Chapter Eight: The Deep Bond Between Mother and Daughter Is Painfully Striking

As expected, her scheming son had depths to his cunning—could she just rush over and toss him upstairs right now? Su Wan-ning didn’t dare glance at the streaming comments; if this went on, she’d be vilified across the internet with no chance to redeem herself.

Suddenly, inspiration struck in her moment of crisis. She stepped forward, placing herself protectively in front of her son.

“My son’s kindergarten has life skills classes. He likes to help me chop vegetables when I cook, and I’ve been deliberately cultivating him. He’ll surely be a good husband in the future. Come on, everyone, now accepting applications for future daughters-in-law—comment 1 to sign up on the stream!”

In an instant, the barrage of criticism shifted into screens full of “1”s.

Su Wan-ning quietly let out a sigh of relief, having temporarily defused the crisis.

The camera returned to the main hall, where the host began a series of sharp questions.

“Recently, rumors have circulated online that you’ve been abusive towards your children. Is there any truth to this?”

“That’s pure fabrication. Just look at our family—does it match what’s described online?” Su Wan-ning was holding one child in each arm, her little daughter tilting her head up to feed her a grape, a picture of mother and daughter affection.

“Yesterday, someone caught you picking up your kids at the kindergarten. This was a first—so who usually picks them up?”

The reporter kept digging, but Su Wan-ning handled it with ease. “Most of the time, our family driver takes care of it. If work isn’t too busy, I do it myself, but I’ve just always kept a low profile.”

Question after question, Su Wan-ning didn’t slip once, so the host had no choice but to announce a short intermission.

Taking advantage of the brief respite, Su Wan-ning leaned in close to her two children, whispering, “Please, please, when we’re back on camera, remember to talk more—and don’t forget to praise me. Hehe.”

“Don’t worry, Mama, leave it to Nian-nian!” her sweet and sensible daughter nodded eagerly. Only her son sat stiffly to the side, his face still set in a serious little frown.

Su Wan-ning sidled up to him, trying to curry favor. “Sui-sui? What brand of computer do you like…”

Meanwhile, the program team was getting anxious.

The whole point of today’s live broadcast was to dig up dirt on Su Wan-ning, thereby boosting the other three families. Lately, Su Wan-ning had become an internet sensation—a goldmine for traffic. If they could just uncover anything negative about her, the show would skyrocket in popularity. She was their perfect foil.

“What do we do now? There’s no way in!”

The host glanced at Su Wan-ning on the sofa, then an idea struck. “I’ll stop questioning her directly and ask the kids instead. Children don’t lie. From the looks of it, her relationship with them isn’t all that good.”

Soon, the second half of the interview began, with the host turning to the children.

“So, your mother says she cooks for you. What’s your favorite dish that she makes?”

The very first question made Su Wan-ning tense, ready to jump in with a vague answer. But Qin Nian piped up crisply, “Everything Mama makes is delicious!”

Perfect—her precious daughter indeed.

The camera shifted to her son. Silently, Su Wan-ning prayed. After a few seconds, Sui-sui finally spoke without expression, “Everything Mama makes is delicious.”

He repeated his sister’s words verbatim, but in a completely different tone—prompting a wave of laughter from the live chat.

[Is this son being held hostage? Why does he look so unwilling?]
[Little one, if you’re being held captive, blink twice and I’ll come save you!]
[Dammit, we came for something real, not for you to put on a fake show!]
[Oh no, is Su Wan-ning going to scold her handsome son later?]

Su Wan-ning let out a breath of relief.

“By the way, when you were chopping vegetables earlier, I noticed a bruise on your arm. How did that happen?”

The host threw out one last bombshell, making Su Wan-ning’s heart leap into her throat. She turned anxiously to her son.

Please, please, this is a national livestream—don’t say anything reckless!

At that moment, she wished for a telepathic link to transmit her thoughts straight to him. But her son didn’t even glance her way.

Seconds ticked by. The host prompted him again, and only then did Qin Sui speak.

“It was from this table corner.”

He raised his hand to point at the coffee table in front of him, its sharp edge now wrapped with soft foam. Just last night, Su Wan-ning had instructed the housekeeper to cover it, worried that Nian-nian might get hurt while playing.

“I got hurt bumping into it, and then Mama had it wrapped up.”

His answer was flawless. The camera panned to the table corner, evidence plain for all to see—no one could question further.

Relief flooded Su Wan-ning so completely she nearly cried from gratitude. Overjoyed, she turned and planted a kiss on her son’s cheek.

“Good boy, Mama loves you!”

Qin Sui wrinkled his brow, his expression slightly disdainful as he wiped the kiss away—but the corners of his lips couldn’t help curling up.

The livestream ended on that note, and the show’s comment section exploded, rocketing to the top of the trending topics.

[I’m so jealous. I want to kiss that handsome little face too!]
[With such a loving mother, who’d dare slander her now?]
[So manipulative—she must’ve bribed the kids beforehand. Wake up, people!]
[Agreed, +1!]
…
The comments flooded with praise, especially for the adorable, awkward son and the sweet, lively daughter—their images left a deep impression, utterly charming the audience.

After seeing off the production crew, Su Wan-ning finally exhaled a long breath, then turned to her two children, her voice brimming with enthusiasm: “Darlings, we have to really shine in this show. Let’s dazzle everyone so the whole world knows us!”

“Yes!” Qin Nian nodded vigorously, but Qin Sui doused her excitement with a cold splash.

“Everyone already knows you now.”

Bad publicity is still publicity.

Those five words flashed through Su Wan-ning’s mind, leaving her momentarily speechless as she looked at her son.

Meanwhile, the production team was in a quandary. Their original plan had been to smear Su Wan-ning with tonight’s broadcast, allowing the other three families to benefit from the fallout. Yet now, public opinion had slipped entirely beyond their control, with praise overwhelmingly in her favor.