But the bathroom was only so big, and there was ultimately nowhere left to retreat.
The little one’s back pressed against the edge of the bathtub, trembling like a quail in the wind.
There was not a trace of pity in Mù Fěi’s eyes, only overflowing hatred.
Her well-maintained hand caressed the child’s cheek, feeling Little Yu’s trembling shivers, from which she experienced an unparalleled sense of control.
She couldn’t control her career, she couldn’t control her marriage, but at least she could control this child’s fate!
Life and death, reward and punishment—all rested on her whim!
“Don’t be afraid, Mommy won’t hit your face today.” Mù Fěi’s voice was as gentle as water, yet devoid of any warmth, carrying only a chilling eeriness that made one’s scalp tingle. “Let’s review again. When others ask how Mommy and Daddy treat you, how should you answer?”
Little Yu stammered, “Daddy is good, Mommy is good too. It’s Little Yu who’s bad, Little Yu is disobedient, Little Yu doesn’t listen…”
At an age when speech should still be unclear, these words flowed with practiced ease, as if recited a thousand times, without a single stumble.
“Yes, I treat you so well, so why do you still cause trouble for me?!” Mù Fěi raised her voice, sharp and piercing.
Back then, she had secured the Best Actress crown by framing her competitor.
But the whole world mocked her as a “watered-down queen.”
Mù Fěi simply gave up her career and married into a wealthy family.
Yet after marriage, it was nothing but a mess. Her husband was unfaithful, and the so-called wealthy family was a sham—the Yún family’s fortune wasn’t even as substantial as her own earnings as an actress.
All household expenses were covered by the money she had earned in the entertainment industry.
To maintain the façade of a wealthy family and the status of a Best Actress, money vanished faster than she had imagined.
Her husband repeatedly urged her to make a comeback, but the fiercely competitive entertainment industry wasn’t a place where you could leave and return at will, or become popular whenever you wished.
Mù Fěi’s greatest skill was hype, and she came up with a brilliant plan—adopting a child.
At the orphanage, Mù Fěi took a liking to Little Yu at first sight.
Among the drab, gray-clad children, she stood out with an arresting beauty.
But beauty alone wasn’t enough; to attract attention, there needed to be a compelling hook.
She merely pinched the child’s thigh a few times, and the little one, frightened to tears, obediently complied.
She also told the child that the dozens of reporters were all bad people there to take her away, provoking the child to scream during the live broadcast.
Then, she hyped up the child’s supposed mental illness.
A beautiful yet troubled child stirred up more controversy than Mù Fěi had anticipated.
She made her comeback as planned, landing numerous advertisements and earning a hefty sum in endorsement fees. But those big-name directors truly had no taste—when she auditioned, they actually criticized her acting skills! They outright refused to cast her!
Her husband’s company was on the brink of bankruptcy, and money was increasingly tight. To uphold her Best Actress image, Mù Fěi couldn’t accept too many endorsements, so she forced Yún Xiǎoyù to take on more advertisements instead.
But Yún Xiǎoyù was utterly useless—wasn’t it just filming for over ten hours a day?
She actually started having stress reactions to the filming set!
No matter how much Mù Fěi pinched Yún Xiǎoyù, the child would either become dazed and absent-minded or scream and cry uncontrollably.
Over time, naturally, few brands were willing to work with Yún Xiǎoyù.
Mù Fěi blamed all the losses on Yún Xiǎoyù.
Originally, Yún Xiǎoyù had little value left, so sending her to the Xǔ family as a child bride seemed the only option.
Who would have thought that a Míng Zhī would appear out of nowhere!
“Stay away from that bitch Míng Zhī!” Mù Fěi scolded. “Do you hear me?”
Little Yu instinctively retorted, “Sister… Sister is very kind…”
“She’s a bitch! A bitch! Say it, say she’s a bitch!” Mù Fěi shook Little Yu’s shoulders desperately.
Little Yu, who had always been obedient before, now kept her lips tightly sealed.
Tears trembled on the verge of falling, ready to spill.
“You’re a bitch too!!” Mù Fěi cursed, raising her hand to repeat her old trick and pinch the child—
Bang bang bang!
Urgent knocking came from the door.
Mù Fěi panicked.
“Auntie, I need to pee.” Ming Zhi’s voice sounded outside the door. “Open up! I know you’re in there!”
Mù Fěi gritted her teeth, her features twisting slightly, and said in a pinched voice, “There’s a bathroom in the guest room too.”
“Not opening, huh?”
Ming Zhi swept her hair back, revealing her smooth, fair forehead, her expression cool and sharp.
“Stupid Little Yu, step back.”
As soon as she finished speaking, while the live stream audience was still confused, she unexpectedly kicked the frosted glass door!
Kick after kick, full of vigorous force.
The production team: !!
The live stream room: !!
The on-site camera was fixed in position, unmanned. Director Chu, in a temporary tent set up in the yard, let out a sharp scream at the monitor—
“Ahhh Ming Zhi, what are you doing—”
This group was Director Chu’s favorite, so he chose to oversee it personally.
He had expected conflicts, but wasn’t reconciliation after conflict what the audience loved most?
Why was it conflict on top of conflict! Ming Zhi, what on earth are you doing!!
…
Mù Fěi in the bathroom was terrified, her face pale. She whispered a warning to Little Yu and hurried to open the door.
Just a moment later, and Ming Zhi’s kick would have sent her flying.
“Well, Auntie, are you constipated? Took you so long to open the door.” Ming Zhi smiled brightly and brilliantly, infuriatingly so. “Where’s Little Yu?”
She coldly scanned the room, seeing the child standing unharmed by the bathtub, and finally felt a weight lift from her heart.
…Don’t get the wrong idea, she wasn’t concerned about the future big villain!
Not concerned at all, OK?
She was just afraid the little fool would be bullied, planting seeds of darkness in her heart. What if she went on a crazy killing spree later?
Mù Fěi stood on moral high ground, criticizing Ming Zhi: “Zhizhi, as your intern family member, I have to criticize you. You need to have basic respect for elders; that’s how a lady should behave!”
[Well said! Ming Zhi deserves to be scolded!]
[I was a casual fan of Ming Zhi, but now I’m turning against her. No manners!]
[No idea what she’s going crazy about. The mom is just taking her daughter to the bathroom, and she’s kicking the door! What if they were showering? Did she even consider Mù Fěi and the child’s privacy!]
[Honestly, the root of the problem is that orphan Yun Xiaoyu. Why on earth is she even on the live stream? It’s like forcing us to eat shit!]
[To be fair, Yun Xiaoyu is too young for this kind of live stream format. She should just quit already!]
…
But Ming Zhi raised an eyebrow. A rebellious teenager with nothing but attitude.
“My mom says, respect depends on the person. If elders are virtuous, juniors are filial. If elders lack virtue, juniors lack filial piety. Auntie, why don’t you reflect on yourself?”
Mù Fěi was speechless.
This brat, was she mocking her?!
“You… you… you’re utterly unreasonable!” Mù Fěi fumed, her chest heaving, and hurried past Ming Zhi.
Ming Zhi stuck her tongue out at her retreating back before finally entering the bathroom.
The camera in the bedroom could capture a bit of the bathroom scene. Noticing this, Ming Zhi closed the door.
In the enclosed space, only two people remained—one older, one younger.
“Let me make this clear—I’m not worried about you, I just happened to be passing by!” Ming Zhi spoke with a haughty tone. “Hey, kid, did she hit you again?”
But Ming Zhi forgot—her microphone was still on—