Chapter 23

Chapter 23

After Director Fang snatched her up, he badgered Wen Zhi to sign the contract, even going so far as to promise generously, "Rest assured, Ms. Wen. As long as you and Mu Mu sign, you’ll get Movie Queen Liu’s rate—though this must stay confidential, of course."

Wen Zhi: "..." She never even brought up payment.

Seeing her hesitation, Director Fang quickly added, "Or we can match Lin Jiyao’s pay instead."

Who goes around begging people to take their money?

With no way out, Wen Zhi took the fat paycheck—reluctantly. Eyeing the sudden cash in her account, she sighed inwardly.

She hadn’t even spent anything yet, and now more money landed in her lap!

Ten minutes later, she reappeared in the living room. In front of Liu Yiru and Lin Jiyao, she earnestly grasped Wen Bingchun’s hand and thanked her: "You’re a godsend! Because of your one remark, Director Fang actually gave me a paycheck."

Wen Bingchun: *She wanted to scream.*

"R-Really?" she muttered. She no longer wanted to speak and turned to leave.

Wen Zhi jerked her back, glancing at her hands before hesitantly asking, "...So, uh, are you still giving me that gift?"

Wen Bingchun: *The audacity!!*

Seething, she thrust the gift at Wen Zhi, then stormed back to her room and slammed the door.

Inside, Wen Xiaowen sat on the bed scrolling on his phone.

Wen Bingchun opened Wen Zhi’s VB to check.

Just moments ago, Wen Zhi had dropped another post—*Baby!* helped Mu Mu rediscover childhood. Both of us will continue filming for the next episode. Thank you all for your support—see you next time! @*Baby!* program team.

The show’s official account had reposted Wen Zhi’s update.

Within just two minutes, reposts had surpassed 10,000, and the comments were flooded with fans sobbing with joy. Even her usual "Ice Fans," who were always active under her posts, had rushed over to cheer.

She glanced at her own meager few million followers, then at Wen Zhi’s one million-plus, feeling nothing but irony.

No matter what Wen Zhi wanted to do, it seemed like luck always backed her.

Even *she* had become an accidental sidekick.

Wen Bingchun clenched her phone till her teeth hurt.

Wen Xiaowen side-eyed her once, then again, pouting. "Sis, you’re making a face like a troll. It must be because you’re so ugly that everyone likes Mu Mu and not me."

Already in a foul mood, Wen Bingchun’s tone turned icy at her brother’s words. "Why don’t you clap back on how you’re inferior to Mu Mu in every way?"

Wen Xiaowen had never expected his sister to snap back. Instantly offended, he whined, "Always blaming the kid—adults should reflect too! Why don’t *you* admit you’re nowhere near as good as Mu Mu’s mom? You’re not even as pretty as her."

His words stabbed deep.

Unfazed, the child continued indignantly, "Hmph! So what if he’s cuter and reads more than me? I’ll beat Mu Mu in other ways. A superhero never loses!"

Puffed up, cheeks bulging like a blowfish, he pointed at her nose and demanded an apology.

Wen Bingchun sneered, "By crushing him with your weight?"

"Hmph! Are you mocking me for being fat?" Wen Xiaowen glared, demanding an apology. Done with his nonsense, Wen Bingchun yanked the covers over her head and went to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up to find her brother missing. After searching the living room and the front door without seeing him, she noticed the Ultraman backpack was also gone from the room. Panicked, she called the production team for help.

The commotion was so loud that the other three groups of guests were also awakened.

Director (Fang) paced back and forth in the living room, asking Wen Bingchun what had happened.

Wen Bingchun stammered, "I... I don’t know. He was fine last night." There was no way she would admit she had scolded Wen Xiaowen the night before, causing him to throw a fit.

"Yesterday... yesterday afternoon, he was already upset. He must have taken off upset."

Liu Yiru asked, puzzled, "A fit? About what?"

Sen Sen quickly jumped in, "I know! Brother Xiao Wen must have been unhappy that Mu Mu (Little Dumpling) won the title of Cutest Baby and ran away from home."

An assistant suggested, "Let’s check the security camera footage at the entrance. If Xiao Wen left, it should be visible there."

The cameras in the guest rooms and the living room were off, but the one at the entrance was always on. If Wen Xiaowen had left, he would definitely appear in the footage.

Director Fang checked the camera playback, which showed Wen Xiaowen carrying his Ultraman backpack, muttering to himself at the front door. He kicked the threshold a few times, then walked toward the village chief’s house, glancing back every few steps.

The time showed half an hour earlier.

Director Fang said, "The village isn’t that big. A child like him couldn’t have gone far."

Everyone split up to search. After a few minutes, Xiao Hei, the little black dog, suddenly came running out of nowhere, pulling on Little Dumpling's pant leg and barking frantically.

Little Dumpling blinked and asked, "Xiao Hei, did you find someone?"

Xiao Hei barked twice, as if responding.

Without hesitation, Little Dumpling followed Xiao Hei. They circled around the back of the village chief’s house and found a group of loud white geese under a small tree, stretching their necks and honking.

The missing Wen Xiaowen was dangling from a tree branch, crying and yelling, "Go away, stupid geese! Waaah... I’ll tell Mom and Dad to stew you all! Waaah..."

The geese, annoyed by his crying, flapped wildly and jumped to peck at his bottom. Each peck made Wen Xiaowen cry even louder.

Little Dumpling kept a wary eye on the geese and called out from where he stood, "Don’t move! I’ll save you!"

Hearing his voice, Wen Xiaowen seemed to see a savior. Forgetting their usual rivalry, he immediately shouted, "Little Dumpling, hurry! Drive these stupid geese away!"

The geese, spotting Little Dumpling, seemed to think he was a better target. They craned their long necks and flapped their wings, charging at him.

Xiao Hei stood in front of Little Dumpling, snarling a warning at the geese.

Before the geese could attack, Xiao Hei lunged forward, going at it with them.

Two geese fought with Xiao Hei, while the other three continued toward Little Dumpling. One goose was bad enough, but three... Wen Xiaowen could already foresee Little Dumpling’s tragic fate.

However, in the next second, Little Dumpling grabbed two geese by their necks and lifted them straight into the air.

The geese, now helpless, flapped wildly and squawked pitifully.

The third goose stopped short in front of Little Dumpling, realizing this kid was not someone to mess with. It honked twice and cautiously backed away.

Wen Xiaowen was stunned, his eyes wide with admiration for the first time.

"You... you..." You're awesome.

Mu Mu gripped the two big white geese and looked at him seriously, saying, "Come down now, they won’t dare bite you now."

Wen Xiaowen, his butt still sore, didn't quite believe him. "I-I don’t believe it. They'll bite my butt!"

Mu Mu carried the geese aside, gave one a firm pat on the head, and began giving them a stern talking-to. After finishing, he turned back to Wen Xiaowen with equal seriousness. "Come down, I promise they won’t bite you."

Wen Xiaowen slowly climbed down and was surprised to find the geese really didn’t attack him. He couldn’t help but ask in amazement, "Mu Mu, you know goose talk now?"

He didn’t want to admire Mu Mu, but Mu Mu knew goose language and could communicate with animals.

That’s awesome.

Even Ultraman can’t speak goose! Mu Mu does.

Wen Xiaowen jumped off the tree, crouched down, and grabbed his leg, whining, "I twisted my ankle. I can’t walk."

Seeing that no one else had come to find them, Mu Mu walked over and crouched in front of Wen Xiaowen. "Hop on. I’ll piggyback you home."

Wen Xiaowen eyed Mu Mu’s small frame skeptically, frowning. "Can you even carry me? My sis says I’m fat."

Mu Mu was confident. "I can. Scramble on. Uncle Director says we’re late, and we need to head home soon."

Hearing this, Wen Xiaowen scrambled onto Mu Mu’s back.

Despite his small size, Mu Mu carried him steadily. As Wen Xiaowen clung to his back, he unexpectedly felt just as safe and steady as when his father carried him.

Ew, no way!

Hugging Mu Mu’s neck, Wen Xiaowen said haughtily, "Fine, since you helped me today, I’ll reluctantly admit you’re cuter than me. But I absolutely won’t admit you’re better than me!"

On the country path, Mu Mu trudged home with him while Xiao Hei raced ahead.

Wen Xiaowen asked again, "Those geese are mean! Why do they listen to you?"

Mu Mu said matter-of-factly, "The geese aren’t mean at all. You messed with them first, didn’t you? That’s why they chased you."

Wen Xiaowen hesitated before retorting, "N-no, I didn’t! They bit me first!"

The geese didn’t appreciate this accusation. Following behind the two, they squawked like they were tattling and tried to charge forward. Terrified, Wen Xiaowen yelped and caved, "Okay, okay! I threw stones at them first!"

Mu Mu said, "You get what you give. They listen to me because I’m gentle with them."

Wen Xiaowen scoffed.

Mu Mu continued, "Same goes for people. If you genuinely like others, they’ll like you too." Just like his mother, the tutor, the nanny, and Xiao Linzi—they liked him, and he liked them back.

People can tell when you mean it.

Wen Xiaowen pouted. "Can you give me your ‘Cutest Baby’ flower wreath?"

Mu Mu nodded. "Sure. I’ll give it to you when we get back."

Wen Xiaowen asked uncertainly, "Really? You’ll give it to me?"

Mu Mu confirmed, "Really."

"Quit running off like that. Everyone was so worried—your sis was bawling!"

Wen Xiaowen muttered, "She owes me an apology!"

Mu Mu frowned disapprovingly, "Why do you want your sister to apologize?"

Wen Xiaowen whined, "She yelled at me."

Mu Mu countered, "Did you yell at her too?"

Wen Xiaowen fell silent.

Mu Mu said seriously, "Your parents aren’t being fair. When Sen Sen does something wrong, Auntie Liu scolds him. When Xiao Xiao does something wrong, Brother Lin scolds her too. It’s not right for your parents to always make your sister apologize. It’d make her sad too."

"Think about it—if your parents always made you and your sister apologize for everything, wouldn’t you feel upset? Your sister is older, so we should respect our elders and cherish the young."

He’d probably throw a fit and break stuff!

Wen Xiaowen stayed quiet.

The runaway black pup came back, this time leading the production crew and the others over. Director Fang rushed forward first, asking anxiously, "Xiao Wen, where did you go? You nearly gave us a heart attack! Your sister was so worried she cried."

Wen Xiaowen pursed his lips, scanning the crowd until he spotted Wen Zhi and called out, "Sister!" When he realized it wasn’t her, he pouted unhappily, "Where’s my sister?"

Director Fang explained, "She went to the village chief’s house to look for you. She’ll be here any second."

An assistant took Wen Xiaowen from Mu Mu’s back. Seeing how sweaty and worried everyone was, and recalling what Mu Mu had just said, Wen Xiaowen muttered sheepishly, "I... I won’t run off again next time."

The assistant blinked in surprise and asked worriedly, "Xiao Wen, were you scared?" Otherwise, why would he apologize?

Mu Mu piped up, "He was scared. Xiao Wen got chased up a tree by a bunch of geese."

Director Fang and the crew heard everything, and Wen Xiaowen turned red, mortified. He shouted at Mu Mu, "So what if I got chased by geese? Even if I did, I’m still your elder! Ever heard of respecting your elders?!"

Sen Sen, who had just run over, asked in confusion, "What elder? You’re Mu Mu’s elder?"

Wen Xiaowen announced triumphantly in front of everyone, "I *am* Mu Mu’s elder! My dad is Mu Mu’s mom’s *uncle*, and my sister is Mu Mu’s mom’s sister. That makes me Mu Mu’s little uncle!"

He looked at Wen Zhi, seeking confirmation, "Mu Mu’s mom, tell them! Am I right?"

Wait, Mu Mu has to call *him* 'little uncle'?

So Wen Bingchun and Wen Zhi are cousins?

But why would Wen Bingchun lie about it...?

That bombshell left everyone stunned.

Liu Yiru couldn’t help but ask Wen Zhi beside her, "So you two really are cousins?"

Everyone turned to Wen Zhi, who shrugged and said, "Yeah, by seniority, Mu Mu should call Xiao Wen 'little uncle.'"

Chest puffed out, smug, Wen Xiaowen crowed at Mu Mu, "See? No matter how amazing you are, you still have to call me 'little uncle'!"

The crew erupted in whispers, their expressions a mix of shock and realization.

No wonder they’re both Wens and are around the same age. Whether she meant to or not, Wen Bingchun always compared herself to Wen Zhi—they really are relatives.

But why would Wen Bingchun lie about it...?

As everyone stood there with their own thoughts, Wen Bingchun came running over from a distance. Seeing Wen Xiaowen, she finally sighed in relief: "Xiao Wen, where did you run off to? Your sister was worried sick."

Her shout snapped the bystanders out of their curiosity. As she approached to take Wen Xiaowen, she noticed everyone kept giving her strange looks.

Afraid her brother might mention their argument from the night before, she didn’t stop to think about it. She quickly took him and started walking back, apologizing along the way: "Xiao Wen, I’m sorry. I didn’t keep an eye on you. Let’s go back now."

Wen Xiaowen pouted stubbornly, wanting to scold her, but he held back, remembering what Mu Mu had just said.

He snorted, refusing to engage with his sister.

Wen Bingchun didn’t mind, keeping trying to cheer him up.

When they reached the gathering point, the doctor treated Wen Xiaowen’s sprained ankle and casually remarked, "Bingchun and Wen Zhi really do look alike from behind. Xiao Wen even called out to the wrong person earlier."

Wen Bingchun’s hand, holding the medicine, froze for a second. She gave an awkward laugh and said, "Really? It’s probably just our similar height."

Her reply sounded oddly insincere, and the crew members looked at each other knowingly.

With the child found, no one brought up the incident. Director Fang signaled for everyone to get in the vehicles and head back.

Several guests and the children shared one car. Wen Bingchun kept noticing Liu Yiru and Lin Jiyao glancing at her from time to time. She felt puzzled but couldn’t figure out why.

So she put on a friendly smile and offered to exchange contact details with them.

Lin Jiyao and Liu Yiru were happy to. Noticing she hadn’t added Wen Zhi, Liu Yiru asked curiously, "Aren’t you adding Wen Zhi?" Then, as if realizing something, she added, "Oh, right. You probably already have her contact."

Wen Bingchun felt something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what.

She smiled in response and boarded the scheduled flight with Wen Xiaowen. When they landed and found no one from the agency waiting, she called to ask, "Brother Liang, didn’t you say a brand wanted me for a shoot? Why isn’t there a car?"

The voice came through the phone, furious: "What shoot? You think you’re still getting shoots? You’re trending because people are trashing you! The brand dropped you and went straight to Wen Zhi—"

He kept yelling, leaving Wen Bingchun stunned. She was trending? What had she done?

Everything had been fine before she went to bed last night.

"Brother Liang, what did I do?"

The yelling stopped abruptly, replaced by a cold sneer. "You and Wen Zhi are cousins, aren’t you? Why did you hide this from the company?"

Wen Bingchun: "..."

Outside the terminal, a crowd of reporters suddenly rushed toward her. Without thinking, she grabbed her brother and ran. Only after getting into a taxi did she have a moment to check her phone.

On Weibo’s homepage, the hashtag #GreenTeaWenBingchun# topped the trending list.

Clicking in, she saw an edited clip. The first scene showed Wen Xiaowen shouting that he was Mu Mu’s uncle, followed by Wen Zhi admitting they were cousins. Then came edited clips of Wen Bingchun repeatedly denying any connection to Wen Zhi, each denial accompanied by close-ups of her expression—practically labeling her a 'green tea' girl.

The comments tore into her.

"LOL, so they really are cousins. Never noticed before, but Wen Bingchun is such a green tea."

"I guess only her name is innocent. She went out of her way to distance herself from Wen Zhi."

"Liu Yiru even asked her directly, and she still denied it. Family turning on family?"

"Back when she casually mentioned Wen Zhi’s age on the show, I thought it was weird. Hah! What an actress - a real fox spirit!"

"Rumor has it, Wen Bingchun scolded her brother, which led to him running away from home."

"No way, she acted so well on the show."

"Acted well my ass! I went to the same school as her back in middle school. She was jealous of her cousin even then. But Wen Zhi had been missing for so long—how did she suddenly reappear? I didn’t even recognize her."

On the busy Lijiang Bridge, Wen Bingchun’s knuckles turned white as she gripped her phone.

No matter how careful she was, she never expected her own brother to betray her right as the show ended.

So everyone in Maitian Village already knew. The doctor, Liu Yiru, and the others were deliberately testing her. They were all laughing at her.

After the initial anger, she realized something was off.

There had been no live broadcast that morning, and the cameras were just capturing footage. So how did the video of Xiao Wen’s betrayal get leaked?

Could it have been Wen Zhi?

Her cousin was cunning—biding her time, waiting to strike.

Was it all just to steal her endorsement?

Furious, Wen Bingchun didn’t even bother scolding her brother. As soon as she got out of the taxi, she called Wen Zhi.

The other end of the line was noisy—the YISI brand team was getting Wen Zhi's makeup done. Wen Bingchun’s suspicions grew stronger. Clenching her teeth, she demanded, "Wen Zhi, what's your game here?"

Her emotions boiled over before Wen Zhi could respond. "You think everyone is born with a silver spoon? You’re already so rich, yet you still have to steal my endorsement. You just can't stand me winning, can you?"

Wen Zhi laughed coldly. "You think I uploaded that video?"

Wen Bingchun snapped, "Who else could it be?"

Wen Zhi replied, "Wen Zhaodi, not everyone is as petty as you."

The call ended with a sharp click.

The name "Wen Zhaodi" cut through her like a knife, leaving her raw.

She had changed her name after Wen Xiaowen was born.

The thought of being called that name on a show made her blood run cold.

"Wen Zhaodi!!"

The villa door flew open, and Zhou Li rushed out, fuming. "Wen Zhaodi! We trusted you to take care of your brother, and you lost him? If it weren’t for the trending hashtag, your father and I would still be completely clueless. Is this how you act as an older sister?"

The servants were still around, yet Zhou Li chewed her out right in front of the staff.

Wen Bingchun’s face darkened. "I told you not to call me Wen Zhaodi. My name is Wen Bingchun!!"

Zhou Li scoffed. "Oh, so you're getting too big for your britches now? You promised this show would make you famous, and look what happened! You even got your brother caught up in your drama. You fail at everything—no wonder your uncle and aunt refused to adopt you back then!"

Wen Bingchun’s heart sank. She sneered, "At least I’m not playing mommy to some stranger's kid!"

"You—!" Zhou Li panicked, afraid Wen Xiaowen might hear. She snatched a set of keys from a servant and flung them at her, snarling, "How did I give birth to such a worthless brat? Apologize to Xiao Wen right now!"

Xiao Wen tugged at Zhou Li’s hand, frowning. "Mom, I didn’t ask Jiejie to apologize."

Zhou Li went on and on. "What’s wrong with making her apologize? An older sister should always give way to her brother..." She kept nagging as she led Xiao Wen inside. "Come on, let me look at your foot. Does it hurt bad?"

Wen Xiaowen was being pulled toward the house, kept looking back at his sister still standing at the front gate.

She stood there clutching her swollen, reddened forehead, her gaze icy and cold, looking battered and pathetic.

Suddenly, Wen Xiaowen remembered what Mu Mu had said.

"If your mom always makes you apologize to your sister, would it upset you?"

Abruptly, he yanked his hand free from Zhou Li's grip and shouted, "Mom, you're being unfair!"

Zhou Li was stunned by his outburst, and Wen Bingchun also looked up at her brother in surprise.

Hands on his hips, Wen Xiaowen imitated Mu Mu's lecturing tone: "I was the one who ran off and threw stones at the goose—that's how I hurt my foot! You didn't even ask what happened and just made Sis apologize—that's not right!"

Zhou Li stammered, "X-Xiaowen, are you okay?"

The next second, Wen Xiaowen yelled again, "The way you treat Sis now is how she'll treat you later! If you get sick someday, she'll yank out your oxygen tube!"

Wen Bingchun, who had just been moved moments ago: "..."

Geez, this brother's hopeless—does he want her to be hated even more?

Author's note:

Keep scrolling, there's one more chapter ahead.