Everyone was chatting and laughing as they prepared to leave.
Ji Qingyu had already moved over to An Shijiu’s side, grinning widely as he introduced himself.
An Shijiu usually went to bed early. Now she was so sleepy that she struggled to keep her eyes open, unable to hear anything at all.
That single remark made everyone stop and turn back. An Zhe hurriedly pulled his mother—who looked like a wandering soul—to a stop as well.
Shen Yanjing said calmly, “I remember the first place in the Weibo voting gets a hidden privilege, right?”
He had always kept in mind that his main purpose for joining this show was to spend time with An Zhe.
Whenever reality conflicted with his own intentions, he had never chosen to endure it.
Director Li was a little confused. Wasn’t he here to take care of Ye Qingyin? They had already been grouped together—what was there to be dissatisfied about?
Ye Qingyin’s face instantly turned pale. Her arms were crossed so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh.
This was the first broadcast. If she were publicly switched out, the vast network she had painstakingly built—and her persona as the well-connected, universally adored center—would collapse.
With her back to the camera, she straightened her spine and looked at Shen Yanjing. Her brows furrowed in restrained emotion, her eyes glistening faintly with moisture, her eyelids slightly reddened.
With this stubborn yet pitiful expression, she had captured the favor of many wealthy and powerful male parents—Shang He was one of them.
“Mr. Shen, it’s getting late. If there’s anything, perhaps you can speak to the director tomorrow?” Her voice was so soft it seemed as though it might shatter in the wind.
It was said that the entertainment industry was the marketplace of fame and profit within all such marketplaces. Shen Yanjing had debuted as a child star and had weathered years within it—how could he fail to see the scheming hidden beneath a gentle façade?
What he hated most were people who tried to manipulate him to satisfy their own selfish desires.
This Ye Qingyin—and that An Shijiu—were the same kind of people.
When Ye Qingyin saw the undisguised disgust in Shen Yanjing’s eyes, as though he had seen through her very soul, she felt as if struck by lightning.
“Director Li, I want to use my privilege—to switch and join the An Family.”
—O_O What is going on?!!
—Shen Yanjing and An Shijiu???? They’ve had zero interaction, how did this happen so suddenly?
—I’m starting to think those scandals about An Shijiu weren’t fabricated. Otherwise, there’s no explanation!
—Didn’t people say Shen Yanjing joined the show to take care of Ye Qingyin? And now he’s refusing to be in the same group?
—Hahaha, I knew An Shijiu looked too clear-eyed to lie. Who still dares to say she was clout-chasing? Your idol just proved you wrong!
—That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s because of An Zhe. Maybe he has his own considerations. Everyone knows Shen Yanjing is a career-focused, emotionless type!
—Maybe Ye and Shen agreed to avoid suspicion on the show. Look at Ye Qingyin’s behavior—she always seems to keep her distance, even when Ye Xuxu talks to him.
—Ohhh~~ avoiding suspicion~~
If Shen Yanjing joined the An Family, wouldn’t he have many opportunities to interact with An Zhe?
The system burst out: 【Wake up, Host! Something big has happened!】
Startled by the system, An Shijiu’s eyes widened instantly. After regaining her senses, she looked at Shen Yanjing.
Their gazes met.
His deep eyes churned with unreadable emotions.
In any case, they were anything but friendly.
An Shijiu turned her head expressionlessly and asked the director, “Then do I, as first place, also have a privilege? I don’t want to be in the same group as him.”
—Oh my god, screaming, twisting, crawling!!!
—Heh, look at your precious idol—our sister doesn’t even want him. Whoever wants him can take him!
—What is An Shijiu pretending for? She mentioned our idol openly in the livestream before. I don’t believe she wasn’t trying to gain attention. Now she’s acting again.
—Shijiu did the right thing. Stick to her strongwoman persona. An Zhe’s popularity is pretty good now too. No need to get involved with their idol—Yanzi Army are all crazy!
—Those who kept stepping on Shijiu in her livestream while hyping up the Ye mother and daughter, come out and speak now!
—So what? Even if the An Family ranked first in the family debut popularity, among the six children, our Xuxu still has the highest popularity!
Director Li rubbed his forehead. “Only the first place in the vote has the privilege.”
He glanced at Ye Qingyin, who had lowered her head without speaking.
He was not some naïve young man. Now it seemed that his earlier assumption—that Shen Yanjing had joined the show for Ye Qingyin—was highly questionable.
The reason he had thought so was largely due to Ye Qingyin’s subtle guidance in her words.
He had originally planned to use some behind-the-scenes methods on the show to create more opportunities for the two of them to interact, as a favor to Shen Yanjing. Thinking about it now, he felt a chill of fear.
He made a decision on the spot. “Then we’ll switch. Qingyu, you go to the Ye Family.”
Ji Qingyu: not happy.
He shot Shen Yanjing a resentful glance but didn’t dare say anything. He obediently walked over to the Ye Family.
Ye Qingyin gave him a gentle smile, her eyes still red. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and joked in comfort, “If you need anything in the future, just say the word.”
Ye Qingyin nodded gratefully. He lowered his gaze, focusing on the ground, not noticing the flash of viciousness in her eyes.
The guests all had different expressions, but everyone knew how to manage their faces. Only Ren Mei, in order to stop her cheekbones from rising too high, had nearly turned her mouth into a duck’s beak.
Director Li said, “Alright, alright, everyone go back and rest. We’ll gather here tomorrow morning to assign tasks.”
The system lamented: 【Alas, the enemy has already breached the city gates】
She had no privilege to switch people. If something couldn’t be changed, she wouldn’t dwell on it.
Sleepiness surged over her again. She grabbed An Zhe and whispered, “Don’t talk to that person. He just wants to kidnap you.”
An Zhe had never spoken badly about someone so loudly before. He glanced at his biological father, who had clearly heard and was now frowning, and said with a flushed face, “Mom, keep your voice down!”
The night in the mountain village was cool, with a gentle breeze. The dirt road was uneven—one step into a pit, the next onto a stone.
Shen Yanjing followed behind the mother and son at a steady distance.
An Shijiu swayed as she walked, her eyes half-open.
An Zhe was extremely worried, holding tightly onto his mother’s arm. He had no extra attention to spare for the father following behind them.
Shen Yanjing walked steadily step by step, frowning as he looked at An Shijiu, who seemed on the verge of tripping with every step.
She was already an adult—did she still need others to worry about her just for walking?
This unfamiliar family of three walked in silence.
At last, An Shijiu, in a daze, reached the stone house. After quickly brushing her teeth and washing her face, she went into the room and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
—Hahaha, youth is great—fall asleep instantly.
—Wow, I saw people from the Gu and Xing families fall along the way.
—Our sis was wobbling but didn’t fall once. Impressive!
With Shen Yanjing joining, the number of viewers in the An Family’s livestream room doubled.
—Damn it, why did he choose the An Family?
—Is An Zhe really his son? Sigh… how could he choose a woman like this to have a child?
—An Shijiu is so rude—she just went to sleep without caring about anything!
—From his attitude, it’s obvious he’s not close to An Shijiu. Even if An Zhe is his biological son, it definitely wasn’t a willing relationship.
—The more you think about it, the scarier it gets!
An Zhe looked at his sleeping mother, then at his father standing in the courtyard with arms crossed.
He walked over with small steps, wanting to say something, but closed his mouth again.
Hmm… what should he call him?
Forget it. He pointed toward a smaller room. “You can stay in that room.”
Then he trotted inside and brought out his small broom for sweeping dirt.
“Use this to sweep the dust off the bed before making it.” After saying that, he went to scoop water to wash up.
Shen Yanjing took the small broom and watched as An Zhe stood on tiptoe to scoop water from the large vat, brushed his teeth, washed his face, then quietly entered the room and closed the door.
There was a brief silence.
Then came a “click” sound of something heavy being pressed against the door.
The wooden door of the shabby house had no lock.
Clearly, An Zhe was uneasy and had likely used a chair or something inside to block the door.
Shen Yanjing, who was being guarded against: …
His impression of An Shijiu sank even further.
Just as the information he had gathered suggested—she completely neglected this child. She even let the child worry about such matters, utterly unfit as a mother.
The room smelled musty, with dust thick enough to match the size of a fingernail.
Without changing his expression, Shen Yanjing swept the bed and skillfully made it.
He had encountered far harsher conditions while filming—this environment was nothing to him.
The cameraman understood traffic well and had been filming closely behind him.
—Ahhh, he’s usually so domineering, but doing housework he feels so husband-material.
—The veins on his arms when he rolled up his sleeves are so obvious, I’m drooling~
—Cameraman, hold your ground! Stay here and let me watch him sleep, hehe~
However, Shen Yanjing gave them no chance.
After finishing up, he went out to wash, then turned back into the room.
“Bang!”
Without hesitation, he shut the door on the cameraman—leaving behind a face full of dust.