Chapter 4

Jiang Xueru's kiss had such a strong aftereffect that Qiuqiu covered her face and returned to the orphanage in a daze. It wasn't until she sat on her small bed that she finally came to her senses.

Once she recovered, things took a turn for the better; the little girl immediately became the busiest little bee in the orphanage.

"Look! This is chocolate from Mom!"

"This hand held Mom's hand!"

"This little mouth has kissed its mother's face!"

"And here!" She gently touched her cheek where she had been kissed. "Mommy kissed me here too!"

The staff and children at the welfare home were all amused by her, laughing heartily. The director, Grandma, smiled and hugged her, saying, "Our Qiuqiu likes her new mom so much!"

Qiuqiu nodded vigorously, "I love it so much! Mom is the most beautiful and gentlest person in the world!"

That night, Qiuqiu drifted off to sleep with a sweet smile. She thought she would dream of her beautiful mother, but unexpectedly, she dreamed of the novel again.

This was the second time in over a year since she transmigrated that she had dreamt of a novel's plot. The first time was on the night she first arrived in this world. Although many details were blurry after she woke up, she always remembered the cruel fact that she and Jiang Xueru would become "cannon fodder."

This time, however, the dream was exceptionally vivid.

She saw that Ye Sisi always had a gentle smile in front of the camera and took meticulous care of her son Fang Ran, winning the love of all the viewers.

Jiang Xueru, on the other hand, is criticized by netizens for being "unfit to be a mother" because she is not good at expressing herself and always has a cold face.

She saw how Ye Sisi's fans insulted Jiang Xueru and spread rumors. She saw the dimness in Jiang Xueru's beautiful eyes when she was forced to leave the show midway.

What angered Qiuqiu the most was that she clearly saw how Ye Sisi used that gray silk thread to continuously steal Jiang Xueru's luck.

Every time Jiang Xueru is attacked by cyberbullying, Ye Sisi's luck increases by one point.

"That's too much!" Qiuqiu stomped her feet in anger in her dream.

When I woke up, it was just getting light.

Qiuqiu finally understood everything.

Of all the worlds in existence, why did Qiuqiu come to this one?

And why did he meet Jiang Xueru in this capacity?

Why is there such a big difference between the good and evil of the characters in real life and those in novels?

It turns out that Jiang Xueru was the original female lead of this world.

Lin Sisi, who shares the same father as Jiang Xueru, developed extremely complex emotions towards Jiang Xueru from a young age due to jealousy and a sense of unfairness, and was influenced by the "source of evil" in this world.

The "Source of Evil" loves to devour the luck of the world's protagonists. With no one to stop it, Jiang Xueru will become a cannon fodder female supporting character as predicted in that novel, while Ye Sisi will become the true protagonist.

......

The day before filming for "Super Cute" began, the production team finally officially announced all the guests participating in the variety show.

Since almost all the guests are well-known celebrities, news about "Super Cute" quickly flooded Weibo, forums and other social media platforms.

Information on the four mothers in "Super Cute":

Ye Sisi: A popular A-list actress, she recently won first place in the public's favorite actress poll and is a woman who occupies half of the female star traffic.

Leng Yu: A well-known pop diva with extremely popular songs, a woman who occupies half of the mainland music scene.

Jiang Xueru: The youngest Best Actress in the Chinese entertainment industry, a star descended from the heavens, but crashed midway through her journey and has been successfully rescued. Although she has not yet reached her previous heights, wherever she is, there is chaos and turmoil. She is a woman who accounts for half of the number of haters in the industry.

Meng Han: A former internationally renowned supermodel. Even though she retired from the modeling industry after getting married and having children, she remains a legend in the modeling world and a woman who occupies half of the lesbian community.

Finally, here are the first official solo promotional photos released.

"Here she comes! Sisi hasn't been on a variety show in so long, I'm so excited!"

"Why don't you introduce Dad's information? I feel like everyone except Gu Qingyue will appear."

"Fang Yi revealed in a recent interview that he will be recording a variety show soon, which will definitely be 'Super Cute'! As expected of the most loving model couple in the Chinese entertainment industry, our Fang-Ye couple will be appearing together again!"

"I never noticed before, but now that we're side by side, I think Jiang Xueru and Ye Sisi look a bit alike."

"That's true to some extent, but Jiang Xueru's looks are way better. Putting aside everything else, Jiang Xueru's face is absolutely stunning."

"Heh, all Jiang Xueru can say is about her face."

[The second wave of promotional photos for "Super Cute" is here! See which kid is the cutest!]

"Fang Ran is so cute!"

"Fang Ran! Fang Ran!"

"Although, they all seem to be the same nominee in the front row. Judging from the photo, Fang Ran is probably the worst."

"It's because Fang Ran has a mother who posts his photos on Weibo 366 days a year, so his popularity is naturally high."

"To be honest, it's not good for children to be exposed to so much media."

"Sisi loves Ranran very much, and mothers like to share their children's daily lives and any problems they encounter."

"The first thing I noticed when I swiped down was P3, which is the most eye-catching!"

"Me too! Looking closely, P3 is the best looking. She's so cute and very natural in photos. Compared to her, Fang Ran in P2 looks too reserved."

"Her name is Qiuqiu, and she seems to be an ordinary child. She should be paired with Jiang Xueru."

"...Jiang Xueru, let's mourn for the little cutie in advance."

"Jiang Xueru is so cold and has a bad temper. I hope she won't scare the little kid to tears."

"But she looks so cute smiling in the photo."

"Maybe the solo photos were taken alone; we'll find out when we see the couple photos later."

[Super Cute Couple Promotional Photos Are Here! See Which Mother and Child/Daughter Pair Performs Best]

"Aa ...

"It's so cute, what should I do?!"

"What happened? My internet is bad and the pictures haven't loaded yet."

"Look at P3, look at P3, Qiuqiu kissed him right away!"

"Jiang Xueru's cold aura suddenly disappeared, how strange, let me watch it again."

"Aaaaaaah, photographer, come out and get your chicken leg! How did you take these photos? They're so amazing!"

"Jiang Xueru's blank expression is kind of... cute?"

"I never imagined that the word 'cute' would one day be used to describe Jiang Xueru."

"What I didn't expect was that there was simply no word more descriptive than 'cute'!"

"Aren't they a mother and daughter interns? I feel like they're the warmest ones there."

"Hahahaha, Meng Han and her son are just being silly. The Leng Yu family can only blame little Shen Yi'an for not cooperating. As for Ye Sisi..."

"Why do I get the feeling that Fang Ran is really afraid of his mother?"

"Ranran is just not used to facing the camera."

"Uh, I'm not used to facing the camera but posting photos on Weibo every day."

"Behind-the-scenes footage of the promotional photoshoot is out, everyone go check it out!!"

[I just finished watching the behind-the-scenes video of the promotional photos, and I feel like I watched a fake. I need to watch it again.]

"Don't doubt your eyes, I know what you're talking about. I've read it over and over again, it's true."

"I've been a fan for ten years, and this is the first time I've seen Jiang Jiang blush. Now I'm starting to doubt myself."

"So what exactly did Qiuqiu whisper in her ear?"

"Nobody knows except the two of them."

"She seems aloof and emotionless on the surface, but a kiss on the cheek and a whispered secret can make her blush all over. What kind of tsundere is that?"

"The original poster is back and has become withdrawn. I used to be a staunch hater of Jiang Xueru, but now I actually find her cute. I've fallen from grace."

"Pshaw, for a top actress like Jiang, blushing is a piece of cake."

"Hey, you haters upstairs, here we go again. Didn't you haters all say Jiang Jiang's acting has declined? Why are you admitting it now?"

"Hilarious! From now on, haters won't be able to deny Jiang Xueru's looks or her acting skills either."

......

Meanwhile, Jiang Xueru, who was browsing comments, looked at the screen filled with the two big characters "arrogant" and her fingers trembled slightly. She almost couldn't help but throw her phone away.

"What nonsense are these people talking about!" She bit her lower lip, but her ears involuntarily turned red.

Yu Ling curiously leaned closer, staring at the phone screen for a long time, her expression growing increasingly strange. She even zoomed in and out of the picture repeatedly, trying to confirm something.

"So..." Yu Ling finally raised her head, her tone filled with disbelief, "You really let that child kiss you?"

Jiang Xueru awkwardly looked away and softly hummed in agreement, her voice barely audible.

"Oh My God!"

Yu Ling took an exaggerated step back. "You actually let a child kiss you? That Jiang Xueru who automatically backs away when a child gets within three meters?"

Jiang Xueru: "......"

She regrets it terribly now.

What's even more terrifying is that not only did she let the child kiss her, but she also inexplicably kissed him back later.

This was one of the most humiliating moments of her life.

"Looks like I made the right decision by getting you this variety show." Yu Ling stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"You used to have a psychological trauma towards children because of your father's illegitimate children, but I didn't expect that you would feel much better after taking a group photo just once."

She picked up her coffee and took a sip, then suddenly remembered something and her eyes lit up: "So, how do you feel about that little girl, Qiuqiu?"

Jiang Xueru instinctively wanted to deny it, but Qiuqiu's clear eyes immediately came to mind, along with the words, "Big kids should be honest too."

"I...I guess I like it." She turned her face away, her voice growing softer and softer.

"Pfft—" Yu Ling spat out her entire mouthful of coffee.

Jiang Xueru was startled by her reaction: "What's wrong?"

Yu Ling stared at her with resentful eyes, looking like a heartbroken abandoned wife: "We've worked together for over a year, and you've never said you liked me. And now, after just one photo with a kid, you're already bewitched? Jiang Xueru, you scumbag!"

Jiang Xueru was taken aback by what she said. Upon careful recollection, she realized that she had indeed never expressed affection for anyone—whether it was her grandmother who raised her, Yu Ling who had always supported her, or her nominal husband, Gu Qingyue.

Qiuqiu is right; she is indeed not honest enough in some things.

“Actually…” Jiang Xueru lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, “I like you quite a bit too.”

Clang—

The coffee cup in Yu Ling's hand fell to the ground and shattered, spilling coffee everywhere.

"What...what did you say?" Yu Ling's eyes widened, her voice trembling. "Can you say it again?"

Her burning gaze was exactly like Qiuqiu's.

Jiang Xueru felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze, and her cheeks flushed red at a visible speed.

"I'm not saying anything more!" She stood up abruptly, almost fleeing. "I need to prepare for tomorrow's recording!"

Yu Ling was left alone in the office, grinning foolishly at the coffee stains all over the floor.

Jiang Xueru, who had quickly walked out of the office, leaned against the wall in the corridor, feeling her heart pounding, and muttered to herself:

"How could I possibly say something like that a second time..."