Jin Qiao found Yan Yuchen’s expression pretty funny and struggled to hold back her laughter.
“I really can cook. Yu Siyi just shook his head because he doesn’t know.”
Seeing how serious she looked, Yan Yuchen finally relaxed.
Noticing his own mom still standing there awkwardly, he quickly went over to help wash vegetables.
“I’ll take charge of cooking. You guys can wash the veggies and leave them here—I’ll do the cutting.”
Jin Qiao walked over to Yuan Qingning, took the knife from her hand, and began chopping with practiced ease.
Seeing his mom’s skilled knife work, Yu Siyi stared in shock, his mouth hanging open.
【Holy crap—she really can cook!】【She totally fooled us. This woman hides her skills well.】【That knife work—only time I’ve seen that was my chef uncle during New Year.】【Damn, just watching this feels impressive.】
Chen Siyu passed by carrying vegetables and saw Jin Qiao looking as if a master chef had possessed her. She was deeply confused.
She clearly remembered that in her dream, Jin Qiao didn’t know how to cook at this point.
When the show exploded in popularity, Jin Qiao was already gone.
Though in the second episode, her attitude toward her son did give the show another boost in popularity.
No, wait—that wasn’t right.
She also remembered that there had been no trending topics about Jin Qiao and her husband.
Had this world already changed?
Was it because she herself had altered her life’s trajectory, causing everything to spiral into chaos?
Chen Siyu kept replaying past events in her mind while cooking.
“I want to eat that shrimp.”
Chen Xiao’s voice snapped her back to reality.
“The ingredients you drew today are only these. There’s no shrimp. Those belong to other people.”
“I don’t care! I want it! You figure something out.”
【Just seeing Chen Xiao gives me a headache.】【Chen Xiaohua must have an even worse headache.】
“I can’t figure anything out. You drew these yourself.”
Chen Siyu was truly speechless.
【She’s officially given up.】【Yeah, there’s literally nothing she can do.】
Originally, she’d planned to bring a friend’s nephew onto the show, but somehow her relatives found out. They accused her of being heartless for “earning money without family.”
She had nothing to say.
Meanwhile, Jin Qiao was wielding a massive wok with effortless skill.
One adult and two kids beside her stared in stunned silence—and not just them. The viewers in front of the screens were equally shocked.
“Xiao Yi, your mom is amazing!”
Yan Yuchen stared wide-eyed at Jin Qiao flipping the wok with ease.
【This group is saved.】【Jin Qiao’s table is no worse than Group One’s.】【Everyone, we seriously underestimated this woman.】【Looks so fragrant—no way it tastes bad.】【Maybe it just looks good? Might not be edible.】【Why are there haters everywhere?】【I don’t care, I’m convinced Jin Qiao’s food is delicious.】
Yu Siyi was so excited. He really wanted to tell Dad—but his watch had been confiscated.
Still, Dad was kind of pitiful. Mom cooked, and he couldn’t eat any.
“You can eat now.”
Jin Qiao served the final dish, tidied the table, and removed her apron.
Yuan Qingning, Yan Yuchen, and Yu Siyi had been staring at the steaming dishes for so long they’d probably swallowed their saliva countless times.
Cilantro beef, braised pork, chopped chili fish head… mouthwatering.
“I cook pretty spicy. Not sure if you’re used to it.”
Jin Qiao sat beside Yu Siyi and helped him pick up dishes he couldn’t reach.
“Very used to it—I love spicy food.”
Yuan Qingning spoke and immediately started eating.
Yan Yuchen beside her also ate enthusiastically.
【That looks sooo good.】【Jin Qiao, can you come to my house and cook once for free?】【My takeout just arrived—sorry brothers, I’m eating first.】【AHHH I instantly ordered takeout too.】
At home, Ouyang Cheng was bored and casually opened the livestream. Seeing Jin Qiao’s high-level cooking left him completely stunned.
He immediately grabbed his phone and spam-tagged Yu An in the group chat.
Sunny Cheerful Big Boy: 【@Y Holy crap, Jin Qiao can cook like this?! I’m drooling through the screen.】
Y: 【……】
Zhizhi’s Dad: 【@Sunny Cheerful Big Boy Why don’t you praise our Zhizhi’s luck instead?】
Sunny Cheerful Big Boy: 【……】
ZZZZ: 【……】
Zhizhi’s Dad: 【Do you all have something to say?】
Sunny Cheerful Big Boy: 【Nothing at all.】
After dinner, it was time to rest.
“Today’s livestream ends here. See you tomorrow!”
Following the director’s instructions, Jin Qiao said this to the camera.
She’d been smiling, but the moment she finished speaking, her face went completely blank.
Yu Siyi, on the other hand, happily waved at the camera.
【All for work—I get it.】【Instant face change LOL.】【Not even pretending, Ms. Jin.】【Our 41 is such a good boy—come let auntie hug you.】【So cute.】【Bye bye baby, see you tomorrow!】
Before bed, the production team handed each family a phone so they could call home.
Yu Siyi excitedly handed the phone to his mom.
“Call Dad?”
Mm-hmm.
Jin Qiao opened WeChat, started a video call with Yu An, then shoved the phone back into Yu Siyi’s hands and went to wash her face.
Yu An had just gotten home when his phone rang. Seeing Jin Qiao calling made him feel oddly pleased—at least she remembered to call him.
He quickly adjusted his hair, checked himself, and answered.
But instead of the woman he missed, the screen was filled with his son’s big face.
“Where’s Mom?”
Yu Siyi lay on the bed and pointed toward the door.
“Mom’s washing up?”
Yu Siyi nodded.
“Was it fun? Was Mom’s cooking good?”
Super, super, super good!
Just looking at Yu Siyi’s expression made it obvious—and the kid even had a you totally missed out look on his face.
“Did you miss Dad?”
That stumped Yu Siyi. He shook his head, then nodded—it looked ridiculous.
Yu An was about to hang up when a woman’s voice came through.
“Done talking?”
“Jin Qiao, when you come home, I want to eat your cooking too.”
The man’s voice carried a hint of grievance, making Jin Qiao shudder.
This… Yu An could say things like this?
She quickly took the phone from Yu Siyi and turned off speaker mode.
“Can you talk like a normal person?”
“You can cook, and I’ve never even tasted it. You can’t play favorites.”
Jin Qiao instantly remembered that cameras could turn on at any time and lowered her voice.
“Yu An, speak properly. Don’t use that coquettish tone.”
The man chuckled softly.
“You don’t like it? Then I’ll improve next time.”
“Cough… no need to improve.”
“Mm, I understand. I miss you.”
“You—you—shut up. Time’s up, we’re handing in the phone and going to sleep.”
She hung up immediately without waiting for a reply.
Yu Siyi didn’t know what his parents said—he only saw his mom hang up with a red face.
So strange.
But he didn’t have time to think. His mom pulled him into her arms, tucked him in, and covered him with the blanket.
Sweet dreams.
The next morning, 7:30 a.m.
Some livestream viewers were early risers heading to work or school; others had stayed up all night.
They watched as the director walked down the hallway with a megaphone, endlessly blasting the wake-up call.
Yu Siyi rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed, while Jin Qiao covered her ears and burrowed back under the blanket.
So annoying. This show actually makes people wake up early.
Jin Qiao got up full of resentment and took Yu Siyi to wash up.
The moment she opened the door, the camera nearly shoved itself into her face.
【That look Jin Qiao gave the camera just now—pure murderous resentment.】【That’s exactly me every morning at 7:50. Identical.】【But her carrying 41 with one arm is insanely cool.】【Domineering hot mom kicking traffickers—see episode one.】【41’s not even fully awake, rubbing his eyes—so cute.】【I want to kiss him to death.】