Chapter 28 Which Mom Is Prettier?

Chapter 28: Which Mother Is More Beautiful?

The icebreaker game was a test of family rapport, consisting of ten questions. The family with the highest score would gain the privilege to choose their accommodation first.

"Are the houses very different?" Gu Qingyin recalled the variety shows she had watched before and asked with some concern, "There won’t be any straw huts, right? Or tents?" The island was humid and hot, and without air conditioning, it would be impossible to sleep at night.

The director grinned smugly. "Don’t worry, everyone. Our show has plenty of funding. All the houses are good—just different in style. The top-scoring family can pick the one they like best."

Gu Qingyin let out an "Oh" and immediately became indifferent. She had no preference for style—any place with a bed and air conditioning would do.

Huo Xinghai, however, frowned and asked with interest, "What are the styles?"

The director clapped his hands, and an assistant promptly brought out three printed pictures to showcase the options.

The first was a Japanese tatami style, the second was Bohemian, and the third was futuristic tech-themed.

After the presentation, the director added, "The futuristic house comes with a smart butler—cutting-edge technology with great interactivity. It’s definitely worth experiencing."

Gu Qingyin made a questioning sound, suddenly intrigued by the smart butler. Could it really be more useful than a ghost servant?

The director glanced at the backend data and decided to start with the family that had the lowest engagement—Lin Tian and her older brother, Lin Xian.

Lin Tian was an idol singer who debuted through a talent show. True to her name, she had a sweet appearance and a sweet voice. Her fans affectionately called her "Sweetie" or "Sweet Girl," and she had a massive following of doting "parent fans" online.

Lin Xian was a non-celebrity. While he was handsome on his own, standing next to Huo Xinghai and Fu Zimo made him seem somewhat ordinary. It just went to show that there was a clear divide between regular good-looking guys and celebrity-level handsome men.

The siblings stepped forward, standing back-to-back, each holding a small whiteboard to write their answers.

"Ready? Let’s begin," the director said with a mischievous chuckle before asking the first question: "How old was Lin Xian when he had his first relationship?"

Lin Tian had been full of confidence, but upon hearing the question, a flash of confusion crossed her eyes. She stared at the board, pen in hand, unmoving for several seconds.

"The show’s team is so savage! What brother reports his love life to his little sister?!"

"I love this! Ask more!"

"I wanna know how old Sweetie was when she first dated."

"Hey, don’t spread rumors! Our Sweetie is still young—no early relationships allowed!"

Lin Xian was also speechless, but after thinking for a moment, he wrote down his answer.

The director began the countdown, and then the siblings revealed their boards simultaneously.

Lin Xian’s answer was "19," while Lin Tian wrote "17," followed by a question mark.

"Explain, Sweetie. Why did you write 17? Did you catch your brother dating early?"

Gu Qingyin also looked over with bright eyes. Meanwhile, Mrs. Fu, standing nearby, shot her a barely concealed glance, her eyes filled with disdain. *She looks so young—definitely a stepmom. Kids these days, always taking shortcuts instead of working hard. For money, they’d even go for men old enough to be their grandfathers. Tsk tsk tsk.*

While Mrs. Fu was silently judging, Lin Tian was already glaring at her brother in dissatisfaction. "Did you write 19 because you didn’t want to admit to dating early? I clearly saw you walking a girl home! And you stood at her doorstep chatting for ages!"

Lin Xian looked utterly baffled. "You were stalking me?!"

Lin Tian guiltily rubbed her nose. "Stalking? That sounds so harsh! I was just... concerned about my brother!"

Lin Xian rolled his eyes and, after a moment of recollection, explained, "Then the person you’re talking about is probably the same one I wrote about. At 17, we did have feelings for each other, but we weren’t officially together—it was more of a flirting phase. We promised to start dating once we got into university, and we made it official in our freshman year."

"If you truly love someone, you should grow better together!"

"I love this kind of positive relationship!"

"School romance novels coming to life! Aaaah, I'm dying from sweetness overload!"

"I’m different from you guys—I just want to know, is your brother still with his first love now?"

Lin Xian gave a good explanation, but they still didn't get points for this question.

After that, the questions prepared by the production team became much more normal, like food preferences, favorite fruits, disliked behaviors and things—just as the director said, mainly to deepen the understanding between the guests.

In the end, the Lin siblings scored seven points, which was already quite high.

The second group to take the stage was Mrs. Fu and her son, Fu Zimo.

The close bond between the Fu mother and son was no lie. The first nine questions were all about their relationship, and only Fu Zimo’s debut date was answered incorrectly.

For the final question, the production team unsurprisingly started stirring up drama.

The director smirked mischievously and asked loudly, "Between Huo Xinghai’s mother and Fu Zimo’s mother, who is more beautiful, and why? Please answer!"

Hearing this, not only did everyone on set freeze for a second, but even the live comments went blank for two seconds.

Director, you really dare to ask this!

"The first showdown is here!!!!"

"Isn’t the answer obvious? Anyone with half a brain can see."

"Well… some people might still lie through their teeth."

"Just an observer here. I’ve been wanting to say this—did Huo Xinghai’s mother get plastic surgery?"

"If she did, it’s way too much work done. Standing next to Huo Xinghai, she looks like his peer. Kinda gross."

"Fu Zimo’s fans, stop pretending to be neutral. Your meltdown is really ugly."

"Is it so hard to admit my mother-in-law is naturally beautiful? Mrs. Huo is the ultimate ageless beauty!"

The fans from both sides quickly started fighting, filling the comments with chaos. In the end, the moderators had to step in, banning the most vocal troublemakers and posting reminders to focus on the actual participants' answers, barely putting an end to the feud.

Fu Zimo, having spent years in the entertainment industry, managed to keep his composure. Though his smile was strained, he quickly wrote his answer.

In contrast, Mrs. Fu wasn't as composed. Her expression darkened, suspecting the production team was targeting her—pitting her against a young woman in a beauty contest. Were they mocking her for being past her prime?

Instantly, Mrs. Fu thought of those young mistresses her husband kept outside, and her face grew even grimmer.

When the director's countdown ended, Mrs. Fu hadn’t written a single word. When she revealed her answer board, she was inevitably questioned.

Pursing her lips, Mrs. Fu refused to answer. Fu Zimo smiled and said, "Since I'm part of the question, I don’t think my mother needs to respond."

Huo Xinghai chuckled lightly—quick thinking.

Gu Qingyin turned to him and asked softly, "So, what was your answer?"

Huo Xinghai put on an innocent smile. "From every angle, my choice would always be you."

Gu Qingyin gave a noncommittal hum.

After spending these past few days together, she had come to realize that while the second child seemed easier to approach than the eldest, he was actually much more guarded. On the surface, he seemed easygoing and adaptable, but it was all just a facade.

Huo Xinghai had his heart locked up tight—not so easily pried open.

The director, somewhat reluctantly, accepted Fu Zimo's explanation and countered, "Then what's your answer?"

Fu Zimo flipped his answer board over confidently, revealing his mother's name written on it.

"Mom will always be the most beautiful in my heart."

Mrs. Fu's face immediately lit up with emotion, her mood lifting considerably.

Since Mrs. Fu didn’t answer the last question, they received no points for it. The Fu mother and son ended up with eight points, temporarily taking first place.

This score was already very high. Since every family got one tricky question, unless Huo Xinghai and Gu Qingyin answered all nine remaining questions correctly, they could only tie with them at best.

Of course, that was the best-case scenario.

In reality, neither the Fu family nor the Lin family believed they could get that many right.

Because compared to them, Huo Xinghai and Gu Qingyin standing together came across as completely fake—didn't look like mother and son in the slightest.