Qin Muqing remained completely unaware of the peculiar undercurrents between the two, utterly oblivious to the subtle tension laced within their conversation.
She was an absolute sucker for good looks, and at this moment, her heart and eyes were still completely captivated by Ye Shuang and the two little milk dumplings’ extraordinary charm.
Hearing Ye Shuang’s words, she instinctively nodded in agreement: “Ah, right, right, not familiar at all, not familiar at all.”
Her son Dou Dou, seeing this, couldn’t help but cover his face with his hands, inwardly lamenting:
Mom’s condition is really serious, Dad! Your wife is so enchanted by the beautiful sister she might just run off with her!!
“……”
Ye Xinrou was almost suffocated with embarrassment by Qin Muqing’s agreement, so she quietly sat in the corner and stopped speaking.
Nearby, Lu Jue just wanted to stay away from the “storm” brewing here, so he simply hypnotized himself into pretending he heard nothing.
Steeling himself, he moved closer to his son, pretending to listen attentively to the two little ones’ illogical “random chatter.”
However, he was inwardly shocked and impressed by Qin Muqing’s words.
“Auntie, you’re so pretty! Hello, little brothers!”
Like a cheerful little bird, Duo Duo pulled her somewhat socially anxious mother’s hand and strode confidently right up to Ye Shuang.
She tilted her little head up, eyes wide open as she gazed at Ye Shuang, her pupils sparkling with admiration and affection.
“Hello there, Duo Duo is very pretty too.”
Ye Shuang’s lips curved into a warm, sun-like smile as she gently bent down and gave the adorable Duo Duo a soft hug.
The moment Duo Duo reluctantly let go, Ye Shuang straightened up and met Li Qinqin’s shy smile, politely saying:
“Sister Qinqin, hello, I’m Ye Shuang. You can call me Xiao Shuang.”
“Hello, hello… Xiao Shuang, welcome.”
Li Qinqin’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke, clearly still a bit nervous.
But when she mustered her courage and met Ye Shuang’s exquisitely painted features and gentle eyes, the tension in her heart seemed to dissipate like a breeze, vanishing almost instantly.
[Tsk tsk tsk, Qingqing ah, get a grip! How can you copy me? And haven’t you seen how dark Ye Xinrou’s face has turned?]
[Forget it, haven’t you noticed Dou Dou has given up struggling? Everyone in the entertainment industry knows our Sister Qing is a hardcore looks fan!]
[Yeah, forget Sister Qing, even I wouldn’t be much better in her place. Ye Shuang’s face is just perfectly my type!]
[Green Threads, that’s enough! Can’t you see Ye Shuang was mocking our Xinxin? Who does she think she is, daring to treat our Xinxin like that?]
[Exactly, Ye Shuang should die! Die!]
[Tsk, Ye Xinrou’s fans have gone crazy. Didn’t you see it was your own fan trying to force affection where it wasn’t wanted? Ye Shuang was just politely declining.]
[Right, right, if a stranger called me little sister, I wouldn’t like it either.]
[Rourou was just caring for her sister! They are sisters after all, Ye Shuang is the one being rude!]
[Exactly, I’m speechless. How can being rude be justified? Can’t believe someone like Ye Shuang even has fans now. Probably paid, right?]
[Ah yes yes yes, three thousand per comment, are you paying?]
[Ye Shuang should just die!!!!]
“Ahem, everyone, attention please!!”
Just as the atmosphere on set grew subtly awkward, the program director emerged from some corner like a sneaky little thief, popping out with a “whoosh.”
Holding a loudspeaker, he shouted hoarsely, “It’s time to draw lots for the houses!”
“This place looks plenty big, doesn’t it? We could all squeeze in and manage just fine,” Qin Muqing reacted swiftly—truly a testament to her years of navigating the entertainment industry. She immediately grew alert and retorted bluntly at the director, who was beaming like the Maitreya Buddha.
Everyone was currently gathered in the spacious hall of a rural self-built house. Just on the first floor alone, there were three rooms, plus a bathroom and a kitchen.
She guessed the second floor probably had a similar layout.
So, there was absolutely no need to draw lots for housing. She could tell the director was just stirring up trouble.
She had assumed a Child Variety Show would be relaxed and easygoing, but she never expected variety shows these days to be so cutthroat.
“Yeah, yeah, Director, don’t go making things complicated. Let’s skip all this unnecessary fuss,” Lu Jue chimed in, no longer interested in just “watching the drama.” He quickly joined the opposition against the director.
Seeing that it was almost dark, he started to worry inwardly—would they even have dinner sorted out?
He glanced down at his oblivious son, who was only interested in chatting with his little friend, and fell silent. This was just too worrisome.
“Hehe, sorry about this, everyone,” the director remained all smiles, his eyes narrowing into slits as he spoke leisurely. “Actually, only one room in this house is available for us to use. The other rooms belong to the homeowner and can’t be lent out.”
He paused for effect before continuing mysteriously, “Also, let me give you a heads-up—this is actually the second-prize house. If you want to stay here… you’ll have to obediently draw cards to decide.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a staff member wearing a mask walked in, carrying a cardboard box in both hands.
A closer look revealed that the box couldn’t have been more makeshift.
Anyone could tell it had been hastily put together on the spot, probably just cut and pieced together from a sponsor’s milk carton.
The rough edges, the haphazardly applied tape, and its loose, flimsy appearance all added to its comical vibe.
“Come on, come on, which of our guests would like to draw first?” the director beamed, his eyes eagerly scanning everyone present.
But seeing that everyone seemed frozen in place as if under a spell, he immediately added with a hint of slyness and a faint trace of “threat” in his tone:
“I should remind everyone—whoever draws last gets no furniture at all~~ If you don’t want to hand-wash your own clothes, hehe, then it all depends on your luck!”
Ahem, maybe we’ll go first.”
Seeing everyone’s hesitation, Ye Shuang also picked up on the director’s underlying message. She cleared her throat lightly, decisively raising her hand.
Better to get it over with early. Besides, with the male lead and second male lead by her side, she felt like she had luck on her side. Ye Shuang didn’t believe she could be that unlucky.
“Alright then, sure. Who will draw for your group?” the director deliberately lowered his voice, not wanting to startle the sickly beauty or the two adorable little ones.
“Mommy?”
Ji Li and Ji Zhou immediately snapped back to reality and hurried to Ye Shuang’s side, gazing at her with supportive eyes.
Mom would probably enjoy the lottery draw—though they themselves were particularly eager to try, they had already promised Dad to take good care of Mom, so they should let her go first.
“This time, either of you can go first. Next time, it’ll be the turn of whoever didn’t draw, alright?”
Ye Shuang remained motionless on the sofa. She ruffled the two little cuties’ hair, politely declining to participate in the draw. She knew all too well how unlucky her hands were.
Whether it was Ji Li or Ji Zhou, as male lead and supporting male character, their luck was certainly better than hers—they could definitely carry her to victory.
Ye Shuang didn’t ask for much; she just didn’t want to hand-wash clothes. She wondered what kind of house the first prize would be?
Could it be a villa?