Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Damn, it really is mushroom poisoning! Who was the jinx that said the mushrooms were toxic earlier?"

"Oh no, I hope our dear Ji Yao-gege is okay. The production team is so unreliable. A wholesome parenting show turned into a survival nightmare with constant chaos."

"Why pin this on Sister Zhi? Wen Bingchun was the one who picked the mushrooms."

"Ice Beauty meant well when cooking. No one wanted this. It was Wen Zhi who suggested Xiao Xiao feed them to her brother."

"Is she trying to kill Ji Yao?"

"Well, it was Xiao Xiao who insisted on giving them to her brother."

"Ughhh, if it weren’t for Xiao Xiao being protective of her food, everyone would be passed out cold by now."

The comments were exploding, and even bystanders couldn’t take it anymore.

"Stop arguing! The most important thing right now is saving Lin Jiyao, isn’t it? Mushroom poisoning can cause liver and kidney damage if untreated for too long."

Fans were freaking out.

The next second, someone shouted, "The doctor went to town this afternoon and won’t be back until tomorrow!"

The room descended into chaos. Director Fang panicked, "Call now! Get the doctor back immediately!" Poisoning was serious business, especially when it involved Lin Jiyao.

As a top star with an old-money family, if anything happened to him, the production team wouldn’t survive the fallout.

"What do we do? What do we do?"

"Sedate him, quick!"

Director Fang and a few crew members tried to pull him away, urging, "Ji Yao, wake up! The rabbit isn’t real—it’s the toxins!"

But Lin Jiyao only believed what he saw: "Her tail is still moving!" And behind her, more and more bunny monsters with bloody maws and sharp teeth were scurrying around, trying to bite everyone.

Frustrated that no one believed him, he was nearly crying.

"Run! Xiao Xiao, run! All of you, run!"

"I’ve got the big rabbit! You all run—don’t worry about me!"

"Wuuuuh, our Ji Yao-gege is so good. Putting himself in harm’s way, still yelling for his sister to run. If anyone says he doesn’t love her, I’ll throw hands!"

"This is his truest self. Lin Jiyao might seem cold, but he’s actually so responsible. You see a person’s character in critical moments."

"Not the right time, but I can’t help laughing, hahahaha. It’s heartbreaking yet hilarious. Lin Jiyao’s mystique is shattered for me now."

"Nooo, how can you laugh at a time like this? Our Ji Yao-gege is suffering!"

"Nooo, if he doesn’t let go soon, Sister Zhi is going to be shaken unconscious by Lin Jiyao."

Wen Zhi’s legs were tightly gripped, and no matter how much the crew tried to reason with him, Lin Jiyao refused to let go, screaming for everyone to run.

Wen Zhi teetered dangerously, feeling like she might crash face-first into the glass at any moment.

Mu Mu wanted to help pull him away, but Liu Yiru quickly held him back. "Mu Mu, stay back. Let the grown-ups deal with it."

Wen Zhi sighed deeply. Back in the Great Yong, many called her a foxy seductress. Who knew she’d end up a damn rabbit monster here?

Live in front of the whole country.

She looked down: If this wasn't stopped, Lin Jiyao would probably be mortified when he woke up.

Just as everyone was in a panicked frenzy, Wen Zhi quickly inserted a silver needle into the back of his neck with precision.

Lin Jiyao, who had been screaming in terror moments ago, his eyes rolled back as he collapsed right into Director Fang's arms.

Director Fang stared wide-eyed: "You knocked him out?"

Her movements had been too fast, and amid the chaos, everyone thought she karate-chopped him unconscious.

"It didn’t look like she knocked him out to me. Useless Wen barely touched him and didn’t use any force."

"Don’t get hung up on the details. I just want to know how Ji Yao is doing. Is knocking him out directly okay? Shouldn’t the toxins be cleared? Could there be side effects? Where’s the doctor? Has the doctor arrived yet?"

"Useless Wen looks delicate, but she sure hits hard."

Wen Zhi stood there, her feet sore: "Why are you all standing around? Hurry up and carry him to a room. First, feed him some salt water to induce vomiting."

Everyone sprang into action, quickly carrying Lin Jiyao away to induce vomiting. Wen Zhi calmly directed the entire process until Lin Jiyao regained consciousness and the doctor arrived, at which point everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Jiyao lay pale on the bed. The doctor started an IV drip and said, "The poisoning isn’t severe. Fortunately, vomiting was induced in time. After a good night’s sleep, he’ll mostly recover." He then turned to Wen Zhi and asked, "Miss Wen, have you studied medicine?"

Wen Zhi nodded: "Just picked up some basics." She had studied pharmacology and acupuncture.

There was no choice—the palace was a cutthroat place. Learning some life-saving skills was a necessity.

After this incident, everyone’s gaze toward Wen Zhi changed, now with new respect.

"You handled it well," the doctor praised before turning to Director Fang. "Everyone, disperse. At least let Ji Yao rest properly tonight."

The staff helped turn off the live broadcast in Lin Jiyao’s room, and the others gradually returned to their own rooms to rest. Wen Bingchun hesitated, glancing at Lin Jiyao several times, but Wen Zhi simply took Mu Mu and left.

She hadn’t been upstairs for long when Xiao Xiao appeared at her door, eyes red and clutching a pink stuffed rabbit.

The sight of the stuffed rabbit made Wen Zhi uneasy, but she still pulled the girl inside and asked what was wrong. The little girl wailed, "Brother... brother said he doesn’t want to see me... Waaah... It’s all my fault he got sick... Waaah... Is brother going to die? I’m so scared!"

Wen Zhi thought: Lin Jiyao must be totally humiliated.

She patted the girl’s head. "Brother isn’t feeling well. He probably just wants to rest properly. He won’t die."

Xiao Xiao blinked. "Really?"

Mu Mu nodded. "Really. My mom had to get fluids before, and now she’s fine."

Only then did the little girl believe it. After a pause, she started wailing again. "Waaah... Brother doesn’t want me anymore. He doesn’t want me!"

"Brother said seeing me makes him sad."

"Waaah... Miss, can you go and comfort him for me? I’ll never be naughty again, never make him angry again... Waaah..."

The crying was giving Wen Zhi a headache. She patted Mu Mu and said, "You comfort her first. I’ll go downstairs to check on him." She might as well apologize—after all, she was the one who told Xiao Xiao to give Lin Jiyao the pink mushroom.

At the same time, downstairs, Wen Bingchun kept pacing until even Wen Xiaowen grew impatient. Finally, she hesitantly opened the door and went to apologize to Lin Jiyao.

The door was slightly ajar. As she approached, she heard Lin Jiyao’s voice full of humiliation and anger from inside.

"I don’t care. Who told you to sign me up for this reality show behind my back? You want me to be nice? How am I supposed to be nice? Anyway, count me out for the next episode. Is that chump change something I can’t afford to pay back or something?"

"Comrade Lin and Ms. Zhen don’t want their daughter anymore, what should I do?"

She hesitated for a few seconds before knocking on the door. The voices inside abruptly stopped, and soon a habitually cold and indifferent voice responded, "Come in."

The door opened, and Lin Jiyao’s expression darkened further upon seeing her. He asked irritably, "What do you want?"

Wen Bingchun stammered, "Ji, Ji Yao, I’m sorry. I cooked the mushrooms for a long time today, but I don’t know why they were still raw."

Lin Jiyao leaned against the headboard, his face pale and grim, his phone resting beside him.

Just a minute ago, he had been hit with his second trending hashtag: #LinJiyaoPoisonedByMushroomsClingsToWenZhi’sLeg#.

Clicking on it nearly made him pass out.

Some comments expressed sympathy for him, while others were filled with laughter.

After living for over twenty years, he had lost all dignity and pride.

From now on, whenever the national audience saw his face, they would remember his terrified screams while clinging to Wen Zhi’s leg.

VB had already produced batch after batch of memes.

Just thinking about it made him want to crawl in a hole!

At this moment, Lin Jiyao didn’t want to see Xiao Xiao, much less Wen Bingchun.

"Did you give the mushrooms to Xiao Xiao?"

Wen Bingchun’s face was as pale as his. "...Yes. I, I heard Xiao Zhi tell Xiao Xiao to use the red onion mushroom to win you over, so I offered it."

"I, I saw Xiao Xiao searching for a long time and couldn’t find any..."

"Xiao Zhi just wanted to win over Xiao Xiao. She didn’t expect you to get poisoned..."

She had only wanted to please Xiao Xiao and Lin Jiyao. She never imagined things would turn out like this.

It was all Wen Zhi’s fault for being a jinx.

Lin Jiyao gritted his teeth. "Wen Zhi?" He scowled. "Aren’t you here to apologize? Why bring her up?"

Wen Bingchun faltered, then felt a secret satisfaction. If he didn’t even want to mention her, did that mean he truly despised Wen Zhi?

Just then, Wen Zhi appeared at the doorway with a cheerful smile. "Who just called me?" Her bright eyes swept across the room. "Oh, Sister Bing is here too."

Wen Bingchun felt her chest tighten: A child calling her 'aunt' was one thing, but a mother like Wen Zhi calling her 'sister'—how inappropriate!

Yet, she was indeed Wen Zhi’s cousin.

She managed a smile. "Yes, Xiao Zhi, are you here to apologize too?"

Wen Zhi nodded. "Sort of. What, Sister Bing wants to watch me apologize?" With just a faint glance from her, Wen Bingchun couldn’t stay any longer. She nodded at Lin Jiyao and hurriedly left.

Now alone in the room, Wen Zhi walked in and half-closed the door. Lin Jiyao’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked warily, "Why are you closing the door?" His gaze turned cold.

Wen Zhi chided. "What are you thinking?" she continued, changing the subject. "Your right hand has an old injury, at least three months old. Do you still want to play the piano?"

Lin Jiyao, who had been on the verge of snapping, was taken aback. "How do you know that?" she said.

During wire work on set, his right wrist had suffered a severe injury, severely limiting the flexibility of his fingers.

This led to his scheduled concert being postponed repeatedly, getting hounded by paparazzi who called him a prima donna and even leading to altercations.

Not even Old Lin and the others knew—just his manager—about his hand injury.

Where did Wen Zhi hear about it?

Lin Jiyao gave her a suspicious once-over.

Wen Zhi didn’t shy away: "Trembling like you have Parkinson’s just from cutting some wheat, dropping chopsticks, trembling while pouring milk—it's pretty obvious."

Lin Jiyao: "..."

Why hadn’t anyone else noticed?

And, was that really "some wheat"?

Unconsciously, he let his guard down. But soon, Wen Zhi produced a case of thin, glinting silver needles from who-knows-where and laid them before him.

Lin Jiyao tensed up again: "You... what are you doing?"

Wen Zhi sterilized one of the needles, sat by the bed, and smiled. "Apologizing. My acupuncture skills are decent—I can fix your wrist good as new."

Lin Jiyao pressed his lips together. "I’ve consulted the top specialists in both Chinese and Western medicine. They said it was hopeless. You?" Yeah right.

Just seeing her hold the needle scared him.

Wen Zhi: "Suit yourself then. It’s your choice not to accept my apology."

She made as if to stand up.

"You—" Lin Jiyao gritted his teeth, thrust his hand forward, and turned his head away. "Make it quick."

Wen Zhi chuckled: "What a tsundere."

Ten minutes later, she put away the needles.

Sitting on the bed, Lin Jiyao rotated his wrist and flexed his fingers, his normally cool eyes sparkling with excitement. After the excitement faded, he remembered someone else was in the room and quickly wiped the smile off his face, clearing his throat. "Thanks."

Wen Zhi: "I came to apologize. No need for thanks."

"Also, Xiao Xiao is with me."

She thought for a moment and added, "Honestly, having a little sister isn’t so bad. At least if you’d actually croaked today, someone could’ve seen you off and wailed at your funeral. At the very least, your parents would’ve had someone to take care of them, right?"

Lin Jiyao, who had just genuinely thanked her: "..."

Are you even human?

Usually he’d fire back with snark.

But, having just received her help...

Lin Jiyao, his left arm still hooked to an IV, pondered before saying, "Then please take care of Xiao Xiao today. Whether you need it or not, I owe you a favor. Cash it in whenever."

For all his icy demeanor, he was alright.

Wen Zhi shrugged, packed her things, and left.

Left alone, Lin Jiyao opened Wen Zhi’s livestream. In the stream, Xiao Xiao was still sniveling on the edge of the bed, clutching a pink bunny plushie. After a pause, Mu Mu asked, "Your brother looks terrifying. How can you still like him?"

Xiao Xiao wiped her tears and said, "Brother isn't scary at all. He grows lots of pretty flowers at home. Mommy says people who love flowers are all very cute. Brother can sing, play the piano, dance—he can do everything! He's a superhero brother, and I love him the most."

"Waaah... If brother died, Xiao Xiao would cry to death too."

Lin Jiyao's grip on the phone tightened slightly: In his little sister's eyes, he was a superhero brother?

A sudden phone ringtone interrupted both the livestream and his thoughts. His gaze fell on the caller ID, his eyes flickering slightly before he hit answer.

As soon as the call connected, Mrs. Zhen's anxious voice came through: "Yao Yao, I just saw the news! Are you okay? Is it serious? Mom will come back right away to check on you!"

Lin Jiyao pursed his lips, as cool as ever: "I'm fine."

After a few seconds, he suddenly asked, "Mom, why did you have a sister back then?"

Mrs. Zhen on the other end paused, seemingly caught off guard by her usually reticent son's question.

"Well... it just... happened."

Click!

The call ended abruptly.

Lin Jiyao let out a bitter laugh: What was he even expecting?

Did he want to hear his parents say, "We wanted to make up for the companionship you missed in your childhood," or "We didn’t want you to be lonely in the future"?

After the IV drip finished, the doctor came in to change the bandage.

Through the cracked door slipped a quiet little girl, hugging her rabbit plushie, her eyes red and pitiful as she crept closer to him.

Once the doctor finished changing the bandage, the little girl brought water and asked softly, "Brother, drink water..."

A while later, she picked up a fan and carefully fanned him. Seeing he wasn’t angry, she began gently patting his legs.

After patting, she hugged her little rabbit, snuggled under the covers, and went to sleep. Waking up in the middle of the night, she still remembered to reach out and touch her brother, afraid he might have died.

Even in her dreams, she called out for "Brother."

Lin Jiyao, who hadn’t experienced familial care in so long, felt an odd warmth in his chest.

A strangely comfortable feeling!

So much so that early the next morning, he greeted Wen Zhi with a smile, shocking everyone in the room.

During breakfast, it was obvious to all that Lin Jiyao not only didn’t avoid Wen Zhi like poison but was even friendlier to her than to Wen Bingchun and Liu Yiru.

"Did Lin Jiyao watch last night’s video or not? Shouldn't he be embarrassed or scared seeing Wen Zhi?"

"Scared? Lin Jiyao even slept hugging a huge stuffed rabbit!"

"Hey hey hey, the comment above is ambiguous!"

"Hahaha, must've been that life-saving favor. If Sister Zhi hadn’t acted fast, he’d probably still be laid up."

"Gardenia has the nerve to mention the life-saving favor? Who was it that let our Ji-ge eat those mushrooms?"

Sitting in the living room, Wen Bingchun glanced between Lin Jiyao and Wen Zhi, wondering about what exactly the two of them had talked about last night.

Was Wen Zhi’s apology more heartfelt than mine?

Did Wen Zhi throw money at Lin Jiyao?

Wen Bingchun stared at her peony-like beautiful face, her expression unreadable.

After inquiring about Lin Jiyao's health, Director Fang handed out the task cards to everyone.

"Today is the final day of the first episode. You’ve all seen the three local specialties of Wheatfield Village. Today, we won’t go anywhere—we’ll just set up a livestream in the square to promote local farm products. The guest who sells the most will be awarded the titles of 'Most Beautiful Star' and 'Most Adorable Treasure' by the entire village, receiving the villagers’ sincerest blessings."

Sen Sen, Xiao Xiao, and Wen Xiaowen were visibly unhappy about not being allowed to go out, while Mu Mu remained composed. The adults all breathed a sigh of relief—surely nothing could go wrong with a livestream at the doorstep today.

Their thoughts aligned with the production team’s—this farm product livestream would also allow the guests to interact with fans, indirectly boosting the show’s viewership.

As soon as the tasks were assigned, excited shouts from villagers and the sound of tables and chairs being moved echoed outside the single-story house.

The four groups of guests stepped out to check.

The village head, along with a large group of locals, was setting up tents, with farm goods covering every table. Spotting them, they greeted warmly, "Ah, we’ll be working you hard today! On behalf of the whole village, thank you!"

"As soon as the director notified us, I told everyone to bring out whatever farm products they had to sell."

The villagers beamed, as if everything had already been sold.

The chief then asked Director Fang, "So, Director, when do we start? The tents are ready—anything else we can help with?"

Director Fang instructed the crew to set up the equipment. Twenty minutes later, the farm product livestream kicked off.

Liu Yiru and Sen Sen meticulously organized the products and links, introducing each item in detail to the viewers. With her substantial fanbase and the recent divorce scandal, her livestream attracted millions of viewers, and the sales numbers were respectable.

Though Wen Bingchun had fewer fans than Liu Yiru, she was thorough. Before the stream, she researched every product thoroughly and had her brother memorize the descriptions. During the broadcast, she answered nearly every fan’s question, ultimately outselling Liu Yiru.

As soon as Lin Jiyao started his livestream, aside from well-wishes, the chat was flooded with either "HAHAHAHA" or [chat spam]:

"Do you have pink mushrooms for sale?"

"Do you have pink mushrooms for sale?"

"Do you have pink mushrooms for sale?"

(Pink mushroom PTSD?)

Lin Jiyao, who had just recovered from last night’s ordeal, felt a vein pulse at his temple. The assistant, fearing his anger, immediately mouthed 'calm down' to him.

But how could he? This was straight-up pushing his buttons.

Xiao Xiao widened her eyes, flailing her little hands to cover the screen, pouting, "Stop asking that! Ask something else, or Brother will get mad at me again!"

The chat quickly got the hint and switched to another question.

"Do you have rabbit spirits for sale?"

"Do you have rabbit spirits for sale?"

"Do you have rabbit spirits for sale?"

Goddammit, were they trying to kill him?

Lin’s fans went after the trolls, but the shitposters quickly overwhelmed them.

Lin Jiyao took a deep breath. At first, he patiently replied, "No," but after being pestered, his cool act fell apart, and he snapped, "If you want rabbit spirits, go to Wen Zhi's channel!" The viewers, never ones to miss drama, immediately flooded over to Wen Zhi’s livestream.

Wen Zhi sat lazily in front of the live-streaming camera with a cup of tea and a fan, nibbling cookies as she asked, "Mu Mu, what are we selling first?"

Before Mu Mu could answer, the number of viewers in the live stream suddenly skyrocketed, and the flood of comments became so dense that it completely obscured the product links.

Wen Zhi stared at the screen for a couple of seconds, puzzled. "Did my computer glitch?" The live feed shook as she tapped the screen.

Mu Mu also leaned in to look and read the comments aloud, "Lin Jiyao told us to come buy enchanted rabbits? Which product link is the enchanted rabbit under?"

The little boy was full of questions. "Mom, when did we start selling enchanted rabbits? When did the villagers start raising rabbits?"

Wen Zhi could already imagine Lin Jiyao next door, seeing red until he couldn’t take it anymore and came up with this idea of dragging us into his mess.

Trolls shouldn’t be indulged. Wen Zhi tapped Mu Mu and said, "Boot them! Now—anyone asking for rabbit stuff! Must be antifans causing trouble. If they want to eat rabbits, tell them to go hunt moon rabbits instead."

"Mu Mu!"

Mu Mu kept at it, kicking people out one by one.

The chat lost it.

Wen Zhi took a sip of floral tea and said very seriously, "Keep it professional, folks. This is a serious live stream. Today’s focus is helping local farmers—we’re only selling agricultural products. First up: all-natural wheat flour."

She glanced around and asked Mu Mu, "Sold by the bag or loose?"

Mu Mu answered professionally, "Whole bag, five kilograms, forty yuan."

Wen Zhi immediately repeated, "Whole bag, five kilograms, forty yuan."

The comments started teasing her again.

"Hahahaha, flour is edible—it won’t poison you."

"How about steaming it into buns before selling?"

"Lmao, can you mold bunny-shaped dough before selling?"

Wen Zhi narrowed her eyes. "The flour isn’t poisonous. If you buy it and make buns to mail over, that’s fine. But whoever mentioned rabbits again is begging for a ban!"

Mu Mu dutifully kept at it, kicking people out and selling products.

The flour sold out quickly, and they moved on to dried fish.

The little boy, knowing they were helping the villagers, introduced each product with great care. "These are dried fish from the lotus ponds—raised in the lotus pond we saw earlier. Naturally sun-dried, tasty. Forty yuan per bag."

Since he couldn’t keep up with the comments while explaining, Wen Zhi helped by reading them aloud.

She took the phone from the assistant and read the comments one by one.

"Will you deliver it personally? I’ll pay for the plane ticket."

"Are your fish decent fish? Any relation to koi? Did they cram for exams with Mu Mu?"

"Mu Mu, if I buy dried fish, does it throw in your mom for free?"

"Excuse me, if a rabbit eats dried fish, will it become magical?"

Wen Zhi: "..."

This time, before Wen Zhi could say anything, little Mu Mu firmly kicked out the person who asked for his mom as a gift. He raised a little fist and leaned his big dark eyes close to the camera. "You can’t have my mom! If anyone tries to take my mom, I’ll throw hands!"

The audience wasn't intimidated at all; instead, they were completely smitten by him.

Turns out, the contrast of a straight-laced guy being unexpectedly adorable is the real deal.

Wen Zhi and Mu Mu were selling fir mushrooms.

The live chat read:

"Does eating Fir Mushroom guarantee you'll pass the grad school exam?"

"Will you do a bunny dance if I buy Fir Mushroom?"

"LOL, does Fir Mushroom make you hallucinate bunnies?"

Wen Zhi's smile grew even brighter: "Want me to promise promotions and riches too? Want to see an elephant dance? Fir Mushroom isn't magic mushrooms—what's with the bunny delusions!!!!"

Mu Mu knew Mom was angry.

Mute, block, boot—three clicks to shut them down.

Wen Zhi and Mu Mu started selling lotus root powder.

Comments:

"Hahaha, will eating lotus root powder make you spin silk?"

"Can you pack the lotus root powder in LY bags?"

"Can lotus root powder be used as rabbit food?"

Even chill Wen Zhi lost it, pretending to roll up sleeves and lashing out: "What are you, a spider? Lotus root turns you into Spiderman? You want designer bags? Assistant, grab me a sharpie! TEN bags ENOUGH FOR YOU?? Does your rabbit eat lotus root powder? Should I boil water and prepare it for you too!!!!"

"Mu Mu, kick them out, quick!"

Noble Consort Wen, veteran of palace debates, experienced the chaotic life of a live-streamer for the first time.

Internet trolls these days are next-level.

Wen Zhi's willow-leaf eyebrows shot up in anger, her face twisted in meme-worthy anger: "Picking on rabbits now, are we? Go buy pink mushrooms from Lin Jiyao if you want to see rabbits!!"

The assistant host's heart skipped a beat, shocked by the beauty's sudden ferocity.

A large crowd rushed back to Lin Jiyao's livestream to ask about 'pink mushrooms.' Gossip-hungry viewers shuttled between the two streams, turning what was supposed to be a charity farming event into a game of 'kick the ball' between Wen Zhi and Lin Jiyao.

The 'ball' seemed to relish being kicked around, bouncing merrily between them.

Even Wen Bingchun and Liu Yiru's streams were affected, with viewer numbers hemorrhaging as everyone flocked to Wen Zhi and Lin Jiyao's streams.

Wen Bingchun frowned at the declining viewer count in the top-left corner and absentmindedly wondered aloud, "Why is the number dropping so much?"

Someone in the chat explained, "Wen Zhi and Lin Jiyao are 'kicking the ball'—it's blowing up on trending search!"

Wen Bingchun was puzzled. "'Kicking the ball'? Isn't this a charity sales event? Why are they 'kicking the ball' in the livestream?"

The audience burst into laughter, leaving her baffled. It wasn’t until the assistant host showed her the trending topic that she understood what 'kicking the ball' meant.

Watching their interaction left her feeling unsettled.

Lin Jiyao had always been aloof. If he disliked someone, he wouldn’t even spare them a glance—let alone lose his composure and argue like this.

This wasn't kicking the ball—it was rolling out the red carpet. He was giving Wen Zhi a boost up the popularity ladder.

Just look at Wen Zhi's Weibo followers climbing by the minute.

It seemed Lin Jiyao’s attitude toward her had changed since last night.

The chaotic scuffle of footsteps outside the tent unsettled Wen Bingchun. She shot to her feet demanding to know what the commotion was.

The staff member rushed in with a beaming face to share the good news: "Everything's sold out! Director Fang said to have all the guests pull the links. If we keep selling, we won’t be able to fulfill orders and would have to borrow stock from neighboring villages."

"Sold out?" Wen Bingchun was stunned. "We’ve only just started and barely sold a hundred items."

Wen Xiaowen pointed at the agricultural products on the table behind them and said, "Yeah, yeah, these are still here."

The staff member explained with a smile, "You only sold about a hundred items, but Wen Zhi and Lin Jiyao’s orders blew up! We’re here to collect these scattered items on the table to pack and ship together with the villagers’ goods."

In other words, Wen Zhi and Mu Mu not only sold out their own stock but also sold out her and Liu Yiru’s stock too?

Her face went pale, then flushed, as if she had been punched hard.

"Hahahaha, Wen Bingchun and her brother are totally floored!"

"Hahahaha, were Wen Zhi and Lin Jiyao trolling each other just to sell goods?"

"What selling goods? They’re helping farmers! The agricultural products were harvested right in front of everyone. Buying this kind of stuff gives me peace of mind."

"Yeah, yeah, the *Baby!* program team finally did something good. Look at how happy the villagers outside are—it’s like it’s the holidays!"

With all the agricultural products sold out, of course they’re happy!

In previous years, the villagers of Maitian Village had to haul their goods to the city to sell, often unable to sell everything even after a whole year. Many elderly villagers could only consume their stock themselves or let it rot in storage.

The villagers had heard that celebrity livestream sales were popular, but they never expected that in less than half an hour, a whole year’s supply of agricultural products would be completely sold out.

While packing the goods, everyone couldn’t stop grinning.

After the goods were taken away by the couriers arranged by the program team, the village chief and the villagers brought out the best food and drink they had to thank everyone.

On the last day of the first episode's recording, the crew and villagers held a celebration party on the cement ground of a bungalow.

The guests and the little ones were ushered to the center of the bonfire by the crowd. Director Fang told everyone, "The success of this farm aid campaign is all thanks to our four guests and four little ones. Among the four groups, Wen Zhi and Mu Mu have won as Top Farm Helpers. Let’s invite our village chief to present them with flower wreaths."

Liu Yiru pushed Wen Zhi into the center of the crowd, while Lin Jiyao stood nearby holding his younger sister, a natural smile appearing on his face.

Wen Zhi took Mu Mu’s hand and stood beside the village chief, who placed wildflower wreaths around their necks. The chief then turned to the villagers and announced, "Let’s give a round of applause for our shining star, Miss Wen, and the cutest kid, Mu Mu!"

The villagers erupted in enthusiastic applause, with Liu Datou and his chess buddies clapping the loudest, even cheering enthusiastically.

Virtual fireworks lit up the live stream.

Mu Mu touched the flowers around his neck, his serious face slowly breaking into a smile.

Looking up at Wen Zhi, he said sincerely, "Mommy, the people here are so nice, just like Xiao Hei."

Xiao Hei wagged his tail happily by his feet, as if in agreement.

Wen Zhi ruffled his hair and winked at him. "Mu Mu is cute too!"

Mu Mu paused for a moment before breaking into a shy smile.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wen, holding his sister’s hand, pouted and stared enviously at the wreath around Mu Mu’s neck. After a while, he turned to glare at his sister and grumbled, "This is your fault! You sold less than Mu Mu’s mother, so they didn’t pick me as the cutest kid."

Wen Bingchun was already upset, and her brother’s words made her feel even worse.

But with the live broadcast still ongoing and so many eyes watching, she didn’t dare show any sign of distress.

She crouched down slightly, comforting her brother gently, "You'll always be our favorite little guy in Mommy, Daddy, and my heart."

Wen Xiaowen wasn't having any of it. He shoved her hard and ran off without looking back.

Her lower back slammed into the corner of the table behind her, and the pain made her face go pale.

—

By the time the celebration banquet ended, the sky had completely darkened, signaling the official end of the first episode's filming. Director Fang told everyone to get some rest, as they would depart early the next morning.

The live stream in the living room was still running as the guests returned to their rooms to pack.

Wen Zhi and Mu Mu finished washing up before starting to pack. As she sorted through their belongings, she said cheerfully, "The show's finally over. When we get back, I’ll take you to amusement parks, malls, horse ranches, ski resorts—and even abroad! We’ll eat all kinds of delicious food from around the world." Her eyes lit up with excitement, but the little boy behind her didn't react at all.

Wen Zhi turned around, puzzled.

Mu Mu was crouching nearby, petting Xiao Hei without really paying attention, his brows furrowed and lips pressed tight—clearly upset.

Wen Zhi paused, set down what she was holding, and walked over to ask, "What’s wrong? Weren’t you happy just now?"

Mu Mu looked up and asked softly, "Mom, can we come back for the next episode?"

They had only agreed to film the first episode because they promised Uncle Director, but...

Mu Mu looked at Wen Zhi pleadingly.

Wen Zhi asked, "Why do you want to come back?"

Mu Mu answered earnestly, "Sen Sen and Xiao Xiao are coming. We just promised to bring each other gifts next time..."

Wen Zhi thought about her comfortable, easy life, then looked at her son. Finally, she gave in with a reluctant nod. "Alright, I promise we'll come back."

Mu Mu was thrilled. He put Xiao Hei down and ran over to hug Wen Zhi, giving her a big kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Mommy!"

Once they'd packed up, Sen Sen brought Xiao Xiao over to study together.

Wen Zhi asked, surprised, "Why did you come tonight too?"

Sen Sen replied very seriously, "Mu Mu said that the key to learning is sticking with it and not delaying at all. I want to keep studying even after we go back."

Three-year-old Xiao Xiao nodded like a tiny grown-up, "Yes, I want to study with Brother Mu Mu from now on, so he'll like me more and more."

Wen Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She took a photo of the three kids working so hard and posted it on Weibo with the caption: "These kids working so hard—how can this mom ever slack off? Crying cat face.JPG"

Within two minutes of posting, the comments had already surpassed a thousand.

"Hahaha, Mu Mu is the ultimate try-hard. Did he come to this kids' show to recruit followers?"

"Welcome, our little fairy Xiao Xiao, to the try-hard squad! Now we're just missing the little chubby one."

"Hahaha, Wen Zhi is finally showing some shame."

"Don't underestimate Wen Zhi. She probably went straight back to lounging after posting."

But actually, she didn't slack off this time.

After posting, Wen Zhi took her cup downstairs to make tea. Just as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Wen Bingchun coming out of her room.

Wen Bingchun looked surprised to see her. "Oh, Xiao Zhi, you're here. I was just about to go upstairs to find you."

Noticing the exquisitely wrapped gift box in Wen Bingchun's hands, Wen Zhi asked curiously, "What's up?"

The live stream flickered as Wen Bingchun put away her smile and walked over, saying sadly, "Isn’t this your last episode? I prepared a small gift for you and Mu Mu."

Liu Yiru walked out just in time to hear this, her voice rising in surprise, "Wait, you're leaving the show?"

The door to Lin Jiyao's room quietly opened, and he stared at Wen Zhi, baffled, "You’re really not coming back?"

Wen Zhi: "..."

She was just here to grab water.

Was Wen Bingchun starting drama again?

Wen Bingchun looked around, flustered, "I... maybe I shouldn’t have said that?"

"But Mu Mu is such a principled kid—if he said one episode, then it’s just one. After we part tomorrow, we’ll rarely see each other again. Xiao Zhi, please accept my gift."

The chat went wild after her words.

"Waaah, no way! No way Wen Zhi’s quitting!"

"Please tell me it’s not real. I watch just for Wen Zhi—how can she leave?"

"Nooo, I refuse to believe it! Sister Zhi! Mu Mu! How can I live without you?"

"I’m protesting! Without Wen Zhi, I won’t watch *Baby! 2* at all!"

"Protest +1!"

Even Wen Zhi’s antifans were joining the outcry.

"Boo-hoo, I'll never talk trash about Wen Zhi again. I actually really like her!"

"As long as Wen Zhi doesn't quit the show, I'll switch from hater to fan."

Many fans couldn't accept it and immediately bombarded the program's official Weibo with comments, with some even calling the production team directly.

The commotion on Weibo quickly alarmed the producer, who called Director Fang directly and chewed him out: "What's going on? Weren't you supposed to discuss contract renewal with Wen Zhi tonight? Several other shows are trying to steal her away and asking me for her contact info."

From its premiere to the end of the first season, *Baby! 2* topped trending lists multiple times, dominating daily rankings. The show's discussion reached unprecedented levels, with ratings surpassing all other variety programs.

Among them, Wen Zhi and Mu Mu, the regular mom and son, generated the most buzz.

Wen Zhi went from an unknown civilian to a Weibo celebrity with millions of followers.

Just the livestream alone had this impact—once the first season is edited, it's clear this pair will blow up big.

This morning, the producer had already reminded Director Fang to re-sign her before news of her contract expiration leaked.

But then this happened.

Director Fang was frustrated. He and the Assistant Director had been discussing how to persuade Wen Zhi when Wen Bingchun let the cat out of the bag.

It was completely unexpected.

Afraid Wen Zhi might say something she shouldn't, Director Fang immediately ordered the living room livestream cut. Then, dropping everything, he rushed in and scooped up Wen Zhi.

As he hurried out, he called to the other three: "The production team needs to discuss something with Wen Zhi. You guys keep doing your thing."

The three in the living room looked at each other.

Liu Yiru spoke first: "The team must be desperately trying to convince her to stay, right?"

Lin Jiyao checked his phone: "Probably. Other shows are already trying to poach her."

Wen Bingchun tightly gripped the gift, glaring at the blacked-out camera: Director Fang had the worst timing.

She'd come so close—just a little more, and she could've forced Wen Zhi to publicly quit the show in front of the entire nation.