Hunan TV’s National Day gala boasted strong ratings, with plenty of loyal viewers even in Rongcheng.
Wen Dongrong and Chen Ru weren’t typically Hunan TV watchers, but with *The Princess’s New Clothes* airing—a drama their daughter helped write—they were happy to tune in. One episode a night was a nice break from the pressures of work and study.
Watching TV can be addictive. Though *The Princess’s New Clothes* wasn’t on tonight, the couple still plopped on the sofa to catch the gala.
They were mainly watching for Li Mengjiao and Yun Chen, the drama’s leads. A good performance could boost the show’s ratings, right?
Even if higher ratings wouldn’t improve Wen Ying’s grades, this was her scriptwriting project. Wen Dongrong wouldn’t complain about ratings being too high!
Higher, higher still—best if it crushed all similar dramas!
This wasn’t just Wen Ying’s achievement as a screenwriter; it was prime material for Wen Dongrong’s future bragging.
Chen Ru didn’t say it, but she quietly followed the drama too. Hearing colleagues discuss it at work, she’d stay composed but work with extra zest all day!
There was joy, and Wen Ying’s success spurred Chen Ru on.
Though exams were looming, Chen Ru joined Wen Dongrong to watch the gala.
With both parents glued to the TV, they couldn’t very well send their kid to do homework. The gala ended up a family affair.
Seeing Zhang Yangning, Chen Ru was unfazed. But when Li Mengjiao finished and the host transitioned, Chen Ru suddenly asked Wen Ying, “Li Mengjiao has acting and performing—can she keep up with her studies?”
“…She’s managing. It’s tough balancing both, but Li Mengjiao’s willing to grind, studying and doing questions between shoots and gigs,” Wen Ying replied, sensing Chen Ru’s underlying point was about her. She quickly clarified her stance.
Wen Ying wasn’t lying. Li Mengjiao’s grades had dipped, but with Xie Qian’s tutoring, she’d stabilised.
On balancing both, Wen Ying felt no guilt—her own grades were steadily rising, never hindered by writing or other pursuits.
Chen Ru nodded, “That’s decent.”
Li Mengjiao wasn’t her daughter, and Chen Ru wouldn’t meddle in her path. The Li family cared about her future, and Tianjiao was built for it.
Tianjiao had long repaid the bank loan for *The Princess’s New Clothes*. With its success, Chen Ru wouldn’t blindly call Li Mengjiao’s path a dead end.
Since the topic came up, Wen Ying wanted to mention the Hunan ratings celebration trip, but the Miracle Boys took the stage.
Right after Li Mengjiao?
Who set this order? What a dirty move!
Wen Ying didn’t expect an even dirtier one coming.
After the Miracle Boys, it was Yun Chen… such a malicious arrangement.
Even Wen Dongrong saw through it. “What’s with the programme order? Totally unreasonable.”
All look-based stars, placed back-to-back?
Normally, male and female stars, or veterans and idols, should alternate. Some performers are for listening, others for watching. After one look-based act, space it out with a few others!
Unscientific!
Malicious!
Wen Dongrong whispered to Chen Ru, “That Miracle Boys group has beef with Yun Chen and Li Mengjiao. Their manager, Yuan Fenghui, used to handle them. I heard…”
He rattled off a string of gossip, leaving Wen Ying and Chen Ru stunned.
Chen Ru knew Yuan Fenghui from Tianjiao’s loan dealings.
But how did Wen Dongrong know her and the Miracle Boys’ feud?
He read newspapers but never entertainment news or gossip mags!
Caught by his wife and daughter’s shocked looks, Wen Dongrong preened, “Think I’m out of touch? If I want to know something, nothing stumps me.”
What’s so proud about knowing gossip?
Chen Ru scoffed: If he put that effort into English for this month’s exam, that’d be worth bragging about.
Wen Ying didn’t mock him—she was genuinely shocked.
Is this still my dad?
The old Wen, all bureaucratic, face-saving, rigid, was being reshaped bit by bit.
In her past life, Wen Dongrong saw only civil service jobs as proper, pushing Wen Ying to take the exam.
Her lucrative lawyer career? He looked down on it.
Buying a house in Shanghai through her own efforts? Better to join the public sector in their small hometown!
Only surpassing his own achievements in the system would count as true success.
Civil service was his only “real” job, followed by state-affiliated posts or big state-owned enterprises. Anything else, no matter the pay, was just “working for others.”
Sunrise or sunset industries, lawyers—he dismissed them all, never bothering to understand their prospects or Wen Ying’s choices!
Now, he was reading entertainment news?
It had nothing to do with him.
But it had everything to do with Wen Ying.
Her writing wasn’t just novels but drama scripts. She co-wrote *The Princess’s New Clothes*, produced by Tianjiao, where Yuan Fenghui was key. That’s why Wen Dongrong cared about entertainment news.
Their shaky father-daughter bond had quietly solidified a bit.
The unfair performer order was slammed by the Wen family, but no matter how malicious, Yun Chen couldn’t dodge it.
As the host announced him, Li Mengjiao rushed over, hyping Yun Chen up, “The audience is just cabbage, a field of cabbage. They don’t bite!”
Yun Chen, swayed, kept chanting in his head: Just cabbage, just cabbage…
When the lift brought him onstage, a spotlight hit, exposing his handsome face and physique to the cameras.
Suddenly, Yun Chen wasn’t nervous.
The light was so bright, he couldn’t see the audience!
Knowing what the “cabbages” wanted, he flashed the signature smile of *The Princess’s New Clothes*’ male lead. His face filled the giant screen behind, stunningly sharp.
Aaaaah!
Brother, slay me!
The girls screaming for the Miracle Boys instantly switched sides.
No questions about loyalty—whichever brother was hotter held their devotion, ready to cling like leg hair with their own rations~
Seeing Yun Chen’s popularity, the Miracle Boys’ leader, Yu Tianlin, looked visibly sour.
