Director Li looked at the level of discussion and smiled so widely that he could hardly close his mouth.
Ye Qingyin was truly his lucky star.
With Shen Yanjing joining, no matter how bad An Shijiu’s reputation was, the show would not possibly collapse.
But with such a “rat dropping” in the mix, the amount of controversy that could be generated was indeed enormous.
The Gu couple, Real Estate Tycoons, had also brought along their precious child.
It was said that the little treasure attended the kindergarten where Ye Qingyin taught and liked Ye Xuxu very much.
Shen Yanjing, Shang He, and the Gu family had all come for Ye Qingyin’s sake—how could she not be considered a lucky star?
As for the online comments, the guests more or less paid some attention to them.
Only the An family—one adult, one child, and one system—remained completely isolated from the public opinion surrounding 《Cute Kids探险记》.
An Shijiu lived a peaceful life of picking up her child, dropping him off, eating, and sleeping, completely unaware of what was being said online.
Although An Zhe could recognize all the characters, he did not have a phone and thus knew nothing about the internet.
It was Xing Rumei who told him.
After learning about it, he did not care much. He knew his mother was participating in the show to earn money—having money was enough.
The system, believing it had everything under control, did not urge An Shijiu to pay attention to online news. Instead, it busied itself explaining legal knowledge and everyday common sense to her,
as well as correcting the occasional ancient-style speech habits that slipped out.
No matter how the netizens discussed things, neither the official side nor the guests made any further response.
All the guests, under the arrangement of the program team, headed to Qinghe County in the Southern Province of Huaguo.
It was said to be a remote mountainous area painstakingly selected by the director’s team—scenic yet poor.
They first stayed in a hotel. After all the guests had arrived, on the morning of April 5th, the show officially began broadcasting live.
7:00 AM
A VJ (follow cameraman) from the production team came to An Shijiu’s hotel room and knocked on the door.
The door opened. With a tuft of black hair sticking up on his head and his small face flushed from sleep, An Zhe stood at the doorway rubbing his eyes.
“Good morning, Uncle. Come in.”
The bed was empty. The VJ was stunned and quickly asked, “Where’s your mom?”
An Zhe sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes half-open as he pointed toward the window. “Mom went outside to practice boxing.”
【Yanjing Brother’s Baby】：Such a drama queen! Get out of the production team!
【passerby】：Boxing? She used to build her internet celebrity persona as a delicate lady who never touched housework and fought others online. If she wants to add scenes, at least make them match her persona.
【Dad’s Dad Is Called】：I saw that Qi Xin got up early to grind hand-brewed coffee. Shijiu, you should learn from a real lady like her.
【People Leave, Tea Cools】：I want to pick up An Zhe and kiss him. Damn, I really love the looks of this mother and son! Just saying casually—I’m not An Shijiu’s fan, Yanzi Army don’t attack me.
The VJ hurried over and pointed the camera outside.
Sure enough, on the open ground outside, a person with an orange-pink bun hairstyle was wearing pajamas and practicing boxing.
Adding scenes for oneself was a common tactic in variety shows. The VJ was used to it and dutifully filmed seriously.
Even though staging such scenes might attract criticism, popularity was what mattered most.
He had drawn the short straw by being assigned to follow An Shijiu—his livestream room had the fewest viewers among the six VJs.
Unexpectedly, it did not seem like she was putting on an act at all.
Every movement flowed smoothly, forming a natural aura.
【People Leave, Tea Cools】：Why does it look like she actually knows what she’s doing?
【passerby】：Whoa, look at the leaves under her feet—they’re spinning!
【Yanjing the Unmatched】：Does she have some powerful backer? Ever since the hidden livestream by the director, it feels scripted.
After finishing her boxing, An Shijiu felt completely refreshed. She exhaled a breath of turbid air and turned, heading back to the hotel.
Seeing the cameraman turn toward the door, An Zhe knew his mother was coming back.
He immediately ran over and opened the door.
An Shijiu walked in calmly, her gaze sweeping over the cameraman.
No danger.
An Zhe trotted to the table and poured a cup of warm water.
After spending some time together, An Shijiu was no longer as guarded as at the beginning. She naturally took it and drank it in one go.
【People Leave, Tea Cools】：Leaving aside An Shijiu, An Zhe is really good-looking and sensible. I’m staying in this livestream room just for him.
【Little Angel Xuxu】：Eat something better. Aren’t all kids at this age cute? He’s just an ordinary kid. Go check Ye family’s livestream room to see a real little angel.
【Dad’s Dad Is Called】：Even though it’s a kids’ variety show, everyone’s here to watch An Shijiu make a fool of herself, right? Let’s see what else she can stage later.
The VJ explained the day’s schedule.
This station was located in a mountain village on an unnamed mountain within the county.
The program’s cars were already waiting outside. Each family would be picked up by a different car and sent to the foot of the mountain.
After the production staff checked their luggage, they would hike up the mountain.
Those who arrived first could choose their houses first.
In the afternoon, there would be a meeting for everyone to get acquainted.
“Overall, today is relatively relaxed. Let’s pack up and set off quickly.”
An Shijiu went to the bathroom to wash up and changed into casual clothes.
The weather was no longer that cold, so she wore a slightly thicker sports outfit.
After coming out, she casually tossed her pajamas into the suitcase.
Zipping it up, she looked at An Zhe. “Are you ready?”
An Zhe had just closed his small suitcase as well. Hearing her question, he calmly replied, “Ready.”
An Shijiu looked at the VJ. “Let’s go.”
They finished packing in less than three minutes?
He had thought that since she had gone out to practice boxing early in the morning, she would also add some dramatic flair during the packing segment. He had even prepared to cooperate.
Unexpectedly, it was so quick that he could not figure her out at all.
After a two-hour car ride, they finally arrived at the so-called unnamed mountain, which showed just how remote the place was.
But the scenery was indeed beautiful.
In April, the mountain was already covered in green, full of vitality, making one feel refreshed and open-minded.
A male and a female staff member were inspecting the luggage of An Zhe and An Shijiu.
An Shijiu glanced at the small path behind them and felt a strange sense of familiarity.
There was no modern asphalt or cement—only yellow earth and stones. It was narrow, rugged, and steep.
More importantly, both sides were lined with shrubs.
If she had to carry out an assassination mission, she would very much like this kind of road.
One could hide silently on either side—who would be able to notice?
【Recycling Cold Boiled Water】：Her ex-husband said she doesn’t treat the child well. Looks like it’s true—just look at how little she brought, she clearly has no experience taking care of a child.
【passerby】：Exactly. Aside from the essentials, she didn’t bring anything the production team didn’t allow for the sake of creating difficulty.
【People Leave, Tea Cools】：Is following the program rules a mistake now?
【Little Angel Xuxu】：But Xuxu’s mom can still prepare as many useful things for her child as possible while following the rules.
The two staff members checking the luggage found nothing and exchanged a somewhat stunned glance with the VJ.
This person—why wasn’t she creating any issues at all?
Peaceful, yes, but where was the variety show effect?
The VJ also felt like crying. If things stayed this dull, the viewers who came to watch drama would leave because there was no drama to see.
He would rather she attracted criticism.
Secretly encouraging himself, he thought: It’s okay—there’s still a tough segment on the road. That will definitely make her embarrass herself.
It would give the livestream audience something satisfying to watch!
An Shijiu had no idea what they were thinking and walked ahead of An Zhe.
The VJ, accustomed to carrying a camera for long periods, had exceptional stamina and walked ahead, keeping the camera focused on An Shijiu.
To allow the audience to simultaneously see the climbing conditions of all six guests, the production team had searched the entire mountain and found six different routes. Unfortunately, he had drawn the farthest one.
It was a bit unfair, but they had no intention of telling the guests. The livestream audience, enjoying the spectacle, likely would not notice such a minor detail anyway.
So, this female livestream host would surely end up exhausted and disheveled. When she could no longer endure it and threw a tantrum, that would be the moment for good variety show effect.
Ten minutes passed.
Twenty minutes passed.
Thirty minutes—more than half the mountain path had already been covered.
The VJ’s camera gradually shifted from filming An Shijiu’s front, to her side, to the back of her head, and finally he gave up.
He lagged behind, panting heavily, and started filming An Zhe instead.
The small figure’s soft black hair was soaked with sweat, sticking in strands to his smooth forehead.
The VJ’s eyes lit up—under normal circumstances, a child should start throwing a tantrum by now.
Tired, right? Hurry, roll on the ground!
However, An Zhe merely pressed his lips together. In his dark eyes was a trace of stubbornness as he silently followed behind his mother.
【People Leave, Tea Cools】：Wuwu, Zhe baby is such a little man, really so sensible.
Seeing that people were discussing, the VJ immediately perked up.
Using his superb filming skills, he captured An Zhe’s miserable state from multiple angles.
The direction of the livestream comments began to shift.
【Dad’s Dad Is Called】：Is this child abuse? Other families try not to make their kids suffer, but you only care about yourself?
【Little Angel Xuxu】：Not all mothers love their children.
The barrage was filled almost entirely with people scolding An Shijiu for being heartless.