Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Mu Mu walked through the hall without glancing sideways and stopped in front of Wen Zhi, holding out the buns. "Mom, are you hungry? The buns are still warm. Have some."

Wen Zhi took the buns and pulled him to the dining table, asking, "Where did you get these?"

Mu Mu answered truthfully, "I went out to exercise this morning. The Village Chief saw me practicing martial arts and wanted me to teach his grandson every day, so he gave me the buns. He even said he’d take care of our breakfast from now on."

Director Fang, holding the task card, was stunned: Crap, how are we gonna deal with this?

Before filming, didn’t the village chief promise to cooperate? Why’s everyone going rogue now?

"Hahaha, Wen Zhi isn’t just winning at the starting line—she’s hit the jackpot!"

"Breakfast is fully covered. It’s cheating if you bring outside help!"

"Ahhh, I didn’t even get to see the little stoic practice martial arts! Quick, give us a demonstration!"

Whatever, leave her to it.

After all, she’s the sponsor’s darling, and they didn’t even charge her for the appearance fee. Being too strict would be excessive.

Director Fang chuckled and said, "Before the parents set off, let’s keep the kids full with the show’s sponsored milk formula. Don’t worry, they won’t go hungry even if you return late."

As soon as he finished speaking, an assistant brought three bottles and started preparing the milk powder in front of the camera.

"Like this—120ml of warm water with four scoops of milk powder. The powder contains probiotics, calcium, iron, zinc, and other nutrients to help with digestion," the assistant advertised while shaking the bottle.

Lin Jiyao, standing by the door, glanced at his sister’s bottle, then stared at Wen Zhi, who acted like nothing was wrong. His gaze grew increasingly complex.

"Hahaha, a total curveball! Wen Zhi is cool as a cucumber!"

"If looks could kill, our Brother Ji would’ve cut Wen Zhi down by now, hahaha!"

"I just want to ask—won’t Xiao Xiao’s stomach hurt from drinking milk this strong?"

"Probably not. Wen Zhi drank it herself too."

The assistant handed the bottles to Wen Xiaowen and Sen Sen, then finally to Mu Mu. Just as Mu Mu was about to shake his head, Wen Zhi grabbed it and pushed it into his hands, coaxing, "Milk makes kids grow big and strong!"

After that, she put on a sweet smile and looked at the other parents. "I’ll watch the kids. Since the milk’s ready, you should hurry up and go."

Director Fang, blindsided by her cutting in, paused before laughing along. "Right, the other parents should get going now."

"Hahaha, Wen Zhi is so busted!"

"She definitely is. If she doesn’t get them out soon, Lin Jiyao might actually kill her."

"Hahaha, saying that might get her roasted by both the Ice Queen and Liu Yiru at the same time."

Lin Jiyao sat his sister down on the couch, instructing her to behave, then shot Wen Zhi a suspicious glance before turning to Mu Mu, who was holding the milk. "Mu Mu, can you help look after Xiao Xiao for a while?"

Mu Mu nodded instinctively.

Wen Zhi: "..."

"Hahaha, not a big deal, but damn, what a burn. Our Brother Ji has fully grasped Wen Zhi’s true nature—she can’t even handle herself, much less kids!"

"Finally, someone realizes it's Mu Mu who's looking after Wen Zhi."

Lin Jiyao walked out with Liu Yiru right behind him. Wen Bingchun glanced at Wen Zhi before quickly catching up to Liu Yiru and cheerfully calling out, "Sister Liu, wait for me!"

Liu Yiru looked surprised. Since their first meeting yesterday, hadn’t Wen Bingchun been trying to get close to Lin Jiyao? Why was she suddenly buddying up to her now?

She asked coolly, "Aren't you going with Ji Yao?"

Wen Bingchun laughed awkwardly, "I'd rather stay with you. There's so much about acting I'd love to learn from Movie Queen Liu."

Liu Yiru chuckled lightly in response, "I haven't acted in years—what acting skills could I possibly have? You youngsters have all the talent these days." With that, she headed off on her own path.

Wen Bingchun stood rooted, putting on a tight smile. What did she mean by "you youngsters have all the talent"? Was there some hidden meaning there?

Wen Bingchun's antifans couldn't take it and started dissing Liu Yiru.

"Even if she's a senior, how can she act like this? Our Ice Beauty was just being nice."

"Exactly! Liu Yiru's been irrelevant for years, yet she still puts on airs. Did her married life turn sour, and now she's taking it out on our Ice Beauty? Don't cry, Ice Beauty, just ignore her."

Liu Yiru's fans immediately fired back.

"Our Sister Liu may be past her prime, but she's still a Movie Queen—way better than some eternal supporting actress!"

"And what’s this about 'married life turning sour'? Which mangy mutt saw that?"

"Anyone with eyes can see it. Before her retirement, Liu Yiru was radiant. Now she’s dull as dishwater—can’t even compare to a nobody like Wen Zhi, let alone our Ice Beauty."

Viewers, annoyed by the bickering, started leaving the livestream and switched to Wen Zhi’s side feed.

The villagers knew celebrities were filming in town, and many elders and children stood by the roadside, gawking curiously. The moment the camera panned their way, the kids would shyly duck away.

Elder Village Chief had announced the morning’s tasks for the crew, and many households had prepared breakfast, waiting for someone to knock on their doors.

Lin Jiyao didn't have much trouble finding a household. He chopped a cartload of firewood in exchange for two bowls of plain porridge and a plate of pickles. Liu Yiru washed a set of bedsheets for four steamed buns. Wen Bingchun had initially planned to sing or paint in exchange for food, but the family weren't impressed by that artsy stuff.

Country folks valued hard work.

In the end, she spent the morning tending a giant stove, ending up covered in soot just to earn a few pancakes.

Meanwhile, Wen Zhi gave each kid a bun before sprawling on the couch with the leftovers, flipping through the book Wen Bingchun had left behind. Four Little Dumplings sat around her on tiny stools.

Completely chill, completely annoying.

"Stuffing her face with buns, reading Ice Beauty’s book, teasing Lin Jiyao’s sister—and the book’s titled *Quality Life Comes from the Details*. How annoying is that?"

"Is this what they call coasting to victory? Suddenly, having a little stickler for a son seems like a blessing!"

"Facepalm. Without comparison, there’s no harm. Next to the other three guests, Wen Zhi’s living the high life."

"Ugh, is this the perk of being a slacker? Kinda jealous now."

"Poster above is a traitor! Weren't we supposed to be antifans? How dare you envy Wen Zhi!"

Soon, a Wen Zhi antifan account posted an edited clip. It showed her sprawled luxuriously on the couch, taking a bite of a bun before cutting to the other three guests toiling miserably—all set to an absurdly viral soundtrack. It made Wen Zhi look like some tyrannical landlord exploiting her three laborers without feeding them.

Outraged, antifans reposted it, rallying the three fanbases to "take her down." Minutes later, the combined forces of antifans and curious stans pushed Wen Zhi to the tail end of the trending list.

#Shocking *Baby! 2* Reveals Heartless Landlady—Brothers, Come Take Her Down!#

Passersby, puzzled, clicked in to watch. First, they were completely stunned by Wen Zhi's beauty, then laughed uncontrollably, with a barrage of sharp comments hidden beneath waves of "hahahaha."

Many followed the trending topic to the live stream, then to the 'Ice Beauty Hardcore Fans' hate page to browse Wen Zhi's past GIFs. As they watched, they were doubled over with laughter at her hilarious antics.

Despite being a hate page, it inexplicably gained a wave of new followers.

In the live monitoring room, an assistant exclaimed in surprise, "Director Fang, none of the other camera angles seem to have as much popularity as Wen Zhi's. It's the first time we've seen viewers both cursing and watching—is this fame or infamy?" Initially, they thought the popular young actor Lin Jiyao would have the highest viewership, but both last night and today, Wen Zhi's segment had the most viewers.

Director Fang stroked his chin and shook his head, "Hard to tell. Whether it's fame or infamy, since the audience wants to see it, let's give her more screen time."

The assistant zoomed in the camera, grinning from ear to ear as he watched.

In the living room, Xiao Wen finished his bun first and immediately picked up a book to read to Xiao Xiao, boasting, "I've read so many books—all these are ones I brought."

"Wow, Xiao Wen has so many books!" Xiao Xiao blinked and asked, "Daddy says a great man is broad-minded. Is Xiao Wen's belly big because he's read so many books?"

Xiao Wen hated when people mentioned his belly. He huffed and walked off.

Xiao Xiao scratched her head and called after him, "Xiao Wen, are you mad?"

Xiao Wen glanced back, stamped his foot, and snorted again, turning his back to them without a word. Xiao Xiao hugged her milk bottle tight, her eyes reddening as she was on the brink of tears.

The mood in the living room instantly soured. Wen Zhi, having just finished her last bun, finally closed her book and clapped her hands enthusiastically, asking, "Kids, how about we play a game?"

Xiao Xiao's attention was immediately diverted. Liang Sensen happily chimed in, "Yes, yes! I love games!"

Xiao Wen finally turned around to stare at Wen Zhi, who took the dictionary from Mu Mu and said gently, "Stop reading—it'll strain your eyes. Let's play a game instead."

Mu Mu reluctantly protested, "Mom, I don’t want to play."

Wen Zhi leaned in and whispered, "Xiao Xiao is about to cry. Won't you cheer her up?"

Xiao Xiao was his good friend. Mu Mu hesitated, then nodded.

Wen Zhi clapped her hands again and began a story: "Once upon a time, there was a little ant who loved hiding the food he found. One day, he couldn’t find his hidden food and burst into tears in panic. His mom told him to think carefully—where did he usually hide his food? The little ant couldn’t remember right away. Can you kids help him think? Where would you hide snacks in your room?"

Xiao Xiao immediately raised her hand, "In my bed! When Mom won’t let me eat snacks, I hide them in my bed."

Sen Sen also raised his hand, "I hide them in the cupboard—don’t snitch to my mom!"

Xiao Wen tilted his chin up smugly, "I don’t need to hide snacks at home. Mom and Dad say I can eat as much as I want."

Wen Zhi turned to Mu Mu, "What about you, Mu Mu?"

Mu Mu blinked at her and suddenly asked, "Mom, are you asking where I hide my snacks?"

Wen Zhi played it cool, "Uh... no, not at all..."

"HAHAHA, is Wen Zhi really this desperate?"

"Little know-it-all is too sharp—he actually guessed it!"

Sen Sen finally caught on and sulked, "Does Mu Mu’s mom want to steal our snacks? You already gave them to us—you can’t take them back!"

Xiao Xiao panicked, clutching her milk bottle as she ran off, "I’m hiding my snacks somewhere else!"

Xiao Wen joined in and bolted to his room, "I’m hiding my toys too!"

Wen Zhi could only sigh, "You little troublemakers..." As if someone like her, who’d tasted the finest foods, would be after their snacks!

She trailed off mid-sentence, her gaze landing on the doorway in surprise.

Drenched in sweat, his clothes torn, Lin Jiyao stood at the entrance holding a bowl of porridge. Behind him were Liu Yiru with soaked pant legs and Wen Bingchun, her face streaked with soot.

They left just fine—what happened?

Wen Zhi stood up and hesitantly asked, "...Did you just come back from working for a landlord?"

Author's Note:

The disheveled trio: Not very harmful, but seriously insulting!

Audience: So pretty—too bad she talks!