Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Yet, Wen Zhi had no desire to satisfy everyone's curiosity.

Her face twisted in distress as she looked at Wen Bingchun and said, "Don’t you care at all that the three of us will go to bed hungry tonight?"

Wen Bingchun’s heart clenched. Just as she was about to speak, Wen Zhi cut in, "Well, Xiao Wen bought leafy greens and tomatoes, so you at least have two dishes."

As if she was making it sound like Wen Bingchun was gloating.

Wronged beyond belief, and noticing the unfriendly looks from Lin Jiyao and Liu Yiru, Wen Bingchun stammered out, "I—I do care—"

Her words were cut off by the sound of hurried footsteps outside.

Before anyone entered, Sen Sen’s voice rang out as he ran, "The dog! The dog is hurt! Mom, the dog is hurt!"

No one in the room paid him any attention—some were searching for the medical kit, while others went to tend to the kids.

Unable to explain herself, Wen Bingchun pressed a hand to her chest, struggling to breathe.

Mu Mu entered with the dog in his arms, and Wen Zhi was already waiting inside with the medical kit.

"Mu Mu, put the dog down. Let’s clean and bandage its wound."

Mu Mu obediently set the dog down, and Wen Zhi began cleaning and bandaging the injury. The little dog stayed docile throughout, its big watery eyes fixed on the child.

Xiao Xiao and Sen Sen huddled around Mu Mu, their little brows furrowed in worry, afraid the dog might be in pain. Meanwhile, Wen Xiaowen stood far away, acting aloof—though his eyes kept darting toward the dog.

Clearly curious, yet so stubborn.

Once the dog was bandaged, Mu Mu held it and murmured apologetically to Wen Zhi, his face full of guilt. "Ms. Wen, I spent all my money on Xiao Hei and didn’t buy any ingredients for dinner..."

Afraid Mu Mu would be scolded, Sen Sen quickly stepped forward to explain, "Ms. Wen, don’t be mad. Mu Mu only bought the dog because it was hurt. I didn’t buy ingredients either."

All eyes turned to Wen Zhi.

"Wen Zhi probably won’t get mad, right?"

"She was so gentle while bandaging the dog—she definitely won’t be mad."

"Ugh, if she gets mad, I’ll unfollow her for sure."

Wen Zhi patted Mu Mu’s head and smiled. "It’s okay. I’m glad you found a new little friend."

Mu Mu still looked worried. "But what about dinner?"

At the mention of dinner, Xiao Xiao froze for a second before finally understanding. She ran over to Lin Jiyao, hugged his leg, and started wailing. "Waaah, brother, I didn’t buy any ingredients either... The cotton candy was too tempting... Waaah, are you mad at me?"

Lin Jiyao’s expression soured. *Only now do you remember?*

Was his sister always this spacey? Were they supposed to eat air?

"Hahaha, Xiao Xiao is too adorable."

"Aside from Wen Bingchun’s group, what are the other three going to do? Are they really going to starve?"

"Probably not. The production team will likely give them some rice—at worst case, they'll make do with porridge."

Mu Mu, Sen Sen, and Xiao Xiao looked crestfallen, while Wen Xiaowen, holding his groceries, was beaming. He ran to Wen Bingchun’s side and exclaimed excitedly, "Sis! We won! They didn’t buy any food—only I did! Am I awesome or what?"

Wow, you're incredible!

Her brother’s book-smart but clueless socially.

Praising him now? That’s just begging for drama.

If she doesn’t say it, Xiao Wen won’t drop it.

Wen Bingchun gritted her teeth: "Great, just *great*!"

A few greens and two tomatoes? Who’s gonna share that without causing drama? If he's so amazing, why didn't he buy more so she could play the good person and invite the other three groups over for dinner? Eating this barely counts as winning.

Sure, they won, but it doesn’t *feel* like a win.

Her chest tightened with frustration again.

Wen Zhi stood up and said to the three kids, "Anyone who didn’t get groceries, come with me. It’s not dark yet—we’ll go dig up some wild greens." Yesterday while harvesting wheat, she’d noticed plenty of wild greens along the ridges.

Liu Yiru looked her up and down in surprise. "You can *identify* wild greens?" Grew up an orphan, life was hard—still never learned wild greens.

Lin Jiyao came from a wealthy family—he couldn’t name basic veggies, much less wild ones.

Wen Zhi said confidently, "I do. I ate them for half a month once, and later I even studied the *Shennong Herbal Classic*. Back when I was stranded in the wild, starving, I ate all kinds of wild fruits and greens."

Everyone in the room was shocked.

Eating wild greens? Studying the *Shennong Herbal Classic*?

How bad did she have it?

"Wen Zhi really must’ve been poor if she’s eaten wild vegetables."

"What kinda image is ‘lazy, greedy, and whiny’ supposed to be?"

"Studying the *Shennong Herbal Classic*? Was she scared of poisoning herself—or testing poisons on someone else? I’m getting more and more confused about Wen Zhi."

"She’s full of it. I’m from the countryside, and even I don’t know wild greens. How could Wen Zhi, at her age, recognize them no matter how poor she was? She’s just trying to build this modern, resilient, independent woman persona, using hardship to win sympathy. Just wait—once she gets famous, she’ll start cashing in."

"Trolls, scram! Other celebrities might have idol images to maintain, but Zhi-jie keeps it 100. What y’all Gardenias stan this?"

"Damn, since when are greed, laziness, and fear of hardship noble traits? And y’all Gardenias proud of that?"

As the comments exploded, Wen Zhi had already picked up a basket, gathered the three kids, and headed for the fields.

Liu Yiru, holding the puppy, asked Lin Jiyao worriedly, "...Does Wen Zhi really know wild greens?"

Lin Jiyao: "...She’s kinda sketchy."

Wen Bingchun kindly suggested, "I could whip up a giant pot of veggie porridge to get through dinner?"

Wen Xiaowen pouted unhappily. "Rules are rules! I bought the veggies—you can’t just do that, sis."

Wen Bingchun tried to educate him. "Xiao Wen, like Kong Rong yielding the pears—"

Wen Xiaowen retorted, "Last time I gave in, and you *made* me eat bitter melon with mustard!"

"Hahaha, the little chub’s got jokes now!"

"The little chubby’s so selfish, only caring about himself. Being a food hog’s not cute."

"Don’t morally blackmail those upstairs—competitions should have winners and losers. Sharing is kindness, but not sharing doesn’t make Xiao Wen stingy."

Wen Bingchun felt awkward and gave Liu Yiru and Lin Jiyao an apologetic smile.

Liu Yiru said, “Don’t pressure Xiao Wen. You don’t have much to begin with. If we don’t find any wild greens, plain rice porridge will do.”

Lin Jiyao added, “I’m just worried they might dig up something poisonous.”

The room fell silent for a second—that was a real possibility.

Fearing their idols might get poisoned, viewers flocked to Wen Zhi’s livestream, scrutinizing her wild green digging with hawk-like focus.

Wen Zhi led the kids through the fields, first identifying three types of wild greens. She carefully explained, “Pay attention. The first one is wild garlic—long, green leaves with a white bulb at the root. Stir-fry it with oil, and it’s delicious. The second is houttuynia cordata (fish mint), with big round leaves and dark red veins. We need to dig up its roots for a crunchy cold salad. The third is purslane, common on the ridges. Stir-fried, it clears heat and detoxifies. Now, each of you take one wild green as a reference. Dig them up and show me—let’s see who’s the best!”

Xiao Xiao, basket in hand, was thrilled. “If I dig the most, can pretty lady kiss me?”

Wen Zhi smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

Xiao Xiao grabbed the purslane sample and dashed off. Sen Sen, not wanting to fall behind, snatched the wild garlic and followed. Mu Mu took the houttuynia cordata and started digging in the dirt.

The setting sun bathed the fields and Wen Zhi’s profile as she took a deep breath, flashed a bright smile at the camera, and marveled at the fresh air. Then she pulled out a cushion from her basket, settled comfortably on the ridge, and fanned herself while admiring the sunset.

The kids ran back excitedly with each wild green they dug up, asking, “Did I get it right?”

Wen Zhi lazily glanced over. “Nope, not that one—ah, that’s it!”

“Wow, Xiao Xiao’s so good!”

“Sen Sen’s so smart!”

“Keep digging, Mu Mu!”

Her leisurely demeanor was infuriatingly relaxed.

Soon, three baskets were filled with wild greens.

“Damn, knew Wen Zhi was a piece of work—she didn’t even dig wild greens herself!”

“Hahaha, digging wild greens? Not in a million years for our Sister Zhi!”

“LOL, the kids are absolutely thrilled though.”

“Just when I thought Wen Zhi changed her ways, she’s just putting the kids to work.”

“You don’t get it—Sister Zhi’s teaching them self-reliance skills and how to identify edible plants. How knowledgeable of her!”

“Have you no shame, gardenias? This time, would you believe it?”

On the way back, Wen Zhi pointed out familiar wild greens and herbs, weaving in anecdotes. The kids listened intently, chiming in with questions now and then—leaving viewers stunned by her knowledge.

“Is Wen Zhi even reliable? Or is she spouting nonsense?”

“She might not be the most reliable, but probably not about this.”

"Exactly, even Mu Mu is paying close attention."

The audience started playing detective, screenshotting and zooming in on every plant she dug up, cross-referencing with materials, and even consulting friends studying agriculture or medicine: "Is this XX wild vegetable?"

The answers were all affirmative.

"WTF, is this still Wen Zhi?"

"So the real experts just talk the talk without walking the walk? Feels like Wen Zhi is playing possum to trick everyone."

"Enough already, Zhi stans, stop bragging. Lazy is lazy—what’s the point of being clever?"

"What do you mean, 'what’s the point'? Isn’t laziness the very driver of human progress? Wen Zhi’s earned her laziness by her own skills and doesn’t bother anyone."

"Haters, scram! If you don’t like it, leave. You got issues yet still watching Sister Zhi—what’s wrong with you?"

The antifans went from frustrated to full-on troll mode.

"Hey, we’ll watch anyway."

"We’ll keep staring at Wen Zhi—so what if we nitpick?"

F*ck, even the antifans felt they were being ridiculous!

A day without Wen Zhi left them feeling antsy.

Unconsciously, their insults had lost most of their malice, turning into teasing, amusement—laughing while cursing.

Don’t ask. Just know: Wen Zhi’s addictive!

Wen Zhi led the three kids back to the living room, where Liu Yiru quickly put down Xiao Hei and came over to inspect the foraged greens. Wen Bingchun and Lin Jiyao had to check it out too. The production team had even invited an elderly villager to verify the findings.

After confirming all the foraged greens were edible, everyone looked at Wen Zhi differently.

No way, is this still Wen Zhi?

Under their stares, Wen Zhi got squirmy and quickly said, "Don’t look at me—I foraged the greens, but I won’t cook them."

Lin Jiyao: "I can help wash them."

Liu Yiru: "..."

"Fine, I’ll reluctantly step up." Tossing these weeds like stir-fry couldn’t be that hard.

Half an hour later, Wen Zhi, Liu Yiru, and Lin Jiyao—the three parents—ate foraged greens and porridge with the kids, while Wen Bingchun and her brother had greens and tomato rice.

Technically their meal was superior, but Wen Xiaowen still couldn’t shake the weird feeling.

Just like Wen Bingchun’s sentiment: like a hollow victory.

Such BS.

Xiao Xiao, who usually hated vegetables, was going ham on foraged greens, spouting facts while eating mouthfuls, "Brother, this is purslane—clears heat and detoxifies. Eat it and you’ll become prettier."

"And the fish mint Mu Mu dug up—so crispy and delicious! Let’s take Mom to dig some when we go home."

Sen Sen bragged, "I dug the wild garlic! Boosts circulation—so fragrant! Mom, you have to try it!"

Lin Jiyao and Liu Yiru were flabbergasted: how did their kids come back from one trip with Wen Zhi not only free of picky eating but also spouting encyclopedic facts?

Who knew Wen Zhi had a knack for teaching?

The two parents suddenly decided the wild greens weren’t half bad.

Crunching noises filled the room as Wen Xiaowen drooled over the food, regretting his earlier stubbornness.

But since he’d already spoken up, he had to stick to his guns, even while drooling.

After dinner, Mu Mu dragged over an empty box that had held spicy jerkies and used it to build a doghouse, with Sen Sen helping nearby. Soon, a neat little doghouse was set up in the corner of the room, and Mu Mu gave Xiao Hei some porridge.

Xiao Hei wolfed it down like he hadn’t eaten in days.

Mu Mu stroked Xiao Hei’s round head, eyes shining with happiness. After a while, he turned to Sen Sen and said, "Thank you, Sen Sen. When I have money, I’ll definitely pay you back the 20 yuan."

Sen Sen grinned, revealing a missing tooth. "It’s fine, you don’t have to. You saved me, after all."

Mu Mu insisted, "A gentleman always pays his debts."

"Really?" Sen Sen thought for a moment, then brightened. "Then, can you tutor me instead?"

Mu Mu tilted his head. "Tutoring?"

Sen Sen nodded. "My mom hires tutors for me, and she pays 500 bucks a session. If I study with you every night, can that count as repayment?"

"Mu Mu’s the best—he looks after everyone, knows martial arts, studies well, and even made bank selling lotus seedpods. If I study with him, I’ll get better too!"

Mu Mu nodded seriously. "Okay."

And so, while Wen Zhi sprawled out like a sloth, the two kids grinded away on camera. By the time Wen Zhi finished an episode of TV, they were still studying. After she played two rounds of games, they were still at it. Even after their moms conked out, the two remained buried in their books.

Wen Zhi, for once, actually felt kinda guilty and turned her back to the kids.

On screen, Mu Mu poked Sen Sen, who was barely keeping his eyes open, and earnestly advised, "Success is all about sticking with it. Come on, let’s read this English passage one more time."

Sen Sen zoned out, looking like he wanted to die, appearing utterly miserable on the livestream.

Viewers couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

"Hahaha, truly the Grind King! Sen Sen must regret this so much he wants to cry."

"Proof that this little hardass isn’t ordinary—he’s about to drag his buddy to the top."

"At this rate, Wen Zhi will be able to kick back and relax soon."

"Mu Mu studies every day, and here I am watching the livestream every night. I’m so called out right now—help!"

"Hahaha, just look at Wen Zhi sleeping without a care—then you won’t feel bad."

"LMAO, ruthless!"

Wen Zhi, half-asleep, woke up to Liu Yiru’s face right in hers, nearly scaring her to death.

Liu Yiru smiled apologetically and pointed at the two kids.

Wen Zhi glanced over—under the lamplight, Mu Mu was still studying, while Sen Sen bobbed his head like a sleepy chicken, fighting to keep his eyes open.

The clock hit 12.

Wen Zhi frowned. "Why are you two still up?"

Liu Yiru pointed toward the balcony again, and Wen Zhi understood, putting on her slippers to follow her outside.

The night sky was dotted with countless stars as the two stood side by side, looking back into the room.

Liu Yiru sighed helplessly, "I already tried reasoning with them. Sen Sen said he won’t sleep unless Mu Mu does. You should go tell Mu Mu to rest."

Wen Zhi: "……" She had tried several times before. Even if she managed to coax him to bed, he'd just get back up to study once she fell asleep.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The handful of sleepy viewers still in the livestream were startled awake, only to see Mu Mu already rushing to answer it.

Viewers wondered—who'd be coming by this late?

The door swung open, and a tall man wearing a mask and gold-rimmed glasses stepped inside quickly. The chat blew up instantly.

"Ahhhh! Who is this man?"

"Is it who I think it is?"

"Creep, get out of here!"

The man’s gaze swept across the room before landing on Sen Sen, who was passed out at the desk. Without hesitation, he walked over and picked him up.

At first, Mu Mu assumed he was a staff member, but then he suddenly became suspicious. "Who are you? Put Sen Sen down!" he shouted.

Startled awake by the yell, Sen Sen began flailing to get loose.

The audience went on high alert.

"What the hell, is he a kidnapper? Here to kidnap kids?"

"This is a TV set—what kind of kidnapper would be dumb enough to pull this here?"

"Maybe it’s a prank by the production team?"

"All the other guests have ended their streams. They wouldn’t just target Wen Zhi."

"Maybe even the crew can't take how hard Mu Mu's pushing himself and wants to scare him."

"Damn, if that’s really the case, I’m gonna curse out the production team. Who scares kids like that?"

The situation got more and more suspicious as the man ignored Sen Sen’s struggles, pushed past Mu Mu, and headed straight for the door.

"Is he really a kidnapper? Quick, call the police!"

"Is the production team dead or what?"

"They already had a safety issue during the day, and now they can’t even handle security at night?"

Before anyone could dial emergency services, Mu Mu shouted angrily and charged straight at the man’s back. Staggering from the impact, the man loosened his grip, allowing Sen Sen to wriggle free.

"You brat—" The man snarled, steadying himself before reaching for Sen Sen again. But Mu Mu grabbed his arm—

And flipped him onto his back in a perfect judo throw.

Everything happened too fast. By the time Wen Zhi and Liu Yiru rushed into the room, the man was lying on the floor, his glasses knocked aside as he moaned in pain.

The little black dog limped in circles around him, barking wildly.

Mu Mu bravely stood in front of Sen Sen and said, "Mom, a bad guy tried to grab Sen Sen."

The man groaned, pulled off his mask, and fumbled to put his glasses back on.

Liu Yiru exclaimed in surprise, "It's you?"

Sen Sen also shouted in shock, "Dad!"

Mu Mu blinked and retreated toward Wen Zhi, as if realizing he'd done something wrong.

Footsteps pounded up the stairs as the staff arrived late, shouting while running, "Ms. Liu, your husband is here—" The voice cut off abruptly when they saw the man lying on the floor, clearly in pain.

"Holy crap, this is Liu Yiru’s husband? Word was she married some big-shot outsider, but this guy doesn’t look like a tycoon at all."

"Who sneaks around at night to kidnap a kid?"

The man clutched the back of his head as he got up, smoothing his suit jacket. Standing straight, he scolded, "Didn’t I say earlier I was taking Sen Sen back?" He hadn’t wanted to argue—just take Sen Sen first and call Liu Yiru afterward.

Liu Yiru frowned. "And I told you, if you dared to come, we’re done."

Not this again!

Furious, the man—unaware the late-night livestream was still running—snapped, "You promised to retire, but you came back without even discussing it. Now you’re turning Sen Sen into some child star? You can’t even guarantee his safety—after what happened today, my mother had a heart attack and is still in the hospital. No matter what, he’s coming home with me tonight. The Liangs are a respected intellectual family—how shameful is it to put him on display?"

The commotion upstairs grew louder. Director Fang, alerted to the situation, rushed up with other staff. Lin Jiyao and Wen Bingchun, woken by the noise, followed in confusion.

Pointing at Mu Mu, the man continued, "He’d be better off raised by his grandfather than grow up around such a rude kid." His back still ached from the earlier throw. "I won’t let him be corrupted."

The room was now packed, completely humiliating Liu Yiru in front of everyone.

Her expression turned stormy, while Wen Zhi nearly laughed in anger—her son Mu Mu was literally royalty, and this pretentious has-been aristocrat dared to publicly insult him?

The audience gasped at his vicious rant.

"Damn, A-lister Liu’s husband has zero respect for her, saying all that in front of everyone."

"No wonder she seemed exhausted after her comeback—married to such an arrogant jerk."

"He looks refined but talks in veiled insults. What era is he living in, still using the damn word ‘entertainers’?"

Sen Sen shouted angrily, "Dad, you can’t talk about Mu Mu like that! He’s my best friend!"

The man rubbed his temples—he hadn’t meant it—he was just too pissed to think straight.

The disdain in his eyes cut deep. Liu Yiru’s voice turned icy. "Liang Yi, one more word and I’m filing for divorce."

"Divorce?" He looked stunned. "Are you insane? You’d rather be a divorced single mom and a laughingstock? Think about your image!" He reached for Sen Sen again.

Wen Zhi had heard enough. Pulling Sen Sen behind her, she said lazily, "What’s wrong with being a divorced single mom? I’m a widow and thriving! A ‘scholarly family’ clearly didn’t teach you any manners, you gold-digging hypocrite!"

The room exploded.

The staff and audience had been starved for drama, and Wen Zhi had just dropped it like a mic without warning.

Wen Bingchun, watching from the doorway, thought, *Does she ever read the room?*

Since when is widowhood a flex?

"Ahhhh, celebrate! Wen Zhi’s back on the market!"

"I always said Wen Zhi's husband was trash, look how happy that loser Wen is."

"Shocking, is this human nature twisted or morality bankrupt? Being happy about becoming a widow?"

"Stop stop stop, you're missing the point here! Shouldn't we be paying attention to Movie Queen Liu and her husband?"

Liang Yi had been too focused on arguing to notice Wen Zhi earlier. Now, taking a closer look, his eyes lit up with appreciation. The harsh words on his tongue were swallowed back, and he said sternly, face hardening, "My matters with Yiru are none of your business."

Liu Yiru stared at Wen Zhi.

So what if she was divorced with a child? So what if her child had no father? Wen Zhi lived with far more freedom than she did.

The suffocating anger in her chest suddenly dissipated.

The affection of the past, the sweetness of marriage—all had long been worn away by six years of oppressive marriage.

Tonight’s scene was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

Liu Yiru turned her gaze to the man and solemnly declared, "Liang, let’s get a divorce!"

It was clear she was serious. The room fell silent.

Liang adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, his eyelids lowering. "Yiru, don’t make a scene."

Liu Yiru retorted, "I’m not making a scene. The divorce papers were actually drafted long ago—I just couldn’t bring myself to make the decision." She took a deep breath. "Today, in front of the entire country watching, I solemnly announce—we’re getting divorced. My assistant will deliver the papers to you tomorrow."

Liang was stunned. "The entire country watching?" He turned his head, scanning the room, and when he saw the flickering live broadcast camera, his face darkened instantly.

Earlier downstairs, the staff had clearly told him the broadcast was off.

So everything he’d just said and done had been aired live?

He quickly put on a mask and reached out to yank Liu Yiru, trying to pull her away. "Let’s talk about this at home."

Wen Zhi stepped between them. "Liang, have some decency."

Liang’s face paled. He knew his wife—once she made a decision, she would never turn back, just like when she had resolutely married him, retired from acting, had a child, and used all her savings to support him.

Words spoken live on air could not be taken back.

She was determined to divorce.

"If we divorce, Sen Sen stays with the Liang family. You had no job during the marriage, so you won't get a single cent of the assets." As long as she agreed, the entire nation could bear witness.

Liu Yiru let out a bitter laugh. "No job? No assets at all?"

"Wen Zhi!"

With just one look, Wen Zhi caught on immediately and walked over to shut off the live broadcast.

Viewers in the live chat erupted in curses.

"Damn it, a divorce showdown—what’s there to hide? Wen Zhi can't keep her hands to herself!"

"Ahhhhhh, I’m dying to see Movie Queen Liu tear that scumbag apart!"

"Can some kind soul please restart the live stream? I'm begging here!"

After shutting off the broadcast, Wen Zhi escorted the two children and the little black pup outside, preparing to close the door. Director Fang was alarmed. "What are you doing? We live under the rule of law—don’t let this escalate."

Wen Zhi said lightly, "What’s the worst that could happen? Not exactly great having an audience for a marital spat, is it?"

The door slammed shut.

Outside, Director Fang’s gut told him something wasn’t right: What was Wen Zhi even doing in there during their fight?

Just as Director Fang was about to knock, the door shuddered from a heavy impact, followed by a man's scream and Liu Yiru’s blistering curses.

"I had no job? Who was it that made me quit acting? Who swore they’d provide for me forever?"

More screams followed.

"And what happened? You blew through my life’s savings without a single receipt. You looked down on me for being an orphan, for lacking education, for being in the public eye... Your mother could find fault with everything. All those sweet promises were just lies. Wen Zhi was right—you're a phoenix man, relying on women yet looking down on them."

"I raised Sen Sen all by myself. Why should I give him to you?"

Liu Yiru debuted at fifteen and had earned at least hundreds of millions over a decade, with multiple properties to her name—and her husband drained it all?

Dared call her a mere actress!

That insulted everyone on the production team.

That bastard had it coming.

Director Fang clapped his hands. "Everyone, go back to sleep. We’re live again tomorrow." He led the crew downstairs, side-eyeing his assistant along the way.

The assistant played clueless. "He said he was Movie Queen Liu's husband..." Besides, Liu’s manager warned them he was coming.

Director Fang still looked displeased, so the assistant quickly added, "Director Fang, viewership blew up, and the show is trending again—two hashtags this time." She opened Weibo and handed him her phone.

Director Fang glanced at it.

Weibo's top trending hashtag: #Baby! Liu Yiru Announces Divorce#, and fifth place: #Wen Zhi Widowed#.

Fans were scratching their heads: What’s the connection between Liu Yiru’s divorce and Wen Zhi being widowed? Why does every guest’s trending topic have to involve Wen Zhi?

Did Liu Yiru divorce for Wen Zhi’s sake?

What kind of crackpot theory is that?

Just as Director Fang was about to look away, another clip shot up the charts, climbing higher with each refresh.

"Wen Zhi knowingly plays the other woman, fighting a phoenix man for Movie Queen Liu." He scrolled further. "Posted by—Ice Beauty loyal fan."

Everyone turned to Wen Bingchun, who stood outside the door, deer-in-headlights confused.

Director Fang clicked into the video. In it, Liu Yiru told the man, "Let's divorce," and the man reached to grab her. Wen Zhi stepped between them, ice in her stare. "Mr. Liang, have some dignity."

The man’s eyes bulged with rage as he tried to shove her. The scene cut to him crashing to the floor, his fancy glasses skittering across the floor, clutching his stomach in agony at Wen Zhi’s feet.

Wen Zhi just grinned down at him.

Then came a black screen, distant screams playing on loop.

The editor had rearranged the sequence, spliced the dialogue, and even added muffled screams from the living room.

Masterfully edited.

Classic Wen Zhi antifan move—clickbait gold.

If it weren’t for everyone witnessing the whole scene firsthand, they might have believed this nonsense.

Comments kept pouring in from below.

“No way, is the Liu-OJ pairing real?”

“After just a few days together, has our Movie Queen Liu been swept off her feet by our Sister Zhi's stunning looks?”

“Hahaha, Wen Zhi is universally crush-worthy!”

“Does Gardenia have no conscience? Wen Zhi knowingly became the other woman, wrecked a family, and still has the nerve to smile.”

Fans of Wen Zhi and Liu Yiru couldn’t stand it and started firing back.

“Antifans are talking trash without even watching the live stream. Movie Queen Liu had already prepared the divorce papers before the show started—what does that have to do with our Sister Zhi?”

“The Liu-OJ pairing was just a joke—don’t read too much into it.”

“Our Sister Zhi was clearly standing up for someone—how is that knowingly becoming the other woman?”

“‘Ice Beauty’s diehard fan’ posted a misleading video. We demand an apology and urge the platform to ban the account.”

The two sides argued fiercely, quickly sending the video viral as it hit #1 on the trending list.

After internal discussions, the *Baby!* production team unanimously decided: let the bullets fly a while longer.

That night, Liang Yi, badly beaten, was sent by the production team to the nearest town.

At 5 a.m., the official blog of "Liang Technology Co., Ltd." posted several photos of Liang Yi’s bruised face, captioned: "During my marriage, I fulfilled my duties as a husband, caring for my wife and son. My wife, Liu Yiru, subjected me to constant emotional neglect throughout our marriage, and tonight, over the smallest argument, she teamed up with Wen Zhi to assault me. Legal notices have been issued, demanding the show’s production team, Liu Yiru, and Wen Zhi terminate their collaboration and apologize. Violent stars shouldn't have a platform."

Afterwards, sporadic posts emerged showing Liu Yiru playing hostess at business drinking parties during her hiatus from acting.

The insults and online hate came flooding in, pushing both Liu Yiru and Wen Zhi onto the trending list as targets of relentless attacks.

Liang Yi was clearly determined to go nuclear.

Early in the morning, Wen Bingchun, seeing the trending topics, breathed a sigh of relief: Thankfully, Liu Yiru had ignored her earlier overtures—otherwise, she would now be facing the same smear campaign.

It would be even better if Wen Zhi could be driven off the show by the backlash.

But before she could revel in her satisfaction, Director Fang hit her with a bombshell: When Wen Zhi invested in the show, the production team, fearing she might back out, had included a clause stating, "Under no circumstances may the investment be withdrawn, and both the investor and Mu Mu must complete the recording of the first season." This clause applied to both sides.

In other words—the investor couldn’t be replaced.

Wen Bingchun: "..." Wanted to scream profanities.

If she couldn’t be replaced, then she’d just have to be dragged through the mud.

At 6 a.m., Liu Yiru fired back with a lengthy expose, exposing years of bank transfers to Liang Yi and household expense records totaling a staggering 600 million yuan, along with the sale of three properties under her name to cover deficits in Liang Yi’s company.

Business records were also released proving Liang Yi’s presence at those events.

Soon after, audio clips surfaced of Liang Yi belittling Liu Yiru in various settings.

The scandalized audience was outraged: A gold-digging phoenix man had milked Movie Queen Liu for money and then shamelessly turned on her.

Liu Yiru doubled down, sharing a divorce agreement and issuing a stern statement: "During an argument between Mr. Liang and myself last night, we came to blows, and Wen Zhi was inadvertently involved—she is entirely innocent. @Liang Technology Co. Ltd. @IceBeautyUltraFan, both of you must issue a public apology to Wen Zhi immediately, or face legal action."

Liang Yi, sporting a face full of bruises, lay on his hospital bed, fuming: If Wen Zhi was innocent, then where did his injuries come from?

At worst he's still a man, so how'd he get his ass kicked by a woman?

The court of public opinion instantly turned on Liang Yi. His attempt to gain an advantage backfired, and he was dragged until he had to go offline. The official Weibo account of "Liangshi Technology Co., Ltd." was straight up deleted.

Soon, the audience locked onto "Ice Beauty's Diehard Fan," demanding an apology.

"‘Ice Beauty's Diehard Fan,’ quit ghosting everyone and come out to apologize!"

"I used to think your edited videos were fun, but this one is total BS—so twisted from the truth. You must apologize!"

"Our Sister Zhi was just standing up for what's right. Apologize!"

"Wen Bingchun, rein in your fans. As a fellow guest, Wen Zhi acted so righteously, yet not only did you not help, you even allowed your fans to slander her."

Half the fans defected to Wen Zhi's side.

With "Ice Beauty's Diehard Fan" refusing to come forward, Wen Zhi and Liu Yiru's fans @'ed Wen Bingchun, hoping she would intervene and make her fan apologize.

Minding her own business when suddenly—boom—drama landed in her lap.

Wen Bingchun never expected the backlash to land in her lap. Since when is she responsible for her fans' mess?

The more she had once delighted in having a diehard fan, the more she now suspected this person was actually an antifan.

Yet, she couldn’t just ignore it.

Pissed off but powerless, she posted on Weibo: "Deeply sorry for my fan's actions. Have privately messaged 'Ice Beauty's Diehard Fan' to delete the video. @Wen Zhi @Liu Yiru, bowing (puppy eyes.jpg)."

She also attached a group photo of all four guest teams when they first joined the show.

However, radio silence from both.

Cue the awkward silence.

Seeing her idol being ignored, the previously silent "Ice Beauty's Diehard Fan" angrily went to Wen Zhi’s Weibo to talk trash in the comments.

Wen Bingchun was seeing red and privately messaged the fan: "I really appreciate your support, but could you think about the consequences before acting? Please delete the latest video."

"Ice Beauty's Diehard Fan" was salty but complied and obediently deleted the video.

Many people began side-eyeing.

"Is 'Ice Beauty's Diehard Fan' actually Wen Bingchun’s alt account?"

"Seems like she didn’t get along with Wen Zhi in the show either."

In the end, Liu Yiru got more clout, Wen Zhi gained a massive fan boost, and the show's ratings soared.

The only one left wounded was Wen Bingchun.

Fuming internally, she thought: Wen Zhi's like karma—always comes back to bite her!

The worst part? Wen Zhi was dead to the world, completely unaware of the online storm that raged all night.