Shen Qingqing is really daring.]

[She’s different from what I expected—so down-to-earth and playful?]

[Wasn’t she known as an expressionless actress? At least she has expressions now.]

[Not just expressions—her tone, lines, and delivery are actually quite good.]

[Wake up, don’t be fooled just because she was acting with kids. They were just making her look good.]

Of course, since this was just a lighthearted skit, not many took Shen Qingqing’s performance seriously. Soon, talk about her acting skills was drowned out by waves of laughter from netizens.

After heading back inside with Shen Qingqing, Zhou Jiayan still felt a little awkward. As soon as he walked in, he saw his reflection on the wall—two bright red marks on his cheeks.

Damn it! His stepmother was so petty! She must have left those lipstick marks on purpose.

He rushed to the bathroom, wet a tissue, and started scrubbing his face.

Shen Qingqing found it hilarious watching his frustrated reaction. This kid was so shy.

But the more embarrassed Zhou Jiayan was, the more she wanted to tease him. She figured she’d find more chances to “bully” him in the future—of course, she wouldn’t say that out loud, or he’d get even more flustered.

While Zhou Jiayan was busy cleaning up, his phone watch started ringing. He glanced down and saw the name “Dad” on the screen. His eyes immediately lit up.

He answered the call right away, trying to suppress his excitement. He spoke in a calm voice, “Dad, why are you calling now?”

It wasn’t the time they had scheduled for their parent-child call.

A mature man chuckled softly on the other end of the phone. “Yanyan, does Dad need to make an appointment just to call you?”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised you have time now,” Zhou Jiayan quickly explained. But deep inside, he was wondering if his father had picked up some tricks from his stepmother, playing mind games with him now.

Hearing his son’s words, Zhou Yexuan felt a bit guilty. It was true—he hadn’t spent much time with his child. But Jiayan had always been sensible, and that only made it more heartbreaking. Still, a child needed proper “education,” though it wouldn’t hurt to offer some sweetness first.

He shared his plans. “Yanyan, I’m going to transfer part of my work to China so I can spend more time with you.”

After thinking about it for a few days, Zhou Yexuan had decided that his child’s well-being was his top priority.

Zhou Jiayan, usually composed, couldn’t hide his excitement. “Really? Dad, will you be home more often?”

Even though they weren’t face to face, Zhou Yexuan nodded and solemnly promised, “I’ll be home for a long time. When has Dad ever lied to you?”

“Yeah.” A bright smile spread across Zhou Jiayan’s face. For him, nothing could be better than this.

His happiness didn’t last long before his father asked, “Yanyan, do you remember what you said at the end of this morning’s mission?”

Jiayan froze. What had he said? He quickly recalled the words that had upset his stepmother. But that was directed at her—why was his father bringing it up?

Seeing that his son didn’t respond, Zhou Yexuan patiently continued, “Yanyan, children can kiss many people, but adults can’t. You shouldn’t say that to your mother.”

A big question mark popped up in Zhou Jiayan’s little head. “But Mom just kissed me.”

Zhou Yexuan rubbed his temples. Explaining this to a child was harder than expected. “That’s because you’re still a child—her son—so she can kiss you. But adults can’t just kiss anyone. Only couples, like husbands and wives or boyfriends and girlfriends, can do that. Do you understand?”

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Jiayan nodded as if he understood. Then he asked, “So only Dad can kiss Mom? Is that what you mean, Dad?”

Zhou Yexuan was momentarily speechless. He had hoped Jiayan would understand the basic idea but hadn’t expected him to apply it so directly. The image of Shen Qingqing appeared in his mind. In the two years of their marriage, he had never kissed her. As for the future… he didn’t want to answer that.

To avoid misleading his five-year-old son, he changed the subject. “I watched your live broadcast today. You did great—better than I expected. It’s impressive that you could see through the program’s setup at such a young age.”

“Dad watched my live broadcast? And he even praised me?” Jiayan felt both excited and shy.

Then, he thought of his stepmother. His great performance today was thanks to her guidance.

So, being honest, he added, “Mom gave me some tips today. It wasn’t all my own idea.”

Zhou Yexuan chuckled. This kid was proud in his words, but at crucial moments, he always remembered Shen Qingqing and never failed to mention her.

Following Jiayan’s words, Zhou Yexuan said, “In that case, you should keep listening to your mother during the recording.”

But Jiayan quickly frowned. “But she might not always be right. I think I’m more mature and sensible than she is.”

Hearing his son praise and complain about Shen Qingqing at the same time, Zhou Yexuan didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. He rubbed his temples and thought about calling Shen Qingqing later. It was time to meet this extraordinary woman who made their son love and hate her at the same time.

At the end of the call, Zhou Yexuan told Jiayan, “Yanyan, Grandpa’s birthday is in a week, and it happens to be during your recording break. Dad will take you and Mom back to the old house for the celebration.”