Chapter 6

After Zhou Jiayan changed clothes, lunch officially began.

To avoid Shen Qingqing’s revenge, Zhou Jiayan sat at the farthest end from her. Shen Qingqing noticed this and thought to herself that he even disliked her scent. Both of them had their favorite dishes: Shen Qingqing had bright red Sichuan cuisine, while Zhou Jiayan had lighter foods like egg custard and steamed shrimp.

They ate in silence, neither acknowledging the other. Netizens in the live broadcast room saw this as normal for Shen Qingqing and her son.

Just when everyone thought the meal would go smoothly, Zhou Jiayan suddenly screamed, “It’s so spicy, so spicy!” He frantically searched for water. There had been a green pepper hidden at the bottom of his custard! While most green peppers aren’t very spicy, they were hot enough for Zhou Jiayan, who never eats spicy food.

Seeing this, Shen Qingqing laughed triumphantly, “You were just disgusted by me!”

It was obvious that she secretly placed it there when Zhou Jiayan wasn’t looking. The viewers were speechless. As a mother, Shen Qingqing had resorted to this petty revenge on her own child.

Zhou Jiayan, surprised by the retaliation, looked at Shen Qingqing with big watery eyes, silently accusing her. He clenched his fists, wanting to retaliate, but, considering his small size, he didn’t dare to act immediately. “Forget it. It’s never too late for a gentleman to take revenge,” he thought. “I’ll wait until I’m older.”

After lunch, Zhou Jiayan took a nap before heading to his afternoon classes. Meanwhile, Shen Qingqing enjoyed a relaxing spa treatment at home. Afterward, she marveled at how smooth and hydrated her skin felt, thinking, “It’s really good to have money and free time.”

At 8 p.m., the live broadcast ended. Viewers realized they had watched the life of a rich lady for an entire day. Soon, a quarrel broke out in the comments.

[Coming from other mothers’ live broadcast rooms, I can’t believe Shen Qingqing spent such a relaxing day.]

[This is an all-around mother, not a life of a rich lady. Isn’t Shen Qingqing being unprofessional? She should at least pretend to be nice when she’s on the show.]

[People laugh at the poor, not at prostitutes. Doesn’t Shen Qingqing rely on her wealth?]

Some viewers defended Shen Qingqing.

[This is Shen Qingqing’s real life, and her family is so rich. She doesn’t need to work hard.]

[Am I the only one who thinks other families are more hypocritical? Families worth hundreds of millions really don’t need to do everything for their children.]

However, those defending her were refuted by many black fans, and in the end, the majority criticized Shen Qingqing.

Since the interview incident, Shen Qingqing’s live broadcast room became a focus for director Xu Xiang.

As a director, he couldn’t watch the broadcast all the time, so he just checked in at night. Seeing Shen Qingqing’s broadcast, his brows furrowed. She was so relaxed! He clicked into her live stream and saw comments complaining about Shen Qingqing not being a good mother. Xu Xiang ignored the comments that expressed envy of Shen Qingqing’s wealth and sighed, thinking his variety show concept might be outdated.

He reviewed the popularity numbers in the live broadcast room. Shen Qingqing’s live broadcast room had crossed the 15 million mark, twice as much as Shen Linyan’s 7 million.

“What are these viewers doing?” Xu Xiang thought. “They complain but still watch.”

After reviewing the hot topics, Xu Xiang realized Shen Qingqing’s group accounted for 80% of the program’s popularity. “I may be getting too old for this,” he thought.

He couldn’t kick Shen Qingqing off the show but decided that tomorrow’s recording would change. He called the program planner: “Give each group of guests a task tomorrow, ask them to bring their children, and make sure they do not ask servants for help with preparations.”

After giving the instructions, Xu Xiang felt better. “I don’t believe Shen Qingqing will stay so comfortable tomorrow!”

After turning off the live stream, Shen Qingqing returned to her bedroom. She reflected on the day and felt satisfied. Despite some minor setbacks, it wasn’t tiring.

Just as she was about to check her phone before going to sleep, her phone rang. It was Zhou Yexuan, her husband.

This was the first time Zhou Yexuan had contacted her since she arrived in this world.

The system, nervous as usual, warned her, “Host, Zhou Yexuan is a man of deep thoughts, you must handle him well! He usually prefers gentle and virtuous wives. Show more concern for him.”

Shen Qingqing wanted to laugh at the system’s advice, but she also began recalling her memories of Zhou Yexuan.

Zhou Yexuan was a mature, steady man. He had taken over the Zhou family business at the age of 20 and grown its assets exponentially. As a ruthless businessman, he wasn’t exactly a good man, but he had done his best for “Shen Qingqing.”

The original body was able to struggle for so long and acquire so many resources thanks to Zhou Yexuan’s investment. Although the original body wasn’t a good stepmother, Zhou Yexuan had tolerated her, all because the original body had a good mother.

The original body’s mother, Lin Chuyin, was a capable woman. She helped Shen’s father start a business, contributing greatly to the Shen family’s success.

However, after the Shen family became wealthy, Shen’s father began complaining about his wife’s dominance and insisted she return home when Shen Qingqing was 10. As Shen Qingqing grew older, she noticed that her parents’ relationship worsened, and her mother grew depressed. Lin Chuyin eventually died of cancer when Shen Qingqing was 16.

Before passing away, Lin Chuyin was most concerned about her daughter. Knowing her husband’s unreliability, she remembered Zhou Yexuan, the heir to a wealthy family she had once helped.

The Zhou family was well-established, and Zhou Yexuan, as their heir, was constantly targeted by opportunistic people. Despite heavy security, there were still occasional risks. At the time, Zhou Yexuan, still a teenager, was kidnapped.

Lin Chuyin was supervising a project in the suburbs and accidentally discovered the kidnapping. She immediately alerted the police. When the authorities rescued Zhou Yexuan, she realized he was the heir of the Zhou family.

Zhou Yexuan, known for his sense of gratitude, offered to repay Lin Chuyin. However, she insisted, “I simply did what any person would do. The real hero is the police.”

Impressed by Lin Chuyin’s selflessness, Zhou Yexuan said, “Then I will owe you this favor. When you need something, come to me.”

Lin Chuyin, independent and principled, never sought compensation from Zhou Yexuan, even when the Shen family faced financial difficulties. Before her death, however, seeing her daughter’s innocence, Lin Chuyin asked Zhou Yexuan to look after Shen Qingqing.

Zhou Yexuan agreed and took care of Shen Qingqing afterward, protecting her even as she pursued a career in entertainment.

Over the years, Shen Qingqing, influenced by Zhou Yexuan’s care, developed feelings for him. However, she was also ambitious and wanted to secure a position in the Zhou family. When she discovered that Zhou Yexuan had an illegitimate child, she used manipulative tactics to get into his bed. Then, using her status as the daughter of the woman who saved him, she pressured him into marrying her.

After marriage, Zhou Yexuan became even busier, focusing on his overseas business. His rare visits home were spent with his children. Although Shen Qingqing was unhappy with this, she was powerless to change it.

After understanding all the circumstances, Shen Qingqing felt speechless. If it had been her, she would have asked Zhou Yexuan for 1 billion yuan as repayment. Why would anyone be so desperate to enter the entertainment industry or become a stepmother?

But as the “stepmother” role was set, Shen Qingqing decided to maintain a harmonious surface with her husband, even if she wasn’t genuinely trying to please him.

When Zhou Yexuan called her, she wondered if it was because he had learned about her actions on the variety show. She answered the phone, nervous but trying to keep her composure.

“Today was the first day of your recording, and you’ll be somewhere else in two days,” Zhou Yexuan’s deep voice came through.

It seemed like he wasn’t aware of what happened on the live show. Shen Qingqing responded naturally, “Yes, I told you before. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Yanyan.”

Zhou Yexuan, not one for lengthy conversations, said briefly, “Just take care of yourself and Yanyan. I’m not worried. I hope you control your temper.”

Shen Qingqing replied with a calm, “Hmm,” fooling him with her nonchalant tone.

Thankfully, Zhou Yexuan didn’t say much more, and after a few more words of advice, he ended the call.

Shen Qingqing sighed in relief. She admired his professional demeanor—his aura was strong and commanding. As for the original person’s boldness in plotting against such a man, she thought, “She lost!”

Nonetheless, Shen Qingqing, now carefree, decided to forget about Zhou Yexuan and focus on her own career, taking a lighthearted approach to the situation.

Meanwhile, in City N, Country A, on the other side of the ocean, Zhou Yexuan sat in his sleek office. He was dressed sharply in a shirt and vest, looking every bit the powerful leader of the Zhou family. He was about 30 years old, with a stern expression and muscular build visible under his attire.

Zhou Yexuan, gazing at his phone, sighed. Despite being invincible in the business world, he now appeared weary when dealing with his family.

He muttered, “Shen Qingqing…”

He recalled meeting her when she was just 6, a cute little girl. How had she become the person she was now? He had always looked after her for Lin Chuyin’s sake, but now, she seemed to be plotting against him.

Marriage didn’t matter much to Zhou Yexuan, and since he was in need of a wife, he agreed to marry her. However, after their marriage, Shen Qingqing seemed to become more pretentious, her emotions more volatile. Whenever her stepsister provoked her, she would take the bait.

Zhou Yexuan had tried to advise her several times, but it had little effect. Over time, he stopped bothering to care.

Fortunately, although she behaved like a spoiled child, she was always mindful not to cross his boundaries and never caused harm to Zhou Jiayan or the Zhou family.

Because of this, he could ensure that Lin Chuyin would be taken care of for life, as she had saved his life.

After all, his life was valuable.

He then thought about Zhou Jiayan.

He still remembered how the boy had trembled when he was taken out of the closet three years ago. The bedroom reeked of blood, and on the bed lay a woman covered in it.

That woman was his sister, Zhou Jiayan’s mother.

He brought the child back to the Zhou household, and despite his parents’ objections, he publicly declared the child as his own, hoping to provide a stable and loving family for him.

However, he had overestimated himself. The Zhou family was going through a critical phase in their overseas expansion, leaving him little time to be present at home with his children.

Thankfully, Zhou Jiayan had been sensible and obedient since he was young, growing into a healthy, outstanding person.

As for the future, Zhou Yexuan sighed and said once the busiest period was over, he would dedicate more time to his children’s upbringing.