Shen Yichong had been distracted by Yu Yaoyao’s question and hadn’t noticed Shen Rui entering the room. The door was ajar, and he could see the photographer, Lao Zheng, standing just outside the threshold. Behind the photographer was Ni Yi. Were they waiting outside the door all along?
Yu Yaoyao had slept all morning and woken up only around eleven. Perhaps they waited outside the door, unwilling to disturb them with a knock, while Shen Rui had sneaked into the room with the hotel staff that had entered with the food trolley. Little Bun was far too eager to be with his mum. He had been so angry he was kicked out of the room in his sleep that he intended to give them a piece of his mind. But Yu Yaoyao’s question about a baby had completely distracted the kid. His angry face had changed into an excited, smiley one, which now looked at his mother with eyes full of delight.
“Mom!” he exclaimed again, “Is it a little brother or a sister?” He was eager, but he was practically whispering. Perhaps his little mind thought he would scare his sibling away if he shouted.
Yu Yaoyao looked at Little Bun tenderly, her eyes bright and eager at his enthusiasm. “We don’t know it yet, baby,” she said.
Shen Rui hopped onto the bed and sat near his mum. “When will you know?” he asked curiously, “When will I get to meet them?” He looked anxious. He had thought he would soon have a playmate, but it seemed it might take a long while.
The comments section under the live broadcast wasn’t any calmer. They were amused by little Shen Rui’s eager questions. Meanwhile, Yu Yaoyao tried her best to explain to Little Bun. She felt like her own knowledge in this matter was limited. She had researched on gender and sex on the internet after she became human, but the physiology of it was still a bit uncertain for her.
“There is a whole lot of science to it, baby,” she said, uncertain on how much she could tell him. “We might only find out about it after maybe a month.”
“But how is a baby formed, anyway,” he asked, listening attentively. He thought it was a miraculous secret that he didn’t know about.
Shen Yichong’s mouth twitched. “Your mum needs to eat now, Shen Rui,” he said to the kid.
Shen Rui pouted at his father’s interruption but looked at his mother worriedly. “Yes,” he said and hopped out of the bed, “Mommy should eat. We can’t let mommy suffer. If she is hungry, my little brother or sister will be hungry too!”
Shen Yichong looked at him fondly, as he ran to the food tray and steered it towards his mother with all his might. His little hands uncovered the dishes, one after another. He unsteadily picked up a bowl of porridge and handed it to Shen Yichong.
“Mom can eat by herself, Little Bun,” he said to the kid with a teasing smile.
“Mommy is tired, dad,” said Shen Rui, “You should be a little more considerate!”
“That’s a big word,” he said to the kid.
“Besides,” continued Shen Rui, “I heard you and mom. She said you are the cause of her backache. You need to treat mommy better or I will never talk to you again.” Shen Yichong’s mouth twitched, and he tried to hold back his laughter as he looked at his child’s angry pout.
The little kid handed him the spoon. “Here,” he said, “Feed mommy otherwise we will never rescue you again if you are kidnapped.”
Shen Rui turned to Yu Yaoyao. “Do you want kimchi, mommy?” he asked. While he instructed his dad to cut up the egg pancakes for her.
Shen Rui was a gem, and Yu Yaoyao’s fans loved him for fussing over his mum while scolding his dad to treat her well. For the first time, he had woken up by himself without his mother by his side and was exerting enormous effort to prevent her getting out of bed because he was worried about her. He did all this with his two curls standing upright on his head. Yu Yaoyao’s viewers fawned over him:
【Little baby, you are a treasure! 】
【I don’t know why, but when I think about this kiddo having to help Mommy take care of herself, I want to laugh! 】
【I think Y’s family can do variety shows all year round! The kiddo’s daily life! Y’s daily life! A family of three! A second kid, a third kid… oh, who will wake me up from my dream? 】
【After “My Wife and I” ends, please make another variety show featuring Y’s family! The husband and wife are too interesting, and the baby is too funny! 】
Lao Zheng, who was filming next to him, also felt touched looking at the child. If it wasn’t for Shen Yichong, who tried to keep his kid away from the media, Little Bun would already have been a popular star by now. The family variety shows of this kind were usually very popular with the female population, though men enjoyed it too. Lao Zheng raised his camera to focus on father and son, who were trying to care for Yu Yaoyao. It was heartwarming to look at this family. The father and son working together to feed her, while she occasionally slipped a piece of fruit in Shen Rui’s mouth, and sometimes fed bacon to Shen Yichong. The family of three seemed emotionally invested in each other, not only receiving the love and care but also readily giving it.
Zhao Yu, the director, who was watching the three groups of family, couldn’t help but direct his attention to the Yu Yaoyao family at that instant. He smiled. “I will surely invite her in the second season of the show,” he said and laughed, along with the surrounding staff.
The game director, who was beside him, nodded his approval. “Yes, Director Zhao,” he said, “She certainly has a great knack for variety shows.”
“It’s not just because of that,” said Director Zhao, “After the game is over, people slowly lose interest in the participants. But, look at her!” He indicated the monitor, which showed the Yu Yaoyao family enjoying their breakfast. “She is still popular among the viewers even after her part of the show has ended. She has this talent of keeping the viewers enamored, unintentionally. And she has guts. You saw her during the task involving the bugs. She didn’t even flinch. She offers something to the audience, something to be admired.”
“She certainly is formidable,” agreed the game director.
The directors had worked with many celebrities. The on-screen persona of the celebrities they worked with were always dependent on the suggestion of their respective agency. So, it was very difficult to know how a celebrity actually was. But with Yu Yaoyao, it was all unpredictable. She was so spontaneous and funny. Zhao Yu sipped his tea and smiled warmly while looking at the screen.
“I have never met anybody so impulsive,” he said, “I feel like showcasing her energy, her personality as she actually is. I can bet that her future will be lined with limitless success.”
In the meantime, Yu Yaoyao, unaware of the praise she received from the director, said to Shen Yichong, “Hubby, should we help the other families? Brother Zheng said that the wives of the two families haven’t been able to find their husbands, yet. Maybe we could help them!”
Director Zhao spit out the tea he was drinking, accidentally. The tea spilled to the floor as he crushed the paper cup in his hands.