At the end of the corridor, the Yun Feng couple, who had been whispering quietly, were startled.
Why was Ming Zhi in that dead girl Yun Xiaoyu’s room? Could she have overheard something?!
Downstairs in the lobby, Director Chu was utterly confused.
Do girls bond that quickly? They clearly weren’t familiar with each other just moments ago.
“This would need to be discussed with Little Yu’s parents…” Truth be told, Director Chu was quite keen on having Yun Xiaoyu appear on camera. Cute kids were naturally a traffic magnet, capable of attracting many Aunty Fans and Motherly Fans.
These fans were an incredibly high-spending demographic!
In the shadows, Mù Fěi looked panicked, but Yún Fēng raised a hand, signaling her to stay quiet.
“You must be Miss Ming Zhi, I presume.” Yún Fēng straightened his clothes and approached Ming Zhi with an ingratiating smile plastered on his face. His expression was both obsequious and shrewd, and his middle-aged, greasy, pudgy appearance was off-putting. “Here’s the thing, we’d also love for Yun Xiaoyu—that dead… that girl—to join the livestream, but you see, there’s something you don’t know…”
Ming Zhi raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s the problem?”
Yún Fēng put on a pained expression. “This is rather embarrassing for our Yun family to talk about… Ah, forget it, forget it… Yun Xiaoyu suffers from childhood delirium! To put it simply, it’s a mental illness!
She’s not like other children. When she has an episode, she becomes agitated, irritable, screams, and can even engage in extreme behavior!”
He didn’t lower his voice, and the staff downstairs heard every word clearly.
So Yun Xiaoyu really did have a mental illness!
Having a child like that must be such a headache for the parents!
“Is that so? But I think Little Yu seems perfectly normal. Participating in a few days of livestreaming shouldn’t be a problem,” Ming Zhi said.
Mù Fěi stepped forward with a cold expression. “We said she can’t participate, so she can’t!”
“Please forgive my wife, Miss Ming,” Yún Fēng said, wrapping an arm around Mù Fěi’s shoulders as if he were the epitome of a good man and husband. “She’s been under a lot of stress dealing with Yun Xiaoyu’s condition, so she’s a bit short-tempered. It’s truly unfortunate timing, but we’ve found a medical institution for Little Yu, and she’s scheduled to be admitted for treatment this afternoon.”
Ming Zhi sneered. “Unfortunate timing? More like coincidence knocking on coincidence’s door—coincidence all the way home!”
Yún Fēng’s expression darkened slightly, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.
It seemed this Ming Zhi knew something.
Director Chu came upstairs. With his experience in the industry, it wasn’t hard for him to sense something fishy between the Yun couple and Yun Xiaoyu.
But he was naturally conflict-averse, preferring to avoid trouble whenever possible, so he tactfully advised, “Xiao Zhi, let it go.”
Ming Zhi was inherently a person with a strong sense of justice. Now, with a fire burning inside her, she was in a highly combustible state.
Let it go? Why should she let it go?
This matter couldn’t be dropped!
If she became a child bride to a serial killer, how could she grow up without turning twisted and villainous?
On the other hand, if Yun Xiaoyu grew up normally, given that she was a little dummy who struggled even to blow a bubble, what chaos could she possibly cause?
Ming Zhi thought to herself: she wasn’t saving Yun Xiaoyu; she was saving her own future self from a collapsed life!
“I just like Little Yu! I have to do the livestream with her! Otherwise, I refuse to participate in your show!”
Director Chu coughed. “The breach of contract penalty is ten million…”
“It’s just ten million. I’ll have my mom transfer it to you,” Ming Zhi said nonchalantly, deliberately flaunting her financial status.
Sure enough, hearing her tone, the Yun couple’s eyes lit up.
Could this Ming Zhi be a rich second-generation heiress?
Director Chu felt a headache coming on. The show’s production team had thoroughly vetted all the guests before inviting them. In this era of declining record sales, Ming Zhi had managed to sign with the country’s largest record company.
Besides her talent, she also had connections.
She took her mother’s surname, and her mother, Ming Jing, was a well-known angel investor—wealthy yet low-key.
Director Chu was in a difficult position. However, Yún Fēng was the first to speak up: “It’s Little Yu’s good fortune to have a friend like Miss Ming. I’ll contact the medical institution and arrange for her treatment to be scheduled later.”
“Oh? What about the live broadcast appearance…”
“That’s fine, that’s fine. Let’s sign an additional contract. Director Chu, please come to the study.”
“Alright, I’ll have my assistant and legal team come over.”
In the study.
Mù Fěi and Yún Fēng entered first and quickly closed the door.
“Husband, what do you mean by this? If we don’t send Yun Xiaoyu to the Xu family, how am I supposed to get that role?”
“Darling, calm down,” Yún Fēng soothed. “Think about it—having Yun Xiaoyu participate in the live broadcast is actually a good thing. Once she gains some fame, her value will naturally increase. Besides…”
He lowered his voice, “I can tell that Ming Zhi comes from a well-off family. If Yun Xiaoyu really manages to build a good relationship with her, she might even be able to attract new investments for my company!”
Mù Fěi said irritably, “What if that brat Yun Xiaoyu starts talking nonsense?”
“That will depend on your skills, darling,” Yún Fēng said, pretending to massage her shoulders. “Tonight, you can give her a taste of ‘family discipline,’ and she’ll behave!”
Mù Fěi snorted proudly, “You’d be lost without me!”
Soon, Director Chu arrived with his team. Ming Zhi also appeared, holding Yun Xiaoyu’s hand.
“Little Yu, come to Daddy,” Yún Fēng said with a kind smile.
Yun Xiaoyu trembled slightly and instinctively pressed closer to Ming Zhi.
Daddy was scary—he could change faces.
He would become terrifyingly frightening, like the devil in the stories Little Tian from the orphanage used to tell her.
“This child is timid and shy around strangers,” Yún Fēng said awkwardly.
Ming Zhi spoke directly, “Let her sit next to me.”
Yun Xiaoyu’s dark eyes instantly lit up.
She huffed and puffed as she climbed onto the sofa. Because her legs were short, they dangled in mid-air. After Ming Zhi sat down beside her, she happily swung her little feet.
Ming Zhi’s head started spinning again.
Ah… she’s just so adorable! How can her feet be so tiny, ahhhhh!
Screaming internally, Ming Zhi maintained a cool and aloof expression on the outside.
“Hey, little brat, let’s set some ground rules.”
Yun Xiaoyu blinked her big eyes, taking a few seconds to realize that the sister was talking to her!
Yun Xiaoyu, who was usually ignored by everyone, was extremely excited. Like a little animal, she snuggled and rubbed against Ming Zhi.
“Stop!” Ming Zhi made a gesture, expressionless. “First, during tomorrow’s live broadcast, you’re not allowed to cling to me!”
Yun Xiaoyu: ●﹏●
“Can I just cling a little? Please, sister~~” the little one tried to bargain.
Ming Zhi mercilessly refused, “No! Second, you’re not allowed to act cute with me!”
Yun Xiaoyu: ＞﹏＜
“But I wasn’t…”
“Just don’t!” Miss Ming was both proud and haughty. “And the most important third rule—”
“You’re not allowed to call me sister!”
Yun Xiaoyu: ⊙﹏⊙
Her little face scrunched up, and she mumbled pitifully, “Why can’t I call you sister, sister?”
“Because I’m not your sister, and you’re not my sister either.”
“Oh…”
Yun Xiaoyu twisted the fabric of her black-and-white panda pajamas, feeling dejected and looking utterly pitiful.
Ming Zhi observed that Director Chu and the others had nearly finished discussing the contract.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Ming Zhi spoke in a very aloof, domineering, and tsundere-like whisper:
“…I’ll let you hug me now. But only for a moment, okay!”