Chapter Nine: The Concept of Time

Just as everyone was at a loss, the show’s director, Wang Zan, suddenly had an idea.

“I’ve got it!” He slapped his thigh, his expression overflowing with excitement.

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll start the livestream ahead of schedule, filming from the moment the celebrities leave their homes. But here’s the catch—we’ll notify the other three families in advance, as for Su Wan-ning… Tomorrow morning, I’ll personally lead a crew and catch her off guard.”

Wang Zan was a renowned director in the country, who had shot to fame a few years back after producing a hit celebrity comedy variety show. The parent-child program “Mommy Marches On” had broken domestic ratings records the moment it aired. However, with similar shows flooding the market, there was concern the second season would struggle with viewership. That’s why, before filming began, Wang Zan went out of his way to recruit Su Wan-ning. His intention was to leverage her recent “notorious fame” to generate buzz for his show, using her as a launchpad to spotlight the other three families.

His subordinates and interns stood by in silence as Wang Zan gave further instructions: “Also, put a livestream teaser on the LoveVideo platform and activate the online reservation feature. I’ll need it once the show kicks off.”

Wang Zan’s plan unfolded smoothly. Upon receiving the heads-up, the other three mother-daughter pairs each shot promotional videos for the LoveVideo platform, drawing in fans to reserve their livestream slots. Reservations for these three families steadily climbed. By late night, film queen Yin Shanshan’s reservation numbers had already soared into six figures, placing her at the top. The other two families followed closely behind.

Only Su Wan-ning was different. She’d taken no action, and her livestream reservations numbered just a few hundred—a dismal figure that was painful to look at.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the program’s ambush, Su Wan-ning lay on her luxurious bed, happily enjoying a facial mask. Vincent’s phone call interrupted the food video she was watching.

“Hello?”

“Little Ancestor, have you packed your luggage yet?”

Su Wan-ning sighed, “Vin-Mama, I’ll pack when I wake up tomorrow morning. What’s the rush?”

Vincent’s tone was unmistakably anxious. “My dear, how can I not worry? The others each have just one child, but you’re bringing two. Time will be tight tomorrow—what if you forget something…”

Seeing Vincent about to launch into another of his endless lectures, Su Wan-ning quickly cut him off, “Alright, alright, I’ll go pack now, okay?”

She hung up briskly, cutting off Vincent’s voice. Then she resumed her food video, watching with delight.

They wouldn’t leave until noon tomorrow—who bothers packing so early?

At exactly seven the next morning, all four livestreams began on the LoveVideo platform as scheduled. The production crew, cameras in hand, entered each guest’s home and started filming.

The live chat was ablaze with excitement.

“This season is really different—nothing like before.”

“Yeah, they used to start filming at the destination. This time, they’re starting before departure. Aren’t they worried we’ll see the celebrities without makeup?”

“How naïve. I bet they all got up three hours early to do their hair and makeup. Just watch!”

“A bet it is! If I lose, I’ll wash my hair while standing on my head!”

The most popular livestream, unsurprisingly, belonged to Yin Shanshan. When her door opened, the high-definition camera captured her face. Lightly made up, the film queen was breathtakingly beautiful and impeccably dressed.

“No wonder she’s the ace of female stars—she never lets us down!”

“I’m actually curious about what’s happening with Su Wan-ning. I’ll sneak over and have a look.”

“Heh, Su Wan-ning? She probably has a troop of bodyguards and nannies swarming around her. Nothing worth watching.”

To everyone’s shock, the cameraman rang Su Wan-ning’s doorbell for a full ten minutes with no answer.

“What’s going on? Is Su Wan-ning staging a walkout?”

“Fantastic, get her off the show!”

Hiding just out of the camera’s view, Wang Zan watched the live chat with a satisfied smirk.

“Here she comes! Um, our Wan-ning just wants to present her best self to the crew, so she took a little extra time. I’ll open the door for you all!” Vincent rushed over as soon as he got the call, swiftly punching in the code to unlock the door.

“Tch, what a diva.”

“Now I’m curious—just how surprising is Su Wan-ning’s ‘meticulously prepared’ look?”

It was, in fact, quite a surprise.

As soon as the door downstairs opened and the crew filed in, a languid female voice called down from the staircase on the second floor.

“Who is it? Making such a racket so early—you’ve ruined my beauty sleep.”

“Quick, point the camera upstairs!”

Wang Zan, upon spotting Su Wan-ning’s disheveled appearance, quietly guided the cameraman to focus on her.

“Hold on—ahem, why don’t we give everyone a tour of Wan-ning’s home first? Didn’t someone mention last time they didn’t get to see enough?” Vincent desperately tried to block the camera, but as the cameraman panned away as he wished, the live chat only erupted in greater laughter.

“How does someone turn a mansion into this? I feel bad for her!”

“What’s that beside the sofa? Am I seeing things—is that a pile of delivery boxes?”

“Millions spent per square meter, and the place is overrun with shabby cardboard boxes—the boxes are living better than people.”

The living room was a mess. Su Wan-ning, yawning, came downstairs, only then noticing the camera trained on her.

“What’s going on?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

This entire scene was broadcast live to the audience, the chat scrolling by in a frenzy, the number of viewers skyrocketing as people flocked in for the spectacle.

“Did she just… wake up?”

“Pfft… someone save me. Turns out a female star wears SpongeBob onesie pajamas too!”

“I really want to know if a star struggles with the bathroom in a onesie like I do. I demand a live demonstration!”

“Seconded.”

At that moment, Su Wan-ning was clad in a bright yellow SpongeBob onesie, a giant, grinning SpongeBob face beaming goofily from her chest.

“But honestly, Su Wan-ning’s bare face is stunning—she’s every bit as pretty as the film queen with her light makeup.”

“She’s so fair—whiter than the freshly painted walls at my house. Jealous!”

Following Wang Zan’s orders, the camera captured every angle of Su Wan-ning’s “disarray.”

“Has she not packed anything yet? They’re about to leave—does she have no sense of time?”

“Clearly, she doesn’t take her work seriously.”

While the chat descended into chaos, Vincent pulled Su Wan-ning aside and quickly explained the sudden livestream. Then he asked, “Where’s your luggage?”

Su Wan-ning’s eyes went wide in realization, and she blinked apologetically at him.