Chapter 41 – Worried For Nothing
In the end, holding a snake cage in the left hand and the steamed bun in the right, Yu Yaoyao swaggered home as she succeeded in harvesting a bunch of envious and admirable eyes from the crew.
"Sister Yu, the snakes are…uh?" The curious staff could not help but ask.
Yu Yaoyao's eyes shined and looked towards the complex faces of Meng Xinran and Chen Jiao.
With an impish laugh she said, "Ah, yes. The snake opened its mouth today and tried to bite me. I'm going to break the backbone of this son of a b*tch, crush it and skin it!"
She smiled towards Meng Xinran, "I'll boil it in scalding, hot water with chili and then suffocate it in vermicelli!"
The words she uttered were extremely sharp, but the last sentence was spoken so tenderly that one would almost forget she was d*amning a snake to hell.
"I'll stew the snake to a soup for my husband, hehe."
Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up, So that's how it is?
Shen Yichong was following from the bac. His face was so black that it could not be darker anymore!
Once they were out of the set, Yu Yaoyao asked the two men, "Do you like my little gift from work? Baby, husband?"
Yu Yaoyao dangled the cage, smiling triumphantly as if she had taken advantage of a big thing. "Director Li said it was useless and gave it to me. Hehe, one of you can play with it."
The steamed bun, who was holding hands with his mommy, immediately opened his eyes wide. "Play?" he asked curiously.
Isn't it stew for dad?
He looked at the snake and his eyes glistened as swallowed his saliva. But he hasn't even played with this kind of toy before!
"Oh no, not this snake. This one's going to be your friend! Do you want to touch the baby? it's cool and comfortable."
The steamed bun tilted his head to the side and held out a tender finger curiously towards the snake inside the cage.
Watching his son's fat and short fingers about to touch the sticky snake body, Shen Yichong's eyes flickered and his soul was about to fly out from his body.
In a split second, he grabbed his son's arm and simply said, "You can't touch the snake."
This woman just went out to shoot a scene! Why did she bring so many things back home!? And a snake, nonetheless, for each one of them!?
This unexpected visit is actually more tiring than a day of his work in business.
Meanwhile, the steamed bun had some grievances against his father, but still listened. Whereas, Yu Yayoao was not angry and only smiled as she went inside the car through the door that Ni Yi had opened.
The steamed bun sat on her left and the snake cage on her right.
The corners of Shen Yichong mouth twitched as he glanced disdainfully at this setup but he still complyingly sat in the front row.
Yu Yaoyao introduced Shen Rui the steamed bun in the back seat to the little snake's habits and helped them to be friendly with each other. She also discussed what the snake was to eat together with them for dinner, and soon the conversation between the mother and son took on a comfortable pace until they were both laughing.
Her sharp features looked all a little softer at the moment as if mixed with the brilliance of motherhood. Shen Yichong looked at this display for a while before frowning.
In the middle of the trip, the steamed bun suddenly remembered.
Mom didn't read chicken drumsticks today…He didn't seem to hear it.
He was worried all the way thinking his mother would do something bad on work. But it was actually the opposite!
He breathed a sigh of relief and his heart was finally completely at rest.
"What's the matter?" Yu Yaoyao curiously asked.
The steamed bun shook his head and closed his mouth tightly. His mother had been thinking about him all day. He could not tell his mother that he had been doubting her, or she would think he's a bad boy.
Thinking of this, his little body shook as he glanced down at his little feet with a guilty heart.
Chapter 42 – Be More Independent
Yu Yaoyao did not force him and smiled. After all, back when she was a snake, she also hid a lot of little secrets from the zookeeper.
Before long, she tilted in the back seat, fidgeting with her cell phone as she sat like melted goo. It also seems that the steamed bun has made peace with the snake and did not have any lingering fears anymore. Instead, he stared at them with interest and took pictures of them.
On the other hand, Yu Yaoyao was watching a new Korean drama while her son was preoccupied; there are a lot of dramas in this world that she hasn't seen before.
Both mother and son were contented.
When the car reached their home, Ni Yi opened the door and Shen Yichong looked towards the backseat.
He saw his son soundly sleeping, with Yu Yaoyao's one arm wrapped around his little body, his small head happily rested on Yu Yaoyao's chest as if it was the most comfortable pillow in the world.
And Yu Yaoyao who was drooling with a face of lovestruck fool as her eyes were fixated on the screen. Furthermore, she had a strange, creepy smile like an old aunt.
Shen Yichong glowered, "Take your cage away, and if you want to raise them, have someone install a glass cabinet. You are not allowed to let it out, nor are you allowed to take it inside the rooms on the second floor."
However, Yu Yaoyao had no reaction and he therefore directly took the small steamed bun from her arms.
Shen Yichong did not turn his sight back, as if a fearsome, ugly beast lived at the backseat and he was eager to run away. He hugged his son and walked quickly into the courtyard towards the doorstep.
"Really? So hard on snakes." Yu Yaoyao shrugged her shoulders and said to Ni Yi, "All right. Ni Yi, you take it in for me. Okay, we'll change the cage. Put the first one on the living room for the baby to play, and then for his father as an office pet when he is tired."
Ni Yi's legs were shaking as he cried, "Sister, have you been overstimulated lately?"
Yu Yaoyao casually waved her hand and walked in front of him to catch up with the two men who had already gone in.
The first thing she did when she got home was to take a hot bath, change into her baggy pajamas and immediately fall back in bed, sleep taking her.
And the little steamed bun had fallen asleep in the car, but his hungry stomach that hadn't eaten dinner soon woke him up.
The moment he woke up, he was acutely aware that the comfortable pillow his little head had reclined on, has changed! There is no fragrance from his mommy's body, nor the soft feeling he felt laying on mommy's body.
He frowned and opened his eyes, and sure enough, he only saw his little bed.
Shen Yichong was by his side accompanying him, "Awake?"
He watched the steamed bun wake up with a grumpy face and could not help but raise his eyebrows. To Shen Yichong's quizzical surprise, the small steamed bun, with his little hand, silently pushed his pillow away, his face showing his refusal.
Mommy's embrace is better!
He looked up at his father and remembered what his mother had said before.
Sure enough, his dad is jealous of him!
It was clear before that he had slept well within the confines of his mommy's arms, but now he's back in his little room. It must be his daddy who carried him away.
The small steamed bun suddenly puffed out his cheeks bitterly, and his small eyes filled with complaints kept drifting toward Shen Yichong.
"Dad, aren't you in your thirties this year?"
Chapter 43 – Shen Yichong's Plea
Shen Yichong was about to come over and help him put on his little clothes, but he was stunned by the steamed bun's unexpected words.
"Yeah?"
"Dad, you're an adult now. It's time to learn to sleep by yourself," the little steamed bun hooted!
Mommy had told him back when they were in the hospital that she always kept away from him because she was afraid her baby would not become strong and independent in the future.
Thus, she didn't sleep or play with him.
But now that he thinks about it carefully…every time he wakes up to pee, he hears the quarrel between his parents.
What does that mean? It means that dad is sleeping together with his mommy!
The small steamed bun instantly looked at his father's eyes, with the eyes of a little, angry demon of the night.
Since you think mommy is stupid and don't like her carelessness, then don't occupy mommy's sleep! Dad is such a big baby!
Shen Yichong was under onslaught with his son's despising eyes and tense body rejecting his touch.
He couldn't help raise his eyebrows further, his temples slowly throbbing.
"Shen Rui, what are you talking about?"
Hey! Daddy's gonna play dumb!
The small steamed bun's eyes like big grapes were caught by surprise. But very quickly, he coolly got up from the bed to neatly put on his little trousers, and lastly, his tiny socks.
"Dad, when you used to sleep with mommy, I didn't get in your way."
He stood on the bed, barely reaching his father's chest. His mouth was pouting as he said his protests; his twinkling eyes, as beautiful as the night stars, held an obvious glimmer of sadness and grievances.
"Mommy—when mommy will hug me next time…I don't know when."
"Dad," whispered said Shen Rui, who lowered his head, "If mommy hits her head again, will she change back and not want to be near me… won't she like me anymore?"
Shen Yichong grimaced lightly, and put his arms around his son's tiny body, "Don't think about it."
His son is only five years old, but like him, he is precocious. It was probably because both of them got too little of a maternal love and were forced to grow up earlier than other children.
His boy is no fool.
Even he thought, Yu Yaoyao's change in personality would only go one for a few days. And when the child is past that period of excitement at the change of treatment, he will be in doubt again.
And apparently, the little steamed stuffed bun had tasted the sweet intimate contact with his mommy for the past few days. They had meals together, watched his online school together, went to an amusement park together, had received his first genuine hugs and kisses from her, and today…his mommy told him she misses him always.
In this new atmosphere where, sweet honey was dripping on him, making him the happiest baby, the little steamed bun is afraid of these things being temporary only.
The child was afraid that his mother would abandon him again.
Shen Yichong felt a dull pain assault his chest, "Let's go downstairs. Have dinner with dad."
In his work every day he always deals with decisions quickly and decisively. But when it comes to his son, he feels as if he is stuck in a thick mud.
He can continue to deceive his son with this temporary happiness, but he can only hide it from him for two or three years.
He had hesitations in his heart.
But when he took his son's hand and they went out of their rooms, they heard Yu Yaoyao's impatient voice drifting from the dining room. The steamed bun jumped up suddenly.
And just like a small animal, the white and fat steamed bun happily ran towards the front, pulling on his dad's hand.
"Mommy said it's dinner time! Dad, let's go!"
Shen Yichong looked at his little back and finally nodded, "Okay. Go first."
I hope you give your child two more years of a carefree life.
Chapter 44 – A Delicious Treat (?)
As long as the woman continues to obey him, for example, behaving well as she did on the set today, he would not mind giving her another generous sum of money.
He went downstairs and saw that the steamed bun had already climbed to the top of the high chair to the side. The chubby little ass twisted, as he tried to make himself comfortable on his seat and pulled the edge of the table down with his small hand.
Yu Yaoyao then gave him a hand, smiling, while the little steamed bun showed her a shy but bright smile on the spot.
It's as if his gloomy mood from before hadn't occurred at all.
Even the babysitter gave him more vegetables that he normally didn't like, yet he was not the slightest bit picky. Instead, he held his fork, eager to put it inside his mouth.
"Baby, let's see who will eat faster~"
Meanwhile, Yu Yaoyao couldn't wait any longer to eat the mouthwatering meal on the table! As she stared at the juicy steak on the plate, she must have swallowed her saliva at least ten times.
It was not an easy task to wait until both father and son were on the table. But now that they were complete, she hurriedly wanted to devour the delicious meal. But she first raised her hand to ask mama Xu for a second piece of steak.
But mama Xu only said exasperatedly, "Madam, that's more than enough!"
Just as she was about to pick up the fork dejectedly, Shen Yichong's displeased voice rang as if he knew what was about to happen.
"What is the appropriate speed for eating? If you eat fast, you'll have indigestion. Each bite must be chewed at least 20 times before it can be swallowed."
He looked at Yu Yaoyao who chewed a piece three times and swallowed, his eyebrows a bit wrinkled.
After her she hit her head, her behavior was much worse than before. She used to be brainless, but it seems to have worsen to become a caveman that hasn't eaten meat in years!
"Mommy, eat slowly, or your stomach will ache." The small steamed bun also anxiously looked over.
Yu Yaoyao sighed and answered, "Okay."
People are really so troublesome. Don't you feel tired after chewing 20 times?
Well, on this weak stomach, she'll do her best.
But with this delicate chewing, when she tore out the meat, the essence of the sauce and the delicacy of the beef seeped out.
The delicious taste spilled in her mouth and she suddenly wailed out.
This is an experience that she has never had in her past life!
"The smell…excellent! Oh my God, what a good beef! I've never tasted a quality this tasty before. Is this meat from the heavens?" And with a little voice, she finished, "I'm so happy that I want cry."
In every scene she was on the set today, she only recalled how many chickens the next-door snake stole from her, and how long she had starved herself!
Now, with the sudden rush of an otherworldly flavor, the satisfaction of high-quality beef filling her mouth—it made her really cry. Only those who had gone through the abuse of being hungry for days would know the happiness eating a delicious meal gives at this very moment!
Yu Yaoyao treasured every bite, her eyes closed as she chewed every piece and her hands over her heart, as if she had eaten a meal worth thousands of dollars.
Shen Yichong was so bothered with this display that the water cup he held in his hand shook!
He had always been a quiet person, never keeping music in this house, and all his employers spoke in whispers. And back then, Yu Yaoyao also never dared to make him angry around other people or engage in shouting arguments.
Later, when he had a son, his temper even improved a little.
But even his five-year-old son knows to eat quietly at the table. But Yu Yaoyao, an adult, would still shed tears for a mere steak?
Shen Yichong's eyebrows met once again in the middle.
Is she not happy with the $10 million breakup fee? Is this another trick?
Chapter 45 – Daddy's A Bad Actor
Yu Yaoyao momentarily broke down while eating a delicious steak. And this made Shen Yichong think that this woman's aptitude to ask for large sums of cash has broken through again.
Maybe if she worked harder and starred in a blockbuster movie, he wouldn't think of it as big deal.
However, she only constantly fools around while shamelessly asking for money!
Shen Yichong' eyebrows twisted. He wiped the sauce smeared on the little face of the steamed bun who had his mouth opened in a daze and looked up towards Yu Yaoyao, briskly asking, "How much do you want?"
Yu Yaoyao paused, "What?"
"For this month's pocket money," he shot back icily.
"You did well on the set today," then he added, "It's rare that you would act like this."
This was the first time he had heard from her own mouth the impossible words that she missed him and her son. If he hadn't known her so well in these past five years, he would have believed it easily.
Yu Yaoyao's charming and elegant face which was white as snow frowned. Her voice was full of confusion and hesitancy as she questioned, "What does this have to do with pocket money? Isn't it just a reward?"
She is a reasonable person; she won't dare ask for anything not unless she deserved it.
The corners of Shen Yichong's mouth sank, and he glanced at his son, who was eating happily, before raising his eyes back towards her.
His eyes were especially daunting as he sarcastically said, "When you were on set—what you specially said to me. Don't you remember? Weren't you doing it for your five million?"
And now, she is crying for no reason at all while eating dinner—isn't this a blatant scheme to catch his attention and ask for money secretly?
It's not like this hasn't happened before. Back then, when she wasn't satisfied, forget if her cried reached all the corners of the earth and towards the heavens—she won't cry until she sees the money!
However, Yu Yaoyao was only dumbfounded at the reason for his iciness.
She swallowed her saliva, sensing the danger in the air and her eyes were opened wide, looking at Shen Yichong as she asked disbelievingly, "You…are going to give me five million? Just because I said on set that I miss you?"
With a bang, Shen Yichong smashed his fork on the table in mortification!
His iciness was at its peak, and his face was several shades darker.
The steamed bun Shen Rui instantly jerked up at this sudden outburst, a grain of rice still stuck on the corners of his mouth.
"What's the matter with you?" Yu Yaoyao immediately became incensed.
She only said that she missed him, and now he is acting like this?
Is this man actually a masochist inside? Will it actually make him happy if I did the opposite? Wait, does he want that?
This man is harder to please than her ancestors!
"M-mom and dad…mom…y-you, don't-quarrel." The steamed bun, who was sitting to the side, trembled so much as unstoppable tears gushed from his eyes.
Yu Yaoyao glared at the unreasonable man before her and immediately hugged the steamed bun brushing the golden beans from his cheeks, and quickly comforted the little guy by packing him on the back soothingly.
"Don't be afraid, my baby. We're not fighting."
She explained with a smile, "Mommy is an actress. And this is mommy's line on the audition for her next play. You fell asleep in the car, so mommy was not able to tell you. Naturally, mom asked dad to help mommy practice her lines."
As soon as the steamed bun heard this, he was stunned, and he immediately looked up at Yu Yaoyao's smiling face.
Yu Yaoyao's smile intensified into a brilliant sunflower. "It's dad's fault he scared the baby. His lines were so hard that he threw the fork and surprised the baby…but this was only because dad is a bad actor and forgot his lines."
The steamed bun looked back at Shen Yichong.
Faced at this imploring gaze, Shen Yichong dropped his gaze and remained silent for a moment.
"Yes, dad only forgot his words."
The steamed bun finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Dad has to practice more."
Yu Yaoyao laughed and joked, "Baby, dad is not an actor. Just let him off the hook for now."
On the other side of the table, Shen Yichong fixed her with a complicated look.
Chapter 46 – Fixated On Her
After dinner, Shen Yichong took his son for a late-night bath.
Although this little guy turned to look back at least three times and moved step by step so slowly like a turtle, to look at Yu Yaoyao going at the opposite direction, he was still pulled away by his father who had no expression on his face.
"Shen Rui, you are already a smart child. You should know that your body is different from that of a girl."
The steamed bun immediately looked at his father with resentment.
Mom's right. Dad's definitely a cheapskate.
Just because he told his father this afternoon that he has to learn to sleep on his own, this father was now thinking of ways to plot out his revenge on him!
And obviously, his dad is also very stupid, that he cannot even memorize his lines, and he didn't even know how to convey the feelings of the script with the proper facial expressions.
Dad doesn't know how to move his face!
Seeing his son's expression scrunched to a glower, he added, "Ask the children at the kindergarten if they are ashamed to ask their mothers to take a bath with them. They'll answer, 'it's because I'm already old.'"
Shen Yichong carried the steamed bun into the warm water inside the bathtub before he could protest and took off his baby clothes.
The steamed bun instantly flushed in shame and covered his fat, snowy ass. "I can take off my trousers by myself and let mom bathe me!"
Shen Yichong: "…Be a good boy. "
After the steamed bun was washed forcefully by his father, in the end he was like a hot, freshly baked meat bun with a plump, red face. Cheeks soft and fat, and very elastic.
He entangled his little body in the quilt dejectedly, but as soon as his father left, he secretly followed after him. Silently standing outside his mom and dad's big bedroom, his small head poked inside to steal a glance.
Shen Yichong turned his back and his eyebrows twisted, but he did not say anything.
Yu Yaoyao with her former beast intuition still intact, keenly sensed the little guy's probing gaze. She looked towards the door and quickly saw the little steamed bun trying to hide his face.
"Oh, my baby has finished washing?"
She was currently lying like a sludge on a yoga mat placed next to the coffee table near the sofa, wearing a slightly tight, pink, short-sleeved shirt paired with a mint green colored, baggy short.
Lying on the matt, she was futilely trying to properly execute glute exercises to trim the excess fat on her stomach while strengthening her core.
But as she was moving her body leisurely, this only made Shen Yichong see her snow-white skin, as well her pair of slender and straight legs. Of which even the kneecaps are very small and looked delicate.
"Come here, baby. Come, exercise with mom."
Just then, she made a bitter face, "I just ate one steak, and your Uncle Yi already said I had too much calories for dinner. So he asked mommy to do 90 minutes of exercise. Ah, this is torture!"
Shen Yichong who was eavesdropping suddenly had a faint smirk on his face.
But then Shen Rui the steamed bun made a beeline towards the mat, and his little, fat, white body immediately rolled into a ball beside his mother.
"Okay, mommy. I'll stay with you."
The mother and son instantly did exercises together, lying on the ground in various poses, their buttocks raised in different angles.
Although their postures looked ridiculous and indecent, their bodies were very much in tune; despite the other body being larger than the other, they did the exercises in harmony, their bodies in tacit understanding.
Shen Yichong only stood unconsciously and watched this scene for a long time.
How many years did he last see Yu Yaoyao being intimate with their son? He couldn't remember, simply because there really wasn't an instance of it.
For a moment, he felt a strange feeling overcome his chest towards the woman in front of him, but his gaze was soon attracted by her sweaty, little face and pure smile.
Yu Yaoyao followed the video exercises dutifully, but she soon felt bored and tired; she only wanted to lie back on the mat and lie motionless for a long time.
But she knows that in order to be a beautiful actress, she needs to be fit and healthy!
Yu Yaoyao gnashed her teeth and said, "Baby, please help mommy count!"
Shen Rui the steamed bun nodded obediently, "Okay, mommy. One, two, one…"
"Okay," Yu Yaoyao did two more moves before stopping altogether and frowning. "I can't feel my legs anymore."
She immediately laid back flat and started to contemplate.
"Mommy signed a contract on the set today and got 20,000 yuan for the TV show." She then turned to the steamed bun and gushed, "Okay, baby! You count it like this: a TV play has one episode, then two and then another, multiply that and…oh!"
Yu Yaoyao was excited at the thought of her earnings and felt that her first rush of power was coming!
Chapter 47 – Director Li's Praise
The small steamed bun can already solve this math problem in his mind, but he was very smart to his mother's needs and wanted to make his mom happy by doing what she requested. Therefore, he decided to repeat after her.
But then Yu Yaoyao suddenly said, "Ah, mommy can give daddy pocket money by acting in more episodes."
At this statement, his face turned red with joy.
Then, in this way, will mom have the final say in the family in the future?
That means he doesn't have to worry about whether his stingy dad is jealous of him any longer!
"Mommy, you have to cheer up. Ruirui will help you count—one episode is equals to 20,000, another five is 100,000, and then ten episodes is equal to 200,000…!"
Yu Yaoyao happily answered, "My pocket money for the months to come…Oh! I'll even earn more than your dad!"
Shen Yichong couldn't feel anger as he listened to them talk about him as their butts were raised to the air. He watched as Yu Yaoyao laughed followed by the steamed bun as they continued through the series of exercises.
In the end, the pair of mother and son collapsed on the mat, one was sweating all over and the other was thirsty.
Shen Yichong frowned and shook his head, he then asked mama Xu to prepare two cups of hot milk.
He went to his study and dialed the number of his assistant, Chen Lin, on the phone.
"That one spot left for 'In The Limelight'—reserve it for Yu Yaoyao."
Chen Lin on the other line: "…"
He could only think, 'The boss has really changed. He is now finally using his power for personal gain!'
For five straight days in a row, Director Li was able to finish filming all the scenes for Yu Yaoyao, adjusting the schedule to her convenience.
Even Meng Xinran, who was the lead actress of the cast, had to arrange her timetable according to Yu Yaoyao's schedule. Although she was unwilling and her face almost betrayed her inner feelings, she had to obey Director Li's arrangement.
During this period, Director Li was like a mad alcoholic who drunk until his mind was no more, or rather until the wine cellar is completely exhausted.
Although there weren't many scenes, he had found himself enjoying filming those few scenes so much.
When it was all over, he looked at Yu Yaoyao, stretching lazily on the comforter without a care in the world, as if he were looking at a treasure.
"Little Yu," Director Li said, appreciation present on his face, "I can't hide this anymore. I have been thinking about it for a while now, but I believe this is a good time to announce it; I think you should give it a try."
He elaborated, "I don't know if you've ever heard of this year's big ensemble production: 'Rebirth in the Limelight', for new and actors who have recently come back in the circle. And in order for the actor to be able to participate they have to be recommended first by various directors and companies…each person can also only recommend one."
Ni Yi was giving water to Yu Yaoyao, who was too tired to sit properly on the comforter and laid like a boneless person. As soon as he heard this, his small eyes lit up.
"I've heard of it! I've heard of it!" He blurted out. He was so excited that the water from the bottle almost sprayed towards Yu Yaoyao.
"The company lets five or six potential actors—small flowers in the internet, to fight for a spot, but I heard that only two can get admission tickets! In each episode of the show, veteran actors or directors will be invited to judge, and if the contestants are able to deliver well, their popularity will soar no doubt!"
Once praised by experienced people in the industry, not only will there be an influx of new endorsements and work opportunities, but one will also stir a massive buss on social media!
Director Li nodded and smiled gently at Yu Yaoyao.
He offered, "I believe in your current acting skills. If you like, I can use my last recommendation to make you join the program."
"Will it raise my popularity?"
Yu Yaoyao has been closely monitoring her Weibo these days. But her followers have only stopped at 130,000 ever since she joined this TV show filming.
"Sister, don't be funny! Of course, it will!"
Ni Yi quickly grabbed her hand and lowered his voice. "Meng Xinran is also participating. Don't you think it's a good opportunity?"
Yu Yaoyao nodded. Although this actress is still a little flower in the industry, she already has amassed millions of fans.
If this girl takes part in the program, the buzz around it shouldn't be too bad.
"All right, as long as more people are able to see me, I'll go." Yu Yaoyao couldn't help but touch her face.
Her beauty has only been seen by a meager hundred thousand people. It was still far from enough.
Director Li, then spoke to Ni Yi about the time and Ni Yi hastily made adjustments to free her itinerary for the program.
"Don't worry, even if it's raw gold, it will always glow once polished in the future."
However, Yu Yaoyao smiled and stretched out her slender index finger to shook it towards him. "No, Director Li is wrong."
"Even if it's raw gold, it will still shine now. In the future, it will shine even more brightly—at that time, it will be inlaid with diamonds and emit a more dazzling light."
Director Li was speechless, but it wasn't long before he became ecstatic, "All right then! I'll wait for you become a diamond. When that time comes, I'll ask you to be the leading actress of my next project."
Chapter 48 – A Brewing Storm
Meng Xinran was next to them eavesdropping. When the assistant handed her a towel, she wanted to cry immediately!
In order to get a spot in this program, she almost fought with other actors and had to beg numerous directors of different statuses just to snatch a place in it! Li Bo should have been initially the director to grant her a ticket, but with her recent poor performance in the set, he didn't give it to her.
Thus, she was ultimately forced to resort to other means—ordering her agent to secure a ticket from another director!
However, she didn't expect that Yu Yaoyao would get Li Bo's entry ticket so easily!
It's supposed to be mine! she could only think grievously.
And what of her becoming a diamond?
This old woman merely depends on her big shot husband, with everything at the tip of her finger. How could she so shamelessly declare she was gold about to become a dazzling diamond in the future?
But the real question was, how could she fail acting five years ago and make a shocking comeback this time?
Meng Xinran gritted her teeth until they hurt.
Yu Yaoyao felt her intense malice, but she was too lazy to deal with her, lest even look at her. Although there are many enemies in the wild, it all depends on her mood who she wants to eat or not.
Just looking at this girl's hideous face, Yu Yaoyao couldn't help but snort, What a pitiful and hideous opponent. Too undeserving of my time!
She turned to Ni Yi instead and said, "Little Yi, let's go home. Also, pack the little snakes for my baby to see."
After Yu Yaoyao acted her parts and ate her last bento at the set, she said her formal farewells and left.
"Sister Yu, I hope we can work together again next time!"
"Congratulations on filming all your scenes! May it be successful once it is aired!"
"Rise all the way!"
"Next time, we will give you an extra chicken leg during meal time."
As soon as she left, everyone also uttered their cordial goodbyes to her. Their warm words were completely different from the past mockery and unfriendliness she received from them just a few days ago.
Originally, everyone on set thought she was only a spoiled, rich wife who was extremely hard to get along with.
But during filming in the past few days, not only did they find out that she was actually adept at acting, she was also beautiful and very approachable. She liked to hang out with anyone, without derision, and ate together with them during breaks. She was a funny conversationalist, and everyone soon slowly found themselves getting close to her.
They were even a little reluctant to see her leave the set.
Meng Xinran saw all these changes happen before her eyes. And her eyes could only burn in fury and jealousness. But still in the end, she went to Yu Yaoyao to bid her goodbyes as well.
"Sister Yu, the next time we meet please teach this amateur actress more."
Yu Yaoyao's eyes were slanted as she smirked, "Oh, sure."
Why should she fight with this girl? She's all bark and no bite!
In a villa someplace in the rich suburbs, a black-haired man was leisurely lying on the sofa, with his long legs crossed above another as he leaned on the sofa's armrest, his fingers flipping through the pages casually of a book he was currently buried in.
Even with this languid pose, it did not lessen his undeniable appeal.
Soon after, a woman dressed in red came inside, disrupting the man's reading time.
She smiled, "I have actually found out that Yu Yaoyao's love letter was truly written to you. On that day, your assistant told me that she was wandering outside the door of your room with an envelope in hand, but then ran away after being discovered."
Her lips narrowed to a contemptuous smirk, "Are we going to pay that little assistant to send proof on Weibo for another scandalous hot search?"
The man's slender fingers pulled the book down a little, revealing a pair of peach blossom, phoenix eyes.
"No," he simply said.
"But we want to get out of Guangxin entertainment without a taint to your name," answered the woman in red. "I believe this is a good opportunity."
Chapter 49 – A Woman's Intuition
"In your rise to popularity you are rumored to be in an affair with the Guangxin boss' wife. With this, we can put forward a plea to fix the damage done on your reputation—this way you won't have time for a big project. And then we'll use this time to get out of Guangxin entertainment! Even if you won't renew your contract, no one will say you're being ungrateful."
She looked at him pleadingly, "How about it? Shouldn't we bring light to this issue once again?"
The man dropped the book in his hand once more and a sarcastic smile appeared on his face. "I'm not going to open this topic again and give her buzz on social media."
"But—"
He sat up and waved his hand impatiently. "The day I visited the set, Shen Yichong, surprisingly, was present. And that was tantamount to coming forward to clarify the cheating scandal for her. The rumors ended there."
"Then…what about the renewal of your contract, Jiao?"
Chen Jiao's slender fingers immediately gathered together into a fist, crushing the eye mask on the sofa into a ball!
"You arrange for me to become a judge on 'Rebirth in the Limelight' after she successfully gets invited to the show," he said, narrowing his peach blossoms. "I already have a plan."
The woman in red listened to his words, and soon smiled. "Good idea!"
She elaborated, "Yu Yaoyao returned after five years of being away from the spotlight, and this time, I heard she has gained Director Li's favor and will probably get his recommendation to the show. And once she takes part in this show where you are one of the judges, the public can't help but think back to the rumors of her being secretly in love with you—and that she is taking advantage of her connections to get closer to you!"
Her voice rose a pitch in excitement, "Although she joined the same crew with you twice and didn't garner attention, this time, this third coincidence will certainly arouse everyone's suspicion!"
"And then, during the live broadcast, she'll try and get closer to you and we'll hit her with the brutal reality: you'll reject her again and public opinion will naturally be in our favor. When you terminate your contract, it will only embarrass Shen Yichong!"
Chen Jiao's eyes flashed cunningly as he touched his angular chin.
However, it only irked him so much when he remembered her very different attitude towards him on the set that day.
And when the woman in red saw him being silent, she could not help but sigh. "Ah, Jiao. At such a critical time, don't be soft."
"The boss Shen has always been pressuring you, and it is now clear that he controls the number of films you receive every year. And that is precisely because his wife is linked to you and he has turned this matter into a personal feud."
She strongly concluded, "We must stand on our own feet from now on!"
His slender fingers lightly brushed against the eye mask, and after a while, he finally smiled, "Okay, sister Wei. I will listen to you."
Yu Yaoyao didn't know that someone was scheming behind her back, but her woman's intuition was definitely giving her warning signs of an imminent danger.
As soon as she got out of the set and collapsed in the back seat of the car, she told her fat agent towards the front, "Someone's trying to mess with me. I feel like something bad is going to happen to me in that program."
The tone of her voice was like that of an aggrieved victim.
Ni Yi was happily smiling in the front seat after a good day's filming. When he heard her words, the smile on his face instantly turned stiff, "What?!"
Yu Yaoyao once again pressed the decline button to another of Yu Xinjie's persistent calls and said, "But it's okay, I'll get through it."
Ni Yi: "…."
Is she having delusions of persecution?
After Yu Yaoyao said this sentence, she slouched further on the back seat.
But halfway down the road, she saw the department store outside and her eyes instantly shined.
"Stop the car! Let's go do some shopping!"
This time she was paid $100,000 for her role, but 50% went directly to the company and her broker. Therefore, she was left with only $50,000.
Regardless, she made her own money!
Back when she was a snake in the zoo, she was visited by numerous people, got photographed and videotaped by them. In some cases, she was even scolded, bullied or even frightened until she cried—and she experienced all of these things in the zoo all year round.
Don't even talk about overtime!
She worked hard for a hundred years, and in the end, she did not even have a penny for her savings. Thinking about the unfortunate life she led made her feel sad to the core.
But everything's all right now. In this new life, she got her first income!
Chapter 50 – Gifts for the Family
This is the first time she has made money on her own!
The 50,000 was only a small amount compared with the pocket money the original owner received, rather, swindled from Shen Yichong. It wasn't even enough to afford a luxurious, limited edition bag, but Yu Yaoyao can't help but be pleased at this achievement!
"Oh, we are going to shop till we drop! Today we're going to try how it feels to be a nouveau riche1!"
Yu Yaoyao wearing dark sunglasses and an inconspicuous mask over her face, excitedly rushed inside the department store.
And then she went towards the section where all the stuffed toys were and took all the plump and cute plush toy snakes.
She brought every single one.
Afterward, when she was window shopping, she also went inside a variety of chocolate shops, candy stores, ice cream shops and even the supermarket to buy a handful of snacks.
She never had these kinds of things at the zoo.
Ni Yi fretfully followed after her and helped her with the big bags and even argues to carry the small ones. In the end, the two people came home arms full of shopping bags.
When Shen Yichong got home in the evening, he found that Ni Yi had not yet left, and his fat face was looking around nervously in the living room.
Yu Yaoyao, on the other hand, was slouching over the table with a pained expression on her face.
Lastly, his son, the steamed bun Shen Rui was in front of his mother. The little fellow was obediently eating, and while eating, the corners of his mouth would rise once in a while as he looked at the huge, white snake toy plushie he was holding in his hands.
When he took another bite, he would bow his head and caress the head with his small hand, as if it was a very precious thing.
"Boss," acknowledged Ni Yi as he wiped his sweat.
"Dad," the steamed bun broke into a dazzling smile as he lifted the head of the snake plushie he had draped on his shoulder, gleefully showing it to Shen Yichong.
Meanwhile, Yu Yaoyao only shook her hand listlessly towards his direction.
"What's going on?" Shen Yichong's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Where's dinner?"
Yu Yaoyao remembered how delicious the meal was yesterday and as soon as she heard Shen Yichong's inquiry, she cried aggrievedly on the spot.
Ni Yi is even more at a loss.
The steamed bun quickly raised his small hand to answer, "Dad, mommy's TV show is over! To celebrate this victory she bought a lot of snacks back, but Uncle Ni Yi said she received a new project. So! In order to look good on TV, she cannot eat these, but only look at it."
"But! Mommy couldn't help it and took a bag of potato chips. She hid and ate everything, but then Uncle Ni Yi found out and said she couldn't eat dinner tonight, or else she'd be fat."
"And then, mommy cried." As the steamed bun dutifully recited what happened, he took a sympathetic glance at his mother and lowered his voice to whisper to his dad. "I secretly ate a mouthful of vegetables just for mommy."
Yu Yaoyao, held her stomach as she sobbed and looked at Shen Yichong, pulling on the sleeves of his clothes like a madman.
"If one day I suddenly die, you must also starve to death. But before that, remember to cook delicious meals for me who is in the afterlife. Three servings for everything!"
Shen Yichong frowned on the spot and only frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, I'm so miserable! I haven't even eaten these; I've never eaten anything like this in my whole life and you're still yelling at me! "
Yu Yaoyao directly pulled out the white handkerchief peeking out from his suit pants and used it to wipe her tears.
Shen Yichong's mouth twitched, but he did not stop her from taking it.
An onlooker to the said, assistant Chen Lin, had his mouth wide open seeing this exchange, and he looked at his boss' face in surprise.
The boss doesn't actually mind?
What is this development!
"I-I also bought you a present." Yu Yaoyao continued. After she wiped her tears, she took the shopping bag placed on the seat next to her and gave it to Shen Yichong who only stood unresponsively.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Take it. There's no need to thank me."
But Shen Yichong's fingers were tense as he accepted the shopping bag. He has another gift?
"Is it a snake again?" His eyebrows met at the middle. But when he opened the bag to take the item inside, his face became little dark.
This gift was none other than a green dinosaur onesie with a tail attached on its ass paired with a green horn hat.
"What is this?" Shen Yichong took a deep, careful breath.
Yu Yaoyao is sitting soullessly on the two-legged chair. She had wanted to buy a snake onesie, but there wasn't anything like it in the department store—only a dinosaur edition.
The steamed bun raised his small hand again and said, "Mom and dad's costume are of the same style—big dinosaurs. I am a baby dragon!"
As soon as he said this, his eyes eagerly looked at Shen Yichong, "Dad, quickly give mama Xu your costume! Let her wash it and have it dry so we can wear all our costumes after taking a bath!"
The corners of Shen Yichong's mouth only twitched.
