The luggage had been packed the night before.
Hers and Zhouzhou's together, two suitcases.
They followed the production crew to the airport to meet up with the main group.
Inside the car, the filming staff member received a cue from the director and started making conversation.
"Teacher Shen, do you know who the guests for this season are?"
Shen Zhiyu nodded. "I know."
The guests this season were all heavy hitters.
Liang Weixia, Gu Shiyu, and Li Yuechuan were all accomplished award-winning actors and actresses.
Xu Anxin was a former child star who had grown up in the public eye, and almost all the viewers were her fans.
Among them all, she had the lowest status, being just an actress.
"We all know that Teacher Shen has kept things very hush-hush regarding your child, never letting the outside world see what he looks like. Why did you decide to bring your child on a show this time?"
"Is it like what people are saying outside, that something happened to the Shen and Lu families, and you need to come out and hustle with your child to make money?" the staff member asked.
These two questions were sharper than the other.
It sounded almost like someone sent by a rival camp to dig up gossip.
While the outside world knew her family background and that she was married with a child, no matter how interested people were in her private life, none of them dared to dig around casually.
They certainly didn't dare leak anything about her child, terrified of retaliation from the Shen and Lu families.
When the production team invited her this time, they had already prepared themselves for a rejection, never expecting her to agree.
To this day, the director still felt like it was a dream.
They even maliciously speculated whether something had happened to the Shen and Lu families, forcing her to bring her child out to hustle and make money.
The lively barrage of online comments quieted down. Everyone stared fixedly at the screen at Shen Zhiyu, whose expression hadn't changed at all since the staff member asked the question.
There were plenty of people in this world who resented the wealthy. Seeing Shen Zhiyu delay her answer, they began to gloat.
Some fans, however, believed these rumors and began to feel a pang of sympathy for Shen Zhiyu's situation, speaking up to save face for her.
In the child safety seat beside her, Zhouzhou looked blankly at the camera, then at the questioning staff member, and finally turned to look at his mother. "Mom?"
Small as he was, his eyes brimmed with massive confusion. "What does 'hustle' mean? Did Dad go bankrupt?"
After his question, he patted his chest somewhat excitedly and gave her a reassuring promise. "It's fine, Mom. If Dad can't support you, Zhouzhou has lots of New Year money. Zhouzhou will support you."
The somewhat stiff atmosphere eased considerably because of Zhouzhou's words.
The staff member laughed and asked, "Oh? How much New Year money does Zhouzhou have?"
Zhouzhou shook his head, the flesh on his cheeks jiggling with the movement, looking sickeningly cute. "I don't know. Zhouzhou hasn't counted."
"Mom, how much money does Zhouzhou have?" Zhouzhou beamed at her, his brows curved in half-moons, deep dimples unexpectedly showing on his chubby cheeks. "If it's not enough to support Mom, we'll find Uncle. Uncle owes Zhouzhou money."
Shen Zhiyu reached out and poked the dimple on her son's cheek, saying helplessly, "Dad didn't go bankrupt. He can afford to support Zhouzhou. They're just talking nonsense."
Hearing that his dad hadn't gone bankrupt, Zhouzhou let out a disappointed "Ah." "Oh, well."
"What? You were hoping your dad would go bankrupt?" Shen Zhiyu's eyes curved into smiles, though her gaze remained utterly indifferent.
It would actually be pretty great if he went bankrupt, so he wouldn't be able to provide any assistance to the male lead anymore.
Even so, this time around, not a single fraction belonging to her son would be given to anyone else.
Worst-case scenario, she'd ask the System for some colorless, odorless poison to feed him and get rid of him without a trace.
Zhouzhou nodded his little head, then shook it again, his chubby face filled with conflict. "Mom, I don't want Dad to go bankrupt. But I want to support Mom."
Shen Zhiyu reached out to ruffle the cowlick on his head. "Your dad going bankrupt or not has nothing to do with whether you support Mom."
Having his head rubbed by his mother, Zhouzhou narrowed his eyes in bliss, his laughter bright and merry. "Mom, my head feels good. Touch it again."
Shen Zhiyu's hand dropped to his armpit and tickled him.
Zhouzhou begged for mercy as she tickled him, the child's laughter echoing throughout the entire livestream room.
Aside from a few viewers who kept harping on Shen Zhiyu's forced composure, everyone else was infected by Zhouzhou's laughter and couldn't help smiling along.
As they laughed, many netizens left comments: It has been a very, very long time since I laughed this easily and freely.
Just when the staff member thought Shen Zhiyu wouldn't answer the earlier question, she looked straight into the camera of the production crew, solemn and earnest: "The Shen and Lu families are doing just fine. Bringing Zhouzhou out is purely because I want to spend more time with my child. I hope everyone will refrain from spreading unverified rumors."
The staff member let out a breath—thankfully she wasn't giving him a hard time.
The director was something else, giving him a task like that.
The staff member steered the conversation to a few more innocuous topics, and the atmosphere was no longer so awkward.
"Teacher Shen, we've arrived." The airport had arrived.
This season's guests carried such heavy auras that not a single flaw could be tolerated; the production team had chartered an entire plane.
Shen Zhiyu got out of the car first, then lifted Zhouzhou out of the child safety seat.
By then, a staff member had also unloaded her suitcases.
She took the suitcase from the staff member's hands and said thank you.
The staff member who received the thanks was startled. Was Teacher Shen really this easy to get along with in private?
Zhouzhou trotted over to Shen Zhiyu's side, pointed at the suitcase that was about as tall as he was, and said, "Mom, I'll help you push one."
"Alright." She didn't plan to coddle him forever and turn him into a little good-for-nothing.
For many things, she still hoped he would do them himself and feel a sense of participation.
Just like that, Shen Zhiyu pushed one suitcase in each hand, while little Zhouzhou trotted behind the suitcase, holding up his two chubby little hands to help push, huffing and puffing with all his might.
From the angle of his following camera, it looked like a little toddler sticking out his little butt, huffing and puffing as he pushed the suitcase, his little yellow duck hat crooked and completely forgotten, the whole little milk doll dying of cuteness.
Listening to the continuous pinging notification sounds, Shen Zhiyu knew there were still plenty of people who liked little Zhouzhou.
To prevent the guests from being disturbed by fans, the production team had arranged a quiet waiting room through airport staff.
When Shen Zhiyu and her son arrived, only Gu Shiyu and her son Xiang Xianqi were already there in the waiting room.
The other guests had also set out early, but on their way here they either ran into traffic jams or their children threw screaming tantrums, delaying them.
Shen Zhiyu had collaborated with Gu Shiyu twice before, and her impression of Gu Shiyu was quite good.
Seeing her, she immediately greeted her: "Teacher Gu."
Gu Shiyu smiled politely. "Teacher Shen."
Then they introduced their respective children.
Zhouzhou was an obedient little darling in front of his mother. When his mother told him to greet people, he obediently called out, "Hello Auntie, hello Big Brother."
Then he shyly turned around, leaving Gu Shiyu and Xiang Xianqi with a chubby little back.
A milk doll of this age was already exceptionally endearing, and combined with little Zhouzhou's exquisite and cute appearance, the mother and son took a liking to him instantly.
Gu Shiyu remained somewhat reserved, but Xiang Xianqi, a social butterfly, had already walked over to greet little Zhouzhou.
"Hello little brother, I brought candy and toys. Do you want to play with Big Brother?"
Children had no immunity to toys and candy, but Zhouzhou was an exception.
Faced with this temptation, he shook his head. "No, with Mom."