Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Wen Bingchun braced herself and ate the entire plate of bitter gourd. With teary eyes, she looked around and joked, "That was terrible! Good thing I was the last one."

Her remark earned her another wave of goodwill.

Director Fang clapped his hands and announced to the group, "Welcome to *Baby!* Season 2! For the first episode of this season, we still have four groups of guests. Our destination this time is Maitian Village in City B. Though most of you already know each other, we have one non-celebrity guest this time. Since we’ll be spending five days together, let’s introduce ourselves."

The other two groups of guests were Liu Yiru, an award-winning actress in her thirties, and her six-year-old son Liang Sensen, as well as A-list idol Lin Jiyao and his three-year-old sister Lin Xiaoxiao.

Lin Jiyao was a top-tier idol in the entertainment industry, but recently, he had gained an icy and notorious reputation after punching a paparazzo. His manager had specifically instructed him to behave well on the show to showcase his gentle side to fans.

Lin Jiyao: "Since when am I 'gentle'?"

Wen Bingchun warmly stepped forward to greet them. "Hello, Teacher Liu! Hello, Ji Yao!"

The difference in her address revealed her obvious favoritism.

Though Liu Yiru held the title of an award-winning actress, she had faded from the spotlight after years of retirement. This was her first variety show since her comeback, and she had brought her son along in hopes of reviving her popularity.

She responded to Wen Bingchun’s selective friendliness with composure, while Lin Jiyao remained indifferent.

Unfazed by Lin Jiyao’s cold shoulder, Wen Bingchun knelt next to Lin Xiaoxiao and patted her head. "This must be Xiao Xiao, right? So adorable!"

Lin Xiaoxiao dodged past her and suddenly ran toward Wen Zhi. Wen Bingchun’s smile faltered.

Everyone turned to look at Wen Zhi as Lin Xiaoxiao stopped in front of her and asked, "Pretty sister, can I touch your hat?"

Wen Zhi hesitated, surprised, then took off her hat and handed it to her. The little girl traced her fingers over the flower on the side of the hat and beamed. "This flower is pink—my favorite color!"

Lin Xiaoxiao was dressed in a pink princess dress, a pink hairband, clutching a pink doll, and even her shoes were pink—her obsession with pink was obvious.

Like a magician, Wen Zhi pulled a pink lollipop from her pocket and handed it to her. Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up as she accepted it and immediately said, "Thank you, pretty sister!"

Mu Mu whined, calling out, "Mom!"

Lin Xiaoxiao blinked at him and asked curiously, "Does Brother want some too?"

Mu Mu shook his head and whispered, "How much chocolate is Mom still hiding? You can’t eat too much!" He held out his hand insistently.

Sighing, Wen Zhi dug into her pocket and pulled out a handful of rainbow candies.

Mu Mu kept his hand outstretched. She dug deeper and produced a handful of chocolates.

Mu Mu frowned. "More."

Then, under the stunned gazes of everyone, she pulled out mini sausages, flavored beans, star-shaped candies, seaweed rolls, bread, hawthorn slices, chicken feet, various nuts… and finally, a large bag of spicy jerky strips.

No way!

The group stared in amazement, and even the usually indifferent Lin Jiyao sat up straight, looking at her in surprise.

Liang Sensen and the chubby Wen Xiaowen raced over, eyes sparkling as they surrounded her.

Lin Xiaoxiao exclaimed, "Pretty sister, how do you have so much stuff?"

Liang Sensen waved his hands. "No, she’s like the Monkey King! She made so many snacks—can you make peaches too?"

Wen Xiaowen gazed longingly at the chocolate in Mu Mu’s hands, mouth watering.

Mu Mu confiscated a pile of snacks and asked suspiciously, "Any more?"

Wen Zhi patted herself and innocently spread her hands. "No more."

Mu Mu stuffed the snacks into his little backpack and said seriously, "Mom shouldn’t eat too much. From now on, just two a day. Mu Mu will keep them for you. Mu Mu won’t eat any."

Wen Zhi’s face fell instantly.

"Hahaha, that’s hilarious! Turns out she was lying to Mu Mu in the supermarket—she just wanted to eat them herself!"

"No way! I wouldn’t have guessed she hid so much stuff if she hadn’t pulled it all out."

"Hopeless beauty can’t even control her snacking. Not as well-behaved as our Mu Mu!"

"Hahaha, worried sick over his mom!!!"

Wen Zhi pinched her son’s little nose and suggested, "Mu Mu, why don’t you share the snacks with the other kids? Mom will eat better from now on."

Sharing snacks is the first step to making friends among children.

Moms go to such lengths!

Mu Mu glanced at the envious Wen Xiaowen, then at Xiao Xiao in pink and the wide-eyed Sen Sen. After thinking, he nodded. "Okay."

Just as he was about to distribute them, Wen Bingchun, who had been standing outside the group, walked over and pulled Wen Xiaowen away. "Kids shouldn’t have too many snacks, Wen Zhi. Don’t encourage bad habits." Her tone was teasing, as if joking.

Mu Mu’s hand froze mid-air as he looked up at Wen Zhi.

Noticing this, Liu Yiru stepped forward and greeted, "Hello, I’m Liu Yiru, Sen Sen’s mom. Could you give some to our Sen Sen? He’s practically begging for some."

Mu Mu handed a few packs to Liang Sensen, who, munching on a cheese stick, said, "Thank you! I’m Sen Sen, six years old. How old are you?"

Mu Mu: "Five."

Sen Sen grinned. "Then we’re friends."

"Friends?"

"Yep, friends."

Mu Mu froze in surprise—he had a friend!

Lin Xiaoxiao quickly chimed in, "I want to be friends too!"

Mu Mu automatically handed her some snacks.

The usually aloof Lin Jiyao walked over and tapped his sister’s head. "Say thank you."

Lin Xiaoxiao said sweetly, "Thank you."

Lin Jiyao then introduced himself to Wen Zhi. "Hello, I’m Lin Jiyao, Xiao Xiao’s brother." His voice was cool and distant.

Wen Zhi: "Hello. I’m Wen Zhi, Mu Mu’s mom."

Her expression remained unchanged, as if this were the most ordinary introduction—no sucking up. This attitude made Lin Jiyao comfortable, and his mood improved noticeably.

Wen Bingchun stood to the side with her brother, her grip tightening slightly. It was always like this—even though Wen Zhi had never been as accomplished as her, everyone always gravitated to her.

Watching Mu Mu, the center of attention, Wen Xiaowen folded his arms and huffed, his lips puckered in a pout.

After the four groups of guests finished introductions, Director Fang signaled everyone to move out.

The group boarded the bus prepared by the production team and headed to Maitian Village. A crew assistant started handing out water as soon as they got on the bus, asking those in front to pass it to the back. Mu Mu handed the water to Wen Xiaowen, who snorted and refused to take it.

Unfazed, Mu Mu simply passed it to Wen Bingchun instead, saying, "Here, Auntie."

"Thank you, Mu Mu," Wen Bingchun smiled. "But you can call me 'sister' like Xiaowen does."

Wen Zhi, sitting in the front row, chuckled and suddenly turned around. "Wouldn’t that mess with the family order?"

Liu Yiru, sitting beside her, asked curiously, "What family order?"

Wen Bingchun panicked and quickly said, "No family order, never mind. Auntie is fine."

"That’s wild! Wen Zhi is already a mom, and Xiao Xiao calls her 'sister' without issue. Yet she insists her son calls our Ice Queen 'auntie'? What’s her problem?"

"Exactly! Our Ice Queen isn’t even married, how is she an 'auntie'?"

"Quit whining. Just look at their faces—Wen Zhi clearly looks younger than your Ice Queen!"

"What did Wen Zhi mean by 'family order'? Are they actually related?"

"Stop making stuff up. What relatives would pretend not to know each other?"

Afraid Wen Zhi might say something inappropriate, Wen Bingchun avoided further conversation for the rest of the ride. The further they drove toward Maitian Village, the bumpier the road became. Halfway there, the bus suddenly broke down.

The production crew tried fixing it for a long time before the director finally admitted defeat. "It’s not far from here to Maitian Village. Each family can head out with their kids. Whoever arrives first gets to pick their room first."

"Oh, and there might be villagers passing by with vehicles. If you can hitch a ride with them, that’s fine too."

The four families were forced to get off the bus. Holding their children’s hands, they stared blankly at the endless, winding dirt road under the scorching sun.

"LMAO, I seriously suspect the production team did this on purpose."

"This episode has so many unexpected twists. The director’s playing dirty—hahaha, I love it!"

"Starting off this strong? Can’t wait to see more. *rubbing hands excitedly*"

"Ugh, poor Lin Jiyao’s suffering. The road looks endless. Adults might manage, but the kids won’t want to walk that far. The crew just wants to see the kids melt down, huh?"

The four of them stood under the shade of a tree for over half an hour, but not a soul in sight, let alone a villager with a vehicle.

Lin Jiyao squinted at the blazing sun before suddenly hoisting his sister up and walking off. Liang Sensen excitedly dragged Liu Yiru forward, their shoes scuffing up dust.

Wen Xiaowen looked at Mu Mu, chin raised high. "I’ll definitely get there before you!"

Mu Mu just said, "Oh," and ignored him.

The pudgy kid immediately stormed off. Wen Bingchun turned to Wen Zhi, who was still standing in place, and asked, "Aren’t you leaving?"

Wen Zhi tilted her sunhat, held a large parasol in her left hand, and somehow produced a fan in her right to cool Mu Mu. Glancing back the way they came, she said, "Too tired. Not moving."

*Did she come back even more high-maintenance?*

Wen Bingchun ignored her and hurried after her brother.

"What’s Wen Zhi’s deal? Everyone else is leaving, but she’s just staying to fry in the sun?"

"Still hoping the bus gets fixed? The production team clearly doesn’t want them riding. Or waiting for a villager’s car? Dream on."

"OMG, are this mom and son duo dumb or what?"

The other three groups of guests were panting as they ran ahead, while Wen Zhi was decked out in gear, sitting under the shade with her son chowing down on watermelon and watching TV.

They looked weirdly chill.

The live stream viewers were dying to light a fire under them in chat.

"Ffs, I just want to see when these two will finally get up!"

"My man Lin Jiyao is already out of sight, and Wen Zhi is still sitting there. How afraid of the sun can she be?!"

"WTF, everyone else is braving the scorching sun while you're so relaxed—hand me my knife!!!"

Just as the audience was going nuts in chat, an ox cart appeared on the road. With every crack of the old farmer's whip, the bell around the ox's neck gave a clear jingle.

Five minutes later, Wen Zhi and Mu Mu were sitting on the ox cart, chowing down on watermelon under an umbrella, catching up to the other three groups.

The chubby kid, exhausted from walking, tried to climb onto the cart, but the old villager stopped him cheerfully, "Hey there, kiddo, if you want a ride on Uncle's cart, you gotta trade something. This little Mu Mu here gave me a bunch of snacks!"

The chubby kid was stunned, and so was Wen Bingchun—what they had just refused weren't just snacks, but tickets for the ride!

Sen Sen quickly pulled out the snacks he got earlier and offered them, "Uncle, I only have two packs of chips left. Can my mom and I ride?"

The old villager shook his head, "Two packs are only enough for one person. How about you ride and leave your mom behind?"

Sen Sen immediately refused, "No, I want to stay with Mom."

Wen Bingchun turned to Wen Zhi, "Didn’t you have a lot of snacks earlier? Share some with us."

"Wait what?" Wen Zhi held her watermelon innocently, "You're the one who said snacks rot kids' teeth? I traded them for watermelon." She even lifted the half-eaten watermelon in her hand for emphasis.

The watermelon had thin skin, thick flesh, and looked juicy and sweet—perfect for quenching thirst in the summer heat.

Wen Bingchun: "..."

God, she's so annoying!

She was starting to suspect Wen Zhi was doing this on purpose, always managing to salt the wound.

"Hahaha, the chubby kid’s resentful glare could kill ICE Beauty right now."

"Every time there’s a twist, ICE Beauty won’t dare refuse Wen Zhi next time."

"LMAO I can't! I keep thinking Wen Zhi is so useless, but I can’t help laughing at her."

Wen Zhi took another bite of watermelon and said to the old villager, "Uncle, can’t you cut some slack? Let the kid’s mom on—she’s small and won’t take up space."

The old villager scoffed, "You think this is city transit with free rides for ankle-biters? My ox needs strength to pull people—rules are rules."

Lin Jiyao stepped forward and hoisted Xiao Xiao onto the cart, handing over two packs of snacks, "Then just my sister rides. Miss Wen, could you please look after Xiao Xiao?"

Liu Yiru also muscled Sen Sen onto the cart, letting the kids go first.

The exhausted chubby kid couldn’t take it anymore and started wailing, throwing a fit for a ride. Wen Bingchun was at her wit's end and turned to Wen Zhi helplessly, "Xiao Zhi, you’re a grown-up. Could you get off and let the four kids ride first?"