Chapter Thirty-Five: Clothes Torn to Shreds

On the restful night of her day off, Su Wan-ning slept soundly, only rising languidly from bed the next morning when the sun was already high in the sky. Sui-sui and Nian-nian had been up for quite some time; after breakfast with Qiu Rui, the two children now squatted beside the stone mill in the courtyard, deeply engrossed in whatever they were studying.

Elsewhere, in the house that the director’s team had set up, Yin Shan-shan’s agent sat with a stern expression.

After Su Wan-ning finished the boxed meal provided by the production team, she stepped outside to find Qiu Rui helping the children grind cornmeal. Nian-nian, never having seen such a thing, watched with excitement, while Sui-sui had already begun to study the mechanics of the millstone.

“Could I trouble you to watch them today? I’d like to go for a walk,” she asked.

“Of course,” Qiu Rui agreed readily.

“Mom, where are you going?” Sui-sui looked up, a hint of reluctance on her face.

Su Wan-ning crouched down, gently ruffling her daughter’s hair and glancing at her son. “I’m going out to see if there’s anything delicious in the village. I’ll bring something tasty back for lunch, all right?”

“Yay!” Nian-nian clapped with glee, while Sui-sui, standing beside him, gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

Su Wan-ning smiled. After so long filming the show, she could feel the bond between herself and Sui-sui growing, even if the little girl still clung to her shyness.

Bidding the children goodbye, Su Wan-ning left the farmhouse, which the director’s team had borrowed from a local villager. Beyond the yard, she skirted a ridge of fields. As she walked, she pulled out her phone and started a livestream.

Messages scrolled rapidly across the screen. She answered a few viewers’ questions.

“The first batch of grapes will be shipped out soon—today, the logistics team has already arrived in the village.”

“You want to see them? Sure, I’ll take you over there in a bit.”

“The grapes are all gone; the village only grows so many. But I’ve taught the orchardists how to stream live, so next year they’ll have their own accounts. Please support them then.”

[We absolutely will!]

[Where are the kids—where did Sui-sui and Nian-nian go?]

[Is Su Wan-ning heading out alone? Where to?]

She walked in the opposite direction of the village entrance, where the grass grew thicker, until the view opened up to reveal a farm at the foot of the mountain.

Su Wan-ning turned her camera to capture the entire farm. “Today, I’m taking you all to the farm.”

It was at this very moment, as she swept her camera across, that Su Wan-ning spotted Sheng Ying approaching from a different path. Pausing the livestream, she greeted Sheng Ying, whom she hadn’t contacted in a long while—running into her here was surely fate.

[It’s Sheng Ying!]

[Is she out for exercise? She looks so fit.]

[Where’s Qian Qian? Why isn’t she with her?]

Sheng Ying walked over and, noticing the ongoing livestream, smiled gently. “I heard about what happened yesterday. You have incredible energy—even our Qian Qian was so exhausted she slept in, but here you are, still full of life and livestreaming.”

Su Wan-ning felt a touch embarrassed. “Actually, I slept in today too.”

Sheng Ying was out for a stroll, so the two of them walked together. Along the way, Sheng Ying brought up her daughter.

“Thank you for what you did during the name tag game last time. Qian Qian takes after me—she’s always been fiercely competitive. You let Sui-sui go easy on her that day, but not so much that she lost her pride. She was thrilled for days afterward.”

Su Wan-ning waved it off. “It was nothing. Honestly, an adult teaming up with Sui-sui against Qian Qian wasn’t exactly fair to begin with.”

“I only found out late last night that it had made the trending topics and you were being criticized. Sorry about that.”

Su Wan-ning shrugged. “What’s it got to do with you? It’s not as if you were the one criticizing me.”

They exchanged a knowing smile—kindred spirits recognizing each other at a glance.

After all this time filming, it was the first moment Su Wan-ning felt her fondness for Sheng Ying deepen.

[Did you hear that? Even Qian Qian’s own mother thanked her—Su Wan-ning did nothing wrong in that game!]

[Su Wan-ning really is emotionally intelligent, so thoughtful with the kids.]

[You really believe that? Who knows how much Su Wan-ning paid Sheng Ying to say all that?]

[I’m on Su Wan-ning’s side. Sheng Ying doesn’t seem like someone who would fake things for the show, especially since they just met here by chance.]

[Yesterday’s trending topics were all criticizing Su Wan-ning, and she said nothing—she’s been so wronged.]

The farm had its own cows, raised by the villagers, and Su Wan-ning, intrigued, joined Sheng Ying in asking for a metal pail so they could try their hand at milking.

Remembering the promise she made to her children before leaving, Su Wan-ning said as she milked, “Since we have fresh milk today, I can teach you all how to make milk tea this afternoon. It tastes even better when you make it yourself.”

“And most importantly, we’ll use zero-calorie sweetener—natural and healthy, no artificial tricks, no need to fear gaining weight. It’s a blessing for us ladies!”

[Incredible! Tell me, where did you learn this?]

[Wow, a low-calorie version too? Amazing!]

[Su Wan-ning is amazing—what can’t she do?]

“Come to our house after lunch. Let’s make milk tea together. There’s nothing else to do, and the kids will love it,” Su Wan-ning invited.

“Absolutely, that sounds wonderful,” Sheng Ying replied.

Meanwhile, Feng Rui’s days with Ming Ming were pure misery—adult and child constantly at odds, chaos reigning in the household.

With no cameras pointed her way, Feng Rui relaxed her guard, left Ming Ming at home, and went in search of Yin Shan-shan.

Carrying two bags full of items, she knocked and entered to find Yin Shan-shan in her trailer, memorizing lines for her next role.

A smile immediately bloomed on Feng Rui’s face. “Working so hard even between shoots—no wonder you’re so popular.”

Yin Shan-shan was used to such flattery. She set aside her script, her expression unchanged. “Was there something you needed?”

Feng Rui’s smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered and handed the bags to Yin Shan-shan’s agent. “Nothing major. I just wanted to bring you a little gift for the show. I never had the chance before. It’s some clothing from my own brand.”

“Thank you,” Yin Shan-shan replied blandly, glancing at her agent, who set the bags aside without any intention of opening them.

“Aren’t you going to check them? I’m not even sure if I picked out the right sizes.”

After repeated hints from Feng Rui, Yin Shan-shan finally opened a bag and pulled out an item at random.

The moment the garment was revealed, Feng Rui froze in shock.

The once-soft white blouse had been torn to shreds, the fabric hanging in tatters.

The agent took out a few more pieces—most had been cut up or ruined, no longer wearable.

Yin Shan-shan dropped the garment and looked at Feng Rui with a cold sneer. “What is the meaning of this?”

Feng Rui’s face turned ashen. “This must be Ming Ming’s doing—that wretched child! I can send you new ones, free of charge. I just wanted to ask if you’d consider becoming a spokesperson for our brand—the price is negotiable—”