Back to Three Years Old: Crushing Scumbags on a Parenting Reality Show 169

Chapter 169

The live broadcast of “Where’s Baby Going” Season 3 heated up the internet during the scorching August summer.

While the extended live broadcast was entertaining, the edited version was much more convenient for the 996 workers.

Before the hype from the live broadcast even died down, the edited version premiered on the provincial TV station, like pouring hot water into still-boiling oil, the viewership ratings of the first episode exploded.

It was so popular that Wei Maomao felt a bit apprehensive.

The curiosity of the children at kindergarten had gradually subsided with time, things were returning to normal. But then the first episode of the edited version aired, during the National Day holiday, after the holiday, Wei Maomao once again had to endure being escorted by Teacher Hu through the crowds of children at the front and back doors of the classroom to go to the bathroom.

Even though the children’s curiosity decreased day by day, the weekly broadcast of the edited version kept rekindling it. The curiosity that faded from Monday to the weekend was reignited again.

During the first month of school, because of the Lu Xiuxiu incident, Wei Maomao gained some strange “prestige” in her class, and she later became the class president. At least within the classroom, the children, although curious, were polite, life was bearable.

Similar curiosity and attention also appeared in the Experimental Elementary School next door. However, the elementary school students were more reserved than the kindergarteners. The front and back doors of Cheng Tingyan’s classroom were still clear, but the corridor outside was much more crowded than before.

Compared to Wei Maomao, who had no experience in dealing with this, Cheng Tingyan, who had worked in the entertainment industry in her past life, adapted quite well to the current situation at school.

But for Cheng Tingyan, the curiosity and attention of her unfamiliar schoolmates were just a gentle breeze; it was the little chubby bunny’s daily visits and lingering presence that truly mattered.

It was strange, even though she still clearly remembered the events from the variety show, and she had also watched many clips of the live broadcast online, watching the officially edited version on TV felt different.

Professional work had to be done by professionals.

For example, the scene at the village entrance, where the little chubby bunny, hiccuping, ran to the staff, had her face and hair wiped, her hair combed and clipped, applied a lot of lotion, then ran back, looking refreshed, only to be pulled into Wei Chengli’s arms as he complained, Cheng Tingyan felt that… it was truly… seamlessly edited.

Who would have thought that the little baby who used to cry so often would become the little chubby bunny who was always smiling, her dimples showing?

It was… a rather strange experience.

But experiences were subjective.

After the first episode aired, some participants happily reminisced, some reflected with regret, some looked back from a different perspective, and some… were so furious that they wanted to blow up the program team.

This past month, Cheng Feiying had been truly miserable.

It was just a small family matter, not some major scandal, why was everyone avoiding him like the plague? Not to mention the few drama projects he was discussing earlier, even the two he had already signed contracts with, scheduled to start filming after the show, they all kicked him out.

Fine, capital reigned supreme, he listened to their advice, he didn’t even argue, he gave up the custody.

But after letting her go, those who had hinted at “family harmony bringing career success” all went silent. The rumors in his company intensified the pressure, and there were no new projects outside. Cheng Feiying, unwilling to give up, took Zhang Jin and personally visited those projects that had hinted at opportunities if he resolved his family matters.

Hints were hints, they weren’t promises. Cheng Feiying went, but none of them acknowledged their earlier words, none of them showed any interest. The higher-ups didn’t even meet with him; they just sent a staff member to dismiss him.

Cheng Feiying finally realized that his career wasn’t just declining; it had fallen off a cliff.

Cheng Feiying, at the bottom of the cliff, struggled to climb back up, one step forward, two steps back. By October, there was no progress, only cold indifference, then… the first episode of the edited version aired.

He was kicked from the bottom of the cliff into a bottomless pit, only to see his elder daughter, whose custody he had given up, standing at the top of the cliff, carefree and relaxed.

Cheng Feiying regretted it.

With Cheng Tingyan’s current popularity, if he still had her custody, he could have used her, whitewashed his image, and regained his fame and fortune.

Now that Liu Qiongfang had her custody, it wasn’t so easy for him to ride on her coattails.

Thinking about it, those who had hinted at opportunities before he gave up custody, they were just dangling empty promises! He hadn’t resisted the pressure, hadn’t resisted the temptation, he traded a real opportunity for an empty promise, and ended up with nothing!

Now he only had one daughter left, Cheng Rongrong, who also didn’t gain anything from that variety show.

But there was still a difference between them, the difference was Bai Lei’s favoritism!

Cheng Feiying felt that Bai Lei was a bit crazy. That plan to use the show to make Cheng Tingyan look bad and highlight Cheng Rongrong’s cuteness, it was their idea, but after it failed, it somehow became his fault.

Since the He family was willing to use Cheng Rongrong, then why couldn’t they use him? They had already used the connections, what was the difference between adding one person or two? He had asked nicely, but Bai Lei was like a ticking time bomb, not only did she refuse to help, she even mocked him. Her temper was even worse than two years ago.

He wanted to see what they could achieve without him.

If Cheng Rongrong had heard Cheng Feiying’s thoughts, she would have smiled wryly, there were no achievements, only exhaustion.

The things Cheng Feiying couldn’t get, Cheng Rongrong truly… felt there were too many of them.

Working non-stop between three film crews for half a month, Cheng Rongrong’s second home was now in the RV. Sometimes, after finishing filming for one crew, she would sleep for two hours in the car, and when she woke up, she would already be at another film set.

Get in the car, sleep, get out of the car, film, if Cheng Feiying wanted this “good life,” she would gladly give it to him.

Cheng Rongrong also regretted it, if she had known He Lanxi was so useful, why would she have bothered with that variety show, enduring all that hardship?

The He family, in the original novel, appeared in a few plotlines as minor antagonists on the female lead’s path to success.

To be precise, that minor antagonist was He Lanxi’s cousin. After causing some trouble for Cheng Tingyan in the original novel… before Cheng Tingyan could even retaliate, the head of the He family found his biological daughter and took away the power and wealth from his nieces and nephews, that cousin, whose power and influence depended entirely on his parents, could no longer cause any trouble.

When Cheng Rongrong read it, she felt the female lead’s halo was truly powerful. Some antagonists didn’t even need the female lead to act, they just self-destructed.

After transmigrating, Cheng Rongrong discovered that Bai Lei had a good relationship with He Lanxi, she had considered using the He family’s entertainment company. But she gave up later. A niece who was destined to lose everything in about ten years, it felt like using an expired product, there was no future, it was more reliable to follow the original female lead’s path to success.

Her plan was good, but now, she regretted it.

This past half a month, besides the exhaustion from filming, Cheng Rongrong’s biggest realization was, capital was capital, even if it was destined to disappear in ten years, its current power was undeniable.

Although she failed to rise to fame through the third season of “Where’s Baby Going,” like the original Cheng Tingyan, but with the He family’s help, if they continued to support her, she could still compete.

And in fact, even if she didn’t want to compete now… she had to.

Bai Lei, after shedding her loving mother facade… was truly terrifying.

Cheng Rongrong, after finishing a scene, quietly returned to her chair, picked up her water bottle, and carefully glanced at Bai Lei, who was talking to He Lanxi.

Compared to Bai Lei, who had been moody and strict this past month, He Lanxi, who occasionally visited the set and praised her, was practically an angel!

Sadly, in less than ten years, this capital angel would fall and become cannon fodder.

Cheng Rongrong, thinking of this, sighed.

The original novel only briefly mentioned the head of the He family finding his biological daughter, the power shift within the family, and the abandonment of the collateral branches. It was mainly to highlight the female lead’s good luck, how she always escaped danger without even lifting a finger. As for the process of finding his daughter, it was just a passing remark.

It was a film adapted from a novel, its plot similar to the love story of the head of the He family. Following the clues, from the film to the novel, then to the novel’s author, they dramatically found his long-lost biological daughter.

As for when the film was made, when the novel was published, the original novel didn’t mention it.

Cheng Rongrong did remember one clue about the head of the He family’s daughter. It was something he said after the reunion, about making a promise with her mother under the moonlight, and now their child had a crescent moon birthmark on her arm, a beautiful coincidence and a memento from heaven.

Bai Lei, wanting to maintain her good relationship with He Lanxi, wasn’t satisfied with such a vague clue.

Cheng Rongrong, after racking her brain, finally remembered the pen name of the head of the He family’s daughter when she wrote that novel.

Bai Lei, after getting the two clues from her, had already asked someone to investigate.

But Cheng Rongrong wasn’t optimistic.

After all, the time span was too long, who knew when that novel was written within those ten years, it was even uncertain if that future pen name existed yet.

And the world was so big, there must be… many people with a crescent moon birthmark.

At least, Cheng Rongrong had seen one at the airport, when they returned from the Wild Animal Park.