An Shijiu glared at him, but she heard the director repeatedly say, “Yes, yes, yes—Manager is responsible for the custody, allocation, and use of the family’s assets.”
Shen Yanjing’s lips curved into a smile, and he raised his brows slightly.
An Zhe leaned close to her and whispered, “Mom, I’ll work harder in the future and win more for you. Don’t be angry, Mom.”
After saying that, he seemed to feel embarrassed, his face flushing red as he sat back down.
An Shijiu glanced at him repeatedly but said nothing, turning her head away.
She did not give the man behind her another look.
Shen Yanjing’s smile gradually faded. The gold coin that looked especially small in his hand rolled between his slender fingers, flipping from his index finger to his ring finger and pinky.
With a swift motion, he closed his palm around it.
Director Li said, “The program team will buy back the bamboo shoots at 0.5 yuan each. You may choose to sell them or keep them to eat. Just don’t forget—you still owe the program team 30 yuan for breakfast.”
He did not know the real market price of bamboo shoots, but prices in variety shows were always set to control the guests’ wealth and create better program effects.
The guests all showed surprised expressions.
0.5 yuan—that was just fifty cents. For them, this unit of pricing felt extremely unfamiliar!
More terrifying was the implication: after working hard for half a day, they might only earn a few dozen yuan, and still have to deduct 30 yuan for breakfast?
Everyone stared wide-eyed, exchanging looks.
The one whose expression turned the worst was Shang He. He turned to ask He Yun’er, “How many do we have?”
He Yun’er tried her best not to show a bad expression and said softly, “21.”
Shang He’s face stiffened. Suddenly, he shouted at Director Li, “Even if we sell all of them, we still can’t repay the breakfast money. Might as well let us starve to death!”
Everyone was startled by his outburst and turned to look at him.
Director Li hurriedly said, “If others are willing, you can borrow from them.”
Shang He immediately turned to look at Ye Qingyin. The gloom on his face had already disappeared. “I think the program team is being a bit harsh. I don’t mind, but I’m worried that Manager He and Ruoshui won’t have anything to eat.”
An Shijiu truly did not understand what this man was rambling about. She only wanted to eat quickly.
However, following rules and obeying instructions had been ingrained in her bones since childhood.
She had died once. The system had given her another life, but it was short-lived. Only by completing its tasks and returning to her original world could she continue to live.
In her eyes, the system was equivalent to her organization, and this variety show was a mission she had accepted.
Her main task was to help An Zhe overcome his childhood trauma and make more friends.
And Director Li was the authority who issued rules within this show.
So even though she was hungry, she would obediently wait.
She only cast a slightly unfriendly gaze toward Shang He.
The system: 【This surnamed Shang is dragging that female idol and his pitiful daughter out to gain sympathy. Clearly, he wants to borrow money but is too embarrassed to ask directly, so he’s trying to get Ye Qingyin to take the initiative to lend it to him!】
Ye Qingyin forced a somewhat stiff smile and said gently, “It’s alright, Brother Shang. I’ll help you repay the breakfast money.”
She raised her hand softly. “Director Li, we’ll exchange all our bamboo shoots for money, and then repay the breakfast fees for both our families.”
She even thoughtfully turned her head to ask, “Qingyu, what do you think?”
Ji Qingyu scratched the back of his head. 165 bamboo shoots would only exchange for 82.5 yuan. After repaying for two families, only 22.5 yuan would remain.
But looking at Ye Qingyin’s gentle gaze, he still said, “That… works.”
He Yun’er was so embarrassed that her face turned red. She said “thank you” to Ye Qingyin and Ji Qingyu.
Shang He looked at Ye Qingyin with a face full of admiration and emotion, even sighing, “There aren’t many good women like you nowadays.”
Ye Qingyin’s chest rose sharply. She had to exert effort to keep her expression from darkening.
—What an explosive statement. Oh my god, a “good woman”—the highest honor in a woman’s life! Shang He’s emotional intelligence is amazing, applause for him!!
—Help, the screen is soaked in patriarchal vibes!
Director Li quickly changed the subject. “Then what about the other families?”
He had originally intended to call on the currently most popular An Family, but thinking he shouldn’t neglect the others, he looked toward the family beside them.
“Little Mei’s parents, what do you say?”
Ren Mei held Xing Rumei, who was buried in her arms and unwilling to raise her head, and replied decisively, “Exchange them all for money.”
The program team had taken away all personal belongings. They needed money to use.
Suddenly, she felt dampness in her arms.
Ren Mei inwardly thought something was wrong. She reached out, pinched Xing Rumei’s cheeks, and lifted her face—sure enough, it was already soaked with tears.
It was hard to tell whether it was snot or tears, and her little face was flushed red from holding it in.
She quickly grabbed some tissues, wiped the dampness on her own clothes with a look of disgust, and casually wiped her daughter’s face as well.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Director Li was also confused. This child had seemed quite lively—what happened suddenly?
When Xing Rumei was asked, she immediately burst into even louder crying!
Her small body trembled as she sobbed, wrapping her arms around her mother’s neck. “Ugh~ Mom, I’m sorry… I should have… dug properly… Are we… going to have very little money… wuuuu—”
Ren Mei almost laughed, thinking that the little goose had finally started speaking human language.
On the surface, she gently held her daughter and patted her back. “We didn’t earn much, but it’s not that little either. Don’t worry—you’re quite the worrier.”
Xing Qingze felt heartbroken. He stroked his daughter’s little face, tucking the wet strands of hair sticking to her cheeks behind her ears.
Taking full responsibility, he said, “Next time there’s work, Dad will definitely try harder. You can just go play with something else, no need to worry about this. Stop crying now.”
—She cried because she felt guilty for not working hard digging bamboo shoots and knowing these things had to be exchanged for money… baby, you’re an angel, you’ve broken auntie’s heart!
—Then why was she digging around the soil instead of digging bamboo shoots earlier? It didn’t seem like she was slacking—more like she was seriously looking for something.
—Am I the only one who feels that her parents truly love her? Not that exaggerated, surface-level kind. Her mom pats her back, her dad gently fixes her tear-soaked hair—these small details come from genuine care.
—You can tell from Xing Rumei’s personality. That natural cheerfulness doesn’t form without growing up in love.
An Shijiu quite liked this chubby little girl and was watching her at that moment.
Suddenly, she felt her sleeve being tugged. Lowering her head, she saw An Zhe frowning slightly. His dark eyes met hers briefly before he lowered his gaze again.
Shen Yanjing also noticed An Zhe’s movements. His actions and expression carried a hint of restraint and caution.
Comparing that to the chubby little girl beside them, who looked at her parents with complete trust and dependence, a trace of coldness instantly appeared in his eyes.
Body language could not lie. The information was not false—An Shijiu had certainly not fulfilled her responsibility as a mother toward An Zhe.
Just as An Shijiu was about to ask what An Zhe wanted to say, she suddenly felt a strong gaze locking onto her. She immediately raised her head—and met Shen Yanjing’s cold eyes.