Director Li could not sleep late at night and surfed the internet frantically.
He was so worried he felt like he was about to go bald.
All the invitations he had sent to celebrities had been rejected.
This variety show about children was his chance to turn things around. If it failed again, he would have no future in the industry.
His fingers kept scrolling downward.
Suddenly, two exquisite faces—one big and one small—appeared on the screen.
A marketing account’s video?
From the livestream bullet comments captured in the recording, he keenly sensed gossip.
A female influencer secretly married with a child!
Both mother and son had outstanding looks!
And she had even stirred controversy by associating herself with Film Emperor Shen, gaining some traction!
Wasn’t this the perfect candidate for a children’s variety show?
He immediately made a decision that would have his ancestors rolling in their graves.
Since proper celebrities could not be invited, he might as well find people like this who carried some level of public attention.
Their reputation might be bad, but being notorious was still a form of fame!
He immediately made a call. “Find me the contact information for the internet celebrity An Shijiu.”
The morning air was especially fresh.
After finishing her meditation and training, An Shijiu sent An Zhe to school as usual.
They passed through a narrow alley, with low walls on both sides. The withered vines climbing over them had not been cleared, making the place look messy.
An Zhe walked obediently in front with his backpack when he was suddenly pulled into a familiar embrace.
His face flushed. Why was his mother hugging him again?
Then he heard her voice above his head turn suddenly cold and serious.
“There’s an assassin!”
He instinctively felt nervous, clutching tightly at his mother’s collar and looking around.
The system, unable to detect surroundings, assumed it was just the Host’s strange thinking.
【Stop acting crazy.】
But in truth, someone was indeed hiding behind the low wall.
Using the dense vines as cover, he crouched there.
When he heard “there’s an assassin,” he cursed under his breath and lowered himself further.
How had she noticed?
Originally, he should have taken more time and used a safer method to obtain the child’s hair.
But according to the information, the parents were currently in a divorce cooling-off period, and the child lived with his mother.
A weak female influencer—what resistance could she possibly offer?
So he had chosen the simplest and most direct method: ambush here, seize the hair by force, and complete the mission quickly.
Even if discovered, it did not matter.
People like them, who had undergone training, possessed strength and speed far beyond ordinary people!
Gritting his teeth, he flipped over the wall and charged straight at the boy.
Hair—hand it over!
The system panicked.
【Oh no! There really is an assassin!】
An Zhe clenched his small fists and stepped in front of his mother.
An Shijiu’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Seeing his action, she froze for a second.
Then, as the wind rushed toward her, she snapped back to her senses.
Her foot struck squarely into the man’s chest!
The Wall-Climbing Guy felt his chest muscles tremble violently. His vision went black, and he experienced the sensation of flying.
Bang!
His entire body crashed against the low wall!
Acting on instinct, he scrambled up and fled.
All the way back to headquarters, he grabbed his boss’s clothes like he had seen a ghost.
“She kicked me and sent me flying!”
“Sent! Me! Flying!”
He tore open his collar, revealing a distinct shoe-shaped bruise on his pale chest.
The boss was shocked. No one had mentioned such combat ability. Furious, he called the employer.
In a hotel dressing room, the agent answered the call, disbelief written all over his face.
Then the other side sent over footage recorded by a body camera.
Just a few dozen seconds.
After watching, the agent was stunned. He could only say, “Send me all the information you’ve gathered. There’s no need to continue the mission. The payment will still be made.”
After hanging up, he reported everything truthfully to Shen Yanjing.
Shen Yanjing took the phone and opened the video.
Through gaps in the withered leaves, a small boy with a backpack appeared.
Right behind him was a woman wearing a dark green jacket, straight-leg jeans, and orange-pink hair.
From her steps, one could sense her casual indifference.
Suddenly, she paused and turned her head toward the camera—like a tabby cat spotting a mouse.
It was a pure kind of aggression, like a blade piercing straight through the screen into Shen Yanjing’s heart.
The following seconds showed only movements; her eyes were no longer captured.
He kept dragging the progress bar back, replaying those few seconds again and again.
Something in his chest tightened. That gaze felt very familiar…
The agent, worried about an unsuccessful start, cautiously suggested, “The DNA test must be done. Perhaps we should let the public relations team handle it.”
“No.” Shen Yanjing’s eyes darkened.
The agent carefully added, “Then perhaps I should go personally—”
“I’ll go myself.”
Agent: “Ah?”
After being kicked away, the Wall-Climbing Guy had escaped using his professional instincts.
An Shijiu hesitated briefly but did not pursue.
She set An Zhe down and crouched to meet his eyes.
The system felt relieved.
At last, the Host seemed to have some awareness of caring for a child.
Poor little An Zhe must have been frightened—comfort him, comfort him~
But An Zhe’s eyes showed no fear at all—only stars.
He looked at An Shijiu with pure admiration, his little face flushed.
Instead of comforting him, An Shijiu asked seriously, “Do you have any enemies?”
The system: My expectations were doomed from the start~
After hearing this, An Zhe placed his small hand under his chin like a pistol and began thinking seriously.
【Hey, hey—enough! He’s only in kindergarten. What enemies could he possibly have!】
An Shijiu said, “That’s why I said, if I don’t kill him, he will come back to assassinate me!”
The system took a moment to process—she was talking about that abusive man.
【……】
【Let’s just say… is it possible this is someone sent by Film Emperor Shen?】
An Shijiu suddenly understood, narrowing her eyes. “Even a vicious tiger does not eat its cubs, yet this man wants to kill An Zhe to silence him.”
The system: My native language is speechlessness.
【They probably just wanted to run a test.】
“A test of what?”
【To check if An Zhe is his biological child!】
“A blood test?”
【I’m done.】
Although exasperated, the system dutifully explained DNA to this ancient-minded person.
While they argued mentally, they arrived at the kindergarten.
Parents and children crowded the entrance in layers.
An Zhe tugged at his mother’s hand. “Mom, only Li Shuai dislikes me in kindergarten. The assassin must have been sent by him.”
“Not him,” An Shijiu shook her head. “But if he hits you again, tell me.”
Her tone was flat, devoid of emotion.
If other mothers spoke like honey, hers was like dry bread—same words, no flavor.
Teacher Wang spotted them from afar.
She felt surprised—An Shijiu had come to send An Zhe again. Had she really changed?
Looking closer, An Zhe no longer seemed as cold as before. He smiled at his mother like a sunflower.
Teacher Wang could not help asking, “An Zhe’s mother, did you and Li Shuai’s mother settle things yesterday?”
An Shijiu thought about it.
Had it been settled?
The woman had said nothing and simply run away.
Her contemplative expression made Teacher Wang think she had been stumped.
So the issue was unresolved. Once Li Shuai arrived, he would surely bully An Zhe again—she would have to watch closely.
“It’s fine. If you’re busy, you can go. I’ll take An Zhe inside.”
An Shijiu nodded and left like a gust of wind.
The words “goodbye” got stuck in An Zhe and Teacher Wang’s throats before they could say them.
“Beep! Beep!”
A BMW stopped by the roadside. Teacher Wang saw that Li Shuai had arrived.
He walked toward the entrance, his face oddly miserable.
As he passed An Zhe, Teacher Wang tensed, ready to intervene.
Unexpectedly, Li Shuai only snorted heavily and ran off without looking back.
Teacher Wang froze.
Li Shuai’s mother was notoriously difficult. What exactly had An Zhe’s mother said?
She had actually resolved the problem!
An Shijiu, unaware of Teacher Wang’s astonishment, was eager to get home.
Today, she absolutely had to order takeout!
Entering the residential community, her slow, ancient mindset failed to notice the brand-new black Cayenne parked at the building entrance.
After entering, she saw four unfamiliar people standing outside her door.
Among them, the tallest one nearly touched the ceiling.
Dressed in a black coat and a low-pulled black cap, only a pale, jade-like lower jaw was visible.
His sharp jawline contrasted starkly with his dark clothing, giving him an intense presence.
He held a cigarette between his fingers, bringing it to his thin red lips before exhaling wisps of white smoke.
In the dim corridor, the glowing ember burned like a small red star, piercing through the old warmth of the building.
An Shijiu frowned. This person…
As if sensing something, he paused, then lifted his head and turned toward the stairwell.
Sharp eyes emerged from beneath the brim.
Seeing the woman standing at the entrance, Shen Yanjing flicked away his cigarette. His polished leather shoe crushed the glowing ember.
“Ms. An Shijiu, would it be convenient to go inside and talk?”